LATEST... kiss, kiss, fall in love! (host club!enha x reader, series) | than ever! (rich kid!niki x reader) | the calm after the storm. (idol! jungwon x reader) | bigger picture. (ceo! sunghoon x model! reader, drabble)
hi jae! iâm sorry for saying this just now... but i actually made a fic that was partly inspired by one of your works and i have already been working on it for the past months! i didnât copy anything directly, but you would most likely notice a few similar narrative/motif/elements once i finally release it this december. i wanted to let you know, and also that iâll be crediting your story and tagging you when i finally post it. it might be a jumpscare in your notifications so, thatâs why i sent this.
again, iâm really sorry for only telling you this now đ it might be concerning because of the prevalent issue of plagiarism here in enhablr, but i can assure you that i havenât âcopiedâ it. you can think of it like, the story moved me so much that it made me want to explore the story again but in another world and from my heart. does that even make sense? đ
p.s. iâm on anon bc iâm not ready to reveal myself just yet đ„Č i hope youâd understand...
cw. my attempt at humor and comedy, aged up riki (24), mentions of knives and weaponry, eating and food, violence, kidnapping, psychological and emotional distress, organized crime stuff duh, mature language (sexual innuendos, cursing), our pairing are essentially best friends that got married love this for them, blood and injury, trauma, plot twist (dun dun dunnnn), hurt/comfort, riki's a lil unstable but he means well
synopsis. he told you no, luckily for youâthat was never anything you were used to hearing. riki, your headache and your whole damn world didnât even want you stepping foot into the chaotic sphere that he calls his home. however, you were done playing housewife. but in a world where info is power and an achilles heel simultaneously, love (and riki's sanity) may not be enough to survive whatâs next.
author's note!
ciao!! i've been working on this for some time (since may omg). it's been on my mind for some time and it feels good to get it off. i'm very proud of this. i'm down to make this into a part two because i still feel like this could be more. lmkkkk anyways enjoy <333!!
partially proofread which is progress for me!!
âNo. Absolutely not.âÂ
âPlease?â
âNo.â
You followed Riki downstairs, skirt swishing and Mary Janes clacking indignantly against the marble. The long, oversized button-up you woreâhis, tailored for youâwas the same deep navy as the one he was currently wearing. You always matched. It wasnât optional. It was a language. A silent message. He didnât look back.
He never did when he was irritated. Just kept walking, tall and terrifyingly composed, descending the staircase like a man on a mission, still calm under pressure. Black slacks sharp enough to slice, the soft sheen of luxury dress shoes hitting the floor like a metronome. Even without saying a word, Riki made the entire house hold its breath.
Kaminari wasnât just a name. It was thunder, etched into Tokyoâs underworld like a scar. His great-grandfather had built it from blood and ash in the wreckage after World War IIâwhen the country was fractured and men like him learned to make an empire from silence. Each generation added its layer: first muscle, then money, then myth.
And now, Riki.
Youngest leader in the syndicateâs history. Raised in marble halls and taught to slit throats with one hand while sipping tea with the other. A businessman on paper. A storm in a suit. And your husband.
Riki and you had been married for one year now, dated for three. Granted, your marriage had shocked a lot of people seeing as you married so young, both of you were twenty-three. But you wereâareâin love and thereâs nothing that could come between the two of you. He was your soulmate and you were his. That, you both were sure of.
So as you two walked to your kitchen, passing by staff and giving your maidâClaraâa kiss on the head and a âthank youâ as you both sat at the island to eat, you sighed in frustration. âBaby, please.â
Riki, eyes glued to his omelette as he settled into the seat. âI said no.â His dark hair fell over his forehead until he brushed it backâanother small movement that looked like art. Now slicing into his food with the shiny utensils that had the family crest carved into them.
âRiki, Iâm not asking to get in the field and hold a gun. I just want toâŠbe an informant almost. Like your Oracle.â You turned to him, crossing your legsânot even wanting to touch your food now.Â
He furrowed his brow incredulously, âOracle?â He muttered with a mouthful of eggs.Â
You nodded with a smile, âMhm! Like the girl from Batman.âÂ
âYouâve been watching too much TV, baby.âÂ
You throw your hands up in frustration. âBecause you wonât let me do shit besides that!â You whined, desperate to prove a point.
Since marrying Riki, you have taken up the cushy, spoiled housewife role. And while there was nothing wrong with that, after a while you started to feel antsy. You had bought every bag, every shoe, every diamond, every car, watched every show, even rented out Disneyland for you and Riki to enjoy one day just because you only wanted to go on the Radiator Springs ride. Even the Chanel Private Client Services wasnât enough.
While you acknowledged the pleasures of being able to spend so indifferently, you started to get restless. There was something about the fact that he was able to go out every single day, going to be productive in more ways than one that made you feel almostâŠuseless.
The staff around you stopped bustling, a bit shocked to hear your raise of voice. Even Clara paused, hands folded over a linen napkin, her gaze flicking to Riki like she wasnât sure whether to intervene or bow out of the scene entirely.
Riki didnât even blink. He just calmly chewed his omelette like your words bounced off that thick wall of stoicism he kept tightly bolted around anyone who wasnât you. âIâm not telling you again.â
You didnât care, you pressed further just because you knew you could. âI know I can do it.â You frowned, âI just wanna help. Most Iâll be doing is sitting at a desk andââ
His eyes looked ahead, nodding once at Clara after she slid him his poured glass of water. But you saw his fingers clamp around the glass. Paling, but his face wasnât. Riki was calm, tempered as always. At least on the surface but he was patient with you. Something you took for granted. âYou know whatâs interesting about Oracle?â He said as he sipped his water. You didnât answer verbally but nodded for him to continue.
âSheâs sharp, stubborn, always ready and willing to help. A lot like you.â He gently stabbed the strawberry from the shared fruit bowl in the middle. âShe helped Batman and Robin. An amazing partner, she was.â He chewed on the fruit.
You perked up, âSee! Then I cââ
He calmly interjected, still not looking at you. But the vibrato of his voice verberated throughout the room. Bouncing off the walls, glass, and stainless steel. âBut then one day, Joker shot her. Right in the back. And now sheâs paralyzed.â
You blinked.
The sentence lingered in the air like smokeâharmless at first, until it filled your lungs. Riki still hadnât looked at you. Still ate like nothing had shifted. But everything had.
The room was silent. Not the type of silence that asks to be brokenâthe kind that warns you not to try.
You swallowed. âThatâs fiction,â you muttered, softer this time. âThatâs not real.â
âNeither is invincibility,â he replied simply. âNot even for people who think theyâre behind the screen.â
Finally, he glanced up at youâdark eyes laced with something you couldnât name. Something heavier than anger, deeper than fear. âYou think Iâm keeping you out because I donât think youâre capable?â He chuckled once, dry and humorless. âIâve seen you lie through your teeth and charm your way out of federal security checkpoints. Youâre brilliant. Iâd trust you to run the whole damn empire if I died tomorrow.â
Your heart skipped.
He set his fork down. âBut Iâm not dead yet.â
Then he rose. Just like that.
You expected him to storm off, to make a scene. He didnât. That wasnât Riki. He just straightened his cuffs, softly kissed your cheek, gave Clara another kiss on the forehead, and walked out of the kitchen and to the front door with the kind of quiet command that made everyone else shrink. âI love you, angel. Love you too, Claraboo.â
The guards fell in around him, black suits rippling like shadows. âI love you tooâŠâ You whispered, but loud enough for him to hear it because you knew he wouldnât leave until he heard you say it. And within seconds, the heavy front doors whispered shut, and the house exhaled a hush that felt a lot like defeat.
You stared at the imprint his coffee cup had left on the wooden coaster. Inherited empire, inherited fears. Same old script.
A gentle hand touched your shoulder. Clara. Cinnamonâandâsteel Clara, whoâd watched him grow from toddler to tycoon.
âTea?â she offered.
You shook your head softly, leaning on the marble with your shoulders slumped and frown etched onto your face. âNo thank you, Clara.â
The older woman had sort of become your best friend and aunt all rolled up in one over the last few years, sitting right where Riki did. She smiled bitterly as she rested her hand on your cheek. âYoung master doesnât mean to hurt you. Just doesnât know how to let you help without feeling like heâs failing you.â
You blinked up at her, lips parting, but she beat you to the thought. âHe thinks protecting you means keeping you in the dark. Itâs not fair. But itâs what he was taught. The men before himâhis grandfather, his brother, his father at firstâthey didnât marry for love. They married for legacy. You? Youâre the first thing he ever chose.â
Her thumb brushed along your cheekbone before dropping back to her lap.
âHeâs scared.â She said it like it was obvious. Like it wasnât something Riki would ever say himself. âNot of the enemies. Of what happens to him if something happens to you.â
You exhaled through your nose, scoffing softly at the bitter twist in your chest. âHe could just say that.â
Clara smiled gently. âHe could. But you married a yakuza, babygirl. Not a poet.â
You cracked a smileâsmall, but real.
âHeâll come around. Just donât mistake his silence for stubbornness. That boy listens. Always has.â
Your eyes met hers, lashes trembling just a little, because you were tired. Not tired of himânever of himâbut of what came with him. The silence. The walls. The feeling that even though you slept next to each other every night, there were parts of Riki that refused to come out from behind that iron curtain in his chest.
âHe talks like someone whoâs already buried a wife,â you muttered.
Clara sighs, âBecause heâs seen it all of his life. Colleagues dying, their wives dying. His motherâŠâ She trailed off.
Rikiâs mother had been shot and killed when he was two. He hadnât had any memories of her, just the things that his family wanted him to remember. All of his life he had heard stories of his motherâs laugh, how fun she was, and that one time she accidentally overheated the soup in the kitchen and made the pot boil over and explode all over the counter.
Riki had seen no point in being upset over it, he didnât remember her. In his mind, there was no use mourning someone he never knew. She didnât mean much to him until he brought you to meet his dad.
While you were in the parlor, leg bouncing and nearly hyperventilating, Riki and Mr. Nishimura were speaking in the hallway. Riki would never forget.Â
âHer laugh reminds me of your motherâs.â
That was all his father said. Stern and weathered, voice like gravel under boots, but his eyes softened for half a secondâjust oneâas he looked past Riki into the parlor, where you sat nervously smoothing out your dress.
Riki stood there frozen. Because in all the years of funerals and retellings, of whispered stories around the dinner table and framed photographs that never moved from the shrine, not once had anyone ever made her real.
Heâd never known her laugh. But apparently, you sounded like her when you did that thingâlaugh with your whole chest, eyes squeezing shut, hands slapping his shoulder even when he barely cracked a joke.
That was the moment his mother became realânot a figment, not folklore.
And that was when fear sunk its teeth into him.
But Clara didnât need to say anything. You knew. He knew. Everyone did and you couldnât forget because he wasnât going to let you.Â
So you sat there, knowingly and sighed in resignation. âI justâŠI love him and I want him to see me as an equal.â You brushed your hair back, jewelry cold on your warm face.
âHe does, sweetie.â The elder nodded with an endearing smile. âHeâs just a prideful and protective man raised by a lot of prideful and protective men. And sometimes that gets in the way. Theyâll do anything to ensure the safety of each other. Thatâs how they were raised. Youâre his world, donât act like you donât know.â
âI know,â you whispered as you stared down at your doll-like shoes. Rubbing them together lightly and creating a creaking sound with the coated leather.
Clara stood, brushing off her apron. âBut if thatâs not enough, thenâŠjust talk to him. Seriously,â she lightly pinched your cheek. âYou know just like I do that heâll listen.â
She left you with that, bowing before she went to go dust the living room.
And you stayed there, heart heavy and at this point, you felt like that same frown was going to become permanent. But you just turned to eat your breakfast.Â
Chewing on your omelette and it was cold and bitter, akin to what you thought battery acid could taste like. You frustratedly put the fork back on the plate, and just grabbed your apple juice. Leaving everything else in your wake.
â
Later that day
â
You lay in bed, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the ceiling like it owed you answers. The moonlight spilled through the blackout curtains, painting silver streaks across the sheetsâcold and unforgiving.
Riki moved around the room with his usual quiet precision, the soft click of his dress shoes replaced by the muted sound of him slipping out of his clothes. You didnât say a word. Didnât even flinch when he pulled back the covers and settled beside you in just his briefs. He liked sleeping this way.
He glanced over, catching the set of your jaw, the silent storm brewing behind your eyes. His voice was low, cautiousâthe kind reserved for moments when words had failed too many times already.
âYou still upset?â
You stayed quiet.
Your husband sighed as he stared at you, a mixture of pity and frustration. âI just want you to be safeâŠâ He leaned up on his side as he tilted his head. An idea came to his head as he smiled softly. âI have good news.â
You tightened your arms, still looking to the ceiling and staying silent.
But he kept talking, âWhile I was out, I got those chocolates you liked. I know you havenât been able to find them for months. Theyâre downstairsâŠI can have Clara bring them up for you.â He said hopefully but you still didnât dignify it.
âAndâŠtomorrow when I get back from work we can finally watch that show youâve been wanting to. The Vampire Diaries you said?â He reached to lightly brush your cheek with the back of his hand, to which you almost fell for it then but you had more resolve. âI promise not to get jealous when you call that Klaus character sexy.â He smiled gently, hoping to make you laugh but to no avail.
âCâmon, my love.â Riki kissed your temple, âdonât be so mean to me.â He said with near desperation.Â
Your eyes flicked toward him for a split second. Just one. That was all he got.
He saw it, too.
âIâm not being mean,â you muttered finally, voice flat. âIâm just tired.â
Riki stilled. His hand dropped back to the sheets.
âThatâs not what this is about and you know it,â he said, his voice quieter now, more careful. âYouâre punishing me.â
You looked at him, âYouâre underestimating me.â
He furrowed his brows, âIâŠno Iâm not. I told you earlier. I have no doubts. I love you more than you could ever understand butâŠyouâre naĂŻve.â His gaze wavered for the first time you saw in him, fear. âA-And you get in over your head sometimes. I know you wonât be in direct danger butâŠitâs enough and thatâs all I need to make me say no to you.â
You sat up, âI am not naĂŻve!âÂ
Riki smiled gently, nodding as he moved his hand to your waist. âYes, you are.â
âYou brushed it off when I brought it up. Said I was being paranoid. But that same car was on our street the next night.â He leaned in a little, voice lower now. âI didnât tell you that part. Because I knew it would scare you. And I didnât want you to feel guilty.â
He exhaled. âYouâre amazing. Brave. Smarter than anyone I know. But babyâŠthatâs what makes it worse. You think you canât be touched.â
âHave youâŠbeen touched?â You whispered in defeat.
âMe?â He snorted, âFuck no,â letting out a small laugh.
âRikiâŠâ you whined as you leaned back onto the headboard with a pout.
âWhat?â He laughed, but quietly gathered himself for you. âIâm sorry, but no. I havenât but thatâs because this is something that I was born into?â He said it as if it was obviousâbecause it was. âYou married into this life and this is just something youâd have to learn. But itâs been four years of me keeping you away from it and it will stay that way until we both croak over.â Riki nods affirmatively as he lays back down on his back. Eyes leering at the ceiling the same way you were.
A beat of silence fell over you two. You hated to push him, but this was the last time you would. âOkay butâŠat least think about this. I married you because I love you.â You huffed, looking at the ceiling as well. âYou, our union, this ring, our family nameâŠit means the worldâthe universe and galaxyâto me. But I swore to love, honor, and respect you in sickness and health, for rich or poor. ButâŠâ You turned to him with gentleness in your eyes.
âI promised to protect the integrity of the Nishimura name. That I wouldnât shame this family, myself, or you. That by becoming Mrs. Nishimura, thereâs tremendous responsibility and Iâm ready for all of it.â You tenderly pecked his lips, to which he quickly reciprocated. âI love you, and if I ever do anything to make you think I cannot handle thisâŠthen pull me out. But donât just say no if we havenât even seen how I would do.âÂ
Riki didnât respond right away. You watched his chest rise and fall, steady, like he was working through every word youâd just said.
Then, slowly, he turned his head toward you.
ââŠOkay,â he said quietly. âIâll think about it.â
You blinked, surprised he hadnât shut it down completely. But before you could say anything, he leaned over and kissed your foreheadâthen your lips. It lingered this time. Less reflex, more emotion.
âGoodnight, baby,â he murmured against your mouth.
You nodded, brushing your fingers over his cheek. âGoodnight.â
He waited until your breathing evened out beside him. Waited until your hand slipped from his chest and onto the pillow.
Then, carefully, Riki slipped out of bed and into a silk robe.
He moved quietly, barely letting the bedroom door creak open before he was down the hall, bare feet silent against the marble.
â
The door clicked shut behind him. Clara glanced up from her desk, already halfway into her second espresso. She didnât even look surprised.
âI figured youâd come,â she said, setting her cup down. âYou only knock when itâs about her.â
Riki didnât smile. Just stood there for a second.
Then: âWhat do I do?â
Clara smiled fondly, âWhat you think is best, son.â As she sipped her coffee.Â
Riki sat down on the chair in front of her desk with a sigh. âBut thatâs why I came to ask you.â He gestured to the elder with an annoyed expression but quickly hid it as he actually had respect for her. âShe made a good point. Too good. I just donât want her to get taken advantage of. I donât want her to lose her light the way so many of us did.â
Clara laughed, âYou still have your light, Riki.â She leaned back in her chair as she adjusted her glasses. âYou didnât always have itâŠbut she gave it back to you.â
He nodded with a firm look. âShe did. Sheâs my light. Sheâs myâoh goshââ Riki exhaled firmly as he buried his head in his hands, slightly shaking as he bounces his leg. Anxiety peeking through. âI canât lose her. I wonât. I will not end up like my dad. I refuse to.â He shakes his head vehemently, his black hair falling in his face to which he swiftly pushes it back.Â
âSheâs strong. Youâre even stronger. Use your strength to help her get there. She just wants you to meet her halfway. Thatâs all she needs from you.â Clara said softly. âSheâs capable and you know it. I believe so.â
Riki looks up at her through hooded lids. âYou think so?â
Clara nodded, âI know so.â She stood up and beckoned him to follow her. âCome on,âÂ
He complied and followed her to the east wing of the homeâwhere his office resided. She used her key to open it and walked to his file cabinet and pulled out a black folder and handed it to him. âHere.â
The tall man scanned the folder and looked up at her. âWhatâs this for?â
âA test.â she said simply. âStart small. Give her something to handle. If she can carry itâthen you talk.â
Riki stared at the folder, thumb brushing over the edge.
âYou sure?â
Claraâs eyes didnât waver. âIâve never been more.â
â
You sat in the living room, watching another installment of some YouTube gameplay of a horror game. After last night, you had hope. Hope that something in the universe would change the mind of your vexingly stubborn husband. That for once heâd let you have a little more agency than heâd let you have any other day.
Though, please donât misunderstand. Riki wasnât controlling by any means. He let you do and practically say whatever you wanted. You spent his money, were able to go out at your leisure (not without security), utilizeâŠhim as much as you wanted. But especially, he let you argue.
Riki never let anyone argue. Being the man he was, prideful and a leader, his word was always going to be the last one. It was his way or no way, and this was the first time he had fought you so hard on something as this only made you want it more. You wanted to help, of course. But you just wanted to be more important to him than you already were.
You knew that he loved you, you had never in the four years that you were together doubted the affection he held for you. You had just wished that he let you have a little more freedom.
So you adjusted yourself on the couch, your shorts twisting and crop top riding up just a little but it didnât matter because you had a throw blanket on. Riki entered the living room with something hidden behind his back. âHello, my love.â
You furrowed your brows, âWhat are you doing?â
He shrugged as he padded over to the couch and plopped beside you with a knowing smirk. You turned off the TV and turned to face him, giving him your undivided attention. âI have to talk to you about something serious.â
Growing suspicious, you hugged the blanket close to you. âOkay?â
He revealed a black folder from behind him and flashed it with a smile. âTa-da!â
You shrug, âA black folder. WowâŠâ
He smacked his teeth with a grunt. âTake it,â he said gently, smiling with tenderness.Â
You grabbed the folder reluctantly, opening it to sift through it: three different color USBs, CCTV stills, ledger excerpts, and then a sealable, ivory envelope with a Kaminari recommendation card on it.Â
Your heart dropped, tears welling up in your eyes as you looked at him. âNoâŠâ
He nodded, smiling, âYes, but only ifââÂ
You cut him off by throwing yourself on top of him in excitement. âThank you, thank you, thank you!â The black folder behind you now and your legs tangled with his as you held his face between your hands, kissing him once, twice, a third time just to make sure this was real.
Riki laughed into your lips, arms wrapped around your waist, holding you like the choice didnât shake him a little too. Like giving you this meant everything would be fine. âWait, woah slow down.â He smiled, âthereâs something else too. Come with me.â He stroked your cheek as he helped you up and off of the couch, grabbing the folder.
Without a word, you followed him to the east wing as if you were going to his office. But then you made a strong left. This house was so big that there were rooms you hadnât even seen yet; and youâd been living here for two years. But he handed you a key to a door, the door being right down the hall from his.Â
You took it without a word and unlocked the door to see an office of your own. A pink, girly office.
You stepped inside slowly, mouth parting in a silent gasp. It was stunning. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathed the room in soft morning light. White marble floors. Blush-toned walls. Shelves already stocked with delicate file boxes, soft leather notebooks, gold-trimmed pens, and what looked like a crystal lamp shaped like a cherry blossom. Then you looked around in the corner of the room, a plush carpet and loveseat with a mini-fridge.
