death by chocolate.

jung taekwoon / twenty-five owner of café parisienne.

[wonwoomi]

recipe,

[wonwoomi]

he scoffs, full of amusement, as taekwoon replies, with that easy smile following. wonwoo’s not paying much attention to the way he brushes his hair back and lets his cheeks puff out in a smile, because he’s too busy looking at the floor wondering why, with all his confidence, he can’t smile with the same naturalness, but that’s a train of thought for another time. he nods softly as taekwoon begins preparing the tea.

wonwoo wanders off on instruction, after only a short bow of his head in thanks. there’s a few tables spare, but he chooses one in a quiet spot, with a good view to see out of the window and onto the street. he doesn’t need to see taekwoon make the tea, or put everything together on plates and then, the tray. anyone else, he would be careful, but if taekwoon wanted to mess with him, wonwoo figures he’d have done so by now. besides, the amount of money he spends here? he’d be mad to. 

“thanks,” his voice is gentle as taekwoon places said tray down in front of him, bringing him out of his trance staring out the window at passers by and back into the real world, sat in his pretty little cafe at a table alone. he wants to say more, but small talk had always bothered him. instead, he settles on, “so are you trying to start some kind of biscuit revolution, or are you just trying to fatten me up?” 

[taekxmi-blog]

      his expression is unreadable as he carries the tray carefully over to the table that wonwoo had chosen. if he’s to be honest  with himself, he finds the entire situation that they had somehow developed a tentative friendship out of quite amusing. they’re two very different people, and taekwoon realizes that he literally knows nothing about the other male. other than their almost daily conversations in front of the counter, taekwoon knows nothing about what wonwoo does for a living, whether he attends school, or what the other male is generally like even as a person outside of the coffee shop. for all he knows, the other male’s attitude might be much improved outside of the cafe, once he’s had his daily dose of caffeine and sweets. 

      at wonwoo’s question, his expression is solemn, almost convincingly so. “you weren’t supposed to find out so quickly,” he replies, though his lips quirk up at the corners for a moment before he smooths out his expression forcibly, blinking at wonwoo silently. “i secretly wanted to fatten you up so i could toss you in the oven and eat you.” he’s definitely taking his inspiration from hansel and gretel, and he wonders if the other male will catch on.

[mixnyx-blog]

|| little prince ,

[mixnyx-blog]

     his words catch her entirely off guard – when had he learned to read minds? – and she glances up to meet his eyes, slightly startled. her first reaction is to put the mug down, unsure of why her hands were suddenly shaking so much but she knows she doesn’t want to drop her matcha latte. it almost mirrors his actions, as he puts the spoon down, and she’s quick to finish off the rest of her danish. (it never takes long for her since she somehow always consumes them in like three bites or something.) 

     she goes easily into his arms, pressed against his chest and she hurries to finish chewing the danish she had shoved into her mouth, swallowing quietly and she lets herself relish being back in his arms. despite everything, nothing had ever felt as home to her as his arms did. struck speechless still. bomi takes a few moments to regain control of both her heartbeat and her thoughts. her heartbeat, of course, she had no control over. but her thoughts are going crazy right now, and she has to do her best to reign them in before she starts overthinking everything again. 

     it’s not safe, her brain supplies her as she considers her options. (what options? she’s screaming at herself. this is everything you’ve wanted since he broke it off!!!) but she’s not safe to be around – she never had been. (but you’ve never been safe!) 

     “i do – !” she protests, glancing at him quickly, finally fixing her vocal chords and she coughs slightly, having eaten the danish a bit too quickly for her liking but she was enjoying where she was too much right now. “i just …” she swallows quietly, glancing away from him. 

     “i’ve put you in danger now …”

[taekxmi-blog]

      her eyes meet his, and the surprise in her eyes tell him that he had hit the nail on the head. her trembling hands set down the mug (thankfully, he wouldn’t want that mug of hers to shatter -- there are plenty of memories associated with it) and she scarfs down the danish like there’s no tomorrow. and then her warmth is in his arms, and he feels like he’s complete again. there’s nothing quite in the world like holding her, he’s found. wonshik had felt comfortable, but not quite as perfect as she had, and as much as he had liked the younger male, he thinks that it could never have worked while she still had possession of his heart. 

      he waits anxiously for her words, her body still half in his embrace as she obviously considers more than he’d hoped she would. with every moment that passes, his heart sinks slightly more, and his expression twists a fraction for every unanswered moment that passes by. finally, after what feels like forever to him, but in reality has barely even been any time at all, her answer slams into him with all the force of a speeding truck. 

      and the relief that it brings, heavy and strong, almost brings him to his knees. but instead, he tugs her closer to him, crushing her against him before he relaxes his grip slightly and he whispers, “don’t be stupid... danger is everywhere in this gang-ridden city. it doesn’t matter where i am or who i’m with; there’s always going to be danger.” 

     here, he hesitates for a moment, his cheeks flushing pink. “and... i’d rather face that danger with your hand in mine. please... be mine again.”

