pairingâ§Ë°. roomatesbsf!sunghoon x (f) reader (part 1 here)
synopsisâ§Ë°. after losing everything in high school, y/n starts college with walls built so high she can barely see over them. enter park sunghoon: her roommate's childhood friend who is frustratingly kind, impossibly patient, and determined to show her that love isn't supposed to hurt. a slow burn story about healing, late night convenience store runs, and learning that being someone's first choice isn't something you have to earn.
containsâ§Ë°. references to past friendship betrayal/heartbreak (from part 1) ; panic attack scene ; themes of abandonment and feeling unlovable ; low self esteem and anxiety ; eventual happy ending ; wc: 5.4k
notesâ§Ë°. i hope you guys like this part 2!! bro if i could get an ending like this irl, i would CRYYYYY. sigh when will it be my turn... if you like my stories, and want to see something specific, PLEASE send an ask!!
you don't remember the exact moment you decided that love was something that existed for other people.
maybe it was when you stopped checking your phone for messages that never came. maybe it was the hundredth time you walked past the canes on campus and felt something sharp in your chest. maybe it was just the slow realization that you had spent so long loving people who never chose you back that you forgot what it felt like to be chosen at all.
whatever it was, by the time you moved into your dorm room sophomore year, you had become very good at being alone.
you had your routine down. classes, library, coffee from the place on third that always burnt their espresso just a little, bed by midnight.
you didn't join clubs. you didn't go to parties. you kept your head down and your heart guarded and you told yourself you were fine.
you were fine.
you were fine until your roommate sooyeon came home one tuesday with a boy trailing behind her, carrying a box of textbooks that looked too heavy for his frame.
"y/n!" she called out, kicking the door shut with her foot. "this is sunghoon. he's my childhood friend from vancouver, he's transferring in this semester."
you looked up from your laptop.
the boy standing in your doorway was tall in a way that seemed almost unfair, all long limbs and elegant posture. he had the kind of face that belonged in a magazine, sharp and ethereal and slightly intimidating. he was looking at you with dark, serious eyes that softened almost immediately when you made eye contact.
"hi," you said, closing your laptop.
"hi," he said back. his voice was gentle, unexpectedly soft for someone who looked like he should be scowling on a runway somewhere. "i'm sunghoon."
"y/n," you said.
"she's quiet," sooyeon said, dropping her bag on her bed. "but she's the best roommate ever. doesn't snore, doesn't steal my food, doesn't bring weird guys over."
"sounds perfect," sunghoon said, and there was something in his tone that made your cheeks warm.
you looked away quickly, opening your laptop again. "i'm going to the library."
"it's eight pm," sooyeon said.
"i have a paper."
you didn't have a paper. you just needed to get out of the room before your heart did something stupid like start hoping.
the problem with park sunghoon was that he didn't go away.
you expected him to be a one time thing, a childhood friend who helped sooyeon move some boxes and then vanished into the vast ocean of campus life. but he kept appearing.
first it was the coffee shop on third. you were waiting for your burnt espresso when someone stepped up beside you and you looked over to see him there, wearing a black turtleneck that made him look like he belonged in an art museum.
"hey," he said.
"hey," you said back.
"sooyeon told me you come here every morning."
"she did?"
"she tells me everything," he said, and then smiled. it was a small smile, careful and sincere. "she's worried about you. she says you don't have any friends here."
you felt your defenses rise immediately, sharp and automatic. "i have friends."
"really?"
"yes."
"when's the last time you hung out with them?"
you opened your mouth to answer and then realized you couldn't. your high school friends were gone, scattered by time and betrayal and your own inability to hold onto them. ava had stopped texting back. mia and jungwon were a closed chapter you couldn't bear to open.
"i'm fine," you said instead.
"i didn't say you weren't," sunghoon replied, stepping forward to order when the barista called next. "but if you ever want to not be fine with someone else, sooyeon and i are getting dinner tonight. you should come."
he didn't push. he didn't try to convince you. he just paid for his coffee, gave you one last look that felt like he could see straight through every wall you had built, and walked away.
that was the thing that confused you the most. every time you saw him, which was somehow becoming more frequent despite your best efforts to avoid him, he would find some reason to extend an invitation.
"we're getting boba after class."
"sooyeon found this new study spot."
"i'm making ramen at our place, i always make too much."
you said no every time. you said no because you were busy, because you were tired, because you had learned that the only way to keep your heart safe was to keep it far away from anyone who might break it.
but sunghoon just kept smiling and saying "maybe next time" like he genuinely believed there would be a next time.
"why does he keep asking?" you asked sooyeon one night, staring at the ceiling from your bed.
"who? sunghoon?"
"yeah. i keep saying no."
sooyeon was quiet for a moment. "can i be honest with you?"
"no."
she laughed. "too bad. sunghoon is... he's careful with people. he doesn't open up easily. but he told me he thinks you're sad, and he doesn't like seeing sad people be alone."
your chest tightened. "i'm not sad."
"y/n," sooyeon said softly. "you're the saddest person i've ever met. and i don't mean that in a bad way. i just mean... you carry it really well, but you don't have to carry it alone."
you rolled over to face the wall so she couldn't see your face. "i'm fine."
"okay," she said. "but if you ever want to not be fine, sunghoon makes really good kimchi fried rice. just saying."
the first time you said yes was a tuesday in october.
you had spent the morning in a lecture hall that smelled like wet carpet, listening to a professor drone on about theories you didn't care about, and when you walked out into the gray afternoon you felt so heavy you could barely breathe.
your phone buzzed.
sunghoon
convenience store run. i'm buying. you in?
you stared at the message for a long time. you thought about your empty dorm room, the silence that would greet you when you got back, the way your own thoughts got louder when there was no one else around to drown them out.
you
okay.
he replied immediately: really?
you
don't make me change my mind.
sunghoon
too late. i'm already outside your building.
you looked out the window and there he was, standing on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, looking up at your floor like he knew exactly where to find you.
"you're different than i expected," sunghoon said, handing you a strawberry milk from the convenience store cooler.
"what did you expect?"
"someone colder."
you took the milk and didn't know what to say to that. you had spent so long building walls that you forgot people could still see over them.
"i'm not cold," you said finally. "i'm just... careful."
"i get that," he said, selecting a banana milk for himself. "can i tell you something?"
"no."
he smiled. "i'm going to anyway. when i first moved to vancouver, i didn't speak any english. i was so scared of saying something wrong that i didn't say anything at all for like, three months. my mom thought i was broken."
"were you?"
"maybe a little," he admitted. "but mostly i was just trying to protect myself. i thought if i didn't say anything, no one could make fun of how i said it."
he paid for the drinks and handed you yours, his fingers brushing against yours for just a second. you pulled back like you'd been burned.
"what changed?" you asked.
sunghoon held the door open for you, waiting until you were both outside in the crisp autumn air before answering.
"i met sooyeon. she didn't care that my english was bad. she just kept talking to me until i talked back." he took a sip of his milk. "sometimes the right people make it safe to stop protecting yourself so much."
you looked down at your strawberry milk, at the way your hands were wrapped around the bottle like it was something precious.
"i don't think i'm very good at letting people in," you admitted quietly.
you were in the library until midnight, hunched over a textbook that was starting to blur together, when someone slid into the chair across from you and you looked up to find sunghoon there with two cups of coffee.
"you look like you need this," he said, pushing one toward you.
"how did you know i was here?"
"sooyeon has a very big mouth."
you took the coffee. it was from the good place, not the burnt espresso place, and it was exactly how you liked it.
"you didn't have to do this," you said.
"i know," he said, opening his own laptop. "i'm not doing it because i have to. i'm doing it because i want to."
"why?"
he looked at you then, really looked at you, and you felt seen in a way that made you want to run away and stay exactly where you were all at once.
"because you always look like you're waiting for everyone to leave," he said softly. "and i don't want to be another person who leaves."
your throat tightened. "people always leave."
"not everyone."
"most people."
sunghoon was quiet for a moment, then he reached across the table and tapped your textbook. "what are you studying?"
you let him change the subject because it was easier than explaining that you had already lost everyone you ever loved, that your heart was held together with tape and denial, that you didn't know how to believe in forever anymore.
"psychology," you said.
"trying to figure yourself out?"
"trying to figure out why people do the things they do."
"like what?"
"like..." you paused, staring at the coffee cup. "like how you can know someone for years and they can still surprise you by being cruel. or how you can love someone and they can still choose someone else."
sunghoon's expression shifted, something careful and knowing in his eyes. "you're talking about your friends. from high school."
your head snapped up. "sooyeon told you?"
"she mentioned it. not the details, just that something happened. that you lost people you trusted."
you looked down at your hands. "i don't really talk about it."
"you don't have to," he said quickly. "i just want you to know that you can. if you ever want to."
you didn't say anything. but you didn't get up and leave either, and sunghoon seemed to take that as a victory because he opened his laptop and started working on his own assignments, sitting across from you in comfortable silence until the library closed.
that was the dangerous part. you started looking for him in the coffee shop, listening for his voice in the hallway, feeling disappointed when you opened your phone and there were no messages from him.
you were falling into old patterns, and you knew it, but you couldn't seem to stop yourself.
"you like him," sooyeon said one night, grinning at you from her bed.
"shut up."
"you do! you light up when he texts you."
"i don't light up."
"y/n, you literally smiled at your phone yesterday when he sent you a picture of a cat."
"it was a cute cat."
"the cat was ugly."
you threw your pillow at her.
but she wasn't wrong, and that was the problem. you were starting to feel things again, starting to hope again, and every instinct you had was screaming at you to run before you got hurt.
the thing about park sunghoon was that he made it hard to run.
he remembered everything. he remembered that you hated mushrooms but loved bell peppers. he remembered that you preferred cold weather to hot. he remembered that you got quiet when you were upset and that you laughed with your whole body when something was actually funny.
he remembered that you had been hurt, and he was so careful with you because of it.
"you're too nice to me," you told him one night in december.
you were walking back from a late dinner, your shoulders brushing as you navigated the icy sidewalks, and he was carrying your bag because he insisted it was too heavy for you even though you had carried it yourself a thousand times before.
"i'm not being nice," he said. "i'm being normal. you just haven't had enough normal to recognize it."
you stopped walking. he took two more steps before realizing and turning back to look at you.
"sunghoon," you said, and your voice was smaller than you wanted it to be. "why are you doing this?"
"doing what?"
"this. all of this. the coffee and the dinners and the walking me home and the remembering things. why are you doing all of this for me?"
he looked at you for a long moment, snow starting to fall around you, and you saw something vulnerable in his expression that mirrored your own.
"because you look at me like you're waiting for me to disappoint you," he said quietly. "and i keep hoping that if i don't, maybe you'll start looking at me like i won't."
your heart cracked open.
"sunghoon..."
"i know you're scared," he said, stepping closer. "i know you think everyone leaves eventually. and maybe i'm being presumptuous, assuming i could be different. but y/n, i want to be different. i want to be someone who stays."
you felt tears prick at your eyes and you hated yourself for it. "you don't even know me."
"i know enough," he said.
"i know you take your coffee with two sugars. i know you get quiet when you're sad instead of loud. i know you pretend you don't care about things because caring has hurt you before." he reached out, hesitated, then gently brushed a snowflake from your hair.
"i know you're worth knowing more. if you'll let me."
you stood there in the snow, looking at this boy who had somehow found his way past every defense you had built, and you felt terrified and hopeful and alive in a way you hadn't felt in years.
"okay," you whispered.
"okay?"
"okay," you said again, stronger this time. "you can... you can try. to know me more."
january brought a new semester and a new routine that included sunghoon in all the spaces he had been missing before.
he walked you to class. he saved you a seat in the dining hall. he texted you good morning every day without fail, not because he had to, but because he wanted to be the first person you heard from.
you started to believe him.
that was the terrifying part. you started to actually believe that maybe, possibly, he meant what he said. that he wasn't going to vanish. that he wasn't going to wake up one day and realize you weren't worth the effort.
"you're different," sooyeon observed one night when sunghoon had walked you home and you were lying in bed with your heart still beating too fast.
"what do you mean?"
"you smile more. you actually leave the room. you don't look like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop all the time."
"i'm still waiting," you admitted. "i'm just... trying not to."
sooyeon was quiet for a moment. "he really likes you, you know."
"he likes me as a friend."
"no," sooyeon said, and there was something knowing in her voice. "he likes you as more. he's just waiting for you to be ready to hear it."
you rolled over to face the wall, your heart hammering against your ribs. "i'm not ready."
"okay," sooyeon said softly. "but when you are, he's going to be there. that boy has been crazy about you since the day he met you."
you closed your eyes and tried not to hope too hard.
you had been doing so well. you had gone two whole months without thinking about jungwon or mia or the caniac combo or any of the ghosts that still haunted your late nights. you had started to believe that maybe, just maybe, you were healing.
and then you saw them.
you were at the mall with sooyeon and sunghoon, wandering through the crowds while sooyeon looked for a birthday gift for her sister, when you turned a corner and there they were.
jungwon and mia.
they were holding hands. they were laughing at something on her phone. they looked happy in a way that made your chest constrict with something sharp and bitter and old.
you stopped walking.
sooyeon kept going, chattering about something, but sunghoon noticed. he always noticed.
"y/n?" he asked, following your gaze.
you couldn't breathe. you couldn't move. you were suddenly back in high school, back in that bathroom stall crying until your throat was raw, back in that moment when you realized you had lost everything.
"hey," sunghoon said, stepping in front of you, blocking your view. "hey, look at me."
you couldn't. your vision was tunneling, your hands were shaking, and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears like a drum.
"breathe," sunghoon said, and his voice was calm and steady and right there. "you're okay. you're safe. just breathe with me."
he took your hands in his, grounding you with the warmth of his skin against yours.
"in," he said, breathing in slowly. "and out."
you tried to follow him, tried to match your breathing to his, but your chest felt too tight, like there was a weight pressing down on you that you couldn't shake.
"in," he said again, and his thumbs were rubbing circles into your palms, gentle and rhythmic. "and out. i've got you. i'm right here."
sooyeon had noticed now, had come back to stand beside you, but sunghoon didn't move. he stayed right there, holding your hands, breathing with you, until slowly, slowly, the panic started to recede.
"there you go," he said softly. "that's it. you're doing great."
your vision cleared. you could breathe again. you realized you were crying, tears streaming down your face in the middle of the mall, and you felt mortified.
"sorry," you choked out, trying to pull your hands away. "i'm sorry, i'm so sorry..."
"don't apologize," sunghoon said, not letting go. "don't you dare apologize. you didn't do anything wrong."
"i ruined our day," you said, your voice breaking. "i'm so embarrassing..."
"you're not embarrassing," he said firmly. "you're human. and you had a human moment. that's allowed."
you looked up at him then, at this boy who had seen you at your most vulnerable and was still standing there holding your hands like you were something precious, and you broke.
"i loved him," you whispered, the words tumbling out before you could stop them. "jungwon. i loved him for years, and he chose her. my best friend. they both knew how i felt and they chose each other anyway. and i lost everything. everyone. they all left me."
sunghoon's expression softened into something unbearably gentle.
"come here," he said, and he pulled you into his arms right there in the middle of the mall, holding you against his chest while you cried.
you buried your face in his sweater and sobbed, all the grief you had been carrying for years finally spilling out. you cried for jungwon, for mia, for ava, for the person you used to be before you learned that love was something that could be taken away.
sunghoon just held you. he didn't tell you to stop crying. he didn't tell you it wasn't that bad. he just held you and let you feel everything you had been trying not to feel.
when you finally stopped, when your breathing evened out and the tears slowed, he pulled back just enough to look at your face.
"they were stupid," he said quietly. "whoever they were, they were so stupid. because you..." he reached up, wiping a tear from your cheek with his thumb. "you are the kind of person people should fight to keep. not leave."
you shook your head. "i'm not. i'm too much. i'm too sensitive, too anxious, too..."
"too human?" he finished. "y/n, you're not too much. you were just loved by people who didn't have enough capacity to hold all of you."
your breath caught.
"you think you're unlovable because they couldn't love you right," sunghoon continued, his voice gentle but sure. "but that was about them, not you. you were always worthy of being chosen. they just weren't brave enough to choose you."
you stared at him, this boy who had somehow seen straight to the core of every fear you had, and you realized with startling clarity that you were falling in love with him.
"how do you know?" you whispered.
"because i'm looking at you right now," he said, "and i see everything. i see how hard you try, how much you care, how deeply you love even after being hurt. and i think..." he paused, his own voice getting unsteady. "i think i would be the luckiest person in the world if you ever looked at me the way you used to look at him. because i would never make you feel like you were waiting for me to leave. i would stay. i would choose you, every single time."
your heart stopped.
"sunghoon..."
"i know you're not ready," he said quickly. "i know you need time, and that's okay. i'll wait. i'll wait as long as you need me to. but i couldn't stand there and watch you think you were unlovable for one more second, because it's not true. it's never been true."
you reached for him then, your hands finding the front of his sweater, and you pulled him down until your forehead rested against his.
the weeks after the panic attack were tender in a way you didn't know how to handle.
sunghoon didn't push. he didn't expect anything from you. he just kept showing up, kept being kind, kept proving with every action that he meant what he said about staying.
but something had shifted between you.
you started letting him in more. you told him about the caniac combo, about the late nights and the inside jokes and the way it had all fallen apart. you told him about mia, about jungwon, about the way you had learned to make yourself smaller so you wouldn't be too much for people.
and he listened. he listened like your words mattered, like your pain was real, like you were worth the time it took to understand.
"can i ask you something?" he said one night in march.
you were sitting on the roof of his apartment building, your legs dangling over the edge, sharing a blanket because the spring air still had a bite to it.
"okay."
"do you think you'll ever be ready?"
you knew what he was asking. you had been asking yourself the same question for weeks, ever since the mall, ever since he had held you while you cried and told you that you were worth choosing.
"i think..." you started, then stopped. you took a breath and tried again. "i think i'm scared that if i let myself love you, you'll leave too. and i don't think i could survive losing someone again."
sunghoon was quiet for a long moment. then he reached over and took your hand, lacing his fingers through yours.
"what if i promised?" he asked. "what if i promised that i'm not going anywhere? would you believe me?"
"people break promises."
"i know," he said. "but i'm asking you to trust me anyway. i'm asking you to let me prove that i'm different."
you looked at your joined hands, at the way his thumb was tracing slow patterns against your skin, and you thought about how safe you felt with him. how seen. how loved, even though he had never said the words.
"i believe you," you whispered. "i'm scared, but i believe you."
he turned to look at you then, his eyes dark and soft and full of something that made your heart ache with hope.
"can i kiss you?" he asked.
your breath caught. "yes."
he leaned in slowly, giving you every chance to pull away, and when his lips finally touched yours it was gentle and sweet and exactly what you had been waiting for without knowing you were waiting.
he kissed you like you were something precious. he kissed you like he had been waiting his whole life to do it. he kissed you like he meant every promise he had ever made.
when you pulled apart, he rested his forehead against yours, smiling in a way that made your chest feel too full.
you learned that sunghoon was ticklish behind his knees. you learned that he hummed when he cooked and that he was terrible at making decisions before noon. you learned that he kept every photo you sent him, even the blurry ones, even the ones where you thought you looked bad.
he learned that you liked being the little spoon but would never admit it. he learned that you got cranky when you were hungry and that your love language was acts of service, even though you would never ask for help out loud. he learned that you still had nightmares sometimes about being left behind, and he learned how to hold you through them until morning came.
"you're easy to love," he told you one morning, tracing patterns on your back while you lay in bed together.
"no i'm not," you said, your voice muffled against his chest.
"you are," he insisted. "you're easy to love because you love so hard. you just needed someone who could match that."
you lifted your head to look at him. "is that what you're doing? matching me?"
"i'm trying," he said, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. "i want to love you in all the ways you deserve. i want to be someone who makes you feel safe."
you felt tears prick at your eyes, but this time they were happy tears. "you already are."
he kissed your forehead, then your nose, then your lips, soft and lingering.
"i love you," he said, the words falling easily between you like they had always belonged there. "i know it's soon, and i know you're still scared, but i love you. and i'm going to keep loving you for as long as you'll let me."
your heart felt like it might burst.
"i love you too," you whispered. "i'm scared, but i love you. i love you so much."
his smile was the sun coming up.
"that's all i need," he said. "your love and your trust. i'll earn both every day for the rest of my life if i have to."
"you don't have to earn it," you said, realizing it was true. "you already have it. you've had it for a while now."
he pulled you closer, burying his face in your hair, and you held him back with everything you had.
may brought warmer weather and the end of the semester.
you were sitting on the quad with sunghoon, watching students bustle past with coffee and textbooks, when your phone buzzed.
you looked down and felt your stomach drop.
it was a text from a number you didn't recognize, but the message made it clear who it was from.
hey, it's mia. i know you probably don't want to hear from me, but i'm sorry. for everything. i hope you're doing well.
you stared at the screen for a long moment, feeling old wounds ache with phantom pain.
"everything okay?" sunghoon asked.
you showed him the phone. he read the message, his expression unreadable.
"what do you want to do?" he asked.
you thought about it. you thought about the years of hurt, the bathroom crying, the slow healing that had brought you to this moment with this boy who loved you right.
"i think," you said slowly, "i think i'm going to say thank you."
"thank you?"
"yeah," you said, typing out a response. "because if she hadn't hurt me, i wouldn't have ended up here. with you. learning what real love feels like."
you hit send before you could second guess yourself.
thank you for the apology. i'm happy now. i hope you are too.
you put your phone away and turned to look at sunghoon, at this beautiful boy who had chosen you every single day since the moment you met.
"you know what the worst part was?" you said. "feeling like i was unlovable. like there was something wrong with me that made everyone leave."
"and now?"
you smiled, taking his hand in yours. "now i know that wasn't true. i just needed to find someone who knew how to stay."
he brought your hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to your knuckles.
"i'm not going anywhere," he promised, like he had a hundred times before, like he would a thousand times more.
"i know," you said, and for the first time in years, you actually believed it.
the first time you brought him home to meet your parents, your mom pulled you aside in the kitchen.
"he's different," she said.
"what do you mean?"
"he looks at you like you're the only person in the room," she said, smiling. "like you're something precious. i've never seen anyone look at you like that before."
you felt your heart swell with something warm and bright. "he's the best person i know, mom."
"i can tell," she said, squeezing your hand. "he's a keeper, that one."
you looked through the doorway at sunghoon, who was helping your dad set the table and looking completely at ease despite your dad's terrible jokes.
the night before summer break, you and sunghoon were lying on the roof of his apartment building again, looking up at the stars.
"are you going to miss me?" you asked, tracing patterns on his chest.
"every second," he said. "but it's only two months. and then we're back here, together, for another whole year."
"and after that?"
"and after that," he said, turning his head to look at you, "however long you want. forever, if you'll let me."
you propped yourself up on your elbow, looking down at him in the moonlight. "you really mean that?"
"i really mean that," he said, reaching up to cup your face. "you're it for me, y/n. you're my person. i knew it the first time i saw you, sitting on your bed with your laptop, trying so hard to convince everyone you didn't need anyone."
"i didn't need anyone," you said, smiling.
"and now?"
"now i need you," you admitted. "but not in a desperate way. in a... you make my life better way. in a i choose you every day way."
his eyes went soft and fond. "that's all i've ever wanted. to be chosen by you."
you leaned down and kissed him, slow and sweet and full of everything you had learned to feel again.
love wasn't supposed to hurt. that was the lesson sunghoon had taught you. love was supposed to feel like safety, like home, like someone seeing all your broken pieces and deciding to stay anyway.
"thank you," you whispered against his lips. "for teaching me how to be loved."
"thank you," he whispered back. "for letting me."
you lay back down against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and you thought about how far you had come. from the girl crying in a bathroom stall, convinced she was unlovable, to this: lying under the stars with a boy who looked at you like you were the whole universe.
you were chosen.
you were loved.
and for the first time in your life, you actually believed you deserved it.
âËâżË°
anâ§Ë°. feedback is always welcome, as well as reblogs!! i hope this wrapped up the first part well LOL. be on the lookout for a plug!jay fic coming ur way along with (HOPEFULLY) a jake and seonghyeon fic!!!
best friend!jungwon x best friend!reader âžâž female reader âžâž boxing au âžâž university au âžâž 26.7k words âžâž mystery âžâž angst âžâž hurt/comfort âžâž smart!reader âžâž yearner!jungwon âžâž detailed fighting âžâž illegal fighting âžâž do not try this at home âžâž mentions of harmful substances to consume (not drugs) âžâž kisses
â :: i did not think that this would take a month to write but here we are. i really hope you all enjoy. this fic has elements of hard-boiled detective fiction and romance. please ignore any mistakes that i wasn't able to catch. i love reading comments and feedback so please feel free!
The light chatter in the White Fang Cafe competed with the lowered sound of Instagram Reels emitting from the phone across from you. He sits with his laptop closed, his phone in his right hand, and his iced americano held up to his lips with his left.Â
âAre you going to get any work done at all?â
He turned his cat-like gaze up to your own, his dark brown eyes contrasting his recently dyed blond hair.Â
âDonât need to,â He shrugged, âAnd before you say it: no, I canât get ahead because I already am.â
âHow are you already ahead?â You exclaimed more than asked.
âI donât know, itâs just easy.âÂ
You sighed and playfully rolled your eyes, mumbling âbusiness majorsâ in an exasperated voice.
Jungwon let out a light chuckle and looked back down at his phone â jumping like a scared cat when he caught a glimpse of the time. You watched confusedly as he shoved his laptop into his bag and his phone in his back pocket.
âI gotta go,â He informed in a rush, âIâll see you tomorrow. Get home safe!â
âWait, Jungwon!â He turned around at your words, âWhere in the world are you going thatâs so important on a Friday night?â You raised a brow and kept a suggestive lilt in your voice
He laughed awkwardly â you could tell by the breathiness and the slight reddening of his ears.
âUh, Iâm going to the gym with the guys,â He slung his backpack onto his shoulder, âYou know, gotta get them gains or whatever.â
âRightâŠâ
âNight, Y/N.â He flashed you a smile and ran out the cafeâs side door. Out the window you could just barely see him reach his dingy old car and drive onto the road.Â
You rolled your eyes. Jungwon was a horrible liar. Thereâs no way he was going to the gym and judging by the flush on his ears: he was probably going on a date or to a party and was too embarrassed to tell you.Â
Then again, this wasnât abnormal for Jungwon. He was extremely self disciplined and has been the biggest gym rat since youâd met him in freshman year. And if the way his biceps strained against the sleeves of his shirts was any indication: his diligence was paying off. But you canât recall Jungwon going to the gym at 8 on a Friday nightâŠ.
Your brows furrowed in thought. Yes, you have.
Well, not exactly but last Friday you asked if he was going to his dorm hallâs floor event â youâd been invited by some other dude on his floor but said youâd only go if he did â Jungwon had texted back that he was busy on Friday. And three weeks ago there was the release of the Michael Jackson movie in which youâd gotten tickets for the two of you on opening night. You ended up taking your roommate Yuna instead.Â
You pressed your lips together as you considered the information. Either Jungwon has a girlfriend he never told you about, has become a Friday night party animal, or just really loves gymming with the guys on Friday nights. The easiest way, you supposed, to find out was to show up at the gym and see if you could spot all 175 centimeters of lean muscle.
After opening Maps to put in the address, you realized you have no idea what gym he goes to. You couldâve sworn youâd asked him before. For the life of you, you couldnât remember his answer. You narrowed your eyes on the iMessage contact. Jungwon had a knack for sending you a selfie almost every time he found himself in front of his gym mirror â sometimes the mirror wasnât even necessary. Just a selfie of him next to some equipment you wouldnât even be able to name if you were held at gunpoint.Â
Youâd never looked anywhere else but him and his toned body whenever he sent you pictures but now with fresh eyes you checked the backgrounds for any hint of a logo or calling card. You flicked between two pictures â ones where he was sitting at the same machine â backwards letters stood proudly on the back wall above his right shoulder. An E and the half of a B.Â
wonie: Fight broke out in the gym lolÂ
Your teeth plunged into your lips as you bit back a smile at the message Jungwon had sent with a nonchalant selfie two months ago.Â
You: whyâd you say that so nonchalantly
wonie: Eh itâs not that big of a deal
wonie: Wyd?
You: finishing up my reading for my next journalism lec ugh
You: free me from this prison
wonie: LOL
An uncontrollable smile had drawn onto your lips and for a few solid moments you lived in blissful reminiscence. Until you remembered that you were stalking Jungwon for a reason.Â
You flipped through more gym selfies, forcing your eyes to not look at the person in the foreground. Of all the selfies he sent, there was only one more that showed a sliver of the gymâs name: E, B, and Y â that should be enough to search with.Â
Your fingers across your keyboard wrote âYBE gymâ in the Google search bar and watched the list of gyms load onto the screen. The first option caught your eye.
HYBE Gym 5â 12 mins Write a review
Clicking the link to the directions, you packed up your bag, thanked the barista, and got in your car; silently praying that Jungwon wouldnât think you were a freak for analyzing his photos just to find him at the gym. But then again, was he even going to be there?
You pulled into the decently large parking lot of the Hybe gym. The exterior was boxy and large windows adorned the grey walls. Those same windows made it incredibly clear that the gym was emptied out of all its patrons. It wouldâve been easy to shift into reverse and tease Jungwon for lying to you about his whereabouts but something about the way that the fluorescent lights remained on had you killing the engine instead.Â
Your eyes moved to the reception desk as you walked in â surely, there would be someone waiting there to scan your card or check your gym membership â no one sat in the black spinning chair. An uncanny feeling fell over you as you walked deeper into the gym, viewing the various large machines, the racks of weights, and the letters that youâd seen in his pictures just a few minutes before. You faced the mirror out of curiosity for what he sees when he sends you his selfies, your last look before exiting the strangely abandoned gym, until a familiar dark blue water bottle caught your eye.Â
If it were a Hydroflask or an Owala, youâd disregard it entirely, but this wasnât a normal trendy water bottle â it was the dingy, plastic one every freshman received as a welcome package into the baccalaureate program. And unless there was another Decelis University student in the graduating class of 2027 that happened to go to an insanely modernized gym, Jungwon was telling the truth. He was here. Somewhere.
Fumbling in your purse for your phone, you called Jungwonâs number, hoping that he was just in the doorway marked âMenâs Locker Roomâ. And when you heard the faint ringing on the other side of the door, you were certain that he was there. Only ignoring your call. Brows pinched together in confusion, why would he not pick up your call?
The persistent feeling of uncanniness crawling up your spine and the prodding of school deadline anxiety in the back of your skull had you losing patience quickly. You ended the call and knocked on the locker room door.Â
âJungwon?â You called out, âAre you in there?â
You gave him a generous three seconds to respond.
âJungwon? Hello?â
After another short moment you pushed the door ajar and asked, âIs anyone even in here?â
You were met with nothing but silence. You closed your eyes and exhaled exasperatedly. Peeking around in the gym and finding it as vacant as you found it, you called out:
âJungwon, if you donât come out, Iâm going in.âÂ
At first, it was an empty threat â why would you willingly walk into the menâs locker room â but the lack of response fueled the strange feeling swarming the place. And maybe, a part of you wanted to prove that Jungwon wouldnât lie to you. You didnât care if he had a secret girlfriend or had an unquenchable love for frat parties but you wanted to know if and why he would keep it from you.Â
So, you took slow small steps into the locker room, making sure to put more force into them than necessary â just to make sure he would stop you before you committed fully and turned to see half a dozen nigh naked men. But as you rounded the small corridor, it was blatantly clear you had been talking to yourself for the past five minutes.Â
The locker room was shrouded in darkness, grey lockers lined the walls, and one long bench ran in the middle til it met the section of showers. You turned on the flashlight on your phone and looked closer. The lockers were labeled with numbers but some had small plaques with initials on them. Locker 5 caught your eye: partly because it was slightly ajar, partly because it had the initials âYJWâ on a small metal plaque.Â
Flipping the locker door open, you saw Jungwonâs worn-in blue backpack shoved into the small space â obviously in a rush, since he didnât see the strap of the bag sticking out of his locker and preventing it from being shut. His phone also sat in the locker, at an awkward angle as well, contributing to the theory that he rushed to put his stuff down. But if the rest of his stuff is here, why is his water bottle in the main part of the gym?
And where was Jungwon?Â
Your eyes glanced at the only part of the gym you hadnât gone to yet â besides the girlâs locker room but you had more faith in Jungwon than that, which is ironic considering the room you were in currently â the showers. Although, you considered, no one seemed to be in here anyway. With the small encouragement, you walked over to the shower section: seven uniform showers lined the walls, all but one with the curtains left open.Â
Upon seeing the drawn shower curtain, you should have left. You shouldnât have gotten closer. But you did. And with the way that the curtain sat, with one side over-drawn, leaving a sliver of space slightly open to view â you could imagine the events that occurred to have left the scene like that. Someone rushed into the shower, but if the lack of running water and indication that someone â anyone at all â was in this locker room, no one was in the shower anymore. So, with small steps, shaky hands, and held breath, you peeked past the shower curtain to find that your suspicions were right. No one was there. But something strange was.Â
The tile on the side with the shower head and knobs was tilted and coming off the wall in one piece. You wouldâve supposed that that was why the shower curtain was closed. The shower was broken, it was under construction, it needed to be fixed, so they closed it off. But you couldnât accept that to be true when just beyond the tilted back wall, muffled yelling emitted through the crack.Â
Stepping into the shower and taking a closer look at the wall, you realized that the titled tiles were not broken or falling apart, they were attached to a door disguised as the back of a shower. Someone forgot to ensure the secret door remained secret. As you stood with the door swung open, looking into a corridor with a staircase that ran down into a lower level, you contemplated counting your blessings, driving back to your apartment, and worrying about your homework in the morning.Â
But this is what you lived for, right? The drama, the thrill, the investigation. Now the opportunity to explore was right in front of your face â who were you to deny yourself of that adventure? And Jungwon was probably down there. Itâs probably just some rich frat houseâs party venue because they donât want to piss their parents off.Â
You shook your head in disbelief, no way Yang âI get my work done two weeks in advanceâ Jungwon was a party animal.Â
You shut the door behind you and trod down the stairs in a liminal space between caution and confidence.Â
The staircase turned right and climbed down a few more steps before the room came into view. It was shaped like a stadium â bleachers around the walls with every seat filled with cheering fans. The lights were dimmed all around except for the center where everyoneâs eyes were glued. And for good reason. The center showcased an elevated boxing ring that was adorned with visible wear and tear. An announcerâs voice boomed the play by play happening in the ring, taking care to note the names of the fighters as they threw their punches.Â
It was useless. Youâd recognize those broad shoulders anywhere.Â
Youâd also recognize that mess of floppy blond-dyed hair, that enviously tiny waist, dark cat-like eyes, and toned biceps anywhere â which is why it was a little strange that it took you a good seven seconds to compute the scene unfolding before you.Â
Yang Jungwon, shifting and keeping light on his feet in the middle of that elevated boxing ring. Yang Jungwon, with bloodied bandages wrapped around his fists, throwing a clean jab into the jaw of his opponent. Yang Jungwon, continuing to advance and throw punches that didnât quite make an impact before putting all his force in one that did.Â
âAnd Jakah lands his attack knocking his opponent to the floor! Yikes! That puts BigHit in a real tight spot!â
Your head filled with a million questions: who is Jakah? What is BigHit? What is happening?Â
The two fighters went back to their corners, their coaches handing them water bottles and wiping the sweat off their brows. From this angle, you could see Jungwon more clearly. His flushed skin, his big muscles, and the inception of a bruise on the left side of his jaw.Â
âJakah continues to show his ferocity and tenacity in the ring.â The announcer informed.
âMaybe heâs trying to compensate for his performance last week?â Another announcer theorized.
âI donât know but what I can say is that he is relentless tonight. It seems like we might be getting our beloved champion back, what do you say folks?â
The crowd erupted in roars. It was hard to make out at first, everyone yelling out of unison but half the crowd booâd like their life depended on it and the rest cheered with every ounce of breath in their lungs. You watched Jungwon shake his head and push his water bottle away, shaking his right wrist, and waiting patiently before he could lunge at the other guy again.
This was a side of Jungwon youâd never seen before; he was so sweet, and gentle, and caring, it was hard to think of him as someone who spent his Friday nights beating the daylight out of other people. You recalled what the announcers had said just a few moments before. If Jungwon is this âJakahâ guy then what happened last week? And what did they mean by âchampionâ?
Jungwon turned to scan his eyes over the stands and an awareness fell on you like an avalanche. You were the only person standing in this entire underground stadium. Crouching immediately, you hoped that he hadnât caught sight of you yet. What would happen if he did? Would he get nervous and be thrown off? That would likely cost him his victory and part of his physical condition. Your heart started aching at the mere sight of a bruise under his jaw, you couldnât stomach watching him get pummeled. You also hadnât decided what to say to him or how to say it. You couldnât even grasp your emotions under the dazedness of shock â itâd be better to talk to him later when you could think clearly.
A loud buzzer blared and the fighters took to the center of the ring. Their hands fisted up to their face â their guards up â and their feet inching increasingly closer to one another. Jungwonâs opponent started with a barrage of light jabs, causing Jungwon to pull his guard higher up. It took about five seconds to realize why this useless move was continuing on: he was pursuing Jungwon toward the edges of the ring. But Jungwon quickly found his footing and dropped into a crouch before sending a hard punch to his assailant's ribs. The crowd erupted in a collective grimace but Jungwon didnât stop, instead he cracked his fist against the guys jaw with so much force that the sound traveled toward the stands.Â
His opponent fell limp on the floor, blood dripping from his face, and a referee running up to check his condition. The stadium didnât wait in bated breath, no it roared in controversy â even as the referee stood up and held Jungwonâs hand high in victory.
It was hard to catch the crowds sentiment when they all had something to say:
âThere goes my 75K won!â Someone grumbled.
â75? I put down a clean 150!â
âAnd that 225K is all mine now boys.â A person from the row behind them gloated.
âYeah right, I bet 60% of the stadium also put their money down on Goldilocks.â
â60%? Not after last week.â
Your brows furrowed in deeply, what do they mean âput their money downâ? Is Jungwon the prospect of illegal gambling?
Your head swam in a million different directions before you realized that the stands were being vacated deeper into the basement. Suddenly, the shock seemed to dissipate and the temperature in the room felt utterly too warm. You stood back up, legs as strong as under-chilled jello, and saw the stands slowly become deserted. Your eyes glanced toward the center-ring where Jungwon had been only moments before but had vacated as well. It was time you left too.Â
Before someone found you here.
You ran up the steps and out of the shower, through the thankfully still empty locker room, out of the overly modern gym. You passed through rows of equipment, spotting Jungwonâs abandoned water bottle and picking it up off the ground. You didnât even know why you picked it up, you just did it on instinct and rushed out to your car.Â
And all you could think about on the drive to your apartment was: is Jungwon okay?
The screen of your phone on the darkest setting was still too bright as it shone in your face. The cursor blinked in its home on the message bar. A bar devoid of text.Â
You didnât know what to tell him. What to say. What to ask. It was all amiss to you. Youâd known Jungwon since freshman year and never in those three years did you think of him as a guy that would knock a guy out so hard that blood pooled out of his mouth. So, what on Earth were you supposed to text him?
âHi I followed you to the gym and saw you turn some guy into a pulp! Why didnât you tell me?â
âHi do you know that fighting people, especially in an underground fighting ring where people bid on your success/failure, is super dangerous in multiple ways??â
You sighed and threw your phone to the other side of the bed. Heâd probably text you tomorrow, youâd figure out what to say. Hopefully.Â
Because if Jungwon was involved in illegal gambling and fighting â he was putting himself in so much risk. You couldnât freak out, couldnât go around accusing him. You needed to stay level headed.Â
Jungwon didnât text you the next day but he did text you the day after. Sometime around noon your phone pinged and Jungwonâs name lit up on your screen.Â
wonie: Hey wyd rn?
You hesitated at first. You tried to convince yourself that you just needed more time to think about what to say to him but you knew that you were just dreading a conversation that was inevitable.Â
You: not much, u?
wonie: Bored
wonie: And my roommate brought his friends over and theyâre loud asf
You: LOL
You: just come over! we can watch a movie or smth
wonie: Want me to pick up snacks?
You: nah i have some from last time!!
He wasnât what you expected when you opened the door. Maybe it was because the Jungwon youâd seen that night was stuck in your head: the way his sweaty muscles reflected the light, the way his chest rose and fell as he caught his breath, the way the ends of his hair were slightly wet, the blooming bruise under his clenched jaw â it wouldnât leave your mind.Â
But now he stood in front of you in his classic GAP grey hoodie, wispy bangs falling into his eyes, bright smile on his lips, and a jaw devoid of any discoloration.Â
âHey,â His eyes lit up as soon as he saw you and he wasted no time at the door. Just strutted in like he was your roommate, taking his shoes off and walking to the kitchen, âDo you still have that apple flavored green tea?â
You raised your brow at him, âBro, do you know how hard it was to find those again? I had to go to a Chinese grocery store just to find them.â
Jungwon held up the last bottle, the red and gold label almost completely hidden in his large hand. He shook it slightly as he spoke:
âWanna split it with me?âÂ
You looked at him with a flat face and crossed arms, âFine.â How were you supposed to say no to that charming smile he shot you?
That charming smile turned into a victorious one that he didnât even try to hide. It stayed plastered on his face as his hand reached up to your cabinet, grabbed too small glasses, filled them with ice, and then poured the tea equally into each glass. Your body slid past his as you reached up into the cabinet as well, picking up a bowl and pour out some chili-lime rolled tortilla chips. He took the empty packet from your hands and tossed it in the trash.Â
âSo, what movie do you wanna watch?â He asked, making his way over to your couch.Â
âMm,â You hummed in thought, âIâm not sure, what are you in the mood for?âÂ
âNot a rom-com. So, donât ask.â
âYeesh, whatâs wrong with rom-coms?â
âTheyâre cringey, predictable, and boring.â
âI thought you loved Your Eyes Only!â
He gave you an intentionally nervous smile.Â
âWow. Okay.â
âSorry,â He laughed softly and curled up on your couch, shoving the decorative pillow away with his leg.Â
You sat next to him, taking the glass he handed you and setting it on the coffee table. Jungwon never used the coffee table. Heâd just hold the drink in his hand, taking big sips of his drink and finishing it within the first ten minutes. Heâd also pick up your drink and set it on a coaster because he knew you wouldnât finish it before the condensation began to drip onto the table.Â
âHey, I think that new short series came out on Netflix.â
âWhich series?â You clicked on the Netflix account and picked your profile.Â
âItâs called âManifesto: Day 1â.â
âOh the alien one?âÂ
âYeah!â He watched you search it up, âThe fighting in it looks sick.âÂ
Jungwonâs brow raised slightly as he watched your body stiffen at the word âfightingâ. The sip he took from the glass was audible but he laid his suspicion to rest as you fumblingly turned on the show. The list of episodes appeared, including Walk the Line the first episode which was an hour and 12 minutes long.Â
âEach episode is an hour?!â You exclaimed only for Jungwon to laugh in return.Â
âItâll be good, don't worry.â
âYeah okay.â You leaned back into the couch as the show began to play.Â
The episode was apparently over an hour long but it didnât feel that way â and not for any good reason. The show in its violence and action drew your focus on sweatstained memories and whims of concern.Â
One of the characters had strapped someone to a chair and proceeded to yell at him with all the grace of a grizzly bear. Upon not receiving the answer he was looking for, he gave the tied man a swift punch across the face. It hit you hard â metaphorically â the memory of Jungwonâs bandaged fist pounding across his opponentâs face so hard that it left a sound reverberating in the small stadium.Â
You werenât sure if youâd flinched or not but Jungwonâs hand had instinctively moved closer to you. Perhaps in comfort. But you just stared at those knuckles â those slightly reddened knuckles â knowing exactly what they were used for just a couple nights ago. It sent a shiver down your spine.Â
The bruises the characters wore, the ones they tried to hide, filled your mind with potent worry of all the injuries Jungwon had had to hide. Did he have his ribs wrapped under his big hoodies? Did he buy concealer to hide the bruising to his jaw? Has he ever gone to the ER not knowing how to explain his injuries? Has he laid awake at night in pain and had no one to talk to?
Your shoulders tensed involuntarily but unnoticeably â unnoticeably to anyone but Jungwon that is.Â
Unfortunately, that very man was sitting next to you, dragging his eyes across your tense body.Â
âY/N.â
You jumped at the sound of your name falling from his lips. The flinch had him sitting up and staring at you intensely, eyebrows furrowed and all. Your shaky gaze met his steady one and it incited you with the most gnawing anxiety youâd ever experienced. You begged him in your mind not to ask. Of course, he did.Â
âDid something happen?âÂ
Your heart stuttered out of beat and your voice was a bit too sanitized as you spoke, âWhat? No! Nothing happened!â
Jungwonâs face fell into an incredulous expression. His hand grabbed the remote and paused the episode before looking back at you. Staring as if the answer would appear on your forehead if he waited long enough.Â
âY/N, Iâve known you for long enough to know when youâre lying to me.â
Your voice filled with bittersweet laughter, âThat doesnât mean anything.â
âWhat doesnât mean anything.â His brows creased impossibly more.Â
âI mean, it doesnât matter how long you know someone. You never really know if theyâre lying to you or not.â
Jungwon straightened and sharpened his gaze, âWhat does that mean?â He pressed.Â
You wracked your brain for an answer it didnât have.
âWoah, hey,â He held up his hands in surrender, âIâm just trying to communicate with you. I want to know whatâs wrong because I care about you.â
âYou should worry more about yourself, donât you think?â You laughed as if it would lighten the thick tension building between you.
âWhat do you mean by that?â He had this half smile on his face as if he was prepared to turn sweet or sour depending on your response.Â
A cold sweat ran across your forehead, âI mean you should really care more about yourself.â
âI take care of myself just fine.â
âYeah⊠right. Sure.â
âWhat is wrong with you? Youâre acting weird? You know I can tell when somethingâs wrong, weâve been best friends long enough for that.â
âNo, you canât.â You argued, your voice starting to rise along with your body as you stood up, âI just told you it doesnât matter how long you know someone. One day you can wake up and find out that theyâve been lying to you for years before you even close your eyes for the night!â
Something about the way he stayed completely silent with his dark eyes boring into your own had your heart falling to the floor.
âWhat did you find out?â He asked carefully, standing up slowly.
It was in this silence that you realized that he was waiting for your answer with a held breath, you were waiting for your answer with shallow rapid ones. Seeing him from this angle â him standing right in front of you with his broad shoulders and his big hoodie hiding his disciplined body â being hyper-aware of how aggressive Jungwon could be if he wanted to, it was a sobering thought. One that incited more fear than necessary. Jungwon was your sweet and selfless best friend: heâd never hurt you.
You swallowed thickly despite the fact.
âNothiââ
âTell me.â
âJungwonâŠâ The name was shrouded in tones of concern, fear, and disappointment.