There was a glass desk in the center, wide and sleek, with your name engraved on a pink acrylic placard: Mrs. Nishimuraâbut underneath, in smaller script, it read:
Behavioral Intelligence Officer
Your knees buckled a little.
âRikiâŠâ you breathed, turning around with trembling hands. âWhat is this?â
He stood at the doorframe like he wasnât watching your entire soul ascend out of your body. His smile was slow, private. âThis is where youâll work from now on. The folder stays here. You get full clearance, unmonitored access, your own contact line with everyone, and burner accounts weâll rotate weekly.â
You stared at him, absolutely speechless.
âYou said you wanted to help,â he added softly. âBut more than thatâŠyou wanted me to treat you like a partner. So here you go. This is me treating you like a partner.â
Tears filled your eyes again, but this time they didnât sting. They shimmered.
âAnd I donât have toâŠask permission to come in here?â you asked, still stunned.
Riki shook his head, stepping in and running his hands up your arms. âThis is yours. Itâs your space, your case, your decisions.â He paused. âIâll still worry, and Iâll still protect you. Thatâs not up for debate. But thisââ He looked around. âThis is where I start learning how to let go a little.â
You threw your arms around his neck again, burying your face into his shoulder. âIâm gonna cry all over this expensive-ass marble.â He let out a breathy laugh as he wrapped his arms around your waist. âDonât. I donât want a slip and fall one day in.â Kissing your temple lovingly, his voice softening. âI love you, youâre Mrs. Nishimura. Not just in love, but in title and itâs time we all started acting like it.â
You peeled off and pulled him down a bit to lay your lips onto his. Resting your hands on his nape as you kissed him like it was the last thing youâd ever do.Â
Riki, letting out a groan as he picked you up off of your feet, grabbing your thighs and wrapping your legs around his waist. He smiled into the kiss as he massaged your ass in his large hands. âShouldâve done this sooner.â
âMhm,â you hummed into the exchange as you tilted his head back to start showing his neck some attention.
Rikiâs pulse thrummed beneath your lips, his head tipping back just enough for you to taste the faint salt of his skin and the trace of expensive cologne he only ever wore for you. His breath caughtâlow, rough, entirely at odds with the marbleâcold composure everyone else knew.
He shifted, pressing you against the edge of your new desk. The glass was cool, a soft contrast to the heat rolling off the two of you.
âCareful,â you whispered, teasing your teeth along his jaw. âThatâs my desk now.â
He hummed, voice vibrating against your mouth. âThen I guess Iâll just have to get used to doing things your way.â
His hands skimmed up the backs of your thighs, thumbs drawing lazy circles that made you shiver. The black folder still sat secure on the far cornerâclose enough to remind you why you were here, but far enough to keep from shattering the moment. You pulled back just enough to meet his eyesâdark, dilated, a storm held only by sheer will. âThank you,â you murmured. âFor trusting me.â
He brushed a strand of hair from your face, thumb lingering at your cheek. âThank you for demanding it.â
The weight of those words settled between youâequal parts promise and permission. He leaned in again, slower this time, lips hovering at the shell of your ear.
âLock the door, Officer,â he murmured, a smile in his voice. âWe must discuss business.â You squealed in glee as you hopped off the desk and closed the door, clicking the lock and scampering to your desk chair to sit dramatically. Crossing your legs like this was your throne and you were about to speak to one of your subjects. âBehavioral Intelligence Officer speaking,â
Riki smiled at your corniness. âWoah there, Powerpuff Girl. We gotta lay down the ground rules first.â He leaned against your desk, half sittingâhis long legs in his signature black slacks looked you in the eye.
Raising your brows in curiosity, you knew this was coming. âRules?â
He nodded once, âRules. There are quite a few.â
âWhat are these rules?â You grabbed the folder to open it but he quickly took it from you, barely leaning forward as his long arms made quick work. âHey!â You tried to grab it back.
He held the folder out of reach and held his hand up. âNope, I need your attention.â
You huffed in frustration and leaned back in your chair. âOkay, you got it.â
He nodded, something behind his eyes switching. That domestic, loving, caring husband disappeared and now thunder, cold, and firm boss made an appearance. This is how you know he was being totally serious. âRule one: you neverâand I mean everâdo anything without consulting me. You report to me, you run things by me, you address me. This goes for everyone in the organization. I am the boss, I am your leader, I will be respected as such.â
Your eyes widen at his unyielding tone; unsure whether to find this scary or sexy. But you concede, âOkay. Number two?â
Riki nodded, âNumber two: one-way door policy. Do you know what that means?â He tilted his head.Â
You shook your head with wide eyes. âNo,â
He smiled politely, âIt means that whatever comes in here, stays here. That folder? Stays here. External drives, put it in the safe.â He points to the hidden safe behind the big picture frame of you two, the photo of him proposing to you in Cabo. âDonât screenshot anything. Donât even mention anything outside of here. The only other place thatâs acceptable is my office. Understood?â
You nod, âThat makes sense, I get it. Understood.â
âGood. Number three: when this button lights, pick up your phone. It means thereâs an emergency and someone needs to get a hold of you.â He nods to the clear knob on your PC keyboard. âWe havenât had a situation where weâve needed to do it for years. But itâs necessary. Simple.â He claps his hands as she slowly paces the room now.
âNext rule: Every accusation needs proof. Time, place, motive. You canât just say you have a gut feeling. I would believe you if you spat on me and told me it was rain. But here, we need proof. No baseless accusations. This goes for everyone, even me.â He put his hands in his pockets, as he looked at the marble floor. Letting himself think, doing that thing with his tongue-in-cheek. âAny questions thus far?âÂ
Even with receiving all of this information, you shook your head. âNo, keep going.â
âBeautiful,â he half-smiles. âNumber four, this is a special rule: mental health days for you. Brains work better when theyâre not being fried. Take a day to decompress, all of our problems will be there when you get back. And you will stop working at midnight, every night. No exceptionsâIâm not going to explain it.â He said firmly. âA few more rules.â
He stopped walking to look you in the eye. âYou only break rules to save a life, not for curiosity. Itâs cute in a mystery film but peopleâs lives are at stake everyday here, donât just do shit for the fun of it.â He comes back to his slow pacing.
âThird to last rule: this,â He gestured around the room, âis all yours. But this position isnât a sure thingââ
Your jaw dropped, âRikiââ you whined in protest, finding it to be unfair.Â
âIâm speaking.â He held his finger up to silence you, to which you complied. Cowering in your seat as you looked at him with a pout.
âYouâre going to be headed into this with little training. Youâre not used to being under constant pressure, sometimes when you arenât used to thatâŠwellâŠâ He shrugged, âyou can choke.â Riki sighed.Â
âYou think Iâm gonna choke?â You applied pressure to your tone, tilting your head in confusion. âI thought you said I was capable.â
Rikiâs jaw flexed, eyes flicking up to meet yoursâand for a moment, the weight of all this vanished. He looked at you like he always did: like you were the sun wearing heels, a hurricane with heart. But even so, his voice stayed firm.
âI know youâre capable,â he corrected. âBut being capable and being ready arenât the same thing. This isnât a trust fall, baby. If you fall, someone could die.â
You stared at him. The silence between you stretched just long enough to feel like a power shift. Like you werenât his wife at that momentâyou were his kobun, his chosen partner, sure. But stillâŠnew.
You swallowed your pride and gave a tight nod. âAlright. Next rule?â
He sighed again, knowing this one would damper you a little. âNo pet names. No âbaby,â no âmy love,â no âbabe,â âbabe-arsaurus.ââÂ
âNot babe-asaurus!âÂ
He gave you a flat look. âEspecially not babe-asaurus. Weâre not at home. You wanna call me something cute, you do it in the kitchen.â
You snorted, arms crossed as you leaned back in your chair. âSo dramatic.â
âIâm serious.â He circled back behind your desk, hands coming to rest on the armrests as he leaned in close. âPet names blur the lines. And here, we donât blur lines.â
You blinked. âOkay, edgelord.â
He grinned against your cheek, voice dropping again into that teasing warning. âKeep it up and the next ruleâs gonna be âno lip gloss if youâre gonna talk back.ââ
You raised your brows, daring him. âYou gonna confiscate it?â
He took your gloss right out of your shorts pocket like he knew exactly where it was. âFirst offense: warning. Second offense? I keep it. ThirdâŠâ He leaned in and whispered against your jaw, âYou come to my office to earn it back.â
âOohâŠâ you smile as you nuzzle his neck then pull back. âAm I speaking to my husband or Kaminari?â
He smiled back, âBothâŠbut Iâm serious.â He raised his brows, âNo names.â
You smacked your teeth, âOkay baâI meanâsir.â
Riki smiled kneeling in front of your chair now. âThat turns me on too, but final rule. And itâs the one Iâll break before I ever let you break it.â
He leaned forward, holding your face in his hands. His cool rings melted against your cheeks as he looked you in the eye. âNo lying,â he said. âTo me. Ever. If youâre scared, tell me. If you messed up, tell me. If you donât know what to do, you come to me. We do not lie to each other.â
This was an unspoken rule, not only in your career but in your marriage too. The only lie that Riki had ever told you was that he was going to work but was going ring shopping instead.
With the candor of his own familyâmeaning that Rikiâs family physically never lied to each otherâhe saw that lying was the ultimate form of betrayal. The only time that lies were acceptable were under moments of extreme duress (e.g. his job).
When you two had discussed deal breakers on your first date he had said âlyingâ before the question even left your mouth. And funnily enough, he never lied to you. He just withheld things or simply never brought things up until you asked.
He never spoke about work, and if you asked about his day then it was: âToday was shitty.â Or âIt was good. Just work.â Or âProductive, fortunately.â He never wanted you to know anything because knowing means danger and danger means you die. And itâs not paranoia! No. Never.Â
If you asked how a pair of jeans looked on you and he didnât think they suited you then heâd give a simple âYouâve got better ones, my love.â
Rikiâs brand of honesty wasnât meanâjust wrapped in a velvet glove with iron beneath. Never cold, never cruel, never abrasive. He just valued the truth and gave it to you whether you liked it or not. Simply, heâd want the same thing from you. Heâd rather you hurt his feelings with the truth now than hurt it even more with a lie ifâand whenâhe found out. You never lied to him, even when the truth would hurt more.
So now, as he knelt in front of you, thumbs brushing your cheekbones like you were made of glass and fire at the same time, it wasnât just a rule. It was another vow. Not just for the sake of your marriage but your new dynamic.Â
âNot even if itâll hurt you?â You whispered, leaning your forehead on his.
He closed the gap a little, leaning to place a gentle kiss on your lips; letting it linger. âEspecially then,â
ââŠIs this the part where I get my badge and cool-girl gun holster?â you mumbled against his mouth.
He snorted, pulling back. âYou are so annoying.â
âHot and annoying,â you corrected, poking his chest.
âYeah, unfortunately,â he sighed, mock-disappointed, before grabbing the case file from the desk. âAlright, dude. Letâs ruin someoneâs day.â
â
Riki sat on the edge of your desk again, this time with the folder open in his lap, flipping through it casuallyâcomposed as usual. âWe have a leak,â he said simply.
Your brows pulled together. âInternal?â
He nodded once. âHigh-level. The kind of leak that gets people killed.â
You leaned forward in your chair, pulse ticking up. âWhat kind of intel got out?â
âShipment logs. Safehouse rotations. Even a few agent profiles,â he said, tapping the page with the back of his ringed hand. âAll routed through dead drops in Nishiyama territory. No digital trail. Clean. Old-school.â
You scoffed under your breath, âSo weâre dealing with a professional.â
âWeâre dealing with a mole.â His voice hardened like concrete setting. âSomeone inside Kaminari is feeding information to the Nishiyama syndicate. Which means one of ours is playing both sides.â
You blinked. âA double agent?â
He met your gaze with a heavy look. âExactly.â
You swallowed. This wasnât just a briefing. This was serious. âYou already have a suspect?â
âIâve got three.â He flipped to the next tab. âSome important people. Social Liaison, Yuna. Logistics, Jo. Then Sohee, the Accountant. All had access to the stolen intel.â
You reached out, but Riki didnât hand over the folder yet. âYour objective,â he said, his tone dropping into something deadly smooth, âis to make contact with all three. Casually. I want your read on them. Behavioral patterns. Speech tells. Any inconsistencies.â
You raised a brow. âYou want me to profile them.â
âI want you to read them like a book, baby,â he said, before catching himselfâthen exhaling. âSorry. Not on the job.â
You smiled a little. âSlipped out. Iâll allow it.â
He looked at you, seriously now. âYouâre not just my wife here. Youâre the only person I trust to do this clean. No bias, no noise. I donât need proof yet. I need instinct. Which might contradict a rule but you arenât making a move yet. Thatâs up to meâŠor maybe you depending on how this goes.â
âAnd if my gut tells me who the leak is?â
He nodded. âThen we build the case. Surveillance, comms trace, movement logs. But youâre the first step.â
You inhaled. âUnderstood. Where do I start?â
Riki handed you the folder at last.
âPage one. Then you come to the compound with me tomorrow morning.â He smiled, tilting his head.
You stood with slight nervousness, shaking your hands as if the feeling was water and you needed to let it dry. âTomorrow?â You muttered as you paced in front of him slowly. âIâm going tomorrow?â
Riki smiled at your demeanor, âYes, you will be coming with me tomorrow.âÂ
âWhat? So like, do I go in a disguise or something?â You stopped and put your hands on your head dramatically, cropped shirt lifting just a tad to reveal the hem of your bra. Not that you cared, Riki had seen you as naked as the day you were born.
Letting out a breathy laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners and that was enough to soothe you. Hearing him laugh. âSure.â He crossed his arms. âYour disguise will be âmy wife.ââ Riki leaned off of the desk as he approached you. âYouâre just going to talk to them. Like I saidâŠread them. Point out red flags, assess a possible motive. But even then, you are not to engage further. No strong-arming. Thatâs my job.âÂ
âBecause youâre mean to people.â
Riki snorted. âIâm not mean. Iâm...assertive.â
You raised a brow. âYou once threatened to staple someoneâs tongue to a desk.â
He held up a finger. âBecause he lied. With confidence. Thatâs worse.â
You blinked. âYou smiled while doing it.â
âAnd I was right,â he replied, smug as hell.
You muttered something about psycho husbands under your breath and flipped open the folder anyway. Inside were three crisp profiles: one woman, two men. All clean-cut. All smiling in their ID photos. Like one of them couldâve handed someone a kill order and then gone out for ice cream after.
Your stomach twisted just a bit.
âYou good?â Riki asked softly.
You nodded. âYeah. Just a lot to take in.â
He paused, reading you again like he always didâtoo carefully, too much like someone who knew every version of you. The tough one. The soft one. The one who panicked over brunch menus and the one who could lie on cue if called for it.
âYou donât have to prove anything,â he said quietly. âTo me. Or anyone else.â
Your eyes flicked up to his. âThatâs funny. I thought this whole thing was a test.â
âOh it is,â Riki pursed his lips. âAnd you do have something to prove, I just wanted to make you feel better.â
âWhatever happened to not lying?â You furrowed your brows, now getting irritated that he was making a joke of you.
Riki didnât flinch. âIâm not lying. Iâm softening the blow. Totally different.â
You scoffed, folding your arms. âFeels the same from where Iâm standing.â
He stepped closer, his voice dropping just enough to make your spine straighten. âIf I didnât think you could handle it, you wouldnât be here. I donât hand out assignments because of marriage certificates.â
You held his gaze, jaw tight.
âSo yeah,â he continued, âitâs a test. But not of your worth. Of your readiness.â
Your heart beat just a little harder at that. Not because you were scaredâbut because you hated how much you cared about passing. How much you wanted him to see you pass.
ââŠStill feels like lying,â you mumbled, avoiding his eyes.
âThen lie back,â he said, almost a whisper now, brushing a knuckle down your arm. âBut I owe you a receipt, though.â Riki pouted his lips mockingly.Â
âA receipt?â Your eyes flitted to the side for a moment in confusion.
âMhm,â he hummed as he sharply pulled you in by your biceps, your chest meeting his upper abdomen as he towered over you. âDonât think I forgot the tone you took with me yesterday morning.â
Your heart raced and the breath caught in your throat like it had something to lose. His grip wasnât tight, but it was firm enough to remind you: Riki didnât bluff.
âI had to assert myself,â you said, chin tipping up even as your voice dipped lower.
Riki smirked, eyes flickering between yours. âOh, you asserted something, alright. Had me rethinking our marriage vows halfway through my eggs.â
âShouldâve read the fine print,â you quipped, trying to deflect the way your pulse was going off like sirens under your skin.
His smile widened just a bitâdangerous and sweet, like a dare in the dark. âFine print said mutual respect,â he murmured. âAnd you disrespected your superior officer, baby.â
You narrowed your eyes. âSuperior officer? Thatâs what weâre doing now? You get off on that?â
âI get off on putting you in your place.â He stroked your cheek with his knuckle as he leaned in, grazing his nose with yours. âI think you forgot who you married.â Something behind his eyes flickered, something dark, menacing, and slightly sinister.
He leaned back as he scanned your body. âGo to our room,â he said, voice low and unshakable. âLose the attitudeâand the clothes. I want both off by the time I walk in.â
â
Getting ready the next morning at six ante meridiem was the hardest thing youâve had to do in a very long time. You donât know how Riki did it. If it was a solid nine then that was right up your alley. And considering the events of last night, your husband wasnât exactly forgiving. You were sore as a bitch, with every part and limb aching.
Nevermind your glorious dream about riding unicorns in the rain. It didnât matter because it wasnât rain, it was your despicable husband shaking his wet hair in your face as your wake up call.
âGrand rising, beloved!â He beamed with a boyish smile.
You jumped up, clenching the linen sheets to your bare chest and gasping for air. âOh my God.â You grunted as you swung on him, hitting his bare arm. âYouâre such an asshole! Fuck you, you scared the shit out of me!â Youâre still spent for air as you fell back on the bed and he was towering over you from beside the bed, laughing from the pit of his gut.
He grinned, completely unbothered by your assault. âDonât be mad. You looked peaceful. Like Snow White, but, like...if Snow White had a felony record.â
You tossed a pillow at him, which he caught easily with one hand, the other holding his towel around his waist. âIâm not the one with the felony fucking record.âÂ
âWell technically I donât. But if I did then Iâll add something else to my list if you donât get up.â He tossed the pillow back at your face. You launched yourself at him like vengeance itself, arms wrapping around his neck as you tackled him backward. The towel slipped just enough to make it personal.
âI hate you,â you growled, even as laughter bubbled in your throat.
He caught you mid-flight with that irritatingly perfect upper-body strength, stumbling a little before regaining balance. âLies,â he muttered against your shoulder. âYou were just singing my praises last night.â
âThat wasnât singing, that wasââ you cut yourself off, groaning as you buried your face in his collarbone. âIâm too tired for this. Letâs call in rich.â
âWe are rich,â he said, smug. âBut weâre also very much still showing up, because Iâm not digging the âsore and crankyâ excuse from you today.â
You sighed and looked up at him, âI would kiss you but you pissed me off and I have morning breath.â
Riki smirked, unfazed, and leaned in anyway. âLucky for you, I have a piss kink and no sense of smell.â
You smacked his chest, scandalized. âRiki!â
He just laughed, catching your wrist and pressing a kiss to your knuckles. âRelax, I brushed my teeth for both of us.â
You narrowed your eyes. âThatâs not how hygiene works.â
âIt is in marriage,â he said, already walking away like he didnât just say the most obscene things before the Lord Himself was awake. âNow move it. Weâve got a mole to sniff out.â
You stared after him. âI swear, Iâm calling HR.â
âI am HR.â he yelled from the bathroom. âYou have two hours.â
God help you.
â
âOkay, so whatâs the plan?â You exhaled shakily, trying to rub the sweat off of your palms and onto the leather seats of black car.Â
âMy love, you asked like twiââ
âI donât care, Iâm asking again.â You looked out of the car window, watching the trees turn to mush and blur as the car sped through the highway.
âThree people, one woman: Jung Yuna. Two men: Asakura Jo, and Lee Sohee.â He said, carefully, as he soothed your nerves, gently massaging your thigh. âLeak. Youâre going to talk to them, get a feel for their personalities. JustâŠget to know them. Thatâs all.â He pressed a tender kiss to your shoulder.Â
âOkay,â you huffed. âSimple enough.â
Riki gave a soft hum. âSimple, yes. Easy?â He flicked his eyes toward you, a warning there. âNot even a little.â
You glanced at him. âWhatâs the catch?â
He didnât answer immediately, just adjusted his grip on your thigh and dropped his voice. âOne of themâs working with a third-party buyer. We donât know who. We donât know why. But we know itâs internal.â
Your brows furrowed. âAnd they donât know we know?â
âExactly. As far as theyâre concerned, Iâm bringing my sweet, unassuming wife for a fun day at work. Yuna knows me. Jo doesnât trust me. And SoheeâŠâ he trailed off, pausing. âSohee thinks heâs smarter than everyone in the room.â
You clicked your tongue. âSo you want me to play dumb.â
Rikiâs lip curled into that crooked smirkâthe one that always meant trouble. âNot dumb. Charming. A little naĂŻve, maybe. But observant. Youâre not interrogating them. Youâre studying them. I want your instincts, not your analysis.â
âSo this is âvibes-basedâ intel?â You made quotation marks with your fingers.