[taekxmi-blog]

* date gone wrong,

[mixnyx-blog]

“oooh, yes that place is always really good,” she smiles, nodding to herself as she recalls which place he’s talking about. she’s totally down to go there – sushi is sushi, but good sushi is always better. and if there was any place that offered all you can eat as well as quality sushi, it was that restaurant. which, of course, was why they were practically regulars there. she’s pretty sure they had celebrated all of their birthdays there, actually. it was a favorite and they went almost every other week – or, just whenever one of them was craving sushi. usually her. sometimes taekwoon. 

nodding in approval at his answer, bomi honestly wishes that he had allowed her to teach him how to use a gun. he had refused, quite vehemently, and she had relented, albeit it reluctantly. she had, of course, taught him a handful of self-defensive moves. considering that she had received a black belt in taekwondo once upon a time, she felt rather certified to do so. and, of course, because she wanted him to be able to deal with something if she wasn’t there to do it for him. 

she would never forgive herself if he got himself hurt because of her. 

the warm press of his lips against her forehead, despite it being through a layer of fabric from his mask, has her relaxing ever so slightly. it’s a minuscule amount, but it’s better than nothing. she squeezes his hand tightly before they step up to the entrance of the aquarium and she asks for two adult tickets, smiling at the clerk who waves them in once they’ve paid. 

[taekxmi-blog]

     he knows she’s nervous because of him, not because of anything that might happen to her. she’s never been very concerned about her own well-being, no matter how many times he tells her that her well-being concerns him. that if she wants him to be safe, she had better take care of herself first. he hopes that will dissuade her from any stupid ideas like throwing herself in front of him -- suicidal, stupid things that he knows bomi would never hesitate to do. 

     (he’d never hesitate either, so he supposes that makes him both suicidal and stupid, as well. or just madly in love. one or the other.) 

     he pays for the aquarium tickets without asking, immediately taking her hand once they’ve paid, entering the aquarium quietly. it seems like a good portion of the city is there, the area pretty full and the atmosphere is cheery and bright. it sets his mind at ease, posture relaxing slightly in the face of the celebration of life that this truly is. a memorial, to the person who had lived her life to protect the city of seoul. it’s a celebration for her, and to taekwoon, it certainly feels right.

[wonwoomi]

recipe,

[wonwoomi]

taekwoon continues to argue against his insistence of not really being all that important, and whilst usually, wonwoo wouldn’t even entertain the idea of not declaring himself the only person in the room that matters, now, he laughs instead, giving in and shrugging his own shoulders, too. “innovation is key, and apparently, flattery is your forte after… tea and biscuit making.” he scoffs, amused, with a shake of his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever spark a creative revolution, but I wouldn’t write off a revolution otherwise just yet.” he muses, running a hand through his hair with a deep sigh. 

stay or go. when he’d entered, he’d been torn, but now, he’s certain. “for here. I have enough time to enjoy it before I have to go.” he answers, with a firm nod and a small smile. usually, it depends on his mood and available time in his mostly hectic schedule of work and fitting in 25 hours of sleep to each day, but not today. today he has enough time to stop and enjoy the company, and the products— though, he doesn’t have all day, by any means.

[taekxmi-blog]

      he shrugs slightly with a small smile, his lips curving up at the corners. “at least you acknowledge my true talents,” he says with a straight face, before he smiles, his cheeks bunching up, soft black hair falling into his eyes, and he brushes it out of his eyes with the back of his hand. “for here it is,” he replies easily, pulling out one of the mugs he usually serves with tea, a teapot following its appearance shortly. he scoops the loose leaf tea out into a teabag, popping it into the teapot and pouring hot water that he’d let cool a little bit ahead of time. 

      “i’ll bring it to your table,” he turns towards wonwoo, offering the other a small smile. “please, go find a seat.” it’s amazing how the grumpy male had somehow become one of his favorite customers -- witty banter, a quick tongue, lavish appreciation, but most of all, a strange kind of understanding. two scones on an ivory-tinged plate, everything on the tray, and he carries it over to the spot wonwoo has found for himself. 

      “earl grey lavender scones and oolong tea.” he introduces as he sets the tray down, though he knows full well that the other male doesn’t need the explanation.