You could see it in the gleam of his eye: the last bit of hope that you hadnât found out dimming. You took such a deep breath your lungs stretched to its fullest capacity. You were annoyed at Jungwon for not telling you his Friday itinerary, you canât be hypocritical and refuse to tell him you know. So, you released your breath of air and braced for impact.
âJungwon, I followed you to the gym on Friday,â You watched his face pale and his eyes widen, âAnd I know thatâs weird and kind of stalker-ish and part of me felt bad at first. But we have bigger fish to fry because why are you in some sort of secret, underground, WWE, fight club? And if that wasnât illegal enough, why are there people betting on your victory?â
None of your questions were answered, âHow did you get down there?â His hands came to rest on your upper arms. His touch stiffened your body into a board.
âWhat?â You spoke again before he could repeat the question: âHow else? I went in through the shower.âÂ
âYou went into the menâs locker room?â His face conveyed just how appalled he felt.
âOk, if weâre counting cardinal sins, I think being a part of an illegal underground boxing ring and enabling illegal gambling takes the cake here.â
Jungwon closed his eyes and sighed, attempting to push your response from his mind.
âDid anybody see you?â
âUh,â You shrunk from the intensity of his gaze, âWell, I mean Iâm sure someone did but like I couldnât name someone off the top of my head.â
Jungwon moved his hands to drag them against his face.
âY/N, what were you doing there?! Why did you follow me?!â
âTo see if you were telling the truth about going to the gym! I mean, Jungwon youâre always unavailable on Fridays and you left our study session so fast you might qualify as having superspeed! God forbid Iâm a little curious to see where you go on Fridays!âÂ
âAnd?â He threw his hands up in the air, âI was at the gym. Like I said.â
Your brows furrowed in offense, âNo, you werenât? The gym is the upper floor, you were playing Rocky down in the basement with some poor guy â that you absolutely smoked, by the way â but that is not the gym!â
Jungwon looked at you as if youâd grown three heads. You felt like maybe you had.Â
Jungwon licked his lips once heâd arranged his thoughts, âOkay, first of all: it's not wrestling and it's not boxing. Which means WWE and Rocky do not work as analogies.â You shook your head and rolled your eyes, âSecond of all, I donât really give a damn, Y/N. You put yourself in so much danger just by being at that gym and you have no idea.â
He ran a hand through his blond hair and you caught the way he winced when he tightened his jaw.
âJungwon,â You spoke in a grave tone.
âNo, you listen to me.â He demanded in seriousness youâd never heard from him before, âYou are so lucky that nobody saw you. I donât want to see you there, I donât want to hear about you being there, ever again. The people there are dangerousââ
âWhat like you?â You asked before you could stop yourself and the question hit him like a truck, âYou go there. I saw what you didâ What you can do.â Pure, unadulterated fear flashed in those deep browns. âItâs literally a fight club, Jungwon. Obviously it's dangerous. There are people beating up others for fun⊠and money.â
Jungwon huffed out a disbelieving smile, âYou have no idea.â
âThen how about you tell me instead of being cryptic. But thatâs what you do, isnât it?â The words were pulled from somewhere deep in your heart, âYou make a life-threatening decision and then you donât tell anyone because you donât think it's that big of a deal. Or am I the only one who doesnât know?â
âY/N, the fight club is run by crime syndicates.â
You looked like the image of stupid with the way your eyes widened and mouth opened and closed like a fish.
âWhat?â
âYeah,â He spoke overwhelmingly calmly, âSo, when I tell you that itâs dangerous and you should never go there again, you will listen to me.â His voice left no room for negotiation.
âAnd what about you? Why are you going to a fight club run by the South Korean mafia? I canât let you go back there either.â
âI have to.â
âOh, what a load of bull,â You rolled your eyes, âYou have free will, Jungwon. Please use it to value your life.â
âY/N, I canât.â You knew what he would say before he said it, âIâm contracted under one of the syndicates as a fighter.â
âAnd you canât get out?â
âThe only way is if I bought myself out.â
âOkay,â You spoke like it was the simplest thing in the world, âThen buy yourself out.â
It only made him laugh.
Like really laugh. An uncontrollable, unceasing laugh that was tinged with something akin to bitterness.
âWhy are you laughing?â You asked exhausted and beyond annoyed.
âDo you seriously think it's that easy?â
âI donât know, Jungwon.â You were finally yelling. Your voice had been rising throughout the argument but seeing Jungwonâs lack of self-preservation sent you over the edge. âMaybe Iâd understand if you actually responded to me instead of tossing me bread crumbs and hoping Iâve had my fill.â
Jungwonâs expression was so flat that it was difficult to imagine that he was laughing mere moments ago.
âYou want the truth?â
âYes!â You exclaimed, âGod, yes! Thatâs what Iâve been trying to get for the past ten minutes.â
âI canât buy myself out because I canât afford to.â His eyes had never looked as dark as they did now, âI have too large of a debt to buy myself out.â
âHow much?â You sighed.
Jungwon looked at something â nothing in specific â just so he wouldnât have to look you in the eyes.
âWell, the whole reason I joined is because they said that theyâd pay my tuition if I joined their fight club team.â
âWho?â Eyebrows creased as you pressed for information.
âBelift.â He took your silence as a cue to keep going. âYou know Iâm a black belt in taekwondo, right? When I was searching for scholarships to pay for tuition, I saw one that required a black belt in a martial art. The scholarship said that if you could prove it with pictures of your accolades or with videos then youâd receive at least five-million South Korean Won.â
âFive-million? Just for proving you had a black belt?â
âNo.â Jungwon answered, his tone wrapping the word in gravity, âThe scholarship was something that had to be continuously earned. The scholarship is employment-based.â He sighed and closed his eyes, when they opened they were filled with newfound focus, âOkay, basically, the scholarship functions as a job. Once youâre accepted, you join their âstaffâ or their âteamâ and you compete against other candidates who received scholarships. You get five-million if you win the mini tournament they have. Then you get an opportunity to fight against another opponent for seven-hundred-fifty-thousand. And it keeps going on: you fight, you win, you get paid. They pay your monthly installment for tuition using your balance and you keep fighting for them.â
Your mind stalled as you tried to wrap your head around the specifics of the deal. As you were processing, a memory washed itself to the surface of your brain. The announcers talking about Jakahâs performance last week.
âWait so then, what happens if you lose?â
He took a deep breath, âThen the amount of money you would have won from the fight is subtracted from your balance.â
You nodded. You expected that.
âSo, let me get this straight,â You began to clarify, âYou joined this fight club. You won the beginning tournament against other scholarship applicants and won five-million. Then you were offered to fight again with a bag of seven-hundred-fifty-thousand each win. But if youâre in debt with the syndicate â Belift â then how many times did you lose? Because if it's just a couple million then I have some savings.â His eyes filled with a poisonous mix of adoration and shame. âI can buy you out, Wonie.â
âSeventy.â
âPardon?â
âMy debt is seventy-million.â
The air felt too thin to stay in your lungs. Your brain felt too small to carry all your thoughts.
âGod, Jungwon, how many times did you lose?!â
Jungwonâs eyes became unfocused â as if he suddenly became detached from the conversation, or perhaps the topic of conversation.
âAfter you win five times, you enter into a different level and the price of victory becomes higher. I won five times so the victory pay-out became one-and-a-half-million. Then after you win another ten times, the pay-out is two-million. And of course, as you progress to higher levels, you fight stronger opponents.â
âOk so at what level did you start losing?â
âSeven-million.â He informed but was quick to add, âI lost a lot but not as much as you think.â
âYou lost ten times?â
âNo.â
You raised a brow, encouraging him to continue.
âI lost more than that but Iâve won some back,â He ran a hand through his hair, âThen lost it again, then won it back.â His his locked onto yours, âBut itâs not because Iâm a bad fighter.â
You furrowed your brows, âJungwon, I was there on Friday night. I know youâre not a bad fighter.â
âNo, no, listen to me,â He placed his strong hands on your upper arms again, âBefore I made it into the seven-million bracket, I was undefeated. I was on track to winning against everyone on every syndicate's roster. After I made it into that final bracket, I started losing.â
âBecause your opponents got stronger?â
âNo,â Jungwonâs head fell but his hands remained steady on your arms, âEvery Friday itâs something new. This Friday wasnât so bad⊠but it still sucked.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
He pulled his head up to look you in the eye, âSomeone filled my water bottle with vinegar.â
âWhat?!â
âI found out after the first round after chugging it.â
âUgh, gross.â
âThatâs why I went so hard yesterday. I needed to end the match quickly because I was getting dehydrated.â
Your lips downturned in concern.Â
He paused for a moment before continuing, âAnd Iâd be lying if I said I wasnât mad. Last week it was laxatives.â
âIt was what?!â Your hand flew to your mouth to hold back your laugh.
Jungwon sighed, âYes. My only options were to run out of the ring like a sissy or crap my pants in front of a thousand or more people.â
Your eyes stared at him wide but blank â unassuming.
âObviously, I ran out of the ring, Y/N.â He tried to school his face into annoyance amid your outburst of laughter. âYeah well, there have been other things too: stealing my mouth guard, blaring noises in my ears to throw off my balance, sanding the soles of my shoes flat, stealing my clothes. Everything you could think of.â
He took in the soft expression you gave him: eyebrows pulled, lips marked downward, eyes glimmering in empathy. He hated seeing it. He didnât want you to feel pity for him or think of him as weak. Thatâs the last thing he wanted.
âYeah well, Iâll let you know what happens next week.â
âNo, what? Jungwon, who is doing this?â You asked him, âThe sabotage is literally so unfair, get them to stop.â
âI would if I could. But I donât know whoâs doing it and I donât think the staff would do anything about it.â
âWhy not?â
âOne of the rules is: in the ring anything goes. That's why I said that itâs neither wrestling or boxing. You can use any fight style, you can do anything, as long as you donât bring a weapon and you look out for the tap-outs.â
âSo, you can pretty much beat the demons out of a man until he taps-out? Thatâs so stupid⊠youâre gonna get yourself killed, Wonie.â
âYeah but I havenât yet.â
âWait, but I have a question.â You watched Jungwon give you a nod with expectant eyes, âIf the rule is that anything goes in the ring then all of the sabotage that happens outside of the ring is punishable, right?â
He cracked his knuckles absentmindedly, âHonestly, I donât know. My manager and the rest of the fighters for Belift know about the sabotage but no one knows whoâs doing it or how to stop it. They usually donât target the same thing twice. I think they stole my water bottle twice because the laxatives worked so well.â
He spoke in a joking manner but his words tinged the air with salt. It caused your heart to ache for him â he wasnât safe, he was being sabotaged, and he couldnât escape. Before you could overthink it, you wrapped your arms around his middle and held him tightly. As if your arms were strong enough to keep him safe. As if your head pressed against his chest did anything to alleviate the ache in his heart.Â
His arms wrapped around your shoulders and he dipped his head to rest on yours, âIâm sorry I kept this from you but you have to understand. I didnât tell you because I didnât want you to get wrapped up in this messâŠâ He paused, his chest rose and fell as his heart picked up, âI wanted to protect you. I want to keep you safe. So please, donât go to the gym again.âÂ
A wave of helplessness washed you onto the shore of reality. You wanted to help Jungwon but what could you do? You canât fight. You canât pay his debt.Â
âWait here.â You commanded before running into your room and grabbing that dark blue plastic bottle. âHere,â You held the water bottle out to him, âI grabbed this on the way out of the gym last night.â
Jungwon furrowed his brows before walking to your door and grabbing his blue backpack. Zipping it open, he pulled out the same blue water bottle: Decilis University Class of 2027.Â
Your faces mirrored each other â eyebrows creased and eyes full of suspicion. Jungwon flipped the bottle to see the bottom of it, he turned it toward you so you could see. You mirrored his actions and showed him the bottom of the bottle you held.Â
Even though the rest of the bottles were identical, only the bottom of one of them claimed in plain letters: Yang Jungwon.
âIâve never used a different water bottle.â He glanced down at you with your eyes glued to the bottles.
âI know you havenât. Which is why I wanna know how you suddenly acquired a second one.â
âI really donât know. I took my water bottle downstairs.â
You turned to stare at him, âWonie, if you didnât leave this water bottle upstairs and you know for a fact that you brought it down to the basement then that means someone switched the water bottles.â
Jungwon furrowed his brows and then sat next to you on the couch, âWait, what do you mean?â
âThe water bottle I took home on Friday is Water Bottle A and the bottle that you took home on Friday is Water Bottle B.â Jungwon nodded his head, âYou took Water Bottle A from the cafe, to the gym, and to the basement, but when you drank from it there was no longer water in it it but vinegar. And you came home with Water Bottle B and I found Water Bottle A on the floor of the gym. That means that somewhere between your arrival in the basement and the moment you drank from it in your fight, someone switched the bottles.â
Jungwon paused to compute the theory, âOkay, but thatâs assuming I had Water Bottle A when I walked into the gym. And assuming someone bought our universityâs water bottle just to trick me.â
âTrueâŠâ You frowned, âBut how would you even get a second water bottle? And how would you not realize that you were using two?â
Jungwon shrugged.
âAlso, if they did switch your bottles on Friday, they probably did it last Friday too. Just, you know, with laxatives instead of vinegar.â
âCan we please not talk about that?â Jungwon dropped his head, his reddened ears hidden behind tuffs of blond hair.
You giggled at his embarrassment which caused his face to get even redder â just not for the reason you thought.
With his elbows on his knees, he turned his head to look at you, âSo, how do we prove that theyâve been switching my water bottle?â
âEasy,â You smiled cunningly. âGo to the gym and make sure to leave Water Bottle B there and keep Water Bottle A with you. Then on Friday, take Water Bottle A with you to the basement, then when you go home that night see if you have Water Bottle A or B.â
He nodded, âBut that wonât tell us whoâs switching the bottles.â
âNo, it wonât, unlessâŠâ You refrained from finishing the thought.
âNo.âÂ
âJungwonââ
âI said ânoâ.â
âItâd be the easiest way to see whoâs sabotaging you!â
âItâd also be the easiest way to put you in danger.â His gaze held you in a firm grip, âWe donât know when this person is switching the bottles and if the other fighters see that youâre coming in with me?â He let out a huff, âYou were never safe there to begin with but if you come in with me then youâll have a bright red target painted on your back.â
âYouâre being dramatic, Jungwon.â
For a moment he just stared at you like you as if youâd started speaking another language. It made you feel dumb, like you were missing something.
âY/N, there are people that owe these crime syndicates more money than I do. Some of them get off to beating up other people, some get off to watching others get their ass handed to them. Most of the people there lost in fights to me. Most of them hate me.â He paused and his gaze softened, âThey will use any opportunity to get at me including hurting those I care about⊠I will not let you get hurt.â
You nodded because you did understand him, but he wasnât seeing things from your perspective.
âJungwon, I get that. I get that you want to keep me safe but I also want to keep you safe. I donât want you to be stuck in this cycle of fighting for these syndicates and getting deeper in debt while they keep exploiting you for money.â You hoped your eyes conveyed all your desperation, in case your words failed you, âI donât want to lay in bed every Friday night not knowing whether or not youâll be going home to your seven centimeter dorm mattress or a hospital bed.â
Jungwon set his hand on the space between your kneecap and thigh â a safe space, close enough to be intimate, far enough to be platonic â his thumb stoked your skin only once but it was enough for a shiver to run up your spine. His eyes were filled with the pain you only get from restraint.
âI know youâre worried, but please let me handle this.â
His hand felt heavy on your knee, like he was grounding you â or maybe himself â before he took the bottles and shoved them in his backpack. Stepping into his shoes and turning to look at you for a breath of a moment. Then he stepped out the door, locking it before he left.
It would be advantageous to say that you and Jungwon acted like nothing happened. Like you went about the next week as you always had: giggling in lectures, eating underwhelming cafeteria food, sending Instagram Reels at stupidly late hours into the night, âwyaâ and âwydâ texts, impromptu hang outs at your dorm, and cafe study dates at your part-time job. But none of this happened this week albeit for a text or two and one Reel you hadnât even opened yet. The week was categorized in unsent messages, stolen glances, and hearts full of unspoken words.
Friday wasnât as mundane as the days before, not with the whirlwind of anxiety trapping itself in your body. Your leg bounced rapidly where you sat before you got up and paced then sat back down again. Restless and repetitive. Your whole body felt unbearably hot though your air conditioner was blowing enough cold air to give goosebumps. Your mind shuffled through thoughts, theories, and hypotheticals like the flash cards you helped Jungwon study for economics. Your car keys glimmered at you like a precious diamond at the feet of a burglar.
It was only natural that youâd find yourself parked on the side of the street by the gym.
Close enough to get there quickly, far enough to not attract suspicion. Youâd seen enough movies.
You dressed in a pair of jeans, a plain shirt, a baseball cap, and a black face mask. Something simple and inconspicuous â something forgettable. You peeked into the windows of the gym which framed the empty gym. The attendant at the desk got up spinned in his chair absent-mindedly with his AirPods in and his thumb scrolling through videos. You took the chance to crack the door open, slide through, and sneak past him and behind the large equipment. He didnât look over once.
You checked the spot where Water Bottle A had been last week, with the spot being empty, you turned your sight on the locker rooms. Since you were here, three hours earlier than you had been last week, you figured a couple things would be different.Â
In fact, there were a lot of factors you were working with that were based off of assumptions. The first being, since Jungwon is in the highest fighting bracket and people started leaving after his match â the other brackets likely had their matches before him. The second being, since he never mentioned the scholarship having a gender requirement, there are likely women fighters as well. Which means the womenâs locker room would have a door â or shower â to the basement too.
The only problem was getting down there without being seen. You walked into the locker room seeing it mostly empty and walked up to locker that was available. You glanced at the two girls who were in there, who were busy lacing up their shoes or braiding their hair out of their face. Your eyes glanced at their lockers to see two silver name plates: Huh Yunjin and Kim Chaewon. They were fighters in the basement.Â
With your locker door swung out, it hid your face from view and you used the opportunity to removed the jeans and shirt, revealing a workout set underneath â as if you were about to âhit the gymâ or whatever Jungwon usually says. You thought this might happen. The girls would be waiting for you to leave so that they could get down to the basement; you needed them to think you were just here to workout so that you could follow them without being on their radar.Â
So, you stepped out into the gym, walked to a machine, pretended to look for your headphones, and then walked back into the locker room. To find it perfectly empty. You threw on the jeans and tshirt and rushed to the back. And of course, the seventh shower was closed off only this time you had to figure out how to open it. You twisted and pulled the knobs but neither of them did anything. You grabbed the showerhead, examined it, pulled at it â nothing. You pressed on every tile all the way to the floor â again, nothing. You grabbed the hot handle again and pushed in and then twisted it like a normal doorknob â effectively opening the door.Â
A strikingly similar staircase to the one in the menâs locker room opened up and you walked down with all the confidence of familiarity. The stands were packed but they wereât quite full yet. You looked to the direction the betters had gone after Jungwonâs match â on the ground floor there was an opening which led to a long counter with recpetionist and lines of people waiting to place their bets. You walked in and watched what the people did: how and in what order. Then you repeated.
First, stop at the ATM and draw some cash.
Second, check the roster and their percentage of winning:
Bracket 1 Male â KEONHO | 57.84% vs WOONHAK | 42.16%
Female â YOONCHAE | 48.61 % vs IROHA | 51.39%
Bracket 2 Male â YUMA | 48.12% vs SUNGHO | 51.88%
JUHOON | 47.46% vs RIWOO | 52.54%Â
MARTIN | 46.88% vs JO | 53.22%
Female â EUNCHAE | 63.25% vs HAERIN | 36.75%
Bracket 3 Male â MAKI | 50.00% vs JAMES | 50.00%
SUNOO | 78.88% vs TAKI | 21.12%
NI-KI | 80.58% vs BAMKYU 20.42%
Female â HYEIN | 78.62 vs MINJU | 21.38%
MANON | 49.99% vs DANIELLE | 50.01%
Bracket 4 Male â HYUKA | 22.23% vs JAY | 77.77%
SUNGHOON 63.25% vs NICHOLAS | 46.75%
 EJ | 43.97% vs JAKE | 56.03%
Female â YUNJIN | 65.00% vs LARA | 35.00%
   HANNI | 67.36% vs MEGAN | 32.74%
   KAZUHA | 57.82% vs WONHEE 42.28%
Bracket 5 Male â YEONJUN | 48.33% vs EVAN | 51.77%
 SOOBIN | 13.44% vs K | 86.56%
 TYUN | 42.98% vs JAKAH | 57.02%
Female â SAKURA 79.00% vs DANIELA | 21.00%
   CHAEWON | 55.39% vs YUNAH | 44.61%
   MINJI | 55.55% vs SOPHIA | 44.45%
Third, place bets at the counter â with the most strategic and thorough consideration in order to make the most money possible.
Of course, you would not be making any bets today. Or ever. Because itâs illegal â then again, being here probably is too, but youâre not really itching to add to your crimes. So you backed out and found a seat high up in the stands, out of view from most of the crowd, near the passage to the women's locker room. And you waited. Through 18 long matches before you saw him.Â
It wasnât like you hadnât seen him like this before, youâd seen him like this a week ago. Dark blue shorts and a simple black tank that hugged his frame deliciously. His thick biceps on full display and his broad shoulder wider with his chest puffed slightly. You watched him set down his water bottle on a stool at the corner that he would enter the ring on. The answer to whether or not that bottle was the one heâd entered with, whether it actually held water, or if someone had yet to tamper with it, could only be answered in time.Â
Tyun was the opponent on the other side. He stood at around the same height as Jungwon and looked to be similarly muscular. Your eyes squinted as you watched Jungwon take in the sight of his opponent. He looked stiff and on edge. Had the sabotage already happened? Did it have anything to do with the water bottle at all or had they moved onto a different tactic. Your leg bounced slightly in your seat before you realized that the rapid motion would draw unwanted attention. You sat as inconspicuously as you could and kept your gaze on the dark blue water bottle resting on the stool. The announcers began their opening statements.
âWell, I donât know about you Dino but I, for one, am beyond excited to see this match play out.â
âYouâre not the only one S.Coups. You, me, and the rest of this crowd are ready to see this match between two of the best fighters we have in the club.â
âOh yeah, thatâs right. Today, in the orange shorts, we have BigHit's TYUN, who specializes in traditional boxing. We expect to see a lot of feints, well-timed strikes, and strong follow through on those punches.â
âHeâs also impeccable at blocking, donât forget S.Coups.â
âRight, of course.â
You took in the information and attempted to cross reference it with Jungwonâs fighting style but it hit you â you donât know what his fighting style is. The only time you have ever seen Jungwon fight was last week. A fight which he said that he had been intentionally more aggressive in, in order to end the fight quickly. His default fighting style is an enigma to you.
âIn the blue shorts we have Beliftâs JAKAH, who specializes in taekwondo. Tonight, youâll see from him more leg work: kicks, dodges, body-locks and things of that sort. The kid is quick on his feet, let me tell you.â
âAnd aggressive too! Last week was abnormal for JAKAH â throwing mean punches and taking hits head on instead of dodging and assessing how best to attack.â
âThatâs true, Dino, we did see a different side to JAKAH last week. Perhaps, weâll see a different side to him today.â
âYou think heâll recover from his losing streak? Or was last week just a stroke of luck?â
You held back a huff of annoyance. Jungwon didnât believe in luck. He believed in hard work and maybe the tiniest bit of Fate â but not luck.
âIâm not sure but seeing as TYUN is a reigning champion in the ring⊠Well, letâs just say I have my money on the safer side.â
Half the group erupted in boastful laughs and presumptuous whoops. You watched Jungwon shake his head before he pointed at a roll of bandages on the ground. A guy around the same age as him handed it to him. It was then that you realized a bit of a crowd had gathered in Jungwonâs corner: some dressed like coaches or managers, some dressed like fighters. Jungwon seemed familiar with all of them or if he wasnât, it didnât show. It was his lack of concern that had you not blinking your eye twice at them â until their bodies began to obstruct the view of the water bottle.
âI donât know about that, Dino, JAKAH has the better odds today with over 57 percent.â
âYeah, but TYUN has stayed consistent in his wins and losses.â Dino argued and you watched a tall, slightly pale, incredibly buff man with nice brows call Jungwon and say something that looked along the lines of âthis announcer can shove itâ. âJAKAH was undefeated until about three matches into the fifth bracket. Then he went on this massive losing streak which he had yet to fully recover from.â
âTop ten mysteries of the world, huh?â
Jungwonâs coach began to advise him, using punching and blocking gestures to demonstrate his points. The blond man nodded and began to jump slightly, shuffling his feet and lightening his steps. A woman â manager, maybe â handed him his mouth guard and offered him a towel which he rejected. The crowd, which had entertained itself with side-chatter, had begun to dwindle in volume and shift their attention to the ring in the center.Â
You glanced over at Jungwonâs opponent and felt a wave of anxious heat flood through your veins. They did look evenly matched. Too even. But from the sounds of it, their fighting styles seemed contrasting. Like rocks versus water. Your head filled with silent prayers of victory as the buzzer sounded.
Jungwon continued to bounce between feet, keeping himself between groundedness and charge. Tyun seemed entirely more relaxed. He shuffled around Jungwon â the two of them in a dance with their steps on different beats â before Tyun advanced with jabs that were made for nothing but distraction. To pull his focus on his hands. Left. Right. Left Left. Right. Left. Right. Right. Right. Right. And then knee up to Jungwonâs abdomen â which thankfully, the blond managed to dodge. Jungwon advanced this time, just as quickly as he dodged, he swept his feet under Tyunâs causing him to jump back.Â
You chanced a look toward Jungwonâs team who crowded around his corner, yelling cheers and suggestions that sounded more like commands. Jungwon ignored all of them, bringing his fists up to his face and exchanging them with Tyun. Firsts knock into fists, knuckles digging into forearms, legs in constant limbo between pursuit and retreat.Â
âJAKAH throws a steady one! And TYUN takes the opening! His fist just reaches his nose! Another light jab â it looks like heâs stunned! And a full-force punch blocked by JAKAHâs arms!â
âI donât know S.Coups, that looks like it hurts. Hey, have you ever broken your forearm while blocking?â
âHah! Not me personally, but there have been stranger things when it comes to JAKAH.â
You exhaled steadily as the crowd roared in laughter. Jungwon was backing up in light bounces and shaking his arms out. You werenât a fighter but it was a telltale sign that the punch had left bruises that would soon start blooming.
Jungwon rolled his shoulders and took the same stance as before: fists up to his face with his fingers facing him. Tyun had a mirroring stance. Then in the blink of an eye, Jungwon rushed toward him and sent a kick low on the manâs stomach, too fast for him to block completely, which caused his hand to get wedge between his stomach and Jungwon's foot. With the momentum garnered, Jungwon used the foot he had on the ground to jump closer and folded his raised leg back in toward his chest before launching it up at Tyunâs face. Still stunned from the sudden kick to his gut, Tyun fails to dodge the attack fully and is left with a bloody nose. On instinct, Tyun jumps out of Jungwonâs area of attack and keeps his legs bent and his body small and defensive.Â
âWhew, thatâs the champion I remember! And it seems like the crowd remembers him too if the jeers are any indication, huh, Dino?â
âYeah, what a flawless double-kick from JAKAH. The change in strategy from a boxing style to his familiar taekwondo was the perfect ruse and surprise to knock Tyun off his balance.â
You released a breath that had caught itself unknowingly in your lungs. The team in Jungwonâs corner was going wild â all nine of them, still there and still cheering. You noticed that six of them were in simple tanks and shorts, much like the outfit Jungwon was wearing to fight in. The other three were in black, one of them with white lettering that read: COACH.
âAnd he caught him!â The announcerâs voice rang in the room, pulling your gaze from the sidelines to the center ring. âTYUNâs got a hold of JAKAHâs leg, mid-kick. Now pulling him to the mat!â
Your heart raced, pulse pounding so loud in your ears that it drowned the announcer out. You watched Tyun straddle a fallen Jungwon, landing an immediate punch across his jaw. The jaw that had been hit only a week prior. Jungwon moved his hands to push him off but another punch landed across his nose â it had you wondering if that spot was chosen because of convenience or personal vendetta. Jungwon moved his hands to his face, blocking the onslaught of punches but TYUN didnât let up, instead standing up and readying his elbow to dig into Jungwonâs ribs as he fell on them.Â
Your hand flew over your mouth, leg bouncing uncontrollably, as Jungwon rolled over just in time. But as he scrambled to get back up amid the blood rushing out of his nose, Tyun grabbed his left shoulder and his waist and pulled him back before sliding his left hand over Jungwonâs neck and placing him in a headlock.Â
âOh! The tide turns quickly with TYUN in the ring!â
âOh yeah. I heard some of the betters have started calling him âThe Magicianâ.â
Jungwon's hands tugged at Tyunâs arms in a vain attempt to get free. You watched his legs flail to find a grip â anything, any advantage to free himself. His face got redder, his hands more desperate, his legs more erratic. The air felt unbearable. Like you were sitting in a furnace with freshly chopped wood. The sight of him struggling, the sight of his body thrashing in desperation, the sight of his eyes closing and opening erratically, it pulled your stomach in knots and drew sweat onto your brow.
Then his hand tapped repeatedly on the other manâs bicep and without hesitation the vice he had on Jungwon was released. Jungwon coughed so loudly it reached all the way up to your seat in the makeshift stadium. His coughs were scratchy like they came from the depths of his lungs and gasped for air greedily and hungrily. His feet caught on each other as he crawled and stumbled toward his corner. Hand convulsing in a âgive meâ motion until his blue bottle met his hand.Â
His back fell on the ropes of the ring, his whole body weight supported as he leaned on them. His fingers fumbled the open the cap, coughs still falling from his chapped lips, and when he pulled the cap off, those same lips found the mouth of the bottle. He tilted it up and drank ravenously from it. His throat worked around two big gulps before he spat out a fountain of clear liquid.Â
âYikes⊠didnât this happen last week? Iâm starting to think JAKAH doesnât wash his water bottlesâŠ.â
The rage you felt from the crowd's easygoing laughter and gossip nearly overtook the worry swelling in your heart. Your eyes took in the way Jungwonâs face scrunched up, the way his coughs became more frequent, the way the bottle slipped from his hands, and his knees inched closer to the floor. As if heâd already accepted his defeat, he just wasnât ready to let go yet.Â
His team rapped their hands on the floor, yelling at him, trying to get his attention but he didnât listen. Didnât spare them a glance. Just swiped a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and tried to find solidity in his body again. You imagined it must have been hard. He had just been choked of all the breath in his lungs and missed out on over a minute of fresh oxygen to his blood. He almost passed out, his limbs must still be recovering, his throat must feel ornamented in glass shards, and his brain must be all fogged up without the oxygen to help him think. Then add on whatever mystery liquid had found itself in his bottle that night.
How come you didnât see who switched the bottles?Â
The buzzer sounded before you could answer that question. This time, Jungwon didnât bounce between his feet, he barely kept them steady on the ground. He was leaning to his right, like his axis had tilted and his chest rose and fell in a strange pattern. Tyun took the opportunity in stride, a quick feint with his right which Jungwon blocked. A feint with his left, then with his right. Then he grabbed Jungwonâs biceps and slammed his knee into his torso. Then he pushed him back and twisted his hips to send a deathly punch to Jungwonâs face.
Your body begged you to look away, your heart begged you to watch. It was the least you could do. The least to share in his pain.Â
Thankfully, he side-stepped out of the way; unluckily, his balance caused him to stumble halfway to the ground. He pushed up, eyes always on his opponent. Tyun rushed him, throwing firm cuts and landing them anywhere he could. Jungwonâs reaction time was a fraction of what it had been before and his strength looked to be significantly minimized as well. After a moment, he held his head completely, suffering through the barrage of punches. He wobbled and fell to his knees, his body teetering like it was about to fall off the edge. Tyun stepped back, confident and in no rush, before sending a kick that tipped Jungwon over and onto his back.
It was like he became a fraction of the fighter he was before. It was easy to see â you didnât need to be his best friend to see that â not when everyone else was aware of it too. Angry yells and strings of curses protruding from the betters in the stands. People began to stand and scream insults and mockeries at the fallen man below. Jungwonâs head lolled to the side, as if his neck had no strength to support it. His arms twitched and his body tensed but he couldnât get it to do anything beyond bracing for the incoming impact.Â
A kick to the ribs. A strong hand that pulled at the fabric of the black tank. A fist to the eye. Then again to the jaw. And a slam back down onto the mat for good measure. Tyun stepped back, body lax, as the referee counted from one to five in a booming voice. Jungwonâs eyes didnât flutter open, he didnât tap into some untouched strength. He just laid there on the ground. Unmoving. Soundless. Bloodied.
Pushing through the crowd was not easy. Not when hundreds of bodies were pushing and shoving in either eagerness or bitterness. You happened to fall in the former as you rushed to follow where the team was taking Jungwon. Unease swam through your mind like a rushing river. Was he okay? What happened? He was doing fine and then suddenly he wasnât. Was the lack of oxygen too much? Were the hits to his head too hard? Does he have a concussion? Should he go to the doctor? How would he get there? Who will take him home in this condition?
The fear settling right onto your shoulders had you moving faster than before. Rushing past the center ring and to the wall at the back under some bleachers. You pushed through a set of matte black painted doors that you had seen Jungwon and his team go through. It opened into a hallway with slightly yellow, slightly dim overhead lights.Â
âMake sure heâs not dying on me, alright? I got other people to worry about, right now.â A man grumbled before opening and walking through another door deeper into the hallway.Â
You walked to the door, barely registered the bickering behind the thin wood, until a familiar voice punctured through.Â
âI couldnât breathe, Riki.â Jungwon yelled, his voice scratchy and unusually deep.Â
âAll Iâm saying,â Another deep voice with a slight Japanese accent said slowly, âIs that you know that bottle is a risk and you still chose to drink from it.â
âYouâve never been choked have you?â A softer voice asked, likely directed at the boy with the Japanese accent.Â
âRiki,â Jungwon said after a sigh, âThereâs nothing I can do to stop the sabotage unless I know whoâs behind it. It was a calculated risk.âÂ
Your brows furrowed in concern. Jungwonâs words were slurring slightly, his intonation was off kilter, and his volume was somewhere between too loud and too mumbly.Â
âYeah, a risk that caused you twenty blows to the head.â A different voice spoke flatly.
âEverclear.â This voice came out in a perfect American accent before returning to Seoul Korean, âThey put everclear in your bottle and you chugged it.â
âGenuinely, how can you tell that thatâs everclear just by smelling.â An Australian man asked in English.Â
âI know my alcohol.â The American responded before returning to Korean, âAnyway, this is ninety-five percent, high proof alcohol, and he chugged it. If he didnât lose equilibrium from getting choked, he lost it about five minutes after drinking this.â
âYeah, his reaction time slowed significantly.â A sweet voice spoke next.Â
âAnd thereâs no point in talking to him right now because he genuinely looks on the verge of passing out. Great.â The first guy â Riki â said.Â
It was at this remark that you opened the door, immediately locking eyes with a red-flushed Jungwon, who stood up straight at the sight of you.Â
âY/N?!â
âJungwon!â You grabbed his head, ignoring the simmering confusion gracing the room, and checked his eyes for any abnormality. âHowâs your head?â
âY/N, what are you doing here?â His eyes were wide in shock. From the closeness, you could see his face already beginning to swell, the dried blood crusted on the edges of his nostrils, and a split on his bottom lip.Â
âOh God, Jungwon!â You exclaimed, âDo you need to go to the hospital? Iâll drive you. Can you walk? Where are your other injuries?â Your hands fumbled to the hem of his tank top, about to pull it up to assess the injuries to his abdomen, when Jungwonâs firm hand caught your wrists.Â
His body swayed unsteadily for a moment, he blinked harshly at you, as if he was forcing his eyes to focus on your face and begging his brain to produce a worthwhile thought.Â
âI told you not to come here again.â His voice teetered on the edge of passion and breathlessness, âI thought I made that clear.â
His voice held a harshness he had never before taken with you.Â
âYes, I know that butââ
âBut what?!â He nearly yelled, the force behind his voice causing him to shuffle his feet to find his balance. âThereâs nothing â nothing! â you can tell me that would convince me that you being here was a good idea!âÂ
âNot evenââ
âNothing!â He slid his hands to your shoulders but for what reason, it was harder to tell. To maximize the intensity of his words or to keep him balanced via your support. âHow long have you been here? Who saw you? Damn it, Y/N.â His fingers squeezed your shoulders as he dropped his head.Â
You assumed he did it to hide his face. Too ashamed to grimace in front of you or show any sign of pain, fragility, or weakness.Â
âJungwon, Iâm just trying to help you.â
âHelping me would be staying away.â He grumbled, blinking his eyes back in focus to you. âNot intentionally disobeying me when I specifically asked you not to come here. What were you going to do?â
âI couldnât sit at home knowing that you were going to fight someone and unfairly at that!â You argued back, hands coming up and taking hold of his forearms. Gently, knowing all that theyâve been through tonight alone. âI couldnât sit back while you were here, alone, facing unknown threats from unknown people.â
âIâve been doing that for the better part of a year, Y/N, I donât need you here, risking your safety, attracting unwanted attention, worrying me, and distracting me from my job.â
âThis is not a job.â
Jungwon brought a hand to his head and stumbled back slightly. He stood frozen for a moment before shaking his head and turning his tired, fuzzy vision onto you.Â
âYouâre here because you want to protect me from liabilities?â He asked rhetorically, âYou are a liability.âÂ
You took a deep breath, expecting this outcome but bursting at the seams with annoyance all the same, âYouâre saying Iâve made things worse by being here?âÂ
âYes!â His voice hit your ears sharply.Â
âFine.â You nodded and turned to leave. Footsteps fast and gaze anywhere but the seven pairs of eyes in the room. Jungwonâs hand grabbed your upper arm sloppily and his gaze met yours flat, exhausted, and disappointed.Â
âWhere are you going?â
âHome.â
âBack into the arena? Back into the gym? Then out to your car? In the dark? With dozens of fighters pent up from losses or high on victory adrenaline? With hundreds of angry betters and happy ones who think they can double their luck?â He didnât even stop to laugh, âYou think Iâm gonna let you go out there and put yourself in more danger than you already are?â
âAnd what are you going to do?â You asked angrily, the words highlighting the way his eyes blurred in and out of focus, the way his body leaned too far to the right, the way his body was perpetually stiffened â as if the injuries increased in pain when he let loose.
And even with the drunken daze hindering his abilities to stand, talk, see, and think, it was obvious, his desperation. Your shirt clenched slightly in his fist, the furrow in his brows, and the helplessness veiling his dark brown eyes. Desperation was evident in the small details of Jungwonâs being.Â
His devotion to keeping you safe was no longer enough.Â
You watched the thought conceptualize as his grip tightened fractionally.
âIâll make sure she gets out,â A tall man placed his strong hand on the blondâs shoulder. He had a small cut on his right cheek and a gaze soft enough to cover the room in confident peace. âThereâs nothing you can do in this state, so let me take her home.â
Jungwonâs shoulders released their tension before tensing up again. If he tried to bite back a grimace, he failed.Â
âAnd I,â A man, with angular eyes and the sharpest jawline youâd ever seen, walked toward you, stopping a safe distance away, âWill make sure heâs okay and taken care of.â Something about the way he stared at you as he spoke gave you the impression that he was a man of his word. And you nodded slightly and mumbled a thank you.Â
And with one last look at Jungwon â or the wreck of him that Tyun left behind â you walked off with his friend. Hat pulled down and mask pulled up, the other boy dressed in a black hoodie and sweats. He led you down the hallway, around various corners, through an exit door, and up a staircase.Â
The night air was cold and crisp as you led him to your car a few streets out, pleading with him to just let you drive yourself home, promising to text him when you did, and thanking him before driving away. The air of your apartment wasnât any warmer, not even after a mindless shower, not even after you threw your duvet over your body and snuggled into the sheets.Â
It was then that you thought: maybe the chill had nothing to do with the temperature in the air but everything to do with the warmth of Jungwonâs words.
If the week prior had been isolating and strenuous on your relationship with Jungwon, the next week was infinitely worse. You had texted Jungwonâs friend â Heeseung, the one who offered to take you home â that you had gotten there safely. That being his only condition in letting you drive off alone. You had contemplated texting Jungwon too but the cursor blinked on the message bar continuously for minutes. You hadnât typed a thing.
Instead, you messaged Heeseung. You asked how Jungwon was, if he had any severe injuries, if he had gone to the hospital, if he was at home recovering, and similar things of that nature. Heeseung responded quickly, said he was at Jayâs apartment. Jay, being the man with the sharp jawline. He informed that Jungwon was recovering but he was resting after the harsh beating. Told you that Jungwon wouldnât be attending any of his lectures this week.
You had swallowed thickly and said thank you. Then went about your week as normally as you possibly could without your twin flame by your side. You attended your own lectures with disinterest but you eagerly met with Jungwonâs professors to get notes for the lectures that he missed. You went to the cafeteria, walking in with no appetite and leaving with even less of one. You skipped out on library study sessions, cafe study sessions, and you picked up extra shifts at the cafe you worked at. Pouring the espresso shot and steaming the milk had been something youâd intentionally been precise with, but you found yourself calling the customerâs name before you even realized youâd finished the drink.
As the days neared closer and closer to Friday, you itched to know. To know if Jungwon had recovered. To know if he was fighting again on Friday. To know if you should tell him what you saw or didnât see. To know which bottle he had come home with. To know if he was still mad at you.
You: hey heeseung! i was just wondering if there was an update on jungwonâs condition?
heeseung (wonieâs friend): Hey yeah heâs ok
You: is he back at his dorm or is he still at jayâs
heeseung (wonieâs friend): Uhh I think he should be back at his dorm tonight but heâs not rn
You: oh is he at jayâs
heeseung (wonieâs friend): Yes
You: can i come see him?
heeseung (wonieâs friend): Uhhh no I donât think so
You: why not?
heeseung (wonieâs friend): Because heâs napping rn
You: heâs not there is he? jungwon hates taking naps
heeseung (wonieâs friend): Yeah no heâs not there. Sorry
You: is he at the gym?Â
You: will he be there on friday?
The bold âreadâ timestamp mocked you for a good 15 minutes before you got up. Changing into workout clothes and grabbing your things. Pulling up to the gym, you noted that it didnât have that uncanny feeling anymore. Perhaps it was because of the time of day, perhaps it was because you were familiar with a different feeling that it brought you: worry.Â
You saw him much before he saw you, though it took you a minute to find him. The gym was much larger than you thought and had an annex which led to a room with two small dingy boxing rings and a couple of punching bags. The bruises on his face were turning a sickly yellow, indicating the nearness of a full recovery. The split on his lip was scabbed over and healing nicely â you assumed that was largely due to the immediate dousing of alcohol it got, thanks to the everclear. The rest of his injuries were hidden beneath his clothing. The strength of his punches against the heavy bag and the lightness of his feet as he kept them moving proved the after effects of low oxygen and everclear had long filtered out of his body.
He looked good. Strong. Determined. Healthy. Glowy. Handsome.
It almost drew you into your cowardice. To flee from him before your boldness made you even more of a liability than you already were. But by that point he had already turned his gaze up to see you. And stopped the rocking of the punching bag. His heavy breaths were the only sound that traveled between you two and it made your mind race. What was he thinking? Was he mad? Why wasnât he saying anything?Â
He closed his eyes and released a deep sigh.
âI just came to give you this.â You announced, holding up your duffel bag with two hands.
âYour bag?â He asked with his brows drawn upward. His voice had returned to normal: no longer deep, scratchy, and cold. Just sweet, gentle, and warm. Just Jungwon.
âWell, no,â You unzipped it, âWhatâs in it.â You clarified and subconsciously registered his slow approach to you. You turned your gaze up to see him fully. He wore a black compression shirt and a pair of black sweats â the dark colors contrasting the lightness of his hair. âHere.â
His face was framed in incredulity as he took the rectangular box from your hand, âWhat is this?â
âOpen it.â
At your command, his fingers made quick work and freed the product from the box. A 40oz, dark blue, steel water bottle â one of the trendy ones.Â
âI know you loved your old one,â You started, âBut I think this one would be safer.â
He flipped the bottle over to see the bottom and smiled slightly at the neatly written letters of his name. Letters written by you.Â
âYou didnât have to.â
âI know,â You agreed, an ocean of words held behind the floodgates of your sudden anxiety. âI know you probably donât want to know but I didnât see it happen.â
He raised a brow at your vagueness, âIâm gonna need a little more than that.â
 âThe water bottle, I didnât see anyone take it or change it. So, it mustâve happened before I got there or maybe when I wasnât paying attention.â
Jungwon twisted the steel bottle in his hands, his mind chewing on the new information, âYeah, I made sure that I had Water Bottle A before I set it down on that stool.â
You furrowed your brows slightly, âSo then, sometime during the match? Someone switched it?â
Jungwon nodded, pressing his lips together, and staring at the bottle in his hands, âYeahâŠâ
âBut the only people in that corner the whole match wereâŠâ
âMy friends, my coach, and my managers,â He finished for you, âYeah, I know.â
âAnd no one saw who did it?â
Jungwon shook his head before setting the bottle down. And stepping closer to you.
âThank you⊠for the bottle,â His tone betrayed the next word that would come out of his mouth before he even formed the next sound, âBut, you know I canât have you here.â
You turned your eyes downcast and tried to pretend like dejection wasnât seeping into skin like a soft but consistent rain. His hand found a vacancy on your shoulder and took it â another liminal space between intimacy and platonicity â which caused you to shift your gaze to him.
âThese past two weeks⊠Iâve felt more estranged from you than I ever have and Iâve hated every minute of it.â He sighed as if it would alleviate any of the ache in his heart, âI care about you too much to keep going like that.â This thumb brushed softly on your shoulder, âI want us to go back to normal. The way we were before you found out about all of this.â
You knew exactly what that meant, exactly what he was asking you to do. Forget all you ever saw, all he ever told you. Pretend none of it happened. Tell your heart to not care so much.
âIâll handle it, alright?â His voice warm enough to smooth the wrinkles on your forehead, âDonât worry about me.â
âYou know I canât do that.â You whispered.Â
His eyes shifted between yours and his finger traced the strap of your workout tank top, âYeah but Iâd like it if youâd try.â
As you took in his pleading eyes and felt the worry of his fidgeting hand, you supposed, it was the least you could do. For him. To pretend like everything was normal. To not add to his stress. To not make things worse for him.Â
You broke eye contact, âOnly if you come over and finish watching Manifesto: Day 1 with me.â
His soft laugh drew a smile to your lips.Â
âWant me to bring snacks?â
You shook your head, âNo, me and the apple green tea will be waiting for you Saturday night.â You told him, choosing Saturday since you knew he wouldnât be able to attend on Friday. You hesitated to step back â to leave the warmth that his nearness radiated.