âThis is you-based intel.â His hand slid up your thigh, fingers curling gently. âYou see people. Youâve always seen meâeven when I didnât want you to. Thatâs your edge.â
You fell silent for a beat. âIf Iâm the edge, what are you?â
âThe blade,â he said simply. âSo keep it cute. Iâll do the cutting if we have to.â
You let out a breath, heart pounding as the trees blurred past faster now. âOkay. Letâs find our mole.â
â
You entered the expansive compound, smiling and waving at the different people. At timesâand the very few times youâve been hereâyou forget that this is an organized crime group and not an organization, a conglomerate even.
And seeing Riki walk in here was like seeing a switch flip and the light turn on. Gone was your generous, funny, doting lover and now straight-faced, strict, articulate KomichĆ. It was slightly overwhelming to be able to see someone just turn themselves on and off like that.
So when he walked in, every person lined up to greet him. His kobun, bloodbound kobun. Trained, loyal, and unshakably his.
They bowedânot out of introduction, but acknowledgment. You werenât a stranger here, not technically. They knew your face. Theyâd watched you stand beside Riki in silk and gold, watched you kiss him with a thousand eyes on your back. But none of them knew you.
Not really.
So when you walked in todayâno veil, no curated elegance, no fanfareâthere was a shift. A flicker in the way some of them looked at you. You were here, which meant something had changed. You werenât just the wife anymore. You were part of the inner workings now. At least you and Riki knew that.
Still, he said nothing else. He didnât need to. His presence was enough to quiet any question before it could rise. But the way his hand hovered at your backâsubtle, protective, claimingâtold the whole room that you werenât just tagging along. You were trusted.
A few of them looked surprised.
One or two looked uneasy.
And at least one looked curious.
You kept your posture steady, offering a nod of acknowledgment. Cool. Collected. Just another day casually stepping into your husbandâs criminal empire. Totally fine. Absolutely fine. Zero panic.
Riki leaned in just enough to brush his lips against your temple. âThey remember the wedding,â he murmured, âbut they donât know you.â
âGood,â you replied under your breath.
He smirked. âThatâs my girl.â
â
You strolled into one of the lounges, making decent use of your time here. You were careful to not immediately get to work as you didnât want to make yourself super obvious. So here you were, walking around, scaring Heeseungâhead of operationsâevery now and then just because you could. But after about thirty minutes, you decided to pull the trigger on this.
Your eyes found Sohee sitting at one of the many tables, tip-tapping away at something on his laptop. Presumably not work-related because this was considered a breakroom. But Riki wasnât that strict, he didnât care where the work got doneâas long as it was in the building and nowhere else.Â
Putting on a friendly smile, you approached the table with politeness. âHi, Sohee. How are you?â
The guy looked up from his laptop, the blank stare turning to a smile that mirrored your own. âOkaasan, Iâm doing fine. You?â
You waved him off with a smile, telling him to drop the formalities and that calling you by your name was more than fine. But he didnât comply, stating that Riki insisted that they call you Mrs. Nishimura or Okaasan.
âNo, Iâm telling you to call me by my first name. Please, itâs okay.â Smiling, nodding your head to ensure he felt a little more comfortable in this exchange. Being on a first-name basis establishes comfort. If thereâs that then the conversation wonât be so rigid.
Sohee smiled gently, being slightly flustered at your friendliness. He hadnât spoken to you ever and only knew you in passing. He was at the wedding like most of the group but besides that there were very little interactions between you and the other affiliates. No one knew about you aside from Rikiâs close friendsâsome of whom were a part of the group and his groomsmen, and his family by the time of the ceremony. âOf courseâŠâ He rubbed his eyes, âBut yeah, I havenât seen you since the wedding. Tell me about married life, howâs it treating you?â
You slid into the seat across from him, adjusting your blouse just slightly as you crossed one leg over the other. A friendly smile stayed on your lips, but your eyes had already started their sweepâwatching his fingers, his posture, how fast he minimized whatever was on his screen.
âOh, you know,â you started, tone breezy like the back patio of a brunch spot. âWe argue about whether the AC should be at sixty-eight or seventy-two, and then he kisses me. Classic honeymoon phase stuff.â
Sohee laughed politely, but you noticed the slight tug at his lipâlike he was trying to decide if it was okay to really laugh. That was good. You liked that.
âItâs different though,â you continued, tilting your head thoughtfully. âBeing someoneâs girlfriend, and then suddenly youâreâŠreally a part of their life. Your world is one, I guess. Still getting used to the perks.â
He snorted at that, relaxing a little. âI mean, if by perks you mean the estate and a guy named Chan who opens your car door every morningâyeah, not bad.â
You let out a soft laugh. âExactly. And the complimentary paranoiaâs cute too.â
Soheeâs eyes flicked up at you, and for a second, you saw the calculation behind the smile. He was smart. They wouldnât have put him over logistics if he wasnât. âYou say that like you werenât built for this. I mean, most people around here kind of expected you to be the accessory. No offense.â
You smiled wider at that. âNone taken. Accessories donât walk themselves in here and sit across from the guy who tracks where all the money goes.â
He stilledâjust barelyâbut you caught it. Bingo.
Before he could volley back, you softened your voice, brushing invisible lint off your sleeve. âAnyway. Iâm not here to scare anyone. Iâm here to get to know people. Rikiâs always talking about how tight-knit the team is. Family, right?â
Sohee nodded slowly, and you could practically hear the mental gears clicking. âYeah. Family.â
âAnd family talks,â you said lightly. âEven if itâs just about whatâs stressing them outâŠor keeping them up at night.â
He leaned back slightly, tilting his head. âThatâs a very specific way to phrase that.â
You looked at him with a half-smile. âWell. Iâm a very specific kind of person. Plus, I spend his money, I gotta make sure it gets where it has to be right?â You try to break the subtle change in vibe with a joke. He bites, somewhat relieved that the woman who has the power to either put him on the unemployment line or in a body bag wasnât taking him too seriously.Â
Despite that, you took it for what it was and whatever he was giving you. Before either of you can stretch the silence too far, the door swings open.
âHeard there were pastries in here,â a voice calls out playfully, and in walks Yunaâlight on her feet, dressed like her outfit alone had a LinkedIn profile, and confident like someone who always gets the last word.
Her gaze slides over the room, landing on you and Sohee.
âOh,â she says, lips curving upward as she closes the distance. âDidnât know this was a members only table.â
You gesture to the seat beside you. âNot at all. I was just catching up with Sohee. Join us.â
Sohee stands halfway out of his seat in reflexâa gentleman or a little afraid, whoâs to sayâbefore awkwardly sitting back down once Yuna waves him off.
âSo,â she says as she takes a seat, folding her arms on the table and angling herself toward you. âI havenât seen you since the wedding. You were a vision by the way. I mean, the ceremony? You two couldâve had a Vogue cover, just stunning.â
You chuckle, nodding politely. âThank you. It was a blur, but I do remember crying over my lashes right before walking down the aisle.â
Yuna laughs, then tilts her head a little. âSo, married life? Howâs it been? I imagine being Mrs. Nishimura isâŠan adjustment.â
The way she says itâlike sheâs biting into something sweet just to test the aftertasteâtells you sheâs digging. Not cruelly. JustâŠcurious. Or pretending to be.
You tilt your head, mirroring her. âWe were just talking about it.â You gesture to Sohee with a smile. âItâs been good.â You always loved to overshare, but it was no oneâs business what consisted of your relationship. Namely how well your husband treated you. You had to learn that lesson better now than later.
Yuna hums. âRight. Heâs always had that...edge. But seeing him soft for someone? Kind of wild, honestly.â
You smile, gentle but unmistakably proud. âItâs a side of him you have to earn.â
That lands. You see it in the way her jaw shifts just slightly, like the compliment doubled as a subtle door slam.
She nods slowly, playing it off. âMust be niceâbeing the one person who gets let into the inner sanctum. He doesnât really do vulnerability.â
You rest your elbow on the table, your chin on your hand. âNo, he doesnât. Which is why I donât take him for granted.âÂ
And that right thereâthat soft, unapologetic weight behind your wordsâis when the intimidation really hits.
Yuna smiles, but this one doesnât quite reach her eyes. âYou make it look easy.â
Sohee clears his throat, trying to reroute the conversation back to safer shores. âYou always had that energy, though,â he says. âEven at the wedding. People were talking more about you than the cake.â
You grin. âThen I hope they werenât talking about the dress fitting too tight. I ate like four slices of that cake myself.â
âBold,â Yuna murmurs, sipping her drink. âThat cake was like five hundred a slice.â
You glance at her. âWhen you marry a man who owns the bank the baker owes a loan to, cake isnât a concern.â
Sohee chokes on a laugh, half trying to hide it. âSheâs not wrong.â
Yuna raises an eyebrow, lips twitching. âThat sounds like something KomichĆ would say.â
âHeâs rubbing off on me,â you say.Â
âDefinitely rubbing,â she mumbles beneath her breath as she sipped her tea again, you barely heard it but it was definitely loud enough for you to catch.
Your ears perked up at the comment, âIâm sorry?â Tilting your head with a small smile, acting as if you didnât really hear her.Â
Yuna blinked, playing it off, though her smirk didnât quite fade. âNothing. Just talking to myself.â
You let out a soft chuckle, resting your elbow on the table and your chin in your hand. âYou should be careful doing that around here. People might think youâre losing it.â
Sohee glanced between the two of you, sensing the invisible knife sliding onto the table. âRight, well, Iâm gonna pretend I didnât hear anything either.â
âNo need,â you said smoothly, eyes still on Yuna. âI just thought I heard something interesting. Wouldnât want to miss out.â
Yuna gave a small shrug, eyes cool. âGuess my mind wandered.â
âTo Riki?â you asked lightly, no edge to your voice but every word precise.
Her lips parted like she might defend herself, but instead she laughed softly, shaking her head. âYouâre good.â
You smiled wider. âI know I am.â
Sohee cleared his throat againâless out of nerves, more out of self-preservation. It seemed so with him, Riki said he always thinks like heâs the smartest in the room but it might not even be that. Maybe, but he shrinks beneath the gaze of someone bigger. Though, intelligence and bravery arenât mutually exclusive in this case. Or any of them for that matter.
But you didnât break your gaze from Yuna, not just yet. âDonât worry,â you finally said, sitting back in your seat with a gracious tilt of your head. âI donât bite unless Iâm hungry.â Your eyes glinted, like the once inquisitive look was suddenly demoted to annoyance. But you knew better than to let her get the best of you.
Yuna lifted her tea, trying to cover the shift in her postureâthe slight tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw tightened for just a second. âGood thing Iâm not on the menu.â
âOf course not,â you said sweetly. You stand, brushing off your skirt as you slide out of your seat. âIâll be going now, guys. Thanks for hanging out with me.âÂ
âNo problem,â Sohee said with a gentle smile as he stood up to shake your head. To which you nodded respectfully, returning the gesture. âHopefully weâll be seeing more of you around here.â
You laughed with a nod, âFor sure, Iâll definitely be around.â Glancing at Yuna, you smiled gently. âSee you around, little one?â You reached out and rubbed her arm, to other eyes it was friendly. Between you twoâand maybe Sohee if he squintedâit almost seemed like you were rubbing the metaphorical snot she sneezed onto you, back on her. Sonning her, âlittle girl-ingâ her.
Nonetheless, she smiled. She nodded. And just took it. âYes, see you around.â
And off you were.
â
Speaking to Riki after that little exchange was definitely on your mind. Seriously it was, every aching part of you was determined to run down on him and question him until he physically choked on his every word. Because for real, what the fuck was that? Why was Yuna so comfortable speaking about your relationship and Riki in such a way? How has Riki made her so comfortable? When has he done that? How did it happen? Who even brought this up to her in the first place?
As the five Wâs were this close to the edge of your tongue, you decided to save it for later. Not now, no. And itâs not even like you were shy about your marriage. If one couldnât tell by now, you took any and every opportunity to mention Riki. You swore to your friends that once you got married you would âmy husbandâŠâ the fuck out of them and everyone else around you.
But you didnât know Yuna, hardly even. Youâd known her as one of the heavy hittersâessentially the PR for the group. The Social Liaison. She was delicate, yet biting. Subtle, yet direct. She was gorgeous and thatâs exactly why she was appointed, because she was easy on the eyes and no one could dare turn away a beautiful woman.
You didnât feel inferior, there was no reason to. Yuna was Yuna and You were You. Both of you were beautiful young women in a field dominated by men no matter how you sliced it. So to see her be so combative when you didnât do that to her made you feel like you lost a friend before you could even make one.
So as you were on the hunt for Jo, passing through each hallway and scouring every nook and cranny for this guy. You peeped Riki a few feet away in the broad, wide-ranging room. Speaking so firmly to one of the kobun, not making eye contact but nodding along as he walked and they briefed him on something. They were too far for you to hear but he had noticed you, almost like he felt you from ten feet away.
He didnât stop what he was doing, didnât pause, he was slick as always. Riki kept walking and as he was listening but he made eye contact with you. His gorgeous, alluring eyes followed you as you kept moving but he didnât smile. He just poked his tongue outâquick, barely there, a flicker of his usual mischief. The kind of look that says I see you, and I know you see me, without saying a single word.
It wasnât apologetic. It felt more like a challenge. Like he was telling you to come find him. To press him. To demand what you wanted to know. At least to you because thatâs what you felt like doing. But knowing him, he was just teasing. Letting you know that beneath the hard shell of the KomichĆ was your childish, teasing, yet loving husband.
You held his gaze for a moment longer, then kept walking. Because no matter how much your fists itched to grab his collar and ask him what the hell Yuna meant by that, you had other business to handle. Logistics came first. And Joâwell, Jo was never easy to find. Which was kind of the point.
So you tucked Riki into your back pocket for now, like a loaded question youâd pull out later.
Jo was somewhere in this damn compound, likely holed up with blueprints, phone calls, and at least five burner devices. And if there was anyone (sans Riki) who could give you the real lay of the landâor shift it completelyâit was him.
Riki could wait.
You pulled out your phone to shoot him a message, though:
thorn in my side: do yk where jo would be right abt now?
He replied back in a split second.
idiotbox: should be in his office. upstairs, 5th floor. 509.
thorn in my side: thanks
idiotbox: i love you
âŠ
???
i said i love you
i love you baby ????
now girlâŠ
You didnât even care to respond, you were mad at him for something you only assumed he did and that was childish, of course. You were petty, but so was he and that was how you two worked so well. Heâd pick up eventually, but you hated the fact that such a menial exchange had irritated you this badly. But you knew better than to put him in a bad mood at work.
thorn in my side: i love you more babe-asaurus
idiotbox: hm
weâll talk later
You rolled your eyes at how easily he was able to read you even without seeing you. But whatever, you have a guy to find and Riki was close to your heart as always; but the least of your worries.
Taking the elevator was intense because you hoped that it would be slower, honestly. Like how much of a rush were these guys in? You reached the first to fifth floor in less than two seconds. Now, here you are, scanning the doors and you finally reached Joâs appointed office and you politely knocked. Waiting for a âcome inâ or âenterâ or âwho is itâ literally anything. But nothing.
You scanned the hallway, peering both ways up and down. No one was around, no one seemed to be passing through and you stepped forward a little bit to put your ear to the door. Also silence.Â
Racking your brain, Rikiâs words kept ringing in your mind: you are not to engage further.
You are not to engage further.
You are not to engage further.Â
You are notâfuck it.
Without another thought you twisted the knob to Joâs office and as fate would have it, the door was unlocked. You pushed through the door and peeked your head in.
Empty.
So as you slipped in, gently closing the door behind you before locking it, you reminded yourself of what you came here for. It was to get a hold on behavioral patterns, but thereâs no harm in scanning. With a shaky exhale, your eyes followed through the space. Very minimal. Only necessary items here: desk, chair, file cabinet, desk lamp, simply essential office gadgets.
But as you neared his desk, you spied a ton of papers scattering across it. You hovered, unsure whether you should touch them, but then again, Riki did say not to engage further. He didnât say anything about observing. Which, in your opinion, made this a grey area. And what were grey areas for, if not you skating through them with barely plausible deniability?
The first sheet that caught your eye was a layout of the compoundâmore detailed than the blueprints youâd seen before. Color-coded zones, timestamped patrol shifts, even ventilation system routes. Jo is definitely playing chess while the rest of these guys are just showing up to the board.
The next paper underneath made your stomach pull a little tighter. It was a list. Names. Some you recognized, some you didnât. Some were marked with symbols: asterisks, slashes, question marks. What you did know was that this was the definitive rosterâessentiallyâfor everyone in Thunder.Â
Sans one other: Yuna.
Weird.
Then you saw it.
A manila folder tucked half underneath a blueprint sheet. You knew you shouldnât, but girlâcuriosity is a disease. You slid it out just an inch, enough to see the label written in Joâs tight, deliberate handwriting:
âINCIDENT REPORT â LEAKâ
Then another:
âNISHI â CONFIDENTIALâ
You didnât let your initial shock cloud your common sense. Without another thought you grabbed the two files and shoved them inside of your shirt. Dumb decision, yes. Strange, absolutely.
Just as you were heading to the door to make your graceful exit (youâve been doing a lot of those lately it seemed), you heard footsteps and jingling keys right outside of the door.Â
âFuck!â You mouthed in panic and scanned the room. A sliding closet was your best bet so you took shelter there, squatting at the floor and hugging the cloth covered folders to your chest. Knowing better, you ensured your phone was on silent and not on the hard floor to make noise.Â
And not a second too soon.
The lock clicked, the door swung open, and Jo enteredâas leisurely as one can be. You watched through the thin slits in the closet door as he moved with practiced ease, the way only someone who expected to be alone did.
He muttered something under his breath, inaudible, as he tossed a USB onto the desk and rolled his chair out with a squeak. You swore your heart was doing parkour in your chest, beating a rhythm so loud you were sure he could hear it.
He started typing.
Clicking, clacking, clomping. Jo hands had left the keyboard to feel for his foldersâthe absent ones.Â
His hands patted the desk once. Then again. Slower.
You could hear the moment he realized something was off.
Click, click.
Rustle.
Click.
Pause.
ââŠHuh.â
He stood up. You could see his silhouette shift through the closet slats. Jo leaned over the desk again, rifling through papers, lifting one corner of the blueprint like the folders might be playing hide and seek with him.
Another pause. Longer this time.
Then he muttered, low and sharp: âMotherfucker.â
Busted. Not completely, but the clock was officially ticking.
Jo paced once, then sat back down hard, fingers drumming against the desk in a rhythm that screamed calculating. You knew Jo very vaguelyâthis wasnât confusion. This wasnât panic.
This was inventory. This was war.
And you were right there in the middle of it, like a roach under a glass.
He pulled his phone out. Tapped. You didnât hear the call ringâprobably encrypted, burner-to-burner. Probably to someone way too important to be talking about two stolen folders and a potential mole crouched three feet away.
Still, his voice was ice when he finally spoke:
âTheyâre gone. Both of them. Yes. Both. Folders. No. Nobody elseâs been in here.â
He huffed as he slammed the device down on the desk and left without another word. Closing the door behind him.Â
You didnât move for a full thirty seconds.
Just breathed.
Slow and shallow, trying not to make even your lungs betray you. Your heart was doing a drum solo in your chest, and the folders clutched to you suddenly felt like live explosives. Your knees were screaming. Your brain was screaming.
But Jo was gone.
And you were still here.
When you finally uncurled yourself and opened the closet door like it might squeak out a betrayal, the coast was still clear. The office was eerily quiet, save for the dull hum of whatever sinister programs Jo had left running on his screen.
You grabbed his phone too, along with the USBs. Leaving that behind, what a dummy.Â
You crept out like a cat burglar in a heist movie, glancing around one more time before heading to the door.
No one.
No shadows.
You slid out and shut the door behind you, just as quietly as you came.
And then booked it.
â
Muscle memory had you headed there before you could even second-guess the idea. Ninth floor, west wing, room 920. Youâd memorized it months ago without even meaning toâlike the curve of his signature, or the way his voice dipped when he was serious.
The folders were still tucked under your shirt like contraband, stabbing awkwardly against your ribs as you power-walked. You probably looked suspicious. Not that anyone was around to clock itâyet. But paranoia was creeping in like a slow leak. Any second now, you were sure alarms would start blaring.
You rounded the corner, heart racing. Rikiâs door stood at the end of the hallway, clean and unassuming. You didnât knock. Just turned the handle and slipped inside like a shadow.
He wasnât at his desk.
He was standing at the window, back to you, hands in his pockets like some tortured antihero. Of course. Of course he was being dramatic today.
âYouâre not supposed to be here,â he said, without turning around.
You rolled your eyes and let the door click shut behind you. âThis is where my man is, this is where Iâm due. Thank you very much.â
He turned slowly, his expression unreadable until his eyes landed on your shirtâand what was very obviously not a very lumpy new bra.
âYou didnât,â he said flatly.
You didnât say anything. Just reached under your shirt, pulled the folders and phone out like a magician producing a rabbit, and dropped them onto his desk with a soft thump.
Riki stared at them.
