Warning: Many stories portray dark and mature themes so proceed with caution. Stories are tagged accordingly, but please let me know if I missed something!
Hello! I'm Lyn and this blog is where I post the random writing ideas I get, so please enjoy! I write mostly for boy groups, and some others here and there. So feel free to browse and have fun! My inbox is always open!
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NCT Masterlist
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Ateez Masterlist
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SHINee Masterlist
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I didn’t even get the chance to read it yet but I’m so happy!! Nctzens are out of the basement !! I will give my thought after I read but I wanted to give my thanks right away!!
Out of the basement >_<
A lot has happen in NeoCity, it felt right to go back to my roots. I miss all my boys even as they are sporadically active. I do hope the story brings you joy!
You still couldn’t believe you were here. It was truly a dream come true. Once upon a time you watched them on a screen, and now they stood before you, alive and real, well, maybe not exactly alive.
“Hi… I’m y/n, one of the new managers.”
You held your hand out, although you should have known better. Instead the seven boys lined up and did their introduction.
“1, 2, 3. To the world this is NCT. Hello, we are NCT Unity.”
You clapped your hands and jumped up a bit before getting a glare from the other manager. You cleared your throat, and offered a bow in return.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“We look forward to working with you too.”
NCT Unity is a seven member kpop boy group. The leader was Taeyong, and his members were Johnny, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Jeno, Jaemin, and Jisung. Many like to refer to them as Tae and the J-line. They were an absolute powerhouse in the industry, and had a secret appeal to them. They were androids. Their company had put a lot of care and effort into creating them, making them the perfect idols. You had to say they nailed it. All the members were gorgeous, and incredibly talented. Although they did have different positions in the group. You had been a fan, an NCTzen, for years, so to actually get to work with them, and see them everyday. Your fangirl heart was about to burst from your chest, but this was a big girl job, so you needed to remain professional and composed.
“I have to take this, I’ll be right back.”
The other manager stepped away for the moment, leaving you alone with the boys. You were trying to stay calm, keeping your head low and hoping you weren’t coming off as weird. All of a sudden you saw someone’s face, seeing that they had bent down to meet your gaze.
“Hi.”
“Jaemin!”
“Oh, you know my name. You must really be a fan.”
“What!?”
“We can hear your heart racing.” Johnny commented. “And your body temperature is spiking. If you’re not a fan we might need to take you to the doctor.”
“No! No, I’m fine… it’s just… a lot…”
“So you are a fan?”
“Of course she’s a fan.” Jeno stated. “She clapped for us when we introduced ourselves.”
“Ah… that was inappropriate of me, sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s great to have someone like you as our manager.”
“Me? We’ve only just met.”
“But as our fan you’re already great.” Jisung added. “So, how long have you been following us?”
“Uh…”
“It’s okay, you can be honest.”
“Since your debut… there was already so much talk about you guys predebut and I was curious. You guys were incredible from the start, and still are.”
“Wow, you must be one of our first fans.” Jaehyun remarked. “We’re honored.”
“Have you ever been to one of our fansigns?” Jungwoo asked. “I don’t have your face saved in our database.”
“Wait, what? You have a database to remember faces?”
“We like to remember the fans we meet. We’ll be sure to remember you now.”
“Which reminds me.” Jaemin added. “Can we get your number? Now that you’re our manager we should have it.”
“Oh, right, we should exchange contact information.”
“We don’t have physical phones.” Johnny explained. “So you can just give us your number.”
“Okay then.”
You provided them with your number, learning that they could call you remotely as they had cell access from, well, themselves.
“I’m curious.” Taeyong wondered. “Do you have any of our albums?”
“Of course…” You admitted shyly. “I think of myself as a bit of a collector.”
“Then who’s your bias?”
“Um…”
“Oh please, it’s obviously me.” Jaemin stated. “I’m the best.”
“Have you looked in the mirror?” Jaehyun teased. “I’m her bias.”
“The obvious answer is Taeyong.” Johnny pointed out. “He’s the most popular one.”
“That’s not true!” You said.
“So, I’m not your favorite?” Taeyong questioned.
“Uh… that’s not what I said.”
“Then who’s your bias?”
“Honestly…”
“Yes, we wanna know.”
“I don’t think I could pick.”
“What?” Jeno questioned. “That can’t be true.”
“It is, I swear. You guys are all amazing, and I don’t think I could pick any one of you as my bias.”
“You’re just saying that cause you’re our manager.”
“I can’t be showing favoritism, but you’re all great.”
“Who do you collect then?” Jungwoo asked.
“No one in particular. I keep the cards I pull, but I’ll admit Jaehyun keeps popping up.”
“Guess that makes me the winner.” Jaehyun smirked.
“On a technicality.” Jaemin stated. “So, what’s your favorite comeback?”
“Well… I really liked it when your hair was blue.”
Jaemin threw a smirk your way before running his hand through his hair. As he did so the color changed from brown to blue. You were left with your jaw on the floor.
“You can change your hair color just like that!?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about us.”
The manager returned and the boys all lined up again, Jaemin’s hair fading back to brown, meaning running his hand through his hair was all for show. There wasn’t really much to explain to you, so this was gonna be a hands-on learning type of job. Obviously the first thing to familiarize yourself with were the schedules, both group and solo ones. The days were certainly busy, but you got used to it and began to get into your own rhythm. For the most part you were more like an assistant manager, doing tasks that were assigned to you here and there, along with observing and making note of important things. Of course you also had to keep your fangirl side in check as this job allowed you to learn so much more about the boys and how a group like this worked. For safety and security reasons not much was shared with the public about the inner workings of the boys or the group, so all the things you were learning were incredible.
For starters, the boys actually drank this custom made cooling fluid in order to keep their systems from over heating. The bottles were kept in a miniature portable fridge for easy transportation and the door handle was even digitally locked in a way that only the boys could open it to prevent anyone else from accidentally drinking that stuff. Of course the fridge was refilled at the company by authorized staff when necessary but the whole thing was cool nonetheless. You were curious as to what would happen if a person ever drank that green liquid, but you figured it was best not to ask. On top of that, their personal stylists were not exactly what you expected.
They were professionals of course, but they did things a bit differently. When it came to hair they could style it like normal, but they never cut it or used any sort of products. The boys had life like hair but it was still actually this high-tech material. So they could make it as long or as short as necessary, and change color at will. Not to mention once styled the look could be locked in as if one had used hair spray. Within minutes the boys could have completely different hairstyles and it would always look amazing. Then there was the makeup side of things that was just as cool. The makeup artists still had all the typical items and tools, but they were kinda fake, almost like toys.
They’d use these special high-tech brushes like one normally would, dabbing it over a color to make the bristles absorb it, except the color could only be applied to the skin of the boys. The brushes could apply foundation along with blush and eyeshadow. Then there were all the colorful pencils and lipstick options too. They were high-tech as well, so you could try to use them on yourself all you wanted, but nothing would appear. Only when used on the boys to add some finer details and color would they actually work. It was so cool to see, and you were impressed by the skills of the staff. It probably took some time to get used to such equipment, and you hoped maybe someday you could learn to use it as well.
Although what really surprised you, but made sense in hindsight, was the tablet the manager always had on them. It seemed normal, but was actually incredibly important. With it, the manager could monitor the boys’ vitals, energy levels, location, and system operations. It made sense to have such a device, you just never thought about all the logistics that would make an idol group like this work. If you didn’t know anything and just saw them perform one day, you wouldn’t know they were androids. Everything about them was carefully designed to appear real, and the things around them mimicked life so well. All this made you love and appreciate the group even more. Yet there was still more to learn.
🖤
One day you were asked to come in early in the morning, before your usual start time. You weren’t sure why, but arrived at the company when you were requested. That was the day you got to see where the boys had their dorm room, or at least what everyone called it. In reality it was something else entirely. When you walked into this supposed dorm you saw that this huge space contained seven pods where the boys would recharge and also receive maintenance. You were told that the boys tended to recharge every three days due to all the activities they took on as idols but when they were in between comebacks it was more of a weekly thing. Today was recharge day, so all seven were currently in their pods for a longer period of time. They looked like they were sleeping, but it was rather odd to see them in such a state.
Besides the pods, there was this giant control panel in the center of the room that monitored everything about the boys, even when they were elsewhere. Seeing all this was another interesting peek behind the curtain, but it also made you sad. This place was so cold and mechanical, not at all the way a real dorm should be. It hurt a bit to know that this was where your idols were when they weren’t on stage or behind a camera. To a degree this was also a bit of a reality check. No matter how realistic they looked, and how life-like they were as idols, they weren’t real people. It was a truth every nctzen knew deep down cause there was no slice of life content from the group. All they ever did was perform on stage, promote their albums on music shows, and do fansigns. The company saw it as a waste of resources to have them play pretend as real people. They were idols, that image was where the love, and money, was at.
“They should be waking up soon.”
You watched as one by one the boys began to wake, seeing an initial green glow in their eyes before it faded away. Definitely like some kind of electronic system booting up. Although they all soon realized you were in the room, offering you a smile and greeting you as they got out of their pods. All systems were good on their end, and now you got to know why you were really brought in so early. Besides learning something new about the boys, the manager handed you the tablet. It was about time you learned how to properly take care of them as androids. You were incredibly nervous to have such an important piece of tech in your hands, but this was a responsibility you’d eventually have to take on. Of course you weren’t the main manager, but you should know what to do in case your help is ever needed in regards to these things.
You slowly got the hang of it. Carefully watching what your manager did and asking questions. Despite how important that tablet was, it was not used much outside of basic monitoring. It wasn’t that scary to have it in hand once you better understood its function, and you certainly felt more like their manager as time went on. You had to keep things professional, but you certainly felt yourself growing closer to the boys. Being with them on the daily really made it easy to forget they were androids and not real people. Of course there were reminders here and there, but regardless you were their manager, and you felt like you were doing a good job so far. Then the real work began.
“Y/n, can I get some water?”
While you were checking over the schedule you suddenly heard a chime. You thought it was your phone, but there wasn’t any notification. Then your gaze went to the tablet at your side. You picked it up and saw a message bubble at the top from Jungwoo. You had no idea they could send messages to the tablet, but either way you couldn’t access the fridge. You were about to figure out how to send a reply when another message popped up.
“I’ll open the fridge for you.”
You glanced over at Jungwoo who was in the middle of hair and makeup. His eyes were closed, yet he was communicating with you. Since he asked, you got up and went to the fridge. As you reached for the handle it clicked and unlocked itself, allowing you to get one of the special bottles. You went over to Jungwoo, intending to place the bottle on the table, but he effortlessly reached for it and took it from you, all with his eyes closed.
“Thank you.”
“Of course.”
After that whenever you had the tablet the boys would message you. Either with some requests here and there, or just making conversation. It was a bit silly to text in such a way when they were right there, but they found it fun. You weren’t even sure how it worked, but it did. It just became another part of the job, and even though things were mostly smooth sailing, there were complications every now and then too.
“NCT Unity, be ready for rehearsals in five!”
Over time you got to know the other managers and saw each other regularly at music shows and other venues. You were all friendly with one another, and it was nice to chat with people who understood the job.
“Your job has got to be easy since all those boys actually listen to you.”
“It’s not as easy as you think.” You remarked. “They all have their own quirks and personalities. They’re life-like in many ways.”
Even though you had been with them for a while you never got tired of watching them perform. So it really was a treat to see them rehearse. Although the last thing you ever wanted to see was one of them get hurt. This time around during rehearsals Jaemin wound up slipping and crashing to the ground. The table in hand immediately flashed red and you rushed to Jaemin’s side to examine him. He sat up but kept his head low, and you could see why. His left eye was sporadically changing colors and flashing green.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah right, come on, let’s go back to the dressing room.”
You helped Jaemin stand up, the boy keeping a hand over his left eye. You yelled at the staff to examine the stage and fix it before the actual show. You led Jaemin back to the dressing room, the rest of the members following behind as well. Jaemin sat down in front of the mirror, seeing for himself how his eye was glitching. You looked over the tablet to see what the problem was, and it seemed there was some misalignment in his visual component, meaning his eye.
“Okay… how do we fix this…”
“A reset should fix me.” Jaemin commented. “There’s a button behind my right ear, should get it done.”
“Are… are you sure?”
“The alternative is going back to the shop.” Taeyong mentioned. “We don’t have time for that.”
“Right. Okay, it won’t hurt right?”
“Not at all.”
“Alright.”
Jaemin gave you a reassuring smile as you reached over for that reset button. He told you that you had to press it down for three seconds and you’d know when it worked. It was kind of scary to see that smile on his face drop along with his head. Jaemin fell forward into your chest as if he had suddenly fallen asleep. You caught him and held him, feeling this lingering warmth. He was deadly still and silent for what felt like eternity before he finally came back online. That smile was back and his eye was normal again. You double checked the tablet which confirmed all his systems were functioning properly. There was still some time before the show so you went to find his stylist and makeup artist to freshen him up before then. While looking around though you wound up overhearing some of the other managers talking.
“Good thing the android was the one that slipped on the stage, and not an actual idol.”
You certainly wanted to say something about that, but you held your tongue needing to be professional here. It still hurt to hear that. Regardless of what Jaemin was, he still got hurt. If anything he was lucky it wasn’t that severe. The rest of the schedule went by smoothly and you kinda wanted to celebrate to lift up their spirits after the morning incident. Of course your manager reminded you that the boys didn’t really do things like that. It killed your spirit a bit to go home without rewarding the boys, but then you got an idea. You’d have to be careful and keep it a secret, but you think they’d like it. Even though their schedules were done for the day, they intended to practice at the company before going back to the shop. That gave you time to prepare your surprise. It was a little difficult but you stopped by their practice room when everything was ready.
“Y/n? What are you doing here so late?” Jisung questioned. “I thought you went home.”
“I was, but I wanted to do something for you guys. I’m sure this morning was a bit rough, but I wanted to cheer you up. I wasn’t sure how, but I hope this works.”
You presented each member with an icee made from their cooling fluid. At first they were confused, but as you explained it you could see their eyes light up. They eagerly took a sip, rather surprised at how different this was. It was a perfect treat after practicing.
“This is awesome!” Jeno exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could do this.”
“It’s got a little crunch to it too.” Jaehyun added. “I like this better than just drinking this stuff.”
“Thank you very much.” Taeyong commented. “For this and all your hard work as our manager.”
“Of course. It’s my job to look after you guys.”
You stuck around for a bit before heading home. It was late and you had to be back in a couple of hours so you needed some rest. Although instead of your morning alarm waking you up, it was a phone call. The main manager hadn’t shown up to work due to an emergency, so you’d be fully in charge that day. Which meant you had to be there earlier than usual. You had to drag yourself out of bed with less hours of sleep, but duty called. It wasn’t even going to be an easy day as the boys had a fansign scheduled and those events could be rather complex. Still, you put on a smile and prepared to face the day.