âGood.â He returned, his eyes had never left your face, fingers never stopped fiddling with your top, and his voice gave the impression that his mind wasnât thinking about the current conversation at all. Not with a sight so beautiful in front of him.Â
But all things must come to an end, as you stepped away from his touch and pulled your gaze from him. Increasing the distance between your bodies but somehow feeling less estranged than you had in weeks. You passed through the front door and into the parking lot, driving off with more of a day in mind than a destination.
It would be a lie to say that you were calm on Friday. No, you were anything but. You knew youâd be jittery and anxious from the start so you called the White Fang Cafe, asked if you could take another shift, desperate to distract yourself. You even pulled a double but your hopes fell flat as you found your mind embracing the thought of him only seconds after youâd promised not to think of him again.
Everything brought your thoughts back to him. The iced americano you made for a customer named Harua reminded you of the cafe study dates that Jungwon and you would always do â ones where heâd always get an iced americano even if he said heâd try something new. The chocolate croissant you warmed up reminded you of the time he had argued that a chocolate strawberry croissant should be invented and not taking your word for it that it definitely already had been. The order of a lemon, ginger, honey tea reminded you of when he showed up to your apartment the week you caught a bad cold â you riddled off the recipe from the cafe and watched him follow your words perfectly from the domestic lighting of your kitchen.
For twelve long hours, your thoughts branched in every direction and yet they were all rooted in one thing: Jungwon. Not even the comfort of your bed could dispel your mind from thoughts of Jungwon. Not when your mind depicted his strong arms wrapped around you and the warmth of his body sheltering you from every threat â even the cold. You only wished you couldâve done the same for him.
As promised, a little after five, you heard a few soft knocks emanating from the front door. Your feet rushed there like a kid to a tree on Christmas morning. You swung the door open excitedly, nearly knocking a picture frame off the wall as it slammed slightly into it. Just beyond the threshold of your apartment stood your best friend in all his glory. Freshly washed hair, a black shirt that clung to his chest and arms as if it were slightly too small, and a pair of grey sweatpants that you forced your eyes to look away from.
You were expecting a face slightly more beaten than what he had. His jaw was starting to paint on the purple of a bruise and his lip definitely tore open again but other than that. He seemed fine. Perhaps his fight with Tyun was uncharacteristically brutal. Or maybe Jungwon had won his last fight.
âHi,â He licked his dried lips, taking in your appearance as if it were something to admire. Though you were only in a tank top and simple pajama shorts.
âHi,â You returned the greeting and stepped out of his way.Â
His eyes swept across your apartment, taking in the coffee table which was arranged with chili lime chips, buttered popcorn, and his favorite jelly candies. Alongside two bottles of apple green tea and two cups with ice. The TV displayed the next episode on the screen, titled TFW (That Feeling When).Â
âThat eager to see me, huh?â He teased as he kicked off his shoes and took his seat on your couch. The same spot he always sat in. Grabbing his bottle of apple green tea and pouring it into the glass.Â
Your laugh came out slightly unnaturally. Any normal person wouldnât be able to tell but Jungwon was not just any normal person. You curled up on your side of the small couch and pressed play. Reaching over and grabbing the tea bottle, struggling slightly to break the seal. You switched hands and tried to recover your pride but before you could give a second attempt, Jungwon held his hand open, offering his help. You placed the bottle in his hands and watched them make quick work of the seal before pouring the golden liquid into your cup and twisting the cap back on.Â
Wordlessly, he sat back and returned his attention to the show. Yet your eyes stayed glued to him. Him and the small curve of his nose, the curve of his jaw, the glimmer of his blond strands as the setting sun hit them, the light reflecting his dark brown eyes, and the dimple forming on his cheek as he fought back a sly smile.Â
Manifesto: Day 1 was primarily an action show â itâs why Jungwon chose it â but the episode you were on had quite a large subplot of romance. The main characters out on the sands of a beach, the summer sun setting sipping behind the waves. It was ideal. Serene. Perfect, almost. An image of peace amid chaos. It was these scenes that had Jungwon pulling his brows together and letting the edges of his lips downturn.
The end credits of the episode began to roll and the soft music did nothing to hide the tension that had suddenly grown. You took a small sip of your drink and then turned to blond only to find him staring out into space. The second to last episode began to play, dark and action-packed, and fitting for the mood that had settled in the room like a thick autumn fog.
The sun dipped behind the horizon and the frames of the show flashed by before you could register that you had made it to the final episode. Vaguely, you remembered the scenes but they felt more like apparitions than anything real â or as real as a television show could feel â and while the final words were spoken by the characters, their voices were drowned out by the weight of Jungwonâs stare.Â
His eyes seemed darker than usual, they seemed to carry more pain than they ever had before. The way his eyes bore into yours told a thousand words, ones you werenât quite ready to see fall from his pretty lips.Â
Jungwon wasnât the type of person to give you the outline and have you color it in. He doesnât like small talk, or beating around the bush, or making someone read between the lines. He doesnât speak with fine print in the footnotes of his sentences and he hated peeling bandaids off.Â
âY/N, I think we need to talk.â
Avoiding it was pointless. When Jungwon made his mind up about something, that was it. There was no negotiation. And yet somehow, you found yourself shaking your head.Â
âNoâŠâ You stood up, shaking your head as you looked down at him.Â
He averted his eyes from you and released a deep sigh, âI got a message last night. A picture of you and I at the gym.â He paused, âThere was no caption, no number attached, but the message was clear.â He turned to look into your eyes. âYou arenât safe.âÂ
Your brows creased, âOkay but thatâs fine, right? We agreed that Iâd never go to the gym again.â Your heart thumped erratically as if it knew something your brain hadnât found out yet.Â
Jungwon bowed his head and then shook it slightly, standing up from his spot on the couch and turning to pour every emotion held within his dark eyes into yours. You could barely hear him over the rush of blood in your veins.
âI shouldnât have let it go on this long.â He whispered, placing his hands on your biceps. âIâve put you in more and more danger and I was careless.â His thumbs brushed your skin. He swallowed painfully, eyebrows creasing as he desperately searched for the right words. âI know I told you that staying away from the gym was enough, but itâs far too late for that now.â Hesitance chased the path of his eyes as he looked back at yours, âYour life has been put at risk because of me and Iââ He ripped his head to the side, pressing his lips together.Â
He slid his hands across your shoulders and up your neck, before cupping your cheeks â entirely intimate, barely if at all platonic â and holding your gaze all the same. There was no room for argument in his words. The hot press of fear crawled up the back of your neck: everpresent, ever-unwelcome.
âY/N, I love you more than I could ever express. Which is why I refuse to put you in danger any longer.â His voice was gruff and his eyes shone glossy. âPlease donât misunderstand me when I tell you that I would give everything just to have you⊠but I canât â I wonât â be the reason that someone hurts you.â
You shook your head and swallowed, eyes stinging and filling with bitter tears, âSo what does that mean? What are you saying?â His eyebrows furrowed deeper at the way your voice restrained the emotion bursting within your heart. A biohazardous concoction of emotions: fear, sadness, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment, longing, dread, love. All in a vile poison seeping through your veins.
Jungwon licked his drying lips, âIâm saying this is it for us. Being around me puts you in too much danger. Iâm not willing to risk your life just because I love you.â His voice faltered at the end of his sentence.Â
âBut thatâs not your choice to make, Jungwon!â Your voice was brittle and you tried to ignore how comforting his hands felt as he swiped your tears away. âYou donât get to decide whether I can stop being around you or not.â
âThis is the only way to protect you. This is the only solution. Thereâs no other choice.âÂ
He chewed slightly on his bottom lip. Your lips shivered as you tried to form words but your voice had been robbed from you. There was everything to say and no way to put it â not in a way that Jungwon would ever agree with. He cared for you too dearly to stand idle in the face of what could hurt you. Even if the thing that could hurt you is himself.
Jungwonâs dark eyes dragged from your equally intensive gaze, down your tear stained cheeks, and landed on your quivering lips. He stared at them with the utmost of longing, as if he was grieving something within reach that was never to be had. Your eyes followed suit.Â
Breaths mixed with essays of unspoken words amid love confession tainted with dreadful farewells. You almost despised how easy it was for him to cause butterflies to invade your stomach despite the ever-growing pit.Â
He was utterly selfish. At least thatâs what he told himself as he closed the distance between the two of you. Stopping only centimeters away from your face.Â
âGod, I love you more than you will ever know.â He whispered, waiting for a rebuttal or a rejection. The silence encouraged his eyes to close and his lips to brush yours like a feather. Like you were delicate. Like he wasnât allowing himself to commit.Â
He heaved a breath onto your lips and pressed your foreheads together. With his eyes closed, he couldnât see the tears flowing from your eyes or the way your face contorted as you spoke.Â
âYouâre saying that youâre leaving me because you love meâŠâ You paused to renew your fading voice, âIf thatâs true then⊠I really wish you loved me less.âÂ
Your vision took in the way his screwed shut â big tears dropping from the sides of his pretty eyes. And as if he couldnât endure the sight of your grief caused at his hand, he moved his lips up to your forehead and pressed a soft kiss.
Then he ripped his hands from you as if he knew that if he kept holding onto you, he would never let you go.Â
âOkay,â You breathed out and set down the iced vanilla latte on the table, âIâm really glad you agreed to come see me.â You slid into the seat across from your guest. He looked much different in the lighting of the cafe â not necessarily because of the lighting but because he forwent the boxing shorts and compression shirts.
âYeah, no problem.â He gave you a small smile, âAnd thanks for the free latte.â
âOf course! Itâs the least I could do to repay this favor.â He nodded and took a sip of the latte, âAlso technically, I got it for free too, since I work here.â
At his nod, you felt maybe you had invalidated his gratefulness at your gesture. You frowned slightly and pulled out your notebook and pen before you began to speak.
âAlright, so, like I said on the phone, I had a few questions about the whole uh⊠gym thing,â You introduced, âAnd I was wondering if youâd be able to give me some answers.â
âYeah, I actually had a question about that.â He continued at your nod, âWhy donât you just ask Jungwon?â
It was incredibly difficult to ignore the way your heart ached at the sound of his name, âOh, you know him. He doesnât like to talk about it.â After a sip of your own drink, you asked your first question. âSo, letâs start with the basics: how does the betting system actually work?â
Heeseung sighed as he gathered his thoughts, âWell, Iâve never actually placed a bet there but I know the basic procedure. You first draw cash from the ATM.â He paused, considering what he just said, before adding to it, âAll bets must be paid in cash because they want the littlest paper or digital trail possible. After they draw the money, they check the scoreboard and the percentage chance of winning that each fighter has in their respective matches. After they decide who to vote for, they bring their bets to the front desks, fill out a piece of paper with their betting information, and give it to the attendants.â
You nodded. Everything that he informed you of was what you had already seen when you were last there. You saw the ATMs, you saw the scoreboard, you saw the three attendants at their desks handing slips of betting information. Since he wasnât offering information beyond that, you had to pry it out yourself.
âSo, what happens to the betting money and how do people get paid?â
Heeseung didnât miss a beat, âThe attendants collect the money into pools: one for each fighter. The poolsâ amount is based on the amount collected from those voting for them. The pool of whoever wins the fight, keeps its money and adds on the pool from the loser. The money is then distributed from the joined pool but it's all based on percentages.â
Both yours and Heeseungâs attention was drawn at the booming voice from behind the counter. Your heart dropped to the floor as your coworker called some customerâs name to pick up their drink. It was unfortunate that the name âJungyeonâ sounded a bit too much like âJungwonâ. You shook your head to rid your body of the sudden adrenaline and to regain focus. âUh⊠wait Iâm confused, what do you mean?â You asked him to clarify.
Heeseung sighed, âYou should really just get Jungwon to tell you, heâs a business major and knows how to talk about money in a way thatâs more⊠understandable.â
âNo, no,â You waved your hands, âYouâre doing just fine! Maybe just an example would help me understand it more!â
He took a moment to consider before nodding his head, âAlright, letâs say Jungwon and I are in a match together. The odds of me winning are higher than Jungwon by a sixty-eight percent to thirty-two percent split⊠donât look at me like that.â
You dropped your raised brow and stifled a laugh, âSorry, continue.â
âMore people are willing to bet on me than Jungwon because Iâm more likely to win. However their payout is smaller. For example, if you were to bet fifteen-thousand on me then youâd only receive eighteen-thousand if I won. But if you put fifteen-thousand on Jungwon then youâd get twenty-two-thousand if he won, because he had worse odds.â
âOh,â You dragged the sound out, âOkay, I get it. The reward you get from betting is bigger when you bet on the underdog because it's more risky!â
âYeah, exactly. But thatâs just one layer of many. The next thing you have to understand is what happens to the money after one of us wins. If my betting pool is one-million and Jungwonâs is five-hundred-thousand, the pool of the loser is allocated to the pool of the winner. Meaning, if I won, then that five-hundred-thousand from Jungwonâs pool would be allocated to mine.â
âGot it. The winner gets all the money.â
âWell, not really.â He sighed and took a sip of his drink, his furrowed brows a clear sign of his deliberation in how to explain, âThat one-point-five-million would then be distributed among the betters and to the syndicate of the champion. The syndicate always places a bet on their fighter, so if their fighter wins then they receive their payout. But normal betters also receive theirs.â
âWait, so the winner of the fight doesnât get any money?â
âUhâŠâ He thought for a moment, looking off to the other side of the cafe and then back toward you, âIâm not sure how other syndicates do it but in BE:LIFT, they give a set price per match. At the level Jungwon and I fight at, we receive seven-million per win. Jungwon, I believe, has his winnings deposited directly toward his tuition but I have mine deposited to my bank account.â
You nodded, scribbling down a note that was just out of Heeseungâs view, âAlright so just to recap: the more the odds are in favor of a person, the less the payout will be if you bet on that fighter and both pools of bets are collected to be distributed to the betters of the champion?â
âCorrect.â
âOkay, great.â You furrowed your brows and began bouncing your leg. You were unsure how Heeseung would take the next topic and if heâd refuse to answer. You needed to broach the subject very carefully in order to get the information you wanted.Â
Where Jungwon was a guy that struggled to beat around the bush, you could do it all day long. Jungwon was direct, straightforward, and blunt to a fault, but you could play between the lines, skid along the edge, and walk gracefully across eggshells â getting the answer you wanted without having the person know that theyâd given it to you.
âActually, Heeseung, I was wondering,â You took a sip of your drink to feign nonchalance, âJungwon mentioned that anything goes in the ring but how does that pertain to sabotage?â
Heeseung sat back in his seat, visually and literally taken aback, âWow, um⊠I guess, sabotage isnât really allowed. I mean, Jungwon is really the first person that Iâve seen get sabotaged but even then, I only know he gets sabotaged because Iâm his friend. I donât think others know.â
âOkayâŠâ Your heart began to speed up a little at the prospect of having to prod for more information, âBut I thought the sabotage had been going on for a while? Youâre saying that no one but you, Jungwon, and the other five have noticed?â
The man chewed slightly on the straw of his drink, âI guess it has been a while hasnât it? Jungwon doesnât like to talk about it much.â He took a breath before continuing, âThe sabotage that they put Jungwon through has been pretty undercover. Not only how they pull it off but the actual things themselves. Like, one time they stole Jungwonâs mouthguard, which meant the whole game he had to be extra careful not to get hit in the face. Which slows you down more than youâd realize.â
âYeah, I betâŠâ You frowned. Youâd seen Jungwon get hit in the face more times than you liked, but you never realized how much worse it could have been if he didnât have something as simple as a mouthguard.Â
Snapshots of Jungwon flashed through your mind: one where leaned against the bars of the boxing ring, skin glistening with sweat, and his eyes glancing toward the crowd; one where he sat in your living room, face petrified with fear, and his voice tense in worry; another where his body convulsed, his feet scrambled to purchase solid ground, and his hands clawing desperately at another man's arm around his neck; another where he brings his lips so close to yours they barely brush, and you know he wants more, you know you want more, but he rips his hands away and calls it noble, even as he leaves with two bloodied hearts in his wake.
You pressed your eyes together to rid yourself of the thoughts â the memories â and instead bring your attention to the task at hand.
You knew what you wanted to ask â youâd been wanting to ask it since Jungwon told you that the people who could have sabotaged him on the night you were there were the nine people in his corner. You figured that it wasnât the other six fighters because they had no reason to sabotage Jungwon who was, not only their friend, but also not their opponent. Fighters from the syndicates did not fight each other. Therefore, the only other suspects are the managers and the coach. Who almost equally didnât have a reason to sabotage Jungwon.Â
You tread carefully with your next question, âArenât the managers or the coach supposed to make sure that you guys have all the things you need to fight, though?â
âYeah, and they usually do.â Heeseung sighed, âI donât know, maybe⊠no, that canât be it.â
âWhat?â
âWell, our managers are relatively new.â He shrugged, âOne of them was hired four months ago and the other was hired maybe two weeks later? I was gonna say that it might be that they forgot to make sure he had his mouthguard because they were new. But they had been working for about two months at the time of this incident.â
You nodded, the scratch of your pen against paper drowning in the sound of the collective chatter in the cafe. âIs anyone figuring it out?â You asked next, your eyes glancing at him while you continued to write, âShouldnât the coach or someone do something about this ongoing sabotage?â
Heeseung scratched his forehead, âHe really should be but⊠Iâm not sure if he is.â Heesueng tapped his fingers rhythmically on the surface of the table, âI think he mentioned it to Kim Taeho once but nothing has happened to stop it.â
âWhoâs Kim Taeho?â
âThe big bossâŠâ He said with his eyes pointed, âThe man at the top.â
âRight, so shouldnât he want Jungwon to win all of his fights? Isnât he forced to bet on all his fighters? Why hasnât he done anything to stop this?â
âIâm not sure,â His face was downcast, âAnd yeah, he is forced to bet for all his fighters. It's a rule all the syndicates have. Even if the odds arenât in their favor at all, they still have to put an equal wager on their fighter.â
âAn equal wager to the other syndicââ
âY/N.â A voice next to you spoke flatly. You turned to see your manager's unamused face, âYour shift started ten minutes ago.â
Both you and Heeseung stared at her like deers in headlights.
You had officially met all the prerequisites to be instated in a mental asylum. On the blank part of your wall, next to your window and parallel to your bed, you had sticky notes and thin red washi-tape to mimic those detective boards in all the movies. Among an array of sticky notes were three that were all in a row, they read: The Coach, Manager 1, and Manager 2. Both managers had been crossed out leaving just the coach, you had asked Heeseung for the coachâs name before you had left for your shift. His name, in fine print on the sticky note, was Park Hyun.Â
Your conversation with Heeseung had turned out to be more fruitful than you had ever anticipated it to be. You were able to remove the two managers from your small list of suspects based on two conversations you had: one with Jungwon and one with Heeseung. From your conversation with Jungwon, a few weeks ago, you had learnt that the sabotage had been happening for the better part of a year. In your conversation with Heeseung, you had learnt that the managers had only been working there for about four months â making it impossible for them to have been pulling off the sabotage. This left only one suspect: the coach.
The next thing to do was to answer why the coach was sabotaging his own fighter. Though the answer was obvious, right? You would only sabotage someone if you were betting for the other side. The coach must be sabotaging Jungwon to ensure that he loses in order to win his bets every time, instead of helping him become an unbeatable opponent. Therefore, the only thing you had left to do was prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the coach was sabotaging Jungwon because he was betting against him. Once you did that, you could send off your evidence to this Kim Taeho guy and get Jungwon fair chances to dig himself out of his own grave.
The only issue was: how were you going to prove the coach was sabotaging and betting against Jungwon? And how would you get the leader of a crime syndicate to look or care about the evidence â if you could even get his contact information in the first place. You ripped your gaze from the mess of sticky notes and red washi-tape, pacing around your room, and fidgeting with the rings on your fingers.Â
Your eyes glanced at the phone tossed haphazardly on your bed. A slightly worn polaroid of you and Jungwon, with big smiles and frosting smeared over your faces at Jungwonâs birthday last year, laid sandwiched between your phone and its clear case. Your eyes stung at the sight and a panging pain entered your wounded heart. You hadnât spoken to him in days and you had discovered that the absence of his words hurt more than his goodbye ever did.Â
Under normal circumstances, you could have asked Jungwon for help and he wouldâve been at your side before you could even finish the ask. Because that was Jungwon. He stole your bottle straight from your hands, wordlessly, to help you open the cap. He walked into your apartment like he owned it and he took care of it like he lived there. Dinners where heâd do all your dishes, not just the ones he dirtied. Without asking, heâd take your trash out, giving you a small smile when heâd come back to find the bag already replaced. Like teamwork came just as naturally to the two of you as acts of service came to him.Â
You wondered whether heâd even pick up if you called. This was Jungwon, heâd always pick up as soon as he saw the flash of your face and name light up his screen. Then again, this was Jungwon, who would do anything and everything in his power to keep you safe, even if it cost him everything.Â
Taking a deep breath, you opted for the next best solution to get the evidence you needed. Coming to terms with the fact that if Jungwon ever found out, he would blow a fuse. But the mission was to not be caught, anyway.
At least, thatâs what you kept telling yourself as you stepped off the bus and walked the two blocks to the parking lot of the HYBE gym. Cap securely over the wig that you had purchased just a few days before; glasses pushed up over your eyes and mask pulled over your nose. Youâd seen many girls wearing the same set of leggings and a tight fit jacket in their gym vlogs, taking inspiration, you had purchased them as well.Â
The gym was in a weird limbo between busy and empty. At five on a Wednesday morning, only the true early birds and unfortunate employees were gracing the walls with their presence. And you, of course, as you deliberately chose to come in right as the doors opened, when the sleep deprived teenage employees would be too busy fighting to stay awake than pay attention to whoever was walking through the doors.Â
You entered as the employee turned around in his chair and headed toward the womenâs locker room. Thankfully, you traversed the labyrinth of gym machines without being stopped and walked into the locker room uninterrupted. The room was a ghost town, silent except for the rapid beating of your heart. This being the second time youâd done this, you opened the secret shower door with ease and shut it softly behind you. Your steps against the stairs were feather-light, ensuring that if anyone was in the basement, they wouldnât be notified of your presence.
 The basement looked completely different than it did on Friday nights. The lights were off, albeit for a few that stayed lit no matter what per safety policies. You stopped on the end of the staircase, listening for any sounds of life, searching for any movement. Upon finding none, you moved lightly and quickly toward the stairs that run down the bleachers. Only two steps in and you realized that the bleachers squeak as you move. You ducked down, hiding in case someone were around, before slowly crawling to the edge of the bleachers. Grabbing a hold of the railing, you climbed down the support beams at the back and landed softly on the concrete ground below. Flushed between the wall and the bleachers, you slid through the small alleyway and made your way toward the reception desks. Glancing all the while, conscious of the danger with the hairs on your arm standing up and the erratic thumping in your ribcage.Â
As you rounded the desk to sit before the computer screen, you realized that the brightness of the screen would attract too much attention â as well as any sounds. The need for the password was also prevalent in your mind. You made quick work of your black jacket, covering the monitor with it after you pressed the mute button on the keyboard. The screen was dulled by the jacket before you got the brightness to turn down completely.Â
Remembering the password problem, you put to use the hours of hacking practice youâd picked up solely for this moment. It was one thing practicing on your own laptop when if all went wrong, you knew the password. Even though youâd hacked into your own computer at least seven times and had watched a plethora of different hacking tutorials on YouTube for hours beforehand. There was an itching thought in your head of: what if it didnât work.Â
The bright green letters against the black background did nothing to quell your anxiety but as the log in page was overridden and you were let into the HYBE USERâs desktop, you thanked the you of the past for burning her eyes out with hacking videos for days on end. If only you would let yourself do this to fix your grades over the past few weeks.
Your eyes scanned quickly over the desk top when you spotted a flash of light out of your peripheral. Light in a concentrated beam that could only be a flashlight. Faintly, you could hear footsteps from the flashlightâs owner â far enough to be distant, close enough to compromise you â and that flew you into faster action. You pulled the thumb drive from your pocket and quietly shoved it into the monitor's USB port. You clicked on an Excel sheet titled âPOBs 2026â and saw a list of names and numbers. Downloading the file to the thumb drive, you glanced for any other documents that might have been worthy of your attention. Conscious of the ever-growing footsteps.Â
âHuegh!âÂ
Your head whipped toward the sound.Â
âHeugh, Heugh!âÂ
Your eyes took in the beam of light and sudden movements, as if the hand that held it was sending jabs. With a closer ear, you listen to the sounds of his footsteps amid the array of âheughsâ he was heaving. The sound of his shoes on the ground was not indicative of hard concrete but something lighter. Something that only the boxing ring would have been able to produce.
Thankful for the extra time, you pulled the thumb drive out.
âMan what are you doing?â Another voice rang out in the basement.Â
âOh câmon,â The heugh guy responded, âWe got nothing to do and there's a boxing ring in the middle of the room.âÂ
You clicked the âlog outâ button on the computer and turned the monitor off as the men conversed. Carefully sliding out of the seat since the speaking had ceased, you were waiting and listening for any clue of what the men were to do next. Then the fan in computer began to whir.Â
âWhatâs that?â
âItâs coming from over there.â
As swiftly as you could, you ducked under the desk and tucked your body as small as possible. You heard their footsteps approach amid the whirring of the fan and the steady beams of the flashlights. Your lungs begged for you to breathe and the back of your neck began to overheat.Â
âOh, yâknow what?â One of the men let his arm fall to his side, âItâs probably just the computers.â
âHave they ever done that before?â
âUh⊠yeah, Iâm sure they have.â Said the one and you were sure that he had some Know It All complex.
âAlright then,â The sound of a hand hitting a personâs back emitted from behind the desk, âWhat do you say we have a little spar in the ring, huh?â
The other man made a sound of indecision, âAh, sure, why not?â
You waited until they invaded the ring and the sounds of their fists knocking into the otherâs palms filled the room before you evacuated. Out from under the desk, carefully stepping under the row of bleachers and heading for the opposite end of the locker room entrance. You took measured steps until you got close to the door and gathered all your bravery.Â
Only twenty feet to your left was the ring, and eight feet in front of you was the door to the back hallways where you had argued with Jungwon after his match. You had the cover of darkness on your side and the attention drawn away from you â you just had to commit. Youâd come so far already. But the heat at the back of your neck, sweat on your brow, and chill in your bones had you rethinking.Â
What would happen if you got caught? Your need for adventure, need for a story, need for a mystery, is what got you in this situation in the first place. But now, youâre face to face with circumstances that youâre not fully certain of the consequences for.Â
What if they caught you down here? What if they found the flash drive in the pocket of your black leggings? These arenât mall cops, these are people who are hired by South Korean crime syndicates whether they know it or not. Would they drag you to their bosses? Would they take their anger out on you? Would they pull off your disguise and recognize your face and punish Jungwon for your trespassing and burglary?Â
What would Jungwon say if he found out? Was this exactly what he was afraid of? That youâd do something stupid and reckless and get yourself killed?Â
You shook your head. Barely registering the âcoachingâ that the one man was giving his other but fully aware that it sounded like the blind leading the blind. You took a deep, steady breath and then peeked toward the ring. With their attention diverted you moved quickly â not enough to be running â and quietly toward the door, pulling it open and entering a pitch black hallway.Â
You attempted to create a map in your mind of what the hallway had looked like when you had walked through it last. The edges of your memory recalled the turns, just barely. Whether to take a right or a left, how many doors youâd pass before the next turn. Though all your mind could focus on was the after. When you reached the black doors at the end of the hallway and pulled them open. The doors to this basement kept an illegal fight club and an even more illegal betting operation from the eyes of the general public. Which means, the doors most likely have an alarm system. You have no clearance, no alibi, no voucher, just a full disguise and pair of sneakers you hoped would take you all the way to the bus stop a couple blocks off.Â
With a deep breath and a starting pace, you push the back doors open and ran out at your fullest speed. The wind rushing through the air almost covered the sound of the alarm system you set off but there was nothing that would distract you. Nothing to make you turn back or slow you down. You sped past passersby on the sidewalk and watched the bus approach the stop. Boarding the bus, you swiped the bus-card you had just purchased that morning in cash and sat down next to an old man.
The doors to the bus shut, having welcomed only normal civilians, but you were too smart â or paranoid â to end the chase there. The syndicates had money and the city had CCTV everywhere. You needed to get lost in it. Which is why you pushed into the 6am train station in Seoul, and got off in Cheongju. Took a bus to a different entrance to the station at Cheongju and boarded during the 7:30am rush toward Daejeon. From Daejon you walked into a department store, paid and changed outfits, then walked to the train station again. From Daejon all the way to Daegu. Waiting and pretending to shop in a mall near the train station. Then you boarded toward Busan, changed outfits again in the back of a store in the streetmarket, before boarding the two-and-a-half hour train from Busan to Seoul during the work commute rush.Â
You pushed your apartment door open as the time rounded to 9pm. Kicking off your shoes and shrugging off your new jacket. You pulled the thumb drive from your pocket â the only thing that you had kept since that morning, besides the straight black wig that youâd been wearing all day. Double checking that your door was locked and your windows were shut, you walked into your room where your laptop and phone had sat all day. Naively, you checked your phone for messages from Jungwon. Heart crushing when you scrolled through all your notifications to find nothing from Jungwon. Just the same message youâd received the day he walked out.Â
wonie: Iâm otw so make sure you have that green tea
You: can you just focus on not crashing your car please?
wonie: Lmao
A sorrowful smile rose onto your lips before tears sprung in your eyes.Â
All you wanted was for him to be free from his never ending cycle of exploitation.
All he wanted was to keep you away from his mess in order to keep you safe.
It felt like neither of you were getting what you wanted.Â
You shoved the thumb drive into your laptop out of necessity â a need to make all the work you did feel like it was worth it â rather than an actual desire to see what was on that excel sheet. You risked your safety more than you ever had for some document that you hoped would provide you with incriminating evidence but really, you had no idea.Â
The file popped up on your desktop and with a double-click, the entire yearâs receipts for the betting opened before your eyes. The columns held all the necessary information: the bettorâs name; the time they placed the bet, the odds of the fighters at the time the bet was placed, the name of the fighter they chose to bet on, their bet amount, their calculated pay out, their bank account number, and their contact information. All the information one would need to calculate and distribute the winnings of their bet.
You scrolled through the list â taking it all in â before your focus zeroed in. Hitting control F, you searched Park Hyunâs name and found 27 matching results. 27 bets placed under Jungwonâs coachâs name and not a single one was placed in favor of Jungwonâs victory. He had voted against Jungwon every single time.Â
Despite the odds â wait, no, the odds were split.Â
Your brows furrowed as you took in the percentages of the bets. Every bet he placed was when the odds evened out: 50-50, 49-51, 52-48, 51-48, 47-53, 55-45, 46-54. Every bet fell within even odds. From experience, you knew that Jungwonâs fights always started at 9pm. But all of these bets were made at various times. 9:13pm, 9:21pm, 9:09pm, 9:17pm, no consistency other than that the best were placed after the fights had started.Â
You recalled what Heeseung had told you in the cafe. The more even the odds are, the more pay that you get. But the odds aren't always even when the fighting starts. The odds of Jungwon winning in his fight against Tyun were well in his favor: 57.02%. Yet, looking at the document now, the coach had placed his bet halfway through the fight, likely after a timeout was called after the chokehold. The odds had fallen from 57.02% to 49.89% and it was at this moment that the coach had placed the bet. When the odds had evened out in his favor.Â
Though, it didnât seem like he thought Tyun would pull that chokehold move because after he did, the odds had evened out and the sabotage hadnât occurred yet. After Jungwon had drank the everclear, his odds had plummeted to 36% and the payout was a fraction of what it was when the odds were split. The coach must have realized how badly the odds would fall and placed his bet just before Jungwon had drank from his bottle.Â
It was strange. It was almost unbelievable that a man who was supposed to support and help Jungwon had been the one orchestrating his downfall the entire time. Your cursor hovered over the exit button of the excel sheet, having seen enough and wanting to rest from the eventful day. But a name kept scratching in the back of your mind like nails on a chalkboard: Kim Taeho. The syndicate boss who should have been voting in favor of Jungwon the whole time. Had he been? Or was he just like the coach?Â
Kim Taehoâs name appeared dozens more times than the coachâs. He had seven male fighters and five female fighters and all of which â you checked thoroughly â he had been voting in favor of. Even down to the last fight.Â
Kim Taeho | 21:00 |Â JAKAH 37.33% vs SOOBIN 63.66% | SOOBIN | $1000 | $148 | Midnight Bank 20180917 | *********@gmail.com
At 21:00 sharp, every fight, he placed his bet in favor of Jungwon â regardless of the odds. You nodded your head as if youâd made up your mind. You would send Kim Taeho all the fights that the coach voted against Jungwon in. Youâd note that there was foul play involved and that he should check the integrity of his staff. And maybe, if you were lucky, heâd fire the coach and Jungwon would have a fair chance at crawling out of his debt. And maybe, if you were extremely lucky, heâd find his way back to you after he was safe again.Â
With the motivation electrifying through your veins, you began to highlight the cells of Park Hyunâs voting information:
Park Hyun | 21:01 | JAKAH 78.12% vs BAMKYU 22.98% | BAMKYU | $1000 | $2340 | Midnight Bank 20180917 | *************@gmail.com
Park Hyun | 21:13 | JAKAH 53.01% vs JO 47.99% | JO | $1000 | $1780 | Midnight Bank 20180917 | *************@gmail.com
Park Hyun | 21:27 | JAKAH 57.02% vs TYUN 43.98% | TYUN | $1000 | $1570 | Midnight Bank 20180917 | *************@gmail.com
Park Hyun | 21:18 | JAKAH 48.00% vs SOOBIN 52.00% | SOOBIN | $100 | $148 | Midnight Bank 20180917 | *************@gmail.com
As you highlighted the last four rows, you recalled the events for each of these fights â except for the most recent one with a fighter named Soobin, which Jungwon had told you nothing about â and each of their respective sabotages. In the fight against a guy named Bamkyu, Jungwonâs water bottle had been filled with laxatives, which caused him to run from the fight even though the odds were fully in his favor. In his fight with Jo, he was given vinegar in place of the water, which caused him to fight more brutally in order to prevent over-dehydration. His fight against Tyun seemed to go off the rails. The everclear would have pushed the odds to even out, but the coach had not anticipated Tyunâs own intellect to even out the stakes all by himself. The everclear pushed the odds to fall too far into the margins of Tyunâs success which capped the amount of the payout.Â
You brows furrowed as you cross referenced the starting odds with the odds of when the coach placed his bets. The day the laxatives were used, Jungwon had over 70% chance of winning. The day the vinegar was used, he had a 59% chance of winning. The fight against Tyun had him at a 63% chance of winning. And the most recent fight, which you knew nothing of other than that he came home relatively unscathed, had placed his odds at 37%. The split between the odds and severity of the sabotage was a pattern too loud to miss.Â
The more the odds were in favor of Jungwon, the harsher the sabotage became. This realization left a bitter tongue and a deep ache in your heart. Involuntarily, you imagined Jungwon checking the scoreboard and noting his favor in odds. Had he found peace in that? Had he found comfort in the prospect of his probable victory? Or had it put him on edge? Had it brought his guard up at the expectation of a harsh attack coming from one of his blind spots?Â
Just as you were about to save the document, your eyes caught on the number that falls at the very end of the columns: Midnight Bank 20180917. The coachâs bank account number.Â
With shaky fingers, you scrolled up to the nearest row with Kim Taehoâs name, scanning past the information to reach the final column and reading it off in the silence of your held breath and still heart. Midnight Bank 20180917.
The air in the room felt sticky. Too warm, too stuffy, as it clung to every millimeter of skin. The crowd was too talkative. Too joyous, too carefree, as they swirled their lavishly bartended drinks. The sight was too tense. Too terrifying, too uncanny, as he wrapped his fists in white bandages and bit down in the black mouthguard.Â
Like a familiar friend, that anxious heat crawled its way onto the back of your neck â resting there. Your breath was entirely uneven despite the deep inhales and long exhales youâd been doing to train it back to consistency. Your leg bounced uncontrollably and you were certain one of the bettors would say something in just a moment, but their thoughts and their preferences were the least of your concerns. Not when Jungwon stood with his shoulders tensed, his jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed on his all-too-familiar foe.
Your phone buzzed and you drew your attention to it at lightning speed. An email was left with no subject line, just PDF and a caption: For your sake, I hope he wins. With shaky fingers, you tapped the screen and the PDF came into full view. A contract.Â
A contract that put everything on the line.
Since the night that you had reviewed the Excel sheet, youâd taken risks that not only would have sent Jungwon into a coma but also could have gotten you killed. After a couple nights of rest and planning. You had opened your laptop once again, clicking open the Decelis University website and typing in Jungwonâs username and password instead of yours. Because of course, you knew his log in.Â
Youâd used it before to submit his assignments when he couldnât or when he needed to check his grades. Youâd never used it to check his financial statements.That was always private â too private â a boundary you couldnât overstep. Somehow, that boundary seemed like nothing when it came in the way of securing a better future for him.Â
You scrolled and opened the PDF of his statements. Monthly payments toward the total of Jungwonâs tuition, room and board, downpayments, parking passes, and a section called âallowanceâ which gets filtered straight to Jungwonâs bank account. The receipt of these payments noted the bank of the payer to be: Midnight Bank ****0917, corresponding with the bank account both Kim Taeho and Park Hyun were filtering their winnings to. The contact information for the payer was noted to be Kim Taeho himself. You scrolled to the end of the receipt to see the fine print which read: All payments are final. No refunds are allowed.
With these words, you set your plan into action.Â
Immediately, you purchased a subscription to the strongest VPN on the market and created a burner email address. You bussed to the busiest public library in Seoul and drafted a very carefully worded email along with an attachment to the Excel sheet. The Excel sheet being highlighted with the necessary and incriminating information.
To whom it may concern,
Attached in the file below are the betting records of the 2026 year so far. As noted by the highlighting, Kim Taeho has been betting in favor of his fighter JAKAH and sending his winnings to a bank account number 20180917 at Midnight Bank. JAKAHâs coach and employee of Kim Taeho, Park Hyun, has been betting against JAKAH, his own fighter, and yet sending it to the same bank account: Midnight Bank 20180917.Â
Upon further research, the bank account was found to be in Kim Taehoâs name. Is this not grounds for double betting? Iâm certain that this kind of fraud would not be tolerated among the syndicates gathered that make events like these possible. Should they find out, would your syndicate not face immense repercussions for this fraud?
I have no interest in exposing you to the people you work with nor am I interested in extorting you for money. What I want, in exchange for the hard drive of this information and the access to this email account to prevent the scheduled emails to every contact on this Excel sheet from being sent, is the complete forgiveness of JAKAH (Yang Jungwon)âs debt.Â
The emails are scheduled to be sent on Friday at 23:59. If I do not have confirmation that JAKAH (Yang Jungwon) has been forgiven of any debt that he has with you and is released from any obligation he has with you by 23:59, the emails will be sent. If I have confirmation before then that my requests have been fulfilled in good faith with evidence to prove it, then I will send an email with the log in, in order for you to manually close the emails yourself. I will also ship the hard drive to the front office of the HYBE gym.Â
Thank you for your understanding.
You left no signature. Just the attachment of the spreadsheet and a quick glance at your VPN which changed your location every three seconds. South Korea one moment, Brazil the next, then onto Turkey, before heading to Milawe. You hit send on the email and walked out of the library toward the busiest tourist street in the city.
You werenât expecting a response within the first 72 hours. Which kept you running the VPN all hours of the day. You had known theyâd consider your threat a bluff, then theyâd realize that you had everything you needed in order to out them. Then theyâd devise a plan. You had known some sort of trickery was coming, you just hadnât known what.Â
As the days ticked by, a consistent anxiety welcomed itself into your heart. You hadnât emailed back, dedicated to keeping communication as minimal as possible. When you woke up that Friday morning with no response, you prepared yourself to cut your losses. Once you send the emails and expose Belift, things might get more complicated for Jungwon, or everything would fizzle out. Youâd assess the damage and move onto plan B.Â
Until then, you kept hope in your heart. Even as you entered the gym with your new gym membership, under a different name and paid in cash, thanks to the new increased security. You slipped into the locker room and down the stairs just before the 21:00 match started. Emboldened by the leverage you had over Belift, you had taken a seat right in the front â looking straight ahead to the reason you had even started doing this in the first place. Yang Jungwon.Â
It was in this ante period that you received the response email from Belift. And the PDF which sent a chill to the marrow of your bones. You knew the trick was coming. You just didnât know that itâd threaten everything youâd worked for.Â
The PDF was a photocopy of a contract that had recently been drawn and signed. A contract that stated:
As decided by the executives of Belift Lab, the debt of Yang Jungwon will be wholly and completely forgiven should he win his next upcoming fight. As per Yang Jungwonâs request, upon his victory, Belift Lab or any of its affiliates will never attempt to contact or engage with Yang Jungwon and his loved ones.Â
Alternatively, in the case of Yang Jungwonâs defeat, he will carry on as a fighter of Belift Lab to eliminate his debt through his labor. Upon his defeat, Jungwon shall be legally required to pay off any accumulated debt to Belift Lab regardless of circumstances.Â
Jungwon was now contractually bound to his freedom or his exploitation. If he won the fight, you would send Belift your evidence and Jungwon would be forgiven of his debt. If he lost, you would still have to send your evidence, but Jungwon would be legally obligated to pay off his debt.Â
The loud buzzer swept over the makeshift arena.Â
âWelcome back to another round in the menâs fifth bracket!â The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers, âListen Dino, I donât know about you but I have been anticipating this fight all night.â
âMe too, S.Coups. Iâm sure the audience is well aware but these two fighters have recently butt heads which ended in a brutal victory.â The crowd uproared, âYes, thatâs right folks. Welcome to the rematch between Jakah of Belift and BigHitâs Tyun.â
Suddenly, Jungwonâs abnormally tensed shoulders made sense. Your breath was stolen straight from your lungs and the entire room fell into white noise. Jungwon began to switch his weight between his feet â lightening his step â though it seemed that his legs were stiffer than theyâd ever been before. The image of his face turning purple-ish red as he clawed as the arm preventing him from breathing was seared into your mind. And you were only a bystander. You couldnât imagine the way Jungwon must have felt as his mind begged his body to forget what happened last time and to focus on not repeating history.Â
âAnd Jakah takes the offensive!â
Jungwon lunged at Tyun, aiming a clean strike to the ribs. Tyun twisted out of the way but not fast enough for the speed that Jungwon was going. His first two knuckles clipped Tyunâs side, causing Jungwon to shift his feet closer and send another strike to the manâs face. Tyunâs bandaged hands blocked the strike and he jumped away from Jungwon.
âMan, it seems like Jakah has a bit of pent up rage⊠I havenât seen him this aggressive in a fight for a while.âÂ
Your eyes chanced a glance toward Jungwonâs corner where the coach and managers stood waiting in bated breath. Jay and Heeseung stood there as well, Jayâs arms wrapped around the water bottle youâd gifted Jungwon, as if he was guarding it with his life.Â
By the time you looked back over, Jungwon and Tyun had given up on dancing around each other and the latter was sending a barrage of feints with occasional strikes. Jungwonâs forearms were getting battered but he kept his guard up. He stayed like that for a while before he caught one of Tyunâs arms, pulled it, and twisted it behind the manâs back before shoving him face first onto the floor of the ring.
âOhhh, ouch!â
âMan, that has got to hurt!â
The crowd echoed the announcers in various synonymous sentiments as the buzzer announced the end of the first round. Jungwon released his hold on his opponent and walked over to his corner, beckoning Jay for his water bottle and taking a test sip before chugging it. With your eyes tunneled onto him â the rapid rise and fall of his chest and the imprint of his hard abs on his white tank â you could barely hear the announcers informing the crowd of Jungwonâs increase in odds.Â
Before you could fully register it, the match began again. Shifting feet and tiny grunts was all that filled the room as passed strikes between each other. Jungwon pursued Tyun to the edge of the ring, his opponentâs feet only a meter away from the rails before suddenly, he pushed himself back onto the rail, held the bars, and pushed his feet square into Jungwonâs abdomen. Jungwon stumbled back, nearly losing his balance, and failed to block the punch that landed straight onto his nose.Â
âOh, thatâs definitely broken.â
âSpeaking from experience, huh?â
Tyun grabbed Jungwonâs arm and threw him to his knees while he was still stunned. His hand grabbing one of his shoulders and sliding his arm across the plain of his neck. The everpresent heat on the back of your neck seemed to replicate Tyunâs actions, as if it knew this was what you had been most afraid of since the fight began.
Without warning or indication, Jungwon pulled Tyunâs left arm forward and reached back to grab ahold of the back of his right knee, standing up and bringing his opponent with him. With his feet off the ground, Tyun could do nothing to stop or brace himself as Jungwon jumped backward, sending them both to the floor, only with Tyunâs body as a cushion to break Jungwonâs fall.
âJakah is on fire today!â
âHe escaped out of that chokehold, picked Tyun up from behind, slammed him into the ground, and held him down for over five seconds, meaning: the second round is over!â
Your face had become sweaty like it was you that had been in that ring. But from the sight of Jungwon pushing his sweaty hair back and having it stay in a swept position, you assumed that he must be perspiring more than you could ever know. Of course, he would be. Everything was on the line for him. His freedom to leave the fighting and his freedom to pursue you.Â
Without needing to be asked, Jungwonâs manager handed him a face cloth, which he took gratefully. He shoved his face into the fabric and rubbed the sticky sweat and grime off of his skin. Your heart dropped to the craters of the Earth when Jungwon ripped the cloth away from his face and began to cough. He tossed the cloth over the rails of the ring and shook his head, placing a hand over his chest and taking deep breaths.Â
Before he was fully prepared, the buzzer signaled the start of the third round and Tyun sprung into action. He sent a jab that Jungwon barely dodged, causing him to stumble off to the side. Another jab, a feint, right, left, right, right, left, all blocked or dodged sloppily. Until Tyun dropped down low and sent a punch to his gut, leaving Jungwon in a fit of coughs. Another knee to his gut â his abdomen having already been targeted multiple times. Tyunâs strong hands pushed Jungwon backwards before sending three clean strikes. One to his left jaw, one under his chin, and another across his left jaw.Â
Jungwon fell backwards, immediately scrambling to get back up before Tyun kicked his stomach, forcing the blond to curl up into a centipede. Whatever was on that cloth had thrown Jungwon into a state of distraction that he struggled to free himself from. And as he was on the ground, trying to ignore the pounding of Tyun foot as it slammed into his back, trying to ignore the blaring âfive, four, threeâ of the announcers, trying to ignore the burn in his lungs, he peeled his eyes open to look at the crowd. His hopeless eyes met your worried ones. As if Fate had directed your gazes to align. As if Fate had given him a guiding hand in his most crucial moment.Â
Memories of the last time heâd seen you crept up at the edges of his mind. Your tear-tracked face held in his hands. His lips brushing yours, careful to not press too hard that he might stay there with you in his arms forever. The sound of your voice as you pleaded him not to go in words cut open the chambers of his heart.Â
All it took was one small victory and everything heâs ever wanted would rest at his feet.Â
With renewed strength, Jungwon rolled over and out of the way of Tyunâs foot, just before the announcers made it to âoneâ. With the momentum and the opportunity of one of Tyunâs legs raised, Jungwon swept his feet out and knocked him to the floor. Without hesitation, Jungwon straddled the manâs waist, gripped his shirt, and swung punch after punch toward the manâs face. Every blow was blocked by expert hands.Â
As Jungwon drew back for another punch, Tyun grabbed his hips and attempted to twist their positions, but Jungwon was quick to slide away from getting pinned to the floor. The two exchanged blows, knocked fists, and blocked strikes, all while shuffling around each other. Jungwon increased the speed of his feet, sent a feint directly into Tyunâs line of sight, before twisting around him and leaving his view completely. As the other man turned to keep his eyes on Jungwon, the blond sent a brutal kick to the other manâs gut. With Tyunâs hands lowering to protect his abdomen, Jungwon slammed his foot into his opponent's face and sent him stumbling back. Without mercy, Jungwon shuffled his left foot toward the right and twisted his body, sending a roundhouse kick that dug into the cheekbone of the other fighter.Â
Tyun dropped to his knees, breath heavy and shallow, eyes closed and body tipping toward the floor. Jungwon shoved his foot in the otherâs chest and held him down. The adrenaline drowned out the countdown from five.