Then at you. â...Youâre insane.â
âI love you.â
He pressed his fingers to his eyes, already visibly aging five years. âI love you too. But I told you not to engage.â
âYeah, well.â You walked to his side of the desk as he sat. âIâm starting to think you only say that when you donât wanna deal with the fallout.â You lifted yourself to sit atop his desk, folding your legs.
He didnât argue because a part of him knew better. But he was going to ask questions.
âBefore I open these, Oracle.â He smirked as he leaned back in his chair, rubbing your bare calves. âYou are going to tell me how you got these.â
You tilted your head, half-smirking, half-daring him to press. âBefore I tell you,â you said, voice sweet as poison, âyouâre going to tell me who Nishi is.â
He paused, the playful squeeze he gave your leg faltering for just a second. Just enough for you to catch. Just enough to confirm that the name meant something. Something serious.
âThatâs not how this works,â he said slowly, like he was weighing each word. âYou first.â
You leaned back on your palms, eyes dragging lazily across the office like you were boredâlike you werenât high off adrenaline and one bad decision away from spiraling. âDoor was unlocked. Papers were out. Your little friend Jo doesnât have the cleanest filing system.â
âYou broke into his office,â he said, amused but exasperated, like a teacher trying not to laugh while writing you up. âYou hid in his closet.â
âAnd you told me not to engage, which is very different from telling me not to investigate,â you quipped. âAnd how do you even know I did that?â
His hands were warm against your skin again, this time steady. Grounding. He sighed, and there was something tired in it. Like this day had finally worn him down. âFirst off, you came in here winded. Which means you were running. Something you never do.â He nodded affirmatively, like he had seen this scenario a million times before. âThen you have extra padding in your bra like you donât have enough going on there alreaââÂ
You squinted at him, offended but mostly appalled. âExcuse me?â
Riki had the audacity to grin, all smug and unbothered, like he wasnât skating on the thinnest ice imaginable. âWhat?â he said, lifting his hands in fake innocence. âI notice things. You werenât exactly subtle and Iâve seen them enough to know what they do and donât look like. The folders are poking out like a second set of ribs.â
You smacked his arm. âYou are insufferable.â
âObservant,â he corrected, laughing under his breath. âAnd I know you. You only get this chaotic when youâre pissed or nosy. Or both.â
You rolled your eyes and slipped off his desk, pacing a few steps to blow off steam. âWell, congrats. You know me. You want a medal or a map to Joâs shitty closet?â
âI want you to tell me why you went looking for him,â he said, the smile in his voice gone now. âWhat made you dig?â
You paused, fiddling with the edge of a stray paper on his desk, not looking at him. âI was just making my way down the list.â You shrug with a slight pout. âI had already spoken with Yuna and Sohee. Conveniently they were both in the same room. Then I saw you enroute to Jo, knocked on his office. Nobody home. So I took it upon myself to find what he wasnât there to tell me.â You sighed with a firm nod. âWhoâs Nishi? Is it short for Nishimura? Or short for Nisââ You paused as something in your brain had clicked, the lights werenât dim anymore.
âThe Nishiyama syndicate that you were speaking of.â Humming in understanding finally as you leaned against the desk. âIs that it?â
Rikiâs then blank expression shifted to a smile, not devilish. But kind, almostâŠproud despite the weird situation. âYeah, thatâs it.â
Somehow you felt small beneath his gaze, so your eyes shifted to the files and phone. âAre you gonna open the files?â
The raven-haired man sighed, leaning back into his chair. He was entirely too cavalier for your liking but you kept your lips glued. This was his world, not yours. At least not yet. âNo.â He shook his head gently. âYouâre gonna read them and tell me what you find.â
You blinked. âOkay,â
âOkay?â
âOkay.â
âGood.â Riki leaned up and handed you a new notepad and pen. âDonât write on his stuff. Iâm sure he knows theyâre missing.â
âHe does,â you took the items with both hands. âIs he going to hurt me ifââ
âOver my dead fucking body.â
Your breath caughtânot because you didnât believe him, but because of how fast he said it. Like it wasnât a question. Like the very thought of Jo trying anything had flipped a switch in Rikiâs brain that only lived between rage and devotion.
You stared at him. âThatâs dramatic.â
âI mean it,â he said, and this time there was no smugness, no teasing. Just that low, steady tone that made your spine straighten and your chest feel way too small. âHe touches you, he dies.â
Laughing him off, you waved your hand. âAgain, dramatic.â
âThereâs nothing dramatic about it. I have no problem putting anybody six feet under if itâs about you. Iâm telling you now, I will kill him. Myself, with my bare hands.â He nods calmly.
You nodded, lips pursed as this weird feeling of not believing him but absolutely believing him came over you. Now you arenât stupid, thereâs very few people in this life that have clean hands but since you never saw that side of Rikiâit was hard to fully compute that. You were used to the version of him that bit you when he just found you cute. The one that whenever he ate french fries, he would put them in his mouth and act like he was a walrus. The part of him that whined whenever his food touched.
The Riki that kissed you like it was his first and last, everytime. When he made love to you it was passionate, like he cared. Savoring every part of your body and ravishing it like a starved man. And even though youâve been together for as long as you have, he still makes you feel like youâre in high school. Both his and your inner childâs connect and thatâs what makes every part of being with him so worth it.
Hearing him talk about putting someone in the dirt for hurting you didnât scare you. At all, if anything a depraved part of you loved that he was so ready and willing to take care of you. But because he had kept you so far from this lifeâto the point where you never saw him right when he came home from work.
You only ever saw him after a shower when he got back. The house was big enough for him to avoid you and he didnât want you to even see him in any other way aside from put-together or casual. He simply wants to keep your perception of him one way.
Now heâs at the point where he doesnât need to get his hands dirty, but heâs not above it. He knows heâs not but he doesnât want you to know that. Maybe because youâre pure, the only clean thing in this world and he wants to honor that sanctity.
Thus you nod with a tight-lipped smile. âAye-aye captain,â
Riki nodded curtly, âThank you, now sit.â
âCan I take this home with meâoh wait, no, the rule.â I sighed as I sat down on his couch.Â
He laughed, âRight, good, good. ButâŠâ He breezed past his desk to now sit beside you. âWhy didnât you tell me you loved me?â He leaned back against the back of the couch, crossing his arms as he peered at you with patient eyes.Â
You furrowed your brows, snorting at his ridiculousness. âI tell you that multiple times an hour, Riki. I just said it when I came in. What are you talking about?â
âBabeâsorryââ He covers his mouth, trying to muffle a smile at the minor slip-up.Â
You point at him, âAh-ha! You broke your own rule, genius.â Laughing as you twirl the pen between your fingers.
Riki groaned dramatically, tipping his head back against the couch cushion like the weight of his love-induced hypocrisy had just crushed him. âGod, Iâm so weak,â he mumbled into the ceiling.
You giggled, nudging his leg with your knee. âYou made a rule you couldnât keep. Who does that?â
âA man in love,â he sighed, hand flopping over his heart. âA fool. A slave to your eyes and...whatever scented oil youâre wearing today. Beautiful gourmand.â
You rolled your eyes so hard you nearly saw your past mistakes. âYou suck so bad.â
He turned to look at you again, his playful expression softening slightly. âYou didnât say it earlier. In the texts. Well you did, but I just had to pull it out of you. Which is unusual because usually it happens easily. Like a nice, well-lubricated machine.â
You paused, the smile still on your lips but tinged now with something quieter. âI was annoyed.â
âI figured,â he said.
âAnd donât use âwell-lubricatedâ like that ever again.â You laughed as you adjusted your position, kicking off your shoes just because you could. Placing your legs on his lap as he instinctively went to massaging your aching feet.Â
Riki laughed beneath his breath, âMmm, how else should I use it thenâŠ?â He trails his hand up your calf.
âDonât even think about finishing that sentence,â you said, pointing the pen at him like it doubled as a taser. âIâm in work mode now. No nasty metaphors.â
Riki smirked, thumb dragging slow circles into your ankle like he was trying to hypnotize you. âYou sure? Iâve got a whole glossary. Synonyms. Imagery. PowerPoint, even.â
âPowerPoint?â You quirked a brow. âWow. And here I thought this organization was low-tech.â
âWe save the advanced tech for seduction,â he deadpanned.
You threw your head back in a laugh, letting your legs go slack against him. âYou are so lucky youâre cute.â
âI know.â He smiled proudly, then leaned forward, pressing a kiss to your knee. âBut seriously...I knew something was bothering you. I felt it.â
You nodded, brushing a bit of lint from your lap like it was your own way of smoothing down your thoughts. âI didnât like the way Yuna talked about you. Like she knew you. Knows you. I know itâs stupidââ
âItâs not,â he cut in gently. âWhatever it is, itâs not.â
You looked at him. âI didnât want to make it a thing while youâre working, but...she got under my skin.â
âWhat happened?â
âNothing really,â You shook your head as confusion plagued your expression. âLike she was just throwing jabs at our marriage. Likeââ
âDo you want her gone?â
âWaitâdamn! Can I at least tell you what happened?â You put your hands out in panic.
Riki blinked, caught between his gut reaction and your clearly not-yet-finished train of thought. âRight. Sorry.â He held up his hands, leaning back slightly. âContinue. Full dramatic reenactment, if you will.â
You gave him a flat look. âYouâre impossible.â
âAnd yet, here I am. Devoted. Foot-rubbing. Ready to commit crimes in your honor.â
You fought back a smile, exhaling sharply before continuing. âShe just said some things. Made it sound like she knew you in a way I didnât. Nothing direct, but it was allâŠin the way she said it. Like she was watching me, waiting to see if Iâd flinch.â
Rikiâs jaw ticked just slightly, and his hand stilled again on your leg. âWhat did she say exactly?â
âShe joked about you being soft for me. About how it must be wild seeing you like that. And then she muttered something under her breathââdefinitely rubbingââafter I said you were rubbing off on me.â You rolled your eyes. âWhile it was funny,â you smiled as you reflected on the moment. âIt was just the tone she took, it was petty.â
His voice had that eerie calm againâthe kind that made you picture storms on the horizon. âAnd do you want her gone?â
You hesitated. âI donât want to make you cut people loose just because they annoy me.â
âNot just anyone,â he said slowly. âHer. You disrespect my wife, you disrespect me. End of discussion.â
You sighed. âI just didnât like feeling like I was being tested. Like I had to prove I was worthy to be here. That I deserved you.â
âNo. You donât need to prove shit to anyone. She works for you, baby. Not the other way around.â He scoffs in irritation, not at you. Just at the situation.
âYou think she wants you or something?âÂ
Riki rolls his eyes, âPlease,â he waves off.
âNo, Iâm being serious.âÂ
He furrowed his brows, âThat has nothing to do with me, I chose you. I love you. Yuna is justâŠYuna.â
You narrowed your eyes at him, folding your arms across your chest as your legs stayed propped on his lap. âThat is the vaguest, most non-answer answer Iâve ever heard.â
Riki groaned, tilting his head back like the ceiling was somehow responsible for your suspicion. âBaby, come on. You want me to whatâspell out that she probably has some weird little crush from back in the day? Okay. Maybe. Possibly. Who wouldnât? But that doesnât matter. I donât want her.â
You blinked, lips parting just slightly. âWeird little crush from back in the day?â
He froze. Froze frozen. Like someone had just hit pause on his entire soul.
Then slowlyâpainfully slowlyâhe sat up straighter and scratched the back of his neck like a man about to give a deposition. â...I mean, likeâŠa crush she invented in her head. You know how people do. Delulu culture. Sheâs a millennial. Orâwhatever she is.â
You gave him the most unimpressed stare humanly possible. One that could suck the air out of a room if you held it long enough.
âYouâve been avoiding answering straight for two full minutes,â you said, your voice sharp but cool. âWhat arenât you telling me?â
He let out a deep sigh, eyes flicking briefly to your legs across his lapâlike grounding himself with you physically would make the words come easier.
âNothing happened,â he finally said, slow and careful, like laying down a live wire. âShe flirted. Years ago. Once. I didnât flirt back. I shut it down. It didnât become a thing because I didnât let it become a thing. Plus by that point, I had just started seeing you.â
You stared, not blinking, not speaking. Just letting the silence stretch until it felt like your heartbeat was echoing off the floors.
âAnd now?â you asked at last, voice like velvet over a blade.
His gaze lifted to meet yours, firm and unwavering. âNow sheâs someone on payroll who will never get that close again. You have my name, my ring, everything. And if I could give you more of me, I would. Sheâs noise. Vapor.â
The words settled in your chest like something warm and weighted. The kind of thing that wasnât just sweet, but true. You didnât nod. You didnât smile. You just breathedâand it came easier after that.
âGood,â you murmured.
âGood,â he echoed, reaching up to squeeze your ankle gently.
Riki had never given you any sort of reason to doubt his loyalty to you. But something about Yuna just made you feel some sort of insecure. And thatâs never a good feeling. âOkay, so back to work on these thingies.â You sighed as you grabbed all of your things, the files and notepad.Â
â
You settled deeper into the couch, the file balanced on your knees, pen in hand. Riki stayed quiet beside you, hands behind his head like he wasnât five seconds away from snatching the folder and reading it himself. But this was your job now. He gave it to you. He trusted you. And trust in this world was rarer than sleep.
The first folder you opened was the one labeled:
âINCIDENT REPORT â LEAKâ
Your eyes scanned the top page. Neat, efficient language. Joâs writing was all business. But beneath that business tone⊠was tension. A lot of it.
Summary: On 05/23, it was confirmed that classified movement data regarding the Nishiyama holdings in the Shibuya district was compromised and intercepted by an unknown third party. The breach occurred between the hours of 03:00 and 05:00 JST.
Method of Leak: Evidence points to an internal device tap. Most likely wireless, planted within the logistics room (3rd floor).
Potential Suspect(s):
T. Nakamoto (denied access two weeks prior but showed up in building security logs 24 hours before the breach)
Sohee Lee (recent behavioral inconsistencies; requires further monitoring)
UNCONFIRMED: External syndicate involvement possible (see cross-file: âNISHI â CONFIDENTIALâ)
You sucked in a breath. âSohee?â you said aloud, almost in disbelief.
Rikiâs voice was low. âKeep going.â
You flipped to the second pageâgrainy black-and-white images from security footage. A figure moving at 4:12 AM through a hallway near the logistics room. Hood up. Face obscured. But the time stamp matched Joâs report exactly.
You shook your head. âThis is bad. Whoever this is knew where to go. No camera catch, no chatter, just straight infiltration. Like a ghost.â
Riki didnât speakâhis jaw was tight. He already knew this. Heâd probably seen the footage himself.
You flipped to the next folder:
âNISHI â CONFIDENTIALâ
Your stomach clenched.
This one wasnât a report. It wasâŠa dossier.
A breakdown of an entire group.
The Nishiyama Syndicate. Or, as Riki had called them beforeââNishi.â A former rival organization that went dark years ago.
Overview: The Nishiyama Syndicateâpresumed inactive by 2017âhas begun resurfacing under new leadership. Not confirmed, but rumored to be operating under a splinter faction using legitimate business fronts. Possible laundering through offshore holdings (Monaco, Belize, Singapore).
Recent Activity:
Acquisition of real estate adjacent to Nishimura holdings.
Shadow-bidding on construction contracts connected to your familyâs public-facing properties.
Unusual surveillance patterns noted around Nishimura residences.
Notable Names:
A. Nishiyama (deceased, patriarch)
M. Nishiyama (???) â identity redacted
âSubject Nâ â possible mole or double agent; suspected to have contact with active Nishimura staff. (PRIORITY)
You looked up at Riki. âThis reads like theyâre trying to move in. Slowly. Quietly.â
He nodded, lips pressed tight. âI think the breach mightâve come from a mole inside the building. Someone feeding info.â
Your pulse spiked. âWho do you think it is?â
He looked at you carefully. âI havenât ruled anyone out. Neither has Jo. But everyoneâs guilty until proven innocent.â
âItâs innoââ
He held his hand up, âI know what it is.â
You snorted as you looked back down at the file but then suddenly looked back to him. âHey, did Jo call you at all today on one of the burners?â
He frowned in thought. âNo, why?â
Your eyes widened in slight fear, feeling adrenaline pump through your veins. âHis phone is on your desk.â Pointing to it with urgency. âHe called someone earlier, letting them know the files were missing.â
You felt like the floor shifted under you.
Riki stood up and grabbed the phone, unlocking it as he sifted through it. âGo. Continue, let me do this.â
Then you flipped one last page in the NISHI folderâand your heart stopped.
REDACTED TARGET LIST [photo attached]
R. Nishimura (active)
âOkaasanâ (active, unnamed spouse)
Status: Tracking active; no confirmed contact attempts. Maintain passive surveillance.
There was a picture.
Of you.
A candid photo. Leaving your favorite coffee shop. Hair in a bun. Not even looking at the camera.
They knew who you were.
They were watching.
âOh my fuckingâŠâ You whispered as your hands started to shake.Â
Riki didnât look upâyet. He was still going through the burner phone, locked in, muttering something under his breath. But the second your voice cracked, just the edge of that whisper, he froze.
Your hands were trembling around the paper, your breath shallow as if the photo alone had stolen the oxygen from your lungs. âTheyâre watching me, Riki,â you said quietly. âThey know. They know who I am.â
Thatâs when he looked up.
His gaze flicked to your face firstâthen to the folder in your lap. You didnât even have to show him. He crossed the room in three strides, dropped the phone without care, and snatched the folder from your lap with steady hands but a murderous edge in his jaw.
He saw it. The image. The note. The label: âOkaasan â Active, unnamed spouse.â
Your face. Your fucking face. On a watch list.
Rikiâs breathing changed.
Not heavy. Not loud.
But measured. Controlled. The kind of breathing someone does right before they explode.
âNo contact attempts,â he read aloud, barely above a whisper. âPassive surveillance. Maintain.â His jaw flexed once. Twice. âThat means theyâve been watching. But not enough to tip me off. Or you.â
You still couldnât speak. Your mind was spiraling, thinking backâevery time you thought someone was staring at you too long in the coffee shop. Every car that took a little too long to pull away. The time your key fob didnât register on the first try and you swore you saw someone standing at the edge of the parking lot.
You knew. Felt it more than anything.
Riki stepped back, slowly. âYouâre done,â he said, coldly.
You blinked. âWhat?â
âYouâre done with this.â He gestured to the papersâeverything. âI donât want you involved anymore.â
âNoâRikiââ
âI said youâre done.â
His voice wasnât raised, but it was final.
You stood, breath catching againânot out of fear this time, but out of frustration. âYou canât justââ
âI can, and I will.â He looked at you, eyes flashing with something deeper than anger. âThey put you on a list. A list with my name. They put a target on your back for being married to me.â
âYou said youâd pull me out if I couldnât handle it. I can andââ
âNo. You said that,â he bit out. âThank you so much for your interpretation of how you think this works. But Iâm telling you now, sweetheart. Youâre finished.â
You stared at him, chest rising and falling rapidly. âSo what, youâre just gonna hide me away like a secret? Lock me in the house?â
âIf I have to,â he said without hesitation. âIâd rather you hate me than end up in a morgue. You think I give a fuck about being the bad guy in your story if it keeps you alive?â
And for the first time, you realizedâhe wasnât just angry.
He was scared.
Riki Nishimura, the man who ran empires with a flick of his fingers, the one who made people disappear without batting an eyeâwas looking at you like he had already lost you. Like he was trying to stop the bleeding before the wound even opened.
And you didnât know whether to fight him or fall apart.
â
Within the next hour, Riki sent you home.Â
No yelling. No begging. No stomping down the hallway with your shoes in hand like you wanted to. Just a tight-lipped goodbye, a long look that said please donât fight me on this, and the subtle pressure of his hand on the small of your back as he walked you to the elevator. Kissing your cheeks and temple as he guided you.
âIâll be home later, I love you.â he said, eyes fixed on the elevator door as it closed, locking you in. Locking you out.
You didnât say anything. You just nodded, chewing the inside of your cheek like itâd keep your heart from leaping up and making a scene.
And now here you are.
In the house. Your house. His too. That same massive, almost-too-silent house where the floors were spotless, the air always smelled faintly of clean linen and sandalwood, and the fridge was somehow always stocked but never truly full.
You hadnât even changed clothes. You hadnât moved much. Just sat on the edge of the bed for a while, fingers interlaced, something so mundane like Rikiâs silver watch still on the nightstand like it might grow teeth.
Because it couldâve been anyone.
Anyone watching you. Anyone taking that photo.
You didnât even realize youâd started crying until you saw the wet spot on your blouse. And then more tears followedânot because you were scared. But because he had known. About the business. The threats. The danger.
And he kept you out of it. You were so proud. Marching into lounges. Reading body language. Toying with people like you were ten steps ahead. But the whole time, you were in a different game.
A different arena.
You werenât playing chess. You were the queen piece. And someone had started planning your checkmate.
You wiped your face and reached for your phone.
Nothing from Riki yet. Of course. He needed time. To clean up. To cover tracks. To burn things down.
You opened your texts anyway. Clicked on the chat.
thorn in my side: iâm home
i love you, baby
Message delivered. No reply yet.
You stared at the phone until the screen went dark.
And for the first time in a long time, the silence in your house didnât feel safe. It felt like someone else might be listening too.
â
Riki came home and the house was equally as silent.Â
Heâd come home to a quiet home almost everyday, nothing new. Most times you were in the bath, in the living room buried in a book, or on a good dayâyouâd already be in bed.