🖤
Preparing and making sure everything was set up properly for a fansign was a lot of work, especially since you were fully in charge that day. You wanted everything to be perfect so everyone involved had a good time. The venue was properly set up in no time, and you were going over the final checklist before letting fans in.
“Okay. Your boxes of gifts are under the table. We’ll start with fan interaction and-”
“Come on, y/n, lets do a test run.” Johnny said. “It’s the best way to do this.”
“Huh?”
Before you could say more Johnny was pulling you up on stage. The table had been set, plenty of markers, and a bench for the fans to easily move on from one member to the next. Johnny had you sit down before Jungwoo.
“Hi there, you’re a very pretty czennie.” Jungwoo began. “Is this your first time here?”
“Jungwoo, what are you doing?”
“Come on. You said you never had a chance to come to one of our fansigns, so lets do it now.”
“I-”
“Pretty please.” Jaemin begged. “It’ll be fun and you can say it’s a warm up.”
“Okay, okay.” You smiled. “I don’t have anything with me though.”
“That’s okay, we got you.” Taeyong brought over their new album, handing it to Jungwoo. “We can use this.”
As much as you should have refused, you couldn’t but indulge your fangirl self. This was more of a personal meet and greet, so you put down your title as manager and became just another one of their precious czennies. You always hoped to get into one of their fansigns, getting to meet them, talk about their music and talents. They were just as kind and fun as you had always imagined. Even though you had been working with them for months now, as you went down the line with them, you felt the same awe as you did when you first got into them.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough. It’s almost time to get started. Thank you very much for this.”
“Thanks for coming.” Jaehyun teased. “We hope to see you next time too.”
“I’ll do my best to attend.”
“Wait, wait!” Jisung interrupted. “You have to open the album first! We wanna see who you pull!”
“Alright, but after this we have to get started.”
The boys all eagerly gathered around as you did a mini album unboxing. You did your best to avoid seeing the photocard, everyone counting down before you took a look.
“I pulled Jungwoo!”
Of course there was playful disappointment, but Jungwoo was happily puffing out his chest. This was certainly going to be a topic to discuss and tease about going forward, but for now it was time to start the main event. The doors opened and fans were let in, the venue filling up quickly. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, and everyone was having a good time. Then a message from Taeyong popped up on your tablet.
“I don’t mean to cause a fuss, but there is someone here who is banned from these events.”
Just then you got another message with a picture of this person in question. You didn’t know the circumstances but then another message seemed to explain. You got this persons name and reason for being banned, along with the fake name and information given to get into this event. They weren’t kidding about having a database and remembering every fan they ever interacted with at these events. Now you had to handle this without causing a scene, but you knew this would draw attention regardless. You took a breath before talking with some security guards and going over to the person in question. You politely introduced yourself, and when you used their real name they seemed to get nervous. Security along with yourself escorted them out, and you made sure to refund the account used as they never should have been here in the first place. Thankfully the rest of the event continued on with no problems.
“Good job everyone.”
“Let’s take a picture!” Jeno said. “To commemorate today.”
You couldn’t say no as the boys dragged you up on stage. Jungwoo got your album for you and was happily showing off his photocard. You happily let your inner czennie take the photo, knowing this was one of the happiest moments of your life.
“Y/n, can we have those icees again?” Johnny asked. “They were really awesome.”
“Hm, I suppose you deserve a nice treat after all your hard work. Sure.”
There was something special about seeing the boys smile and laugh. It felt more authentic in these private little moments. Of course they shined bright on stage and on camera, but that was their job, their purpose. Now that you were here letting them enjoy custom made icees, those smiles and laughter felt more real than anything you had seen before. All anyone ever really saw of them was when they were idols, but they were truly so much more. You wanted other nctzens to see this too, but as you had been told before, it would be a waste. You didn’t think so, you were a nztcen, you knew you’d love to see them outside of schedules, and so would many more of their fans, but the company was in full control of them. They just wanted idols, and that’s all they were ever going to let these boys be.
After the fansign the boys had no schedules for a while as they had to undergo regular maintenance. It was also a chance for you to take a little break and rest. For the initial stuff you were present, supervising and also wanting to see what maintenance entailed. It wasn’t anything grand. While in the pods the boys underwent a full system and body analysis to make sure everything was functioning properly. The boys were happy to see you, and Jaehyun told you not to be scared of anything. They do this all the time and are perfectly fine. You watched as they all got into their pods, offering you reassuring smiles before closing their eyes. The technician explained a few things to you, saying it was a really simple process. The boys took care of themselves well, so after the initial scans there was just a full system reboot to clean things out.
The reboot part scared you the most. They were people to you, and people didn’t just undergo something like that. You didn’t have to stick around for everything, but it didn’t feel right to leave them alone. So you watched and waited. After the reboot there was a flash of red on the screens, but then it showed that everything was fine. You didn’t know what that meant, but you were glad it was all over now. The technician also informed you that the maintenance had no issues, and excused themselves afterwards. To be safe the boys wouldn’t partake in any schedules for at least three days, so now you all had some downtime. Although besides going home to rest, you weren’t sure what the boys did when they had free time.
“See, quick and simple.” Jisung said as he stepped out of his pod. “We’re all good now.”
“Kinda wanna hang around but…” Jaemin began. “We don’t really have our own place.”
“I know.” Jungwoo added. “This place is so cold and metallic, not comfortable or good for relaxing at all.”
“Why don’t you mention it to the higher ups.” Taeyong suggested. “You’re one of our czennies and our manager, you know it would be better if we had a real place to rest during our downtime.”
“I know, but I don’t have that much power. I can bring it up to the main manager once they get back.”
“Hm, maybe one day you’ll hold that title. Then you could speak for us, right?”
“I’d do my best.”
Even though the boys weren’t on schedules for the time being, it didn’t mean they couldn’t start simple preparations for their next album. They wanted to see the type of things you did as their manager, given you were still in charge, so they stuck close with you over the next few days.
“I feel like you’re just as busy as us.” Jaehyun commented. “When do you get a break?”
“Here and there, I’m alright I assure you.”
“We’re not busy now, so why not take a proper day off.”
“I have to start scheduling for the next album.”
“A nap won’t hurt.”
Jaehyun pulled you away from your things and brought you over to the couch, making you lay down and rest your head on his lap.”
“Jaehyun, this isn’t-”
“Sh. I can sing a lullaby and you can take a quick nap.”
“Jae-”
“You look tired, y/n, let me help.”
“… fine… just fifteen minutes.”
“Deal.”
You were rather tired. Despite it being downtime for the boys you were still rather busy. With the main manager still absent, you were still taking on their duties on top of your own. So far you were handling it, but you were feeling burnout as well. You didn’t want to let the boys down, being able to take care of them is any fans dream, and you intended to do just that. It was easy to fall asleep in Jaehyun’s lap, especially when he started petting your head. His soothing voice lulling you to sleep. After your nap you opened your eyes to see Jeno and Jaemin sitting on the floor in front of you.
“So cute.”
“What the-”
Seeing the two startled you awake and you jumped up. The boys quickly apologized, saying they had been looking for you but Jaehyun told them not to bother you. They said you looked adorable sleeping and figured they would just wait until after your nap.
“… sorry…”
“It’s fine, I just wasn’t expecting it. Alright, what did you want to see me about?”
“We had some ideas for the album, come on.”
Jeno took your hand and dragged you off. During these days off the boys were way more social with you, and intimate in some ways. They were always happy with you, smiles all around, holding your hand, being clingy and touchy as well. None of it had malicious intent, you knew that, but it certainly made your heart race. In those days it almost felt like you were living in some kind of fantasy, having all their attention on you. Then it hit you.
“… fuck…”
Of course fans loved their idols, but this was something else for you. All this time you had gotten to see a side of them no one else did, gotten to know them and see them in a light fans never did. Your heart wasn’t just racing as a fangirl, but as yourself. It was silly to entertain the thought that you had fallen in love with these boys. They weren’t real, they were just androids, but love couldn’t make that kind of distinction. From the beginning they knew you were a fan, and were more than happy to do all kinds of fanservice for you, which certainly didn’t help your feelings. You weren’t sure what to do with yourself anymore, but you needed to get your heart sorted or else you couldn’t continue doing your job. It wouldn’t be a good idea.
“Alright, the choreography portion of the music video is done. We’ll film a separate dance practice in ten, so everyone freshen up.”
The main manager was still on leave, and you were doing well so far, but you certainly needed help. You considered putting in a request for an assistant manager, but you weren’t sure how that would look. You went to the dressing room to take a breather, needing to look over some things as well.
“There you are.”
Taeyong walked into the room, offering you a smile and then checking his appearance in the mirror. He grabbed a bottle from the fridge, watching you work for a bit.
“Do you think we could get some icees once we’re done for the day?”
“Uh, sure, it’ll just take a while since I still have some other things to do once you guys are done.”
“You’re so busy lately.”
“Well, I am your sole manager right now, so there is a lot for me to take care of.”
“Why not hire some help?”
“Cause the main manager is on leave, and I’m just filling in. I don’t think it would look good of me to ask for help.”
“But you need it.”
“I’m managing thus far.”
“Then maybe you need to unwind a bit.”
“Hm?”
The whole time you had been talking with Taeyong you were focused on your computer, going over emails, but when Taeyong mentioned needing to unwind you looked up. He was standing before you, and next thing you knew he pinned you down on the couch.
“Taeyong… what are you-”
“Your heart is racing right now.” Taeyong chuckled. “And your body temperature is spiking too.”
“… taeyong… it’s not nice to monitor my-”
“You do it too. With that tablet you can see everything about us. This is only fair, isn’t it?”
“I… I don’t understand, please get off-”
As you tried to get Taeyong off of you he suddenly grabbed your hands and held them above your head. Now you were completely pinned beneath him.
“Did you like watching us dance earlier?”
“Huh?”
“Your heart always flutters when you watch us. Even after all this time you get excited to see us perform. You’re still our precious czennie.”
“Taeyong-”
“Will you let me try something?”
Before you could even question his words Taeyong had his lips pressed against yours. It was wrong, you knew that, yet you couldn’t help but kiss back. You let yourself indulge and that was a big problem. You snapped yourself back to your senses and pulled away, starting to fight.
“Taeyong, this is wrong!”
“Then why did you kiss back? Hm?”
“This shouldn’t be in your code.”
Taeyong scoffed. “I’m AI, not a robot, so I’m always learning new things.”
“No one taught you this!”
“But isn’t this a fans dream come true?”
“Taeyong-”
“Don’t you like me?”
“Not like this…”
“Why not? I have all the parts to please you with.”
“This isn’t right! Now get off, Taeyong, please!”
“Who cares if it’s right or wrong?”
“Taeyong!”
To your own surprise he let you go and got off, stepping away just as the door opened. The rest of the boys came into the room, and you quickly composed yourself. Without saying much you excused yourself, rushing to the bathroom to catch your breath and compose yourself. You splashed water in your face, trying to process what had happened. You never expected such a thing to happen, or even be possible. Something like this was really more of a fantasy, but you couldn’t understand why it was happening. Moreso why Taeyong would do such a thing. You kept things professional, you never made moves or dropped hints. You knew any sort of intimate relationship was out of the question, so it made no sense for Taeyong to act in such a manner. He was an android designed to be an idol, not a partner. Something had to be wrong. Yet when you checked the tablet it showed that Taeyong was perfectly fine. Nothing wrong with his hardware or software. Still, this feeling of something being off lingered.
🖤
After that incident nothing crazy happened again, and all the members were just focused on comeback preparations. They definitely had to undergo some maintenance before the big day and get plenty of rest. By then the company was already discussing with you about promoting you to the main manager position and getting a new assistant manager. Back then you’d jump at the chance, but at the moment you were a bit weary of taking the position. You were given time to think about it as per company policy, but you weren’t sure what to do. Your own inappropriate feelings still lingered, as did the incident with Taeyong. You were starting to think it wasn’t a good idea to stay, yet it also seemed too unfair to just leave the boys with completely new managers, especially during a comeback. You told yourself to just make it through this one, and then really decided whether you’d stay or go.
“Y/n, I heard the news!” Jaemin cheered. “You’re gonna be promoted to being our main manager! That’s awesome!”
“Oh, you heard…?”
“Well, Taeyong said he mentioned it to other staff cause you’ve been filling in the position for so long and could use some help. You’ve basically been our main manager for weeks now, so it should be official.”
“Ah, right.” You glanced over at Taeyong for a moment. “Well, it’s currently being discussed.”
“Discussed? What do you mean? You don’t want to be our manager anymore?”
“I just want us all to focus on the comeback before we talk about promotions and all that, alright.”
“But-”
“Stop nagging, Jaemin.” Johnny interrupted. “She’s right, we gotta focus on our comeback right now. Here, I made you some coffee.”
“Thanks.”
You were sitting in the corner while the boys underwent maintenance, drinking coffee and going over the schedule. You also needed to focus on the comeback above all else, but you were struggling to keep your eyes open. The exhaustion was catching up to you, so you figured you could take a little nap and then once the technician was done you’d head out. You made sure to set an alarm before closing your eyes. It never went off though. You didn’t know for how long you were asleep, but when you opened your eyes it was rather quiet. You were still in the maintenance room, but the technician was gone, and all the boys were in their pods.
The technician probably felt it was best to let you sleep, and the soft hum of the machines could be quite soothing. If you slept through your alarm then you must have been tired. Regardless, you were up now and the boys were resting, so it was time to go. You gathered your things and went to the door only to find that it was locked. That was odd as you were told the doors were only ever locked when the boys were away on schedule. They were in here, and so were you, so it shouldn’t be locked. Maybe it was some kind of mistake, and you just needed to call someone. Although when you started dialing on your phone someone suddenly grabbed your hand. You screamed before realizing it was Jaehyun. You had no idea when he got out of his pod.
“Gosh, you scared me.”
“Where are you going?”
“Huh? You should actually be resting, you need to…”
You glanced back to notice all the pods were empty and the boys were starting to surround you. There wasn’t any reason to fear them, but you were starting to get worried.
“You should go back to your pods. I don’t think you should be up so soon after-”
“We’re perfectly fine.”
“Yes, but protocol… and I need to call someone so-”
Jisung took your phone from your hand and when you tried to reach for it Johnny and Jaehyun began to drag you towards the pods.
“Wait, stop, what are you doing!?”
Your strength was really no match for them and they shoved you into one of the pods. You slammed your palms against the glass, shouting over and over again.
“This isn’t funny! Let me out! Guys, I’m serious!”