âFiveâŠâ He couldnât look at you.
âFourâŠâ Not until he knew he had won.
âThreeâŠâ Until he knew you were safe.
âTwoâŠâ Until he knew he couldâ
âOne!âÂ
The referee raised Jungwonâs arm up and blew his whistle, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Cheering, jeering, and booing. Standing, clapping, and fist pumping. And all he saw was you. With tears in your eyes and the biggest smile he thinks heâs ever seen you wear.Â
And before he even knew it, he was hopping over the railing of the ring. Blood rushing and pounding in his ears as he ran toward you. You followed suit, hopping over the small guard rail and running just a few steps to where he had already gotten over to you.Â
His left hand found your waist and his right found your cheek and he turned the both of you to the side so that he wouldnât crash into you at full force. Well at least with his body, for his lips were all but graceful as they crashed onto yours, his hand at your waist immediately moving to your left cheek to angle your face to fit his perfectly. He kissed hungrily and greedily like he couldnât get enough. He didnât stop to breathe, he just moved his lips against yours as if it was the only thing he needed to stay alive.Â
As soon as you brought your hands to his hard chest, he slid his hands down to hold your waist, pulling your body flush against his and never removing his lips from your own. How could he when you kissed him back with a mirroring fervor and slid your hands up to card through his hair.
Jungwon had fought for every South Korean Won he had made in the ring. Millions of won had been added to his name. But there â with you in his arms, clinging to him, and exchanging dozens of heated kisses like you were making up for lost time â that was the richest Jungwon had ever been.Â
âAnd when someone asks for a caramel macchiato, what theyâre really asking for is a caramel latte.â
His dark brows furrowed under his recently dyed brown hair, âWhy wouldnât they just ask for a caramel latte then?âÂ
âWell, because theyâre going off of the menu from Starbucks.â
His dark brown eyes held thinly veiled confusion before he nodded and leaned his hip against the counter, crossing his toned arms as the black work shirt stretched over his muscles. You glanced over to him, a different â more bashful â heat crawling up your neck as he stared at you.
âDonât worry,â You told him, âYouâll get the hang of it soon.â
âCan I ask you something?â
âSure?â
âWhy were there?â He narrowed his eyes, âAt the fight.â
Your throat worked around a swallow, âOh, uh I was justâŠâÂ
A million reasons flashed through your mind â none of them even bordering on the truth â and it brought all of your thoughts to a halt. This entire situation: you finding out about Jungwonâs secret life, it all started from a lie. Now that you had Jungwon, you couldnât lose him again. So you took a deep breath and began the long explanation.
âYou told me that in order to keep me safe, you had to leave my life completely. And to be honest? Iâd rather fear for my life everyday than say goodbye to you forever.â You eyes poured into his steady, deep, brown ones, âI talked to Heeseung, found out who was sabotaging you, broke into the Hybe gym basement to get proofââ
âIâm sorry, you what?!â
âAnd then, I found out that Kim Taeho was double betting and tampering with the odds by sabotaging you, in order to get an even split and make the most amount of money possible while winning every time.â
âHow the heââ
âAnd then I essentially blackmailed him into forgiving your debt,â
He straightened, âTell me youâre jokingâŠâ
âBut donât worry I stayed anonymous and used a VPN.â
âThat doesnât make it any better.â
âAnd then drew up a contract that would forgive your debt as long as you won the fight â which you did â and here we are!â
Jungwon grabbed your upper shoulders, âY/N⊠Please tell me this is a joke.â
You could see the worry laced into every feature: his creased brows, his wide eyes, his downturned lips.
âJungwon, you always talk about keeping me safe. I wanted to find a way to make sure you were safe.â You hesitated to keep going, âEven when you signed the contract, you were thinking about me. That if you won the fight and were forgiven, you requested that they stayed away from you.â
âI wouldnât sign the contract unless that was added.â He confessed, âWhat good would getting rid of my debt be if they took something â someone â else from me in its place.â His hands slid to the hem of your sleeves, playing with the fabric. âAnd itâs the best decision I ever made because now, Iâm finding out that you blackmailed a crime syndicate that most definitely has a grudge against both you and I.â
You tried not to look too horrified by the logistics of your impulsive decisions.Â
âAnd if I didnât make them sign a contract to stay away from you,â His eyes dropped down, unable to look you in the eye, âWho wouldâve gotten me an actual job to start chipping away at my tuition?â
âWith or without me, you would have found a way to pay for college and keep on living a good life.â You rolled your eyes.
ââWith or without youâ?â He repeated incredulously, âWithout you I would still be spending Friday nights drinking laxatives, vinegar, and everclear or shoving my face into a chloroform face towel and getting my ass handed to me. Without you Iâd have spent my entire life saving pennies to pay off an impossible debt.â His cat-like eyes took upon every frame of seriousness, âMy life doesnât exist without you, Y/N.â
A shy smile rose onto your lips. Because you may know Yang Jungwon inside and out as your best friend. But Yang Jungwon, your boyfriend, was still uncharted territory. Regardless of if this was the 50th time heâd pulled you in by your waist and pressed gentle, loving kisses against your lips.Â
âJungwon,â You pressed against his chest, âThis was the one condition my manager had!â You argued through the sweet pecks he placed in between words, âNo PDA!â
He giggled before placing another kiss onto your forehead, âFine, but once weâre off the clock, Iâm never letting you go.â
His hands fell from you and the warmth he left behind lingered like a promise.Â
âI might need you to sign a contract for that.â
âWhat for?â He asked, picking up a dish to rinse off, âYouâll just blackmail me anyway.â
Yunho is an expert in soothing tired muscles, alleviating shoulder discomfort, and most significantly, pampering your pretty, juicy pussy with the utmost care. His strong hands work the tension out of your thighs before sliding higher, thumbs pressing slow circles against your swollen clit until you're dripping all over the table.
recommendations for enhypen, &team, txt, and seventeen
â.Ë ENHYPEN
hyung line and multiple members
ê your turn by @mssishipi âź wc 17.2k ⯠hyung line x reader, reader is horny and desperate, men are assholes, inspired by the show series euphoria. explicit content (smut): porn with no plot at all, gangbang, face fucking, facials, nipple play, fingering, oral fixation, unprotected sex, check the smut tags there's a lot | this one is forever burned in my brain
ê feels like summer by @prkhavenâź wc 7.1k ⯠all of them (besides jake) are mean, profanity, fivesome, unprotected sex, creampies, p in v, degradation, praising, multiple rounds, overstimulation, throat fucking, pussy slapping, agoraphilia, dumbification, squirting, slight manhandling, oral (f+m rec.) cum eating, dom!enhypen hyung line, petnames (good girl, angel) | ughhh
ê rent free by @swiftjay23 âź wc 24.9k ⯠roommates!hyungline x reader, poly relationship, strong language, possessiveness, jealousy, alcohol, mild power imbalance, crashing dates, fights, slight drama between the guys, pwp, check smut tags there's a lot | so so distgustingly good omg
ê pedal deep by @swiftjay23âź wc 21.5k ⯠racers!maknaeline x racer!reader, pwp, possessiveness, jealousy, mild power imbalance, fights, slight drama between jungwon and sunoo, sunoo sweet psycho canon jungwon jealous man canon, riki impatient man canon, check the smut tags; there is a lot | was patiently waiting for this one
jay
ê teach me by @blvnt1e âź wc 12.5k ⯠bff!jay x needy!reader, overstimulation, unprotected sex, edging, mild ass play, rough sex, fingering, oral sex (f!rec), orgasm denial, hair holding, creampie, tipsy sex | my friend sent me this absolute masterpiece and im obsesseddd
ê tied up by @jakedustryâź wc 1k ⯠smut, rope play (ribbon), fingering, slight breast play, unprotected sex
ê sugarcoated by @ikeuzito âź wc 19.2k ⯠student!reader x lawyer!jay, age gap (not specified), neighbors to lovers (?), lots of domestic fluff mixed with rough sex, slow-burn buildup before the smut, explicit sexual content, check out the smut tags
ê soft love by @mssishipi âź wc ?k ⯠dark romance, emotional manipulation, psychological control, jay is older than reader, power imbalance, dependency, themes of submission and ownership. explicit content (smut): unprotected sex, implied breeding kink.
ê apron and nothing at all by @ebitsujun âź wc ?k ⯠husband!idol!jay x fem!reader, established relationship, married couple, unprotected sex, kitchen sex (on top of the counter), aftercare
ê hypersexual by @simpjaes âź wc 13.8k ⯠smut, inexperienced but pervy and dominant jake, he kind of has an addiction to jerking off, im not joking like he has a boner every twenty minutes itâs probably a medical issue but, reader is really sex positive and lets jake go absolutely insane on her
ê watermelon sugar by @alleiraa âź wc 2k ⯠established relationship, hint of fluff, jake is so cute and bf material, smut, oral sex, face sitting, nose riding
ê cunnilinguist by @simpjaes âź wc 16.1k ⯠jake x afab reader (ft. sunghoon as the mutual friend who bangs reader), a lot of waiting, like to the point it even annoyed me, very fluffy stuff , typical best friends to fuck buddies to âactually, I had feelings this whole timeâ, jealousy, jake is whiny and needy when heâs horny, reader thinks itâs cute. angst
sunghoon
ê payback! by @mssishipi âź wc 5.4k ⯠cheating, vouyerism (video), mention of double penetration, sunghoon smokes, jayke cameo, slut shaming, objectification, nymphomania implications. uhm. angst at the end, revenge unprotected sex, spitting, slapping, headlocking, throat fucking, mild pussy eating, squirting, power imbalance, creampie, dub conish | this is phenomenal like im fuming
ê give them back by @ebitsujunâź wc 1.8k ⯠non-idol!sunghoon x fem!reader, established relationship, argument, p in v, unprotected sex (no), nipple play, degradation, praising | had me biting my nails
ê through your teeth by @dollhoonkiâź wc 5.6k ⯠heavy mentions of blood & biting/feeding (sunghoon feeds from the reader during sex), condescending dom!sunghoon x sub!reader, established relationship, hints of brat & brat tamer dynamics, degradation/humiliation, aginal fingering, handjob, semi public sex, exhibitionism, breath play, unprotected sex, creampie, hints of pain kink, hung!hoon, size & bulge kink, slight praise & crying, reference to marking/beard burn, some fluff and angst | hi i need dentist sunghoon in the most down bad terrible way ok?
ê give me them babies by @ebitsujun âź wc ? ⯠non-idol!sunghoon x fem!reader, established relationship, marriage dynamics (mentions of wife and husband), creampie, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, fingering, cum play, breeding, praising and degradation | idk i think i have a thing for domesticity
ê how to lose a guy in 10 days by @swiftjay23âź wc 40.9k ⯠enemies to lovers trope, fake dating trope, romcom with teeth, college au, emotional slowburn, smut, angst, football captain!sunghoon x school editor!reader, multiple sex scenes, oral sex, belly bulge, creampie, praise kink, aftercare, emotional vulnerability during sex, breeding kink undertones, love confessions | i love a good college au with angst and fake dating
ê mine by @raven-unkindâź wc 2.6k ⯠established relationship (married couple celebrating first anniversary), petnames (good girl, wife and husband used teasingly), reader is kinda a brat, backshots, bicep choking, bondage with a belt, check the rest of the tags out | ugh husband sunghoon
jungwon
ê big girls do cry by @nisc0 âź wc 1.7k ⯠hard dom!jungwon, sub!reader, swearing, a lot of teasing, unprotected sex, p in v, kitchen sex, tits grabbing, fingering, spanking, degrading, use of nicknames (needy girl, baby)
ê number one rule by @lac4ygal âź wc 36.6k ⯠brothersfriend!jungwon x sister!reader, fingering, oral sex, penetrative sex, praise kink, multiple orgasms, lots of sexual tension, secret relationship, betrayal of trust, family conflict (brief), emotional distance, alcohol use, arguing, brief physical altercation (not with reader), emotional angst, angst with happy ending
authors note: i didn't include heeseung, sunoo, and riki in this one because i haven't found any recent ones i liked .á
Synopsis: Jake decides to completely surrender, ready to be his girlfriend's favorite toy for a night⊠or more.
đŁČâ request ăđ Ę
Pairings: : Jake x fem!reader - dominant!reader x submissive!jake
Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, bdsm, established relationship, actual porn, p in v, unprotected sex (not for you idiot), masturbation (m), oral (m recieiving), cockwarming, grinding, multiple orgasms, denial orgasm, cock riding, cowgirl & doggy position, vibrator use, masochist jake, praise and pets names, mommy kink, consent, mutual agreement, sex toys, bondage, blindfolded, idk what more
wc: 2,1k
note: English isn't my first language, so if you find any mistakes I apologize, hehe, and I also welcome any corrections or tips from you.
If by some chance you're here and you speak Spanish, let me tell you that I do too, hehe, and that the Spanish version is available here.
After long, grueling months of work, they were finally getting their well-deserved rest. Their week-long vacation started today, and they were enjoying it by doing absolutely nothing. Jake was so exhaustedâhis muscles achingly tense after the release of his latest albumâthat he lacked the energy even to think. She, on the other hand, had just finished launching her own magazine. As a photographer for one of the industry's giants, her solo project had been a resounding success.
They lay in bed with the TV on, half-watching a series theyâd started but never truly followed or paid attention to. They were so accustomed to the 24/7 grind that doing nothing felt like the best plan in the universe. She kept her eyes closed, breathing steadily, letting the peace wash over her. She wasnât sleepy, just finally still.
Then, she felt the mattress dip as Jake leaned in, his warm lips pressing against her cheek. Without opening her eyes, she smiled, stroking his jawline; she adored her sweety Jakey, affectionate side. He peppered her face with soft, short pecksâher nose, her foreheadâbefore settling on her lips. When she finally opened her eyes to offer a teasing look, Jake deepened the kiss, savoring the faint taste of the lipstick sheâd worn that morning. He cupped her face, his thumbs grazing her cheekbones as the rhythm shiftedâgrowing more desperate to consume her, more pleading for an attention she was willing to give without hesitation. Â
"It's been so long since we had real fun... love."
She nodded, kissing her handsome boyfriend again. "Iâve missed my prince so much."
Jake smiled, teeth grazing his lip before he let out a shaky gasp. He kissed her again with a new level of desperation, as if it weren't enough; he craved so much more from his woman. "I want you to do whatever you want with me tonight," he blurted out against her lips.
She pulled back just a few inches, searching his eyes. "What? Say it again, Jake."
He sank back on his heels, lowering his gaze slightly. He was nervousâvisibly so. Oh God, she swore she'd get wet right then and there. "I don't want to lead," he murmured shyly. "I want you to use me... tonight."
She let out a soft, low laugh, shifting to face him fully. She cupped his cheeks, squeezing them just enough to make his lips pout. Jake watched her with wide eyes, his pupils blown and bright, silently pleading for her to devour him without mercy.
"Good. Who am I to refuse such a well-behaved boy?" She caressed his cheeks, now flushed pink, and ran her fingers through his hair before kissing the top of his head. "From now on, you will obey everything I tell you. Right, Jaeyunie?"
He nodded eagerly.
"Good boy. Remember, my prince: we just need the magic word and everything stops. Because I promise you, I'll make you cry and beg tonight."
Jake nodded again. She ordered him to sit against the headboard while she left the room in search ofâthe special box. Jake waited impatiently, a mix of nerves and raw excitement. When she returned, she commanded him to undress. He obeyed instantly, his trembling hands reaching for his shirt and yanking it off in one swift motion.
"Slowly, prince. And look me in the eyes while you do it."
Jake swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. He guided his hands to the waistband of his pajama pants, sliding them down agonizingly slow. He didn't take his eyes off her for a second, barely even blinking. Once he was down to his boxers, she smirked victoriously at the sight of his clear arousal.
"My, my, love... I haven't even touched you yet, and you're already so hard for me. You really are the sweetest boy in the world. Take them off. No hands."
Jake managed to kick off his underwear, letting out a low moan when his length brushed against his thigh; he was painfully erect.
"Very good. Sit back, my love. Weâre going to play exactly the way we like."
Once he was settled against the headboard and pillows, his girlfriend climbed on top of him, careful not to let their bodies touch or graze just yet. "Hands up, Jaeyun."
He raised both wrists above his head, watching with desperation as she secured them in dark leather handcuffs, tethering him to the bed and stripping him of any freedom of movement. She smiled down at him, gripping his jaw firmly to force his gaze upward. She kissed him hard, biting his lower lip at every opportunity. She let out a mocking little laugh when she saw him arching his hips, searching for contact.
"Look at you, Jae. You're so desperate for me, you look like youâre about to come without me even touching you. What do you want, my prince? Hmm? Tell me."
"I⊠I need you to touch me, love. Please⊠I need it. I need you so much."
"You need who?" she asked, leaning closer to her boyfriend's vulnerable, naked body, her hips almost grazing his length.
"You, MommyâŠ" With that, she kissed him frantically again, her hand diving down to the base of his cock. Jake shivered at the sudden grip, every hair on his body standing on end as her long nails and cold rings traced the entire length of him. She pulled away from his lips and pressed her thumb firmly over the opening of his tip; Jake's eyes snapped shut as a loud moan escaped him.
She let go of him instantly and delivered a sharp slap right there, making the poor boy beneath her thighs cry out. "You are forbidden from making a sound, Sim Jake. And I never told you to stop looking at me. Don't make me angry."
He nodded, watching her with eyes glassy from arousal, a small pout forming on his lips. She took him in her hand again and stroking him for a long timeâslowly, torturously. She intentionally ran the tips of her nails over the protruding veins of his flesh and pressed against the opening once more. She watched him sternly, hunting for any slip of sound; the poor boy had to bite his lip so hard to keep his tongue from betraying him.
"Such a good boy."
She stepped away to undress, leaving herself only in her underwearâthat black lingerie set Jake loved with his soul. A shiver of heat raced through him as he watched her look so devastatingly sensual, knowing he didn't even have the chance to reach out and touch her.
"Do you like what you see, Jakey?" He nodded frantically, remaining silent. "Good. Enjoy it, darling. Because in a little while, you won't even be able to do that."
She returned her hand to his aching cock and began to stroke him frantically, her grip tight as she pumped up and down. She watched him melt under her command, struggling to hold back his moans. He failed on the very last tug; a bolt of electricity shot down his spine to his core, making his thighs tremble. He came loudly and violently over her hand and his own abdomen. She let go and stepped back from the bed.
"I told you not to make a noise. Youâre a bad boy... and bad boys deserve a punishment, my sweet Jakey."
She pulled a long, dark strip of fabric from the box. Climbing back over Jakeâwho was still struggling to catch his breathâshe tied the blindfold over his eyes, leaving him completely submissive to her will. Jake thought she might finally mount him (or perhaps that was just his wishful thinking), but she had other plans.
Without warningâand amplified by the fact that he was now in total darknessâhe let out a sharp moan, gritting his teeth as a sudden vibration hit the tip of his cock. His girlfriend was now using the very same vibrator on him that he usually used on her.
Without a doubt, this was the best day of his fucking life.
"No moaning, Jake." She moved the toy in circles around the sensitive, flushed head of his member, which was already slick with pre-cum again. She trailed it slowly down his length, letting it rest just beneath his testicles. It was on the lowest setting, yet Jake felt like he might lose control of his bladder right then and there. She lowered her head, peppering his length with kisses but never taking him inside her mouth. "Iâm not going to suck it, so donât even hope for that."
Jake couldn't help a low moan as the vibrations intensified. He could feel his muscles twitching under the buzz, his skin tingling with the onset of a second orgasm. When he moaned again, she responded with a sharp, hard smack against his cock. He gasped in surprise; he was so sensitive and weak that he felt as if a stray breeze would make him come again.
She struck him again, this time with a crop sheâd taken from the box. With its heart-shaped tip, she caressed him, pushing her beautiful boyfriend over the edge once more. His lower abdomen tightened as he panted loudly, his release cascading over himself in a hot, frantic rush.
She swiped some of the semen from his stomach, using the leather of the crop to smear it up his sweat-drenched body. When she flicked his nipples, a shiver forced his legs to snap shut. She struck his inner thighs hard. "Open your damn legs for me, prince. Don't disappoint me."
She continued to toy with his body, giving him small, rhythmic taps with the crop until she reached his lipsâpouted, swollen, and devastatingly hot. "Lick it," she commanded. And he did.
She tossed the vibrator and the crop somewhere across the room. Sinking her weight onto Jakeâs trembling thighs, she kissed him againâthis time, more gently, with a lingering tenderness. She ground her damp heat against his overstimulated length, and Jake let out a ragged pant, straining against the handcuffs that held him. She noticed. "What is it, prince? Do you have something to tell me, love?"
"Love, please... Please, Mommy..."
She pulled the blindfold from his eyes. Oh, those eyes. Jake looked completely undone; he was practically crying, his lashes damp and the corners of his eyes flushed a deep, pretty red. "Let me inside you... I need it."
She kissed him softly. "Are you sure, prince? Can you handle it?" He nodded with a pout, stretching his neck to seek her lips, but she pulled back. "No, no. I'm the one in charge today. But... Iâll indulge my boy. I love you, my Jaeyunie."
She pushed her lace panties aside and guided him in, taking his entire length as she sat down on him. "Oh... God... Y-yes, Mommy... C-can I be loud?" he pleaded, his bound hands instinctively twitching as they tried to reach for her hips, uselessly.
She nodded, kissing his pulse point. "Yes, my prince. Let the neighbors hear us. Let them all know that in this house, Iâm the one who commands."
She began to ride him with a frantic pace, bracing herself against the wall in front of her, chasing the rhythm that made her see stars. But it was Jake who was truly seeing starsâmoaning and growling loudly. His palms itched to touch her and his legs shook, but having his woman over him, riding him so ruthlessly, turned him on beyond words. The kisses on his sensitive neck were the final blow to his sanity. "Oh... Mhmm... Ah-ah... love, I'm... I'm close," he whispered breathlessly against her ear. She stopped instantly. "Love... no, please, I'm right there."
She made a silencing gesture with her hand. Leaning down to the level of his cock, she gripped the base with one hand while the other palm rubbed his tip with lightning speed. Jake let out a gut-wrenching cry, tears finally spilling over. "Oh God, Oh G-god... Mmg..." As his release began to fire, she guided him to her mouth, taking him in and swallowing every last drop. "Mgh.. Uhh... You're the best... I love you, I love you."
She smiled. "I love you so much too, my prince⊠What do you say? One last thing?"
He nodded. In truth, he was exhausted and utterly spent, but he could never say no to his beautiful girlfriend. She finally released him from the handcuffs, and Jake didn't hesitate for a second, his hands finding her waist as he devoured her mouth. He was hungry for herâhe would never tire of being hungry for her.
"Fuck me on all fours, Jake. That's an order."
Jake smirked against her lips, flipping her onto her stomach and pulling her panties down. "Iâm here to please my woman..." He finished the thought by burying himself inside her, finally able to grip her hips and kiss her without end.
Jake would definitely mark this experience in his imaginary book of 'Things I must repeat at least twice a month with my girlfriend to be happy.'
you never were one to believe in urban legends, or myths of any sort. but when reality blurs into something that simply couldn't be explained rationallyâthat is, without sounding absolutely crazy, you were forced to believe you were stuck. stuck in a place that people liked to talk about, fantasize aboutâa place that blurred the lines of reality and subconsious. a place widely known as the backrooms.
GENRE â smut, kind of but not really backrooms au, strangers to friends to ??? au, supernatural au
WARNINGS â lots of horror elements, entities, everything is very unrealistic for obvious reasons, jungwon is highly obsessed, reader is just trying not to go insane, psychological distress, lots of making out, reader was suffering from a sex draught and understandably very horny most the time, jungwon is highly persuasive (and also a massive pervert), multiple sex scenes, slight dubcon?, slight toxic!jungwon, manhandling, chasing, ripping of clothes, fingering, oral (both m! and f! rec), clit pinching, cum eating, unprotected sex (don't), backshots, sex in a jacuzzi, shower sex, missionary, mating press, lmk if more!
WORD COUNT â 32.2k
NOTE â IMP!!! MOST DEFINITELY NOT LORE ACCURATE!!!!! i have never played any games related to the backrooms, or watched any movies (if they exist) linked to it. but i love the concept, so i kind of adapted my perception of it into this fic. so if you have your own perception of the backrooms, please proceed with zero expectations, as this might will be completely different from what you know and believe about the backrooms.
the traffic was extra loud today when you left home, even though you had left two hours earlier than you normally did. all because you wanted to make it in time for an interview.
till now, you had been working at a pretty well-to-do company. only problem? the internal politics made it impossible for you to get a promotion there. not to mention the absolutely terrible job security. the only reason you had accepted the job there was because you had no prior job experience, which was precisely what the previous company had been looking for.
why was that the case? well of course, they needed employees who they could freely exploit, and what better option than complete newbies did they have?
which was why you had decided to finally leave the job after working there for a year and a halfâprovided you got the job today. since you had prepared well enough for the interview, you were pretty confident you would get the job.
reaching the building, you made a beeline for the reception. the lobby was pretty vast, so hopefully the extra facilities that the job provided would be a lot more than what your previous job provided. although you would only know that once you got to the interview room.
âexcuse me,â you started, as you approached the receptionist. âi came here for an interview forââ
âtake the stairs to the right. keep going till you reach the fifth floor. walk straight, then turn left. keep going till you see a water dispenser. then go right twice. you will know when you reach the designated room for your interview.â said the guy at the desk in a bored tone, interrupting you, even before you could tell exactly what you were here for.
you bit down on your tongue, only uttering a half hearted âthank youâ before doing what he said. his instructions had already started blurring out halfway as you climbed the stairs. still, you did your best to reach the place on time.
your brain worked on autopilot as you walked, blanking out at certain places. even then, you reached the room in just under fifteen minutes.
the interview went well enough, you think, since you felt satisfied with your own answers. as soon as you stepped out of the company, your phone rang. it was your miyoung, who was probably calling to know how the interview went. true to your prediction, she had called precisely for that reason.
âgirl,â miyoung started. âyou better be having some good news for me.â
you let out a small laugh, before replying. âof course i do. what do you take me for?â
she let out an exaggerated hum, before replying. âof course, of course. do you have time right now? for a coffee?â
you looked down at your watch. it was almost time to go to your current job, but since you were probably leaving it pretty soon, you didnât care about missing a day. besides, you could always make up some excuse about some sort of sickness later on.
âyep, iâm free. for the entire day actually. we can go shopping too, if youâre up for that.â
âperfect! letâs meet up at xxxxx cafe, and then we can go to the mall near it too!â
âmhm, sounds like a plan.â
a small squeal tore out of miyoung, as she hugged you tightly. âbabeee, itâs been so long since we last met upppp.â she whined into your ear.
your buried your head into her shoulder. you missed her dearly too, even though you didnât show it much. âi know, right? i say we spend the entire day at the mall. to hell with our bank accounts.â
she broke the hug to shake you by your shoulders excitedly. âfinally youâre speaking my language! to hell with our bank accounts!â
your smile was so wide it hurt your cheeks. you had forgotten the serotonin boost that you always seemed to get when you spent time with her. truly, it was an experience. âbut i suppose we should go inside the cafe now. people are starting to give us weird looks.â
miyoung looked like she was about to argue, but you pushed her into the cafe before she could utter a word. the two of you quickly went to a table for two around the back, thanking the waiter when he handed you the menu.
âdo you have anything other than coffee in mind right now?â you asked, flipping through the pages of the menu, not looking up from there.
she hummed. âoh yeah, definitely do.â
âwhat is it?â
âyour interview. the details, specifically.â
you looked up, raising a brow at her to show exactly how unimpressed you were. âreally?â
âmhm. really.â
you sighed, defeated. âprecisely what details do you want to know? i mean, it was just like any other regular interview, just one that went pretty well.â
âhm.â miyoung looked dissatisfied at your answer. âseriously? nothing else? nothing worth mentioning? like a cute interviewer, or another candidate giving you âfuck meâ eyes?â
you deadpanned at her, before shrugging. âi suppose the receptionist was a bit weird? in the sense that he threw me off a little.â
miyoung leaned in close, her interest having peaked. âoh? why is that?â
âwell⊠he didnât even let me finish my sentence before giving me a bunch of instructions regarding where to go. as in a lot of directions, which were kind of hard to follow. but somehow, i miraculously made it to the interview on time. even when i blanked out most of the time.â
her brows furrowed. âdid he give a lot of directions?â
âmhm. i remember going up the stairs to the fourthâor was it the fifth floor? but after that i canât exactly remember.â
it was then that miyoungâs eyes lit up with a glimmer. the kind of glimmer that always appeared in her eyes right before she told you something that sounded completely ridiculous. something that would just seem like utter bullshit to anyone with a practical mind like yours. miyoung was pretty different from you in a lot of ways, but your differences were exactly what made the two of you so close.
âyou know,â she started. âthere is a theory regarding this. sort of.â
you raised a brow. âdid you make it up?â
her cheeks flushed slightly. âi didnât make it up. it was already existingâi simply added a bit of my own thoughts into it.â
âmhm. go on.â
the expression on her face was the only reason you always entertained her âtheoriesâ, which always seemed like bullshit to you. âapparently, certain journeysâand i donât mean long, physical ones. i mean ones like going to the bathroom at night, or trying find a particular book in a library which you came to for the first time, finding the interview room in a company, etc., where your mind blanks outâeven for a few seconds, or if your brain works on autopilot during these âjourneysâ, your conscious mind and subconscious mind gets divided.â
âwhile your consciousness is in the real world, your subconscious travels somewhere beyond realityâa place similar to those blank areas that developers leave in games. ones that they either forgot about, or are still under constructionâfor a project that they probably wouldnât start onâat least not any time soon. so if we compare our life to a game, our consciousness remains in the main game, while our subconscious travels into the unfinished area. the backrooms, if you will.â
she stopped talking to drink from the glass of water placed in front of her. âsome say that if such a phenomenon keeps occurring, there might be a time when we can experience exactly what our subconscious doesâtravelling into a place where time doesnât work the same way it does in the real world. as in, while our mind blanks out only for a few seconds or minutes during these journeys, for our subconscious it might be longer. a lot longer.â
âpeople also say that during that period our consciousness may fight with our subconscious to take over again. along with the theory that we only blank out usually since our consciousness wins the fight against our subconscious. but when our subconsciousness wins instead? off to the backrooms we go.â
you had been listening to her patiently the entire time. you leaned forward on your palms, tilting your head. âalright. letâs say youâre correct. that this⊠theory is actually true. what even happens in the backrooms?â
miyoung shrugged. âno one knows. even if anyone does, i doubt they remember. another addition to the theory is that once our consciousness has won the fight, all traces of the âglitchâ in our âsystemâ would get erased.â
you raised a brow, impressed. you had to admit, the entire theory seemed pretty legit. impressive, even. âright. sounds cool. should we order now?â
all too accustomed to your thought process, miyoung didnât exactly take your seemingly cold shoulder to heart. so you both ordered a drink each, an ice americano for you, and a match latte for her. after which you both did exactly what you said you would do. destroy your bank accounts at the mall.
the walls stretched on and on, a seemingly endless maze made of rotting bricks, overgrown weeds, and peeling, yellowed, wallpaper slapped over it all. the smell was nauseating, even when you covered your nose and mouth. your feet made these disgusting squelching noises as you walked, like walking on a carpet that was dripping wet. you wanted to get out, get the fuck away from this placeâbut no matter how far you walked, it all seemed to loop back into the same place, making you start from square one, all over, and over, again, and againâŠ
you woke up with a jolt. a cold sweat had broken out on your forehead, your chest rising up and down heavily. that was the worst nightmare you ever had.
you slowly sat up. you looked around, seeing exactly what you expected to see. the moonlight filtering in through the curtains of the windows. in your room. that's right. you were in your room. completely safe and sound.
you relaxedâit was only then that you realised just how parched your throat felt. you tried to get a glass of water from your nightstand, but the glass was empty. right. you had forgotten to fill it up.
sighing, you got up, your feet automatically slipping into your slippers. you walked out of your room, into the hallway. you walked down the stairs, into the kitchen, mechanically turning on the light. your brain was on autopilot the entire time, filling up a glass with water.
once your thirst was quenched, you turned off the kitchen light, walking back to your room. on the way, you felt sleep trying to get a hold of you. you stifled a yawn, closing your eyes to do so. big mistake. a huge one even.
suddenly, you felt yourself slippingâon what, you had no idea. your head hit something, hard. your vision swam for a few seconds, before it went back to normal.
what. the. fuck?!
the place you were in was most certainly not your house. you stood up hastily, trying to make sense of your surroundings. with an increasing sense of dread, you realised you recognised the place.
of course you did. it was the exact same place from your nightmare.
but that couldnât be the case. maybe you were dreaming again? maybe the fall knocked you out, and now you were dreamingâŠ? that had to be the case, right?
but even with your rational mindset, you knew this wasnât simply a dream. thisâthis place you were inâcouldnât be described as a âdreamâ. this place was as real as it could get.
but why? and most importantly, how? how was this happening? why on earth was it happening? everything in life has a meaning, a purposeâsurely this place had one too?
maybe it did. and maybe, just maybe, that was the whole reason you were stuck here. even if it wasnât permanent.
but could you really be sure? regarding whether your⊠rather unpleasant stay here was going to be permanent or not?
you had no idea how long you had been walking. the monochromatic yellow walls stretched on forever and ever, the smell of rot clinging to them everywhere. the flickering lights, and random noises were starting to fade into the background. you had no idea where you were supposed to goâor if there was somewhere you could go at all.
the dripping wet carpet was starting to get to you. the cold was starting to cause your teeth to chatter. but you kept walking, even when your legs were starting to cramp up.
you decided to change your pattern up slightly. till now you had been sticking to the left wall. so now, you were going to take random turns instead. maybe that would help? somehow?
but in the midst of your thoughts, you saw something that made you stop walking entirely. there wasâa black mass?âor was it just a cluster of shadowsâ?
your breath hitched. the mass seemed to be still. desperate for something, anything, you threw all your rational thinking and survival instincts out of the window, and started walking towards the mass.
to your surprise, the shadow cluster seemed to move. you stopped again. the mass stopped too. realising what was going on, you started runningâas fast as you possibly could, on a carpet that was dripping wet. the mass movedâor rather, shiftedâwith just as much speed.
you kept turning to whichever corners the mass wentâsomething which you probably shouldnât have been doingâbefore eventually you tripped and fell face first while turning another corner.
you groaned, the water from the dirty carpet seeping into your clothes. your feet hurt terribly, the adrenaline rush subsiding. with difficulty, you shifted, turning on your back. slowly sitting up, you looked down at your feet. shit.
they were swollen, a vibrant red starting to blossom on your left ankle. it had probably been cramping up for a while, but your adrenaline rush did not let you realise it.
with difficulty, you sat up. you looked around. the place looked exactly the same, as always, exceptâŠ
was that⊠a door in the distance?
you squinted your eyes, not believing them. what if it was simply a mirage? a hallucination? like one might have in a desert, when they see an oasis after walking in the scorching heat for a long time?
but hope⊠hope is a dangerous thing. it keeps people from collapsing, from giving up, even when they have nothing left. so you hoped. hoped it wasnât simply a trick of the light, or a hallucination. with some difficulty, you managed to haul yourself up, using the wall for support. you managed to limp towards the door, keeping your eyes on it the entire time, scared it might disappear if you looked away even for a second.
to your relief and utter happiness, it didnât go away. you kept limping towards it, an âemployees onlyâ sign hanging in front of it. you could care less about the sign, as long as the door wasnât locked. you managed to finally reach the door. as you stood in front of it, you took a deep breath. you never believed in any kind of god, being an atheist from your childhood. but right now, you prayed that the door wasnât locked.
you put your hand on the door knob, trying to turn it.
click.
it opened, total darkness greeting you. you gulpedâbut your throat was completely parched. again.
you pushed yourself inside, your hand using the wall for support. suddenly, you felt something on your fingertips. was that�
you groped at the wall, finding a switch. you quickly flipped it, bright light immediately flooding the place. you had to squint to keep yourself from suddenly going blind. you closed the door behind you, your eyes slowly starting to adjust to the light. you looked around the room. it wasnât huge by any means, just big enough. the walls were filled with food and bottles of water. you had never seen so many snacks anywhere, other than convenience stores.
your stomach suddenly rumbled. how long had it been since you last ate? when you woke up, it was probably around⊠three am? after which, you got stuck here, walking for⊠an hour at least? so it had been a good six-seven hours, if you combined it with the times you stopped to take some restâŠ
you looked around. there were a lot of ramen packets here. around one corner of the store, you saw three stoves. the ones that required no electricity. perfect.
you opened a packet of ramen, and a bottle of water. there were a few kitchen utensils as well in some cabinets in one corner. you made quick use of them, starting to boil water. the fireâs crackling provided you some comfort, as you used it to warm yourself up as well.
after a few minutes, you started cooking some ramen, using the chopsticks in the cabinets to aid you. you used your teeth to cut open the packet filled with sauce, pouring them in the ramen. the smell caused your stomach to growl again, as you impatiently stirred it.
once you deemed it edible enough, you used a discarded piece of cloth from near the sink, using it to take the pot off the stove. you got a bowl from one of the cabinets, pouring the ramen into it. the delicious smell caused your mouth to water, as you stared at the bowl hungrily. but you knew trying to eat it now would cause your mouth to burn.
nevertheless, you were hungry. extremely so. looking around, you saw packets of kimbap arranged on the wall among other snacks. you quickly got up, rushing over. taking it off the shelf, you quickly sat back down. tearing open the packet, you sunk your teeth into the delicious food, not even bothering to heat it up.
the taste of it flooded your taste buds, making you feel like you were on cloud nine. kimbap had never tasted this good before. perhaps feeling starved makes you appreciate even the most basic foods a lot more than you would normally.
within seconds, you had devoured the entire packet. were you a big back, or were you just starving? probably both. either way, you had never eaten anything with half as much joy as you were right now.
you looked down at your ramen. picking up the chopsticks, you started eating it, all while blowing on it excessively to cool it down. once again, the rich flavour flooded your taste buds, causing you to groan. âholy fuckâ you thought, âif all of the food here tastes this good, i donât mind staying here for a while.â
you happily ate the rest of your ramen, tilting the bowl to drink up the soup at the end as well. you put the used utensils in the sink, washing your hands as well. you told yourself that you werenât procrastinating, and that washing the dishes tomorrow was a logical decision on your behalf. right on que, you let out a yawn. your eyes threatened to shut, so you quickly went over to one corner of the room, where a makeshift bed was placed. you lied down on it, pulling a sheet over you since there wasnât a blanket. you closed your eyes, and within seconds you were drifting off to sleep.
right before sleep fully consumed you, you hoped against hope that you being stuck in this place was simply another nightmare of yours. unfortunately for you, even you knew that it wasnât the case.
when you woke up, you had no idea how long it had been. time wasnât something you could estimate easily in this place. feeling your back starting to cramp up, you forced yourself to get up, stretching to try and freshen up.
there were a few toothbrushes and toothpastes in a cabinet above the sink, so you used one to brush your teeth. there was a toilet in a small corner of the room, covered by another door. you used it, noticing with disappointment that there was no way to shower there.
once you were completely done freshening up, you explored the room with more precision. there was no carpet in the room, instead replaced with a hardwood floor. but it was damp, so that was irritating. you found some chalk in a cabinet, which gave you the wonderful idea to explore the place. you took two pieces of chalk, before getting out of the room.
you marked the wall with a large âxâ, doing the same to every wall. you kept to the left, hoping this way you wouldnât get lost. the maze stretched on for miles, seemingly having no end. so you simply kept walking, not forgetting to keep marking the walls to your left.
the squelching noises from the carpet were annoying you, drilling into your head. nonetheless, you had to deal with it. so you kept walking.
the endless stretch of mono yellow walls was utterly ungratifying. every time you turned a corner, you hoped to see somethingâanythingâdifferent, but you got disappointed. the same mono yellow walls always greeted you, as if mocking you for getting stuck in the first place.
after around twenty minutes, you gave up. you let out a loud groan, covering your face in your palms. your back collided with a wall, as you slid down it, completely hopeless. you stared at the flickering light above you with teary eyes. were you really stuck here forever?
you buried your head in your hands, starting to softly cry into them, pouring out your frustration. why was life so terrible to you? right when you thought everything might finally work out in your favour tooâŠ
the job interview had gone so well, you met your best friend after such a long time, even going on a long needed and well deserved shopping date with herâall for what? to get lost in thisâthis weird place?
you sniffled quietly. as your breath calmed down again, you heard something in the distance. was that⊠ripples?
you trained your ears, hard. the unmistakable sound of small splashes sounded in the distance. you lifted your head out of your arms. you slowly got up, starting to walk in the direction of the sound.
after about five more turns, a brilliant sight greeted you. a huge stretch of water, that easily resembled a big pond, was in front of you. tentatively, you stepped closer. close enough for the water to lick your ankles.
it was cold, but not as cold as ice. it was bearable, but just enough. you trained your eyes properly. the water seemed to be safe. no creatures or anything in there. with a start, you realised you hadnât seen any life form in this maze at all. but right now, that was the least of your worries.
you stripped off all your clothes, before jumping into the water. you had sort of underestimated exactly how cold it was, but it didnât matter now. you needed a bath, desperately so.
you swam around, enjoying the water against your body. it felt refreshing, especially with how dirty you had been feeling before this. fuck, you could stay here forever. although you did wish you werenât here alone. since being alone was one of your biggest fears.
sighing, you decided to get out of there before you caught a cold. getting out of theâpool? could it even be called that?âyou stood awkwardly with your arms around your body, since you had nothing to dry yourself off. you looked around, frowning as you saw a towel on a steel bar on a wall. raising your brow, you went to it, using it to dry yourself off.
it was odd how it suddenly appeared, especially when you were pretty sure you hadnât seen it before. but then again, you werenât exactly the most observant person out there, so you might have simply missed it. yeah, that was probably the case.
even though a nagging feeling at the back of your mind told you that it might just not be the case.
you dried your hair as best as you could, since you didnât want to wrap the towel around your head. you didnât exactly trust this placeâwhich was a little weird to think about, since you had eaten the food provided by this place earlier. so why hesitate when it comes to a towel?
either way, you got dressed again. being in your pajamas wasnât a great feeling, but it was fine for now. since you didnât exactly have the luxury of choosing better clothes for this grand occasion.
you were just about to leave the place, to continue back to your baseâor whatever that magic room filled with snacks could be called, when you suddenly stopped. were those⊠footsteps?
you gulped, trying to listen carefully. the sound of someone walking over the wet carpet was unmistakable. which meant there was another personâor something else, aliveâhere. that should have made you feel better. relieved, even. so why did that only fill you with dread?
you slowly started to walk out of the place with the pool. training your ears to the sound of the footsteps, you started walking towards the source.
eventually, after turning three corners, you came face to face with a guy. even though you were looking for him, you still let out a startled scream, which in turn caused him to flinch. he took his hands out of his hoodie pockets and held them up in a surrendering motion.
âwoah,â he replied, his eyes blown wide. âeasy there. iâm not going to harm you.â
you gulped. you didnât really know what to do. âhowâhow long have you been stuck here?â
he shrugged, his posture becoming relaxed again. his hands slipped back into his hoodie pockets. âno idea. it was around midnight on⊠the twentieth? when i randomly got stuck here? i was simply going on a walk in my neighbourhood and ran into a lamp post. i probably fainted then, because when i opened my eyes, i was here. from my understanding of time, it has been at least around twenty five days since. or at least with how time works here.â
your eyes widened at the information. twenty five days?! but the twentieth was the same day you got stuck. so how was he stuck here for so much longer?
but then again, you got stuck after midnight. so maybe thatâs the reason he seemed to be here for much longer.
he tilted his head, looking at you curiously. âwhat about you? how long has it been for you?â
you shrugged. âi got stuck on the same day as you. only it was after midnight. i was on my way back to my room, when i suddenly slipped and fell. when i opened my eyes, i was here. itâs been a little less than a day for me, i suppose.â
he looked a little surprised at the information. âwow. time here does work differently.â he looked at you with renewed interest. he offered his hand to you for a handshake. âiâm jungwon, by the way.â
you shook his hand, giving him your name as well. he let out an appreciative âhmâ. âpretty name for an even prettier girl. are you the one that drew those marks on the walls? i came here by following those.â
you nodded. âyeah⊠didnât wanna get lost.â
âi get that. but why bother? the whole place is the same anyways.â
you shook your head. âthe marked walls lead up to a room with lots of food, water, and even a place to sleep. there is a small bathroom-like area there too. and the place i just went to has a huge pool, along with a towel. i just took a bath there.â
he gave you a humourless smile. one that indicated he knew a lot more about this place than you did.