And by this time, heâd shower before he came to greet you but the weird thing about being with someone for so longâyou feel them everywhere. Your warmth, your mood, he feels it all.Â
But this time he felt nothing.Â
Immediately his mood dampened, the intuition that he had relied on so heavily over the last twenty-four years of his life already letting him know something was amiss. âBaby?â He called out as he slipped his shoes off.Â
No response.Â
He smacked his teeth, âMy goodness, I shouldnât have gotten her those fucking headphones.â
He placed his jacket on the coat rack and skimmed the area. Your keys were by the door, as usual. The sweater you wore today, okay fine. Your Mary Janesâyour favorite shoes that he always tripped over and threatened to throw away. Huh.
Again, that strange nagging feeling in Riki just never went away.
He padded over to the kitchen, seeing dinner spread out on the table. Wrapped up and ready for yours and Rikiâs consumption, there was a serving taken out of it which meant you ate something. Good.
But you werenât in the kitchen. And you werenât in the living room.
The staff not being around makes sense, he sent them home for the day. Clara wanted to spend time with her son so who was he to tell her no?Â
And now, the fucking office that he had built with his own handsâempty.
This house was huge, humongousâbut there wouldâve been some way you heard him already.
He called your name firmly. Riki never says your name, thatâs like the rule. Still, no response. He calls your phone because knowing youâitâs never too far. Straight to voicemail.Â
âWhat the fuck.â Riki Nishimura doesnât panicâbut something cold and venomous slithered up his spine as he stood in the middle of that pristine kitchen as he now made his way back there, fists clenched, jaw ticking.
And then.
Then he saw the note.
Sitting prettily on the marble counterâin a little nook. Surprised he had missed it before.Â
Simple. Clean. In all capital letters.
YOU WANTED HER OUT. SO WE TOOK HER OUT.
And on the back of the note was a photo of you. Gagged, tearful eyes, messy hair, scratched face. You had put up a fight that was for sure, it wouldnât be you if you didnât.Â
The marble counter shattered first.
He slammed his fists down, hard enough to crack the stone. The note crumpled beneath him as he shouted, loud and hoarse, like it had been ripped from somewhere deep in his chest.
âFUCK!â
Everything after that was instinct. A storm. A full-blown implosion. He threw the nearest chair across the room. It smashed into the wall with a satisfying crack, splintering on impact. Plates followed next, flying off the table with a feral sweep of his arm. Food hit the cabinets, the fridge, the floor. A glass shattered under his heel. He didnât even flinch.
âI told her to go home!â he roared. âI sent her home!â
His eyes were wild. Drenched in something between fear and fury. The kind of look no one ever saw and lived to describe.
He yanked open drawers. Punched the fridge. Tore the cabinet door clean off the hinge and hurled it across the room. A vase hit the floor and shatteredâporcelain flowers slicing across the floor like confetti made of rage.
And thenâhis voice broke.
âFuckâfuck, fuckââ
He grabbed the sink with both hands, chest heaving, eyes squeezing shut like maybe, if he tried hard enough, this would all vanish. That the note would disappear. That youâd walk out from your office and ask what the hell happened to the dining room.
But all he heard was silence. All he felt was the absence of you. The kind of stillness that only existed in grief.
He sank to the floorâonly for a secondâhands gripping his hair. And then the door creaked open.
Clara opened the door with glee, bags from the nearest arts and crafts store. âRikiâ?â
She froze in place.
The kitchen looked like a warzone. Dinner ruined. Furniture destroyed. Her bossâon the floor, shaking, breathing like a wild animal trying to hold in a scream.
She didnât ask what happened. She didnât have to.
Because then she saw the note.Â
The note.
Her hand flew to her mouth. âOh my goodness.â
Riki slowly stood. There was a line of blood down his knucklesâhe hadnât even noticed. His breathing was low now. Tighter. Like someone was holding his lungs closed.
He didnât look at her as he spoke.
âTell everyone to get on the line. Now. I want every runner, every affiliate, every fucking rat with ears in this city looking.â
Clara nodded, frozen.
âIf sheâs not found by midnightââ He turned to her. Eyes glassy. Voice cold. As he stepped beside her, venom in his eyes as he looked down at her with nothing but truth in his eyes.
ââEverybodyâs fucking dying, Clara. You included.â
Clara didnât say a word. Just nodded, pale as a ghost, and scrambled to grab her phone. Riki didnât even watch her leave. He turned on his heel and stormed toward his office, blood trailing faintly from his knuckles and dotting the floor like red ink.
He slammed the office door behind him so hard the glass panel trembled.
Without hesitation, he slammed the heel of his palm down on the black switch embedded into the side of his deskâan unmarked button that immediately turned the room red. Not metaphorically. The lights literally shifted into emergency mode, casting the entire office in a crimson hue. The kind of red that let every handler in his operation know: This is DEFCON 1. Life or death. Burn everything if you have to.His jaw clenched so tight you could hear the creak in his teeth. Then he yanked open the bottom drawer, reaching for the sleek matte tablet hidden beneath a stack of decoy files. With a swipe and a facial scan, he opened a security interface. His fingers flew across the screen.
âTracker,â he muttered under his breath. âCâmon, câmonâŠâ He clicked into a discreet sub-menu, one labeled âPRIVATE ACCESS â VELOMY.â The screen lit up, pulling a location from a hidden signal.
Rikiâs chest stopped moving for a full beat. The blinking dot that represented you was thereâactive.Â
âYouâre still wearing the ring,â he whispered to himself. A dark smirk twisted his lips, but it didnât touch his eyes. âYou stubborn little thingâŠâ
That ring. The one he gave you at the altar when he promised to you, his family, and yours that he would love you during your highs and lows. The ring that tethered you to him forever.Â
He put a chip in it. Just to be straightforward.
Rikiâs paranoia ran so deep that it became difficult for him not to. And funnily enough, he remembers he didnât tell you that it was in there until your honeymoon.Â
You both were lounging on your private beach in front of the newly bought property in the Maldives. Sun setting, breeze flowing through your hair as you both laid on your stomachs. Simply gut-laughing at any and everything, everything was funny at this moment. Youâre newlyweds.Riki smiles as he plays with the ends of your hair, twirling the end of a braid. âYou know,â he glances down at your left hand. âIâll be able to find you anywhere now.â His smile settles into something soft, something more than just teasing. âWhat do you mean?â You tilt your head in confusion. The sun hitting your face at the perfect angle.Â
He brought your hand to his lips, kissing the ring. âI put a little locator in your ring.â Rikiâs heart raced, using your conjoined hands to cover his mouth as he nervously awaited your reaction. âSee? You canât even tell.â You brought your hand back to inspect the enormous rock and heâs right. You really canât tell. And you werenât going to ask why he put it there because you knew why. Again, you knew who you married. Plus you didnât even have the energy to be mad at him right now. You couldnât be mad after you just swore to forever with your best friend.
âOkay, but I still need privacy, Riki. I donât just want to be aââ
He shook his head, âNo, no, no. Itâs not even activated. I justâŠin the event that something would happen to youâhopefully thatâs neverâbut it gives me peace of mind that I can always find you, baby.â Riki smiled gently as he carefully caressed your cheek. âOnly I can activate it. It just tells me where youâre positioned but it only works if youâŠâ His chest caves slightly as his words tremble at the thought.
âIf what?â You placed your hand on his shoulder, holding yourself up on your other arm.
âIt only works if you have a pulse.â
âWhat if I take it off?â
Riki laughs.âYou wouldnât though, and I know you wouldnât. Thereâs nothing you do that warrants taking it off.â He shrugs as he lays on his back and pulls you on top of him swiftly.Â
You yelp at his almost reflexive motion, putting your hands on his chest to stabilize yourself. âYouâre right. But itâs not like someoneâs gonna want to snatch me up at the grocery store or something.â
Riki had laughed with you then.
Really laughedâhead tilted back, his arms wrapping tight around your waist as if just the idea of losing you was so ridiculous, so farfetched it barely warranted a real thought.
But now?
Now that blinking dot on his screen was the only thing keeping him from collapsing into the marble floor of his office.
His hand hovered over the location map, the tracker still active. Still moving.
You were alive.
That was the only thing keeping the wrath at bayâbarely. Because while the dot pulsed, it wasnât close. It was on the far edge of the city, in one of the zones they rarely used. Industrial. Warehouses. A part of town they had all but erased from operations.
Which meant someone wanted you hidden. Not hurt. Not yet.
StillâŠthe bloodlust was roaring now. In all of his life, he had never felt such an insatiable, primal urge to kill like he did now. It was truly like the spirit of the devil ran through his veins and possessed him. That thirst wasnât going to be quenched until you were back in his arms.
Riki stood from his desk, shoving his chair so hard it crashed against the wall. He pressed the emergency button againâjust in case. Red lights flashed once in the corner of the ceiling.
His hands moved on autopilot, grabbing his bulletproof vest to put on over his compression shirt, his sidearm, his second piece, and the long black blade he hadnât used in years. The blade that had started it all. The blade they said made him infamous. The one he swore heâd never need again.
He strapped it to his back. Along with one of the embossed Kaminari guns.
Grabbed the note again from the kitchen and stuffed it in his pocketânot because he needed it, but because he wanted to burn it on whoever sent it. By now, Clara had rallied his top men. Jake was on standby, speaking through the comms with a strained voiceâhe had been yelling at people relentlessly within the last twenty minutes.
Riki didnât even look at the others in the room as he walked toward the front entrance, eyes locked on the car waiting just outside.
He paused only once.
To grab a bottle of your favorite perfume.
He sprayed it twice across his collarbone, once across his wrist. Something grounding. Something to carry you with him while he burned everything else down.
As soon as he stepped outside, he made contact with the two security guards meant to get you back here. They stood at the base of the stepsânervous, unsure if they should speak first. Their eyes flicked from the tension in Rikiâs jaw to the fine mist of blood still drying across his knuckles.
He didnât blink as he approached them. âYou were supposed to bring her home and ensure she was safe. I gave explicit instructions.â His voice was eerily calm, but it buzzed like a live wire underneath.
âWeâwe did, sir,â one of them stammered. âShe went inside. We locked the door right behind herââ
âI donât give a fuck what you did!â Riki stepped forward, face to face with the buff man that cowered in the face of his lean figure. âMy wife is not in my fucking bedroom because you failed to do your job.â He leaned in now, nose hardly touching hisâhis cologne and your perfume clashing between their senses.
The other guard interjected, âSirââ
Before he could utter another word, Riki placed the barrel to his forehead. Squeezing the trigger and letting a metal bullet ripple right through his brain. Watching his body fall to the ground with a thud.
The echo of the gunshot rang out like a death bell across the courtyard. Riki didnât blink. Didnât breathe. His jaw tightened as he watched the second guard freeze, paralyzed by fear and disbelief. A splatter of red stained the granite steps, and he finally looked downâthen calmly wiped the barrel of the gun with the hem of his shirt. No one moved. Not even the wind dared.
âLet this be the part where you realize,â he said slowly, eyes locked on the remaining guard, âthat I donât make idle threats. I donât give second chances. And I donât tolerate incompetence.â The man nodded furiously, hands trembling at his sides.
âGood. Now get your shit together and get in the fucking car. If she loses a single hair on her head, Iâm putting a bullet in your mouth. Understand me?â
âY-yes, sir.â
Riki exhaled sharply through his nose, holstering his weapon. His knuckles were cracked and bleeding again from how tightly heâd gripped it. It didnât matter. He turned back toward the house and grabbed your scent once moreâletting it wrap around him like armor. The tension in his shoulders didnât loosen; it hardened. Sharpened. Weaponized.
He climbed into the car.
Claraâs voice came through the comms again: âRiki. Weâve found the tunnel entrance. Sealed off, looks like it hasnât been touched in years. But the trackerâs pinging beneath it.â
His fingers tapped against his thighâonce, twiceâbefore he answered. âGood. Blow it open.â
âAlready on it.â
Riki leaned his head back, eyes half-lidded. âAnd tell someoneâI donât care who it isâto get rid of whatâs-his-name from in front of our door. I donât want her seeing that when she gets back.â
â
The floor was frigid as ever. To which you didnât understand, it was springtime. But Earthâs crust wasnât something you took time to worry about.
The left side of your head was throbbing and you were barefoot. Only your white nail polish is visible in this dark room. Your arms were bound to some wooden chair withâŠyou jostled in the chair as best you could. Zip ties. Of course they were zip ties. Your feet too but your mouth wasnât covered, big mistake on their end.Â
You smelt of debris, cinders, and a bit of blood. But none of that mattered, you had to get the fuck out of here despite you not being able to see shit. Before you could concoct some sort of plan, the lights were turned on. Stinging your eyes as your pupils had to adjust to the new sensation.Â
âOh, babygirl. Are you okay? I know itâs been a long day.â
That voice. Sweet. Familiar. The kind that once called you baby while handing you fresh towels. The one that scolded Riki for forgetting to eat. The one you trusted.
Your blood ran like ice.Â
âClara?!â
It didnât compute at first. Your brain tried to reroute it, convince you that maybe sheâd been kidnapped too. Maybe she was checking on you. But then you saw her. Heels clicking across the concrete. Calm. Clean. Untouched.
Her hair was neatly pinned up, her blouse spotless, not a wrinkle in sight. She looked like she just came from brunchânot your kidnapping.
You blinked. âClara?â you croaked. âWhat the hellââ
âShhh.â She crouched down in front of you, cupping your chin like a parent checking a child for fever. âYou poor thing. That gash on the head looks awful.â
You were too stunned to move but you quickly snapped out of it and jerked your head out of her grasp. âThe fuck is this?â
The older lady stood up straight, towering over your torn figure. âThis is retribution,â she gestured around the shithole bunker you were in.
You stared up at her, heart pounding so loud it nearly drowned out her words. âRetribution?â you echoed, like your brain was lagging ten seconds behind. âClara, are you out of your fucking mind?â
She chuckled softly. Not like a villain. Like a teacher. Like a mother. Like someone who believed she had the moral high ground. âDonât worry, your knight in shining armor is on his way here. Right to where youâre sitting. I canât wait to inform him of his wonderful test results.â
Claraâs voice lilted like she was presenting a prize at a company banquetâlike this wasnât some underground dungeon and you werenât zip-tied like a prop in a cautionary tale.
You scoffed, full of disbelief and blood in your mouth. âYouâre sick.â
âOh, sweetheart,â she said with mock sympathy, âyouâre not the first girl who thought she was special.â
She circled you slowly now, her heels echoing through the cold, damp space.
âYou think I didnât know about the tracker in your ring? You think I didnât let him find you? This is about control, baby. Not chaos. I want him to come. I need him to.â
You snickered, âYeah well, I like it when he does.â If nothing else, you were great at pissing people off.
Clara paused mid-step.
And then she laughed. But not in amusementâin disbelief. A short, sharp sound, like a knife testing the surface before a deeper plunge.
âYouâre really going to joke?â she said, turning toward you slowly. âTied up like a pig in a butcherâs shop, and youâre making sex jokes. You really think you matter that much?â
You leaned forward as far as the zip ties would allow, blood crusting against your temple and your vision still swimming slightly. But your smirk was solid as a rock.
âHeâs killed for less, Clara.â
Her nostrils flared, but she kept her composure. Barely. There was a twitch in her jaw now. Youâd landed a hit.
âHe loved me first,â she hissed. âHe respected me. I built him. I made him.â
âNo,â you said calmly, with that lethal kind of clarity only someone truly protected by love can wield. âYou trained him. I made him human.â
For a beat, the only sound was the hum of the overhead lights and the crackle of Claraâs rage simmering just below her ribcage.
Then she smiled, too wide.
âLetâs see how human he stays when he finds your body,â she said sweetly, almost like she was offering a bedtime story. But you didnât flinch. You nodded for her to come closer. Closer. Now your nose was nearing hers. âI fucking dare you to touch me.â
Two of her personal goons come in behind her, standing on either side of the door Riki was due to come in through. Claraâs eyes flickered to the guards like a general surveying her troopsâcalm, collected, but every muscle ready to snap. She stepped back, smirking like sheâd already won some invisible game.
âYouâre bold, Iâll give you that,â she said, voice silky but dripping with menace. âBut this is my battlefield.â
The two goons cracked their knuckles, eyes cold and hungry, shadows stretching long across the concrete floor. The tension in the room thickened like fog, suffocating and heavy. You kept your breath steady, every nerve screaming fight or flightâbut you knew better. The fight wasnât here. It was coming. And it was coming fast. Outside the heavy steel door, you could almost feel the air shiftâthe calm before a storm that would shake foundations and burn everything to ash.
Clara glanced toward the door, lips curling.âTick tock, babe.â
The door exploded inward, steel shrieking on its hinges as Riki stormed through like a bulletârage crackling in his bones like wildfire.
His eyes locked on you instantly, wide with fury and fear, scanning your face for injury. âBabyââ
âRiki, watch out!â you screamed, voice cracking.
But it was too late.
One goon came at him from the left, the other from behind. Riki ducked, twisted, managed to land a vicious punch to the first oneâs jawâcrackâbut the second was already swinging with a steel baton, catching him in the ribs with a sickening thud. Riki stumbled, grunting through clenched teeth, his fury barely contained.
He went for the blade tucked in his bootâonly for a third man, hidden just outside the door, to grab his arm and twist it savagely behind his back. Another punch came flying, this one straight to his jaw. The force knocked him to the floor.
You cried out, struggling against your bindings, your wrists screaming in protest.
Clara watched it all unfold with the elegance of a queen watching gladiators bleed for sport. âTsk. You boys and your dramatics.â
âDonât fucking touch him!â you yelled.
They did anyway. Stripping him of every weapon on himâblades, a small pistol, even the tracker cuff on his wrist. Riki didnât stop fighting, even as they dragged him up and slammed him into the chair beside you. Blood was already trickling down the corner of his mouth, but his glare was wildfireâaimed directly at Clara.
One of the goons zip-tied his hands to the arms of the chair with force, tightening them until his skin burned red.
âI should kill you right now,â Riki growled through grit teeth, eyes trained on Clara like a blade.
She approached slowly, as if savoring his fury. âYouâre not in a position to make threats, Riki.â
âYouâre out of your fucking mind,â he snapped. âTouch her again and I swear to Godââ
Clara only smiled sweetly. âSwear all you want, son. Youâre both right where I want you.â
You turned to look at Riki, both of you battered, bound, but alive.
And somewhere beneath the weight of adrenaline and bruises, your fingers brushed the edge of his chair.
Even nowâyour pinky searching for his.
He found yours. Linked it. Tight.Â
You were still here. And so was he.
Clara sent the men out with a wave of her hand as she pulled up a chair to sit down and face the both of you. After a few moments of silence between both of you, she finally spoke. âWow, fine couple.â
âBitch, shut the fuck up.â You spat out, rolling your eyes. âWhat are we doing here? What do you want? More money? We got that. Status, you have it. What more do you want?!â
The older woman smiled at your state. âI want Riki.â
You turned to Riki, who was so far removed from any place youâve seen him. Your husband was right next to you but the troubled, anxious boy that heâs done such a good job at hiding was making an appearance. But you didnât know which version of it was.
He bounced his knee up and down with extreme fervor, so fast that you had hardly even seen it moving. Hunched over, the top of his head facing Clara as he shook his head with his eyes glued shut. Lap dampening as what you could only perceive as angry tears misted his eyes and relentless, incessant thoughts bombarded his brain. Rikiâs breath was shallow as ever and you could only hear him mutter threats that stemmed from that same fury. More to himself than anyone in the room.
âIâm gonna fucking kill you.âÂ
âYouâre dead.â
âYou fuckingââ
âI swear on everything I love, Iâm putting you in the fucking dirt.â
His voice cracked beneath the gravel, barely audible through the grind of his teeth. Every muscle in his arms strained against the zip ties, his body trembling like he was trying to hold back an earthquake. The air in the room grew thick, like the moment before a downpourâor an execution.
You watched him, heart breaking and raging all at once. Youâd never seen Riki like this. Not even close. The man beside you wasnât your husbandânot the one who made silly faces behind menus or kissed your shoulder every time he passed you in the kitchen.
This was the version buried deep inside. The one he kept scrubbed clean and locked behind five layers of steel. The version built from years of betrayal and bloodshed. The boy no one ever loved right.
âYou didnât raise him,â you snapped. âYou groomed him.â
Her lips curled into a faint smile. âTomato, tomahto.â
âLet her go,â Riki muttered, voice low and vibrating with rage. âLet her go, and Iâll give you what you want.â
You turned your head so fast it nearly gave you whiplash. âRikiââ
He still wouldnât look at either of you. His shoulders trembled, breaths sharp and quick.
âJust let her go,â he said again, louder this time. âThis isnât her world. She doesnât belong in it.â
Clara leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. âOh, honey. She entered this world the moment you put that ring on her finger. And now sheâs in it until the end.â
Then she leaned forward slightly, that same maternal voice dripping venom: âTell me, RikiâŠdo you think your daddy would be proud of the little house pet youâve become?â
That did it.
The room cracked open.
Riki lifted his headâslowly, deliberatelyâand his eyes found Claraâs with a fire that could level nations.
And for the first time since you met him, you were afraid of your husband.
You interjected quickly, âSeriously. Why are you doing this?â
Riki glanced at you with calmness behind his eyes momentarily, but something about hearing Claraâs voice sent the wrath of the scorned through him.Â
âI want my son back.â She hummed as she folded her hands on her lap.Â
Your brows furrowed, âHeâs not your fucking son.â
Claraâs lips curled into a slow, venomous smile, like she was savoring every drop of poison she was about to pour.