[mixnyx-blog]

|| little prince ,

[mixnyx-blog]

the warmth of the freshly baked danish against her lips has her startling for a moment, pulling back just slightly before she parts said lips to bite into the side of the pastry. she puts the mug of her matcha latte down onto the counter, fingers coming up to grip at the danish and she chews, swallows, and takes a larger bite to get to the filling. she steps back beside him as his attention returns to the soup he’s making, her eyes on the broth and not paying attention to anything else, really. 

her mind is still on other matters anyway. 

his words have her turning to face him, glancing up at him quietly and she nods minutely, her eyes returning to where they were boring holes into the pot. she’s lost in thought, trying to get her bearings together and she exhales softly, halfway through her danish. it’s delicious, as always, the taste exactly how she remembered it being when she would sneak them at work. 

but now isn’t the time to be reminiscing – especially about a job that she still had. she doesn’t catch hislittle slip, too preoccupied about what she should really be doing right now. if she was in her right mind, she should be leaving. she should be picking up and uprooting her entire life elsewhere, somewhere where she couldn’t put taekwoon in danger. somewhere where he would be safe from all the secrets she had just burdened him with. 

all things considered, that’s what she should be doing. but, she can’t. she physically doesn’t think she would be able to do that right now – not with jinyoung out of the picture, and no one else that she could really trust. she had friends, of course, but that didn’t matter much. not when the one person she wanted to share her entire life with was in front of her and now, in danger because of her. 

it wasn’t right for her to drag him down into the darkness with her, not when he had been her light this whole time. 

[taekxmi-blog]

     her presence beside him is enough for him to feel content, to see her drink her matcha latte from her cup, standing there -- he’s happy. and then she bites into the danish, and he can’t hold back his smile, warm and gentle and full of affection as he blinks at her, letting the pot bubble away gently. 

     he can practically hear her thinking aloud; all the thoughts that clearly want to extricate themselves from her lips, and he frowns slightly, not wanting his girlfriend (because she is his girlfriend, he will have her back -- there’s no way he’s ever going to let her go again) to have any funny ideas. “i’m not leaving you this time,” he says stubbornly, suddenly, his words out of the blue after all the silence. perhaps not so out of the blue in either of their heads, but nonetheless, they are harsh with the jarring edge of words unplanned. “and i’m not letting you leave me.” his voice stiffens slightly and he somehow manages to sound both awkward and stubborn at the same time. 

      “i... being without you was hell,” he whispers as he puts the spoon down, reaching for her. he pulls her into his arms, clutching her against him, and he wonders how in the world he’d ever managed to survive without her by his side, her hand in his, waking up to her sleeping face. he can’t fathom letting her go again, all moral dilemmas be damned. 

      “i won’t go through that again,” his voice cracks for a moment as he pulls away after a few long seconds tick by. “unless... unless you... you don’t. want... us. anymore.”

      there’s no way that he could possibly have misread the situation that much, is there?

[mingyuxmi]

what makes a good man?

[mingyuxmi]

[ tw: death ]

You know, in the past, Mingyu had always figured that in a situation such as this that everything would be a little more difficult. He didn’t watch much television, not attentively at least, being that he always would find his mind wandering which would result in him standing up to find something else to do, but in the few movies that he has seen, when all chaos broke out, things were terrifying. He wasn’t exactly as afraid as he thought he should be. That probably had to do more with himself than the situation, however. Others seemed petrified enough. Had he really gotten that numb?

Did he have too much confidence in himself? Maybe that was the reason he felt rather fearless. It seemed to him that he had nothing to worry about because, in his mind, he was going to make it out of here alive, no doubt about it. When he realized that the same couldn’t be said for every other person in here, including the ones that didn’t deserve death yet, he felt a little guilty.

So, yes, there was certainly nothing that was going to stop him from saving the seemingly innocent enough individual that was being lunged at by one of the assholes who probably had something to do with this whole mess. Mingyu was angry, far beyond it, really, and suddenly, this felt personal to him. It was when he felt like he had been wronged that his craving for vengeance kicks in, and there’s honestly nothing that can really be done for whoever set him off at that point.

Ghost Mingyu was quick and quiet, so it was fairly easy for him to sneak up on the situation. Though the other male’s attacker began whipping around to defend himself, it was much too late. Not bothering with a weapon, the taller boy used his own hands and swiftly wrapped an arm around the other before using his other arm and snapping their neck. It all took place in a matter of seconds, and he wouldn’t be too shocked if the guy that he was helping barely had time to process what was happening.