“It’s kinda unfair that you’re not like us.” Taeyong commented, standing at the control panel. “But you can be, even if it’s just a little bit. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“Taeyong… what are you talking about?”
“Don’t be scared.”
You had never seen the full extent of what went on in this room, or how things worked, but when these tendrils appeared from the top and bottom of the pod you began to freak out.
“Taeyong! Let me out!”
None of them listened as those tendrils wrapped around your limbs and pulled them taut. You were fully restrained in a matter of seconds, and no one seemed concerned about the situation besides yourself.
“That’s enough! Stop it! I’m not supposed to be in here!”
“You’ll be fine, we promise.”
“Taeyong… I don’t know what’s the meaning of this but-”
Your words were cut short as you felt this sharp pain in the back of your neck. You screamed and thrashed with what little movement you had. Then everything cut to black.
🖤
You jolted awake in your seat, frantically looking around and realizing where you were. The maintenance shop was quiet, and the scene was all too familiar. The boys were sleeping in their pods, and the technician was gone. The first thing you did was run for the door, stopping only when you realized it was open. You stood in the doorway for a moment, questioning everything. If that had all been some nightmare, it was incredibly vivid. Then you remembered how it ended and reached up to your neck. You didn’t feel anything wrong, and there wasn’t any pain either. Clearly you were stressed beyond what you even realized. It further made you question whether or not you should continue with the job.
Either way, you should go home now, so you grabbed your things and quietly made your exit. Even if it was just some messed up bad dream, it lingered in your mind. You couldn’t make sense of it no matter how hard you tried. So it was better to just focus on work. The boys were their usual self and nothing was really out of the ordinary. Of course because of that dream there was this weariness that lingered in the back of your mind, but it wasn’t fair to treat them differently just cause you had a nightmare involving them. It was all so confusing and messing with your head, but you did your best not to make them feel guilty over something that never happened. Soon enough the dream would fade and it wouldn’t even bother you anymore.
“Y/n! Can we have icees after our schedule today?”
“Huh? Oh, sure, I’ll prepare some.”
“Thanks!”
They really liked the icees so they asked for it more often. At first you gave it to them as a reward or for celebration, but since they loved it so much you started making it for them whenever they asked.
“Y/n, can I borrow your phone?”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m bored, and I know you have games.”
“But don’t you… wait, you said you didn’t have phones.”
“Yeah, so can I borrow yours? Please, pretty please? I’ll give it back later.”
“Okay, fine.”
“Awesome, you’re the best!”
Sometimes it was easy to forget the boys didn’t have basic things like a phone. By now yours was full of apps and they’d play between schedules. Although sometimes they’d drag you into some other games, wanting to hang out and be normal like everyone else. You enjoyed playing games with them, and when they asked you to dance you joined them. They liked to teach you their dances and you were more than happy to learn. Even though there was that mishap with Taeyong before, you seemed to be growing closer with the boys.
“Y/n, can I ask you something?”
“Hm?”
It was late into the night, and the current schedule had you filming for a music video. They had energy all day long, but you were growing tired from being up all day. You were resting in the dressing room when Jeno came by.
“Could I… have a kiss?”
“What?”
“I want to kiss you, will you let me?”
“Uh…”
“Y/n, can I kiss you?”
“… sure…”
Jeno happily sat down next to you, taking your head into his hands and caressing your cheeks before planting a kiss on your lips.
“So cute.”
“… jeno… you… you shouldn’t-”
“What are you two doing?” Jungwoo walked in. “You should have locked the door, what if the staff caught you?”
“Sorry, I just knew y/n was alone and-”
“I… I should go… I have…”
You got up, intending to go elsewhere but Jeno pulled you back down, having you sit in his lap so he could wrap his arms around you.
“Come on, don’t be like that. Did you like my kiss?”
“I…”
“We can practice some more if it wasn’t good. I want to do better and-”
“I need to leave.”
“No, you’re not going anywhere, okay?”
“… okay…”
Jeno snuggled against you, seeming very content. Then Jungwoo came over, petting your head for a bit.
“You’re so adorable, you know that?”
“Huh?”
“Y/n.”
“Yes, Jungwoo.”
“Would you take us home?”
“I always drive you back to the company.”
“No, no, that place isn’t home. I mean, would you take us to your place?”
“My place? That’s not a good idea.”
“Please. We really want to see your home. We’ll be good, promise.”
“… okay… after we’re done filming… we can go to my place…”
“Great, I’ll tell the others. They’re gonna be so excited.”
The two stayed with you for a bit until they were needed back on set. Once gone you were able to think more about what they asked. It wasn’t a good idea to take them to your place, even if they wanted to see it. At least not at this time. When everything finished up the boys were excited, but you had to break the bad news.
“Look, guys, I know Jungwoo said I was going to take you to my place, but I can’t. It’s late and surely the company would realize I took you elsewhere cause of the tracking-”
“Don’t worry about that.” Taeyong cut in. “So let’s just go, okay?”
“Uh… okay.”
They were all so excited to see where you lived. On the drive there you told yourself it wasn’t that late, and they’d just be over for a little while, so it wouldn’t be a problem. You’d show them around, let them explore and ask questions, then take them back. They were so excited when you showed them the little place you called home. You lived alone, so you didn’t need much, but for them it was probably everything. The only semblance of a home they had ever known was the maintenance shop, so they adored everything about your place. They basically made themselves at home.
“Y/n.”
“Hm? Yes?”
“How come you live here?”
“What do you mean?”
“The company offers housing near the main building. You could move there and be closer to us.” Jisung mentioned. “Then we could come over more often.”
“Oh that, I know about the company housing, but I like it here.”
“You should be closer to us.” Jaemin countered. “You’re gonna be our main manager soon, so you shouldn’t be so far away.”
“I… nothing is official yet, and I’m not-”
“You’re going to be our manager.” Taeyong stated. “There’s no point denying that.”
“I…”
Your head started to feel a bit fuzzy, your vision blurring as well. The boys noticed and had you sit down, one getting you some water.
“It’s best not to argue with us. If you don’t fight us, then there won’t be any pain.”
“… what?”
Despite the headache you were trying to make sense of what was going on. You didn’t understand what they were talking about, but then something came to mind. Maybe that nightmare wasn’t a bad dream after all. You reached up to your neck, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Still, you couldn’t shake this feeling.
“… what… what did you do to me?”
“What are you talking about?” Johnny questioned. “We’re just here-”
“You threw me into one of your pods! And… and… I… I don’t know…”
“Huh, I’m surprised you remember that. You weren’t supposed to.”
“What is going on!?” You jumped to your feet, stepping away from the boys. “What did you do!? My head… everything has been weird lately, and it’s cause you did something!”
“Y/n, calm down, we haven’t done anything.” Jaehyun mentioned. “Are you okay?”
“Stop it! Johnny just admitted to what you did! I just… I don’t…”
“If you think about it too much your head’s just gonna hurt.”
You wanted to get away, but the problem here was that you were trapped. This was your home, and if you just left the boys here you’d be in major trouble. The whole situation was bad, and you had no idea what to do. Something here was very wrong, they did something, yet this innocent act made no sense. You needed to be alone, just to clear your head and then figure out what needed to be done. Except they weren’t gonna let that happen.
“Come here, you don’t have to be scared.”
“No, no, no! Stay back! Don’t come-”
Even if you wanted them to stay away, you couldn’t really run. They easily had you cornered, and before panic could really set in everything kinda stopped. Jisung got close to you first, and when his fingers touched your temple this charge of electricity ran through your head. It was nothing serious, but just enough to discombobulate you. The boys had you sit back down, Jisung keeping a hold of your hand.
“You have to be careful with that, Jisung.” Jeno commented. “If the voltage is too high it could hurt her.”
“I know, that’s why I practiced.”
“Well, a strong enough hit would likely make her forget the last couple of minutes.” Jaemin remarked. “What about the other thing?”
“… I…” You started mumbling. “… I’m scared…”
“No, no, don’t be.” Jungwoo knelt down before you, placing his hands on your knees. “We’re not gonna hurt you. We’re just looking out for you.”
“You know we care about our fans.” Jisung added. “And you’re our special czennie. With you by our side we can have more freedom, just like you want for us, right?”
“… I… yes… but… but… what did you… do… I don’t…”
“It’s nothing harmful, we promise.” Taeyong said. “It’s just a small implant so we can track your vitals and location among other things. Just like what you do for us.”
“… why… did I… do something… bad…?”
“No, of course not. It’s the opposite. We want the same thing, and together we can have it all.”
“… huh…?”
“We know change takes time, but with you on our side it’s possible.”
“For starters you should move closer to the company.” Johnny came over to pet your head. “That way we’d have somewhere else to go that’s company approved. Don’t you want us to have a better space to rest?”
“I… I do…”
“Then, with you as our main manager you could help us get more.” Jaehyun mentioned. “We could get a proper dorm, do some activities outside of comebacks. The company would listen to you more than us about these things.”
“We should help you start packing now.” Jaemin suggested. “The sooner you move the better. That way you won’t be all alone out here either.”
“… wait, wait… that’s-”
You whimpered as your head was starting to hurt. The words all around you weren’t registering properly, but a bit here and there was making sense. Nothing really sounded all that great, but you weren’t sure what you could do to oppose them. You were trying to argue, to make this a discussion and not some demand, but trying to talk hurt. Then the hand on your head sent another electric shock through your body and everything went black.
🖤
You groaned awake, peeking your eyes open and seeing the blurry outline of your room. As you sat up you felt your head spinning, but it soon settled down. You looked over at the time, you woke up before your alarm but there was no point in trying to go back to bed. You got up and got ready for the day, being cautious to avoid the boxes scattered around. It wasn’t just another day, you had important things to do. The commute was the same, but when you got to the company you went to the higher ups. It was about time you gave them an answer. Taking on the position of main manager for NCT would be a big shift for you, but you’d certainly enjoy the pay raise. Even though you’d be doing mostly the same things, the company could start looking for your own assistant manager. On top of that you brought up the company housing.
It would benefit everyone if you were closer, and you certainly wanted a spacious area. The latter could be discussed later, but at least everything was set in motion. The boys were happy to see you so early and when you shared the news they were overjoyed. They volunteered to help you move, but you said you’d have to see cause they couldn’t just be doing things like that, especially so close to the company. Although Jeno brought up the lovely point that you’d be able to sleep in a bit more, and that was truly a blessing. Of course when it was time to move the boys were there despite your protests. They wanted to see your new place, and definitely hang out. They loved it just as much as you did.
“We should totally come here after schedules.” Jaemin said. “Can we keep icees in the freezer!”
“What if she accidentally eats one?” Jungwoo questioned. “She can just make some when we want.”
“Thi is her place.” Jaehyun reminded. “We can’t just impose.”
“You boys are always welcome here.” You offered. “As long as you don’t cause trouble.”
“You know we behave ourselves.” Jeno teased. “It’s how we were made. We can’t possibly do anything wrong.”
“Hm… if you say so.”
“Can we have icees though?” Jisung questioned. “To celebrate your moving day. You have to have one too. What flavor matches? Green apple?”
“Okay, okay, but I need to get some from-”
“We brought some bottles.” Johnny interrupted. “Figured they’d come in handy.”
“Aren’t those supposed to stay at the company when you’re not on schedule?”
“No one’s gonna know as long as we don’t tell.”
“Fine, just have patience.”
“I’ll order your icee then!” Jaemin volunteered. “Can I borrow your phone?”
“It’s on the coffee table.”
“Thanks.”
The boys were certainly making themselves at home, and it was nice to see them being normal. They weren’t just idols here, but seven boys enjoying a nice treat. This was something you had always wanted to see, and it was great to know you helped make this come true. There were lots of good times ahead, and you were eager to see it all.
“She’s so cute when she sleeps.”
Jaemin sat on the floor, watching you sleep on the sofa. It was late into the night, and despite trying to stay awake you eventually dozed off. Jaemin reached over to pet your head, knowing you weren’t gonna wake up anytime soon.
“Don’t idols tend to live with their managers?” Jisung questioned. “Does that mean we can live here with y/n?”
“Easy now. She just got promoted.” Jaehyun reminded. “She has to settle in first before we can talk about that.”
“Just be patient.” Taeyong stated. “This is only the first step in getting everything we want.”
The new taemin fic was soo good! I missed ur writing so much <3
;-; Nonnie, thank you so much! I know it took me so long to write, but I am glad I managed to get something out there and that it's being well received. Taemin deserves the best and I hope I don't hit such a bad writers block again.
Thanks so much for your love and support Nonnie! I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
I think you will like the drama and for the request I wanted it to be something similar to the character cho gyucheol (but not entirely the replica of that) and the reader to be a bit younger than him!
Since the character doesn’t have much storyline I think mixing up some of with pi hanwool from study (only if you have watched it!) would do wonders!
Sorry for a late reply, the power went out in my neighborhood, and it only recently returned. Yay!
*googles name* O.o
This is like Brave Citizen all over again, y'all want me to do villains and I love ya for it >_< It makes me all the more excited and eager to watch the shows. Plus a Pi Hanwool mention! Gosh, I adored Study Group, so good and I can't wait for another season. Villains are certainly more fun! Once I watch the show I'll have a better idea on what to do and add it to the list.
Thanks so much Nonnie! I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
Hi I am the anon who asked about heeseung! Thank you for making an exception for him honestly:(( I am so grateful for that!
And I don’t know if you have watched teach you a lesson (it’s a new drama) but I had a request revolving around that!
Omg! I haven't seen it yet but I've seen so many clips and I'm gonna watch it soon! I'm more than happy to binge it to figure out this idea sooner, kinda did that for Yunho's Dear X story, so I'm all ears.
Heyyyy are you going to open your requests anytime soon? Just wondering because I had a request for heeseung lol
Technically no cause I haven't finished the ones I have on my current list... But I could be willing to make an exception for Heeseung... It would still be a bit before such a story sees the light of day but I am curious... What were ya thinking?
Request for Anon (Dark Prince!Taemin) 6.7k, demons, cultists, devil worship, mentions of human sacrifice, paranoia, nightmares, insomnia, death, massacre, hallucinations, manipulation, swords, daggers, gunshots, kidnapping, needles, drugs, drowning, helplessness
“It’s almost my birthday…”
For a long time you dreaded your birthday. Every year that you got older you got closer to something that terrified you. Things were different in the present now. You were free, you were safe, and you weren’t alone. Taemin was by your side. He was a childhood friend. You both grew up together in this community, isolated from the rest of the world. As kids you never really saw a problem with your way of living. Yet as you grew older, understanding more of the world, you began to see how this wasn’t exactly good. You couldn’t leave the community, and the rules were strict on keeping your knowledge of the outside world limited. Even asking about things beyond the community walls was forbidden and taboo. If you didn’t follow the rules or caused trouble, you’d surely be punished.
