"They gave me a list of white guys we could cast. If we could give one of the roles to them, we could get funded."
The investors held the belief that, except for genres such as martial arts, Asian male characters are not bankable, with little appeal for Western audiences.
Hollywood, put more Asian men in romantic lead roles.
❤︎ so overly protective. he’s not overbearing and he’ll never try to be that way but he’s always on the phone with you. texting, calling, or keeping track of where you are and if you’re safe or not. bad guys always find him.
❤︎ “princess? I didn’t mean to wake you but.. need you”
❤︎ his large strong hands are always on your waist or thighs. it’s just his thing, he loves those parts of your body the absolute most. if you ask him? he’d shrug his shoulders. not being able to answer. for some reason he loves your waist and how perfect it is. his hand fits perfectly on that spot and your thighs are so warm.
❤︎ “why are you so pretty, hm? my sweet pretty girl.”
❤︎ adores when you show up to watch him work out or practice. let’s say he’s in the ring! just for practice but it’s a bit of a rough practice. actually hitting and using a lot of new techniques. when he’s able to turn and look at you? he’s put back in the zone. you ground him.
❤︎ “I love you. I love you so much.. I can’t lose you.”
❤︎ insanely touching and LOVES cuddles. he’s so into cuddles that even when you’re cooking or baking he’s in the kitchen with his arms around you, swaying back and forth. humming softly or just talking to you about whatever it is that he wants to talk about. he loves it.
❤︎ “do you believe in fairytales? want to talk about it?”
❤︎ big on kissing. so big on kissing. kisses you so so much because he believes that’s how you show how much you love a person. his kisses are soft and very emotional. other times? it’s a bit more hot, wet, and a little needy. he wants you. needs you. all the time.
kyungmi’s note. no because this plot? so down bad for. it’s the fact that we all eventually have to move on even if it’s hard to do so. emotional hwajin, i really live for.
content warning. a LOT of sadness but happiness. it’s a good mixture of both. hwajin really falls hard and fast for reader. innocent touching. yearning. he needs and deserves happiness so falling for you is what gave him all that back. kissing. really? just love and affection.
the request! Can I request something with Na Hwajin, where he begins falling for his colleague (reader) but is conflicted since it feels like he’s betraying his deceased fiancé? (I think it’s also sweet to include Mr. Choi being encouraging towards him to procure reader)? Please and thank you!!
now playing. . .
──── ୨୧ ──── ──── ୨୧ ────
the sound of your screaming was the only thing he heard and the blurred silhouette of your body running towards him before everything went quiet, still, and dark. this mission wasn’t exactly what any of you were expecting. the students were far more worse than the other schools you’ve already visited and finished.
before the incident.
hwajin found himself watching you. you’d speak and his eyes immediately followed, watching the way your lips moved or how you smiled about something. when you frowned? it was the worst feeling. he didn’t want you to be upset or ever feel upset. this feeling was killing him.
“hwa? i took a look at this student..”
you started, but didn’t finish. he was already looking at you. you had to admit.. it made you feel a bit insecure. why would he stare at you? was it your facial expression or the way you spoke a bit loud at times. instead of him asking you to continue like he usually did, he stared.
“s-so.. it looks like he’s not only being bullied but they’re forcing him to scam people after school. when he’s caught he’s beat up by people who were scammed and i feel this is a bit more..”
you stopped again. hwajin’s staring was so intense that it was hard to breathe. his handsome features always made you so nervous and the way his arms were crossed over his broad chest.. what were you even thinking? he lost a wife only two years ago. how could you think of him like that? you were awful. so awful.
“you’re doing an amazing job.”
his sudden compliment took you by surprise and you bowed your head kindly, “thank you hwajin.”
that wasn’t the first time he had done this…
just as a student was about to hit you, hwajin grabbed ahold of your waist and pulled you back behind him, effortlessly shielding you from the hit. you gasped at how fast he was and how quick he was to protect you.
“boys don’t hit girls. weren’t you taught that?”
hwajin slapped him instead sending him flying across the room. sure you were still new and all but the way he protected you felt different. not like before.. when he wouldn’t even glance your way. now? that’s all he did was look at you, compliment you, touch you in certain areas that made your heartbeat quicken.. was this love?
it couldn’t be.
“we need to talk.”
hwajin sat down on the couch that sat in his empty and cold living room. mr. choi continued to stand, grabbing the photo of his daughter who hwajin had placed there years ago. he was close to saying something, a quiet ‘put that down’ but he didn’t which was weird of him.
“isn’t it time for you to be happy?”
“if this is about y/n then—”
mr. choi chuckled. of course it was about you. why wouldn’t it be? he saw everything. from the way hwajin stared at you to the compliments and even the lingering touches. what he had noticed is how happy and relaxed he seemed to be around you.
“it’s time. you’ve sent her off well and you’ll continue to love her for the rest of your life but she would want you to be happy. to find happiness.”
a tear rolled down hwajin’s cheek. it was warm. a bit red from the soju and he took a deep breath. not knowing what to say or do next so he stayed quiet and mr. choi understood. gently patted his shoulder and left the apartment where hwajin was left alone to cry and think about his feelings. truly? he wanted you.
another day. another school. another bully. hwajin had one and you had your own. a girl that broke in front of you that didn’t want to be this way anymore and you felt you could believe it.. until more problems came and she lied. it was stressful. exhausting. you sat in the office and waited for the next move. the right next move that was and hwajin took a seat next to you.