[taekxmi-blog]

( trigger warnings: death )

     it seems like death is inevitable for him as the man lunges at him, stumbling backwards in some desperate response and he just narrowly misses the blade that swipes out at him. but there’s someone else approaching, and more horror flashes through him -- there’s no way he’s going to live past this day, and in that moment, he really, truly regrets asking bomi if they could attend this memorial. god, no, please. he’s only just gotten her back -- she’s only just gotten jinyoung back, and he can’t even imagine what his death would do to her. 

     but to his surprise, the other male -- the boy -- approaching them at a rapid sneak barely even catches the attention of his would-be murderer, and the man turns too late. too late, and taekwoon watches with horrified eyes as the boy snaps the man’s neck with a motion that looks all too practiced. he’d appeared like a ghost and extinguished the man’s life with very little effort, it seems, and taekwoon feels as though his heart has completely frozen in his chest.

      he can’t seem to inhale, his eyes wide and frightened, completely befuddled by what had just happened. the water is rising too rapidly and he realizes suddenly that somehow, he had fallen over and landed on the ground. his pants are uncomfortably wet, but there’s nothing to be done about that now -- not when there’s a dead body in front of him and a boy who could kill him in an instant. of that, he has no doubt. 

      he turns wide eyes on the ghost, his breathing rasping in and out of his chest with difficulty, seemingly unable to find any words to thank his savior. (and hopefully, not his demise.) 

[taekxmi-blog]

* date gone wrong,

[mixnyx-blog]

“i was just making sure,” she jokes, though her tone is tight, worried. she can’t help but think of everything that could possibly go wrong, considering everything that seemed to go wrong all the time at big events like this. the entire city was always invited to events and bad things always seemed to befall whoever attended. wonshik had almost broken his leg during the lotte world opening and she couldn’t help but worry. 

glancing up at him, bomi makes a soft sound, making out the smile he’s giving her despite the mask she had insisted he wear. (she wasn’t outing his identity to anyone. even if they knew his name, she didn’t want them to know his face.) “sushi?” she suggests, tilting her head to the side before tilting it in the opposite direction. “chicken? your pick this time, how about? i chose last time when we had pasta, remember?” 

she eyes the aquarium ahead of them – if this was any other time, she would be bouncing down the sidewalk, excited. she loved aquariums, and she was really hoping this wasn’t going to ruin them for her. 

she touches her hip quietly and then her chest, feeling for the hidden weapons on her body, just to make sure they were in place for the hundredth or so time. “you didn’t ditch the knife right?” she asks softly, stepping up close to him and whispering it in his ear, kissing his cheek after. 

[taekxmi-blog]

     he squeezes her hand gently, his expression softening -- it’s visible in his eyes and in the way that his thumb runs over her knuckles, an attempt at reassurance that he himself is starting to feel less and less. the more he thinks on it, the more he realizes just how many things have gone wrong -- luckily for him, none of them have befallen him (as he never attends) or his girlfriend, wherever she had been during those times. wonshik had suffered a broken leg; he remembers this and the process of trying to get the younger male to stay off the injury. it had been far too difficult. 

     “sushi?” he suggests with a small smile. “we can go to that all you can eat place in gangnam. it was pretty good, right?” their casual talk settles him a little more, and he wonders why he’d been so worried. it’s not like something had to go wrong, right?

      “no...” he murmurs back in return, his identity pretty much completely masked, what with the cap on his head and the mask over the bottom half of his face. “it’s still right here.” he exhales softly at the little kiss to his cheek, turning to return one through the mask, a light press of fabric against her temple, and the warmth of his lips behind it as they head towards the entrance.

[taekxmi-blog]

      whispers hi hello to all the new people! and i’m sorry to all the people who just got follow notifications from me -- i disappeared on hiatus a while and clearly, i was not up to date on the masterlist OTL. anyways!! if you’d like to plot with this innocent cafe owner who happens to somehow be dating syndicate’s current sic, just like this post and i’ll come bother you? :> i’m slow, so sorry in advance. 

      also -- if you’d like to plot with jinyoung, a poor former undercover baby who has been very thoroughly injured, also just like this post? i’ll bother you from one of the accounts (probably jinyoung’s) and we can plot from there! \ o / ok that’s all for now bye -- 

[vixxrose]

 Music Bank arrival 160819

[mixnyx-blog]

|| little prince ,

[mixnyx-blog]

the matcha latte seems to warm her through, from the inside out and she honestly feels like she could sleep for the rest of the century after this. of course, she’s going to eat first and then sleep for the rest of the century, since food had always been the number one priority in her life. it’s an ongoing joke with most of her friends and most definitely one as well with taekwoon. but right now, she just wants to stay under his roof and find some peace within their relationship. 

it had been a long time coming, but bomi had made peace with herself that this was the one thing she would always want, even if he didn’t want her back. of course, she knew that wasn’t true anymore. during his short little romance with wonshik though, she had been rather worried that she would be left behind, to pine over him forever. but thankfully, that hadn’t worked out – despite her wanting it to. it would be safer for him to be with someone that wasn’t so deeply immersed into gang life. 

she was selfish. she would admit that much. 

her fingers are wrapped around the mug – one of hers she notes belatedly, one that she had bought and left at his apartment – the latte within made perfectly. “chicken udon sounds good,” she answers with a smile, exhausted and hungry. if she didn’t have a Thing against going to bed hungry, honestly she probably would’ve knocked out by now. 