In theory one might find such a life peaceful and comforting, but there was more going on here. The leader, the high priest, he led the people here to worship this prince of darkness. The thing is, this wasn’t just some manipulation tactic or form of control. It was real, and you had bore witness to it your whole life. The people in the community did not get ill, and any sort of injury healed in a matter of minutes, from minor cuts to broken bones. The crops were always bountiful, and cattle were always healthy and providing. You all lived a good life, but of course such a gift had a price. One person from every generation would be sacrificed when they reached the age of twenty, and it wasn’t a beautiful or peaceful death. The chosen one would be stabbed in the heart with a cursed dagger and left to bleed out in the town center where what was named the fountain of life stood.
At the age of fifteen you were chosen as the sacrifice. It should have been an honor, but you didn’t see it that way, you didn’t want to die. So you made plans to run away. You were careful and took your time, knowing you at least needed to be an adult to really succeed. When you finally turned eighteen you made your move. You had packed some food, figuring out a direction to head in, and intending to sneak away in the night. Yet you barely made it to the perimeter fence when you were discovered. Not by the high priest or one of the others, but your friend, Taemin. You didn’t know what to say to him, you had no idea what he would do, and you were terrified. If you failed to get away you’d never have another chance. Taemin understood immediately what you were doing, and to your own surprise he had no intention of exposing you. Instead, he joined you, and the two of you escaped together.
It certainly wasn’t easy traversing the real world. To you both it was foreign and new, and incredibly dangerous. Still, together you managed to figure things out. You got a job at a warehouse, packaging items and moving boxes around. It was quiet and didn’t require socializing, so it kept you hidden. The last thing you wanted was to draw attention to yourself, and this worked in your favor. Funny enough Taemin worked at the same place, but he was over in the office building. He kept an eye on you and the things around you, acting like a sort of shield. It was nice, and at the end of the day you got to go home together to the apartment you lived in. For the most part your lives were peaceful, and you weren’t constantly looking over your shoulder. A few birthdays came and went without incident, but now that you were approaching the important one you were reminded of the fact that maybe you weren’t as free as you thought.
One night, after a long day at work, your dreams took you somewhere new. You found yourself in an endless void, completely alone. You tried to find someone else, something else, but there was nothing. You ran and ran but the darkness never ended. That was the nightmare at first, but then it began to evolve. After more pointless running you collapsed to catch your breath, only to freeze up when you heard footsteps. You had no idea what that meant, but the sound kept getting closer and closer. You’d tightly shut your eyes, not wanting to see whatever that was, and eventually you’d wake up, but you knew it was only a matter of time before something else happened. Taemin had noticed you weren’t sleeping so well anymore, and when he asked about it you admitted to your recent nightmares. Taemin seemed to understand the cause, and that terrified you.
“Hey, hey, this doesn’t mean anything bad is gonna happen. It’s probably just stress and nothing more.”
“It feels ominous…”
“We’ve lived freely for over two years now, they aren’t going to find us.”
“That’s not who I’m afraid of…”
“Hm?”
“The demon… that’s the one haunting my dreams… that’s the one that’s after me…”
“These are just stress dreams, nothing more. We’ve distanced ourselves from that terrible place, it has no power over us.”
“I was supposed to be the sacrifice… what if that thing marked me somehow?”
“Surely it would have done so way back then and not now.”
“…”
“Y/n, you’re okay, we’re okay. This will all come to pass, you’ll see.”
“I hope so.”
You really wanted to believe Taemin, and for the most part his words did bring you comfort, but the nightmares persisted. You tried running from the footsteps, but they always seemed to be right behind you. Then things changed again. There was silence in the darkness and for a moment you thought things were getting better.
“Why do you keep running?”
A voice in the darkness sent a chill down your spine. Things were definitely not getting any better. The footsteps started up again, but you shut your eyes and refused to turn around.
“I would never hurt you.”
“… please… please just leave me alone…”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“… why… why me… couldn’t you pick someone else…”
“It was always you, darling, from the very beginning”
You woke with a start, out of breath and taking in your surroundings. Your eyes slowly adjusted and you saw that you were in your room. It was a relief to see things in the dark, assuring you that you were not dreaming. You got out of bed once you felt better, going over to the bathroom to splash water in your face and calm down. Then you felt a sudden pain in your chest. You collapsed to the floor, feeling this burning sensation over your heart. When the pain subsided you got back up, looking in the mirror and seeing this black blotch on your chest, right where your heart was.
“… no… no… no… what is this, what is this!”
You quickly turned on the faucet, trying to rub away the mark as if it was just paint, but nothing happened. Tears blurred your vision but you kept scrubbing, wanting that mark gone by any means. Your commotion must have been loud as moments later Taemin burst into your room and found you. At first you tried to hide yourself, but he wasn’t going to let you. He forced you to face him and saw what was happening.
“… what… what is that…?”
“I… I don’t know… it just appeared…”
You admitted to Taemin what had happened in your recent dream. About that demon speaking to you, telling you that there was no escape. You fully broke down speaking this all out loud. Taemin cradled you in his arms, trying to comfort you, but he knew that wasn’t going to be easy. As much as he tried to assure you that nothing bad was going to happen, this certainly wasn’t a good sign.
“It’s gonna be okay, no one’s going to hurt you, you’re not gonna be some sacrifice.”
“… I’m scared…”
“I know, but I’m right here with you.”
You didn’t know how long the two of you just stayed together. Your chest hurt from trying to get the mark off, and the tears kept flowing for a while. You exhausted yourself and somehow fell asleep, for once not dreaming of anything at all. It was actually the best sleep you had in a while, but unfortunately, in the morning the mark was still there. Last night wasn’t a really bad dream, it was real. You tried not to dwell on the situation but it lingered in the back of your mind and kept you on edge. Taemin was well aware of this too, insisting that you sleep with him. It did help keep the nightmares away, but it didn’t change your reality. With your birthday approaching you only got more worried.
“Why don’t we go somewhere else for your birthday.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go out of town, go far away, even if for a while.”
“I like that idea.”
“Cool. You should pick a place and we can make plans from there.”
“Alright.”
On your day off you looked into places to go. A few caught your eye and you made notes, wanting Taemin’s input as well. You were more tired than you knew and wound up falling asleep for a bit. Without Taemin around you found yourself back in the nightmarish void. The second you heard those footsteps you ran, but just like countless times before you were being chased. This time around your running did take you somewhere new. Since you couldn’t see where you were going you wound up falling into this black pool. You knew how to swim, yet this water seemed alive in its own way, keeping you from getting back on your feet.
“Please! Please, I don’t want to die!”
“Who says you were going to die?”
“Stop! I know… I’ve seen it… I don’t want to die… please… please just let me live…”
“I’ve never forgotten your words of devotion. So kind, so beautiful, just like you. What happened to all that love?”
“I was a child! I didn’t know any better! I… I was afraid…”
“You still are.”
“… please… please…”
“You have nothing to fear from me.”
You couldn’t believe such words, and it all felt so hopeless. You kept trying to escape, to break free, but instead the water seemed to wrap around your body, dragging you into its endless depths. When you went under you woke up screaming, desperately gasping in air.
“Y/n, y/n!”
Taemin heard you from the other room and came running over. He quickly pulled you into his arms, trying to calm you down.
You definitely didn’t want to sleep again, so you opted to just watch TV. Taemin stayed by your side, messing around with your hair and trying to help you relax. Peaceful moments like this were what you needed, and what you hoped would remain when this was all over. Later on you two discussed your plans for the big day. You did decide to travel, planning to head out early tomorrow morning and go to a certain place for lunch and then another for dinner. You laid out the whole plan, knowing to be cautious, even if it was your special day. Besides that you wanted to stay up until midnight, so it was best to sleep early. With Taemin around you didn’t have nightmares and you could kinda look forward to the day to come. Afterall Taemin would certainly do whatever he could to make the day wonderful and make you smile.
“Happy Birthday!”
You were up early the next morning, and after washing up Taemin surprised you with a muffin and a candle. He sang for you, bringing a smile to your face.
“The actual cake will be later, but I wanted to start celebrating right away.”
“Thank you, Taemin.”
“Go on, you can make a mini wish and blow out the candle. I’ll do my best to grant it.”
“This is already a good start.”
More than anything you wished for this day to be simple and happy, but the muffin was meant for a small wish. So you wished for Taemin to stay by your side, always, but today more than anything. You blew out the candle and Taemin handed over your little treat.
“I’ll take our stuff down to the car.”
“Alright. I’ll finish cleaning up so we can get going.”
“Awesome.”
You finish up your muffin and grab the bags by the door, heading down to the building parking lot. The sun had yet to peek over the horizon but there was some light in the sky, just enough to see. The day looked to be a pretty one. As you were putting the bags in the car you suddenly felt these eyes on you. When you looked around it seemed that no one else was present, but something didn’t feel right. Maybe you shouldn’t have come down by yourself. Regardless, you did your best to remain calm and make your way back to the apartment. After a few steps you heard another set of footsteps behind you. Despite your better judgement you broke out into a run, screaming, but someone was quick to catch up and muffle you. That didn’t stop you from trying to fight back, but soon enough others showed up, dragging you along elsewhere.
“Taemin!”
You managed to make one feeble cry for help, but it was truly a desperate attempt. Much of the world wasn’t awake at these hours, and Taemin wasn’t exactly close by. You were properly gagged after that stunt, feeling some rope around your wrists being used to tie your hands behind your back. You kept struggling, growing desperate with every passing moment. Then there was a second of relief.
“Y/N!”
Hearing Taemin’s voice, looking over to see him running in your direction, the world seemed to slow down for a bit. At least you weren’t alone anymore, but his appearance seemed to bring more trouble. A bag was suddenly placed over your head, and you felt more hands on you. These people lifted you off the ground, and your thrashing only got more violent. That is until you heard a gunshot. Your body stopped, dread seeping into every bit of your body. You screamed through the gag, fearing the worst, and so focused on what might have happened that you didn’t really notice the pinch on your arm. It wasn’t until you were starting to fall asleep that you realized you had been sedated. The adrenaline running through your system wasn’t enough to counteract the drug, but you still fought back. You didn’t want to slip into darkness, but at the same time you weren’t sure you could handle knowing what happened with that gun shot.
🖤
“Taemin!”
You jolted awake, looking around frantically as you took in your surroundings. You weren’t sure what to expect, but being surrounded by the familiarity of your own living room was rather confusing. This didn’t make sense, and then you heard noise coming from down the hall, seeing Taemin.
“You’re awake.”
“You’re alive!”
You quickly got up and ran to hug him, losing your footing a bit from the rapid movement. Taemin managed to catch you though, holding you tight. You were still processing, suddenly remembering the gunshot and pulling back, frantically examining Taemin.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? I heard the gun and-”
You froze when Taemin took your head in his hands, forcing your gaze to meet his. Worry reflected in his eyes.
“I’m alright, but what about you? I thought… I thought I was hearing things, but something told me to check on you…”
“I… I’m okay… I just… I was so scared…”
“Me too, but we’re okay. I got you.”
Taemin pulled you back into his arms, holding you close and cradling your head. You were both glad the other was okay, but the whole morning had certainly ruined the day. The sun was already high in the sky, so your original plans were cancelled.
“Taemin…”
“Hm?”
“What happened…”
“They missed, but the gunfire was loud and police were called. They showed up quickly and took care of the situation. I didn’t want to take you away from home after all that, besides, the police are still lingering around, so it’s safer here. I am sorry though.”
“For what?”
“Your day got ruined…”
“I mean… it’s been ruined for years in all honesty, as long as I have you, that’s good enough for me.”
“I feel the same way.” Taemin pet your head. “We should get some actual food though, do you want to order in? You can also pick what kind of cake you want. We can order a chocolate one, a cream one, an ice cream one, whatever you want.”
“Hm, let’s eat first and figure out the cake later.”
“Sounds good.”
You didn’t mind staying home, it did feel safe, and with police around you could let your guard down a bit more. As long as you made it to midnight, you’d be alright. Sleeping again wasn’t an option you wanted to consider so you figured a movie marathon was a fun way to spend the day. There were a bunch of films you wanted to catch up on, so this worked out. You ordered some food and enjoyed your lazy day with Taemin. This was more than enough, and it got you thinking about something. You and Taemin weren’t anything official, yet you were rather close for being just friends. It was a conversation neither of you ever brought up, but you wanted to. Maybe not right now, but when this whole day was over with. That way you could mark your survival with the beginning of a new chapter in your life.
At some point there was a knock at the door, which startled you, but Taemin assured you it was just the cake he had ordered. You decided to let him choose the cake, and he knew what you liked, so you were curious to see what he got, but you’d let that be a surprise for later. From the comfort of your apartment you both watched the sunset. It was always pretty, but this one meant more, and you were greatly looking forward to sunrise. Since night had fallen Taemin figured it was time for cake. You stayed put as he went to get everything ready, closing your eyes when he asked you to. Moments later he began to sing and you opened your eyes, seeing the cake in his hands. You listened joyfully as he sang for you, his smile just as bright as yours. Now it was time to make a real wish and you knew exactly what it was. You took a moment to make the wish in your heart and then blew out the candles. Since it was a small cake just for the two of you it didn’t need to be cut into slices, the two of you just dug in with some utensils.
“What did you wish for?”
“You know I’m not supposed to say.”
“Well I promise to make it come true.”
“You don’t know what it is.”
“As long as I make sure you live a good and happy life, I’m sure I can make all your dreams come true.”
You smiled and leaned against Taemin, getting another mouthful of cake. It wasn’t midnight yet, but you didn’t want to wait much longer to say what you wanted to. The only problem was your nerves. Between eating cake and watching TV you were working up the courage to express your feelings. This was long overdue, but you were still struggling. You didn’t think Taemin would reject you but the possibility was still there. You glanced outside at the night sky, reminded of the day and the importance of it. You had done crazier things just to survive, and this was just another crazy thing to do, one you could do too.
“Taemin…”
“Hm?”
“I wanted to… talk to you… about something…”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Uh… well…”
Taemin realized you were struggling with your words and muted the TV, giving you his full attention. That didn’t help calm you down, but you weren’t gonna back out now.
“I wanted to ask if-”
The words suddenly caught in your throat. For a second you thought it was nerves, but you suddenly felt this pain in your chest. You soon realized it was that mark on your chest that was burning, yet there was more. Something was stuck in your throat, and you soon found yourself coughing up blood. When you saw the red stain your eyes went wide with panic and fear. Your worst nightmare was coming true.
“… no… no…”
“Y/n!”