âhave you heard of the backrooms?â
you frowned, the name sounding familiar to you. you recalled miyoung telling you something about it the other day. âi may have. why?â
âthis placeâor rather, this mazeâis also called the backrooms. itâs not exactly real, but neither is it a figment of our imagination. itâs the line between reality and our imagination, existing only when our conscious mind is too weak to fight our subconscious. thatâs when we get transported here. itâs not a common occurrence, and is said to have a chance of occurring only one in a billion times with any person. it is so uncommon, that two people experiencing it at the same time has almost zero chances of occurring. yet, here we are, somehow.â
you frowned. âi still donât get what your point is.â
jungwon let out a small laugh. âthis place doesnât want to kill us. in fact, it will ensure that nothing ever happens to us. if we are starving, it will provide us with food. if we need water, it will provide us with water. if we need companionship, it will warp its passageways to ensure people stuck here at the same time, end up meeting each other.â
suddenly, it all made sense to you. why you found the room immediately after you were close to giving up on all hope. why you found the pool, immediately after you were frustrated beyond relief. why you saw a towel hanging, despite being sure that you didnât see it before. or why you found jungwon just minutes after you wished you werenât here alone. so what ifâwhat if you wished for an escape route?
noticing your expression, he smiled. âthe only thing this place wonât grant you is an escape. that is something you will have to find on your own.â
your shoulders, dropped in disappointment. he patted you on your head. âcheer up. we can go to this room of yours, and find a way to get out of this place after we eat something. i hope you donât mind sharing the room with me.â
you shook your head. âof course not. i would rather not be alone here any longer. we just need to follow the markings on the wall to get to the room.â
you led the way, jungwon quietly following behind you. now that you had someone to accompany you, you didnât seem to mind the noises from the dripping wet carpet as much. or even the lights that kept flickering occasionally.
the room, thankfully, had not magically vanished. there were a few changes that had occurred however, like how the makeshift bed was now significantly larger, having more than enough room for too. it also had two pillows now, along with a blanket. upon checking the bathroom, you realised there was now a shower there, along with a bucket and a mug. basically, the bathroom had been upgraded. the room itself was now significantly larger, the food and water supply having been increased magically.
you informed jungwon of these changes, to which he simply smirked. âtold you. this place doesnât want to hurt us. itâs simply enticing us to stay. preferably forever.â
his words sent a shiver down your spine. stay? in here? forever? that sounds like a fever dream. you had to admit, the whole thing was very unsettling. but who were you to complain, when you could have as much food as you liked, and sleep for however long you wantedâwithout having to worry about going to work?
right on que, hunger struck you again. jungwon seemed to feel the same, since he suggested eating something. you obviously agreed, already picking up some sausages, rice cakes, and banana milk. jungwon picked up sausages, bread, and some cheese. you watched as he made two sandwiches for himself, while you hungrily devoured your own food.
once again, the taste did not disappoint. it felt like heaven, the rice cakes reminding you of your mom. you mentally apologised to her for not appreciating her food enough.
once you both were done eating, you went to put the plates in the sink again, jungwon following right behind you. the dirty ones from the previous time had magically been washed, placed neatly beside the sink. you raised a brow at that, off-handedly mentioning it to jungwon. he once again smirked, giving his recurring dialogue about the place taking care of you and trying to entice you into staying.
you shrugged, went to the bed, and sat down on it, jungwon doing the same. you didnât really feel tired, so you werenât exactly looking forward to sleeping at the moment. you looked at jungwon, who was already looking at you. there was a strange glint in his eyes, one that you didnât really understand.
âis there something on my face?â
the glint in his eyes was gone in an instant. ânoâwhy do you ask?â
you shrugged. âyou were staring at me, thatâs why.â
âyou were staring at me too.â
âthatâs because i wanted to talk.â
jungwon dropped backwards with a plop, letting out a content sigh as his back touched the mattress. âwhat is there to talk about?â
you deadpanned at him. âliterally anything and everythingâwhat our lives were like before, how did we end up here, when will we be able to get out of this placeâor if there is an exit at allââ
he cut you off with a sigh. âmust we talk about such mundane things?â
you furrowed your brows. âyes? if we are the only living organisms in thisâthis place, we should get along well. and in order to do that, we should know more about each other.â
with a small groan, he got up again. his hair fell over his eyes, as he stared at you through his bangs with a tired look. âwhat exactly do you want to know?â
you thought for a while. âwellâfor starters, your age.â
âtwenty one. twenty two next month. you?â
âtwenty one as well. but iâll be twenty two in around six months.â
âright. anymore questions?â
âdo you have a job, or are you simply a uni student?â
he groaned, throwing his head back. âwhy do i need to answer so many questions?â he almost whined.
you gave him a stern look. âbecause,â you enunciated with extreme precision. âwe must get to know each other more.â
he sighed. âi am both. i work as a lyricist and composer in my free time, while pursuing music as a subject.â
you nodded, impressed. âiâm working right now, to gain experience. after a year or two, iâll decide whether i want to continue working or start pursuing a masterâs degree.â
jungwon smirked lightly, rubbing his eyes. âdonât remember asking though.â
you rolled your eyes. âyou are insufferable.â
âyea?â he asked, his voice raspy from drowsiness. âwellâdeal with it. you are stuck with me now. until we get out, that is.â
you scoffed lightly. âare you sleepy?â
he raised a brow at you sassily. âdid you just realise that?â
you groaned at how annoying he was. âughâjustâjust go to sleep.â
he smirked again. âyou realise we need to sleep next to each other, right?â
you scowled at him. âdonât make this weirder than it needs to be.â
he raised his hands in surrender. âoh of course not, your majesty. i was merely stating a fact. why would i ever dare make an already weird situation weird by stating the facts?â
you rolled your eyes, going to the side of the bed that was against the wall, laying down on it. jungwon made sure to comment regarding that too. âlooking real comfy there.â
you ignored him, placing your arm over your eyes to block out the light. upon hearing some ruffling, you peeked through the gap slightly. you saw jungwonâs back turned towards you, taking off his hoodie, leaving him in just a black shirt. you quickly closed your eyes again, your cheeks suddenly feeling warm.
as if knowing you had just seen what you saw, a smirk appeared on jungwonâs face again, something you didnât see. he turned off the light, lying down with his back to you. right before he closed his eyes, he turned slightly, whispering teasingly. âgoodnight princess.â
your cheeks were warm for a very long time that night.
when you woke up, it was because of the bright light shining into your eyes. you squinted at the light, slowly sitting up. when your vision finally went back to normal, you looked around, realising the room had changed again.
it was a lot bigger now, with a wardrobe in one corner, a vanity table beside it. you saw jungwon admiring himself in the mirror. he looked at you through it, raising his brows at you. âgood morning.â
you rubbed your eyes, trying to rub the remaining sleep out of them. ââs not really morning.â
he shrugged, going right back to admiring himself. âyou donât know that.â
you shot back at him. âyou donât know the time either.â
âbut i can guess it.â
âso can i.â
âwhat makes your guess better than mine?â
you faltered slightly. âit justâmine is more accurate, okay?â
jungwon turned to look at you. âbut i have been here for far longer, so i have a better idea of the time than you do.â
you rolled your eyes, scoffing slightly. there was no point arguing with him. âright. whatever.â
he smirked, before walking over to you. he offered his hand to you. âcâmon sleeping beauty. letâs go exploring.â
you frowned, looking at his hand skeptically. âexploring?â
he nodded. âyep. exploring. finding a way to get out of this place. or do you want to stay here and rot for the rest of your life?â
you grumbled slightly, but took his hand. he hauled you up to your feetânot unceremoniously, as you thought he would, but in a gentle way. turns out he could be a gentleman if he wanted.
you took two pieces of chalk, while he took two more. the two of you set out, taking a different route this time. the marks you made were also different, making an âoâ on the walls instead of âxâ. with jungwon by your side, you didnât feel as afraid as you originally felt when you were alone.
the two of you tirelessly kept navigating through the maze, trying to find somethingâanythingâdifferent from the mono yellow walls. the flickering lights and a new addition of weird noises wasnât any less disturbing.
at some point, you swore you heard muffled giggling of some kind. you stopped, your body completely rigid. you snapped your head towards jungwon, trying to see if he saw it as well. your eyes were blown wide, pupils shaking slightly from ear.
jungwon on the other hand, was calm. the complete opposite of what you were feeling. âdonât worry. there is nothing here that will harm us. not physically, at least.â
your eyes widened. ânot physically?! what is that supposed to mean?â
he placed both hands on your shoulders to calm you down. âremember when i told you this place wants to entice you into staying by taking good care of you? well⊠when that doesnât work, it tries to play with your sanity. so yeah, just donât pay any mind to it. if you give any hint to it that itâs tactics are working, it will only up its game.â
you gulped harshly. what. the. fuck?! exactly what had you gotten yourself into?
jungwon tugged at your hand, pulling you to force you to keep walking. you let him continue to drag you, trying not to be affected by the disturbing sounds.
you truly tried. tried your very best. to ignore those random giggles, to ignore the whispers of your nameâthe enticing whispers of promises, promises for you to lead a life of utter luxury in here. all of it in exchange for you to let go.
let go of what? your sanity, of course. but that bit remained hidden. even if the implications were clear enough.
you remained tensed as jungwon gently guided you through the place, drawing the marks on the walls in your place. you tried your best to drown out the voices, but no matter how much you tried, they only became stronger. eventually your head started to ache, a sharp pain shooting through your temple.
you stopped in your tracks, holding your head in your hands. your eyes were screwed shut, the unbearable pain eating you up. jungwon looked at you with concern, and a light hint of panic. he called out your name with urgency. âare you okay? what happened?â
you let out a soft whimper of pain. âmy head⊠it feels like itâs about to burst open and split into two.â
jungwonâs eyes widened, as he stared at you in shock. â...fuck.â
he quickly put one hand on your waist, another under your thighs, quickly picking you up bridal style. he ran, carrying you in his arms. the very first corner he turned led him to a door. he kicked it open with his foot, the inside smelling weird, like the smell inside a hospital.
the room technically was kind of a hospital. it had white walls, a bed, and glass cabinets filled with medicines. he quickly laid you down on the bed, hurrying to the cabinets to find pain meds. after a bit of searching, he finally found a bottle of them. he quickly popped it open, taking a pill out.
looking around, he found a water dispenser, with a stack of paper cups on top of it. he took one, pouring water into it. going back towards you, jungwon made you sit up, whispering soft words of encouragement, as he practically forced you to take the medicine.
with difficulty, you swallowed it all down. your head was still paining, but the pain had lulled down quite a bit. you let out a relieved sigh, looking at jungwon. âthank you. that helped a lot.â
he sighed out in relief as well. âthatâs good.â he searched your face with his eyes, still looking worried. his hands were on his hips, adding to his almost comically worried face.
you reached out towards him, grasping his hand in yours. he looked at you, puzzled. âiâm fine, really. the pill helped a lot.â
he used his thumb to caress the back of your hand. âi would really hope so. canât have something happening to my only companion here.â
you gave him a wry smile. âof course not.â
he continued to stare at you. the same strange glint in his eyes came back, the one you saw after you finished eating a meal with him.
his other hand came up to your face, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. mustering up courage, you asked him. âwhy do you stare at me like that?â
last time, the glint had gone away almost immediately. this time, the glint stayed. âlike what?â
âlike⊠i donât know how to describe it. but it makes me feel like you are dissecting me from the inside.â
he raised a brow, his lips raising in a half smirk. âdoes that make you uncomfortable?â he murmured, his thumb lightly caressing your cheek.
the action sent shivers down your spine. ânoâŠâ you whispered, not trusting your voice.
he tilted his head. he was no longer caressing your face, but his hand remained in place. âno?â
your headache seemed to have vanished completely now. ânoânot really.â
he smirked, before letting go of your hand. he patted your head, the glint finally leaving his eyes. âcome on. letâs go. you look good enough now. and iâm hungryâiâm sure you are too.â
you blinked, as if coming out of a trance. âright. i actually am."
he was already at the door. âthen what are you waiting for? come on.â
you got up, following him. you were only a step behind him, not even bothering to look at the markings on the walls, just following him blindly. you were quite distracted for some reason, not being able to focus on what was going on.
after a while, you suddenly bumped headfirst into jungwonâs back. you moved back, groaning. you rubbed your forehead, scowling at the back of his head. âwhy did you stop all of a sudden?â
he turned around, arms folded. âyou werenât paying attention to your surroundings.â he stated.
you frowned at him. âso?â
âso?â
âso what?â
he sighed, giving you a âreally?â look. he leaned down slightly, coming eye level to you. flicking your forehead lightly, he replied. âso you should pay attention to your surroundings. especially when youâre in the backrooms.â
you rolled your eyes. âbut youâre already doing that for me.â you whined.
he stood up straight again, shaking his head. âwhat if i wasnât there?â
âbut thatâs not the case.â
he sucked in a breath. âwhat if i took the wrong way?â
âyou wonât.â
âhow are you so sure?â
âthe marks on the wall. they wonât let us get lost.â
he raised a brow, taking a step closer to you. then another. then another. till he was right in front of you. you blinked up at him, flustered. you took a step back, but he followed you. this continued till your back hit the wall.
he caged you against the wall with his arms. he leaned down, his breath brushing against your ear.Â
âwhat ifâŠâ he murmured. âi decided to lead you the wrong way on purpose?â
you could feel a burning heat creeping up your neck, reaching the tip of your ears. âwh-why would you do that?â
âhmmmmâŠâ
holy. fuck.
that was the sexiest sound you had ever heard in your entire life.
âmaybe i want to take advantage of you? when youâre all alone in this place, lonely and vulnerable, with no means of protecting yourself? then what?â
oh, how you wanted him to do just thatâ
what the hell?
you swore on your life it was the goddamn hormones. not having felt anything even close to a manâs touch in so long had made you like this. yep. that was it.
âi⊠i wouldârun? this place would do anything to keep me safe from harm, yeah? it would help me escape.â
he leaned back with a smirk. that strange glint in his eyes was back. âthis place might want you to stay, but donât depend on it fully for your survival. it doesnât necessarily care about you being âsafeâ, you know.â
you gulped. the proximity was doing things to you, making you feel things you absolutely shouldnât be feeling. noticing your state, jungwonâs smirk widened, as he stepped back completely, his hands back in his pockets. âdonât be so unaware of your surroundings. at least not in the backrooms. itâs not really as safe as you think it is.â
you frowned at the last bit. but before you could ask more, he was already turning, following the marks on the walls. you followed him, but this time you kept an eye on the walls yourself too.
that night,âor what you assumed was night, judging by your tirednessâit was hard for you to fall asleep. you kept tossing and turning, your mind still buzzing. it was completely occupied with the thoughts of just one personâjungwon.
you couldnât understand him, no matter how much you tried. you simply couldnât. he was one of the most complex and unreadable people you had ever met. you simply couldnât predict his next move. he was like a closed book, that just suddenly changed genres out of nowhere.
you had no idea what was it with him and that strange glint that appeared in his eyes randomly. what did it indicate? and why was it so inconsistent? just like the rest of his personality?
his words often contradicted themselves too. one moment he tells you the backrooms doesnât want to kill you, but the next moment he says that it doesnât care about your safety? what the hell was up with that?
right as you were about to turn again, you felt an arm drape over your waist. your breath hitched, eyes widening. before you had time to process what was going on, you felt jungwon pull you towards him. your back was now flush against his chest, his steady breathing brushing against your nape. you held your breath out of pure shock, your heart beating extremely fast.
âstop moving so much,â he murmured sleepily, voice raspy from sleep. âjust stay still and try to fall asleep.â
sleep? in this situation? how could you ever do that?
still, you tried to relax, taking deep breaths. you closed your eyes, your breathing eventually stabilisingâand before you knew it, you were knocked out, sleeping peacefullyâwhile wrapped up in jungwonâs arms.
the next day, you didnât really want to explore. the monotonous routine was not half as fruitful as before, since you didnât exactly have any kind of inadequacies regarding resources here. you had food to eat, a pool to bath in and swim, proper bathroom facilities, and even a medical room in case of emergencies.
thus, jungwon set out on his own, taking two chalks with him. before leaving, he gave you a strange warning.Â
âwhatever happens, do not let it get to you. also, donât try to go out on your own. not unless iâm back. if you decide to peek out due to any weird noises that you may hear, and see something unusual, immediately close the door. just wait till iâm back. okay?â
you frowned. you wanted to ask him further questions, but his expression made you hesitate. you reluctantly nodded, and wished him a safe journey, along with a safe return. he simply gave you a half smile, waving goodbye at you, before going outside the room, shutting the door.
the room was filled with silence as soon as he left. the kind of silence that rang in your ears, eventually becoming unbearable. you groaned softly, throwing your head back against the wall. why was it suddenly so boring and empty without jungwon? you didnât even know him before the accidental meeting a fewâdays? or had it been longer?âago. so how did you learn to not be alone this quick?
you shook your head, disappointed in yourself. seriously? you? feeling bored without the presence of a man? you could almost feel your teenage self curling her lips in disappointment at you.
suddenly, you remembered jungwonâs strange warning from before. what was he even talking about? weird noises? seeing something unusual? since when did this place host unusual anomalies?
just then, something clicked in your mind. the black mass you had seen in the first couple hours when you got stuck in this maze. following it blindly was the sole reason you found this wonderfully convenient room in the first place. but you hadnât seen the mass after that. not even before you met jungwon, forget after. so why was he asking you to suddenly be wary of weird noises or other physical abnormalities?
itâs not like he hadnât given you similar warnings before. because he did. more than once. but he never said anything about physical abnormalities before. was it because he thought you were safer with him around you?
the thought pissed you off. did he think you couldnât take care of yourself? that he was somehow better than you?
you scoffed lightly to yourself. you had been doing just fine before he arrived, and made his rather annoying presence apparent in your daily life. what made him think you couldnât survive without him?
gosh, he wasnât even here, yet you were pissed at him. that basically summed up his annoying nature. affecting you negatively even without being present.
or did he simply have an effect on you? one that you were too proud to admit?
suddenly, a loud creaking sound came from outside the door. thinking jungwon was back, you frowned. how was he back so quickly?
a few seconds passed, but the door remained closed. no other sounds either. you tentatively called out to him. âjungwon?â
silence. again, not the normal kind. but the kind that filled your stomach with dread. cold, bone gripping, blood freezing, dread. what the hell was that sound, if not jungwon?
you gulped harshly. maybe it was nothing. just theâthe backrooms testing you again. to see whether you were affected or not. the thought itself creeped you out.
a few minutes passed. just as you were about to relax, you heard another sound. the kind that your feet makes when you step on the dripping wet carpet that is there all over the maze. only, the sound was unusually loud, loud enough to reach into the room.
this⊠had to be jungwon, right?
right?
you slowly got up, going to the door. you hesitated, before mustering up the courage to open the door slowly. big mistake.
you expected to see jungwon. or nothing. the worst outcome you expected was the black mass again. but you were wrong. so, so wrong.
standing at the very end of the corridor, was a figure. its creepiness unmistakably clear as day. it was at least seven feet tall, body exactly like a skeletonâs, just⊠black instead of a grayish white. its head wasnât a skull, but rather a weird ball shape, with hair all over. its eyes were two glowing orbs of light, teeth similar to a skeletonâs. they werenât white, but instead a yellowish black. its stance was rigid, eyes glaring straight into your soul.
you stood staring at it, paralyzed. your hands shook in fear. what the hell was that thing?
a few more beats passed, before you finally came to your senses. you snapped into action, rushing the slam the door shut. at the very last second, you saw the figure suddenly take off in a run in your direction.
as soon as the door shut, a loud, unusual laugh rang in the room. it was the creepiest sound you had ever heard in your life. your breathing became erratic, as you stepped back. you dropped on the bed. getting up on it, you leaned on the wall, bringing your legs up to your chest.
just then, a series of voices started echoing around the room.
âall of this, and moreâŠâ
âisnât this life amazingâŠ?â
âyou donât even want to leave, do you?â
âisnât life here so much easier?â
âjust stay hereâŠâ
âyou could have it allâŠâ
âjust give in.â
âlet go of yourselfâŠâ
âlet goâŠâ
âlet go.â
âstop fucking fighting it.â
the voice started getting louder, more aggressive. you covered your ears with your palms, screwing your eyes shut, trying to drown the voices out. the voices started overlapping, the same creepy laughter from before joining in the mix.
you buried your head in your palms, rocking back and forth on the heels of your feet. sobs raked through your body, tears soaking up your t-shirt. just what had you gotten yourself into?
when you woke up, it was because of jungwon shaking you awake. you groggily opened your eyes, the action being difficult due to the dried tears making your lashes stick together. the back of your neck pained terribly, the awkward angle in which you fell asleep being the cause of your cramps.
jungwon looked extremely concerned at your state. he cupped your face with one hand, his eyes searching yours, brows furrowed with worry. he used his other hand to push your hair out of your face. âwhat happened? did you get hurt? did something hurt you? câmon, talk to meââ
he faltered at your eyes filling up with a fresh batch of tears. before he could utter another word, you balanced yourself on the pads of your feet, going forward to hug him tightly.
you sobbed into his chest softly, relief washing over you at his arrival. he froze for just a second, before quickly hugging you back. he held you tightly in his arms, rubbing the back of your head and patting your back. he didnât even have to say anything to comfort you. that was one of jungwonâs good qualities. the fact that he was exceptionally good at handling all sorts of situations.
once he decided you were calm enough, he broke the hug, sitting down, and making you sit down as well, properly. he rubbed the dried tears tracks off your face, brushing your hair back. it was only after that, that he gently asked you. âcan you tell me what happened now?â
you gulped harshly, before narrating the incidentâor rather, the series of incidents, to him. âi thought i heard you coming back, so i opened the door. instead of seeing you, i saw thisâthis weird figure. he was tall, menacingly so. his eyes were just two glowing orbs of white light. right before i closed the door, it suddenly decided to run towards me. after the door was closed, there was this creepy laugh, then those voices again. it was so scaryâŠâ
your voice broke at the end, eyes shaking with unshed tears. jungwon gently wiped them away. âthis is why i told you not to open the door when iâm not there. donât worry, iâm here now, arenât i? iâll keep you safe.â
his words only made you want to cry more. since when have people been this nice to you?
the two of you were hungry, opting to eat a delicious meal instead of continuing the depressive vibe. it was silent as you two ate today, with jungwon more than once turning his head to check up on you.
at night, the same voices plagued your mind again. you clutched your head in your hands, begging over and over in your mind for the voices to just shut the fuck up, but they didnât take the hintâobviously.
quite like the last time, you felt jungwonâs arm draping over your waist. he pulled you flush to his chest. his voice was soft, but raspy, riddled with traces of drowsiness. âturn around.â
you slowly turned around, facing him. despite the dark, you felt him caress your cheek, before planting a gentle kiss on your forehead. the sudden kiss caused you to freeze, not even noticing as the voices had suddenly quietened down, heat rushing up to your cheeks again. jungwon pulled you even closer if possible, forcing you to hug him as you slept.
that night you slept soundly, away and immune to any more voices or other abnormalities, or from any other kind of disturbances.
in the morning, it was the bright light shining directly in your eyes that woke you up. it was annoying, but after yesterday? it felt like nothing really compared to the absolutely insane sight from yesterday.
what even was thatâthat thing? why was it there? and why did it only show up now, when you were completely alone and vulnerable?
and how did jungwon know about it? not to mention, he knew that the monster would show up only when you were alone.
how?
you couldnât really dwell on it for much longer, since jungwonâs voice brought you out of your thoughts. âdid you sleep well?â
you blinked off the residual sleep from your eyes, slowly getting up. you turned in his direction. he was leaning on the far corner of the room, eating what you assumed to be ramen, along with rice cakes on the side. he raised his brows at you. you let out a simple âhmâ to answer his question, before getting up, and walking to the bathroom to freshen up.
once you were done, you had a small breakfast, your mind preoccupied with the events from the previous day. deciding you had enough, you turned to jungwon, ready to confront him. you were done being clueless about everything.
âwhat was thatâcreature? the one i saw yesterday? and why did it only show up now?â
jungwon was startled by your questionsânot necessarily from the answers that you demanded, but more so from your blunt tone. he sighed, straightening up, before replying.
âitâs just another way of the backroomsâ attempt at breaking you. it decided that yesterday was the time you were mentally worn out and vulnerable enough, so it decided to strike. breaking you down mentally, and then building you back upâif someone does that to you repeatedly, eventually you would become their slaveâready to do whatever they say with just a snap of their finger. donât you agree?â
the way he said it all like it was nothing⊠it sent a shiver down your spine. he had this way with his words that always had the desired effect on you. it was frustrating. but also kind of hotâ
focus.
you cleared your throat. âright. but how did you know about it?â
jungwon simply shrugged. âit tried the same thing on me. multiple times. didnât work. so it gave up, eventually. you just need to not be affected, thatâs it.â
easy for him to say. you may be a very practical woman, but even you were scared of certain things. ghosts, for one. and that⊠entity, could very well pass as one.
you let out a breath, which was more like a shudder. âand if i let it affect me?â
jungwonâs face changed. his eyes had that strange glint again. âthen iâll just have to try my best to keep you from going insane.â
your eyes widened at that. you gulped. going insane?
it wasnât like you didnât know about it being a possibility. because you did, very well in fact. but hearing it directly from him? that⊠that was what made the thought all the more terrifying.
jungwonâs expression relaxed again. he smiled softly, coming towards you, sitting beside you on the bed. âdonât worry,â he murmured softly. âiâll protect you.â
you gulped, lips parting. you thought you saw his eyes flicker down, but you werenât really sure. his hand came up, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. was he being deliberately slow? you couldnât really tell, when your own focus was on his face.
fuck, he was so close. had he ever been this close before? if you leaned in just slightly, just a little bit, maybeâ
a loud sound broke you both out of your reverie. it sounded like something had short-circuited. you both looked at the door, then back at each other. the same thoughts were running through your minds.Â
should we check it out?
the two of you cautiously got up, walking towards the door. jungwon looked back at you once, before finally opening the door. looking outside, you saw one of the lights outside was broken. it looked like someone had broken it purposely, a large chunk of the glass covering lying on the floor below. before either of you could comment, the strangest thing yet happened.
to both of your collective horrors, the broken glass pieces floated up by their own, before reattaching itself to the tube light. miraculously, the light flickered on again.
jungwon slammed the door shut again. the two of you stared at each other, barely concealed horror evident on both of your faces.Â
what the hell was that?
jungwon grabbed you by your hand, forcefully pulling you away from the door. even when the two of you were seated on the bed again, he didnât let go of your hand, instead rubbing circles on the back of your hand using his thumb.
âthatâs the first time i have seen something like that too, believe me. but donât let it get to you. or else theââ
you snapped. âthe backrooms will think iâm weak and try the same tactics, is it? i know, jungwon. itâs only the hundredth time you have repeated the same thing.â
jungwon looked shocked at your sudden outburst, before his face hardened. the same glint in his eyes was back. his grip on your hand tightened. âi am trying to keep you safe. i care about you, canât you see that much?â
you snatched your hand out of his grip, getting up from the bed. âi donât need your care. iâm not a fucking child.â
jungwon followed, getting up as well. he grabbed your hand again. his actions were starting to piss you off. âyou may not physically be a child, but you sure are as stubborn as one.â
you tried to snatch your hand out of his grip, but he only tightened it. he pulled you towards him, his other hand shooting out to grab your waist, pulling you flush against him. you furrowed your brows at his actions, trying to push his chest with your free hand.
jungwon scoffed at your incredibly weak and futile attempts. âwhy are you being so difficult? you clearly need me here with youâunless you want to go insane?â
you glared at him. âyouâre not all that. i can take care of myselfâi was taking care of myself, just fine too, before you showed up. why would i suddenly need your help?â
he glared right back at you. that strange glint in his eyes still hadnât left. âbecause you arenât nearly as strong as you think you are. why canât you just let me take care of you? do you find it demeaning to need help once in a while? even when it can save your life?â
you scoffed at his audacity, brows raising at his blunt accusations. you tried to push him off again. âexcuse me?â
he didnât even budge. âi said what i said. you canât even deny it, can you?â
your eyes just widened further in disbelief. mustering up as much contempt in your voice as you could, you spoke again. âi will let you know that youâre an absolute piece of shââ
you were suddenly interrupted by his lips crashing down on yours harshly, silencing any further insults or protests that you might throw at him. his brows were furrowed, eyes screwed shut, as he kissed you aggressively, pouring out his frustrations into it.
oh.
oh.
he was kissing you. thatâs⊠wow.
you hesitantly closed your eyes, returning the kiss. he stopped gripping your hand, grabbing your nape instead. his kisses turned hungrier now, but had the same aggressive edge. you fisted his shirt in both hands, returning his kisses with the same fervor.
jungwon started backing you up, until your back hit the wall. he had placed one hand behind your head to protect it from getting hit. he then used both hands to cup your face, practically devouring your mouth.
your hands went to his shoulders, feeling lightheaded from the way jungwon kissed you. one of his hands sneaked down to your waist, before slipping under your shirt, touching your bare skin. his cold hand contrasted with the warm temperature of your waist, which he caressed with his thumb. you let out a whimper into his mouth at the feeling, which immediately resulted in a groan from him.
his tongue slipped into your mouth, earning a surprised gasp from you, which he eagerly swallowed. his tongue licked every corner of your mouth it could reach, tracing it like he was trying to map out and remember everything. your knees felt weakâif it werenât for jungwon holding you, you would have surely collapsed on the floor.
he finally took mercy on you, breaking the kiss. his forehead was attached to yours, as the two of you panted heavily, trying to catch your breaths. jungwonâs gaze kept flicking back to your lips, as if he wasnât satisfied by quite literally taking your breath away.
when his gaze finally locked onto your eyes, you felt like your knees were about to give away again. his gaze was so strong, and that strange glint in his eyes seemed to have intensified tenfold. was he trying to make you go insane on purpose?
he brushed the hair out of your eyes, before speaking. âare you done being stubborn?â
you gulped. âyou think kissing me will make me bend to your will?â
jungwon raised a brow challengingly. âyou seemed quite into it.â
âi wasnât.â
âthe way you kissed me back says otherwise.â
âit was instinct.â
âso should i keep kissing you to tire you out? will that make you listen? or should i go âabove and beyondâ?â
above and beyond? the implication caused your breath to hitch. oh, how you wished he would do it anywaysâ
no. stop being horny, woman. control your hormones.
you got out of his grasp. âi would rather you donât.â
you didnât know if you were misreading him, but jungwon looked almost disappointed. but he didnât push anymore. he stepped away, hands back in his hoodie pockets. âsuit yourself. but please listen to me when i tell you something. i have been here for far longer than you have. if i tell you something, it obviously has a reason behind it.â
you reluctantly nodded. satisfied, he made his way to the door, putting two chalks in his pocket on the way. once he reached the door, he looked back at you. âdo you want to come with me, orâŠ?â
you shook your head. your lips were still tingling from the kiss, your face still flushed. it would only feel awkward for you if you went with him. you would probably wish he pinned you to the wall and kissed you like his life depends on it again, and wouldnât be much help.
jungwon nodded, his eyes harbouring that same disappointed look. he quietly closed the door behind him, setting off on his own.
you sighed, lying down on the bed. you didnât know what the point of looking around the place was. after all, the only time either of you discovered something interesting was when you were in great need of something, or at your witsâ end. it was frustratingâbut it was how the place worked, apparently.
could you ever even get out of here? the thought seemed almost ridiculous now, your hope for it even bleaker. the place was starting to drain you, the monotonous nature of⊠everything, was tiring.
then there was jungwon, who thought you were some weak little bitch that couldnât even take care of herself. did he really look down on you, or did he have some sort of superiority complex?
but that wasnât even the most prominent question in your head. the most prominent question was: why did he kiss you?
most importantly, why did he pretend like it meant nothing to him? did he really kiss you for no reason at all?
ugh. men. they are all the same, no matter the situation. in your teenage years, miyoung always used to preach about all men being liars, and just terrible people in general. every time, you wholeheartedly agreed with her. so why the fuck was it different now? why did you kiss jungwon back?
stupid, stupid, stupid. you were so fucking stupid.
you had taken a bath and fallen asleep, by the time jungwon was back. he woke you up, urging you to eat something. you sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. âdid you find anything interesting?â
he shook his head, tearing open a packet of chips. âonly a drink stand. had a glass of lemonade and some apple juice there. other than that? nothing.â
you nodded, getting off the bed. you grabbed a bottle of water, struggling to open it, since it was sealed. jungwon took it from you without a word, opening it for you. you thanked him, drinking the water.
you looked at the shelves. you had already tried a lot of combos, so the food didnât really satisfy your taste buds as good as it did before. sighing, you grabbed some ramen. you crushed the packet in your hands. once you were satisfied, you opened the packet, and poured the sauce in it. closing it, you shook the packet, ensuring the sauce mixed well. you took a spoon and ate the raw concoction. didnât exactly refresh your taste, but it was alright.
you pretended not to notice jungwon burning holes into the side of your head. you didnât know what his deal wasâand if he wanted something, he could man up and ask you himself.
you didnât know why you were pissed at him, but it didnât really matter. he seemed to think he was so much more capable of taking care of you than you could yourself. you didnât have the energy to argue with him again. besides, you had greater matters to think about. how to get the fuck out of this place, for example.
once the two of you were done eating, you quietly lied down, facing the wall. the light turned off, before you felt the mattress dip behind you, indicating jungwon had lied down too.
a minute passed. then ten. then thirty. yet, sleep didnât seem to come over you. why was that the case again?
you tossed and turned a bunch of times, frustrated. you didnât really have anything to do, so sleeping was the only option. but you simply werenât tired enough.
you groaned softly. your laziness was the cause of this. ugh, if only you left with jungwon when he went exploring.
you stared at the wall, not a trace of drowsiness in your brain. why were you always so unlucky? no wonder jungwon thought you were incapable of being left on your own.
suddenly, you felt the all too familiar hand draping over your waist, pulling you back. your back was pulled flush to jungwonâs chest. âcanât sleep again?â he murmured in your ear.
you let out a small sigh. âyeahâŠâ
he let out a âhmâ. his hand slipped under your shirt, thumb brushing over your bare skin. the simple gesture causing your breath to hitch. you forced yourself to relax, but the goosebumps on your skin were probably a dead giveaway that you were in fact, not fine.
eventually his hand started wandering. it slowly started inching up. you didnât say anything at first, but as soon as it reached the underside of your boobs you caught his hand.
âjungwonâŠâ you warned slowly. âwhat are you trying to do here?â
you could feel him smirk against your nape. âyouâre so tense. i only want to help you relax.â
his implication was clear. despite having only known him for a few days, he had kind of become someone you could greatly rely on. even if you would never admit to him out loud. not to mention the two of you had needs, and seeing that you both were the only ones stuck in this place, it was only logical that you both helped each other get off, right?
you let go of his hand. he let out a victorious snicker, his hand finally reaching your tits. you let out a soft gasp as he squeezed one of them, before beginning to massage it. he flicked your hardened nipple, earning a small moan from you. he was definitely enjoying this as much as you did, if his rock hard boner digging into your ass was anything to go by.
while kneading your tits, jungwon bit your ear softly. you let out a soft shudder. âyou know,â you spoke softly. âthis wonât exactly help me fall asleep.â
he snickered again. âwant more? all you need to do is ask, pretty girl.â
you were in no mood for his teasing tonight. âif youâre not even going to help me properly, why bother at allââ you tried pushing his hand off, but his grip tightened.
âi was only kidding, princess. you donât have to do anything that you donât want.â
you gulped, as his hand started travelling downwards. he pushed past your pants, cupping your panty covered pussy. he smirked as he felt how wet you already were. âno wonder youâre so desperate.â
your neck flushed with unwanted heat. but you kept quiet, your jaw clenched. jungwon traced his finger over your covered slit. instantly, more slick oozed out, wetting your underwear further.
without a warning, jungwon shoved his finger inside, uncaring of the barrier. you let out a shocked gasp, which turned into a moan halfway. you felt him starting to pepper hot, open mouthed kisses on the side of your neck, the sensation causing more moans to come out of you.
turning impatient, jungwon pulled your pants down, your panties following almost immediately after. he teased your slit for a bit, sliding his finger up and down. he pinched your clit, eliciting a whimper, and a whine from you. finally taking mercy on you, he pushed his finger inside. you moaned loudly, the delicious feeling taking you over the moon. it had been so long since you had indulged in any sexual activities, even solo ones.
his long finger reached places you never could, dragging across your gummy walls. his pace was purposely slow, earning whines from you. didnât he want to help you? why the fuck was he edging you then?
your pitiful whines were probably getting to him, since he added a second finger. the stretch felt amazing, prompting you to arch your back with a moan. his fingers moved with precision, dragging across your slick walls with purpose.
you felt him starting to suck on a specific spot under your ear, probably trying to mark you up with a hickeyâor more, you couldnât exactly tell yet.
you whimpered, more slick oozing out of you with each drag of his fingers, dripping past his hand, pooling down on the sheets. his teeth grazed the hickey he gave you. increasing the pace of his fingers, he finally found the perfect pace that he hoped would have you coming on his fingers in no time, if he played his cards right.
he licked the hickey under your ear, eliciting a moan of his name from you. the look in his eyes changed, even if you couldnât see it. his pace increased just slightly, using his thumb to rub circles on your clit, occasionally pressing and rubbing the hardened nub.
the band in your stomach started to tighten, signalling your impending orgasm. you whined out his name. âiâmâfuckâso closeââ
jungwon continued to rub your clit furiously, his hand not stopping its movements, even as his fingers started to cramp up. he curled his fingers in a âcome hereâ motion, dragging it through your walls with precision.
that did it for you. your walls clamped down on jungwonâs fingers, the band in your stomach finally snapping. your release oozed down his fingers, onto the sheets. he kept dragging his fingers through your walls shallowly, drawing out your pleasure.
as you came down from your high, he slowly pulled his fingers out of you, putting them in his mouth, licking them clean. oh, what he wouldnât do to go down on you right now. but you probably were tired enough to fall asleep now.
true to his prediction, you were already starting to drift off, not having any energy to even thank him. jungwon took two tissues from the nightstand, which had magically appeared, using them to clean you off. throwing the tissues away, he dressed your lower half again, before throwing his arm around you, and cuddling you to sleep. it wasnât the first time he had blue balls anyways. not with you around him.
when you woke up, it took you a few seconds, before last nightâsâor what you hoped was nightâevents flooded your mind again. you felt heat creep up your neck, your pussy unintentionally clenching at the memory. you would be lying if you said it didnât feel good, especially since this was the first time you had felt any sexual pleasure in a long while.
you got up, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. you didnât see jungwon in the room, so you assumed he had gone exploring again. you went to the bathroom to freshen up.
when you came out, you saw jungwon was back, frying some chicken nuggets on the stove. he had already fried quite a few, which were placed on a plate beside him.
âare these for me as well, or just for you?â you teased, knowing damn well no person would fry over ten nuggets just for themself.
âyou could have one if you want, but iâd prefer if you left the rest alone.â he replied with a straight face.
you raised a brow at him. you reached down, picking one up to eat. âiâm not exactly sure if youâre joking or not.â
jungwon deadpanned at you, putting the last nugget down on the plate. âwhat do you think, genius?â
you shrugged, munching on the nuggets. âi think these are delicious.â
he smirked, picking up one himself. âyouâre welcome, by the way.â
you rolled your eyes, but smiled nonetheless. the nuggets were seriously amazing, much better than when you cooked them yourself. but you werenât going to give him the satisfaction of hearing it from yourself.
once you were done eating, you drank some water, before leaning back on your hands. you looked at jungwon. âare you going to go exploring again?â
he had just finished drinking some water himself. wiping off a drop of water from his chin, he shook his head. âdonât really feel like it.â
you nodded, understanding. thinking for a bit, a sudden idea struck you. âwanna go swimming?â
he furrowed his brows. âswimming? here?â
you nodded. âthereâs a pool around here. i found it the day we met. i had just had a bath there before i ran into you.â
jungwon raised a brow. âyou took a bath in a pool?â
your cheeks flushed. âthe shower wasnât here at that time, okay? itâs not my fault that i was desperate for a bath.â
he smirked. âcalm down princess. iâm only teasing you. i donât care what you do in this place, as long as it doesnât compromise your safetyâor your sanity.â
your cheeks flushed further at the nickname. âwhatever.â you replied, albeit embarrassed.
his smirk widened slightly, before he got up, offering his hand to you. âletâs go take a swim, princess.â
you gave him a glare, knowing he was using it on purpose to fluster you. you took his hand regardless. the two of you took an extra pair of clothesâincluding underwearâwith you, from the wardrobe that had magically appeared a few days ago, as you set out to go to the pool.
you both were quiet during the walk. the silence wasnât overbearing or uncomfortableâbut rather a comfortable silence, in which neither of you felt the need to go out of your ways to speak, in order to make the air âless awkwardâ. since, you know, it wasnât awkward in the first place. or so you tried to convince yourself.
the pool hadnât changed much, other than the addition of proper changing rooms, and showers. the lighting had become better too, which was good.
the two of you went into different changing rooms, stripping down to just your underwear, since neither of you had seen any swim wear in the wardrobe. you hung your old clothes, and the ones you were planning to change into, in the changing room.
the two of you came out of the rooms at the same time. jungwon immediately checked you out, not even bothering to be subtle. you on the other hand, felt shy, looking away. you looked at the pool, determined not to stare at him. you werenât sure if you could handle it.
yet.
you went to the edge of the pool, sitting down, dipping your legs into the water. it felt cold against your skin . not ice cold, but just cold enough to feel pleasant. you swung your legs in the water, enjoying the feeling.
suddenly the sound of splashing water caused you to snap your head in that direction. jungwon had decided to straightaway dive into the water, unlike what you were doing. when he swam up, his entire hair was dripping wet, as was his torso. he shook his head aggressively to get some of the water out of his face, brushing his hair back with his hands.
you had been hungrily gawking at him the entire time, watching the way the water droplets cascaded down his torso. you felt like a pervert, but you couldnât help yourself. he looked too delicious to not stare. so it wasnât really your fault.
when he finally opened his eyes to look at you, you blinked, acting as if you hadnât just been burning holes into his well-built torso. he was hot, okay?! you werenât a pervertâŠ
âare you not going to come in?â he asked, interrupting your thoughts. he had swum closer to you, looking at you inquisitively.
you blinked. âprobably not. this is fun enough.â
he gave you a look, as if to say âreally woman?â âyou realise it was your idea to go swimming?â
you bit your lip, feeling shy to go into the water in front of him. âyeah, butâthis is fun tooâŠâ
jungwon gave a small groan. âoh come on! just get in the water.â
you shook your head. ânah, iâm fine.â
he sighed. âthis wonât doâŠâ he muttered.
suddenly, he started making his way towards you. he came right in front of you. âget in the water.â
you frowned. âi donât want to. itâs kind of cold.â you lied.
he shook his head. âno excuses. i wonât hear it. get in before i make you.â
you scoffed in amusement. ânah, you canât.â
he raised a brow challengingly, as if to say âoh, really?â. without a warning, he grabbed your waist, pulling you off the ledge. you let out a scream, your legs wrapping around his waist. the position was awkward, but you were too panicked to care.
jungwon stepped back a little, before unwrapping your legs from around him. he dropped you unceremoniously into the pool, causing you to almost go under the water. you managed to grab him to balance yourself at the last second, coughing up the little water that had managed to enter your system in the short time.
jungwon had been laughing at you the entire time. the audacity?! especially after being the reason you fell in the first in the water in the first place?
you scowled at him, before pushing him roughly. but he had been anticipating that, so he didnât even budge. gosh, he pissed you off so much.
he grabbed your arms to stop any further attempts of you trying to drown him. not that you could, since he was physically much stronger than you and could overpower you easily if he wanted.
he still had a victorious smirk on his face, as he looked down at you. âalright, thatâs enough.â
you glared at him in disbelief. âenough? i hardly believe so. you threw me into the water! and i wasnât even bothering you!â
he shrugged. âhey, in my defense, youâre at a pool and you werenât inside the water. that should be some kind of federal crime.â
you scoffed in disbelief, trying to shove him again, but in vain, since he had a tight grip on you. âdonât just try to spit nonsense to excuse your absolutely inexcusable actions! i could have drowned! drowned!â
he deadpanned at you. âitâs a five feet deep pool. you would have been fine.â
you sputtered. he had a point. but it was still rude to throw you in the water like that. out of pettiness, you kicked his shin.
his expression changed. âalright, thatâs it.â
he suddenly walked you back to the edge of the pool forcefully, pinning you to it. âjust because iâm being lenient with you, doesnât mean you get to say or do whatever you want.â
you blinked aggressively, stunned at the sudden behavioral change. why did he randomly have a different personality? did he have some kind of personality disorder?
you glared at him. âitâs not my fault. you started this.â
jungwon raised a brow. âoh? so would you like me to end it too?â
you gulped, trying not to show how flustered you were. âwhat is that supposed to mean?â
the ghost of a smirk appeared on jungwonâs face. the same strange glint was back in his eyes. he leaned closer, right next to you ear, as he whispered. âyou know, like something that happened last night?â
you furrowed your brows, before the implication of his words finally hit you like a truck. you gulped, your eyes wide. âiâŠâ
his smirk was completely back now. âyou what, baby?â
you gulped again. god, why was he so damn attractive?! you swore if he wasnât this hot he wouldnât ever get away with half the shit he did.
âcat got your tongue, pretty?â
holy. fuck. your face was definitely overheating at this point.
without thinking, you leaned your face upwards, kissing him. anything to shut him up at this point. or so you told yourself. he immediately kissed you back, with extra vigour. his hands went to your waist, pulling you flush to him. judging by how hard he was against your thigh, you guessed he probably wanted to do this for quite a while now.
your hands locked behind his nape, letting him kiss you like it was the last time he would ever see you. his hands began to wander, squeezing your ass. you let out a whine into his mouth, one which he gladly swallowed, pushing his tongue into your mouth. he kissed you so desperately, like the two of you didnât need air. it was as if oxygen was the last thought on his mind, pulling you impossibly closer to him, devouring your mouth like it was the best meal he ever had.
you wished he would eat you out like thatâ i mean. who said that?
he lifted you up slightly, making you wrap your legs around his waist. you broke the kiss to take in some much needed air. jungwon tried to kiss you again, almost immediately, but your noise of protest knocked some sense into him.
the way he stared at you while you caught your breath had your pussy clenching out of anticipation. how could one look that hot? drops of water cascaded down from his hair, face, and chest, eventually falling and mixing with the pool water. you would have licked every single drop off him yourself, even if he didnât ask, but you still had some dignity left in you.
he suddenly attacked your neck, too impatient for you to catch your breath. he sucked and bit on the soft skin, determined to leave enough marks to completely cover the entire expanse of your neck, and soon, your chest. he licked over the hickey from the previous night, biting on it. you whimpered at the sensation, tilting your head to give him more access. his hands travelled under your wet pantiesâwet because of two reasons, not oneâand squeezed your bare ass cheeks. fuck, he was so obsessed with you, and you had absolutely no idea. especially not the extent of it.
he trailed a bunch of hickeys along your jaw, licking over each one. he went back to devouring your mouth. his cock was rock hard, begging for release. but he was too lost in you to care about that now. while it didnât bother him, it definitely bothered you. it was pressing against your stomach, and all you could think of was his cock buried inside you till the hilt. so you did the logical thing that anyone in this situation would do. probably. or maybe not, you didnât really care.
you broke the kiss. âjungwon?â you asked, your voice breathless from how intensely he had been kissing you.
âyeah?â he replied, his own voice slightly dazed.
âcome out of the water.â
he blinked once. âokay.â he let go of you, setting you on top of the edge carefully, before getting out of the water and sitting beside you without any further questions.
you turned, turning towards him, watching as he did the same hurriedly. his eyes kept flickering back to your lips. you took a deep breath, before you dropped the question on him.
âcan i suck you off?â
jungwon blinked. once. then twice, wondering if he heard you correctly. you raised your brows at him, trying to get him to answer you. he only blinked again. âhuh?â he asked dumbly. was he broken? did you accidentally break him?