“thank you for listening,” she murmurs softly, after he had started cooking, making her way to stand next to him. she’s unsure of what the next step is for their relationship, considering how strained it had been for so long, and now with the revelations she had just thrown onto it. there’s no telling what’s in store for them now, and she doesn’t know what to do next. 

(but he had kissed her. and that had to mean something right? plus everything he had said … though nothing was explicit right now, she was hopeful.)

[taekxmi-blog]

      her fingers wrapped around the mug, delicate and small, such a familiar sight, sends warmth and longing in equal portions through his heart. he doesn’t want to let her go again. not this time. he’d done it once before because of the lies between them, and that had burned his heart so badly he hadn’t been sure if he could bear it. he had -- but only barely. wryly, he thinks that even if they don’t get back together, there’s no possible way for him to love someone anymore. not as much as he loved her. there’s no one that can erase her hold on his heart -- wonshik had tried, they had both tried, and everything had failed. 

      his heart is yoon bomi’s for the keeping, it seems. 

      he stands at the stove, the act of cooking something that has long brought him comfort, and to be able to cook for both of them is certainly something that brings back memories. good ones. nudging her gently to shift aside, he lets the broth start to heat up on the stove as he reaches into the oven with mitts on, pulling out the trays of freshly baked danishes. without even asking, knowing that the hot, fresh lemon danishes are her favorite, he pokes at her lips with one immediately. 

      “eat it,” he says with a small smile, still poking at her lips gently with the freshly baked pastry. he doesn’t say anything at first, closing the oven once more and allowing her to step back into position beside him. “thank you for finally telling me,” he chooses to say after several minutes of silence. 

      they’re thinking of the same things, even if he doesn’t know it at the moment. the only thing on his mind is her, and how he can’t possibly let her go again, even if all of his morals are screaming that it’s the exact opposite of what he should be doing. his heart won’t let him, this time. he knows it. if he has to lose her again, he doesn’t think he’ll survive. 

     “lo-- bomi.” he catches himself a split second too late, the nickname half slipping from his lips.

[wonwoomi]

recipe,

[wonwoomi]

the older laughs, and wonwoo follows, though a playful frown fits in somewhere in between. he is quite that bad, but his lack of care for introduced names is effortlessly covered by his love of nicknames, anyway. even those who are lucky enough to be considered his friends he rarely calls by the name they gave him. he chooses his own, and they are never anything (or at least, much else) different to him. why call someone their boring birth name when you could give them a fitting insulting nickname instead? he doesn’t understand, and probably never will. 

“I’ll allow you to keep believing that.” he comments offhandedly, quickly moving on to the topic of food and humming in agreement to the statement made. he supposes it is important, yes, but did his opinion really matter that much? one customer of likely many, did he really have that much of an impact? apparently so, and wonwoo is rather flattered and honoured to be considered so. “that’s true, but— seems… odd to make a new flavour based on one customer’s opinion.” he points out, because what is tact? with a small smile on his lips. “even if he is the ‘most avid supporter’.” he adds, with a laugh. “you know this shit better than me. whatever is best. I’m not going to question your tea knowledge.” 

[taekxmi-blog]

      he shrugs his shoulders a little bit, his lips curving up at the corners, amused by the other’s attempts to continually dissuade him from thinking better of his new regular customer. “it’s not really what you’d call a new flavor, though.” he laughs a little bit at that, his expression pleased. “i’m simply taking already existing flavors and twisting them in new ways. innovation is key, wouldn’t you say? after all, brilliant ideas don’t necessarily come from multiple people -- often, just one person is enough to spark a creative revolution.” 

      with a small smile, most definitely amused by the conversation they’d just had, he pauses for a second. “for here or to go, today?” it depends on wonwoo’s mood, and the things he has to do, he’s realized. some days, the other is content to stay and sit for a little while, but most of the time, it tends to be in a paper bag and cup, for consumption on the road. 

[taekxmi-blog]

* date gone wrong,

[mixnyx-blog]

considering her new position, she realized that she was probably required to be at the event tonight. she had carefully planned the day out, knowing she was probably going to have to ditch taekwoon somewhere and disappear to the event and leave early once she had stuck around long enough. but, that had all been thrown out the window when taekwoon himself had come to ask her to go to it with him. 

she had spent a long while trying to talk him out of going – “literally every big event has had something go wrong and i don’t want you caught in it!” – but he had wanted to honour their late police chief and she had reluctantly agreed for them to go together. 