âOh, sweetheart,â she began, voice dripping with sickly sweetness, âyouâve been living a lie your entire life.â
She stood and paced slowly, every step echoing like a death knell in the cold room. âThe woman you thought was your mother? The one who died when you were two? She was nothing but a convenient story.â
Your eyes locked on Rikiâs, watching his jaw tighten, his entire body tense like a coiled spring.
Clara stopped just inches from him, voice low and deadly. âI am your mother. Your fatherâs mistressâthe other woman. The one he never wanted you to know about.â
Rikiâs fists clenched so tight the veins in his forearms pulsed visibly. âThatâs a goddamn lie.â
âIs it?â Claraâs laugh was cold and bitter. âYou want the truth? Youâre my son, Riki.â She fished in her skirt pocket for a photo of her holding baby Riki as she had just delivered him.Â
You swallowed hard, staring at the photo like it was some kind of sick puzzle piece finally clicking into place. The baby in Claraâs arms had the same sharp eyes and yesâthe unmistakable mole just below his lips. âI was able to hold you for fifteen minutes before you were taken from me, son.â
His eyes screwed shut, âIâm not your son! Iâm your child. I am not your fucking son! Oh my goâbaby you better say something before IââÂ
âWhat happened after? Why was Riki taken from you?â You chimed in, in an effort to calm your seething man.Â
âBecause, I was the mistress. In love with your father, wanted a future with him. But he was married. AndâŠâÂ
Claraâs voice cracked just a little, the only crack in her otherwise steel mask.
âHe made me promise to keep quiet, to stay in the shadows. But when my pregnancy came to light, everything exploded. The wifeâŠshe found out.â Her eyes darkened, haunted. âShe made sure I lost youâtook you away before I could even hold you properly again.â
The more you looked at her, the more Riki favored her. The same mole, the same unwavering determination in their eyes. The eyes that can be kind when they want to be. âIt was either I disappear from your life completely or I stick around as the help and swear to secrecy. And I couldnât lose you again, Riki. Do you know how much it hurt me to see you call someone else âmamaâ for the first two years of your life?âÂ
âI donât give a fuck what hurts! It hurts that you had three big ass men jump me. It especially hurt that you had my wife taken from the safety of my fucking houseâthat I pay for you to live atâand lay a finger on her when you know how much sheâs relied on you.â
Claraâs eyes glazed over, âBut you did too. I was like a mom. You came to me all the time, I was your Claraboo. Remember?â She shrugged as she resigned, tears in her eyes.
âWhen Fumiko died, I thought it was a blessing in disguise.â She stood up. âBut then you found her!â She gestured to you with unadulterated disgust. âSaying how great she was, wanting advice on how to dress for dates. So I thought, âOkay, this is his first time really taking someone seriously, itâs fleeting. No big deal.â But then she started coming around. Family dinners, game nights. Then it became her spending the day, then sleepovers, then hearing you two go at it like rabbits when you thought no one could hear you. Fucking disgusting.â She snarled.Â
You looked at Riki from the corner of your eye, as did he. Both of you purse your lips to refrain from laughter during this serious moment. Lives are at stake here.
âThen, you got on one knee, Riki. At twenty-three, just throwing your best years away for one girl. And I kept thinking, âwhy does my son keep being taken from me? Why, why, fucking why?!â She grabbed one Rikiâs pistol from a nearby table and whipped you with it.Â
The crack of metal against your cheekbone rang out louder than your gasp. Your head whipped to the side, pain blooming instantly along your jaw, your vision fracturing for a second. But you didnât scream. You didnât give her that.
Riki did.
âNO!â His chair thrashed violently beneath him, muscles flexing so hard the wood creaked. âDonât you fucking touch her! Clara, I will fucking gut youâDO YOU HEAR ME?!â His voice cracked with fury, something animalistic and unhinged bubbling up from his core.
You spat blood, your lip split open now, and still you turned to Clara and hissed, âYouâre not a mother. Youâre just some bitter bitch who couldnât let go.â
Claraâs hand trembled around the gun as she stepped back, her mask cracking further. âI raised him. I wiped his tears. I was the only one who gave a damn when he cried himself to sleep when his dad would be too hard on him. And you? You think your soft little hands and pretty smile can compare to that?â
Riki had stopped shaking. Now he was stillâdangerously still. âYouâre right,â he muttered. âYou did raise me. Which is exactly why I know how to destroy you.â
Clara froze.
âYou forget who you trained, Clara,â he said lowly. âYou made me this way. You taught me how to survive. How to outsmart. How to kill.â And then he smiled. Sharp. Unforgiving. Blood drying on his lip.
âSo congratulations,â Riki growled. âYou just signed your own fucking death certificate. Maybe I really am your son.â
Clara blinked, eyes glassy. The gun trembled again in her hand. And then she raised it. But it wasnât pointed at you.Â
It was aimed at herself.Â
You froze. So did Riki.
Claraâs finger hovered over the trigger, her eyes blank. âIf I canât have you,â she said softly, voice almost childlike, âthen nobody will. Not her. Not the world. Not even you.â
âNo.â Your voice dropped, pleading âPut the gun down.â
Riki sighed, looking down and mumbling to himself. âDamn bitch let me do the shit myself at least.â Rolling his eyes, knowing only you heard him and you refused to laugh at this moment.
You clenched your jaw to keep the smile from betraying you, even as the absurdity of Rikiâs comment floated in the air like a cracked window letting in too much cold.
Claraâs hands trembled now. The gun shook between her fingers, and though it was aimed at her own temple, the tension in the room wrapped around all three of you like barbed wire.
âYou think this is funny?â Clara snapped, eyes darting between you and Riki. âIâm baring my soul, and youâre making jokes?â
âClara,â you said gently, the steel in your voice only thinly veiled by the concern beneath. âThis isnât the answer.â
âI gave up everything,â she whispered. âEverything. For him. For a son who looks at me like Iâm a strangerâlike Iâm some monster.â
âYou are some monster,â Riki muttered under his breath again, then louder, âbut we donât need a whole song and dance about it. Just...step away from the trigger, Broadway.â
You shot him a look this time. âRiki, please.â
Claraâs expression fracturedâlike a mirror that had been held together too long by spite alone. âI couldâve been someone,â she whispered, lip trembling. âI couldâve had a life with your father. With you. But I was the side note. The servant. Claraboo. Never mom.â Her voice broke. âYou donât understand what itâs like to watch someone else raise your baby. To be called help by the child you gave birth to.â
Silence. Thenâ
âIâm sorry,â Riki said quietly.
Clara froze.
âIâm sorry you went through that,â he continued, gaze steady. âIâm sorry you didnât get the life you wanted. Iâm sorry no one protected you when you needed it most. But thisââ he nodded toward the gun, ââisnât gonna bring any of that back.â
You took a breath. âPlease,â you added. âDonât make us leave here with another scar.â
You heard a low snap from your left where Riki was sitting, your eyes flitted that way. He had made free of the ties. Then, with every ounce of strength in his legs, jutted his calves out to free his legs. He slowly rose to his full height.
Claraâs sobs only intensified, shaking as her eyes squeezed shut and pumped out tears. Her breathing shallow as she trembled, hardly able to even line the barrel up with her chin anymore. She pointed the gun at him mindlessly.
Riki slowly edged to her, âClaraâŠplease.â He nodded, âgive it to me. I have a vest on, and Iâm not going to let you do something youâll regret.â His voice was low, steadyâlike a lifeline in the dark. Claraâs trembling hands faltered, the gun wobbled, and then, with a choked sob, she dropped it. The metallic clatter echoed in the cold room as it hit the floor.
You exhaled, relief crashing over you like a wave.
Riki quickly swooped up the gun as Clara plopped down on the chair in complete dejection. She looked up at her son, âare you going to kill me?â
He sighed, âI am,â he nodded with another smile he tried to smother.
She huffed out a laugh despite her tears and mucus, because if she taught Riki anythingâit was that sometimes, survival meant knowing when to play the long game.
âNot today, son,â she whispered, voice raw but steady. âYouâre smarter than me. Youâll make sure I pay in ways that cut deeper than a bullet ever could.â
Rikiâs eyes flickeredâhalf respect, half warning. âIâll make sure you regret every breath you take until then.â
She nodded, somehow at peace with her fate. âPlus, if it makes you feel betterâthere was no real leak. I just used Yuna, Jo, and Sohee as pawns. Just distractions when I knew that Ms. Pradaââ She nodded to you.
âChanel.â You and Riki corrected simultaneously.
â...Whatever. But I knew that she was itching to get involved, I made you hyper aware of a leak. When there wasnât anything to find. A perfect smokescreen to send you chasing ghosts while I set the real trap.âÂ
âSo how does that explain their weird behavior?â You leaned forward despite your restraints.Â
The older woman shrugs, âSometimes people tell on themselves. But I did tell Jo to keep it from you. Said that you had other obligations and that if anyone got in the way youâd deal with them.â
Riki frowned, âOh that pisses me off,â he pointed the gun lower and shot her kneecap. Eliciting a blood-curdling scream from the elder.
âRiki!â You yell, eyes wide as he just looks at you with humor in his eyes. âWhatâs wrong with you?!â
He waves you off, âSorry,â he holsters his gun as he comes up behind you to free you. In oh-so-convenient timing, here comes Rikiâs men down the bunker and into the room
The heavy metal door groaned open, and a squad of Rikiâs men flooded in, their faces grim but ready. Flashlights cut through the dimness, illuminating the mess Clara had made trying to stall for time.
Riki didnât waste a secondâhe tugged sharply at the zip ties binding your wrists, his hands steady but fierce. âYou okay?â His voice was low, but laced with raw urgency.
You nodded, heart still hammering, eyes locked on Clara who was now clutching her injured knee, glaring daggers despite the pain. âWhere were they?â
âThe perimeter, you really thought I came solo?â He snickered, âIâm impulsive, not stupid.â
Rikiâs men quickly secured the perimeter, eyes scanning every shadow. One of them whispered into a radio, âTarget secured. Extraction ready.â
Riki glanced back at you, his expression softening just a fraction. âYouâre safe now. Letâs get the hell out of here.â
You exhaled, relief flooding through you even as adrenaline kept you wired. Riki called out to all of them in the room as well as on the walkie-talkie he grabbed from one of the men. âKobun! Clean up the mess. No loose ends. Take the old lady to the infirmaryâalive. Sheâs got answers weâll need later.â
He turned to you, voice low and steady, âYou did good. Too good.â He brushed a stray hair from your face, the heat of his touch grounding you after the chaos. As the team moved efficiently, Rikiâs eyes locked with yoursâfierce, protective, and full of unspoken promises.
You smiled, âHow did you break free?âÂ
Riki smirked, the tension easing just a fraction. He opened his mouth and lifted his tongue to reveal a tiny razor, glinting silver against the dark warmth of his mouth.
Your eyes widened. âYou kept that in your mouth? What if you cut yourself?â
He shrugged, âTongue is the fastest healing muscle. Plus, Iâve done it enough times to not get hurt.â
You blinked, âThatâs not comforting.â
He took it out of his mouth and tossed it to the ground. âThere. Letâs go home.âÂ
â
Later that night
â
The dust had settled a bit, the kitchen was still destroyed but that was tomorrowâs problem. You and Riki had been patched up on the way here. The moonlight spilled through the blackout curtains, painting silver streaks across the sheetsâcold and unforgiving.
Riki moved around the room with his usual quiet precision, the soft click of his boots replaced by the muted sound of him slipping out of his clothes. You didnât say a word. Didnât even flinch when he pulled back the covers and settled beside you in just his briefs. He liked sleeping this way.
But you didnât let it simmer, you sat up. âAre you okay, my love?â You whispered in the still roomâthe still house.âMhm, just another day at work.â He yawned as he turned to face you with a gentle smile. But you didnât buy it. He always did this so he could be a big-bad-strong boyfriend, now heâs a big-bad-strong husband.Â
âRiki, seriously?â You tilt your head in concern as you run your hand through his freshly washed hair.
He nodded, âBabe-asaurus, Iâm cool as a cucumber.âÂ
You snorted softly, the nickname breaking through the tension like a warm breeze. âCool as a cucumber? More like a slightly burnt pickle after today.â
He chuckled, reaching out to tuck a stray strand behind your ear. âYeah, maybe a little crispy around the edges. But Iâm here. And youâre safe. Thatâs what matters.â
You purse your lips, you knew what he was doing. But you didnât pry, you never liked to. âI love you.â
He sat up, pulling you in for a hug as he kissed your lips gently. âI love you more. You know I do.â
âI know,â You kissed his bare collarbone, nuzzling his smooth skin courtesy of the body scrub you made him use.Â
âLetâs sleep, yeah?â He laid down on the smooth, clean linen.
You nodded against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heartbeat sync with your own. âYeah. Sleep sounds good.â
â
But for some reason, cuddling wasnât on the agenda. Subconsciously, you two had partedâbut it wouldnât be you or him if you didnât touch at least. But somehow, you felt the bed tremble a bitâshaking and quivering in the midst of the silence of the room.
You sat up, turning around with furrowed brows. Feeling a little groggy from the meds you were given but still cognizant enough to know what was happening around you.Â
And with that, your husband is lying down with his back turned to you, on his right side. Chest caving in, breath shallow.
You blinked, confusion curling into worry. That tremble wasnât just from the medsâit was something else. Something deeper.
Rikiâs shoulders shook slightly, the kind of subtle, silent tremor that only showed when no one was watching. Your heart tightened. The big-bad-strong husband was cracked open and raw underneath the armor you both pretended was unbreakable.
You reached out tentatively, fingertips brushing the edge of his arm. Before you could open your mouth, he turned around and fell right into your arms. Wrapping his arms tightly around you as he buried his face into your neck. Letting a sea of twenty-four years worth of pollution fall down your neck and onto your chest.Â
Finally the dam broke, the iron curtain. The wall of stoicism was no more.
And this one time, you said nothing. You let him have it.
His bare skin pressed hot against yours, every tremble shaking through the thin sheets. The cold night air met the heat of his body, exposed and raw in nothing but his briefsâthe armor stripped away, leaving only a man unraveling.
You felt the wetness against your neck before you saw itâthe slick, hot tears silently tracing down his cheeks, the first youâd ever seen. His breaths hitched violently, chest rising and falling in ragged waves, his shoulders heaving with a grief heâd never let surface before.
He buried his face deeper, clinging to you like you were the last piece of solid ground. Your fingers trembled as they traced the curve of his spine, as if trying to stitch together the pieces of a broken man.
You held your love through the quiet like you promisedâthe good, the bad, the ugly. And this was the worst of it and even then youâd rather die than give it up. Give him up.
You rubbed his back as you scooted back to lie down. Letting him put half of his weight on you as his grip didnât relent. Not that you wanted it to. Your cold hands pressed against his warm body in effort to cool him down. But you couldnât as seeing the strongest man in your life was at his weakest.
Tears pooled in your eyes.
You kissed the crown of his head, silent and steadyâa quiet promise without words. The night held you both close, broken but unbroken, fragile yet fierce. And in that stillness, you understood something true: love isnât always loud. Sometimes itâs just holding on when everything else falls apart.
And you married a yakuza, but most importantly you married a man who lets you see the cracksâand still chooses to stay.
Here are my favorite fics of all time, but only of Sunghoon, Jungwon, and Ni-ki because theyâre the ones I read the most. I might add more fics and other membersâ in the future. I had fun reading these and I highly recommend them. I can promise that you wonât regret it.
I only provided the basic info to avoid spoilers and so that youâd be curious enough to see the stories for yourself. Most of these are oneshots, some had more than 1 part + I mentioned the total word count. No word count means the author didnât include it. The list is arranged by the membersâ age order first, then alphabetically by the titles.
kerosene @misojunnie
psychological thriller & horror â 9.9k
out of your league @plutowon
angst, vent, comfort â 2.2k
spring snow @leaderwonim
angst, exes to lovers + strangers to lovers, fluff
you(r shoelaces) are pretty @hannie-dul-set
fluff, meet cute â 2 parts, 2k
a pin straight to my heart @snwpcktz
high school au, classmates to lovers, acquaintances to lovers, fluff â 5.3k
angst, fluff, kind of reincarnation au, inspired by the kdrama âblue birthdayâ â 10.2k
dear diary, i hate jungwon! @4xiaojun
high school au, enemies to lovers â 18.2k
did i, a side character became the male leadâs wife?! @revesmos
transmigration, royal au, fluff, angst, humor â 2 parts, 22k+
in my head @nwjws
fluff, angst, crack, ravenclaw!headboy!jungwon, slytherin!headgirl!reader, rivals to lovers, enemies to lovers, hogwarts au (with a modern twist) bc they have tablets and stuff â 12.9k
love at 7 am @senascoop
contemporary romance, fluff and gentle romance, classmates to lovers â 5.52k
love grows (where jungwon goes) @soobnny
classmates to lovers, mutual pining, tooth-rotting fluff â 4.9k
overprotective @plutowon
fantasy, fluff, thriller, yandere â 2.4k
all i want for christmas is you @jaeyunverse
fluff, crack, rivals to lovers, fake dating au, high school au â 5.4k
PAIRING... rich kid! riki x reader | GENRE... angst, romance, fluff | WC... 3.9k | warnings... curse words, not proofread | listening to happier than ever by billie eilish :)
may 2025.Â
your practiced smile meets the bajillion flashes of the cameras, screams by love struck fans, and questions from the nosy reporters. yet all you could focus on was the cold, firm hand placed perfectly at the small of your back.Â
your husband and you make the picture perfect couple. an ideal appearance for your second year anniversaryâyou yourself cannot believe how much time has passed.Â
how you ever managed to make it this far, this longâitâs almost unbelievable.Â
âwhat are the lovely coupleâs plans after the gala?â
your smile falters just a smidge. probably not even perceptible from any outsiderâs perspective. Â
plans?
ha, says who?Â
your planâfrom the startâwas to remain the ideal wife. appear at every public appearance with your husband, by his side, just like this one sponsored by his parents.Â
and obviously, pretend that youâre happier than ever. every damn time. you laugh softly, smile as bright as the extravagant lights and decor all around you.
the car ride home is silent, as per usual. itâs not like the atmosphere is coldâyour driver eyes the both of you through the rear view windowâitâs simply dead.Â
your hand fiddles with the pearl earring on your left ear. mentally, you review your plans for tomorrow. another photoshoot, another interview. once upon a time, you only couldâve imagined a life like this.Â
what would your parents say? seeing you like this? they gave you away happily, as happy as you tried to seem in front of them.Â
you feel his eyes on you. it makes you shudder. for a split second, you allow your eyes to flicker over to the body sitting next to you.
you canât even hate your own husbandâyou can only feel absolutely fucking nothing towards him now.Â
his family was one of the most prominent ones in the entertainment industry. and their successor son was the golden child.Â
you could only dream of the past, the what-ifs and all the warm nostalgia. how your life could have been so different. if you didnât succumb to fame and success. would your life be utterly different? like back then?
with him?Â
all your memories contained him smiling, running, fighting, and sweating. he was humanâable to love and be loved. so, completely different from the man you married. his flawlessly styled hair and porcelain skin piss you off.
maybe you were too late. grew your power and status, rising to the top of the modeling industry a little too late. if only you got to him, found him, a little bit earlier.Â
the car comes to a halt. you simply blinked, and suddenly you made it back. it was an unintentional skill you had developed to make the car rides back quicker. you open the door for yourself, automatically walking out.Â
you can hear his footsteps follow you, the click of his shoes cause you to frown. your husband is following you, yet you want the distance to grow.Â
you walk faster, only stopping when you hear the pace of his footsteps quicken. your lip curls up in disgust. so, you whip around, crossing your arms with an emotionless expression on your face. you canât believe youâre wasting your breath again.
âdonât. you embarrass me.â
his eyes are unreadable. âyou left your purse in the car.âÂ
your eyes narrow at his grip on the delicate strap. an expensive purse ruined by such a simple action. it almost hurt you like it used to.Â
you look him dead in the eye when you say, âeverything good i have is ruined by you.â
you mean it.Â
with that, you turn and walk the paved path into your house. with him, you could never call it a home. he made you hate this city. you once thought your husband could be your everything. now it all makes you fucking sick.Â
unlike before, youâre happier than ever to be apart from him, while you can only dream of the one that got away.Â
thereâs only one rags-to-riches, real life cinderella, story. and itâs yours.
your humble background is what allowed you to become so successfulâto be named the âit-girlâ of the nation. it allowed you to meet and marry the perfect man. your life now is what others dream of, what people talk about on the internet and what fans obsess over.Â
looking back, would you do it all over again?Â
august 2017.Â
you wipe the sweat off your forehead as you clean the table with one final sweep of the rag. you hear the whistle blowing from the field across your familyâs small store.Â
was it time already?Â
growing up next to the most prestigious academy in the nation came with its pros and cons.Â
pro: the rich kids stopped by.Â
cons: the rich kids stopped by.Â
but business was business, after all. when business was slow, you would watch the faint figures, looking like peanuts, run across the field with a ball, about the same size as a pin. it made you laugh to yourself, seeing such tenacious, rich boys freak out over a rubber sphere filled with air.Â
âdo you guys sell taiyaki?â
you blink at the boyish frizzled hair, glistening honey-kissed skin, and ruffled grass-stained jersey.