âi asked if i could suck you off.â
okay. he was officially broken. fuck, could you be anymore perfect? he continued to stare at you unblinkingly, fantasizing about the exact thing you asked him.
âiâm guessing thatâs a noâŠâ you started, tone disappointed.
âno no no no noâ!â he quickly reached out towards your hand, eyes widening in panic. âyou can, of course you can. i, uhâi was just surprised, thatâs all. i wasnât expecting you to be so direct about it.â
you scoffed in amusement, before getting in the water, standing in front of him. you signalled him to come to the very edge, which he immediately complied with, spreading his legs wide enough for you to clearly see the bulge that he wasnât even trying to hide. your hands rested on his waistband. right as you were about to pull down his boxers, he stopped you, holding your wrist tightly.
âwait waitâ! i⊠are you completely sure about this? i meanâyouâre sure wonât regret it or anythingâ?â
you deadpanned at him. âi have fantasized about much dirtier things with you in mind. iâm absolutely positive i wonât regret this.â
he looked shocked at your honest confession. he obviously had fantasized about you a lot, but hearing you did the same? that only made his cock twitch in excitement. he let go of your hand. right on que, you promptly got rid of his boxers.
his cock slapped against his stomach, leaving a trail of pre cum behind. his bulbous tip was an angry red, the veins trailing his cock throbbing incessantly with need. you gulped, your mouth almost watering at the sight. you did the mistake of looking up at jungwonâs face. he had that strange glint in his eyes again, paired with a look on his face that made you feel utterly exposed under his gaze, even if you had your underwear on. you grabbed him at the base, slowly pumping him with both hands. jungwon groaned, throwing his head back, hands gripping the edge of the pool tightly. his cock throbbed harder in your hands, desperate to be inside your mouth already.
you bent down, tentatively licking the slit. you heard him spew a string of curses, more precum spilling out of his cock. you licked it all up, swirling your tongue around the tip. you could see his breathing grow heavier, his fingers twitching, desperately needing you to fully swallow his length. you licked a few stripes up from the base to his top, along the underside of his cock, over a vein, knowing it would drive him crazy. you were right, as he let out the most delicious moan of your name ever.
it encouraged you to finally wrap your lips around his tip, before taking in as much of him as you could without gagging, using your saliva and his precum to lube him up. the salty taste and musky smell didnât stop you, only encouraging you to try and take him deeper, especially since it was him. fuck, you would even deep throat him if he asked, thatâs how hot and irresistible he was.
but he didnât really need to ask, not when you were readily trying to do just that, gagging slightly around him. he looked at you trying to take in more of him like you were some kind of goddess. could you be any more amazing? the way your tongue dragged across his veins made his eyes roll back every time, moan after moan of your name falling from his lips, like a prayer.
but why would he need to pray, when he had his own goddess down on her knees for him?
he tried, he really did, to stay as still as possible, but you were sucking him off a bit too good. believe him, he really couldnât help it, when he bucked his hips into your mouth. not even when you gagged around him.
he muttered apologies, patting your head softly, pulling your hair into a makeshift ponytail to help you. the way you bobbed your head up and down, practically sucking the life out of him was leading him to be on cloud nine. after all this time of fantasizing about you, you willingly being on your knees for him was still a tad bit unbelievable for him.
so he told himself he was only going to do this just in case it was some too-good-to-be true dream of his, as he tightened his grip on your hair, and pushed your head fully down on his cock. he apologised to you profusely as you gagged and choked, his words contrasting with his actions, as he began to ram his hips into your mouth, again and again. his apologies soon turned into curses, as he approached his high. he didnât even feel your nails digging into his thighs, too engrossed in his own pleasure. your mouth was just too good for him to stop.
his stomach contracted, as he finally reached his peak. ropes of warm cum erupted from his tip, shooting down your throat, as you struggled to swallow it all down. he kept going for a good thirty seconds, before finally pulling out of your mouth. you immediately sputtered, and coughed, your throat feeling completely abused. you felt jungwonâs gentle, and comforting touch brushing the hair out of your face. âare you alright? was i too harsh? did i hurt you?â
you shook your head, catching your breath. âno, not reallyâiâm alright, i promise.â
he let out a sigh of relief, helping you out of the water. he looked like he wanted to ask you something. you knew he was going to want to return the favour, but being inside the water for so long had left you freezing, so if you didnât take a shower and put on some clothes likeâright now, you would definitely come down with a fever.
âletâs go back now, itâs getting pretty late. we have been in the pool for far too long now.â
jungwon looked disappointed, but he nodded. you quickly went into the shower attached to the changing room where you had kept your clothes. you turned on the water, turning the knob to hot water. as soon as it hit your body, you instantly felt relaxed. midway through the shower, you heard the shower curtain being shoved back. you turned around, eyes wide, noticing jungwon standing at the door. you went to cover yourself out of instinct, which earned a disapproving frown from him.
he came inside, backing you up against the wall. âwhy are you trying to hide yourself from me? i already made you cum on my fingers last night. or do you need a reminder?â
your eyes widened at the blunt words. âi⊠it was just instinct. whyâwhy are you here? arenât you going to take a shower?â
you could swear he looked a little sad. âwhy didnât you ask me to return the favour? do you not want me to touch you anymore?â
you were speechless. you had no idea it would affect him this much. âiâi do want you to touch me, justânot right now. we are going to catch a cold.â
god, those puppy eyes were going to be the death of you. since when was he so cute? âbut i would take care of you in that case.â
you sighed. âjungwon, please. later, okay? iâm just a little worn out right now.â
his eyes flickered down. ânot even for a little while?â
ânot right now.â
he nodded, but it was obvious he wasnât satisfied with the answer. he left the shower room, closing the shower curtain behind him. you finished taking a shower, changing into new clothes. for some reason, you had put on a cropped top. you swore it wasnât cropped when you took out of the wardrobe, but⊠oh well. it would have to do.
it was unusually cold, when you went to sleep. jungwon hadnât spoken to much either after you both came back from the pool. god forbid you suck off a guy and donât let him return the favour in fear of catching a coldâapparently, they take it quite personally. you tossed, and turned again. why was it so difficult to fall asleep? you sighed, trying to will yourself into becoming tired, by counting backwards from hundred.
suddenly, a rather mischievous giggle echoed in the room. not the kind of ones that kids let out after being caught causing trouble, but the kind of giggle that filled you with dread, your blood running cold. why could you never catch a break?
âmissed me?â
certainly not. why the fuck would anyone miss some sort ofâyou didnât even know what to call it. an entity? that somehow was one with thisâthis place?
âawh, donât be so harsh. iâm sure you had enough fun while i wasnât here. why donât you entertain me now?â
this twisted, demented thingâs form of entertainment was trying to make you lose your sanity. by instilling fear inside you. how could that be anyoneâs entertainment? you certainly did not find the entire thing funny. that insane chuckle echoed in the room again, causing your hand to shake beside you. god, what had you gotten yourself into?
âyouâre funny. and truly the best entertainment i have ever had. why else do you think i made your living conditions so good?â
to make you give up on trying to escape, and suffer here forever, of course. why else?
âmhm. youâre not completely wrong. now there, pretty little thing. wonât you let me have you? all you need to do is give in.â
fuckkkk no. never in a million years would you willingly bind yourself to this place. seriously, who did this thing think it was?
âi can be anything you want, sweetheart. now, donât make me mad. be a good girl, and give in.â
âŠ
âdonât be so stubborn. give in to me while iâm still being nice. or else i wonât be so nice anymore. you donât want that, do you? just submit to me.â
âŠ
âi donât think you quite understand the implication of my words. there is only so much patience i have. give in to me. you know you want to.â
when you kept up your silent act, the voice started to overlap, becoming multiple voices, echoing and screaming in your head. you clutched your head tightly, unable to bear the oncoming headache. it was terrible, the feeling similar to your head splitting into two. you let out a small whimper, tears slipping down your face. the voices were starting to become one shrill, extremely high pitched note, the sound worse than nails on a blackboard. at the rate at which it was going, you were close to becoming deaf.
all of a sudden, the voices stopped, just as you felt jungwonâs hands on top of yours, which were covering your head. you snapped your eyes open, blinking away the tears. you could hear his worried voice becoming louder, and louder, as you struggled to focus on it.
â...___? can you hear me? come on, say something!â
you took a few deep breaths, before finally managing to find your voice. âi canâŠâ
you heard him give out a relieved sigh. your eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, being able to make out his silhouette in the dark. âwhatâs going on? you were crying, and borderline screamingâŠâ
your eyes watered again, as you spoke with difficulty. âth-the voices⊠they are back again. andâfuck. it was speaking to me directlyâŠâ
you heard him curse under his breath. âwhat was it saying?â
you tried not to cry, as the menacing voice rang in your head again. âit-it was telling me to give in. and thatâthat it wouldnât be so nice if i kept resisting.â
jungwon gently took your hands away from your ears, before brushing the hair out of your face. he was hovering awkwardly over you, so he didnât want to crush you by suddenly hugging you. although he would have definitely preferred that.
turns out, you really needed the hug, because the very next second, you hugged him tightly. he had to avoid falling on top of you from your sudden gesture, his position even more awkward now, one that would surely lead him to cramp up if he didnât do something about it soon. he slowly lowered himself on top you, engulfing your body under his as best as he could. he could feel you holding back tears against his neck, a fear stray ones slipping out anyways.
âsweetheart,â he said softly. âdo you want me to make you forget about the voices?â
you felt a sense of deja vu, choosing to ignore it for the moment, as you sniffled quietly. âhow would you do that?â
âby occupying your pretty little head with something else, of course.â
you furrowed your brows. âwhatââ
but jungwon had already started to get into work, slipping downwards, hands gripping the waistband of your pants. you quickly caught one of his hands. âjungwonâŠâ you warned slowly, similar to last time. you couldnât see it, but that strange glint was back in his eyes. along with a pout on his lips that was cute enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. âoh, come on, princess. i just want to help you feel better. donât you want to feel better? and forget those voices?â
you gulped. he was way too persuasive. he couldnât get away with this every time! but just for now, maybe you could let him.
you slowly let go of his hand. âfine.â
you assumed that his victorious smirk was back on his face, although you couldnât see it. he began pulling your pants down slowly, along with your panties. once they were fully off, he ran a finger over your folds, delighted to feel some arousal already present there. âi knew you wanted this, princess. your body canât deny me.â
your face flushed. you wanted to retort that you two hadnât even had proper sex yet, how could it possibly be reactive to him? but you kept quiet, knowing he wouldnât like the answer. and that the result of that might not be of your liking.
you felt him lower himself, face level to your pussy. he blew on your folds, the cold air causing you to unintentionally clench. he gave an experimental lick on your folds, earning a surprised gasp from you. emboldened by your reaction, he started to lick at your arousal, causing more slick to drip out of you, all of which he was glad to drink up. your back arched slightly, a small whimper escaping youâa result of the sudden pleasure and relief you felt. you ran your fingers over his hair, slightly tugging at his locks. he groaned at the feeling, burying his face deeper into your folds. he spread your legs further, his blunt nails leaving moon-shaped indents on the soft plush of your thighs.
the way his nose bumped into your clit every time he tried to shove his face impossibly deeper into your cunt sent shockwaves of pleasure up your spine, eliciting the most delicious whines out of you. it only encouraged jungwon to try and push his tongue deeper inside you, drinking in your slick like it was the most divine thing he ever had the chance to taste, trying not to waste even the slightest bit.
he wrapped his arms around your thighs, pulling you closer to him, trying to shove his face even further into your impossibly wet pussy. your whimpers and whines were like music to his ears, the most beautiful melody he had ever heard. he finally detached his face from your cunt, breathing heavily. he stole a glance at your face, noticing your chest rising up and down heavily. a cocky smirk crept up his face, as he latched his lips around your clit this time.
a surprised gasp left your lips, as he started to harshly suck on it. jungwon could feel his own boxers getting stained with precum, his cock so hard it hurt. but he could care less about it at the moment, too pussy drunk to even bother thinking about it. he flicked your hardened bundle of nerves with his tongue, rubbing circles around it. he pushed your hand on his hair, encouraging you to pull on it. you compiled, tugging on his locks, eliciting groans out of him.
jungwon went back to trying to shove his face impossibly deep inside your dripping cunt, frustrated at being stopped by the length of his tongue. he brought one hand up to keep rubbing your swollen nub, your whimpers too good for him to stop. you could feel that familiar coil in your stomach tightening, causing you to try and warn jungwon of how close you were. âjâfuckâjungwon, i-iâm sâfucking close, fuckââ
he pinched your clit at your words, causing you to let out a whine in between your moans. your hand on his hair tightened, as you pulled on it, trying to push his face even further inside your pussy. it just felt so goodâtoo goodâbetter than anything any man has ever made you feel. as the coil in your stomach finally sprang free, jungwon hurried to drink everything down, afraid of missing even one tiny drop. your legs threatened to close around his head, but jungwon prevented that by holding them down, the veins on his arms bulging deliciously. he licked you clean, before latching his lips around your clit again.
your pulled his hair, trying to push him away from your sensitive pussy, starting to become oversensitive. jungwon reluctantly parted from your folds, the lower part of his face fully drenched in your cum. he wiped his face with the back of his hand, licking the excess juices off it. your taste was addictive, probably even better than drugs.
jungwon took tissues from the nightstand, wiping you clean, before helping your lower half dress again. he laid back beside you, his arms wrapping around you. he felt you turning in his grasp, a small smile creeping up on his face. he tightened his grasp around you, rubbing your back to help you fall asleep. he knew you could probably feel his rock-hard boner pressing into your thigh, but you were definitely too tired to help him out. and it wasnât like he couldnât wait. yes, he got impatient at times, but he could still wait. for a little while longer, at least.
when you woke up, it was because jungwon was planting hot, open-mouthed kisses on the expanse of your throat, trying to stir you awake. he was successful in doing so, obviously, as you groaned in irritation, trying to push his face away. he only grinned cheekily, grabbing your hand, pinning it to your side.Â
âcâmon princess, wake up. how long do you plan on sleeping? itâs been almost ten hours already.â
you grumbled softly. âhow would you know thatâŠ? itâs not like there is a way to know the time in here.â
jungwon only smirked, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck again. he mumbled against your skin. âbecause iâm smart like that. besides, you have been asleep for far longer than i have. i would know, since i have been awake for a while now.â
you groaned, reluctantly trying to open your eyes. the bright light shining directly in your face was annoying you anyways. you gave him a death glare through your squinted eyes, scowling when he remained unaffected. you reluctantly got up, going to the bathroom to freshen up. maybe today you could actually explore the place more, and find clues to get the fuck out of this monotonous place.
once you were done, you came out of the bathroom, noticing jungwon waiting for you on the bed. he had ditched his usual hoodies and donned a black tank top instead, covered by a denim blue jacket. no matter what he wore, he always managed to look like the most gorgeous human being ever, as if he were some unreal being sculpted by greek gods. because surely, looking this good all the time wasnât possible on a human level?
jungwonâs voice broke you out of your thoughts. âhow long do you plan on checking me out? i mean⊠i know iâm handsome, but staring for that long can cause your eyes to strain.â
you scowled at him, wanting to wipe his smug smirk off his face. âi wasnât staring.â
âyou most definitely were.â
âi wasnâtââ
âyouâre a terrible liar, anyone ever told you that?â
âshut upââ
âthatâs not how you thank someone that ate you out last nightââ
you threw a packet of ramen at him to shut him up, successfully interrupting him. he caught it, laughing at your flustered face. he didnât say anything any further, only watching amusedly as you picked up rice cakes and ready made sushi off the shelves, microwaving them. he tilted his head, as you waited for them to be done. âdo you want to go exploring today?â
you let out a non-committable hum, not looking at him. âi do. but iâm not really sure if i should. after all, it wonât be fruitful, given the nature of this place.â
jungwon let out a hum in response. âyeah, but stillâif this place has an entrance, it should have an exit.â
you shrugged. you werenât really hopeful of that possibility. so far, from what knowledge you had about the place, hope was a precarious thing here. if you hoped for anything other than leaving this place, you got it. but the moment you thought about leaving? the place tried its level best to make you lose your sanity. how was that fair? then again, how was anything in this place fair? matter of factâeven you being in this place wasnât fair. at least not for you.
a âding!â from the microwave signified that your food was ready to be consumed. you took the rice cakes and sushi out of the microwave, placing them on a plate. right as you were about to eat one, you stopped. you looked at jungwon, your hand awkwardly hovering in front of your face. âdo you want some?â
jungwon shook his head. ânope. i already ate. you go ahead.â
you nodded, leaning back against, a shelf. you felt awkward, at the prospect of eating when he wasnât, but you were hungry. so you started eating the food, finishing it within minutes. when you looked at jungwon, he was already looking at you. that same strange glint was back in his eyes, along with an unreadable expression. the look on his face sent shivers down your spine. you cleared your throat. âwhy are you looking at me like that?â
he raised a brow, the ghost of a smirk on his face. âlike what?â
âlikeâugh, i donât know how to say it.â
he leaned back on his elbows, his smirk now on full display. âjust spit it out.â
you gulped. âlikeâuhmâlike youâre⊠h-hungryâŠ?â
you cringed at your wording, but you knew what you actually wanted to mean. and by the smug look on his face, he did too. ââhungryâ? is that what youâre going to call it?â
your face flushed. âyes.â you gritted out through clenched teeth, wanting to disappear into the floor. he let out a deep hum, which caused butterflies to erupt into your stomach. god, why did he have to be so hot?
he didnât say anything else, so you went to the bathroom to wash your face. you splashed water on your face, looking at the mirror on top of the sink. you looked at yourself. did you always look this ugly, or did stress make you look like this? suddenly, a slight movement behind you caught your eye. you tensed up.
what. the. fuck. was that some sort of⊠shadow? at first you thought it was yours, the shape distorted because of the lightâs angle. then, to your utmost horror, the shadow began to shift. even as you stayed utterly still. the shadow grew in size. it grew, and grew, till it was six feet long. it kept growing even after that, but you were too busy letting out a startled scream to care about how much taller it was gonna get.
jungwon burst in, his eyes wide and frantic as he caught you in his arms. â___, whatââ
you grabbed his hoodie tightly, looking back at the place where the shadow was. it was gone. âth-the shadowâi swear it was just there, thisâthis huge shadow, that just kept growing, and growing, andâandââ
you couldnât continue, voice breaking, as you choked on a sob. jungwon hugged you tightly, cooing softly in your ear. âshhh, itâs okay sweetheart. iâm here now.â
you felt a strong sense of deja vu. specifically at the part where he called you âsweetheartâ. he definitely called you that before, but you felt like you heard it elsewhere too. you chose to ignore it for the moment, focusing on how soft, and warm his embrace felt. you let a few tears slip. why did the place enjoy torturing you so much? hadnât you suffered enough? you werenât even thinking of leaving this place, so why was it suddenly trying its tricks on you again?
you felt jungwon slowly stroking the back of your head to calm you down. his presence grounded you, helping you to focus on him, and not on the event that just occurredâif that occurred at all. what if you were just hallucinating? you didnât really have faith in your own sanity anymore. what if nothing thatâs happening around you is true? what if all of this is justâjust some sort of weird nightmare? maybe none of this actually exists. nothing thatâs happening around you at the moment, at least.
maybe the stress, and miyoungâs silly little story got to you, conjuring up this stupid place. hell, even jungwon might not be real. maybe he is just another figment of your imaginationâa person you conjured up in your loneliness to help you not feel as lonely as you are. you were broken out of your stupid thoughts, as you felt jungwon break the hug. he cupped your face, looking at you with worried eyes. âare you feeling alright?â
good question. were you feeling alright? at all?Â
of course not. who would feel alright in a place like this? a place where your sanity was being played with, every few hours? seriously, what was this place trying to achieve? you swear you werenât bothered about being here anymore, so why was it still hellbent on trying to induce a cardiac arrest for you?
you didnât voice out your thoughts to jungwon, of course. âiâm alright⊠just a little shaken, thatâs all. itâs not often that you see some weird shadow suddenly growing in size behind you.â
you tried to make it seem like a lighthearted joke, but your voice shook at the end. jungwon caressed your cheek with his thumb comfortingly, eyes holding pity for you. he hugged you tightly again, arms wrapping around you in a gentle embrace. you tried not to break down, to tell yourself that you were stronger than thisâthat this placeâs little party tricks werenât enough to break you down.
but deep down? you knew it was only a matter of time. only a few more tricks, played at the right times, and even jungwon wouldnât be able to do anything to save you from the inevitable. deciding it wasnât worth bothering about the possible future, you sighed softly, pushing at jungwonâs chest, breaking the embrace. you stepped away from him. âi think we should rest today. instead of going exploring, i mean. itâs not really worth the hassle.â
jungwon didnât say anything at first, simply looking at your face searchingly. as if not quite satisfied with what he saw, he replied in a slightly dissatisfied voice. âyouâre not wrong, but⊠should we really give up so soon? i mean, thatâs what this place wantsââ
âthen let it get what it wants. i donât fucking care anymore. i had enough of thisâits games. i donât need any more terrifying encounters.â you interrupted him.
jungwon looked shocked at your outburst. he took a step back, blinking at you, as if trying to process what you just said. âyouââ he sighed, not completing his own sentence. his eyes held this disappointed look that made you want to scream in frustrationâor at least rip your hair outâor his, both would work. âi didnât take you to be someone that gave up so easily.â
you tried to steady your voice, trying not to yell at him. âyou just donât get itâthis place fucking hates me. how is it that iâm the only one that suffers here? you never experience anything that i have the unfortunate fate of experiencing! when have you ever heard terrifying voices telling you to just give up? when have you seen weird creâentities in this place? or at least after you met me? why do they always come after me?! why am i the only one suffering here, when we are both stuck in the same place?â
your voice cracked at the end, tears starting to gather at your waterline again. âiâm tired, jungwon. so fucking tired. i donât like thisâany of this. i donât like living like this. i donâtâfuck, i just want my life back. i canât take this anymoreâŠâ
you buried your head in your palms, the waterworks starting again. only this time, they didnât seem to stop any time soon. you felt jungwonâs warm embrace around you again, but you barely acknowledged it, too busy hiccuping through your sobs. you felt him caress your back with one hand, patting your head with the other. his gentleness with you only made you want to cry harder.
it was weird, now that you think about it. in your real lives, you both would be practically strangersâyou were practically strangers in this weird place too. the only reason you both were so⊠close, was because this was the weirdest situation any living being could have possibly landed in. i mean⊠a whole another dimension? thatâs kind of insane, now that you really thought about it. and you were roommatesâsort ofâin this place.
âand they were roommates!â wow. classic cliche romance book trope. who would have thought?
except there wasnât any kind of romance between you both. not really. you certainly didnât have any romantic feelings towards him. you were attracted to him, sure, but thatâs it. he was hot, thereâs no denying that.
and apparently really good at having sex tooâ
ahem. nope. this was no time to be thinking about such things. thereâs much more important matters to focus on. like how good his embrace feltâ
oh my god. were you ovulating? because if you werenât⊠what the actual fuck is wrong with you?
you cleared your throat, parting from him again. god, you truly were dramatic. you wiped your eyes furiously, embarrassed over your antics. you looked at jungwonâs worried face, feeling your own face flush. âiâll uhmâtake a showerâto uhâclear my head.â
he nodded slowly, going out of the bathroom for obvious reasons. you never really acknowledged the slow changes that the place did to accommodate you anymore, since you had long since learnt the reason why it did so in the first place. but damn, the bathroom had really upgraded. there was even an exhaust fan here now, so that was great. good ventilation and all.
gosh. why were you even thinking about that? you were just rambling in your head about utter nonsense at this pointâanything to keep your mind off the real problem at hand. shaking your head, you decided to focus on taking a nice, long, warm shower to refresh your mind.
you came out of the shower, while wiping your hair with a towelâoh, did you mention how a fresh change of clothes magically appeared in the bathroom, despite you not having taken any in there? no? well, they did appear. and the t-shirt was cropped. again.
for some reason, the entire wardrobe was only filled with cropped shirts and t-shirts for you. a few days agoâor what you hoped was a few days agoâyou wore a shirt from jungwonâs side in the wardrobe. but even that magically shortened in the next few minutes. was the place into you or something? was that even possible? the thought was ridiculous, but it wasnât entirely impossible, given this was a completely different dimensionâprobablyâwith weird things happening all the time, you had no way to know for sure.
you noticed jungwon sitting on the bed, staring at you with a strange expression, yet again. that same glint back in his eyes. god, you were starting to think he might be in love with you too. well⊠at least he and this weird place would have something in common then. you thought you saw the corner of his lip twitch, but you couldnât be too sure. after all, there were many things that happened in this placeâmost of which you had no logical explanation for. so this too could have very well been your imagination.
you raised a brow at jungwon. âknow anything we can possibly do today to keep ourselves busy? other than exploring this place mindlessly, i mean.â
he smirked. âi can definitely think of a bunch of activities we can do. together, that is.â
you rolled your eyes. at least you werenât the only one that had something seriously wrong with them. âbe serious for once.â
âi was being dead serious.â
âimplying to have sex as an actual activity to pass the time is not called being seriousââ
âi never said anything about sexââ
âyou know damn well that it was exactly what you meantââ
âi donât know, it seems to me that you want to fuckââ
âi do notââ
âyou want me sooo badââ
you threw your towel at him. why was he so annoying? this was the second time you threw something at him, in the past hour alone. seriously, if he wasnât half as hot as he wasâŠ
jungwon put the towel on the nightstand, earning a displeased look from you. who puts a wet towel on the nightstand? were all men seriously hell bent on being as messy as possible? but you couldnât be bothered to tell him off, not when he was impatiently patting on the spot beside him, beckoning you to sit beside him.
sighing, you complied. you turned towards him, watching as he did the same. âsoâŠâ
you raised your brows at him. âhm?â
he suddenly grabbed your hands, giving them a light squeeze. âtell me about the voices. and every weird thing you have seen in this place.â
you furrowed your brows. why was he suddenly curious about that? out of nowhere that too? âuhm⊠what exactly do you want to know?â
âeverything. but maybe start with the anomalies or abnormalities that you saw.â
you racked your brain. âduring the first few hours of arriving here, i saw this shadowy mass that only moved when i did. and at the same speed too. it was what caused me to find this room in the first place.â
he nodded carefully. âwas the second time that day when i went alone to explore?â
you nodded. âi think so.â
he let out a thoughtful hum, his gaze no longer on you. he seemed to be thinking about something, although you had no idea what it was. âwhat about the voices? what do they say?â
you gulped. it was as if you could hear them all over again, even though you knew they werenât there at the moment. âuhm⊠they just tell me toâwell, âgive upâ, or to âstop fighting itâ.â
he raised his brows, concern etched into his face. âthatâs⊠wow.â
âi know.â
âthatâs kind of fucked up honestly.â
âi knowââ
âlike, really fucked upââ
âi know.â
jungwon sighed. âitâs just⊠wow. iâm sorry for telling youâwell, what i said in the bathroom before you took a shower. youâre a lot stronger than i give you credit for, really.â
his words made your face flush again. seriously, the way he could easily fluster you needed to be investigated. no one ever affected you this much before, not even your exâwho was your first love, and what you had hoped would be your last love. before he went and cheated on you, of course.
jungwon rubbed his thumbs on the back of your hands comfortingly, successfully breaking you out of your thoughts. âiâm here for you. you know that, right? whenever you feel bothered by literally anything, you can talk to me. i promise iâll listen.â
you gulped. why was he so nice to you? âi⊠appreciate that, really.â
he smiled softly, continuing to caress the back of your hands comfortingly. âseriously, youâre so much stronger than i thought. this place and its entities will have to up its game if it wants to actually succeed in breaking you.â
you felt slightly put off by his words. you didnât know why you felt that way, but it was just the way he said it. a feeling of dread began to settle in your chest again. what if the place did up its game? what if it actually succeeded in breaking you?
noticing the shift in your expression, jungwon squeezed your hands again. âdonât think of anything negative, yeah? i know hope seems bleak in this place, but trust me, iâll get us out of here. one way or the other. so donât worry your pretty little head too much, okay?â
you hesitantly nodded. he gave your hands another squeeze. âwanna go swimming? to take your mind off the silly stuff?â
your face flushedâfor the hundredth time nowâas you remembered what happened last time when you went swimming. of course jungwon noticed the change in your expression immediately. with a smirk, he spoke. âi mean, if you would like to recreate what happened at the pool last time, iâm all for itââ
âoh fuck offââ
you took your hands out of his grasp, getting off the bed, making your way to the door. you didnât bother waiting for him, even as he nearly tripped trying to quickly scramble towards you. you yanked the door open, speed walking towards the pool area, not even paying much attention to the markings on the wall anymore. jungwon quickly caught up to you, huffing a bit from how fast you were walking. even he didnât walk this quick, and his legs were much longer than yours.
you reached the pool area pretty soon, the place having somehow upgraded, yet again. the pool now had a little jacuzzi area, along with built in stairs to make the depth increase gradually towards the end. you couldnât help but be impressedâyou were seriously starting to think the place might be in love with you. honestly, you wouldnât doubt it. it was definitely not often that this place had someone this gorgeous inhabiting itâ
yeah, you really needed to stop thinking like that. what if the place decided to throw another entity at you to show you exactly how wrong you were? you glanced at jungwon, to see what he was doing. he seemed to be glaring in the direction of the jacuzzi, his brows furrowed. what on earth was he thinking about with that much concentration?
you couldnât be bothered to figure that out, opting to go into one of the changing rooms instead. oh, did you mention that you forgot to bring any swimming attire? but that wasnât a problem here, of course. there was a bikini in the exact changing room you went to, hanging on the hooks inside the room.
you raised a brow, taking it off the racks to examine it. it was a typical black coloured bikini, the pieces much too revealing for you. yep, this place definitely had a thing for you. you quickly changed into the bikini, admiring yourself in the mirror. holy shit. you looked hot. at least this place knew how to style you properly, so extra points for that.
you went out of the changing rooms, at the same time jungwon did. he was only wearing a pair of swimming shorts. you quickly looked away, determined not to be caught ogling. unlike someone, whose shameless stare was burning into you, as he unabashedly checked you out. well, that made him have something in common with this place. both of them had a thing for you.
you felt slightly smug at that, but then berated yourself mentally for having such shameless thoughts. must you provoke the place like that? did you want to lose your last bit of sanity?
running a hand through your hairâwhich you were sure would be ruined by the end of this swimming date, even if you tried your best to avoid itâyou made your way towards the jacuzzi. the temperature was absolutely perfect against your hand, so naturally you went inside it. you sat on the side of the jacuzzi, the wonderfully warm temperature feeling like heaven against your skin.
oh my god, did you just call this a swimming date? oh hell no, this wasnât a date. not a romantic one at least. this was a⊠hangout! yes! a friendly hangout between friends, thatâs all!
friends? were you and jungwon friends? could you both be called that?
you supposed not. what were you guys anyways? strangers? acquaintances? acquaintances with benefits? you cringed at the thought. seriously, this was so unlike you. you have never engaged in any kind of sexual activities with anyone this soon after meeting them for the first time. unless it was strictly for hooking up. so why was it so different in jungwonâs case?
maybe it was because he was just too hot to not pounce onâ
okay, you really needed to stop that. maybe you were ovulating, but you swore youâre never this shameless, even in your thoughts. so it definitely had to be the hormones. rightâŠ?
a sudden splash shook you out of your thoughts. you flinched, looking at the source. jungwon had apparently decided to not follow your footsteps, opting to jump into the deep end of the actual pool instead. he swam up the surface, throwing you a inviting smile. âdonât be boring and stay in the jacuzzi, come have some actual fun!â
you scowled at him. what did he mean by âactualâ fun? was he implying that being in a warm jacuzzi wasnât fun? âfor your kind information, this is much more comfortable and enjoyable than swimming around aimlessly in that cold water.â
he rolled his eyes at your stubbornness. âoh come on, the water isnât that cold.â
âbut cold nonetheless.â
âif youâre going to compare the poolâs temperature with the jacuzziâs, then of course itâs going to be significantly colderââ
âwhich is why i prefer this oneââ
jungwon groaned, before swimming in your direction. he climbed out of the pool, going inside the jacuzzi, splashing water everywhere in the process. âheyâ!â
he ignored your protest, coming to sit right by your side. âthat water isnât even that hot. itâs lukewarm at best. not really the most relaxing jacuzzi. the pool is so much better.â
you rolled your eyes. âitâs still pretty relaxing. you should really do that. relax, i mean. you have too much energy.â
jungwon gave you an incredulous look. âwhich is why i should spend my energy by being active. unless you have other ways of making me relaxâŠâ
he trailed off suggestively, a smirk creeping up on his lips. you flushed at the implication.
âshut up. gosh, if you want to âspend your energyâ, go ahead and do that. but let me relax in my own way.â
he gave you a look that said âseriously?â but you ignored him, leaning further back into the side, throwing your head back and closing your eyes. when was the last time you felt this relaxed? not in a long time of course, not with work in the way. while you focused on relaxing, someone else couldnât relax at all. seeing you look so unguarded, your head thrown back in blissâall that in that gorgeous bikini? safe to say, jungwon was finding it really hard to try and control himself from popping a boner. something he was unsuccessful at.
unable to control his surges, he suddenly pushed himself off the side, opting to cage you with his body instead. you lifted your head in surprise, flinching at the sudden proximity. âjungwonâŠ?â
but he wasnât looking at you. he was looking at your lips. the strange glint in his eyes was back again. it wasnât even a surprise anymore. but fuck, did you have any idea how hard it was for him to always control himself around you? anything and everything you did made him want to bury himself balls deep inside you, to make you his and only his.
fuck the real world. the real world didnât deserve you. no one did. except him. this was destiny, for the two of you to be stuck here. because you belonged to him even if you didnât know that yet. thatâs alright, really. you would realise it soon enough.
and when you did? you wouldnât be able to escape him. ever.
you gulped at jungwonâs intense gaze. this was the most intensity he had ever looked at you with. it made your stomach churn from the nervesâbut it also made your core throb in anticipation. his hands slowly came up to cup your face, tilting it up ever so slightly towards his own. his ragged breathing mingled with your own nervous huffs. why did everything always seem so intense with him?
one of jungwonâs hands suddenly moved to your waist, gripping you so tightly you thought youâd bruise. his other hand moved to the back of your head, pulling you in desperately for a heated kiss. your hands automatically gripped onto his shoulders, as you responded to the kiss with vigour. he tugged at your hair, pulling you even closer to him. he kissed you with so much desperation that it made adrenaline rush through your chest, flowing to the tips of your fingers, causing them to tremble.
he suddenly let out a slight groan, licking your bottom lip desperately to try and get you to part your lips. you complied, causing him to immediately push his tongue in. you let out a soft whimper, one which he was all too glad to swallow. his hand on your waist moved downwards, squeezing yourâbare?!âass cheek. when did you bikini bottom become a fucking thong?! you let out a shocked gasp into his mouth, one which he ignored, muffling it with his desperate kisses. he grabbed both of your thighs, lifting you slightly, making you wrap your legs around his waist. you broke the kiss to gasp for air, his boner pressing insistently into your clothed cunt.
the pressure made you whine softly, causing jungwonâs eyes to darken even further with lust at the sound. he smashed his lips into yours again, purposely grinding into you now. shockwaves of pleasure shot into you at the friction over your clothed clit. his hands went back to your bare ass cheeks, squeezing and kneading them with his hands. you felt too exposed for some reason, barely able to focus on anything other than how his tongue felt against yours. your entire body was burning up with need, the sparks of pleasure that you felt from jungwonâs grinding not helping at all.
you whined into his mouth, your thong starting to slide out of place at his purposeful movements. you were starting to grow wet for entirely different reasons than the jacuzzi, lust starting to cloud your mind completely. fuck, you need him. so fucking bad.
you tried breaking the kiss, desperate for air. jungwon seemed to understand, but he seemed reluctant to part from you. still, he let you break the kissâonly to reattach his lips to the juncture of your throat, sucking hickeys into it to make up for the fading ones.
you groaned softly at the feeling, amidst your pants. you tried to get him to part from youâbecause if he didnât fuck you immediately, you would probably faint.
were you being over-dramatic? probably. did you care? not really.
âjungwon,â you said, trying to get his attention. âplease, justâŠâ
he lifted his head to look at you. holy fuck, the look in his eyes alone was enough to intensify the throb in your core by tenfold. âwhatâs the matter princess?â
you gulped at the familiar nickname. âjust⊠fuck me, please.â
jungwon was visibly surprised at that. yeah, he knew you were just as desperate as he was at the moment, but to hear you directly say those words? it was enough to make his cock twitch in his swimming shorts. a smug smirk made its way to his lips. he couldnât skip the chance to tease you even in this situation. âmind repeating that for me, princess? didnât quite catch it the first time.â
your skin flushed in embarrassment. you knew he was only saying that to tease you, but you couldnât really bring yourself to care at the moment. âi said fuck me.â
he raised his brows, lips curling even more in amusement. âthatâs very demanding of you now, isnât it?â
you wanted to hit him, but the desire coursing through your veins only made you more desperate. âfuck me, please.â
he bit licked his lower lip, giving you a onceover. âyou see, sweetheart?â he spoke, his voice low and husky. âall you had to do was ask. nicely.â
right on que, he suddenly ripped your thong off of you, earning a shocked gasp from you. he ignored it, immediately pushing two fingers inside you. your eyes widened in alarm. was he seriously planning on doing this while you both were inside a goddamn jacuzzi?!
you clenched around his fingers despite being alarmed at the fact. your nails dug into his shoulders, a whimper escaping you, as he desperately tried to scissor you open. he kissed you again, muffling your noises, as his fingers moved inside you. they dragged across your walls with purpose, his thumb rubbing quick circles around your clit.
you whined into his mouth, the familiar feeling of the band in your stomach tightening. why was your orgasm approaching so quickly? you had no time to question it, as the wonderful feeling was quickly ripped away from you, as jungwon pulled his fingers out of you. he was suddenly pulling his swimming shorts off, throwing them over the ground.
he lifted you slightly, lining himself up to your entrance. the way his tip rubbed against your clit caused you both to shiver from the pleasure. you wanted to warn him to be gentle, since you hadnât really had any sexual encounters in a good while nowâother than the ones with him, but you didnât really have any time to do so. not when he was suddenly pushing himself inside you without so much as a warning.
both of you gasped at the feeling of him finally being inside you, your pussy clenching, and unclenching around his cock desperately to get used to him. he let you adjust for a bit, before pulling out slightly, then slamming all the way back inside, burying himself to the hilt. you let out a gasp mixed with a moan at the sudden sensation, a short feeling of bliss and relief spreading through you. you were impatient for him to start moving, as you clenched, and unclenched around him to mirror your patience, or lack thereof.
jungwon wasnât doing so well himself either. finally being inside you made him feel the same amount of satisfaction as a kid crying for candy that finally got a candyâthat too the best one available. he licked the corner of your lips, just to make you lose your mind even more. he couldnât be the only one that was already close to busting a nut from finally being inside you.
he ripped your bikini top suddenly, immediately latching his lips to one of your hardened nipples. fuck, your tits might just be his favourite part of you. right after your wonderful cunt, of course. speaking of, both you and him were getting rather impatient for him to move. so he finally started moving, pulling almost all the way out, before thrusting right back in. you couldnât control your moans even if you tried, his cock dragging across all the right spots, making you shiver.
you tugged at his hair with one hand, another one digging into his shoulder. you wrapped your legs even tighter around his waist, trying to pull him in deeper. you couldnât even tell if your slick was making it easier for him to fuck you, or if the jacuzzi water was hindering him. but judging by the pace he had set, the water was no barrier for him.
you clenched around his cock, the pleasure that it elicited shooting through your spine. you whined, the added stimulation of him sucking on your tits feeling a bit too much, and not enough at the same time.
jungwon used one hand to hold you upright against him, as he pounded into you without abandon, the other playing with your free nipple. he pinched, rubbed, and flicked it, till it was raw and sore. then he switched, sucking on that one instead, his other hand torturing the other nipple now. he nipped the hardened bud lightly, earning a surprised yelp from you, in the middle of your moans.
his thrusts were now starting to make you see stars, his throbbing veins rubbing across your walls in the right ways. they stimulated you just right, your walls turning more, and more slimy, making them easier to glide through, despite the water. you clenched around him, a whine leaving you. you needed him deeper inside you, if that was even humanely possible. but something about jungwon always made you malfunction, so you supposed this was similar to that. he was already buried balls deep inside you, and you wanted him deeper? when that physically wasnât possible?
if it was, you wouldnât have been here right now. you would have been at the hospital instead.
but this was no time to care about all those trivial matters. not when jungwon was pounding into you ever so deliciously. yet, it wasnât enough. something was missing.
right on que, jungwon stopped torturing your nipples, his lips smashing into yours again, tongue immediately pushing into your mouth. he used his hand to flick your sensitive bundle of nerves, before drawing circles around it, eliciting a loud whine from you. one which he gladly swallowed.
he pressed and rubbed your engorged clit, the shockwaves of pleasure shooting through you feeling way too good. the familiar feeling of the band in your stomach tightening again had you clenching around his cock. he kept pounding into you, his veins starting to protrude out of his cock, pulsing wildly with the effort of holding back his own orgasm. he wasnât going to cum until you didâand he was only going to cum where you allowed it.
his thumb drew desperate circles around your clit, his movements becoming rougher and faster from his desperation. the band in your stomach finally snapped, jungwon swallowing your loud cries as you came around his cock. you clenched around him with a tightness that had him clenching his jaw with the immense control it took for him to not immediately bust a nut inside you.
he shallowly thrusted inside you, helping you come down from your high, all the while trying to hold back his orgasm. you panted against his lips. âwonnieââ
fuck. that nickname, combined with your whiny voice? if you didnât give him the green light right this fucking second, he was going to creampie you anywaysâ
âcum inside me, please. want it so badââ
yep, that was it. he thrust deep inside you one last time, sheathing himself inside, before finally letting himself go. long ropes of warm cum shot out into you, as he stayed inside you to ensure none of it seeped out.
you clenched and unclenched your pussy around him, trying to milk him for all he was worth. both you, and him hissed at the sensitivity, but neither of you did anything to stop it. the feeling was simply too good to stop.
finally, when his cock started to become soft, he pulled out of you, pouting when his cum seeped out of you as well. he lifted you out of the jacuzzi, setting you on its edge, watching the mix of both of your cums seeping into the water below.
your thighs felt sore, and were sure to form bruises later on. you bit your lip, the air suddenly feeling too cold. jungwonâs burning gaze on your sore, and used cunt suddenly making you feel even more exposed for some reason.
you cleared your throat, snapping his attention to your face instead. you gulped, your voice feeling hoarse. âuhmâmy legs feel soreâŠâ
a cocky smirk was making its way back to his lips, so you quickly spoke. âdonât say anything stupid! just carry me to the changing roomsâŠâ
his smug expression didnât change. âof course, your majesty.â
you rolled your eyes at the sarcastic title, ignoring how you both were still stark naked, as he got out of the jacuzzi and lifted you up in his arms. he carried you to one of the shower rooms, bridal style. he set you down inside. before you could thank him, he suddenly leaned down towards your face. his eyes flickered from your lips, back to your eyes.
âhow does round two over here sound?â
you gave him an incredulous expression. you forcefully pushed him out, as he laughed at your red face. âdonât be an insufferable idiotââ
you slammed the door on his face, legs shaking slightly from your⊠previous activity. you shook your head, his brazenness feeling like something you would probably never get used to.
the way back to the room was uneventful, other than jungwon constantly teasing you about your shaky legs, and trying to coerce you into another fucking session. you only rolled your eyes and said no, since you were pretty sensitive down there at the moment.
he didnât give up though, checking you out continuously, throwing passing comments about how he didnât even get to âfuck you properlyâ the first time, since it was inside the jacuzziâhow he wanted to do it properly nowâall of which you ignored. you werenât ready to go at it once more, not so soon at least. seriously, where did he get so much stamina from?
even while the two of you had a hearty meal, he constantly passed tiny comments about how he would much rather eat you insteadâcomments which got you all flustered, even if you denied it to his face. you would never admit it out loud, but he was definitely a good eater. in all ways.
the rest of the evening went on monotonously, with you trying to read a book that had randomly appeared on the nightstand, while jungwon occasionally bothered you. when he realised you were adamant on not giving in to his demands, he sulkedâby laying down in your lap, and pouting. his efforts were unsuccessful in moving you, as you focused on the book. it had the cutest romance story ever, between an artist, and a barista.
when you reached the middle of the book, jungwon suddenly got off the bed, going towards the door. you lifted your head, calling out to him. âwhere are you going?â
he shrugged dismissively as he reached the door. âanywhere. been cooped up inside here for too long, donât you think?â
you shook your head, beginning to read again. âwhatever makes you happy, i suppose. just donât get lost.â
jungwon rolled his eyes in just mild annoyance at your comment, even though you didnât see it. he left the room, an eerie silence settling in.
a feeling of dread filled you up. whenever jungwon left you alone, disaster followed. you didnât doubt for a second that this was going to be any different. still, you tried not to be too bothered, and focused on your book.
but your hands shook as you turned the page. âcome on, focus.â you told yourself. âmaybe there wonât be any voices today! jungwonâs absence doesnât necessarily have to mean the queuing of the placeâs psychological torture on youââ
yeah, well. about that⊠apparently the place didnât quite get the memo.
âyou two have been awfully close lately.â
of course it was there. right on time, too. at least it was friendly for the time being.
âthe two of you cozied up to each other very quickly. what do you think of that?â
you didnât know why it was suddenly interested in your and jungwonâs relationship. a more appropriate label for it would be your sexual escapades. why did they matter anyways? was it jealous or something?
âyou really are naive, arenât you? way too easy to fool.â
easy to fool? did this place even know what it was talking about? you? easy to fool? yeah, thatâs right. hey, maybe the dinosaurs are still alive!
âyou know, youâre a lot more oblivious than you think you are. it would be much easier to just make you go insane, instead of coaxing you to give it up yourself. since youâre much too happy to go insane all by yourself.â
that was half right. you werenât too bothered about being stuck here anymore. i mean⊠you had company. said company being very hot.
âyou really are such a dumb baby, arenât you sweetheart?â
sweetheart? that strange sense of deja vu washed over you again. why did you always get this weird feeling in your chest whenever you heard the word? along with a feeling of immense dread? why?
âso many questions, yet they all just have one answer.â
gosh, this thing was annoying. if there was just one answer to all of this, why didnât it just give you that answer?
âyou wouldnât have the questions in the first place, if you just gave in.â
like hell you would. you really liked and appreciated your sanity, thank you very much.