(there had also been the worry about them going together, about the leader of syndicate finding out taekwoon’s face and where he worked and whatnot, and bomi had compromised with her boyfriend only going if he wore a mouth mask – just a plain one. she wasn’t risking his safety for anything. not tonight. not ever.) 

having tried, and failed, to hide a gun on him as well, she had settled for a switchblade in his pocket for easy access. hopefully, he wouldn’t need it. and they could both laugh about how paranoid she was and how she had taken too many extra precautions. 

“fine fine,” she huffs at him, squeezing his hand gently. she hadn’t dressed up much for the occasion, wearing a suit of sorts – dress pants and a loose blouse was her outfit – though she also had a switchblade and a gun as well. “you’re buying though,” she teases, eyes twinkling despite the obvious uneasy air that was surrounding her. 

[taekxmi-blog]

      his face is partially covered by a mask at his girlfriend’s insistence, and at the time, he had decided that if that was the only way he was going to get to go, he would just have to deal with it. bomi has made it more than clear that she doesn’t actually think this is a good idea, and there’s an odd, sinking feeling in his stomach despite his firm words that everything will be alright. it doesn’t feel like everything will be alright -- but he’d never forgive himself if he chose not to go and honor their fallen police chief and absolutely nothing happened. 

     “i’m always buying when it comes to us, love.” he points out with a small smile on his lips, playing along with the teasing. the clearly uneasy air around her is making him feel nervous, like he’s wrong, but even with this feeling, he doesn’t want to abandon her. he can’t. he can’t fathom the idea of staying safe while she runs headlong into danger, even if the more logical prat of his brain is reminding him that if anyone is a burden, it’s him. certainly not her. 

     “there’s a lot of people here,” he comments as they approach the aquarium, the building visible despite the fact that they still have a few blocks left to walk. “it’s really a big event, isn’t it?” still striving to insist that everything will be alright (positive thinking counts, right?), he turns to glance down at her, his smile hidden by the mask. “where should we eat after this?”

[mingyuxmi]

what makes a good man?

@taekxmi

It was beginning to seem like there wasn’t a moment of Kim Mingyu’s life that he wasn’t fighting some sort of battle. Physical, mental, metaphorical, you name it. If you can think of it, chances are, he’s had to deal with it. Most people that claim that they ‘can’t catch a break’ are exaggerating. They’ll claim it when one small, certainly insignificant, event occurs that causes them a tad bit of inconvenience, and the hitman wants to roll his eyes just thinking about it. Honestly, no one should be able to be so dramatic until they’ve had to deal with a mere 5% of the shit that he’s had to put up with throughout his years. 

He had a gut feeling that something would go wrong during this celebration, but he’d be lying if he said that he would have ever predicted that the glass to the aquarium would crack. He figured he’d have to be extremely pessimistic and even more paranoid than he already was to assume such a thing. Even so, he wasn’t completely surprised. All he knew was that he was going to have to get out of here and survive yet another goddamn battle. Man vs. man, man vs. water, man vs. fish… Make that three goddamn battles.

Sure, he obviously wasn’t your everyday hero, hell,  he wasn’t even close. Though, with each new time that he’s faced with the opportunity to help someone, he continues to take it. He can’t be sure why that’s the case, and now is definitely not the time to be questioning it. He was positive of two things, and that’s that he was getting out of this place alive, and he’d make damn sure that he brought as many people out alongside him (the people worth saving, at least). Was he still a monster? Absolutely. But, was he a monster with a few more morals than all of the others? Probably so. The asshole drawing closer to an individual with the intent of killing him (or severely harming him… which, then he’d end up just drowning anyways, so yes, killing), under these chaotic and insane enough circumstances, was not going to be experiencing the joy of tomorrow.

[taekxmi-blog]

     it isn’t often that jung taekwoon swears. but at the moment, the only thing flooding (flooding, hah, how appropriate) through his mind is a litany of curse words, anything he can pull to mind, most of them learned from his girlfriend. the chaos that had immediately descended upon the area had separated him from bomi, and he won’t lie and say that he’s not terrified. this isn’t his scene. at all. he’s just an innocent civilian who happens to own a cafe -- he isn’t prepared for this kind of mayhem. the water that is starting to rise steadily around should be a cue for him to start moving, but in his shock and terror, he’s unable to force his legs to move. 

     oh, fuck it all, he just wants his girlfriend. perhaps most men would consider that admission to be shameful, but jung taekwoon knows full well that his girlfriend, the second-in-command for syndicate (how the hell had this happened?) is a far more talented human being than he is. in all aspects, really. there’s no shame in admitting that, for him. 