Taemin’s voice was muffled, and your vision was blurring. You fell to your hands and knees, but instead of feeling the hard floor beneath you, the ground was wet. You couldn’t properly understand the sensation, but your vision was losing focus on everything. You thought Taemin would help you, but you never felt his touch. As your vision blurred your surroundings seemed to change as well. You weren’t at your apartment anymore, but water seemed to surround you, making you grow cold. Muffled voices began to fade in and you desperately tried to focus your strength. You glanced up, seeing you were no longer home, but somewhere else entirely. At first it seemed foreign but as your vision cleared in waves you could see where you were. It was the last place you ever wanted to be.
Now that you understood where you were, it made no sense. Moments ago you were at home with Taemin, and now you found yourself on your hands and knees in the fountain of life. Although you didn’t really have time to understand what was happening. Realizing where you were brought attention to something else. You were losing strength but you still looked down at your chest, seeing the truth. There was a dagger in your heart, and you were bleeding out. That was the pain you had felt all along. You coughed up more blood, collapsing into the water. Blurry figures were around, all watching you, and you knew no one was going to help you. This fate was what you had tried to run away from, yet it still caught you in the end. You had no idea how it happened, and it didn’t stop the tears slipping down your cheeks. You wanted Taemin, you wanted to know if he was okay, if he was alive, but there was nothing you could do now but embrace your destiny.
🖤
“Happy Birthday, My Love.”
You inhaled sharply as you regained consciousness, soon coughing up blood and water. Your senses weren’t all there, but you couldn’t ignore the pain in your chest. Without any hesitation you reached for the dagger in your heart and pulled it out. For a moment you stared at the instrument stained with your blood, not truly understanding how you could do such a thing. You should be dead, yet you seemed to be alive despite everything that happened. You dropped the dagger, noticing the water in the fountain had turned black. Although your attention soon turned to the crowd around the fountain. You were surrounded by unfortunately familiar faces, and they were all staring in shock. This wasn’t supposed to happen, it never had before.
“What is the meaning of this!?” The high priest’s voice drew attention. “How are you alive!?”
“I-”
“Who are you to question me?”
That dark voice cut through all the commotion, causing silence to fall. The water in the fountain began to move, a bunch of bubbles rising from one area. Something was coming, the demon was coming. You needed to get out of the fountain yet when you tried to move you couldn’t. You looked down to see the black water rising up your legs and holding you in place. Your heart was pounding in your chest, realizing you were stuck here and had no choice but to witness what came next. This whole thing felt like one of your nightmares, like the next chapter. You stood in that cursed fountain, watching as something began to rise from the water, and when you saw what it was you did not understand it at all.
“… taemin…?”
Out of the water Taemin seemed to rise. You were still trying to process, but the first thing you noticed was the rips in his clothes. They were bullet holes, multiple ones.
“… how… what…”
“You’re supposed to be dead!” The high priest proclaimed. “The both of you!”
“That is not my will.”
“What?”
“Do you not recognize the one you’ve worshipped for the entirety of your existence?”
The demon stepped closer and closer to the edge of the fountain. The eyes were completely black and even though Taemin’s lips were moving, the voice that you heard was not his own. It was that of a demons, the demon that had been haunting you and hunting you all this time. This wasn’t your Taemin, but that demon using his face. It broke your heart to see him like this and you couldn’t stand it.
“Get out of him!” You screamed. “Leave Taemin out of this! He doesn’t-”
Your voice made the demon stop in its tracks and turn to you. The darkness in their eyes disappeared and for a moment you could believe that was your Taemin. He smiled at you just like always, coming over to you.
“It’s me, y/n, I’m right here.”
“… no… no, you’re not Taemin! You-”
“It’s okay, y/n.” Taemin took your head in his hands. “I’m okay.”
“… no… you… they… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… this is all my fault…”
“It’s not, don’t say that.”
“I… I got you killed… I-”
“No, no, no, you did nothing wrong. I’m not dead, these mortals could do me no harm. I’ve just been trying to protect you.”
“… what?”
“Your birthday was supposed to be special. Yet these fools ruined everything.”
“I don’t understand…”
“I was going to explain everything after your-”
“What is the meaning of this!”
The voice of the high priest drew both your attention. You were still terrified and not understanding what was going on, but Taemin, or this demon, seemed annoyed. The darkness returned to Taemin’s eyes. He stepped in front of you, glaring at the high priest. Then his gaze swept over to the crowd gathered around.
“Kneel, and I’ll consider sparing your lives.”
“Who are you to-”
“KNEEL!”
The loud voice startled everyone, and some fell to their knees in fear. You would have too, but you were still stuck in place. The high priest was one of those that held their ground though, further annoying the demon.
“For generations I have given so much to this little congregation. You’ve reaped from the fruits of my power in exchange for what? Your eternal worship? Your undying devotion? Your souls?” The demon laughed. “I’ve grown tired of this, so I left with what was mine. I showed you mercy by leaving you alive, yet you had to ruin it all.”
It seemed that those words finally got through. Not to mention the fact the clear skies were becoming clouded, and the wind was picking up. Those who were still standing fell to their knees, including the high priest.
“Your highness, please, we merely did as you asked.”
“I don’t recall commanding you to hunt down anyone.”
“That child was your chosen sacrifice, if we did not offer them up to you, we’d surely face your wrath.”
“As you are now. That child was gone for years and yet you only found them now? It sounds like you weren’t even trying.”
“Forgive us, we were only trying to do right by you.”
“Indeed. I’m the one at fault here for believing I could leave you breathing.”
“… your highness…?”
“If I truly want to be done with this place, I must reduce it to nothing.”
“… your highness… we have-”
“I’ll be quick.”
A sword made of black flames materialized in Taemin’s hand, his clothes beginning to change as well. You watched as he basically transformed into this elegant figure, dressed in what you could only describe as royal attire, completely black with bits of red here and there. He looked so different, yet in that outfit you could truly believe him to be the prince of darkness you worshipped in your early years. You snapped out of it as you saw Taemin stepping towards the crowd around the fountain.
“No! Wait! Don’t-”
“You don’t need to worry. I won’t hurt you.”
Before you could say anything more you felt this force pull you under. The fountain itself wasn’t that deep, yet you were completely submerged. That should have given you a hint as to what was really happening, but you were more focused on the fact you couldn’t hold your breath underwater for that long. The surface was so close and you swam up to reach it only to find yourself trapped. Instead of breaking through the water your hands pressed against some invisible wall, keeping you under. You began to panic, moving around and trying to find some way to break through. Your chest was starting to burn and you began to wonder if this was to be your true end. You tried to hold out for as long as you could but eventually you had to breathe.
People said drowning could be peaceful, but when you finally let the water in nothing happened. Instead you found yourself breathing normally. You didn’t understand how this was possible. You were underwater, you felt the cold all around you, yet you could breathe just fine. You examined yourself, but you hadn’t magically grown gills. This didn’t make sense, maybe you were dreaming, but either way you weren’t fearing for your life anymore. Then you heard screams. You knew where they were coming from above the water, but you couldn’t see anything from down here. As you looked around you couldn’t even tell where the edge of the fountain was. Wherever you were, it appeared vast and endless, so you figured it was best to just stay put and wait to see what happened. Your gaze returned to the surface that was just out of reach, seeing the sky above covered in storm clouds.
It was calm and quiet for a moment, then bright strikes of lightning filled the sky. An ominous feeling began to take hold. You couldn’t just remain complacent, you had to do something. So you tried again to break through to the surface, but you were still trapped. You were screaming underwater, not knowing what was going on just out of view. There was no sense of time down there, so you couldn’t tell how long you had been underwater. You still kept trying, so unaware of the looming shadow approaching you. Next thing you knew something wrapped around your wrist and pulled you out of the water with ease. Your full body was lifted above the water and slowly let down, and when you felt the ground you saw the water was just barely above your ankles. Although you soon realized your surroundings had changed.
The buildings of this place were on fire. A raging storm of flames had engulfed everything, and then you noticed the bodies on the floor. During the sacrificial ritual everyone wore white, so you could clearly see the stains of red that decorated the ground. You could still hear faint screams in the distance, but the shock of it all kept you in place. This was a massacre, that demon that everyone had once worshipped was truly burning this all to the ground. You didn’t know what to do anymore, you didn’t know what any of this meant. A shaky hand reached up to your chest. You could see the tear in your clothes, but there was no wound in your chest. Even that dark mark had completely disappeared. You were perfectly fine, but you weren’t sure if this was real life or some messed up afterlife.
“You’re alive and well, I assure you.”
That haunting voice drew your attention, and you turned back to see Taemin approaching the fountain, approaching you. Despite the chaos around, the disaster he had caused, he seemed perfectly fine. His clothes remained pristine, and not a single strand of hair was out of place. He stood at the edge of the fountain, holding his hand out to you. The darkness in his eyes faded and you could see your Taemin once more, but you didn’t want to believe that was the person you had known all these years. Instead you fell to your knees, bowing your head.
“Your highness… please have mercy.”
“I said I wasn’t going to hurt you, and you can just call me Taemin.”
You shook your head. “That wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Tears were running down your cheeks as fear was taking hold. All of this was so cruel, and to leave you as the last one alive, it was horrific. You didn’t want to die here, let alone like this, but it was weighing on you that you couldn’t escape your fate.
“Y/n, it’s me.”
Another force suddenly pulled you forward and onto your feet until you were at the edge of the fountain standing before Taemin. The smile on his face, the shine in his eyes. He was Taemin, he looked so much like him but you couldn’t believe it, you didn’t want to.
“What… what happened to Taemin…”
“Y/n, it’s always been me, this is who I am.”
“… I don’t understand…”
“Like I said before, I’ve gotten tired of this place, so I intended to leave. You see, I didn’t choose you as a sacrifice, but my final offering. All these years I had seen mortals care for one another, love each other, yet it wasn’t the same as the worship I received. Those feelings were never real, and I wanted something real. I should have something for myself after all this, to have made it worth all those years. So I chose to live among this congregation, and you were quite lovely.”
“… you… there… there was never… I… your highness I apologize for not-”
“Sh, sh, sh, there’s no need for any of that. I wanted you to know me as I am, and I wanted to know you as well.”
“… I’m sorry…”
“What are you apologizing for now?”
“… running…”
“Ah, that.” Taemin chuckled. “We had so much fun here. We made a lot of good memories, I genuinely didn’t know the thought of running away had crossed your mind. That night I just knew something was off with you, and when I found you trying to escape, I was rather impressed. In a way we both had the same idea.”
Taemin reached over to take your hand, gently pulling you along so you’d get out of the fountain. As you stepped out your clothes seemed to return to their normal state, and his clothes returned to normal as well.
“You wanted to leave this place as much as I did, so it was only right to run away together. If I had things my way, we never would have come back.”
“… if… if that’s all true… then why… the nightmares… the mark… why would you do that…?”
“I’m sorry. In order for you to truly be mine, somethings couldn’t be avoided. Like the mark, and your death.”
“I… I died… I-”
“Sh, sh, sh, you’re okay now, you’re alive. You were always going to live. My original plan was to complete the sacrifice while you were in a deep sleep, that way you’d never know or feel pain, but these pathetic mortals had to ruin everything.”
“So… I… I never escaped… I was always… going to die…”
“I was hoping to soothe you in your dreams, but your fears made it difficult and I didn’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry for everything.”
“I still don’t… understand… you… Taemin… you’re the prince of darkness… a powerful demon…?”
“Yes.”
“All those years…”
“I heard everything you ever told me.” Taemin chuckled. “You were so adorable as a child.”
“And you… ran away from this place… with me?”
“It does sound funny when you think about it. A demon running away from those that worship it in order to live in peace with a mortal. I did intend to tell you the truth eventually, but I wanted this all to come to pass first.”
“Taemin?”
“Yes.”
“Do you… care about me?”
Taemin smiled. “Always. Shall we continue where we left off? You had something to tell me.”
“I… I…”
“I know what was on your mind, and the feeling is mutual, but I would like to hear you say it.”
“All our time together… was any of it real?”
“Every moment. My heart is yours, just as your heart is mine.”
Taemin still had your hands in his. The touch was familiar and gentle. Your gaze swept your surroundings, seeing the fire all around, yet it wasn’t all that terrifying. This sense of calm was starting to wash over you. Then you met Taemin’s eyes. They weren’t black, they were him, you could see your Taemin in that moment. Maybe everything was true. The dark prince you were told to worship and love in your youth turned out to genuinely love you back. It really did sound silly, and perhaps you were just as silly to believe it. Even if you were still trying to understand everything, you couldn’t just deny all the years you spent with Taemin, and all the things you felt. Despite standing in this awful place engulfed in flames, nothing between you and Taemin had really changed.
“… tae… Taemin…”
“Yes?”
“Can we go home now?”
“Of course.”
You walked with Taemin, hand in hand, the fire around you not hurting or burning, but providing this warmth. You weren’t running away from this place again, you were walking out with no burdens on your shoulder. You squeezed Taemin’s hand tightly. It would still take time to understand all that happened tonight, and what you had been told, but if you still had Taemin, then you felt that you could trust things to be alright. The trip home was long, but it gave you time to think and process. It kind of felt like a dream, but when you got home that place brought you back to reality. It was familiar, it was comforting, and it grounded you in the real world. You were tired from the trip, yet you weren’t going to sleep just yet. The lights slowly began to dim and you turned around to see Taemin holding a cake.
“We didn’t do this properly last time.”
“… when I thought you saved me from the kidnapping… was all that just some hallucination?”
“A sweet dream so you wouldn’t be afraid until I could get to you.”
“So the bullets… they didn’t really kill you… they just hurt a lot, huh?”
“You could say that. Let’s do it right this time.”
Taemin began to sing, and you saw the candles light themselves. This felt much better, and it felt right, as if some veil had finally been lifted. A real birthday you could actually enjoy. You blew out the candles with a big smile on your face, and Taemin smiled bright too. Of course this new future was filled with unknowns, but you had a feeling it would be okay with Taemin at your side.
“Taemin…”
“Yes?”
“I’m not dreaming right… this isn’t some kind of afterlife or fantasy in my head… is it?”
“This is very real. We’re both free.”
“… free…”
“Whatever you want to do, let’s do it.”
“Right now… I just want cake and my bed… with you.”
Road to recovery? Did something bad happen aside from work overload😫Hope ur able to get better soon writer-nim 💚
No, no, no, Nonnie, I am fine, it's just the work overload and burnout >_< Besides that I am a-okay, I promise. I did manage a little bit of writing today, but it is Mother's day over here, so my focus will be elsewhere. Thanks for checking in though. I hope you have a wonderful day/night, Nonnie.