âi really donât like using the multiple voices tactic to torture you, you know. unfortunately, you have started to grow on me.â
you knew it. this place had a thing for you! oh, you couldnât wait to tell jungwonâ
âbut i will be forced to resort to it, if you donât give in right now.â
okay, now you really couldnât wait for jungwon to be back. why was he going exploring for no reason, anyways?
you didnât really have any time to worry about it, when a piercing loud ringing rang through your ears. you clutched them tightly, screwing your eyes shut. the ringing kept growing louder, which you slowly started to realise was screaming. multiple voices, screaming over, and over.
you bit down on your bottom lip to stop yourself from breaking down, as you slowly curled in on yourself. you unintentionally rocked back and forth on the heels of your feet, trying desperately to drown the voices.
out of nowhere they stopped completely, leaving just a silence that felt more terrifying than the voices. you slowly lifted your head out of your arms, looking around the room. jungwon wasnât backâthere was no sign of him in the room at all. so why did the voices stop out of nowhere?
you didnât really dwell on it much, opting to just be grateful that they stopped. you shakily got off the bed, going to the bathroom. you stood in front of the sink. looking at your face, you thought of your real life. was it really not worth fighting anymore? could you really never make it out of here?
you broke down, letting the tears slide down. to your utter horror, instead of transparent tears, what escapes your eyes was blood. streaks of blood. you covered your mouth in horror, trying not to scream. more tears left your eyesâbut of course, it was only blood flowing out. you forced yourself to stay calm, quickly rinsing off your face as best as you could. you rinsed the sink too, trying your best to get rid of the evidence.
once you were completely sure that all the blood was gone, you rinsed your face once again, before finally getting out of the bathroom. outside, you saw jungwon sitting on the bed, waiting for you. he threw a curious look in your direction. âwhy is your shirt all wet?â
you looked down at yourself. it was indeed wet. you looked back at him. âi was really sleepy, so i washed my face. as it turns out, iâm a huge klutz.â
he seemed satisfied with that explanation. âi see. didnât think of drinking some coffee?â
you shrugged. âdidnât come to my mind.â
he hummed. he motioned to the small table near the kitchen like area. he had set up a small dinner for the two of you. âcome eat. no matter how sleepy you are, no one should go to bed on an empty stomach.â
you nodded, going to the table and sitting down beside it. it was a simple dinner, yet it tasted amazing. the food here always did. jungwon joined you almost immediately as you sat down, the two of you eating in peace. he seemed to notice your unusually quiet self today, but he didnât question. at least not while you were eating.
once you were done, and had put the plates in the sink, he laid down on the bed, as you did beside him. he turned off the lights, as the two of you laid silently in the darkness. suddenly, he spoke. âdid something unusual happen while i was out?â
you were startled. you quickly recovered, before replying. âno, nothing happened. why?â
he didnât say anything at first. âyouâre just⊠acting a little strange. you sure nothing happened? no voices, or anomalies, or anything of the sort?â
you shook your head, before realising he couldnât see you. âreally, nothing happened. iâm fine.â
he decided not to push further. âif you say soâŠâ
you turned on your side. âgoodnight jungwon.â
âgoodnightâŠâ
it wasnât long before you fell asleep. jungwon on the other hand? he stayed awake. for a long, long time.
when you woke up the next day, jungwon was nowhere to be seen. the bright light was turned on, its direct glare in your eyes being the reason you were up in the first place. you slowly sat up on the bed, yawning, trying to rub the sleep out of your eyes.
as your vision adjusted, you realised there was a folded sheet of paper on the dining table. getting up, you went towards the table, picking up the paper. jungwonâs hastily scrawled writing met your eyes, âout for a bit. thereâs food in the microwave, eat it when youâre up.â
you raised a brow. what were you, a married couple? you werenât complaining of course, why would you? he simply lessened your work load. now you didnât have to worry about breakfast.
you quickly went and freshened up, splashing large amounts of water in your face to properly wake yourself up. the food jungwon had prepared for you consisted of eggs and sausages, along with toast. it was delicious, like always. food in this place never disappointed your taste buds.
once you were done eating, you put the plates down in the sink. not once since you arrived here had you washed the dishes. jungwon never did it either, yet the plates always magically cleaned themselves whenever you both werenât there to witness it.
you had nothing to do, so you decided to take a shower, since it would help you to take your mind off of things. even though there wasnât really anything on your mind, other than the voices. somehow, the place wasnât trying to torture you, despite jungwonâs absence. hopefully, it would remain the same until he came back.
you went inside the bathroom, remembering to take a change of clothes with you this time. the temperature of the water was fairly warm, enough to counter the cold dampness that always seemed to cling to this place. the dampness was definitely your least favourite thing about this placeâright after the placeâs attempts at trying to deport you into a psych ward.
you turned up the temperature of the water slightly, closing your eyes, and basking in the warmth. it helped you feel a lot calmer, the pitter patter of the water hitting the tiles being the only sound in your ears. it felt oddly relaxing, somehow much better than the showers you usually took at home.
you were so mesmerised at the feeling, that you didnât even notice when the door to the bathroom opened. it wasnât until you felt the familiar strong arms circling around your waist from the back, that your eyes snapped open, as you let out a startled gasp.
âjungwon, whatââ
you could feel him pressing your back flush to his chest. you gulped, heat creeping up your neck, as you realised that he too, was stark naked. you didnât have the chance to finish what you were saying, since jungwon had suddenly decided to bury his face into the crook of your neck, nuzzling against it.
âhow come youâre showering without me?â
you blinked in disbelief. why did he say it like the two of you always showered together? when clearly, you both never did? besides, why would you shower with him? itâs not like the two of you were a couple.
almost as if jungwon could hear your thoughts, his hands around your waist tightened. âbecause thatâs how itâs always been? why would we shower together anyways?â
by now, jungwon had started peppering hot, open mouthed kisses over the expanse of your neckâa telltale sign that he was up to no good. which led you to another realization. when did the shower even turn off? âi figured we would shower together from now on.â
again, you were confused. what exactly was he trying to do here? âi still donât understand your point.â
he licked a spot on your neck. it was one of the innumerous hickeys he had left on your neck from⊠your previous activities. âbecause we fucked? multiple times, that too.â
you raised a brow, even though he couldnât see it. âmultiple times?â
he hummed against your neck. âyea.â
you held back a sigh. âtechnically, it was once. we only hooked up multiple times. but that still doesnât mean we should be showering together.â
he let out an almost whine in your ear, and god, youâd be lying if you said it didnât make you wet almost immediately. âbut why not? showering together would help us to bond together, yâknow?â
you scoffed slightly. âi highly doubt youâre here to bond with me.â you said, as you tried to pry off his arms around you. yes, he was hot, irresistibly so, but you that didnât mean that the two of you always needed to fuck.
his arms only tightened around your waist, pulling you even harder against him. âoh, come onnn, donât be like that sweetheart. why canât you just give in this once?â
that same strange sense of deja vu washed over you. you had definitely heard something similar. very recently too. but not from him. but you didnât really have time to worry about that at the moment, since you could feel jungwonâs hard cock rubbing deliciously against your lower back.
the feeling unintentionally made your clench around nothing, as you grew wetter, and wetter, with each passing second. seriously, why did he have to be so hot? it really made it hard to concentrate on anything other than him. which consequently made it harder to say no to him. but you were determined to stand your ground today.
you tried to lean away from his desperate attempts at trying to get you to agree. his hands had already started to wander, starting to massage your tits. âjungwon, iâm not in the moodââ
he grabbed your chin, turned your head to side, and pressed his lips to yours to silence your protest. his kisses were always so addictive, causing you to naturally melt into it. he manhandled your body to make you arch your back slightly, pushing your ass out, with your hands on the glass partition door. the tip of his cock rubbed deliciously on your wet folds, as he whispered in your ear.
âyou canât say no to me, sweetheart. iâd be very sad if you did.â
in a way, you knew you simply couldnât say no to him. not with how you were suddenly feeling desperate to have him fill you up again. truthfully, the first time wasnât enough, and you would be lying if you said you werenât playing hard to get by denying him. but god, he was just so persuasive, it really was hard to say no to him.
so you didnât say anything else, as he slowly pushed himself in, both of you moaning at the feelingâyou from the delicious stretch, and him from the way your pussy gripped his cock so tightly. it felt like heavenâit was heaven, especially the way your slick was so abundant, giving him more than enough lube to slide in and out of you, without any sort of difficulty.
he pulled out almost all the way out, before slamming back in. he could never get used to how exquisite your pussy felt around him, the need to claim it over and over and over, always in his mind. how were you so perfect? you were such a perfect doll for him, letting him do what he pleased to youâeven when you tried to deny him at first. he knew you could never say no to him. because you were his.
as long as you remained oblivious.
you were starting to get attached to this place. yeah, it wasnât the nicest to you all the time, but you were willing to overlook it. were you already starting to go insane? probably.
on a serious note, it wasnât the worst place to be stuck in. you didnât need to worry about literally anything here, except the occasional voices. but even that didnât affect you as much now. probably.
currently, you were eating dinnerâor what you hoped was dinner, with jungwon. your legs were slightly sore from when you guys fucked earlier today, but it wasnât too painful at the moment. the food was great, since it consisted mainly of sushi. well, only sushi. and you loved sushi.
you pretended to be oblivious to jungwonâs extremely obvious stare, that was burning into the side of your face. if he wanted to get a reaction out of you, he wasnât going to get it. the least he could do was let you eat in peace. you already let him have his way with you in the shower, letting him fuck you thrice to satisfy his urgesâand your own, although he doesnât know thatâso you werenât willing to entertain him a fourth time today.
once you were done eating, you quickly washed up, and laid down on the bed. you stifled a moan, trying to blink the sleep away. you didnât want to sleep just yet, since you were trying to read a book. keyword: trying.
jungwon joined you in the bed soon enough, a slight pout on his face at the sight of the book in your hand. he laid down beside you, draping his arm over your waist. âhow come youâre reading a book again?â
you didnât want to break your concentration, since you were almost near the end of the book, but you decided to just entertain him for a bit. âbecause i like it.â
âdo you like the book more, or me?â
you frowned, turning your face towards him. he actually looked serious about the question, no trace of amusement on his face. âwhat kind of a question is that?â
âa genuine one. answer it.â
âhmmm⊠the book i suppose.â
he gave you an incredulous expression. âare you kidding me right now?â
you tried your level best to hold back your amusement. âof course not.â
he scoffed, his hand moving down to cup your covered pussy. your breath hitched, already feeling the heat pooling down in your lower stomach. it was as if your body had now conditioned itself to become aroused at the slightest sexual touch from him.
âjungwonâŠâ you warned him in a low voice, to try and stop him. but you knew it was in vain.
âcan the book fuck you as good as i do? or at all? hm?â
he started rubbing his palm on your clothed folds, as your panties started to grow damp. god, he knew exactly what he was doing.
âjungwon, donâtââ
âcome on princess, keep the book down. we can do something far more interesting than your book will ever be.â his voice suddenly took on a more whiny tone, switching up tactics to make you change your mind.
âj-jungwon no, we already did multiple rounds earlier today, iâm still soreââ your voice broke slightly, the pressure he was applying over your covered clit sent shockwaves of pleasure up your spine. why was he so persuasive?
he whined into your ear, nuzzling his face into the crook of your neck. âcome on princess, just give in, itâs not that hardâŠâ
the same sense of deja vu washed over you. you felt like something was amiss, something that was right under your noseâbut what was it?
you had no time to think about it, your thoughts cut off by your own shocked gasp, as your felt jungwonâs hand suddenly slip into your pants, dipping his finger into your soaked folds. it was as if a feeling of bliss came over you, mixed with a feeling of frustration. you needed more, but god, even that slight touch had you arching your back.
he smirked against your neck. âsee? i knew you wanted this.â
he pushed his finger further in, your slick immediately coating his finger.. he pushed your pants down slightly with his other hand to make it easier for him to finger you, as he started to slowly thrust his fingers in and out of you.
your gummy walls welcomed him warmly, hugging around his fingers. his rough, dexterous digits hit all the ridges, making moan after moan spill out of your mouth in a delightful melody.
he added a second finger, curling them upwards, making you let out a broken whine. the book had long since fallen out of your grasp, as you tried to grab onto him instead. noticing your struggles, jungwon lifted himself up, pressing his lips against yours insistently. you grabbed onto his shoulders, desperately kissing him back, muffling your whines. your hips rutted into his hand, your slick spilling down his knuckles.
he fucked his fingers into you at a faster rate, pumping them in and out quickly. you felt that familiar feeling of the band in your stomach tightening, as your sounds became louder. you broke the kiss, throwing your head back to moan his name. a broken sob left you at the stimulation, his thumb now rubbing on your clit. you clenched around his fingers tightly, trying not to break into sobs from how good it all felt.
the band in your stomach finally broke free, your orgasm crashing down on you. you panted heavily as you came down from your high, as jungwon helped you ride out your high. once you had stopped coming, he took his fingers out of you, watching with dark eyes as your pussy clenched around nothing at the sudden emptiness. he licked your residual cum and slick off his hand, before pulling your pants down all the way.
you were oblivious to everything he was doing, still coming down from your high. you were starting to drift off into sleep, when suddenly, you flinched, at the sensation jungwonâs bare cock was rubbing over your very sensitive cunt.
your eyes widened. when did he even take off his clothes? you gulped, squirming. you were already feeling overstimulated, so there was no way you could handle his dick. which was exactly what you told him, but jungwon was in no mood to listen.
âdid i not help you feel good, sweetheart? donât you think i deserve a reward?â both of you let out a string of curses as he pushed inside you slowly. âjust give in, princess, donât think much of it.â
thatâs when it struck you. why you kept feeling that same strange sense of deja vu whenever jungwon uttered certain words or sentences. itâs because you this place kept saying those same words to you. in that exact same tone. the only difference was the voice, jungwonâs being more clear and defined, while the bodiless one being more distorted.
but that couldnât be it. you were overthinking it, were you not? how could jungwon ever do something like that? not whenâfuck, you felt so fullânot when he was the very reason you hadnât yet lost all of your sanity.
you gasped, your eyes screwing shut, back arching from the pleasure. jungwon moved slowly on purpose, his cock dragging across your inner walls with precision. you clenched around him, the dragged out pleasure making you feel so fucking good, while not being enough.
you whined softly, grabbing onto his firm shoulders, digging your nails into the skin. jungwon didnât even pay attention, the exquisite feeling of being buried inside you being all he could focus on. his own hands had a bruising grip on your hips, feeling moon-shaped indents into your flesh from his blunt nails. one of his hands travelled up, under your shirt. you werenât wearing a braâwhich was surprising, since you were certain you had forgotten to take it off before you laid down. but then again, the place worked in mysterious ways.
he pinched your nipple, kneading the flesh of your tits. he pushed your shirt all the way up, leaving your tits on full display for him. he lowered his head, plopping one of your nipples into his mouth. he rolled it around with his tongue, sucking on it. you whimpered, one of your hands coming up to tangle in his hair. you tugged at the roots slightly, more slick pouring out of you, most definitely staining the sheets. jungwonâs teeth grazed your nipple, before lightly biting it. not enough to hurt, but just enough to elicit another delicious moan out of you.
he finally stopped torturing your tits, moving to your mouth. he pushed his tongue inside, licking at your own. he swallowed all your whimpers and moans, both hands coming up to cradle your head. you lifted your legs up to wrap around his waist, impatient for some kind of stimulation, since he wasnât moving at all. your walls clenched around him again, trying to get him to move. jungwon tried, but it wasnât really an option with your legs wrapped so tightly around him.
he broke the kiss, before prying your legs open. he pressed your thighs to your chest, holding you open for him. the position felt⊠weird? for some reason? but you could care less when you were this horny and desperate.
jungwon, however, was not going to be easy on you anymore. you wanted him to move? oh, he would move alright. pulling out almost all the way, he slammed back in, setting a brutal pace. you could only hold onto the pillow, clinging onto it for dear life, as the headboard slammed into the wall repeatedly. your moans were choked out, with you mostly gasping for air. but you werenât complaining. it was good. too good.
but good things never last. one of his hands came down, his thumb rubbing furious circles over your clit. you let out a desperate gasp, calling out for him to stopâbut he was obviously not going to listen. âyou wanted this baby. iâm just giving you what you wanted, isnât that right?â
he flicked the hardened bundle of nerves, all the while pistoning into you at an animalistic pace. but you werenât exactly complaining. it all felt good, so fucking good. the added stimulation had you feeling close to the edge in no time, something which he quickly understood. âthatâs it, sweetheart.â he cooed. âjust give in, yeah?â
your orgasm came crashing over you, like a tsunami. your eyes rolled back in your head, till only the whites were visible, a loud ringing apparent in your ears. your cunt clenched around him tightly, prompting him to thrust one last time inside you, burying himself to the hilt.
ropes of warm cum shot out into you, filling you up. he helped ride out both of your orgasms, thrusting shallowly inside you. once you came down from your high, you realised you had squirted. all over jungwonâs lower half. embarrassment caused your face and neck to flush, something which he luckily didnât notice, since you were already quite flushed.
jungwon slowly pulled his softening cock out of you, a mixture of your cum spilling out and staining the sheets underneath. he took some tissues from the nightstand, using them to clean both you, and him up. he helped you put your clothes back on, while he put his on too. he wrapped his arm around your waist, cuddling you. you turned towards him, wrapping your own arm around him. his legs tangled with yours, pulling you even closer to him.
right before you drifted off to sleep, you had a sudden realisation. or rather, you remembered the same thing you had realised before. the voice, and jungwonâs voice, were so, so similar. you didnât want to think much about it. i mean⊠it was ridiculous. how was it even possible? how could you even think such a thing? but still, the seed of doubt had been planted, so you had no option. so you did the obvious thing, and asked him about it.
âcan i ask you something?â
he sleepily hummed, trying to pull you even closer to him. âabout what?â
 âthe voicesâŠâ
it was as if that woke him up. âwhat about them?â
you gulped, trying to fix the dryness in your throat. âtheyâuhmâthe voices sound similar to your ownâŠ?â
jungwon let out a short laugh of disbelief. âsweetheart, what are you trying to say?â
ânothing just⊠i was curious, thatâs all.â
jungwonâs hold on your waist tightenedâor were you just imagining it? âyouâre not making sense, princess. maybe you should just go to sleep, yeah?â
that sounded⊠oddly suspicious. âjungwonâŠâ
âgo to sleep, sweetheart.â
that word. that fucking word. you were sure of it now. it all finally made sense. why you seemed to be the only one suffering from the placeâs wrath, why he was so unaffected to the absurdity of the place, everything. you tried to detach yourself from him. âyouâre not telling me somethingââ
he held onto you tightly. âangel, youâre just sleepyââ
you finally succeeded in getting out of his grasp. âiâm notâ!â
he pinned you down to the bed. âfine. you caught me. you werenât supposed to figure it out this quickly.â
your breath hitched, heart rate spiking. your eyes had adjusted in the dark, allowing you to see everything clearly. there wasnât a trace of amusement in jungwonâs eyes. oh my god, this was really happening.
he suddenly let out a chuckle. âhm? were you not expecting anything to happen when you finally realised something was wrong?â
you blinked aggressively. did he just⊠read your mind?!
he let out a small snicker. âso you understood something is wrong, but you didnât realise the exact problem. that checks out.â
you were⊠very confused. and intrigued. and terrified for your life.
he cooed at you. âwhy are you scared, sweetheart? when have i ever threatened your life?â
holy fuck. he could read your mind.
jungwonâs eyes swept all over you. âyou know, youâre really hot when youâre scared.â
you could feel him starting to grow hard against your thigh. nope. fuckkkkk no. absolutely not. not happening. nope.
ârelax. i wonât do anything. if you cooperate.â
relax? in this situation? how could you possibly relax?
he lowered his head, pressing a kiss to your jaw. a move that usually had you melting, with heat pooling into your stomach. now? now it only made you recoil in fear.
you knew he didnât like your reaction, from the way his jaw was clenched when he lifted his head. âstay still for the time being, and iâll answer all your questions.â
you blinked. now that was a deal you were willing to take him up on. you cleared your throat. âtell me about this place. all about it. the truth, please.â
he tilted his head. âi didnât lie about what it was the first time. all of it was the truth.â
you frowned. âthatâthat doesnât explain how youâre connected to it.â
he smirked. âahâthat.â
your brows furrowed, trying to silently urge him to continue.
âi am the place. or wellâmy soul is connected to the place. so weâre one. i can manipulate and controlâor at least try toâany living being that tumbles into this place, and the place itself, of course. itâs not very hard either. everyone is so⊠gullible. including you.â
goosebumps rose all over your skin. âi donâtâi donât really get it.â
âof course you donât. you just need to continue to let me take care of you, and everything will be fine again, yeah?â
you struggled in his grasp. âwhy did you get so close to me, huh? all for this? to try and tie me to this place too? make me suffer for eternity by tying me to this placeâlike you are? is this why you didnâtâcouldnâtâanswer my questions about your personal life? because you never had one in the first place?â
of course, he held you down with ease. âcalm down sweetheart. you wouldnât be able to escape even if you got out of this room. you see this? me as a person? i could easily morph into someone else if i wanted. but i chose this specific disguise since this was what you preferred most.â
your hands shook. âso all of this⊠it was all a trap. nothing was real in the first place. because this place isnât even real.â
jungwon let out a humourless chuckle. âoh, you poor, poor thing. of course this place is real. just as real as real gets. iâm real too.â
you shook your head, feeling dizzy suddenly. âi donât getâlet me go.â
âyou know i canât do that, princessââ
âstop calling me thatâ!â
you started struggling against him again. the sudden burst of adrenaline helped you get out of his grasp, as you threw yourself off the bed. your legs were very sore, but you still did your best to run. obviously jungwon had to comment on that. âyou see, angel? even your body doesnât want to leave this placeâto leave me.â
you ignored him, wrenching the door open, running away in a random direction, ignoring the marks on the walls. the sudden light caused your vision to become hazy, but you didnât care. you needed to get out of here. somehow or the other.
you could hear jungwonâs laugh echoing through the walls. it wasnât the distorted voice as he normally used, but rather his clear, human voice. you ran even faster, trying your best to find an escape. even though you werenât exactly hopeful, since nothing similar had ever happened before.
you ran and ran, jungwonâs echoing voice accompanying you. âyou know, itâs fun to watch you run.â
fuck him. he really thought he was sooo funny.
âyeah, fuck me. i would definitely like that.â
your cheeks burned at his words. what was wrong with him?
âa lot. but watching you running around aimlessly is starting to become kind of boring.â
boring? boring was being in the same monotonous, monochrome yellow walled maze, with flickering lights, and a carpet that was damp all the fucking time, for an indefinite period of time. that was boring.
âawww, arenât you being a little mean? come back now, iâm starting to miss you.â
like hell you would go back. you didnât even know which direction you came from. but right as you said that, you turned a corner, letting out a shocked scream. jungwon was⊠there, standing with a big smile on his face. he opened his arms, walking towards you. âandddd youâre back. come here, sweetheart. quit the search for an exit, you know itâs useless.â
you backed up a few steps, before turning around and making a run for it. but he quickly grabbed your arm, slamming your back into the wall. you winced at the pain, jungwonâs grip tight on your shoulders. his smile was gone, replaced by a smirk, which gave the impression that he was up to no good.
his eyes were dark, as swept all over you again. without a warning, he attached his lips to yours, kissing you aggressively. but you werenât impressed. you tried to push him away, but his pinned your hands to the wall.
he pushed his tongue inside your mouth, and that was when you started panicking again. you bit jungwonâs tongue, making him push himself off of you with a loud yelp. he hissed in pain, staring at you in shock. âwhat the hellâ?!â
you slammed your forehead into his, momentarily stunning him, as you tried to make a run for it again. but he knew you were already going to make an attempt at trying to escape, sinceâyou know, he could read your mindâŠ
he grabbed you by your hand, pulling you back, and turning you towards him. âyou little bitchââ
you struggled in his grasp, trying to push him away. âget the fuck away from meâ!â
he tried to pin you to the wall again, but you scratched his cheek, drawing blood. he was forced to let you go, letting out a shocked gasp. turns out, he wasnât as immune to everything as he thought he was.
you suddenly noticed something beside him. the wall was⊠glitching? was that what you thought it was? to test your theory, you ran at jungwon again, aiming to scratch his face again. he blocked his face with his hands in self defense, leading you to scratch his arms instead. but it was enoughâthe glitch on the wall grew bigger.
jungwon noticed it too, as he quickly tried to grab onto you again. âprincess, just listen to meââ
you kicked his shinâyou were definitely aiming for a different place, but you were unfortunately shit at aimingâreally hard, causing him to yelp in surprise. it didnât cause him any actual pain, but it was enough. the glitch on the wall widened, so you took your chance.
you ran at the wall, ignoring jungwonâs desperate shouts, and attempts at trying to grab you. you threw yourself into the wallâor rather, the glitchâand suddenly everything went black.
â
you woke up with a gasp. you were⊠on the floor? had you fainted?
you slowly got off the floor. you were in the hallway in your home. you shrugged, going back to your room. you had never fainted before, so this was a new experience.
it was half past three in the morning. the devilâs hour. ooohhh, scary. you rolled your eyes at your own thoughts, before slipping inside the sheets again. you had a lot of explaining to do to your boss in the morning, as to why you hadnât thought it to be worth the hassle to go to work last day.
in the morning, the streets were a lot more crowded than normal. you tried to catch a cab, but none were empty. sighing, you were forced to take the bus. which was very crowded.
you stood somewhere in the back, praying that you reached on time. but luck wasnât on your side. midway, the engine broke down. everyone was made to get off. the worst part? no one was refunded.
you didnât have the time to argue for your money, since you had exactly five minutes to get to work, and it was a fifteen minute walk. ten if you ran fast enough.
so you started running, as fast as you possibly could. on the way, you bumped into a guy. quite literally. you didnât have time to do anything other than yell a half assed âsorry!â, before going back to sprinting in the direction of your office. as soon as you reached there, you quickly clocked in. once you sat down in your cubicle, a co-worker approached you. âmr. kim is looking for you.â
fuck. he wasnât going to give you even two minutes to let you catch your breath? you held back a sigh, quickly nodding to her. you got up, adjusting your clothes, to try and look presentable. you walked over to your bossâs office. you gulped, before knocking. a sharp âcome in!â rang, prompting you to go inside. the sight inside was⊠not something you expected to see.
your boss, usually a very grumpy man, had a smile on his face. a huge one at that. there was a guy in front of his desk, his back turned to you. mr. kim seemed to have been talking to him, before his attention finally snapped towards you.
âah, there you are, ___! iâm glad youâre here, there is someone i would like you to meetâŠâ
the guy in front of his desk turned around. he was⊠wow. he looked ethereal, with the cutest dimples in his cheeks. âthis is my nephew, jungwon, who finally decided to help me out in my company! he will be starting as an intern, and since you both are the same age, i want you to be in charge of him. what do you say?â
jungwon politely bowed to you. you bowed back. be in charge of this gorgeous human being? who looked like he was sculpted by the greek gods themselves? hell yeah.
âof course, sir. iâm willing to do my very best.â
mr. kimâs smile only widened. âgreat! if you could start from today, it would be great.â
you bowed, accepting his proposal. you walked out of his office, jungwon following closely behind you. if you noticed carefully, you would have realised that he was the same guy you bumped into earlier this morning. or that he had a bandaid on his cheek.
a subtle smirk crept up on jungwonâs face. he was going to have a lot of fun with you. guaranteed, he didnât have the same abilities as he had in the other dimension, but at least he was still a convincing actor. and you were the most oblivious person to ever step foot on this planet.
bsf!jungwon Ă fem!reader.â â â â ââŽïžËïœĄââ â â you're jungwon's favorite headacheâa fact that he can't bring himself to admit, and you can't bring your dense self to realize.
MASTERLIST. âââCONTAINSââ€âSMAU. college!au. to be loved is to be known type shi. ACTS-OF-SERVICE!WON!!!!! he's a lil dry and nonchalant but still pathetic. reader's a bit oblivious and dumb. fluff. profanity. comedy, maybe. petnames (princess, baby, etc.) ignore timestamps & typos.ââźâcameos from enhypen's ni-ki and illit's moka & wonhee.
FROM YAN đ°ââ€âi saw a soft edit of won on tiktok and got possessed by the need to make an smau because he just screams quiet yearning "i don't wanna ruin the friendship" reliable loveable bestfriend. send ideas / requests in my inbox ! à»ê°Ő Üž. .ÜžŐê±á
bsf!jungwon Ă fem!reader.â â â â ââŽïžËïœĄââ â â you're jungwon's favorite headacheâa fact that he can't bring himself to admit, and you can't bring your dense self to realize.
MASTERLIST. âââCONTAINSââ€âSMAU. college!au. to be loved is to be known type shi. ACTS-OF-SERVICE!WON!!!!! he's a lil dry and nonchalant but still pathetic and down BADDDD. reader's a bit oblivious and dumb. slowburn. fluff. angst. two idiots in love. profanity. miscommunication. comedy, maybe. petnames (princess, baby, etc.) ignore timestamps & typos.ââźâcameos from enhypen's ni-ki, riize's anton, &team's maki, illit, and other idols.
FROM YAN đ°ââ€âposted part one and on a whim decided to make this into a mini-smau instead because i have so much love for bestfriend!jungwon. Don't Even Play, Lad.
bsf!jungwon Ă fem!reader.â â â â ââŽïžËïœĄââ â â you're jungwon's favorite headacheâa fact that he can't bring himself to admit, and you can't bring your dense self to realize.
MASTERLIST. âââCONTAINSââ€âSMAU. college!au. to be loved is to be known type shi. ACTS-OF-SERVICE!WON!!!!! he's a lil dry and nonchalant but still pathetic and down BADDDD. reader's a bit oblivious and dumb. slowburn. fluff. angst. two idiots in love. profanity. miscommunication. comedy, maybe. petnames (princess, baby, etc.) ignore timestamps & typos.ââźâcameos from enhypen's ni-ki, riize's anton, &team's maki, illit, and other idols.
FROM YAN đ°ââ€âposted part one and on a whim decided to make this into a mini-smau instead because i have so much love for bestfriend!jungwon. Don't Even Play, Lad.
After seeing you laugh a little too closely with Jake, Ni-ki drags you home, ties you to his bed, and makes you beg for him until you forget anyone else exists.
â ïž : explicit content - smut (mdni) including: bondage (wrist restraints), fingering, oral (f. receiving), edging, orgasm denial, overstimulation, degradation, possessive dirty talk, jealousy, begging, crying during sex, squirting, creampie, best friends to lovers, not proofread, (kinda ass ngl)
Your wrists are bound above your head with Ni-kiâs belt, secured tightly to the headboard. The cool leather bites into your skin every time you tug against it. Your legs are spread wide, knees pushed up toward your chest by his strong hands as he kneels between them, eyes dark with something dangerous.
âYou think itâs funny?â His voice is low, almost a growl. âGiggling like that with Jake hyung right in front of me?â
You shake your head quickly, breath already shaky. âWe were just talking, Ni-ki⊠heâs your friend-â
âExactly. My friend. And youâre mine.â He leans down, breath hot against your inner thigh before his tongue drags slowly through your folds. âOr at least you will be after tonight.â
A broken moan escapes you as he licks deeper, tongue flicking over your clit before sucking it into his mouth. Heâs always been playful, teasing; your tall, mischievous best friend. But tonight the jealousy has turned him possessive, almost feral.
He eats you out like heâs starving, long fingers joining his tongue, curling inside you and stroking that spot that makes your toes curl. Your hips jerk, chasing the pleasure, but he pins you down harder.
âStay still,â he warns, pulling back just as the coil in your belly tightens. âYou donât get to cum until I say so.â
âNi-ki⊠please,â you whimper, already aching.
He smirks, lips shiny with your arousal. âAlready begging? Pathetic. I havenât even started.â He slides two fingers back in, pumping slowly while his thumb circles your clit with maddening lightness.
He brings you to the edge again and again; his tongue, fingers, then pulling away completely each time you start to tremble. Tears prick at your eyes by the third denial.
âWhy are you doing this?â you sob, hips twitching uselessly in the air.
âBecause you need to learn who you belong to.â He reaches for the small vibrator heâd grabbed earlier and presses it against your swollen clit on the lowest setting. The buzzing sends electricity through your body.
Your back arches off the bed. âFuck- Ni-ki!â
He watches you intently, dark eyes locked on your face as you writhe. âLook at you. So desperate already. Bet Jake couldnât make you cry like this.â
He turns the vibrator higher and pushes three fingers inside you, fucking you deep and fast while the toy buzzes relentlessly against your clit. The pressure builds impossibly fast.
âIâm close- please, Iâm so close-â
He pulls both away instantly.
You let out a broken sob, tears spilling down your cheeks. âI canât- please let me cum, Iâll do anything-â
âAnything?â He climbs over you, sweatpants shoved down just enough to free his aching cock. He taps the head against your soaked entrance teasingly. âThen say it. Say youâre mine.â
âIâm yours, only yours, Ni-ki. Please, I need you inside me. Please. Please.â
Something shifts in his eyes, the jealousy melting into raw need. He pushes in with one deep thrust, stretching you open. A loud moan tears from your throat.
He fucks you hard, hips snapping against yours, the belt around your wrists creaking with every thrust. âThatâs right. Mine. Not Jakeâs. Not anyoneâs but mine.â
He reaches down and presses the vibrator back to your clit on high. The sudden overwhelming pleasure makes you scream, walls clenching around him.
âCum for me,â he growls, thrusting deeper. âMake a mess on my cock like the needy girl you are.â
You shatter hard. Your orgasm crashes over you, thighs shaking violently as you squirt around him, soaking his stomach and the sheets. He doesnât stop, fucking you through it, chasing his own release.
âFuck - youâre so tight when you cum like that.â His pace turns erratic. With a low groan he buries himself deep and fills you with hot spurts of cum, hips stuttering as he rides it out.
He stays inside you for a long moment, breathing heavily against your neck. Then he gently unbuckles the belt, rubbing your wrists soothingly before pulling you into his arms.
âYou okay?â he whispers, voice softer now, pressing kisses to your tear-streaked cheeks. âI⊠I didnât mean to be that rough. I just⊠seeing you with him made me realize I canât keep pretending weâre just friends.â
You smile tiredly, curling into his chest. âTook you long enough, idiot.â
He chuckles, holding you tighter. âYeah. But youâre mine now. For real.â
contents⊠â ââ â đ Ś đ â â drabble, perverted and shameless heejake, reader is a little dumb and clueless but eventually figures them out :3 super suggestive, making out and getting handsy in a dressing room (ïœĄ>ïč<)
â đia đŻïž ; wow my dream date⊠cute. (ÂŹ_ÂŹ") this was supposed to be an smau but writing it felt more right whoops iâm nervous
thinking about bimbo!reader whoâs got her two bestfriends heeseung and jake on a tight leash, completely oblivious to the fact that theyâre both desperately in love with her and are very willing to share her between themselves with no issue.
following her around the mall like two lost pups, both hands occupied by endless shopping bags as she bounces from one store to another, the sound of her newly bought kitten heels echoing through heeseung and jakeâs ears whilst their eyes are glued to the back of her pink little miniskirt swishing around, barely covering a thing. geez, such perverts! (˶Ëđ·Ë˶)
and then comes their favorite part of the day. their hearts practically leap out of their chests when your eyes catch a glimpse of their your favorite lingerie store, dragging them inside cluelessly to ask for their opinions as you naturally did with all the other stores, questioning them on which color looks good on you the best. their hungry gaze trailing your every move almost going unnoticed by you.
and who are they to say no when you ask them to join you in the dressing room to help? you might be an airhead, but youâre not that stupid to not notice them ogling you the entire day. plus, you think they deserve a little treat for putting up with you and your shopping addiction. so when they tower over you from the front and the back, trapping you between themselves, all you can do is let out a pleased hum as jake kisses you rough on the lips, not wasting a second while his slender fingers play with your hardened nipples through the lace bra he had picked out minutes before.
âlook at her jake, such a pretty mess for us already..â heeseung mumbles before pressing a soft kiss against your neck. his hands slid down your bare waist, knee in between your thighs and pressed against your soaked core, making you mewl against jakeâs lips.
you then decide that shopping with these two will be your favorite part of the week from now on.
Hear me out⊠a fic about frat martin đđđđ
FRAT!MARTIN áŻâ ËËË
Fratboy!martin x Reader
áŻâ ËËË Summary âââ frat!martin but heâs in fact still a looser down bad for you
. áŻâ ËËË Content tags âââ college au · best friendâs brother trope · banter · kissing · heavy eye contact
áŻâ ËËË Authorâs note âââ whoever you are, i hope youâll love it boo
The bass thumped through the floorboards like a second heartbeat, vibrating up through your heels and settling somewhere in your ribs. You could feel the party before you could see it. Red Solo cups littered the walkway, bodies pressed against bodies in the living room, and that ever-present fog of sweat and body spray that seemed to follow Stella's house like a shadow.
"There you are!" Stella grabbed your wrist, her acrylics clicking against your skin, pulling you through the kitchen threshold. Her blonde hair, dyed the same honeyed shade as her brother's, caught the strobe lights from the living room, creating a halo effect that made her look almost angelic. Almost. "I was about to send out a search party."
"You know I had to finish that essay," you said, letting her guide you toward the kitchen island. "My professor wonât accept 'I was at a rager' as an excuse for late work."
Stella laughed, the sound cutting through the noise, warm and familiar. She handed you a cup of something fruity and suspicious, and leaned against the counter beside you. "You're such a nerd. That's why I love you."
You sipped, letting the sweetness hit. "Where's the music coming from? This actually sounds decent."
"Oh." Stella's smile went knowing, tilted at the edges. She nodded toward the archway leading to the living room. "My brotherâs on the decks tonight. He threatened to blackball James from the next three parties if he touched his equipment."
Your eyes drifted before your brain could catch up, scanning the crowd through the archway. The living room had been transformed. Couch pushed back, coffee table relocated, and in the corner, elevated slightly on a platform of wooden crates and a folding table, was Martin.
He was wearing a white tank that clung to his shoulders, arms moving with practiced ease over the mixer. His blonde hair, dyed blonde, almost platinum under the lights, fell across his forehead in a way that looked calculated but was probably just from moving around. From here, he looked every inch the frat boy stereotype. Tall, built from basketball and gym sessions, radiating that specific brand of confidence that came from being six foot three and knowing everyone at the party.
He had his boys around him, some standing on the platform, some leaning against the wall, all of them nodding to the beat he was laying down. A couple girls were hovering nearby too, laughing too loud at something one of his bros said, but Martin wasn't looking at them.
He was looking at you.
The recognition hit like static electricity. Your gaze locked with his across the crowded room, and his hands didn't stop moving, fingers dancing over knobs and faders, but something in his posture shifted. A tilt of the head. A smirk that wasn't quite aimed at the crowd.
"Uh-huh," Stella said, drawing the syllable out like taffy. She waved her hand in front of your face. "Earth to Y/N."
You snapped your attention back to her, heat creeping up your neck that had nothing to do with the body heat in the room. "What?"
"Nothing." She was grinning now, that wicked best-friend grin that meant she knew something you didn't. "Just noticing how my brother keeps looking over here like he's performing for a crowd of one."
"He's DJing," you said, keeping your voice level, taking another sip. "He's supposed to watch the crowd. Read the room."
"The room is fifty sophomores trying to start a mosh pit, babe. He's not looking at them." She bumped her shoulder against yours. "He's been asking about you, by the way. 'Y/N coming tonight?' 'Y/N working on something?' Like I don't have better things to do than keep tabs on my best friend for my little brother."
"He's being polite," you said, but you didn't believe it. You'd caught Martin's eyes on you before. At dinner when you came over to study, in the hallway when you were leaving, always from across rooms, always with that same intensity that made you feel like you were under a spotlight. But he never approached. Never said more than a mumbled "what's good" when Stella forced introductions.
A boy who looked but didn't touch? Who stared but didn't speak? That wasn't it, as far as you were concerned.
"Come on," Stella said, grabbing your hand again. "Let's go dance before the good songs end."
The living room was a pressure cooker of bodies, heat rising from skin to skin contact, the music shifting to something with a heavier bass line that you could feel in your teeth. Stella moved like she was made of water, all fluid hips and confident steps, and you fell into rhythm beside her, letting the beat loosen your joints.
But you could feel it. That weight on the back of your neck, the prickle of being watched.
Martin was still at his station, still manipulating the crowd's energy with one hand while the other adjusted his headphones. But his eyes kept finding you. In the gap between songs. During the build-up. When the beat dropped and the room erupted, his gaze stayed steady, pinned to you like you were the only fixed point in a spinning room.
You didn't look back. Not directly. You danced with Stella, laughed at her jokes, let some guy from your Econ class spin you around once before you politely extracted yourself. You were unbothered. Untouchable.
If he wanted to look, he could look. But looking was free, and you weren't a museum piece.
"He's going to strain something," Stella shouted over the music, leaning close to your ear. She'd followed your line of sight, or maybe she'd just known where your attention would drift. "All that staring. His neck's gonna snap."
"Maybe he should worry about his transitions instead," you shouted back, but you were smiling despite yourself.
Stella's phone buzzed against her hip. She kept it in a holster like a gunslinger, always accessible, and she checked the screen, her expression shifting. "Shit. I gotta go handle something. Tyler's having a crisis in the backyard about his ex."
"Do you have to?"
"Sadly, yes. I'm the only one who knows the whole story." She squeezed your arm, already backing away. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"That leaves a lot of options!"
"Exactly!"
She disappeared into the crowd, a flash of blonde hair and sequined top, and suddenly you were alone in a sea of people who knew each other better than they knew you. You made small talk with a girl from your dorm, waved at someone from your study group, but the conversation felt thin, stretched too tight over the noise.
Across the room, Martin's eyes found yours again.
This time, he didn't look away. He held your gaze while his hand reached for a vinyl, actual vinyl, you noticed, not just digital files, and he held it up, showing you the label. Some old rock band you'd never heard of, probably. He raised an eyebrow, a question in the gesture.
You know this one?
You shook your head, just barely.
He smiled then. Not the performative frat boy grin he wore for the crowd, but something smaller, private. He mouthed something you couldn't hear, but you caught the shape of it. Later.
Then the beat dropped, and the crowd surged, and when you looked again, he was focused on his equipment, head nodding to a rhythm only he could hear through his headphones.
You lasted ten more minutes. The friend group you'd found was fine, nice enough, talking about summer plans and internship applications, but none of them had Stella's sharp wit, her ability to make you feel like the funniest person in the room. You did the Irish goodbye, slipping away without announcement, weaving through bodies toward the stairs.
You needed your phone. You'd gotten ready at Stella's earlier, helped her blow up balloons and arrange snack bowls, and you'd left your bag in her room upstairs. The hallway was quieter, the bass muffled to a distant thrum, and you could hear the bathroom door clicking shut, voices behind it that you definitely didn't want to interrupt.
Stella's room was at the end of the hall. But halfway there, you stopped.
Martin's door was open.
Not wide open. Just a crack, a sliver of warm light spilling across the carpet. In all the times you'd been to this house, all the study sessions and movie nights and pre-games, that door had been firmly shut. Locked, probably. A barrier between the frat boy public persona and whatever private world Martin kept hidden.
You looked left. The bathroom door was still closed, muffled laughter seeping through.
You looked right. The stairs led back down to the party, to the noise and the crowd and Martin's eyes on you from across the room.
Well fuck it.
The door creaked when you pushed it. Just enough to slip through, just enough to see.
The first thing that hit you was the smell. Not the expected scent of gym socks and cheap body spray, but something cleaner. Cedar, maybe. Old paper and vinyl. The room was surprisingly neat, bed made with military precision, desk organized with what looked like obsessive attention to detail.
And then you saw the trophies.
They lined a shelf above the desk. Basketball medals, mostly, gold and silver catching the lamplight. Regional championships. MVP awards. The physical proof of the frat boy athlete, the tall guy who dominated the court. You walked closer, running a finger along the edge of a plaque. Martin Jonathan Edwards, All-Conference First Team.
But the walls told a different story.
Posters, actual framed posters, not just taped magazine pages, covered every available inch of drywall. Not the expected sports figures or motivational quotes, but bands. Vintage rock, punk, subgenres you'd need a music degree to identify. Sonic Youth. My Bloody Valentine. Bands with names that sounded like poetry or threats.
And the CDs.
They took up an entire wall, floor to ceiling, organized alphabetically or by genre or by some system only Martin understood. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe. You moved toward them like they were magnetic, drawn by the sheer absurdity of it. This collection represented hours of hunting, of crate digging, of obsessive curation.
This wasn't a frat boy room. This was a confession.
You pulled one from the shelf. A rare pressing, judging by the worn edges of the case, and turned it over in your hands. The plastic was cool against your palms.
"Yo, most people ask before they go through someone's stuff."
You didn't jump. You should have, but something in you had been waiting for this. The voice, the presence, the inevitability of him finding you here.
Martin was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted against the frame in that specific way he had, like he was too tall for the world and had gotten used to looking down on everything. He'd taken off his headphones, letting them hang around his neck, and up close you could see the flush in his cheeks from the performance.
He was taller than you remembered, or maybe you were just more aware of it now, the way he filled the doorway, the way you had to look up to meet his eyes.
"I didn't think you'd mind," you said, holding up the CD like evidence. "Since you left the door open. Practically an invitation."
"Practically," he agreed, pushing off the frame with a roll of his shoulders. He stepped into the room, and you realized too late that there was nowhere for you to go. The CD shelf was at your back. The bed was to your left. He was between you and the door.
And then he closed it.
The click of the latch was louder than it should have been, cutting off the party noise to a distant hum. You were alone with him. In his room. With his secrets spread out like offerings.
"Surprising, isn't it?" he asked, nodding toward the posters, the CDs, the carefully curated chaos of his actual personality. "Not exactly what you'd expect from the guy who runs the aux at every party, right?"
"Which part?"
"All of it." He moved closer, not crowding exactly, but occupying space in a way that made you hyperaware of every inch between you. He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture pure frat boy, all casual confidence. "The guy who plays Top 40 for the boys has a first pressing of Daydream Nation. The rush chair knows the entire discography of shoegaze. The frat star has feelings about guitar pedals."
He was smiling, but it was different from downstairs. Self-deprecating. A little sharp.
"Why hide it?" you asked.
"Why not?" He shrugged, that single gesture doing something complicated. Lifting the strap of his tank, shifting the muscle of his shoulder. "People like the frat boy. He's easy. He plays the hits. He doesn't make anyone feel stupid for not knowing who Slowdive is. Plus," he added, a flicker of that cocky grin returning, "girls dig it. No cap."
"But that's not you."
His eyes caught yours, and there it was again. That weight, that intensity from across the room, but now there was no crowd to hide behind. No DJ booth creating distance.
"Nah," he said softly. "That's not me."
He took another step. You took one back, your shoulder blades hitting the CD shelf. He kept advancing, slow, deliberate, until you were moving backward across the carpet, until the backs of your knees hit the edge of his mattress and you sat down hard, the CD still clutched in your hand.
Martin didn't stop. He kept coming, settling onto the bed beside you. Not touching, but close enough that you could feel the heat coming off his arm, could smell that cedar scent up close now, mixed with something else. Something like the static before a storm.