     he finally forces his feet to move, one waterlogged step after another, his breath wheezing out of him as the water continues to rise slowly and he starts to panic. oh, god. there were fish. what kind of fish? suddenly, he wishes he’d paid more attention -- in that moment, he sees someone lunging at him, and his hand fumbles, diving into his pocket, hand closing around the switchblade his girlfriend had insisted he keep. 

      he kind of wishes he had the gun at the moment, shakily flicking open the switchblade and holding it in front of him. he has no idea what he’s supposed to do, and terror freezes his limbs even as the man approaches. his breath catches in his lungs and he extends his arm, awkward, useless, completely terrified. please, he doesn’t want to die yet -- not here -- not now --

[wonwoomi]

recipe,

[wonwoomi]

wonwoo never knows entirely how to respond to taekwoon’s small smiles. yes, he’s grateful for a friend, and for good tea, and good food, and yes, he’s not a completely emotionless shell of a human being, but he also hasn’t quite gotten used to sharing moments like that yet. yes, he has other friends he smiles quite easily around; mingyu, jinwoo, seulgi, to name three, but this was different. despite knowing one another a while, he hadn’t figured it all out yet — what each smile means. that being said, wonwoo likes taekwoon, and doesn’t want to appear even more rude than he already does, so he smiles back — hesitantly, but he smiles.

then, tilting his head to the side, he hums. “english breakfast was what I had the first time I was here, but— you really expect me to remember which name goes with every taste? I can barely remember my own name half the time.” he chuckles, very quietly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “but you’re really going to make biscuits based on what I like? you hold my taste buds and I in very high regard… I seem to remember liking the oolong, though… I’ll have that today and test that theory, I think.”

[taekxmi-blog]

     the little smile, as awkward as it feels to probably both of them, as hesitant as it is, making his heart warm and his lips quirk up a little in return before his eyes drop to the counter once more. he taps the two buttons on the screen in front of him to ring up a tea and a single scone -- though he always gives wonwoo two by this point, willing to give a regular a discount of some sort, especially one who shows such appreciation for his baking. it’s not unusual for wonwoo to sometimes buy more than one, even, and taekwoon makes it a habit to give him one free scone every time he comes in. a minuscule price, in all honesty. 

     a soft laugh falls from his lips at the unexpected self-depreciation from the other male. “i’m sure you’re not quite that bad,” he refutes with a small smile. at the other’s question, he just shrugs a shoulder gently. “it’s always a good idea to introduce new flavors into the cafe.” he says placidly, his expression amused. “i will admit that i am curious to see what flavors you enjoy the most -- you’re one of the most avid supporters of those scones, in any case.” nodding slightly at the tea choice, he reaches for a teacup. “no milk today, i assume? the oolong we carry isn’t suited for milk, i don’t believe.” 

[taekxmi-blog]

* date gone wrong,

     his hand tangled with his girlfriend’s, he glances at her as they walk. she’d been excessively uncomfortable with the fact that he’d wanted to go tonight, but he hasn’t been to any of the events that the city has held -- sometimes, he thinks, for good reason, since chaos seems to happen left and right. it’s exactly what bomi had brought up when he’d first tentatively said he wanted to go, but nonetheless, in commemoration of the woman who had served the city, he had still wanted to go.

     which brings them to where they are now -- walking hand in hand towards the aquarium. “nothing’s going to happen, love.” he murmurs lowly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “it’s just a short event, right? we’ll go home right after... or get food,” he teases playfully. “surely, that should sweeten the deal for you?” 

     the switchblade in his pocket feels like an iron, burning its way through the fabric, and he hadn’t ever expected to press the weapon into his hand almost desperately. he hopes -- he really, really hopes, that nothing will happen that will require him to utilize it. (he hopes nothing will happen because he doesn’t think he can use it.)

[wonwoomi]

recipe,

[wonwoomi]

wonwoo realises pretty belatedly what good service does for a cafe. he tells himself the reason he goes back is for the biscuits, and the tea, and it is certainly, but he also thinks that if the owner had been quite as rude to him as he is to most of his grumpy customers, he probably wouldn’t return even if him drinking said tea would magically make him invincible. 

(sadly, it does nothing to motivate him to be nicer in his own cafe, but you can’t have everything.) 

he returns regularly, to try new blends, new treats. sometimes, he’s a little grumpier than usual, but the reason he goes to the cafe when he’s like that is to improve said mood with good food. there are few things on this planet that can soothe wonwoo, and one of them is a good cup of tea. taekwoon’s cafe provides that, so why not go when he feels a little sour? taekwoon seems to have developed a thick skin to put up with him like that, too (probably because of the amount of money he spends there).