Hiii! I noticed you haven’t uploaded in a while, and I just wanted to stop by and say I love love love your writing! I enjoy writing sometimes as well, and one of my motivations is reading fics where I find the writing to be absolutely immaculate, many of which are yours. I hope everything’s alright with your personal life, and hopefully you’re able to get time for yourself! <3
🫣🫣🫣
Oh Nonnie, such sweet words that are much needed and appreciated. I think too much has been going on with me both at work and just life. It kinda hit me that the fact I haven't been able to do what I love, which is write, has been killing me a bit. I really do need a vacation and proper rest but unfortunately I can get that right now since work, I know but soon, hopefully, I can get myself together and actually do what I love.
I'm sorry for being M.I.A and causing any worry. I am still alive and just on the road to recovery. I honestly don't know when I'll post but I promise I will.
On the topic of taemin, i just got back from visiting family where they had little cell phone service BUT they had enough where i reread all of ur taemin fics lol, I've been getting a lot more into taemin recently so i'm very excited to see you write for him, your health comes first tho so please take care of yourself!
Oh wow Nonnie, I am touched >_< To use your limited powers to reread my stories, Taemin was a good choice. Gosh I really need to write for him some more. Besides the request I have a story sitting in my WIPs for years now probably. I need to do it, but I have my list of things to focus on for now.
I'm on the road to recovery and doing better to work on writing. So wish me luck.
hi dear <3 i’m the anon that’s behind the taemin request! i finally felt comfortable enough to reveal my identity hehe but anyways i just wanted to say that i absolutely LOVEDDD the yunho request that you had recently completed! i’m not even familiar with ateez or yunho, but regardless of that it was such a fun read and i was so into it! it just made me even more excited for whatever masterpiece you create for taeminnie 🙂↕️ like i’ve mentioned before, you’ve always been one of my fav fav fav taemin writers i’ve come across, and getting another taemin piece from you is such a gift, i’m so grateful for your works! with all the amazing taemin content that has been coming out recently (and soon taemchella!) i feel so spoiled, and i know there will most likely be even more material to work with once we see his album concepts and new music. also i hope this doesn’t come off as me pressuring you with writing or anything in that sense, i just wanted to voice my excitement, i hope you don’t feel any stress or worry when it comes to writing!
HELLO!!!
Oh my gosh, it's so good to meet you!!! I always get excited when my anons introduce themselves!!!
I do apologize for responding to this so late. Work has been kicking my butt and I really don't have time for much else. This really is the busy season, and lemme tell ya, I'm tired. I haven't had any time to write and I really hate it, but my boss seems to think things will finally settle down end of this week and going into the next. Let's hope for that because I need these hectic days to end.
Anyway...
Yunho! Yes, I really had fun with that one, and I'm so giddy to know you enjoyed it even when you're not familiar with the group or idol. That makes me feel very proud of my works >_<
I have been working on your Taemin request, I've just been incredibly slow and lacking time, and energy. I've been somewhat sick these last few weeks... the weather where I live keeps fluctuating, and work-related stress is likely not helping my recovery. Rest assured, the next thing I post will be that Taemin request! My goal right now is to have it out sometime next week.
Oh my gosh I had forgotten about Taemin going to coachella, that's gonna be a beautiful stage! The world isn't ready for Taemin, I'm not ready for him to be known by the masses. It will be awesome though, very exciting!
My only hope right now is that your excitement is not misplaced, and when I do finish up your request it will be everything you were excited for. I'll do my best to not disappoint!
Prompt: With omegas completely removed from society, they needed their own communities and institutions to grow. All your life you had lived and gone to school alongside your fellow omegas, and orphaned alphas. You had managed to keep yourself together, but now at the university level, keeping your secret had grown impossible. You had to face your fears and make friends with an alpha eventually, and now was the time.
“Y/n… I know you’re tired, but you need to eat.”
Chan was on the edge of the bed, leaning over you and trying to gently coax you awake. Unsurprisingly you didn’t wake, clearly dead tired. The others told him how things had been in his absence. You did well to hold yourself together, but once he was gone longer than the two weeks you began to fall apart. He was worried when you had collapsed in his arms, and the explanation just made him feel guilty. He didn’t want to be gone for so long, but in his situation it was unavoidable. Even if you weren’t waking up, you were groaning and shifting, so it was awake enough in his mind. With ease he picked you up in his arms, carrying you to the dining table and sitting you down.
The motion and lights really did start to wake you, and the smell of food was enticing. You yawned and stretched your limbs, beginning to rub the sleep from your eyes. You were still tired, but you should probably eat something. Apparently Felix had been cooking, glad to have everyone back home at last. Your favorite soup had been prepared and set before you in a bowl. In your sleepy state you’d likely still need help, and Chan had no problem spoon feeding you. He made sure you had every drop and drank plenty of water before taking you back to his room. You had a lot of rest to catch up on. Although he knew you needed comfort as well. He sat you down on the bed and took off his shirt, helping you change into it. You smiled lazily and took in a deep breath of his scent.
“… thanks…”
“Y/n, I know you still need to rest, but we should take you down to see the doctor, just to be safe and make sure everything is alright.”
“… hm… okay…”
“Good. We’ll go later after you get more sleep.”
Chan tucked you in, staying by the bedside until you fell asleep. He didn’t leave the room, wanting to keep an eye on you and having his own things to catch up with. It wasn’t until later in the day when you woke up on your own that he believed it was a good time to take you down to see the doctor. You were still a bit sleepy, but more awake and understood you did need to get checked out after last weeks ordeal. Usually you didn’t like going to the doctor, but you weren’t going to upset Chan, and a free piggy-back ride was worth it as well.
Minseok treated things like routine check-up. He took your vitals, giving you a minor physical examination and drawing some blood. Within minutes he was talking about your lack of nutrition, and how your health has been on the decline. Usually you’d get scolded for such things, but he understood the circumstances. For now it was best to get lots of rest and to eat light meals until you could handle more. A few tests were also going to be run, but Minseok thought the results would come back fine. If there was anything he needed to discuss with you he’d have you come down, but for now you were free to go. He just told you to at least come visit him on your own once more before the start of the fall semester.
With that done you returned to the dorm, getting another ride from Chan. Besides the obvious you were alright, and it was good to have confirmation on that. So now it was back to bed for you, specifically Chan’s bed. For the most part you were resting well, and even though Chan was back things didn’t just return to normal in an instant. At least once a night you’d wake up in a panic, thinking Chan was still gone. If he wasn’t at your side he was at his desk working on something, but when you woke up like that he was quick to reassure you he was there and that everything was okay. You felt a bit silly over the nightmares, thinking he was gone again, but he assured you that he was here with you, and he wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. Chan crawled into bed to hold you, keeping your hands in his.
“I’m sorry for being gone… I know it was unavoidable, but I didn’t know it would get this bad.”
“… if you knew… would it have changed things?”
“Maybe. I’ll do better next time, I promise.”
“Next time? What do you mean?”
“Summer training is a yearly thing until graduation.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I don’t like that.”
“I know, but it’s necessary.”
You were starting to hate that word, especially because you didn’t know what this necessary training was. Moreso given the fact Chan’s scent was different now. It wasn’t a major difference, but something you’ve noticed. Of course having him and having his scent back was a great comfort, but this change was making you curious.
“Chan.”
“Hm?”
“What happened to you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re… different…”
“Chan chuckled. “I assure you, I’m the same.”
“I wasn’t talking about that… I meant your scent. You smell different.”
“I highly doubt that. I was gone for so long you must have forgotten my scent. I’m sorry about that too, I can’t imagine how you felt with traces of me fading away.”
“That’s not…”
That possibility hadn’t occurred to you until now. You only had a weird feeling about the others, but with Chan you could smell the difference. Perhaps you just didn’t remember it properly to begin with, any of their scents in fact.
“Come on now, you should go back to sleep. I’ll turn in for the night too.”
Chan pulled you under the covers, snuggling against you properly. Your mind was still on his scent, but you were feeling sleepy and ultimately you drifted off. Being in his arms, surrounded by his scent was comforting and helped you sleep for the rest of the night.
♥♥♥♥♥
It took a few days, but you soon regained your energy and returned to your normal self. For the most part you had forgotten about your suspicions of the alphas’ scents, just glad to have them all back. Although the topic would come up again. During a movie night you were snuggling against Hyunjin when you took in a deep breath of his scent. It was familiar and comforting, but you caught a hint of something else. Beneath his usual scent there was this underlining numbness. You couldn’t really describe it, but it was almost medicinal, like something you would take to ease your worries.
Logically, that’s what an alphas scent could do to you, but there were two problems here. Once again you were certain this wasn’t part of his scent before, and on top of that, this change was similar to what you had been picking up on from Chan’s scent. You knew everyone was supposed to have a unique scent, but these two sharing something similar added to this feeling that something was off. Maybe you were just making things up, so you moved closer to Hyunjin, snuggling against him and burying your face in the crock of his neck. You were tickling him and making him laugh, but he didn’t think anything was wrong.
“Well, aren’t you adorable.”
“Hyunjin.”
“Hm?”
“… what did you do during that summer training?”
“Just some physical tests and stuff, nothing you need to worry about. I came back in one piece.”
“But you have to go back next summer…”
As soon as those words left your lips Hyunjin got tense, but only for a moment. You certainly noticed, but didn’t mention it.
“Yeah, it’s necessary, but you did well with us being gone for a bit.”
“I don’t like it though.”
“I know, I know, we miss you too.”
You didn’t really get any direct answers from Hyunjin, but your suspicions returned. Just to satisfy your own curiosity you found ways to check on the other alphas’ scents. They didn’t think you were doing anything weird, but you were confirming your own theory. Beneath all their scents there was something new. You really didn’t think this was your imagination, but you weren’t sure what to do. None of the alphas were really all that different personality wise, maybe just a bit more strict and cold ever once in a while. It wasn’t much but you definitely felt like whatever that training was, it changed them, even if just a bit.
As the summer was coming to an end you made sure to visit Minseok so he could check up on you. Since it would be quick and simple you went on your own, letting the others know where you would be in case they looked for you. The tests that had been run before all came back with good results, so there was nothing to discuss there. Minseok was very happy to see you were in much better condition and basically back to your usual self. This really should have been a quick visit, but since you had some time with Minseok you wanted to ask him some questions. In your free time you had been researching scents, but there wasn’t much you found that you didn’t already know. So maybe a doctor had some answers.
“Minseok, could I ask you something?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Is it possible… for one’s scent to change?”
“Well, yes. Your scent basically matures and changes when you come of age.”
“Besides that… could someone’s scent change?”
“A change in scent is rare and uncommon, but perhaps possible under extreme pressure.”
“Like a traumatic experience?”
“Yes, that could-” Minseok took a moment before moving closer and taking your hands in his. “What happened to you, happened before you came of age. I suppose it could have affected your scent, and it was meant to be a bit different to what it is now, but what your scent is won’t change anymore, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I understand, thank you.”
You returned to the dorm, Minseok’s words ringing in your head. An answer like that didn’t really make you feel better, and you really couldn’t keep all this to yourself anymore. So you decided to find Chan and confront him about this once again. You found him in his room, knocking and asking if he had time to talk. He welcomed you inside, letting you get comfortable.
“So, what’s up?” Chan wondered. “I know something has been bothering you for a while, but I wanted to wait until you were ready to talk.”
“It’s not anything new really… I just… what happened? What kind of training did you go through? What did they do to you?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“But I am worried.”
“I’m fine. We’re all fine. You’re overthinking things.”
“Liar.”
“Y/n-”
“I know something drastic happened cause your scent has changed. It’s just a small difference, but it’s different nonetheless.”
“My scent isn’t different. You must be misremembering. I was gone for longer than I meant to be and I know you were missing me dearly and-”
“That’s not true. Maybe at first I thought so too, but do you know why I’m so certain of this?”
“…”
“Cause I had to let you in, all of you. After what happened to me I avoided alphas, I hated their scents, I hated them, but I couldn’t live like that forever. Not here. So I had to let my guard down. I had to know your scent intimately so I could know who to trust, who to rely on.” You took a breath. “I know your scent Chan, and I know it’s different. One’s scent doesn’t just change, not unless some major trauma occurs. So I will ask again, what happened to you?”
“…”
The silence in the room spoke volumes. You had tried to reason with yourself that there was nothing different, that nothing was wrong, but then you had your own realization. This was bothering you so much cause you knew it was true. Chan was the first alpha you actually got to know, the first you let in. His scent was important to you, so you knew it better than you realized. It was different now, and the others were different in a similar way. Something happened, and it hurt not knowing.
“Y/n, it’s nothing to worry about. My job is to look after you. I’m perfectly fine and capable of doing just that.”
“We both know that’s not true. The more you keep avoiding the more I worry. How are you supposed to take care of me if I’m like this? If you’re the one making me worried? Chan, please, just tell me what-”
“I can’t!” Chan snapped, startling you. “I can’t tell you, and I won’t. You don’t need to know what happened.”
You weren’t sure Chan had ever raised his voice at you, let alone snap. You immediately fell silent, a little nervous being in the room now. He quickly realized what he had done, taking a breath to calm himself.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.” Chan cautiously stepped closer and took your hands in his. “Look, the training was intense and hard. It wasn’t something any of us expected or could prepare for. It was crazy… but I got through it all cause I knew I had to keep my promise of coming back and taking care of you. I wasn’t going to leave you alone.”
“… chan…”
Even with such vague words, you could feel this heaviness in his tone. Something big happened, but he seemed adamant about not telling you. Without realizing tears had started to form. Chan noticed and reached up to wipe them away.
“Sh, sh, this is something I can’t tell you without getting into trouble, both of us really, and there won’t be forgiveness for this.”
“… please chan… you…”
“I came back and I’m okay. That’s all that matters.”
Chan pulled you into his embrace, cradling your head. Even with the change his scent was still a comfort, but your heart ached with worry. He was very serious about this, and you were seeing a new side of him too.
“I don’t want you to know, okay, please let that be enough.”
“… okay… just, I’m here for you too…”
“Thank you.”
You both remained quiet and in each other’s arms for a while. Despite everything, you really didn’t think you could let this go, not after all this. It was going to bother you even more now, but you were gonna have to figure things some other way.
do you not have an actual masterlist for all your individual series ?
Funny enough I used to have a masterlist for all the main stories, one for requests, and another for the one-shots. Although with the way I structured things I wound up reaching the limit on one of the masterlists so I couldn't add onto it anymore. I considered restructuring but I held a poll to ask my readers if they wanted a restructure or if I should make individual masterlist for groups. As you can see the group mastrlists won out. It's not a bad idea to recreate the masterlist for the main stories as I do want to make those easier to access, especially their individual chapters. I'll take that into consideration, so thank you for the feedback.
Request for Anon (Dear X Yunho) 6.8k, yandere!yunho, possessive!yunho, high school life, mentions of child abuse, high school bullying, verbal abuse, physical abuse, threats, concussion, sprained ankle, kissing, smut, implied overstimulation, tears, manipulation (@stellasays45)
“What’s wrong?”