"You know what the worst part is?" he asked, his voice dropping. The party downstairs felt like another planet.
"What?"
"I've been trying to holler at you for months." He turned to face you, one knee bent on the mattress, his body angled toward yours. "Since last semester. Since that night you came over to help Stella with her sociology project and you quoted bell hooks at dinner like it was nothing. Like everyone should just know who bell hooks is."
You blinked. "You remember that?"
"I remember everything." He reached out, his hand hovering over yours where it rested on the CD case. He didn't touch. Not yet. "I remember you wearing that yellow sweater. I remember you laughing at Stella's terrible jokes and making her feel smart even when she was being stupid. I remember thinking, damn, there's someone who actually sees people."
Your throat felt tight. "Martin."
"I know I'm not," he gestured at himself, at the room, at the duality of his existence. "I know I'm not what you probably go for. I'm too tall, I'm in a frat, I act dumber than I am. But I keep looking at you across rooms, and you keep looking back, and I keep thinking maybe."
"Maybe what?"
"Maybe you'd come to my game next week." He said it fast, like the words were escaping. "Saturday, three o'clock. We're playing State. And I know it's just intramural, I know it's not. I'm not trying to wife you up or anything, I just. I play better when you're there. I can feel you watching, and I want to be better."
You stared at him. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"I know."
"No, I mean." You laughed, the sound breaking some of the tension, but not all of it. "You think I make you play better? That's insane."
"Probably." He was grinning now, that frat boy charm bleeding through but mixed with something real, something desperate. "But I've been three for three when you're in the stands. Coincidence?"
"Definitely."
"Prove it." He leaned closer, and you didn't pull back. "Come to the game. Watch me lose. I'll admit I was wrong."
"And if you win?"
"Then you let me take you out. Real food, not dining hall sludge. And I tell you about every single CD on that wall."
"That's a lot of CDs."
"I've got time."
He was close now. Close enough that you could see the flecks of darker gold in his dyed hair, the way his pupils had blown wide in the dim light of the room. Close enough that his knee was brushing yours, that his hand had finally settled over yours on the CD case, his fingers warm and long and slightly calloused from basketball and from spinning vinyl.
"You've been watching me," you said. It wasn't an accusation.
"Couldn't stop if I tried," he admitted. "You're a tall girl , you know that right? You walk into rooms like you own them. You make Stella laugh harder than anyone. You pretend not to see me staring, and it drives me absolutely crazy."
"Good."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." You leaned in, just slightly, just enough to close some of the distance. "Maybe you should do something about it instead of just watching."
His breath caught. You could see it, the way his chest stilled, the way his eyes dropped to your mouth and then back up. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
He moved first, but you met him halfway. It was soft, hesitant, his hand coming up to cup your jaw with a gentleness that didn't match his size, his frat boy exterior. His lips were warm, slightly chapped, and they moved against yours with a carefulness that made your chest ache. No rush, no demand, just the slow exploration of a first kiss, the kind that made you feel like you were in high school again, sneaking around after curfew.
The CD case dug into your palm where you still clutched it, but you didn't care, couldn't care, not with the way he tilted his head to fit better against you, not with the way his other hand found your waist and rested there, light and uncertain and sweet.
He pulled back first, just enough to breathe, his forehead resting against yours. "Is this okay?"
"Yeah," you whispered, your hand finding the front of his tank, gripping the fabric just slightly. "This is okay."
He smiled, that same small, private smile from across the crowded room, and leaned in again. This time was shorter, sweeter, just a press of lips and a promise.
The door burst open.
"Martin, have you seen my girl? I lost her downstairs and she's not answering her..." Stella's voice trailed off, her eyes going wide as saucers as she took in the scene. You and her brother, sitting close on his bed, your hand on his chest, his hand on your waist, guilty as sin.
You scrambled upright, heat flooding your face, your neck, your entire body. "Stella, I can explain."
"Oh my god." She leaned against the doorframe, one hand over her heart, the other pressed to her mouth. "Oh my god. I should have clocked that way sooner."
"Stella, it's not."
"Not what?" She dropped her hand, her expression shifting from shock to delight, that wicked grin returning full force. "Not obvious? Not inevitable? Not the fact that my brother's been down bad for you since literally the first time you came over and he spent forty minutes in the bathroom fixing his hair?"
"Stella," Martin groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"Forty minutes?" you repeated, looking at him.
"She's lying," Martin said, but his ears were turning pink.
"Letâs make it an hour," Stella corrected. "And he made me play three different songs to see which one you'd like best. It was pathetic, truly."
"You're not helping," Martin muttered.
"Oh, I'm absolutely helping." She pushed off the doorframe, backing into the hallway. "I'm about to go tell the whole house that DJ Martin finally made a move. You two have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, which, let's be real, leaves you plenty of room."
"Hell fucking nah, Stella!"
"Love you, bye!"
She pulled the door shut behind her, and you were left in the sudden silence, the hum of the party downstairs filtering through the walls, your face still burning with embarrassment.
"She's going to tell everyone," you said.
"Probably." He ran a hand through his hair, leaning back on his palms, looking up at you with that lazy frat boy grin that didn't quite hide how pleased he was. "You cool with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Just checking." He reached out, catching your hand where it rested on the bed, his thumb tracing slow circles against your palm. "So. Saturday. Three o'clock. You gonna come watch me ball?"
"Are you going to play better?"
"Bet." He squeezed your hand, grinning wide. "I'm gonna drop forty points if you're there."
"That's a lot of points."
"For you?" He pulled you back down beside him, easy and casual, like you'd done it a hundred times before. "I'd drop a hundred."
ኞ đ»đŸđđ đżđđđŸđđœ!đđđđđđđđđ§ đ»đŸđđ đżđđđŸđđœ!đđŸđșđœđŸđ â â 1.2k â ËÌ”áŽËÌ”â first times NSFW praise kink oral (m recieivng)ă € reblogs&kisses
The summer air was thick and sticky in Sunghoonâs cramped bedroom, the only sound the hum of an old floor fan. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, head in his hands, a look of pure frustration etched on his handsome face. You sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against his dresser, trying to keep your expression neutral.
âItâs just⊠awkward,â he mumbled, not meeting your eyes. âEvery time it gets to that point, I freeze up. I donât know what to do with it.â A faint blush crept up his neck. Youâd been friends since middle school, had shared every secret, but this was new territory. You took a steadying breath, the unspoken truth hanging between you. Of course youâd noticed; it was hard not to when he walked out of the shower with just a towel slung low on his hips. His sheer size was intimidating, even from a purely observational standpoint.
âOkay,â you said, your voice surprisingly steady. âWeâre just problem-solving. Like we always do.â You pushed yourself up from the floor and sat beside him on the bed, the worn mattress dipping under your combined weight. The space between you felt charged, the humid air clinging to your skin. âFirst, we remove the mystery.â You kept your gaze on his face, on the nervous flicker in his dark eyes. âLet me see.â
Sunghoon exhaled sharply, a mixture of relief and fresh anxiety. His fingers fumbled with the button of his jeans, the sound loud in the quiet room. When he finally pushed the denim down his hips, the reality of him was even more staggering than the glimpses youâd stolen. He was thick and long, fully hard already, the tip flushed a deep red. He looked painfully earnest and completely lost. âSee?â he whispered, his voice rough. âItâs⊠a lot.â
âIt is,â you agreed softly, not touching him yet. You took his wrist and guided his hand to himself. âGet used to the feel of it.â You coached him through a slow, tentative stroke, your hand over his. His breath hitched, a soft groan escaping him. âThatâs it. No rush. Just get used to the sensation, to being in control of it.â
You let go, allowing him to continue on his own, watching the concentration on his face shift from panic to a dazed sort of focus. After a few moments, his rhythm faltered. âItâs not⊠I canât just do this by myself forever,â he said, frustration creeping back in. He looked at you, a silent, desperate question in his eyes.Â
âThen donât,â you murmured. You shifted closer, your thigh pressing against his. With deliberate slowness, you reached out and replaced his hand with your own. The first full touch of your skin on him made him jerk, a strangled sound catching in his throat. He was impossibly smooth and hard, the vein along the underside pulsing under your thumb. You began to move your hand up and down in a firm, measured pace, your eyes locked on his.
A sheen of sweat coated his forehead. His hands gripped the bedsheet, knuckles white. âWhat⊠what about with someone else?â he managed to ask, his gaze dropping to where your hand worked him.
âThatâs next,â you said, your own pulse thrumming. You leaned in, your breath ghosting over the wet head of his cock. âYou have to learn where itâs most sensitive.â You touched your tongue to the slit, tasting the salty pre-come there. Sunghoon cried out, his back arching off the bed. âHere,â you said before taking him into your mouth, as much as you could manage. It was a stretch, your jaw aching instantly, but you hollowed your cheeks and sucked, using your hand on the base he couldnât fit. His moans became broken, pleading things. You pulled off with a wet pop. âSee? Responsive. You just have to listen.â
You crawled up his body, settling over his hips. The damp heat of your own need pressed against the thin barrier of your shorts, meeting the solid, insistent pressure of him. You guided him with your hand, positioning him right where you ached. "This is the part that usually makes people nervous," you said, your voice low. "Itâs okay to go slow." You kept your eyes on his as you began to lower yourself, taking just the broad head of him inside. A sharp, full sensation made you pause, breathing through it. Heâs not going to fit.Â
Sunghoon's hands flew to your hips, his grip instinctive but gentle. His eyes were wide, watching where you were joined. "Okay?" he breathed out, the word strained.
"Okay," you confirmed, sinking down another inch. The stretch was intense, a burning fullness that forced a low moan from your throat. You moved in a careful, rocking rhythm, letting your body adjust to the overwhelming size of him. His hips twitched upward, seeking more, but you placed a firm hand on his stomach. "Not yet. Let me lead."
You continued the slow, grinding descent until he was fully seated inside you, a feeling of being utterly filled. Iâm full. Completely full. You stayed there, unmoving, letting the sensation settle for both of you. His chest was heaving, every muscle in his abdomen taut. "Now," you whispered, beginning to move in earnest. You rose until only the tip remained, then sank back down, setting a deep, rolling pace. His hands tightened on your hips, his thumbs digging into the soft flesh as he matched your rhythm, his own thrusts growing more confident, more demanding.
A low, ragged moan tore from your throat as he hit a spot deep inside that made stars burst behind your eyelids. His confidence was growing with every thrust, his movements losing their initial hesitation and gaining a raw, powerful rhythm. You braced your hands on his sweat-slicked chest, riding him with a desperate intensity now, each descent a deliberate surrender to that overwhelming fullness. The stretch had become a burning pleasure, a constant, throbbing reminder of his size that was tipping you toward the edge. You could feel your own climax coiling tight in your belly, triggered by the relentless, deep friction.
Sunghoonâs breathing was coming in harsh gasps, his eyes glazed and fixed on you. His hands slid from your hips to grip the backs of your thighs, holding you open, controlling the depth of his plunges. "Tell me," he grunted, the words strained. His voice was rough with a newfound authority. "Tell me if it's right."
Before you could form a coherent sentence, your orgasm crashed over you, a violent, clenching wave that ripped a cry from your lips. Your body clamped down around him, milking his length in rhythmic pulses. That sensation tipped him over the edge. With a choked-off shout, he drove up into you one final, searing time and held there, his release flooding you.
You collapsed forward, your forehead resting against his collarbone, both of you slick with sweat and utterly spent, feeling the rapid beat of his heart against your ear. His arms came around you, holding you close in the sticky silence. âSo,â he said after a moment, his voice quiet and a bit rough. âBest friends still?â
àšà§ from ⥠đđđđđđđŒâ â„ïž à§
inspired by this fic by wonxee and my comment lol big dick hoon agenda is reallllll + this layout is inspired by katsuiki
synopsis: when you make the mistake of telling your best friend that youâve never reached an orgasm, he makes it his personal mission to make sure you get there.
wc: 7.5k
warnings: park sunghoon x fem!reader, sexual content, mdni, alcohol consumption, weed consumption, blindfold (hello), sensory deprivation, fingering, dry humping, oral f!receiving, lowkey kind of corruption kink, condescending hoon, praise kink, hoon is a secret yearner, pet names (baby, pretty/good/sweet girl, sweetheart), not proofread
The partyâs been going on so long that the air has turned moist and the alcohol has begun to taste more like water instead of something dangerous.
Yunjins laughing at something next to you, her eyes half lidded and her limbs moving languidly. If itâs from the weed or the sheer gallons of vodka youâre sure sheâs consumed tonight you arenât entirely sure. What you are sure of though, is that you have definitely far surpassed the thin line between tipsy and black out drunk.
The weed makes your thoughts jumble together like some weird jigsaw puzzle, and every word that you manage to punch out takes way more effort then it probably should.
âBut, seriously,â Jungwon starts, his words languid and low, âsex is kind of transactional. At least in this day and age.â
Yunjin attempts to smack his arm but instead she misses him completely and her hand lands between the couch cushions. She doesnât bother moving it.
âThat is sooo not true,â she drags out. âSex is, like, sacred. Your body is a temple and all that bullshit.â
Jungwon laughs. âMaybe for other women, but Iâm not sure if your body could be considered sacred anymore, Yunjin.â
She scoffs, her eyebrows furrowing in what might look like offense, but you know deep down she enjoys the easy banter her and Jungwon always seem to have. âSays the one who sticks his dick into anything that has a pulse!â
You are perfectly content to just listen to their conversation, as it would seem is Sunghoon.
Youâd met Sunghoon your freshman year of university when you were still a small town girl in a city that felt way too big for you. Heâd sat next to you in your freshman econ class and helped you around the city without so much as a whisper of a complaint, and the two of you had been inseparable ever since.
Heâs always been the quiet brooding type, even when youâre around your mutual friends, and thatâs become something youâve found yourself finding comfort in more often than not. His presence is a consistent force in your life, and now that youâre nearing graduation and heading into unknown territory, itâs nice to have something so steady in your life.
Thatâs why you didnât argue when he threw his arm around your shoulders and insisted you sit next to him. Itâs why you didnât argue when he offered you the blunt despite knowing you always get way too clingy when youâre high.
Sunghoon is your best friend. You trust him, and you know he feels the same way towards you.
You lean back into his arm, continuing to nurse the beer youâd had for the last hour. It makes your head feel warm and fuzzy in all the right ways, especially after whatever the fuck midterms had been. A disaster would be putting it lightly.
Sunghoon glances at you, his lips still enclosed around the blunt. He takes a drag of it, letting the end glow a bright orange before he pulls it away from his lips and offers it to you.
You accept it graciously, letting the smoke fill your lungs until youâre positive theyâll burst. Youâve never really been a big stoner, not like Ni-ki and Jungwon, but when you do let yourself indulge you always enjoy it.
Sunghoon watches when you exhale, his eyes following the cloud that forces its way from your lips and disperses around the room. For a moment, you think he almost looks impressed.
You laugh, your hand reaching out to shove at his chest gently. âWhat?â You ask.
He blinks, the movement slow, like heâs working overtime to process that youâd said anything at all. âWhat?â He echoes.
âYouâre looking at me weird,â you mumble, dragging your eyes back to Yunjin and Jungwon. Theyâre still arguing over whether or not sex is transactional or whatever, and Ni-ki is just watching them like he canât decide if heâs interested or if he wants them to shut up completely.
Sunghoon chuckles, the sound low and deep. You bring your gaze back up to him and watch as his lips curve up into that same lazy smirk he always seems to wear. Sometimes you wonder if thatâs just his natural resting face.
âWas I?â He mumbles, choosing to play dumb.Â
Youâre not in the right headspace to argue with him, so instead you just sigh and let yourself sink further into the curve of his arm. His thigh is right against yours, the fabric of his jeans rubbing against the thin lining on your tights. If it was anyone else, youâd probably feel a little self-conscious at being so close, but this is Sunghoon. Heâs never shied away from physical touch, and at some point it just became another factor in your friendship.
The sound of your name forces your thoughts about Sunghoon to fade into the background, and when you look up Yunjin is staring at you like youâve said something shocking. Which is weird, because you donât remember saying anything at all.
âHuh?â You manage, your eyebrows furrowing as you try to work through the cloud in your mind.
Yunjin rolls her eyes but repeats herself anyway. âDo you think sex is transactional?â She asks before throwing a fiery glare at Jungwon. âOr is Jungwon just a grade A asshole?â
âŠSex? Sheâs asking you about sex?
Usually you wouldnât mind indulging in her less than ethical questions, especially when youâve had a few drinks, but this one feels a little personal.
Itâs not that you havenât had sex, you have! Plenty of times actually, with a plethora of different men. Boyfriends, casual hook ups, one night stands â youâve really done it all.
Thereâs just one teeny, tiny problem.
You canât finish.
You used to blame it on the men you were seeing. They clearly had no idea how to please a woman and thus you were the one suffering for it. But then youâd tried to get yourself off with your hand and, wellâŠnothing happened. So then you tried a toy and still â nothing.
It didnât take you long to realize that it was clearly just something wrong with you. Youâd self-diagnosed yourself as one of those unlucky women that simply couldnât orgasm, and yeah, it sucked, but it was your life. How could you miss something youâd never even had anyway?
And itâs not like the buildup isnât enjoyable, because it definitely is. It just never goes where you want it to, and you always end up feeling dissatisfied after. So youâd stopped trying completely after yet another failed attempt last year and that had been that.
You hadn't sworn off sex completely, you just stopped actively searching for it. And it was nice to not have to fake reaching your peak with every man that found his way into your bed, but that didnât make the subtle jealousy you felt whenever Yunjin talked about her experiences disappear completely. It just made it more bearable.
You choose to just shrug, taking another sip from the bright red solo cup in your hand. âIâm not sure Iâm the right person to ask that question.â You snort.
Yunjin raises a brow, genuine confusion washing over her features, before she seems to finally remember. âAh,â she breathes, slumping back down into her seat. âRight. I forgot.â
Yunjin is the only person youâd confided in about your problem. She was supportive, of course, but she still sometimes told you that she thought it was all in your head. That you had some kind of mental block when it came to orgasming, but you couldnât help but feel like that was a little silly. Why would your mind keep you from reaching what most women described as the ultimate pleasure? If it was, then that was just plain cruel.
The conversation starts to move on again, but Sunghoon glances at you and then swiftly brings it back around.Â
âHold on,â he starts, eyebrows furrowed. âWhat was that about?â
âWhat was what about?â Yunjin asks.
He pulls his arm away from your shoulders and uses his now free hand to gesture between you and Yunjin. âThat,â he insists. âYou asked her her thoughts on sex and then just blew past it.â
Yunjin glances at you, meanwhile your cheeks suddenly feel like they're burning. Why does he even care what your thoughts on sex are? Itâs a silly question, one that youâll probably forget anyone even asked in the morning, and yet heâs choosing to focus on the one minute thing you said in the entire debate.
Which wasnât even anything ground breaking! You just said you wouldnât be the right person to ask, that was it.
So why is he taking such an interest in it?
âUm,â Yunjin starts, her gaze finding yours before returning to Sunghoon. âWhy do you care?â
He doesnât even falter like youâd expected him to. Instead, he leans back and pulls you closer into his side. âAm I not allowed to be worried for my best friend?â
You swallow and attempt to put some distance between you, but he doesnât let you. If anything, he just pulls you even closer. All the way until youâre sure you can taste the remnants of cologne on his clothes and the weed on his breath.Â
âSunghoon,â you laugh, the sound coming out more nervous than anything else. âItâs nothing. Donât get so worked up about it.â
But he doesnât seem to like that answer either. âSo something happened?â
You shake your head. âNo, itâs not thatââ
âThen what?â
You pause, your mouth suddenly feeling dry. If you had all your inhibitions in check, you probably wouldâve resisted telling him in such an open space. Because even though Jungwon and Ni-ki are trying to make it seem like they arenât listening, you know they are. At least Yunjin doesnât try to hide her nosiness.
You know that realistically Sunghoon is just worried for you, he is your best friend after all. Youâd be worried for him too if he suddenly got weird when the topic of sex got brought up, but still, you wish you were admitting this to him somewhere with a little more privacy.
You lean back into the cushions, your bottom lip finding its way between your teeth. Sunghoon, always so in tune with your emotions, immediately reaches a hand over to smooth down your hair.Â
âWhat is it, sweet girl?â He asks, his voice lowered so that only you can hear him. âYou know you can tell me.â
And thatâs the thing, you do know. And it should be easy telling him, because you know itâs not like heâll judge you. If anything, heâll probably be more sympathetic towards you then Yunjin is.
But, still. Thereâs something about telling him that makes shame burn deep in your cheekbones.
You shrug, your fingers toying with the edge of your skirt. âItâs embarrassing.â
He grins, all teeth and crinkled eyes. Heâs staring at you like youâre something precious, like youâre something he has to handle with care. Not like youâre a grown woman who can make her own decisions when it comes to her sex life â or lack of one.
âNothing about you is embarrassing.â
Thatâs what finally breaks you. You sigh, words slightly jumbled together and voice so quiet youâre shocked he can even hear you. âI canât,â you gesture with your hand lazily. âYou know. Finish, or whatever."
He blinks. One moment passes, and then two. Youâre on the verge of thinking youâve somehow made him uncomfortable when suddenly heâs laughing like youâve said something hilarious. âWhat?â
Yunjin tosses a pillow at him, but he just lets it hit him square in the chest and doesnât spare her a glance. âItâs not funny, Sunghoon!â She defends. âItâs a serious condition.â
You roll your eyes, but you donât have time to focus on her because Sunghoon is quickly invading your senses again. âIâm not making fun of you, baby,â he mumbles, lips dangerously close to your ear. âItâs justâŠcute. Thatâs all.â
It most definitely is not cute. Itâs humiliating, if anything. The one thing youâre supposed to be able to count on your body to do for you, it refuses to. What kind of woman canât even orgasm?
âNo, it's not,â you groan, running a hand down your face. âItâs weird.â
Sunghoon doesnât say anything to that, but you can tell something in his expression has shifted. Heâs eyeing you now like youâre some kind of anomaly he wants to figure out. Like your condition is something thatâs piqued his curiosity.
You arenât entirely sure how you feel about that.
The night continues easily â everybody's too drunk or high to focus on whatever little blip it was youâd had. Even you forget about it after another round of drinks.
But Sunghoon doesnât. He canât.Â
Even when he goes to bed that night, every time he closes his eyes all he can see is you. His pretty little best friend. Sexually frustrated and somehow thinking there's something wrong with you.
To Sunghoon, thatâs utterly absurd. Clearly these men youâve been with donât know how to handle you, and thatâs not your fault! No, what you need is someone who knows what theyâre doing. Someone who will actually listen to what your body needs and doesnât just chase his own pleasure.
What you need isâŠhim.
And Sunghoon is a good best friend. He always has been. All heâd be doing is helping you, really. Just a friend helping out a friend.
Nothing more, nothing less.
.đ„ Ę ËàŒ
The next week passes by just like it normally does. You go to class and try not to think about the fact that you definitely bombed your exams. Everytime you walk into a lecture, fear creeps up your spine at the thought of your teacher handing over a test with your name on it.
Sunghoon is there to help you through the anxiety though. He comes to your dorm every night with a bag of nerds gummy clusters and his laptop.Â
You always start the night exactly how you plan to. Sunghoon helps you study, you both pretend to give a fuck for an hour or two, and then you end up side by side in your bed watching reruns of your favorite sitcom. Itâs a simple routine that youâve come to cherish, one that you donât even remember starting. It honestly felt like one day heâd started showing up and then he justâŠnever stopped.
âYou know,â you mumble, popping another cluster into your mouth. âI think weâve watched this show so many times we could probably recite the whole thing.â
Sunghoon shrugs, his glasses hanging off of the bridge of his nose. He reaches up and pushes them back into place without a second thought. âModern Family is a classic.â
You hum. Modern Family is a classic. âYeah, true.â
You both lull into silence again after that, your eyes following the screen as one of the characters does something stupid. It makes you laugh despite the fact that you know itâs coming. Sunghoon lets out a huff of breath too, but he seems on edge.
His hand keeps fisting the sheet until his knuckles turn white, and he only does that when something's bothering him. He doesnât even seem to be paying as much attention to the show as he usually does.
Itâs like his thoughts keep wandering and heâs trying to make the stop.
It worries you. The last time youâd seen Sunghoon this anxious was sophomore year, right before he broke up with his girlfriend. He never told you why he did, just that something about the relationship didnât feel right.Â
But, last you checked, he doesnât have any girlfriends heâs wanting to break up with right now, which means something else is bothering him.
You nudge his shoulder gently, your eyebrows furrowed with concern. âWhatâs wrong?â You ask.
He blinks, his eyes glued to the laptop before they slowly slide over to you. âHm?â
You huff out a laugh. âI said whatâs wrong? Youâve been acting off ever since we turned the show on. Did something happen?â
You watch as he swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing with the movement. He doesnât move his gaze from yours, but for some reason you wish he had. Heâs looking at you so intensely, eyes searching yours like they hold the answer to the meaning of life.
Sunghoon gets like this sometimes. Itâs almost like heâsâŠholding something back. And whenever you question him on it, he usually just pats your arm and tells you not to worry your pretty little head about it. You stopped questioning it a long time ago.
But he doesnât do that tonight. Instead, he lets his tongue drag over his lips, and you canât help the way your eyes flicker down to the movement.
Youâre not blind. You know your best friend is ridiculously handsome. You know plenty of girls have gotten jealous and wished that it were them in your place. But your relationship with Sunghoon isnât like that, heâs just your friend.
Besides, even if you did want him like that, youâd never want to risk your friendship with him.Â
His lip's part for a moment, and then close, and then part again. âIâŠâ He trails off, takes a deep breath, and then starts again. âIâve been thinking about what you said.â
You raise a brow. When did you say something? You try to rack your brain, but you come up empty. You canât recall anything you said that would be worth bringing it up again.Â
âDid I say something?â
His lips break out into a small smile, the curve threatening to reveal the tip of his fangs. âDo you not remember?"
You try to think back to anything you mightâve said, but still, you come up blank. You tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, expression scrunched in confusion. âShould I?â
Sunghoon is silent at that. He just looks at you, looks back down at his hands, and then straightens himself up so suddenly he feels like heâs towering over you in bed.
âIf you donât remember,â he murmurs, âthen Iâll remind you.â
He leans on the tiniest bit closer, and suddenly it feels like all the air has been sucked from your lungs. You and Sunghoon have been close plenty of times before, but this feels different. This feels almostâŠintimate.
You swallow, your eyes widening the tiniest bit as you attempt to scoot closer to the headboard. âHoonâŠâ
âYou told me,â he starts, his voice low in that sultry kind of way. âThat youâve never had an orgasm. That you canât, actually.â
The memory dawns on you then. The party, the alcohol, the weed. Youâd somehow unknowingly buried it all the way to the back of your mind without even realizing, and now youâre dealing with the consequences of your big mouth.
You wince. Itâs almost embarrassing to hear the words coming out of Sunghoons mouth. Even though you know itâs true, that doesnât make it any less humiliating.
âOh,â you mumble. âI did?â
âYou did.â
You clear your throat and attempt to look at least a little unbothered. âWell, itâs true soâŠyou donât need to bring it up again. Itâs already embarrassing enough having my best friend know thereâs clearly something wrong with me.â
His eyebrows furrow, and for a split second, he almost looks angry. Like the thought of you thinking thereâs something wrong with you enrages him.
âEmbarrassing?â He scoffs. âItâs not embarrassing. And thereâs nothing wrong with you. You just havenât been with the right kind of guys.â
You probably wouldâve agreed with him if you hadnât also attempted to get yourself there. You literally just cannot do it. Itâs not the guys youâre with or anything like that, itâs just you.
âBut thatâs the thing!â You insist. Any shyness you mightâve had towards the topic before suddenly disappears. âItâs not just the guys. I canâtâŠI canât finish on my own either.â
For what itâs worth, that looks like it genuinely makes Sunghoon pause. His eyes widen the tiniest fraction, his movements pausing before he resumes them.
âYou canâtâŠâ He glances down to your hands in your lap.Â
You roll your eyes, cheeks practically blistering. Youâre positive your ears are the same color as a tomato at this point. âNo, I canât. Itâs whatever. Can we just finish the show?â
But Sunghoon doesnât back off. Instead, he reaches behind him and shuts the laptop completely, cutting off whatever noise it was making. He pushes it off of the bed, not even flinching when it clatters violently onto the floor.
âSo, let me get this straight,â he starts. You have to resist the urge to roll your eyes. âYouâve never had an orgasm? Like, ever?â
He knows you said at the party that you canât finish, but he assumed you meant with other guys. Not that you canât finish at all.
âYep,â you say, popping the P. Your arms cross over your chest in frustration. You donât understand why he wonât just let the topic go. Yunjin doesnât even hound you this much about it! âIâm one of the only girls in the world who canât finish. Are you done making fun of me now?â
He leans back slightly, his pupils suddenly dilated and his tongue sweeping over his teeth. The tension in the air builds quickly, until it feels like youâre definitely going to choke on it.
Slowly, Sunghoon crawls over until heâs seated right in front of you. He leans back on his heels, studying your face like youâre some kind of expensive art piece. Usually, you donât mind when he looks at you. In fact, you bask in it. But this feels different. This feels almost hungry.
âYou think that thereâs something wrong with you?â He asks, voice hushed. Deep.
You swallow, suddenly feeling silly for even admitting that to him. But what other explanation is there outside of you being biologically engineered differently than how you were supposed to? Maybe your mother drank a cup of coffee when she was pregnant and now youâre being forced to suffer for it.
You shrug. âWhat other explanation is there?â
He brings a hand up to your calf, the tips of his fingers brushing over the skin lightly. The touch feels like ice against your warm skin, and you canât help the way your breath nearly catches in your throat.
He doesnât look at you, but youâre staring at him. At the curve of his jaw. The way his bangs fall over his forehead like he styled them to be that perfect. At the freckles dotting his soft skin.
You know your best friend is attractive. Youâve always known.
But thisâŠthereâs something about it now that makes your stomach twist with arousal.
His fingers pause at the bottom of your knee, his thumb rubbing soft circles into it. Youâre suddenly thankful that you took the time to shave last night.
He shifts, leaning forward just enough that you can smell his cologne. âI think you justâŠhavenât listened to what your body wants. To what it needs.â
You scoff lightly, but it sounds forced. Honestly, youâre too focused on how his touch feels against your skin to even think about whatever it is heâs saying to you.
âI think I would know what I need.â
He shrugs, tongue flickering out to wet his lips before it slides back into his mouth. âMaybe. Maybe not.â
You pull your legs out of his grip and hug them towards your chest. He doesnât look shocked when you do it â he just lets his hand land on the bed and looks up at you.
âWhy are you bringing this up?â You ask. You hate that you can hear the way your voice sounds so quiet. Shy. Youâve never felt shy around Sunghoon.
He doesnât say anything for a few moments. Just lets his gaze trail from your eyes down to your chest, to the curve of your hip and all the way back up to the plump of your lips.
He scoots closer slowly, and suddenly his chest is right against your calves. Breathing suddenly feels difficult â like a task instead of something you just do on autopilot. His very presence feels mind consuming.
Heâs hesitant for only a moment, something flashing in his eyes, and then heâs tossing it out the window and speaking so clearly youâd almost think there were other people in the room.
âI want to help you.â
You blink. âHelp me?â
âYeah.â He says easily, like those five words hadnât just changed the trajectory of your friendship in a way you hadnât been prepared for. âWeâre best friends, arenât we? Best friends help each other.â
Your cheeks flush at the implication. Thereâs a line between helping your friend and doing something like that for them. This isnât just him letting you borrow his notes, this is unexplored territory. This is your body, your pleasure â all of it in his hands.
Youâd be lying if you said the idea didnât excite you.
But Sunghoon is your best friend, you canât do that with him. Itâd be wrong, and itâd change your relationship completely. You donât know if youâd ever even be able to come back from something like that. The idea in general sounds good, even if youâre positive heâs not going to change anything about your condition, but the consequences are too great. You canât do it. You canât.
Right?
âWhat?â You splutter, a nervous laugh forcing itself from your throat. âIâm sorry, are you telling me you want to help me,â you clear your throat, your voice lowering into a hushed whisper, â...orgasm?â
Sunghoon smirks, his canines on full display like heâs some type of predator. âYeah, I am.â
You blanch, your eyes wide as you stare at him like heâs grown two heads. At this point, you think an extra extremity would probably be less shocking than the words coming out of his mouth.
âAbsolutely not,â you say, arms forming an X across your chest. âThatâsâŠI canât do that with you. It would change too much. Besides, I already told you, I physically cannot do it. I really doubt youâre going to be the one to change that.â
Sunghoon leans back on his hands, his smirk widening just a fraction. Like heâs taking your words as some kind of challenge. It scares you and makes heat swirl in your abdomen just the same.
âSo, you're scared?â He asks, tone light and teasing, but thereâs an underlying smoothness to it that makes a chill crawl up your spine. âYouâre scared that Iâll prove you wrong.â
âIâm not scared.â You scoff.
Sunghoon just shrugs. âYou are, and thatâs okay. If you want to go the rest of your life without having an orgasm, then thatâs your prerogative."
Your eyes narrow at that. You know heâs just trying to rile you up to get what he wants, but you canât help falling for it anyway. You arenât scared of what heâll show you, you just donât want to mess up your friendship for something youâre positive isnât possible. It doesnât matter how big his fucking ego is.
âIâm not scared,â you repeat. âI just know that you aren't going to miraculously be the guy that suddenly helps me finish.â
âYouâre positive?â
âYes.â
His eyes bore into yours â challenging you. Teasing you. He knows exactly what heâs doing, and he knows exactly how this is going to play out, even if you havenât fully caught up to it.
He has to bite his cheek to keep his smile from getting any bigger. âProve it then.â
âWhat?â
He leans forward again, his hands coming up to rest at the top of your knees. Slowly, he forces them apart and makes space for himself between your legs. He doesnât move into it, just leaves it there like an unspoken promise. âIf you really think Iâm just going to end up like every other guy, then prove it to me. Prove me wrong.â
You know what heâs doing. You know he knows how competitive you can get. Heâs trying to push you into the direction he wants, to mold you like clay into his hands. And you donât want to fall for it, you really donât.
But thereâs something about the way heâs looking at you â all smug and so sure of himself. Youâve heard the rumors around campus, you know Sunghoons never shied away from his experience in the bedroom, but experience doesnât matter for you. Itâs just your biology.
And if he wants you to prove him wrong so fucking badly, then you will.
You donât remember surging forward to kiss him â not until your teeth clash and he lets out the smallest sigh of approval. His hands are everywhere immediately â gripping the flesh of your hip, tracing up the line of your spine.Â
He kisses you like heâs been waiting for it, like heâs a man starving and youâve depraved him from any sort of substance. His tongue slides into your mouth easily, and you let out the slightest whine at the feeling.
He groans, his eyes squeezing together tightly. For a moment, you almost think heâs in pain.
âFuck, thatâs right,â he mumbles against your lips. âProve it to me, baby.â
You kiss him harder, saliva beginning to pool at the corners of your lips. Sunghoon licks it up without a complaint. In fact, you think heâd thank you for it if he could.
His hands under your shirt and onto your hips, rubbing circles into your skin, and then heâs dragging you onto his lap without breaking away from the kiss.
You gasp when you feel his bulge through his sweatpants, the imprint pressing right against your folds. Heâs big, you can tell that without even seeing it. The thought of your best friend carrying that around makes butterflies fly somewhere in your stomach.
Sunghoon kisses you deeper, his tongue licking into your mouth. Your mind is spinning from the sensation, and heâs barely touched you outside of kissing. It makes you feel like youâre in high school all over again.
Most men donât waste their time kissing you like this. They just give you a few pecks and then get right to work using you to chase their own high. Itâs become something youâve learned to expect. But Sunghoon is kissing you like itâs the main event â like heâs been waiting his entire life to do it.
Slowly, he uses his grip on your hips to grind you against his cock, and instant pleasure bursts low in your tummy. The fabric between you does little to dull the feeling of his tip nudging against your clit â if anything, it almost makes it all the more intimate.
âFuck,â you sigh out, your hands gripping his shirt like youâre trying to ground yourself.
He lets out a chuckle, the sound rumbling from his chest. âHm?â He hums, moving from your lips to your jaw. âYou say something, Sweetheart?â
You bite on your lip to keep yourself from spitting some kind of insult at him. Of course heâs enjoying watching you fall apart from a few measly kisses. But that doesnât mean anything. You still havenât cum, and youâre positive you arenât going to.
âShut up,â you mumble. Your hands slide up from his chest to his hair, gripping his black locks as he sucks at the sensitive skin around your neck.Â
You can feel him smile against your skin, but he doesn't say anything else about it. Instead, he nips gently at your collarbone and then basks in the whimper it pulls from you.
His hips push up into yours again, and the feeling is enough to force your lips to part in pleasure. Hesitantly, you begin to grind into him on your own, your movements erratic compared to the preciseness of his thrusts.
He clicks his tongue, tightening his grip and forcing your hips to still. You immediately whine â completely forgetting that youâre supposed to be embarrassed â but he just shakes his head.
âIs that what you think pleasure is?â He asks, letting his fingertips drag across the bare skin of your stomach. âNo wonder you canât cum.â
You furrow your brows. You have no idea what heâs talking about. âWhat?â You murmur, the word breathless and whiny. If the entire point of this is to bring you to your peak, you donât understand why heâs forcing you to stop.
He licks his lips, and you canât help but notice how red and raw they are. Completely kiss-bitten. It makes you proud that he looks just as wrecked as youâre sure you do.
âYouâre not letting yourself get any actual build up,â he explains, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. âYouâre chasing something that hasnât even gotten the chance to form yet.â
You part your lips to respond, maybe fight back, but nothing comes out. Because thatâs the closest thing youâve ever got to an explanation as to why you canât seem to do something everybody else can.Â
You swallow, your posture turning into a slight slouch. âI donât understand.â You admit quietly.
Youâre half expecting him to judge you â maybe laugh. Itâs definitely something other men would do. But he doesnât do any of that. Instead, he pecks you softly on the nose and gently lays you down until your back is flat against the bed.
âYouâre thinking too much,â he mumbles, softly tapping your forehead.
You donât know how to tell him that you donât know how to not think about it without sounding like a complete loser. But, then you remember that this is your best friend. And if tonight has shown you anything, itâs that he wonât judge you. You could say the dumbest thing and he would still look at you like you mean something to him.
âI donât know how to stop.â You admit shakily, the words feeling like a losing battle as they come out.
But they seem to catch Sunghoon off guard. Heâs hovering above you, eyes staring into yours with so much emotion you nearly choke on it.
This is different from the teasing Sunghoon youâd seen earlier. This Sunghoon genuinely wants to help you. He wants you to be able to experience something as trivial as an orgasm just to help you feel normal.Â
This Sunghoon is your best friend.
He kisses you again, but this time itâs slower. Deeper, somehow. This time it feels like heâs kissing you just because he can, and for some reason, you like that.
âDo you trust me?â He asks, his breath ghosting against your wet lips.
You nod at him without a second thought.
He crawls off of you, and the loss of his body is enough to force a breathless whine from your throat. He just shushes you and disappears out of your room. Heâs been in your home enough times to know where everything is, but it still leaves you feeling slightly embarrassed at the thought of him looking around your apartment without you. You cleaned yesterday, right? You really hope so.
When he reemerges, heâs holding something long and black. It dangles from his fingers clearly, and the closer you look you realize itâs a piece of black cloth.
âWhereâd you find that?â You ask. You probably should be asking what he plans to do with it, but your brain is having trouble processing actual thoughts right now.
He doesnât respond. Instead, he climbs back into bed with you, and ever so carefully presents the fabric to you.
âYou said you donât know how to turn your brain off, right?â He mumbles, bringing a hand to your thigh. His fingertips ghost over the skin, bringing goosebumps in their wake. âMaybeâŠMaybe this will help.â
You still arenât understanding, and he seems to be able to tell by the look of genuine confusion on your face. He chuckles and scoots closer, but this time it seems his confidence has faded the tiniest bit. He looks almost nervous, like heâs riding a bike without training wheels for the first time.
âI donât get it.â You mumble, letting out a nervous laugh. âHow is a piece of fabric going to help?â
He balls up the fabric, eyes lingering on it before he finds your gaze again. âJust let me try something?â He asks.
Part of you is screaming at you to say no. You have no idea whatâs going through his mind or what strange fantasy heâs planning to play out with you, and youâre terrified to find out.
But the other part of youâŠthe smaller, braver part, wants you to say fuck it. Youâve already come this far with him, whatâs a little more push? Besides, what could it hurt?
Slowly, your head nods up and down. Sunghoon, for what it's worth, doesnât look smug or happy. He just swallows, his adams apple bobbing as he does, and cautiously makes his way so heâs chest to chest with you.
You watch as he brings the piece of fabric towards your head, and then suddenly your vision is cut off completely. You let out a breath of air as he ties the fabric at the back of your skull gently, his fingers working carefully to make sure he doesnât catch any of your hair.
The vulnerability makes your core ache something awful. The thought of not being able to see him, not being able to know what his next move isâŠitâs exhilarating.
Your hands clench your sheets from anticipation, knuckles going a vivid white.Â
You hear Sunghoon chuckle, the sound low and breathy, and then heâs moving somewhere you canât see. You can feel his hands on your thighs still, like heâs trying to keep you grounded. To reassure you that heâs still here. That heâs not leaving.
âYouâre so beautiful, you know that?â He murmurs. You feel his hand slowly slide up until heâs reaching the hem of your shorts. He doesn't go under it â just keeps it there. Like heâs teasing you.
You feel yourself flush. âDonât say things like that.â
His fingers slide up the fabric until he reaches the waistband, and then slowly he slips his fingertips under it and tugs. âWhy?â He asks. You can practically feel the smirk that youâre sure is radiating from him. âItâs true.â
You just let out a breath, too focused on the feeling of him dragging your shorts and underwear down the soft skin of your legs. You hear him toss them aside somewhere, and then the room goes very still.Â
You swallow uncomfortably, legs closing on instinct. You hate that you canât see him or even try to guess what heâs thinking. Is he disappointed? Does he not want to do this anymore?
Your hands reach for the blindfold to pull it down, but a sudden grip on your wrist stops you.
âDonât.â Sunghoon murmurs, his voice low and breathy.Â
You freeze, arousal begins to pool in your core, and you listen to him. Your hands fall back to your sides and leave you encased in darkness and anticipation.
Ever so slowly, you hear him move. His hands find your knees and push them apart, exposing your glistening folds to him, and you feel him settle between your thighs.
âPoor baby,â he teases, leaving featherlight kisses on the inside of your thighs. âNever been taken care of properly, huh? No wonder this pretty little pussy is practically dripping for me.â He runs the tip of his finger over your slit, and you shiver at the contact.
âHoon,â you pant, trying to ignore that it sounds more like a beg than anything else. âJustâJust hurry up and touch me so we can get this over with.â
He has the audacity to chuckle, but makes no move to help subside the growing ache in your stomach. If you didnât know any better, youâd think he thinks this entire thing is funny.Â
âSo impatient,â he says, clicking his tongue as he does. âThis is why youâve never cum, princess. Youâre rushing things. Howâs your pretty pussy supposed to finish if you never let her start in the first place?â
You donât have a reply for that. If anything, it just irritates you that he sounds like he knows what heâs talking about. He totally doesnât, but still. Itâs annoying that he thinks he knows more about your body than you do.
Slowly, he begins to spread your lips, his thumb spreading your arousal. The pad of it catches on your clit for just a split second, but the jolt of pleasure it gives you is enough to force a gasp out of your throat.
He pulls back for just a moment, before finally his mouth is on you fully, licking a stripe from your hole all the way to your clit. Your back arches without warning, a moan pushing its way from your lungs. The suddenness of it forces your brain to go on temporary pause, and all you can focus on is the feeling of his mouth.
He licks you like a man starved, grunts of pleasure falling from his lips as if he's the one being pleasured. âThere you go, baby,â he mumbles against you, the noise drowned out by the wet sounds of your sopping pussy. âFeels good, hm?â
You just moan in response, unable to form any actual thoughts. Suddenly youâre almost grateful for the blindfold, because you arenât sure youâd be able to handle seeing him in between your legs â making a home for himself there as if he always knew heâd end up there.
His hand grips your hip suddenly, fingers digging into the plush skin so hard youâre sure thereâll be marks in the morning. âTell me,â he gasps, punctuating it by a tug at your clit. âTell me exactly how good it feels.â
âSoâSo good,â you manage. âFuck, itâs good.â
Youâve had men go down on you before, but never like this. Never like it was something they were doing for their own pleasure and not just because they felt obligated.
âI know it is, pretty girl.â He says. You feel his free hand slowly run up your calf and your inner thigh, before his finger is prodding at your entrance and pushing through the tight ring of muscle.
Your head goes fuzzy, hips lifting off the bed and chasing the heat of his mouth and the thrusts of his finger. Itâs an overwhelming sensation, one that youâve never really experienced before. And for one fleeting moment, you think that Sunghoon might have just done the thing he set out to do.
Prove you wrong.
âFuck,â you whine, your hand searching blindly for his in an attempt to slow him down. âHoon, slow downââ
He doesnât listen. Instead, he forces another finger into your hole, stretching you out deliciously and now giving you a moment to breathe.
âI know, baby, I know,â he mumbles, giving your clit another harsh suck. âItâs gonna feel real good here soon.â
Slowly, the coil in your stomach builds and builds. Usually, this would be when you stop, accidentally edging yourself and thinking it was because you just couldnât orgasm like a normal woman can. But Sunghoon doesnât. Instead, he works you through it like thereâs no place youâd rather be.
You gasp, reaching up and tugging the blindfold off. It falls to the side slowly, and when you look down you see Sunghoon between your legs, his cock in his hand and jerking himself off with slow, languid strokes.
Itâs probably the hottest thing youâve ever seen a guy do.
âShit, Iâm gonnaâoh, fuckââ
Sunghoon doesnât go faster or harder, he just keeps the same pace, until finally youâre spilling over and releasing all over his face, your hole spasming against his fingers. He drinks your release like itâs his own personal ambrosia, groaning through it.
âThatâs a good girl,â he murmurs, voice raising in pitch. âCum all over my face.â
He finishes shortly after you with a small cry, his cum painting your sheets and his hand a milky white.
When itâs over, you're panting like a dog in heat, thighs twitching and sweat beading across your forehead. You donât even know what to do or say. Your best friend just made you finish for the first time after youâd spent years thinking it just wasn't possible for you. And not only did he bring you to orgasm, he did it without even using his fucking dick.
You could seriously kill him.
Slowly, he climbs up next to you, his own chest heaving from his own orgasm.
âSo?â He murmurs.
You glare at him. âDonât say it.â
He puts his hands up in surrender. âI wasnât going to say anything.â But the smirk on his face says otherwise.
Youâre having a lot of thoughts right now. Mostly that you canât believe you just let your best friend eat you out.
But mostly that you canât wait for him to do it again.