“my favourite tea?” he repeats, mumbled. he taps his finger against the counter, “probably the first tea I had here— what was it? some breakfast thing. I can’t remember, but I imagine most of it’s importance is from nostalgia. why do you ask?” 

[taekxmi-blog]

      it never fails to surprise him when wonwoo appears in the entrance of the cafe. despite the fact that the other had made it quite clear how much he’d enjoyed the tea and biscuits, it still surprises him every time the male walks in. sometimes, his attitude is better, and sometimes, it’s grumpier than usual, but taekwoon, long accustomed to this kind of behavior (partially because he, too, expresses his thoughts and feelings rather poorly), remains unbothered by the entire thing.

     it pleases him to see that the other male always appears at least slightly happier when he leaves cafe parisienne. it’s a little bit of pride in himself, but also pride in the fact that whatever the reason, whether it’s the people who happen to be working, the overall atmosphere of the cafe, or simply the food itself, it’s enough to keep a grumpy customer returning. 

     at wonwoo’s response, a small little smile curves up his lips. “i was considering making new flavors, for the biscuits that you prefer. i was wondering if you had a specific flavor you’d like to see...?” he lets the question lilt up his voice slightly. “i had thought, perhaps matcha... an oolong, or the english breakfast, perhaps?”

[mixnyx-blog]

|| little prince ,

[mixnyx-blog]

there’s something that smells good coming from the kitchen, and like he had thought, she follows the scent with her nose like a dog to the oven. flicking on the oven light, bomi crouches down to peek inside the said oven and her expression brightens slightly when her gaze falls on what’s baking. it smells divine and she can actually feel her mouth watering as she takes in the sight of the freshly baked danishes. her stomach gives a growl and she looks a bit sheepish though she glances up at him, wondering if they were free for her taking. 

she straightens up to move closer to him, hovering at the counter as she wonders what he’s making. the mug in his hand is hers, from her vast collection of different mugs, and she half hopes that the drink is for her. espresso is probably something much needed in her system at the moment, not having had any coffee for a while. 

blinking at the mug set down in front of her, she recognizes the smell immediately. she points at herself, a little ‘for me?’ question that’s answered fairly quickly considering her – boyfriend? ex-boyfriend? – taekwoon only usually drank lattes. she picks up the mug, relishing in its warmth between her hands for a moment before she takes a small sip. she only gets foam at first, but even the taste of that could almost be considered heavenly. 

“food?” she offers, purposely being extremely unhelpful at that moment before she takes a larger sip of her matcha latte, sighing softly in contentment. it feels like it had warmed her all the way through, and that was always a nice feeling. 

“maybe something soupy? or saucy ..” she thinks that would be good for her, for now. her appetite was still slowly making its way back to her and soup was always the easiest thing to eat. “though, i wouldn’t mind a danish.”

[taekxmi-blog]

      solemnly, he stares back at her as she glances up at him questioningly from the oven, and he shakes his head playfully, just enough to watch her face fall before he nods immediately after. of course they’re for her, he thinks to himself in amusement, since when had he ever loved lemon danishes enough to make them for himself? “there’s just a few minutes left on them,” he says softly, smiling at her fondly. he’s so full of that, today. fondness. love. all of the good feelings he’d thought he’d left behind. 

      despite all the misgivings he does have, he thinks that the peace in his heart at finally having her at his side, with the truth, the full truth, no matter how ugly it is, is worth it. and that, he thinks, makes him a rather twisted individual. he’d always liked to think that he, of all people, was a decent person, with strong morals that he was determined to uphold. but when it’s bomi that he’s faced with, it feels like everything, all of his resolve, it disappears out the window.

      but somehow, he doesn’t mind. (not that that disproves his point any, but he thinks he’s rather resigned himself now.) 

      the matcha had always sat next to the espresso machine, the whisk right next to it, and it had continued on like that even after she had moved back out. for him, it had always been a memento, of sorts. what he had had, and what he had forcibly set aside, but couldn’t let go of. 

     in that light, he thinks he’s rather pitiful, wanting to cut things off but unable to really let her go. but, as he watches her drink her matcha latte, crafted by his hands, under the light of the kitchen, he thinks that it doesn’t really matter, if this is the end result. he’s still conflicted. he thinks he might always be, in this situation. but for the time being, he relishes in the fact that she’s here, ignoring everything else.

      “chicken udon?” he suggests with a soft smile, leaning in to kiss the top of her head gently. “the danishes are all for me, obviously.” he jokes, his eyes crinkling up slightly as he moves to find some chicken broth. usually, he’d boil his broth from real chicken bones, but desperate times call for desperate measures -- there’s no time for that, now. not when he has a hungry mouth to feed.