ââŠthis is a convenience store.â
âwell, then-anything with custard?â
you fumble before quickly stalking over to the small refrigerated area at his expectant look. you doubted it, but maybe⊠sometimes, your mother stocked up on the dessertsâwhen he was in a good mood.
looking past the glass, you exhale before turning to the soccer player sheepishly, âum.. no, but we have frozen red bean buns?âÂ
you trail off awkwardly, scratching the side of your head. you gesture towards the exit, âyou know, thereâs a bakery down the street⊠you couldâve gone there first,â you add with a mumble.Â
he simply nods and leaves without another word.
you cross your arms, peeking out the door to watch his figure get smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared. you scrunch your nose upâwhat a weird guy.Â
you squint at the fine print on the back of his jersey:
nishimura #09Â
must be a soccer player at the nearby academy. what were the chances you watched him play on that field without knowing?Â
the players often came after a long practice to grab drinks and snacks, but this was the first time you had ever seen him before. when you told your mother about the weird encounter, she only shook her head.Â
itâs only after that day you begin to hear whispers of the next upcoming pro soccer starânishimura riki. youâre a little surprised to find out that strange guy was a soccer prodigy.Â
youâre even more surprised when nishimura begins to become a regular. some days he comes in nonchalantly, asking for a protein drink, and other days he simply comes and sits down without some made up excuse.Â
âdonât you have school work? a house to stay at and family to be with?â you ask, not out of annoyance, but genuine curiosity. your mother shoots you a sharp glare that you look away at.Â
âsoccer is my life,â he replies simply. you observe his designer backpack and newest model phone. what kind of life did riki live in which he never wanted to go home?Â
âthatâs okay. here, you can relax,â your mom assures him. thatâs the first time you see riki smile.Â
his soccer friends will occasionally join him. you have to actively hide the disdain on your face when all the ruckus and stink of them enter the store. you could stand nishimura riki, but not him with his friends.Â
you didnât really notice until the fan girls started piling up at the door, it causes you to study riki with a sigh. your cheeks warm, you supposeâŠ
he was sort of handsome?Â
pinching your nose bridge exasperatedly, you glare at riki. âcan you tell them to leave? theyâre disturbing customers and blocking the door. this is horrible for our business.â
riki looks up, âwho?âÂ
you grip the broom tighter in your hands and point it outside like it was a weapon.Â
âtheyâre not my problem,â he only shrugs. you roll your eyes, âplease?âÂ
your mom shoots the two of you an amused glance from the cashier desk.Â
riki groans before getting up with a click of his tongue, âsince you asked so nicely.â
you watch his games with stars in your eyes, sitting in the far bleachers with your mom. a bag of freshly cooked side dishes sit by your feet, waiting to be given at the end of the match that riki would win. your gaze could never leave him.Â
every movement of his, the sheer determination and fire burning in his eyes, it only inspired you. you never knew how much love a person hold towards a passion until you met nishimura riki.Â
he was born for soccer. or, soccer was made for him. maybe, one day, you could find your own spark.Â
during christmas, riki helps you set up a small tree outside the store. you giggle as he struggles to hang up the ornaments.Â
seeing the wonder in his eyes, akin to a small child opening presents for the first time, it makes you wonder if he has ever done this before. after all, he spent all of his time at the convenience store with you whenever he wasnât practicing. he never once mentioned his family or home. he never acted snotty or spoiled like the other academy kids, no matter how talented and rich he was.Â
you learned although riki has such a lavish life, it could never be as rich as a life like thisâfull of love and happiness. right?Â
his hands linger over yours as you put the finishing touch, the twinkling star, on the top.Â
âitâs best to share the christmas spirit with everyone,â you say decisively and the smile he sends you after makes you thinkâŠÂ
you may have a small crush on him.Â
youâre the most surprised when a rather intimidating lady in sunglasses pops by the convenience store one afternoon, handing you a business card.Â
âwhy do you look shocked? youâre pretty.âÂ
you blush at rikiâs simple statement.Â
modeling? you had never considered it, thatâs for sure. you always thought you were going to become a writer. after all, your mother always praised your literature skills.Â
her face is unreadable, she was only looking at you the entire time the scouting manager was talking to you.Â
âwhat do you think, mom?â you glance at her curiously.Â
âitâs your choiceâŠof course.âÂ
you study the card with scrunched up eyebrows. trying it out wouldnât hurt, right? and some extra money for the family would be nice, as well.Â
the first gig that you you were able to book, your life changed forever.Â
your mom smiles and kisses your forehead. a small, white dainty bag is shoved to your face. you blink, eyes focusing on the words. they bulge as you gasp at riki.Â
âhow much was this? you-â
he huffs as he pats your head, âcongrats. itâs nonrefundable, so donât try to return it.âÂ
you glance up at him, emotions swirling through your eyes. suddenly, your arms are thrown around him. heâs speechless, eyes wide and wind knocked out of him. for a momentâyou really felt like your hearts stopped. together, in sync.Â
for just that one second, the world stopped revolving.Â
however, he isnât able to respond when your mother comes back in the store with an unreadable expression.Â
âriki.â
you feel him freeze, turn cold right in your arms. you glance out, at the polished mercedes benz parked and waiting outside. perhaps that was the start of the end.Â
riki suddenly bows to the both of you. âthank you. for everything i, umâŠâ
the car honks, and he gives you one last lingering look before heading out. you stare at the bag, and then your mom, whose expression makes your stomach drop.Â
âheâs not coming back, is he?â
february 2023.Â
âarenât you excited?âÂ
âobviously! i would be if i was marrying a rich guy like him. plus, just look at his face! and body-i mean, his proportions are crazy.âŠâ
you tune out the chatter, closing your eyes. the hair stylist puts her finishing touches on your hair while the makeup artist sprays a fixer on your face.Â
â-y/n?âÂ
your eyes fly open. âhm?â
they look at you, more excitement in their eyes than you ever had when finding out.Â
âarenât you happy? this is going to be the wedding of the century! all the top idols and celebs are invitedâŠâ
âa love story just like in the dramas-!âÂ
you stare at your reflection in the mirror. every day not already booked with your work schedule was spent on the wedding. it made you sick.Â
trying on different dresses, experimenting out makeup and hair styles, you simply nodded to it all. whatever made your mom happy, sure.Â
how many flavors of cake were you going to taste? how many tiers were there going to be? none of it was necessary.Â
you were sick of planning all the flowers, and draperies, and light fixtures like you even had a say in the first place.Â
you always imagined that you would get married in a simple courtyard, with only close friends and family. wearing your momâs dress, eating home cooked food family style.Â
all with your groom right by your side. your husband who would happy with anything, as the only thing that mattered was getting married to you. one time, you had dreamed of marrying him with that forever smirk on his face, smelling constantly like grass and menâs deodorant that you never found out the name of.Â
my parents were going to set me up with a stranger. i thought this proposal would be for the best.Â
your eyebrows twitch.Â
you motherfucker.Â
it all made sense. the media would eat it up. your parents would eat it up. and now that you had established your presence in the industry, so would his parents.Â
how could you say no?Â
you didnât even have a choice. the agreement was signed faster than you could open your mouth and protest. this marriageâno, this agreement, was the best thing that couldâve ever happened to you.Â
and yet, all you could wonder is,Â
did he actually come up with the idea?Â
or was it all a business tactic?Â
october 2019.Â
the wind blows the crispy leaves across the pavement. you donât have to wear a mask or any sort of identity-covering clothing, yet. but you do have a manager who has allowed you two hours of free time.Â
your parentâs convenience store closed down last year in order for you to focus on your rising career. it was a simple curiosity that dragged you back to check on the spot. Â
although itâs a tech store now, youâll never forget the time you spent here growing up. and then, meeting someone you never expected to change your li-
the call of your name breaks you out of your trance.Â
that voice.Â
it canât be.
you whip around, hair flying behind you. your jaw drops, âr-riki?â
you canât believe it, hands shaking. in front of you stands a taller, sturdier nishimura riki. gosh, how much time had passed?Â
you lost his number when you switched to a newer, better phone and subscription plan. you thought you had lost him forever.Â
he slowly walks up to you, identical smiles mirroring each other and growing on both of your faces.Â
âi canât believe it⊠w-what are you doing here?â
unconsciously, you grip his track jacket. as if, you had to check and make sure he was actually in front of you. you werenât dreaming again, right?
âi finally got a break from training. my coaches said we could go anywhere andâŠâ he shrugs before gesturing at the former convenience store.Â
âi didnât know it closed down. this is the first time i was able to come back.â
your eyes sparkle, âyouâre still playing?â
he nods and you breathe out a sigh of relief. âgood. youâre too good for the sport.â
he laughs and you almost melt at the sound.Â
âwanna take a little walk?â
itâs too comfortable, you fall into your old rhythm again. a pleasant silence falls over the two of you as you walk past the stores, the old soccer field, strolling past your childhood.Â
âi wanted to come back, so many times,â he murmurs. you cautiously glance up at him, waiting silently for him to continue.Â
he scratches the back of his neck, âbut playing for the u-20s doesnât really allow that soâŠâÂ
âi-i tried looking for you online, though.â
you mask your laugh with a cough. âah. that must be because my manager controls all my accounts. they mustâve thought it was spam or a prank. sorry.âÂ
rikiâs quick to shake his head, âno, no. i get it. weâre both busy. but maybe we could, like, stay in touch this time.âÂ
you kick a stray leaf with your foot, hiding a bashful expression.Â
âwe should.â
he turns to you, and you realize you made it back to where your store once stood. itâs much darkerâyour manager is going to be mad. your mother, too.Â
âpromise. promise youâll make it to the world cup and promise youâll keep me updated.âÂ
âi promise. youâll be right by my side cheering, right?â
when he takes a step closer, you swallow. then, you close your eyes. a beat passes, two beats.
a sharp inhale and then you feel something warm press against your lips. only for a second.Â
itâs nice. it feels.. right.
you decide then and there: nishimura riki just might be your first love. you hope, secretly and privately, somehow, heâll be your last too.Â
july 2021.Â
ây/n!â your manager hisses and you hold back a huff. âcome here-thereâs someone you need to meet!â
you quickly bid farewell to a friend, a recently debuted idol in the industry, and scramble as fast as you can over in those damned heels.Â
as soon as you reach her, you slow and the inviting smile is wiped off your face. there, standing right in front of you, is a man you donât recognize.Â
you refuse to recognize him.Â
âthis is nishimura riki! you might have heard of him on the news recently. heâs the future successor, taking over-â
thatâs actually hilarious. she knew you didnât have time to check the news anymore. her words are drowned out in the realization of it all.Â
for the first six months, the two of you were good at staying in touch. you couldnât really meet with you flying all over the world for shoots and riki with his rigorous training schedule.Â
but you were convinced you could keep it up. maybe he wasnât. or maybe it was a mutual understandingâbusy schedules and changing lives were a lot to handle. you donât know who sent the last message and who failed to respond. itâs been a little too long to remember anything but the lingering feelings.Â
you frown, âyour hair is up.âÂ
he falters, before fixing his tie. âyeah, i-they told me it looks more professional.âÂ
the nishimura riki you knew hated having his bangs out of his face. he hated stiff, restrictive clothes and all that fancy attire.Â
âyou look nice.âÂ
you take a step back.Â
future ceo?Â
you werenât dumb. you knew the nishimura family was powerful. you just didnât know he was weak enough to succumb to it. you actually thought he would be the one to break free and follow his dreams.Â
âi thought⊠i thought you had finally done it, riki,â you say softly, staring sadly into his dark eyes. they donât hold the same light and energy as they used to.Â
âwhy are you doing this to yourself?â
he takes a step closer and you bite the inside of your cheek. you hate this riki. you hate the fancy, expensive smell that wafts off him. you want to wash it off.Â
his confused expression makes you want to puke.Â
âi donât have a choice.â
âyou were right there!â you jab a finger accusingly into his chest, before your hand drops lifelessly to your side. you turn away with confusion, disgust, and hurt brewing internally. you didnât know this man.Â
âi love you.âÂ
your heart stops. your feet still. yet, all you can do is shake your head.Â
âstop.â
he takes your hand and itâs cold and smooth and not like the calloused, warm hands of nishimura riki. how could he change this much in less than a year?
âiâll do anything to get you backâplease! i donât care that my parents want me to find a rich heiress, iâll tell them my eyes are only for you.â
his words only made you wonderâdid he ever notice your face plastered on billboards? read any of your interviews posted online?Â
you turn around with mirth swimming in your pupils, âoh, thatâs very kind of you. use all the power and fame youâve gained.â
he frowns.
âarenât you just saying that because youâre scared? you arenât any different--youâre just like me.â
at that, you feel your heart shatter. you werenât any different from nishimura riki?Â
after everything, youâd never understand him, you guess. and heâd never understand you.Â
âjust fucking leave me alone.â
present day.Â
the interviewer sits in front of you with a warm smile, your eyes fall on the giant vogue printed on the microphone.Â
the majority of the questions are simple and surface-level, you run through them with practiced ease. itâs not until she reaches the end and pulls out the heavier ones that you falter.Â
âdid you always want to become a model?â
âno, actually.. to be frank, i never considered it before.â
âoh, really? what did you want to do?â
you cross your arms, then uncross them. your heel clacks against the polished floor. you swallow harshly, looking away from the bright lights. âactually, i⊠donât know. i never really had the chance to think about it before i was scouted.â
the interviewer notices the change in your energy, which makes her laugh cautiously.Â
âthatâs fine! enough of the past, letâs move on to the present. and thisâll be the last question: do you feel like youâre satisfied with where you are now?â
her inquisitive eyes suddenly makes your mouth dry. you lick your lips. sensing your apprehensiveness, she tries her best to smooth over the heavy question.Â
it backfires.Â
âmost say youâre in your primeâafter all, youâve reached the peak of your career and youâre married to your childhood sweetheart, nishimura riki ! you must be content, or do you still feel like thereâs more to accomplish?â
you pledged yourself, in sickness and in health, to the man you once loved and lost. you hate that your âdreamâ came true. you simply smile, voice cracking only the slightest when you answer,
âcouldnât be happier than ever.â
a/n: hi guys!! i wanted to try something different from my usual works with side characters, humor, and an "ideal" relationship, etc. haha. i just felt like exploring the more darker, deeper, and more problematic concepts. i think with this reader and riki, there are a lot of unresolved issues on both sides. idk, i enjoyed the pressure of not having a happy ending or resolution. sorry for being mia but hope you enjoyed anyway <3
Girl the latest jungwon fic was mind-blowing...I missed your work so much . I used to binge read all of your works ...thank you for posting here again you made my day better đđ
you're gonna make me cry whatttttttt i didn't know people still read my works--i thought my feed was (definitely is) dry af đ
anyways, you put a smile on my face hehe i'm glad it made your day! maybe my new riki fic will too đđ«¶
hihi!! are you planning on making a part two of unfamiliar warmth? i know it's been 3 years haha but the ending has me wondering what will happen next! no pressure for another part as it's a masterpiece by itself đ
no way its been THREE years?!!? holy i feel old... unfortunately, i don't ever plan on making a part two but that doesn't mean you can't ;)
riki's my name fic was so :(((( LIKE IT WAS SO WHOLESOME AND SAD AT THE SAME TIME, AND I FEEL SO BAD FOR THE ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE RIKI BUT THEN AGAIN at least the main Riki found her uffff this shows that the body may be different but the heart remains the same. if possible, I would love to read a part 2 one dayđđ
aaaaaaa as much as i love my name, i really enjoy it as a standalone :) this way you guys (readers) can interpet and imagine the ending however you'd like! i think that's the most fun thing to do, no?
I just wanted to let you know that I I know I haven't been active on your page like I used to be but you really are an amazing writer and still one of my favorites you were the blog that made me really stay on tumblr and the first I really became a fan of I just really just only read niki fics lol but I still look out for you pics especially for niki because when I was new man hype girl and your other stories I 2as obsessed with and still am I love yooouuuu and I hope you haven't forgotten about me can't wait to see what your next niki fic is (if you still write for him and accept request fir him) I hope you are doing OK
thank you đ that is very sweet of you and i actually (somehow) just managed to squeeze out a riki fic hehe. thank you for your continued patience and support!
PAIRING... rich kid! riki x reader | GENRE... angst, romance, fluff | WC... 3.9k | warnings... curse words, not proofread | listening to happier than ever by billie eilish :)
may 2025.Â
your practiced smile meets the bajillion flashes of the cameras, screams by love struck fans, and questions from the nosy reporters. yet all you could focus on was the cold, firm hand placed perfectly at the small of your back.Â
your husband and you make the picture perfect couple. an ideal appearance for your second year anniversaryâyou yourself cannot believe how much time has passed.Â
how you ever managed to make it this far, this longâitâs almost unbelievable.Â
âwhat are the lovely coupleâs plans after the gala?â
your smile falters just a smidge. probably not even perceptible from any outsiderâs perspective. Â
plans?
ha, says who?Â
your planâfrom the startâwas to remain the ideal wife. appear at every public appearance with your husband, by his side, just like this one sponsored by his parents.Â
and obviously, pretend that youâre happier than ever. every damn time. you laugh softly, smile as bright as the extravagant lights and decor all around you.
the car ride home is silent, as per usual. itâs not like the atmosphere is coldâyour driver eyes the both of you through the rear view windowâitâs simply dead.Â
your hand fiddles with the pearl earring on your left ear. mentally, you review your plans for tomorrow. another photoshoot, another interview. once upon a time, you only couldâve imagined a life like this.Â
what would your parents say? seeing you like this? they gave you away happily, as happy as you tried to seem in front of them.Â
you feel his eyes on you. it makes you shudder. for a split second, you allow your eyes to flicker over to the body sitting next to you.
you canât even hate your own husbandâyou can only feel absolutely fucking nothing towards him now.Â
his family was one of the most prominent ones in the entertainment industry. and their successor son was the golden child.Â
you could only dream of the past, the what-ifs and all the warm nostalgia. how your life could have been so different. if you didnât succumb to fame and success. would your life be utterly different? like back then?
with him?Â
all your memories contained him smiling, running, fighting, and sweating. he was humanâable to love and be loved. so, completely different from the man you married. his flawlessly styled hair and porcelain skin piss you off.
maybe you were too late. grew your power and status, rising to the top of the modeling industry a little too late. if only you got to him, found him, a little bit earlier.Â
the car comes to a halt. you simply blinked, and suddenly you made it back. it was an unintentional skill you had developed to make the car rides back quicker. you open the door for yourself, automatically walking out.Â
you can hear his footsteps follow you, the click of his shoes cause you to frown. your husband is following you, yet you want the distance to grow.Â
you walk faster, only stopping when you hear the pace of his footsteps quicken. your lip curls up in disgust. so, you whip around, crossing your arms with an emotionless expression on your face. you canât believe youâre wasting your breath again.
âdonât. you embarrass me.â
his eyes are unreadable. âyou left your purse in the car.âÂ
your eyes narrow at his grip on the delicate strap. an expensive purse ruined by such a simple action. it almost hurt you like it used to.Â
you look him dead in the eye when you say, âeverything good i have is ruined by you.â
you mean it.Â
with that, you turn and walk the paved path into your house. with him, you could never call it a home. he made you hate this city. you once thought your husband could be your everything. now it all makes you fucking sick.Â
unlike before, youâre happier than ever to be apart from him, while you can only dream of the one that got away.Â
thereâs only one rags-to-riches, real life cinderella, story. and itâs yours.
your humble background is what allowed you to become so successfulâto be named the âit-girlâ of the nation. it allowed you to meet and marry the perfect man. your life now is what others dream of, what people talk about on the internet and what fans obsess over.Â
looking back, would you do it all over again?Â
august 2017.Â
you wipe the sweat off your forehead as you clean the table with one final sweep of the rag. you hear the whistle blowing from the field across your familyâs small store.Â
was it time already?Â
growing up next to the most prestigious academy in the nation came with its pros and cons.Â
pro: the rich kids stopped by.Â
cons: the rich kids stopped by.Â
but business was business, after all. when business was slow, you would watch the faint figures, looking like peanuts, run across the field with a ball, about the same size as a pin. it made you laugh to yourself, seeing such tenacious, rich boys freak out over a rubber sphere filled with air.Â
âdo you guys sell taiyaki?â
you blink at the boyish frizzled hair, glistening honey-kissed skin, and ruffled grass-stained jersey.