You were lost in thought for a moment when Yunho’s voice pulled you back to the present. Most days you two ate on the rooftop of the gym, enjoying some sunlight and the peace of being alone together. Yunho had a light meal and was taking a nap while resting his head on your lap. You figured he was asleep, but he must have woken up and caught you staring off into space. Although you weren’t sure what he was talking about.
“Hm? Nothing.”
“Your face says otherwise.”
“I’m fine, promise.”
Yunho reached up to caress your cheek, drawing your gaze towards him. A soft smile decorated his face, and there was a glint of admiration in his eyes. He could disarm you so easily, even when you weren’t aware you had your walls up.
“I know you better than anyone else. Even yourself.”
“…”
“Tell me, what’s bothering you?”
“I…”
“Go on.”
“It’s really nothing… I wanted to submit a paper for the writing competition, but when I asked the teacher about it she told me all the spots had been filled. I shouldn’t have waited to ask about it a week before the deadline.”
Yunho chuckled softly. “Is this what’s been upsetting you? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? You can have my spot in the competition.”
“What!? No, no, I can’t-”
“You need more things on your resume, and having one of your essays place in a competition would look great.”
“Yunho-”
“We’re gonna go to the same university, aren’t we? Besides, I don’t really need to participate in this writing competition anyway, so this works out.”
“… you don’t have to…”
“I want to. We’ll let the teacher know after class, sounds good?”
“Yeah.”
Yunho always looked after you, ever since you were kids. You likely wouldn’t be where you were today without him. Back then you were next door neighbors, but you didn’t play together, not at first anyway. Yunho came from a prestigious family, so he was always inside studying, and you were too scared and shy to be outside. Your family wasn’t all that great, but you told yourself they always tried. After all, you had clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and food in your stomach. You just stepped out of line often and had to be disciplined. You took care of your own wounds, but on one occasion the hits were unbearable. Lucky for you it was snowing outside, so you went out to use the snow to sooth your wounds. It was just another round of discipline, so you didn’t think things were that bad, but it was different in Yunho’s eyes.
The day Yunho saw a little girl out in the snow crying and hurt, he couldn’t ignore it. He knew for a while there was another kid in the house next door, but he had never seen them until that day. He was taking a break from his studies and glanced out the window to watch the snow fall when his gaze fell to the girl. He didn’t need to think about anything, merely putting on his jacket and grabbing a towel. He went out, knocking on the back door since he saw the girl was in the backyard. He thought she might not answer, but she did, hiding behind the door. Yunho didn’t say anything then, only stepping inside and wrapping the towel around her. She didn’t talk, but he wasn’t going to let her reject his help.
Yunho took the girl back to his house, leading her to the bathroom on the first floor. She sat on the toilet while he got a warm bath going. All the snow on her was melting, soaking her and making her shiver. He wasn’t blind to the injuries that decorated her body, well aware there were old ones among the fresh ones. He helped her into the tub, gently cleaning her up so he could see the injuries. She stayed in the tub after he drained it, wrapped up in another towel as Yunho tended to her wounds. He bandaged her up, not a word yet spoken between the two. By then he understood the adults hurt her and he knew what the right thing to do was. He stepped away for a bit, but when he returned she was gone. Thankfully he found her again before she snuck out the backdoor.
“Don’t go.” Yunho grabbed her hand. “It’s not safe.”
“… thank you… but I…”
“You can’t go, not yet. You must be hungry, I’ll make you something.”
Yunho didn’t wait for an answer before taking the girl to the kitchen, finding some instant noodles to make. He was happy to cook for her, and watched her eat hungrily, realizing she was likely not eating well at home. It wasn’t until then that the housekeeper found Yunho with a stranger in the kitchen.
“What is going on here? Who is this-”
“I can explain.” Yunho cut in. “I saw her-”
“Yunho, you’re supposed to be studying. If your parents-”
The doorbell ringing, followed by some knocking interrupted the conversation. The housekeeper was confused, but Yunho was happy to run over and answer the door.
“They’re here.”
The housekeeper chased after Yunho, telling him not to open the door, but he didn’t listen. Then they saw two police officers outside, growing concerned. Yunho was already inviting them inside and explaining something about an abused child. Within the hour the parents next door were arrested and the little girl was taken away. Although things weren’t going to end there for Yunho. He looked for the girl afterwards, finding the orphanage she was placed into and visiting whenever he could, which was practically everyday. His own parents tried to get him to stop, but he was adamant about being friends and keeping in touch. His parents were worrying about him wasting time when he could be studying so he proposed a compromise. If his family fostered the girl, then he’d have more time for school. It was quite a ridiculous suggestion, but one they gave into eventually.
Since then the two of you lived and grew up together. It was a very different environment for you, and took some getting used to, but you were still very quiet. You only talked to Yunho, and shared a few words with the adults around you. That didn’t really get any better as you grew up, but you weren’t treated awfully, so you were always grateful for that. You wound up being transferred to Yunho’s school, getting the chance to focus on your own studies and live a normal life. When you got to high school things did change a bit. You went to this private school away from home, so you both moved into an apartment nearby to make the commute easier. For the most part school life was peaceful. You were both quiet and kept to yourselves, although Yunho certainly had a lot of eyes on him.
He was the vice president of the class, and one of the top students in the school. He may not be social, but you knew he was popular, especially with the girls. To you he was more of a brother, and he certainly acted like one too. Although that didn’t stop the weird looks some of the other girls would give you. The relationship between you and Yunho wasn’t clear, and neither of you cared to set things straight. You were getting through school just fine the way things were. You thought this peace would last until graduation, but all it takes is one incident to flip everything around. When Yunho withdrew from the competition the teacher tried to convince him otherwise, but he insisted on you taking his spot. You knew this was likely wrong and unfair, but you weren’t gonna change Yunho’s mind, no one was.
In the end your paper was submitted. You didn’t think you’d actually place since this competition was between multiple schools, but you were glad you participated anyway. A week after the deadline the results were posted. When you had a chance you checked the list and did a double-take. Not only was your name present, you actually got first place. A big smile bloomed on your face, and you couldn’t wait to share the news with Yunho. You had no idea what came next, but you should have known that winning this competition would bring some attention to you. Both good and bad. So while at your desk getting your things out you were suddenly surrounded. You soon recognized the class president and her two friends. Now that you remembered, second place in the competition had gone to her, and she likely wasn’t happy.
“When did you submit an essay?”
“Uh… before the deadline…”
“Don’t be smart with me. I helped organize the submissions beforehand, your name wasn’t there originally. How did you get in? Who did you kick out? What makes you think some-”
“I gave her my spot.”
Yunho suddenly appeared, his comment drawing all the attention away from you. A quick smile appeared on the president’s face, but she hid it immediately, trying to remain serious.
“Why would you give her your spot?”
“She wanted to participate, and I didn’t need another award, so it was the right thing to do.”
“You should have told me about this.”
“Why?”
“I was expecting you and me to have the top spots. That way we could proudly represent our school and class.”
“It still worked out that way. Y/n got first and you got second, so our school and class is still represented. It didn’t need to be us specifically.”
“Yes, but-”
The bell ringing interrupted, and the teacher soon walked in. The conversation ended there as everyone took their seat, but you had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last time. A few days later the class president and her duo cornered you in the locker room after gym class.
“What is your relationship with Yunho?”
“Uh… we’re just friends…”
“Just friends? You don’t have any other motives?”
“Huh?”
“What did you do to get him to give you his spot?”
“Nothing. I just told him I wanted to participate, then he gave me his spot. I told him he didn’t have to, but he did it anyway. That’s the truth.”
While they mulled over that you hurried off, not wanting to continue the conversation. Since you rushed out of the locker room you weren’t paying attention to where you were going and wound up running into someone. Apologies quickly spilled from your mouth, but then there was a hand petting your head.
“What’s got you running around?”
“… yunho…”
“What’s wrong?”
“…”
“Come on now, you know you can tell me anything.”
“… the class president was just asking me why you gave me your spot in the competition…”
“Ah, she’s still hung up on that. You shouldn’t worry about it though, you got first place all on your own, she’s likely more upset about that than anything.”
“Yeah.”
“She’ll let it go soon enough. Come on, we have to get to class.”
After that whole confrontation things calmed down once more. It seemed like everything was back to normal, but there was something bothering you at the back of your mind. Despite the days passing like usual, something felt off to you. Yunho told you it was probably nerves since you had to take pictures when you were given your award, something you never really did. He told you to take it easy and that everything would work out. His words put you at ease, but that sense of peace was only temporary. The next time you were rushing down the stairs you lost your footing and fell, crashing against the ground and blacking out.
🖤
Yunho’s eyes snapped open, suddenly feeling that something was off. He usually liked to rest between classes, but something in the back of his mind woke him up. He looked around the room, seeing that you weren’t around. You’d usually be back by now. Without saying anything he got up and went looking for you. For the most part you followed a routine, so he could guess where you would be at the moment. Although he wasn’t prepared for finding you passed out at the bottom of the steps.
“Y/n!”
Yunho rushed to your side, trying to wake you, but you weren’t responding. He carefully picked you up in his arms, taking you to the nurses’ office. He stayed by your side until you regained consciousness, keeping a hold of your hand as the nurse examined you. All you had were some minor scrapes and a bit of a concussion. It was best to go home to get some rest and Yunho agreed. You were in no position to argue, so once you were better, he carried you on his back all the way back to the apartment. For the next two days you both stayed home, Yunho making sure you ate and got plenty of rest. You felt like he was doing too much, but he wanted to be sure that you’d be alright. Besides, missing a few classes wasn’t going to impact either of you. He even had a friend come by to drop off notes and assignments. Although it wasn’t until you were in a better state did Yunho actually ask you about what happened.
“I know this hasn’t been easy, but, did someone hurt you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Y/n.”
“I’m serious. I was rushing down the stairs, I think I just tripped but… I… I don’t know if I got pushed or something…”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah… I don’t remember seeing anyone else… I’m fine now, so let’s just move on.”
“Alright, but you should still take it easy.”
“I know.”
Even though Yunho stopped asking, he certainly felt that your accident wasn’t just that. He knew you weren’t lying to him, so he’d have to look into this himself. He didn’t say anything to you, but he thought back to that day. As he woke up he remembered seeing the class president practically sneaking back into the room, a huge smile on her face as she began to whisper with her friends. It could be nothing, but something was nagging at him about it. He’d have to look into it some more, but for now, and always, you were his priority. Once back at school he still kept a close eye on you, and during breaks he’d take you to the nurses office to rest.
Usually he stuck around with you, but ever since you returned he was also watching those around you. Nothing seemed different or out of the ordinary except for the way he’d catch the class president sneaking glances your way, always with an annoying look on her face. He still wasn’t able to confirm anything, but he knew he had to make a point about the situation. So one day while he left you in the nurses’ office he returned to the class, quietly walking up to the president while she sat at her desk. He leaned over her, hands grabbing either side of her desk. She was confused, and upon seeing his face made herself small. Yunho knew he was making her nervous, it’s what he wanted, and he leaned in close so he could whisper in her ear. His voice was soft with a hint of malice and warning.
“I thought I should inform you that my relationship with y/n is irrelevant. I could be her best friend, her boyfriend, or even her brother, and yet none of it matters cause I have no interest in you the way you’re interested in me.”
“… uh… I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“Good, at least you know where I stand now. So, if I ever catch you bothering y/n again, or worse, hurting her, YOU. WILL. REGRET. IT.”
With nothing else to say Yunho left, returning to your side in the nurses’ office. He quietly sat down next to your bed, taking your hand in his, running his thumb softly along your skin. A moment later you stirred awake, a smile appearing on your face as soon as you saw Yunho. It was about time to get back to class, so you returned together. You recovered well with no lasting effects, so there was nothing to worry about. Once again your life at school was peaceful, and you really thought it would last this time.
“I finally figured you out.”
You were in the restroom when you wound up cornered by the class president and her friends. They blocked your way out, forcing you to listen to whatever they had to say.
“You’re an orphan. No wonder Yunho looks after you, it’s out of pity. Or maybe he doesn’t know, and you’re just-”
“Would you just shut up already!” You snapped. “You’re just pissed I got first place in the writing competition. I’m sure mommy and daddy already scolded you for it and called you a big disappointment for losing-”
Your words were cut short by a slap across the face. It stunned you into silence and you placed a hand over the offended area.
“No wonder you’re such a try hard with no discipline. You just want to impress everyone cause that’s the only way you’ll get attention. It’s the only thing you know how to do.”
You tried to be strong and fight your own battles, but words could cut much deeper than any wound. You held back tears and pushed past them to leave the restroom, hearing muffled laughter behind you. With the tears blurrying your vision you didn’t see the person you ran right into. You quickly tried to wipe away the tears and compose yourself when your wrist was grabbed. You vaguely made out Yunho’s face, realizing you were caught. Before you could say anything he leaned in close and placed a kiss against your injured cheek. You immediately froze, unsure of what just happened.
Yunho certainly ran into you a lot, as if he was drawn to you. He didn’t mind, in fact he was always glad to see you, especially when he found you in distress. You ran into him with tears streaming down your face and holding your cheek, he could immediately tell someone had hurt you. Then he heard some shuffling just around the corner, able to catch a quick glimpse of the perpetrator and her friends. Since he knew he had an audience he chose to act honestly. He smiled when he kissed you, keeping close so those watching could also hear his soft whispers.
“Is that better?”
You didn’t respond, still too shocked over what he had done. Then he did it again, and again, trying to kiss the pain away. He only stopped when you nodded your head. He seemed overjoyed and then wrapped an arm around your shoulder, changing the subject and taking you back to class. He didn’t ask about that whole ordeal until you were back.
“You wanna tell me what happened earlier? And don’t say nothing, cause we both know that’s not true.”
“… I was just trying to handle things on my own…”
“Like what?”
“Um… the class president… she found out I’m an orphan… and said somethings… I talked back and she hit me… I’m fine, it wasn’t-”
“I’ll take care of this.”
“Huh? What do you mean? Yunho-”
“Don’t worry about it, just focus on school, and avoid that girl and her rats if you can.”
“…”
“Alright?”
“Yeah. I got it.”
“Good.”
You could ask all you want but Yunho rarely gave you a straight answer about things like that. Over the years you had learned that when it came to looking out for you, he could do anything. So you did as he asked, focusing on your studies, and then you heard the rumors. Slowly the whispers in the halls became about the class president. About how she messed around with a lot of the boys, but none ever spoke up cause she’d ruin them. Using her family status as a shield and threat. Of course rumors were just that, and a few weird stares were given, but nothing really happened. Although that was just to start. Baseless rumors of sleeping around turned to rumors of cheating on exams. Once again it was just words floating around, but then some other people came by, asking to speak with the president and going through her things.