ââŠthis is a convenience store.â
âwell, then-anything with custard?â
you fumble before quickly stalking over to the small refrigerated area at his expectant look. you doubted it, but maybe⊠sometimes, your mother stocked up on the dessertsâwhen he was in a good mood.
looking past the glass, you exhale before turning to the soccer player sheepishly, âum.. no, but we have frozen red bean buns?âÂ
you trail off awkwardly, scratching the side of your head. you gesture towards the exit, âyou know, thereâs a bakery down the street⊠you couldâve gone there first,â you add with a mumble.Â
he simply nods and leaves without another word.
you cross your arms, peeking out the door to watch his figure get smaller and smaller until it eventually disappeared. you scrunch your nose upâwhat a weird guy.Â
you squint at the fine print on the back of his jersey:
nishimura #09Â
must be a soccer player at the nearby academy. what were the chances you watched him play on that field without knowing?Â
the players often came after a long practice to grab drinks and snacks, but this was the first time you had ever seen him before. when you told your mother about the weird encounter, she only shook her head.Â
itâs only after that day you begin to hear whispers of the next upcoming pro soccer starânishimura riki. youâre a little surprised to find out that strange guy was a soccer prodigy.Â
youâre even more surprised when nishimura begins to become a regular. some days he comes in nonchalantly, asking for a protein drink, and other days he simply comes and sits down without some made up excuse.Â
âdonât you have school work? a house to stay at and family to be with?â you ask, not out of annoyance, but genuine curiosity. your mother shoots you a sharp glare that you look away at.Â
âsoccer is my life,â he replies simply. you observe his designer backpack and newest model phone. what kind of life did riki live in which he never wanted to go home?Â
âthatâs okay. here, you can relax,â your mom assures him. thatâs the first time you see riki smile.Â
his soccer friends will occasionally join him. you have to actively hide the disdain on your face when all the ruckus and stink of them enter the store. you could stand nishimura riki, but not him with his friends.Â
you didnât really notice until the fan girls started piling up at the door, it causes you to study riki with a sigh. your cheeks warm, you supposeâŠ
he was sort of handsome?Â
pinching your nose bridge exasperatedly, you glare at riki. âcan you tell them to leave? theyâre disturbing customers and blocking the door. this is horrible for our business.â
riki looks up, âwho?âÂ
you grip the broom tighter in your hands and point it outside like it was a weapon.Â
âtheyâre not my problem,â he only shrugs. you roll your eyes, âplease?âÂ
your mom shoots the two of you an amused glance from the cashier desk.Â
riki groans before getting up with a click of his tongue, âsince you asked so nicely.â
you watch his games with stars in your eyes, sitting in the far bleachers with your mom. a bag of freshly cooked side dishes sit by your feet, waiting to be given at the end of the match that riki would win. your gaze could never leave him.Â
every movement of his, the sheer determination and fire burning in his eyes, it only inspired you. you never knew how much love a person hold towards a passion until you met nishimura riki.Â
he was born for soccer. or, soccer was made for him. maybe, one day, you could find your own spark.Â
during christmas, riki helps you set up a small tree outside the store. you giggle as he struggles to hang up the ornaments.Â
seeing the wonder in his eyes, akin to a small child opening presents for the first time, it makes you wonder if he has ever done this before. after all, he spent all of his time at the convenience store with you whenever he wasnât practicing. he never once mentioned his family or home. he never acted snotty or spoiled like the other academy kids, no matter how talented and rich he was.Â
you learned although riki has such a lavish life, it could never be as rich as a life like thisâfull of love and happiness. right?Â
his hands linger over yours as you put the finishing touch, the twinkling star, on the top.Â
âitâs best to share the christmas spirit with everyone,â you say decisively and the smile he sends you after makes you thinkâŠÂ
you may have a small crush on him.Â
youâre the most surprised when a rather intimidating lady in sunglasses pops by the convenience store one afternoon, handing you a business card.Â
âwhy do you look shocked? youâre pretty.âÂ
you blush at rikiâs simple statement.Â
modeling? you had never considered it, thatâs for sure. you always thought you were going to become a writer. after all, your mother always praised your literature skills.Â
her face is unreadable, she was only looking at you the entire time the scouting manager was talking to you.Â
âwhat do you think, mom?â you glance at her curiously.Â
âitâs your choiceâŠof course.âÂ
you study the card with scrunched up eyebrows. trying it out wouldnât hurt, right? and some extra money for the family would be nice, as well.Â
the first gig that you you were able to book, your life changed forever.Â
your mom smiles and kisses your forehead. a small, white dainty bag is shoved to your face. you blink, eyes focusing on the words. they bulge as you gasp at riki.Â
âhow much was this? you-â
he huffs as he pats your head, âcongrats. itâs nonrefundable, so donât try to return it.âÂ
you glance up at him, emotions swirling through your eyes. suddenly, your arms are thrown around him. heâs speechless, eyes wide and wind knocked out of him. for a momentâyou really felt like your hearts stopped. together, in sync.Â
for just that one second, the world stopped revolving.Â
however, he isnât able to respond when your mother comes back in the store with an unreadable expression.Â
âriki.â
you feel him freeze, turn cold right in your arms. you glance out, at the polished mercedes benz parked and waiting outside. perhaps that was the start of the end.Â
riki suddenly bows to the both of you. âthank you. for everything i, umâŠâ
the car honks, and he gives you one last lingering look before heading out. you stare at the bag, and then your mom, whose expression makes your stomach drop.Â
âheâs not coming back, is he?â
february 2023.Â
âarenât you excited?âÂ
âobviously! i would be if i was marrying a rich guy like him. plus, just look at his face! and body-i mean, his proportions are crazy.âŠâ
you tune out the chatter, closing your eyes. the hair stylist puts her finishing touches on your hair while the makeup artist sprays a fixer on your face.Â
â-y/n?âÂ
your eyes fly open. âhm?â
they look at you, more excitement in their eyes than you ever had when finding out.Â
âarenât you happy? this is going to be the wedding of the century! all the top idols and celebs are invitedâŠâ
âa love story just like in the dramas-!âÂ
you stare at your reflection in the mirror. every day not already booked with your work schedule was spent on the wedding. it made you sick.Â
trying on different dresses, experimenting out makeup and hair styles, you simply nodded to it all. whatever made your mom happy, sure.Â
how many flavors of cake were you going to taste? how many tiers were there going to be? none of it was necessary.Â
you were sick of planning all the flowers, and draperies, and light fixtures like you even had a say in the first place.Â
you always imagined that you would get married in a simple courtyard, with only close friends and family. wearing your momâs dress, eating home cooked food family style.Â
all with your groom right by your side. your husband who would happy with anything, as the only thing that mattered was getting married to you. one time, you had dreamed of marrying him with that forever smirk on his face, smelling constantly like grass and menâs deodorant that you never found out the name of.Â
my parents were going to set me up with a stranger. i thought this proposal would be for the best.Â
your eyebrows twitch.Â
you motherfucker.Â
it all made sense. the media would eat it up. your parents would eat it up. and now that you had established your presence in the industry, so would his parents.Â
how could you say no?Â
you didnât even have a choice. the agreement was signed faster than you could open your mouth and protest. this marriageâno, this agreement, was the best thing that couldâve ever happened to you.Â
and yet, all you could wonder is,Â
did he actually come up with the idea?Â
or was it all a business tactic?Â
october 2019.Â
the wind blows the crispy leaves across the pavement. you donât have to wear a mask or any sort of identity-covering clothing, yet. but you do have a manager who has allowed you two hours of free time.Â
your parentâs convenience store closed down last year in order for you to focus on your rising career. it was a simple curiosity that dragged you back to check on the spot. Â
although itâs a tech store now, youâll never forget the time you spent here growing up. and then, meeting someone you never expected to change your li-
the call of your name breaks you out of your trance.Â
that voice.Â
it canât be.
you whip around, hair flying behind you. your jaw drops, âr-riki?â
you canât believe it, hands shaking. in front of you stands a taller, sturdier nishimura riki. gosh, how much time had passed?Â
you lost his number when you switched to a newer, better phone and subscription plan. you thought you had lost him forever.Â
he slowly walks up to you, identical smiles mirroring each other and growing on both of your faces.Â
âi canât believe it⊠w-what are you doing here?â
unconsciously, you grip his track jacket. as if, you had to check and make sure he was actually in front of you. you werenât dreaming again, right?
âi finally got a break from training. my coaches said we could go anywhere andâŠâ he shrugs before gesturing at the former convenience store.Â
âi didnât know it closed down. this is the first time i was able to come back.â
your eyes sparkle, âyouâre still playing?â
he nods and you breathe out a sigh of relief. âgood. youâre too good for the sport.â
he laughs and you almost melt at the sound.Â
âwanna take a little walk?â
itâs too comfortable, you fall into your old rhythm again. a pleasant silence falls over the two of you as you walk past the stores, the old soccer field, strolling past your childhood.Â
âi wanted to come back, so many times,â he murmurs. you cautiously glance up at him, waiting silently for him to continue.Â
he scratches the back of his neck, âbut playing for the u-20s doesnât really allow that soâŠâÂ
âi-i tried looking for you online, though.â
you mask your laugh with a cough. âah. that must be because my manager controls all my accounts. they mustâve thought it was spam or a prank. sorry.âÂ
rikiâs quick to shake his head, âno, no. i get it. weâre both busy. but maybe we could, like, stay in touch this time.âÂ
you kick a stray leaf with your foot, hiding a bashful expression.Â
âwe should.â
he turns to you, and you realize you made it back to where your store once stood. itâs much darkerâyour manager is going to be mad. your mother, too.Â
âpromise. promise youâll make it to the world cup and promise youâll keep me updated.âÂ
âi promise. youâll be right by my side cheering, right?â
when he takes a step closer, you swallow. then, you close your eyes. a beat passes, two beats.
a sharp inhale and then you feel something warm press against your lips. only for a second.Â
itâs nice. it feels.. right.
you decide then and there: nishimura riki just might be your first love. you hope, secretly and privately, somehow, heâll be your last too.Â
july 2021.Â
ây/n!â your manager hisses and you hold back a huff. âcome here-thereâs someone you need to meet!â
you quickly bid farewell to a friend, a recently debuted idol in the industry, and scramble as fast as you can over in those damned heels.Â
as soon as you reach her, you slow and the inviting smile is wiped off your face. there, standing right in front of you, is a man you donât recognize.Â
you refuse to recognize him.Â
âthis is nishimura riki! you might have heard of him on the news recently. heâs the future successor, taking over-â
thatâs actually hilarious. she knew you didnât have time to check the news anymore. her words are drowned out in the realization of it all.Â
for the first six months, the two of you were good at staying in touch. you couldnât really meet with you flying all over the world for shoots and riki with his rigorous training schedule.Â
but you were convinced you could keep it up. maybe he wasnât. or maybe it was a mutual understandingâbusy schedules and changing lives were a lot to handle. you donât know who sent the last message and who failed to respond. itâs been a little too long to remember anything but the lingering feelings.Â
you frown, âyour hair is up.âÂ
he falters, before fixing his tie. âyeah, i-they told me it looks more professional.âÂ
the nishimura riki you knew hated having his bangs out of his face. he hated stiff, restrictive clothes and all that fancy attire.Â
âyou look nice.âÂ
you take a step back.Â
future ceo?Â
you werenât dumb. you knew the nishimura family was powerful. you just didnât know he was weak enough to succumb to it. you actually thought he would be the one to break free and follow his dreams.Â
âi thought⊠i thought you had finally done it, riki,â you say softly, staring sadly into his dark eyes. they donât hold the same light and energy as they used to.Â
âwhy are you doing this to yourself?â
he takes a step closer and you bite the inside of your cheek. you hate this riki. you hate the fancy, expensive smell that wafts off him. you want to wash it off.Â
his confused expression makes you want to puke.Â
âi donât have a choice.â
âyou were right there!â you jab a finger accusingly into his chest, before your hand drops lifelessly to your side. you turn away with confusion, disgust, and hurt brewing internally. you didnât know this man.Â
âi love you.âÂ
your heart stops. your feet still. yet, all you can do is shake your head.Â
âstop.â
he takes your hand and itâs cold and smooth and not like the calloused, warm hands of nishimura riki. how could he change this much in less than a year?
âiâll do anything to get you backâplease! i donât care that my parents want me to find a rich heiress, iâll tell them my eyes are only for you.â
his words only made you wonderâdid he ever notice your face plastered on billboards? read any of your interviews posted online?Â
you turn around with mirth swimming in your pupils, âoh, thatâs very kind of you. use all the power and fame youâve gained.â
he frowns.
âarenât you just saying that because youâre scared? you arenât any different--youâre just like me.â
at that, you feel your heart shatter. you werenât any different from nishimura riki?Â
after everything, youâd never understand him, you guess. and heâd never understand you.Â
âjust fucking leave me alone.â
present day.Â
the interviewer sits in front of you with a warm smile, your eyes fall on the giant vogue printed on the microphone.Â
the majority of the questions are simple and surface-level, you run through them with practiced ease. itâs not until she reaches the end and pulls out the heavier ones that you falter.Â
âdid you always want to become a model?â
âno, actually.. to be frank, i never considered it before.â
âoh, really? what did you want to do?â
you cross your arms, then uncross them. your heel clacks against the polished floor. you swallow harshly, looking away from the bright lights. âactually, i⊠donât know. i never really had the chance to think about it before i was scouted.â
the interviewer notices the change in your energy, which makes her laugh cautiously.Â
âthatâs fine! enough of the past, letâs move on to the present. and thisâll be the last question: do you feel like youâre satisfied with where you are now?â
her inquisitive eyes suddenly makes your mouth dry. you lick your lips. sensing your apprehensiveness, she tries her best to smooth over the heavy question.Â
it backfires.Â
âmost say youâre in your primeâafter all, youâve reached the peak of your career and youâre married to your childhood sweetheart, nishimura riki ! you must be content, or do you still feel like thereâs more to accomplish?â
you pledged yourself, in sickness and in health, to the man you once loved and lost. you hate that your âdreamâ came true. you simply smile, voice cracking only the slightest when you answer,
âcouldnât be happier than ever.â
a/n: hi guys!! i wanted to try something different from my usual works with side characters, humor, and an "ideal" relationship, etc. haha. i just felt like exploring the more darker, deeper, and more problematic concepts. i think with this reader and riki, there are a lot of unresolved issues on both sides. idk, i enjoyed the pressure of not having a happy ending or resolution. sorry for being mia but hope you enjoyed anyway <3
he plops onto the couch with a sigh, feeling the exhaustion settle into his bones. one show after another, checked off the tour set list. sometimes, jungwon wonders how much more he has in him.Â
the staff allows all of the boys free time to explore afterwards, as always. jungwon takes his time getting ready in the hotel room. he didnât have much to do, a simple baseball cap would suffice for going out at night. Â
he pats the remaining of his skincare in. itâs too quiet in the spacious double king room. he wonders where ni-ki, his assigned roommate for this leg of the tour, is. probably visiting the other nembers.Â
then, jungwon warily eyes his phone sitting on the bathroom counter next to him. he shouldnâtâhe knows he needs to stop. more for his own sake, anyway.Â
but after every single concert, strangely enough, his thoughts always circle back to you.Â
his plans are interruptedâhe quickly shuts the balcony door and hits the dial button.Â
while jungwon nervously waits for an answer, the familiar tune filling his ears, he observes the sight in front of him. the beautiful nightlife in the city, unfamiliar lights and sounds filling the silence. it was the kind of view that shouldâve taken his breath away.
but all he can think of, all he can feel, is your absence. that lonely ache in his heart.Â
he isnât sure how many rings pass until the screen lights up with your face. your face looks confused, yet it softens when jungwon finally acknowledges you.Â
he takes all of it inâyou sitting on your couch, wearing a hoodie thatâs too large for you. jungwon almost winces.Â
your hair is slightly tousled and makeup already off, he guesses itâs been a long day. even so, you were so beautiful that his breath hitches.Â
ah, and he forgot about the time difference. lucky him for catching you at the right time.Â
you smile hesitantly when you call out his name. he realizes how much he missed the sound.Â
âjungwon,â you state pleasantly albeit surprised, âis there a reason you called? i thought you guys just finished-â
âhey,â jungwon suddenly has to clear his throat. heâs caught off guard by how much he has to control his feelings. he shifts his weight between his feet, clutching his phone a little tighter over the precarious railing.Â
âsorry, for uh, disturbing you right now. i donât know if youâre busy or what but, i just⊠i felt like calling.âÂ
your head tilts, curiosity in your eyes as your smile still holds a silent question. but you donât push, as always. your patience was probably one of the things he admired most about you.Â
âwhere are you guys right now? made it back to the hotel?â
jungwon nods, bangs falling slightly into his eyes as he feels the satisfaction fill him, just by seeing you and hearing your voice after so long.Â
âyeah, we made it back.â
âthenâŠyou guys must be exhausted. you should-â
âno no, iâm alright. itâs worth it.âÂ
âoh, okay.â your lips press into a thin line. jungwonâs not sure if itâs because youâre unconvinced.
he turns the camera around to show you the view.Â
âiâm,â he squints at the small screen in the corner, âiâm not sure if you can tell butâitâs really pretty here. but i donât know, it just feels like somethingâs missing.â
jungwon turns the camera back to himself, watching you closely. your expression softens as he waits expectantly for an response.Â
âdoes it?âÂ
âi donât know how to explain it⊠kind of like iâm missing someone. itâs just too empty withoutâŠâ
jungwon almost adds the you, it just barely refrains from coming out. he has to catch himself. as much as the word burns on the tip of his tongue, he holds himself back.Â
it just doesnât feel right without you. it never does, reallyâhe wants to say.Â
you blink, mouth opening to speak but you donât say anything at first. he sees the way unreadable emotions flicker across your face, as if youâre deciphering his words and collecting your thoughts.Â
âjungwon?â your voice comes out just a hair above a whisper.Â
âi donât think i-â
the door to the balcony flies open and jungwon jolts up.Â
itâs ni-ki.Â
âyo, what are you doing out here alone?â
his gaze falls onto the bright phone screen in his hands. jungwon feels his heart plummet to his stomach.Â
ni-kiâs eyes squint at the screen before his face morphs into one of bewilderment.Â
âis that myââ
âki?â you visibly brighten up, and jungwon has no other choice but to drag his two feet over to his bandmate and share the screen.Â
âbaby!â he greets you back, gaze shifting between jungwon and the screen curiously.Â
âwhat were you guys talking about?â
âohânothing much,â jungwon says as nonchalantly as he can, âjust trying to catch up. i actually called heeseungâs brother earlier.âÂ
he isnât sure why and how he came up with that lie on the spot.Â
âoh,â the younger one simply nods, âcool.â
âwait, that reminds me. kiâyou told me you were gonna call after the concert ended!â you interject with a playfully disapproving frown. thereâs that sparkle in your eyes again, jungwon notices.Â
wordlessly, he hands his phone to ni-ki. âi didnât forget! i just got back and wanted to check up on jungwon first. i just didnât know he beat me to it,â ni-ki jokes. Â
jungwon forces out an awkward laugh. you smile again, although it doesnât quite reach your eyes.Â
âmy boyfriendâs bandmate cares about me more than my own boyfriend does,â you pretend to sulk. as ni-ki childishly protests and you fight back, jungwon eventually sighs and smacks ni-kiâs shoulder.Â
âalright, alright, you two. it all worked out. now you can yap.âÂ
jungwon shoves his phone into the youngestâs hands and pushes him to the door exasperatedly, âyou know whatâjust take my phone and talk inside. iâm tired.âÂ
ni-ki stares at jungwon, about to retort, but he simply holds out a hand to stop him, âleave me out here in peace.âÂ
âhuh? what did he say?â your voice cuts through, and jungwon only closes his eyes.Â
that was his final straw. ni-ki has no other choice but to go in, the sound of your two voices getting quieter and quieter.Â
jungwon wonders what wouldâve happened if he really said what he meant. if he really spoke what he felt. how would it all be different?Â
he supposes heâll never know.Â
and neither will you.Â
a/n âž surprise?! had my spring break + my bday coming up so just wanted to pop in with a little something :>
You are such an incredible writer ... honestly thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule and posting here ...I have read all of your works and girl let me tell you ...what did YOU DO TO BE THIS TALENTED đ«Ąđ....NO like I am not exaggerating.... it's so hard to find a good fic according to my taste and your fics are absolutely my type . THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING HERE ....school is def killing you ig cuz same girl I am in my last year and I am absolutely so done with myself...so let's suffer together...and hopefully you will get time in future to post here more . FIGHTING!!!đđ
seeing this ask made me cry đđ because honestly i donât remember the last time i logged onto here let alone posted.
first, i just wanted to thank you for your support since you are really hyping me up too much đ„č mainly bc i think i have grown a lot but i definitely have a lot to work on lol. iâm always so so happy to hear from readers when they enjoy something i put so much work and effort into, especially because i genuinely love writing as well. when i first started on tumblr, it was during covid on an old blog of mine and i had no fucking clue what i was doing. but i made so many friends and had such a great time writing, even when it sucked ass lmao. thatâs why even when i got wayy busier throughout the rest of high school i tried to keep it up (although my posting schedule was so inconsistent). i felt so pressured to keep up a consistent schedule and stay in touch with mutuals that it no longer became fun, so i started afresh with this blog. tumblr became just like a side quest where whenever i had a burst of inspiration, i would post and then log off lmao. looking back now, with this blog being 2 years old, iâm so grateful for the growth and love i received that i honestly did not expect.
now, i still love writing so muchâ i have so many wips and ideas but life is just lifing rn đđ school and personal priorities has always been my main focus, and now in college iâm still figuring how to survive on a daily basis sondkend everyday is crazy for me so writing hasnât even crossed my mind for a while. this doesnât mean iâm leaving for good, especially because of school breaks and summer! i probably will return like once in a blue moon to post something i randomly get inspired by. but iâm never going to be consistently active on this account, and thatâs okay. unfortunately iâm growing out of tumblr/writing in general, but it was and still is a great experience to reflect and look back on. i learned a lot and met some great people, but most of all, i was able to make others happy as well :)
sorry for the long ass response to your ask but i figured this was the best way to get an explanation out for everyone since i basically ghosted you guys for some time (im sorry pls forgive me) thank you again and good luck to you too!