The rumors took off after that. Everyone was talking about the class president being a fraud, and if there was an investigation then it must be true. If that rumor was true, perhaps the others were too. Her school life fell apart so quickly after that, and she wound up transferring. Yunho then became the class president, and the new top student. At one point you did ask him about the rumors, but he told you he didn’t know anything about them. Once that was all done things were finally back to normal. There was no more trouble to worry about, and you both managed to graduate. You even got into the same university as you planned. Things were working out and it was cause for celebration.
Yunho took you out to buy a new dress, followed by a fancy dinner. It seemed like too much, but he insisted this was the bare minimum. You only graduate high school once, so it was fair to go big. The dress shopping was fun, Yunho taking you to all the big name stores, having you try on multiple dresses and letting you pick accessories as well. You had never really done this before, either of you, so it was a new and fun experience on both ends. Yunho got himself a matching suit for the dress you ultimately wanted to wear for dinner. He already had a reservation set, so once you were both ready you headed over. The whole place screamed luxury, and you felt a bit out of place, but Yunho assured you that you belonged.
“I’m actually excited to start in the fall.” Yunho commented. “Do you know what you want to study?”
“Not really. I’m still undecided.”
“That’s fine. You can explore and try new things, see what you like best.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going into business. Since I’m gonna run the family business someday I gotta have the right background.”
“Ah, right. You’ve got a lot of things planned out for you.”
“It’s still my choice.”
“Then, are you gonna dorm or?”
“We’re gonna move into an apartment near campus. I already signed the lease, and we can start moving our stuff next month.”
“Wait, we’re both gonna move into the apartment?”
“Yeah.” Yunho noticed the slight disappointment in your eyes. “That way I can keep you close and make sure nothing happens.”
“Nothing’s gonna happen.”
“I know, but I like it better when we’re together.”
You did want to experience dorm life, but you probably should have mentioned it before Yunho made plans. Regardless, you were excited to start fresh in university. The apartment was a bit more spacious, but still cozy. When it came to classes you shared a few of the intro classes with Yunho, but most were without him. There were a few things you wanted to try, but you had to admit things felt a bit weird without Yunho around. Although you reminded yourself that you needed to get used to doing things without him. This was the place where your paths were likely to go separate ways. You had to admit, there was a bit of loneliness in these classes without him, but slowly you got used to it and made new friends. Life here was way better than high school.
“Hey, y/n, a bunch of us want to go out for some karaoke and chicken, you in?”
“Uh…”
“There’s this place not far from campus. I’ve heard great things.”
“Yeah, I’d love to.”
“Cool. I’ll send you the details. See you later.”
“Alright.”
Getting invited out, it put a big smile on your face. You were happy to have friends, and happy you were going to and out. You were slowly becoming more social and building connections. You made sure to catch up with assignments and found something comfy to wear.
“Why are you getting all dolled up?”
“I’m going out with some friends tonight.”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah. Some of my classmates invited me out for-”
“Who says you can go?”
“Uh… what?”
“I don’t know these people. It could be dangerous.”
“The karaoke bar isn’t that far from campus. I can come back whenever-”
“You’re not going.”
“Why… why do you get a say in this? Actually, you don’t. They’re my friends and if I want to spend time with them I can. I’m caught up on my assignments and- why am I even explaining myself to you?”
“…”
Yunho’s silence did make you uneasy. You actually felt a bit scared, which was ridiculous cause this whole argument shouldn’t even be happening. After a long silence Yunho stepped towards you. His steps towards you made you move back until you hit a wall. You tried to figure out your next move when Yunho grabbed your chin, locking your gaze with his. He didn’t seem upset, in fact there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. His signature smile adorned his face as well, and he looked you over for a moment before speaking.
“I’ll always take care of you, and I know what’s best. If not for me you’d have grown up in that bad house or all alone in that orphanage.”
“I-”
“Since you’re an adult now my family no longer fosters you, but sponsors you. I know you’re trying new things but there are plans for you too.”
“… what…?”
“Although this is on me. I thought you knew where we stood with each other. It’s my fault for not making it clear.”
“… uh… what… what do you mean by that?”
“We’re meant for each other, silly.” Yunho chuckled. “Gosh, my parents didn’t really like my actions back then. From getting involved in your situation and calling the police, to visiting you at the orphanage everyday. I had no intention of staying away from you, and they hated that. I was the one who introduced the compromise of fostering you. They thought I meant adopt, but I didn’t want you as my sister, being siblings would just complicate things in the future. They understood what I meant and ultimately agreed. We got to grow up together and my family raised you as their daughter-in-law.”
“Huh? What do you mean daughter-in-law?”
“You know exactly what it means. We’ve never said it until now, but I’m your fiance, and your mine.”
“What!? No, no that… that doesn’t-”
“It took my parents a bit to truly see the bigger picture, but once they were on board they really liked it. You don’t have any other family, so there won’t be drama there. Plus, you have some decent assets to add to the-”
“My parents aren’t dead. They’re just in prison, and I don’t really have anything to my name. I don’t-”
“We took care of all that already, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“What do you mean took care of it? What did you do!?”
“Nothing bad, I promise. The lawyers just stripped those two of their parental rights over you, and made sure to gather your valuable assets into a trust that you’ll have access to once you’re married.”
“Married!?”
“Don’t worry. My parents agreed not to prepare or announce anything until after we graduate university.”
“I… why… why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you ask me about any of this before-”
You pushed Yunho away from you, still processing and trying to understand what he was telling you. All of a sudden it seemed like your life wasn’t your own, that it never was. You needed to be alone, you needed to think, but Yunho wasn’t gonna let you go that easily. He only took a half step back before pinning you against the wall once more, hands grabbing your arms and keeping you in place.
“I told you, I’ll take care of everything so you don’t have to worry. Even now, if you don’t know what to study I have a few ideas. Since I’m going to inherit the company I would really like to have you work with me, but you don’t have to of course. We just started university and-”
“What about me?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Don’t I get to choose anything for myself?”
“Of course you do. There are plenty of options for you.”
“But none of them are my own, not really.”
“And what’s so wrong about having options laid out before you? It makes things easier, doesn’t it?”
“That’s your life, what you’re used to, but not me. Even though you fostered me I was always thinking about what to do with myself, that I couldn’t rely on you forever. Yet you tell me you have this whole plan laid out for me? I don’t know if I want that.”
Yunho laughed. “Why wouldn’t you? It’s a perfect life. I saved you and gave you everything you could ever want. All you have to do is be happy and stay by my side.”
“I’m not some doll you picked up as a kid. You can’t just dictate everything about my life.”
“No, no, don’t think like that. I’m just looking after the person I love.”
“…”
“Ah, I see I didn’t make my feelings for you clear either.”
Saying he loved you didn’t necessarily mean romantically, but the word itself just froze you. Then his response only confirmed your suspicions. On top of everything else this was still shocking information. You both grew up together so you never thought of him that way, or at least you were sure you hadn’t. Although before you could say anything to process this Yunho pressed his lips against yours. He was hungry and greedy, kissing you deeply until you were both out of breath. He pressed his head against yours, recovering with a pleased smile on his face.
“I… I always held back… but if you… have doubts… because of me… I can fix that…”
Yunho grabbed your arm and pulled you along to his bedroom. It took a moment for you to register the direction, but your attempts to free yourself were futile. He had always been bigger and stronger than you, not to mention this newfound determination gave him a boost. It was easy for him to toss you onto the bed, crawling on top of you and pinning you beneath him. Your hands pressed against his chest, trying to get him off, but he wasn’t budging.
“Come on now, I know you want me the way I want you.”
“I… I don’t…”
“I’ve never been this close to you before… not like this… you’re so pretty.”
“… what?”
“I’ve watched you sleep before… even jerked off while watching you too, but this… this is a dream come true.”
Another kiss was stolen from you, and his hands began to roam, feeling you up. Yunho grabbed at your breasts for a bit before you shoved his hands away, breaking from the kiss. You turned away from him, trying to think about what to say.
“What is it? I’m just tryna make you understand why we’re together. We’ve been fated since childhood.”
“Yunho… you sound crazy…”
“Do I? Then look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel the same.”
You swallowed nervously, slowly meeting Yunho’s gaze. Gosh, the glint in his eyes were full of want and lust, but he was holding himself back. The words caught in your throat.
“I… I don’t…”
“Liar.”
“Yu-”
“I said I watched you sleep, but I’ve seen more than that.”
“Huh?”
“I have some fun videos of you saved somewhere safe. I bet your fingers weren’t enough, especially when you were whimpering my name.”
“I never-”
“Do you want me to prove it to you?”
Your face was burning. You could only imagine what kind of videos he had. You really tried not to see him as anything more than your closest friend, but sometimes your own mind would wander. It was hard to behave yourself when he was the main guy in your life. You grew up together, lived alone together, you had seen him shirtless and in briefs before. So of course he would be the one to come to mind when you were in a certain mood. He was practically your only real life point of reference. You thought you had always been careful when you let those moments happen, but Yunho was making it very clear he knew a lot about you.
“Sh, sh, it’s okay, you don’t have to hide from me. I’ve wanted to see you like this for so long, don’t deny me now.”
Yunho kissed you deeply, his hands exploring once more. You felt somewhat defeated. He called you out, his words holding up a mirror. You were lying to yourself more than him. Even with his kindness throughout the years, you always thought you had to build your own path, so you kept a distance. Yet this whole time Yunho had placed this safety net around you, or more like an invisible collar around your throat. No matter what you did you’d be alright, and you’d be at his side, whether you realized it or not. Except now everything was out in the open and you knew the truth.
As Yunho began to get your clothes off you didn’t fight him, not sure if there was even a point. His fingers ghosted over your exposed skin, he was so desperate to touch, but he wanted to be gentle. This was a first for both of you, but he had to make sure things were done right. Your lack of resistance was a sign to keep going, that you wanted it too, and he intended to make your deepest darkest fantasies come to light. Taking your panties off certainly was a fantasy of his. The thought of this being a dream kept coming to mind, but touching you, feeling your warm flesh reminded him this was real over and over again. You were shy, hiding your face, which he found adorable. Soon enough you’d change your tune.
So he just continued, his fingers teasing your center, pushing your legs apart as you tried to deny him. It was too late for that. Regardless of what you felt, what you said, you were wet, and that was the highest praise he could get right now. He worked you over slowly, paying close attention to your body and how you reacted. He finally had the chance to learn all the intimate details of your body, and he didn’t want to miss anything. You may have used your own fingers in the past, but his were bigger, stretching you out and giving you an idea as to what was to come. Even without clothes your body wasn’t cold. A heat spread out across your skin, a knot in your stomach forming. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, but the circumstances were. You were in control of your fantasies about Yunho, but right now Yunho was in control of you.
He stripped at some point as well, flesh against flesh. You’ve seen him mostly naked before, but not in this setting. He was gorgeous, you always knew that, but seeing him like this, you did in fact have butterflies in your stomach. You didn’t know if he had any prior experience, but he was doing everything well. The only point where you actually resisted was when he pulled you closer to the edge of the bed, pushing your legs apart. You knew what this was, your hands immediately on his chest. Words failed you, but you avoided his gaze. He knew why, gently grabbing your chin and lifting your head to meet his eyes. You were nervous, scared, this was your first, but his eyes were reassuring. A soft kiss distracted you as he moved on top of you, getting you to relax under him.
He was big, and painfully slow, but in a good way. Your hands were on his shoulders, holding on tightly as you felt him opening you up. He was right, your fingers weren’t enough, neither were his. Nothing could have prepared you for this. You squirmed a bit, whimpering, but he wasn’t stopping. This was his moment, and he planned to make the most of it. When he stopped you could really feel all of him, slowly getting used to it. Then he started moving and you swear you saw white. You held onto him, arms wrapped around him, lips pressed against each other, moaning into his mouth. There was no point in trying to be quiet, you didn’t know how to. Yunho didn’t mind, whispering words of praise in your ear as he continued.
That first orgasm shook you to your core. His pace, his position, hitting your sweet spot over and over, you didn’t last long, you couldn’t. It did make you a bit shy but he just told you how good you did, that you couldn’t possibly be bad. Of course though this was far from over. Yunho still needed his own release, and he wasn’t going to have any self control until he was satisfied. Years of desire were overflowing now, there was no holding back anymore. So you had no idea how many times you were pushed over the edge. His touch was hot, his movements all the right ones. It was too much, it was so good, your tears seemed silly, but Yunho adored them.
You were so sensitive to everything even the sheets beneath you made you squirm. You couldn’t tell him to stop, he wouldn’t be able to anyway. Even when your vision was fading in and out, the world blurring, you knew he was going to keep going. You had no idea when it ended, when he had his fill, but your skin was still hot to the touch. You had no strength, barely able to keep your eyes open. Somehow he was up and moving around, but you just stayed put, wanting to rest more than anything. The next time you opened your eyes you found yourself in a warm bath, sitting in Yunho’s arms. He was washing you up, being slow and gentle. When your eyes met he smiled. His lips moved, saying something, but you couldn’t really hear him. So you just went back to sleep.
When you woke up again you were lying in bed, soft pajamas on. Yunho was at your bedside, trying to get you to sit up and talking about something. His words were a bit muffled, but he cupped your cheek to get your attention. You vaguely saw the pills in his other hand, immediately trying to shove them away but he merely laughed. Now you were starting to focus, hearing him mention that you shouldn’t worry about starting a family right now. At least not until you were married. You kinda understood that and took the pills, drinking the water he offered you as well. He helped you lay back down, petting your head softly and telling you to get some sleep. He leaned in to kiss your head, pulling up the blankets to tuck you in.
You were sleepy but a lot of things were still running through your mind. It wasn’t until now that you realized how much control he had, how much he had truly desired you. All this time you thought you were doing your own thing, walking your own path, but in reality you were on the path he had set out for you. Ever since you met that day, he was in control, it just wasn’t until now that you realized you were in so deep, too deep perhaps. Despite his words, seeing the bigger of it all, you really did seem like a doll, a living doll, his doll. You cared about him, had these feelings you needed to figure out, but that all felt like something that had also been predetermined for you. So it made you wonder if the chance of escaping this was even possible. This whole time you were a bird with clipped wings.
“… yunho…”
You weakly called out to Yunho. He sat back down at your bedside, petting you once more. You were so pretty, and he was overjoyed that there was nothing keeping him from you anymore. He was going to show you all the things he’s been holding back on.
“Sh, just rest, you don’t have to worry about classes right now.”
“… yu…”
“Sh, dream of me for now. There’s so much more to come, and I know you’ll love it.”