“hey pretty. you feeling okay?”
pretty. he’d never spoke to you like that before. it made you.. feel weird. that weird feeling in your belly. that weird feeling that women usually got around men who made them happy, shy, and excited. did he feel it too?
“y-yeah! just.. thinking. this one is a bit difficult.”
hwajin nodded and his hand then rested on your own. his thumb rubbed your index finger, “you’re doing so well. don’t give up, hm? we’ve got this. together.” and you finally looked at him. staring into his eyes that seemed so much more happier and lively. although he still cried every night wondering if this was a good idea. wondering if he was forgetting his deceased wife a bit too fast.. mr. choi urged him to go for happiness.
you three found a small restaurant to have lunch. finally being able to just relax and take care of your body after weeks of hard work. hwajin sat beside you, his chair a lot closer than it was originally placed. you shrugged it off but mr. choi? noticed. watched. his thin lips curled up into a smile watching hwajin smile. a genuine smile that he hadn’t seen in a long time.
“want to try some of my japchae? here, i’ll feed you.”
and you leaned in closer to his side, parting your lips for him to feed you. once you took the bite, he leaned in and smiled, “good huh? i’ll share with you.” but was that just an excuse to sit closer? he even forgot mr. choi who had been sitting across from you both.
“oh. you have some..”
hwajin took his thumb, wiping the corner of your mouth and licking it off which made your eyes widened. that’s something only couples did or.. two people that liked each other. “you’re so cute sometimes.” another.. compliment. he was more open than ever. nudging you at times and laughing, feeding you, wiping your mouth, paying for your meal, wanting to be alone with you..
it was all adding up. hwajin was in love with you.
it wasn’t confirmed until.. the incident.
you paced the waiting room, unable to think properly or sit down. he was in surgery. nothing like this had ever happened before but the student.. damn that student! had awful people above him. going as far as severely injuring hwajin. “sit sweetheart. he’s going to be ok.” mr. choi tried his best to calm you and keep you from having a panic attack but how could you? he was hurt-
“excuse me? are you both with na hwajin?”
you were quick to nod and run over towards the doctor who gave you the best news. his surgery went well. it would take him a few weeks to recover and that was when you knew, he needed you the most.
once he was in his own room, you sat beside him. laid half of your body next to him and slept. slept with him, holding his hand. hwajin woke up before you, smiling from happiness seeing you there. he was weak but was still desperate to touch you. feel you.
“pretty girl.”
his sweet voice pulled you from slumber and your eyes widened seeing that he was awake, “hwa! are you ok? do i need to get the doctor?” but he shook his head. what he needed? was you. only you. “come here.”
he pulled you onto the bed with him and you tried not to make it too uncomfortable but his arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer than you intended to be but.. it felt right. “you’re such a sweet girl.” he whispered softly and you smiled, “my sweet girl.”
“w-what?” and before you could say anything else he leaned up just a bit to press his lips against your own.
the kiss was sweet. slow. he reached up and grabbed the back of your neck in a gentle manner, stopping you from pulling away. he tilted his head, deepening the kiss which caused you to whimper and he smiled against your lips.
“what do you say, we have an official date after i get out of here?” and you nodded, leaning in to kiss him a hundred times if that was even possible.
a/n: i wasn't joking when i wrote in my bio that i write whatever i think of loll. this has also made me realize how terrible i am with titles. there's not nearly enough 'x reader' fics on this man and that is so not okay. i hope you guys like reading this!!
(ps: for the people who saw my last post before i deleted it, i am better now and will be returning to my irregular schedule of writing!!)
"____,"
The voice of the new ERPB inspector called out to you, catching you off-guard. The hallways were empty. Classes were over for the day, and you'd been on your way home after working later than usual. You quickly adjusted your glasses and turned around to face the intimidatingly taller man.
He'd been lurking around the school for the past two days, specifically in your classes. He'd witnessed how you'd explain everything so gently to the students while none of them cared enough to listen, how you gave teaching your all while they seemed preoccupied with their own devices.
He'd noticed how well you'd present yourself each day, with a bright smile that sparkled up your eyes despite the students' disrespect.
.☆°☆•
DAY 1:
"Ms. ____, isn't your skirt a bit too short today? Are you trying to impress someone?"
The student laughed as he pointed out something which was in no way related to the literature you were teaching, and also completely false considering the skirt reached your knees. Hwa-Jin observed the interaction from the corner, arms crossed and eyes glaring into the back of the students' head.
"Ah, no, that's not it. I wore it because it matched my top."
You'd smile and respond politely before bringing everyone back into whatever Robert Frost you were reciting. The inspector noticed the way they all went back to doing their own thing. He didn't interrupt this time.
He listened to your lesson while also keeping track of which student stood out most when it came to disrespecting you.
.☆°☆•
DAY 2:
"Ooh, you're wearing jewelry today. I knew it, you are trying to impress someone. Is it that inspector? You've been dressing up a lot since he came here."
The same student from the previous day spoke out again. Tae-Byun was his name, Hwa-Jin had made Geun-Dae do his research the previous night. Around the school, the girls referred to him as 'Byun-Tae' instead, which meant 'Pervert'.
It was clear you weren't the sole target to his comments when such a name circulated around the entire building amongst every teacher and every student.
You took in a deep breath and got ready to sweetly dismiss his comment again, only to be cut off.
"No, it's-"
"Does that really matter right now? Are you learning literature or fashion?"
Hwa-Jin interrupted you abruptly, his eyes landing on the student who had the audacity to disrespect you a second time in his presence. He'd let the first one slide, but he was starting to get agitated too.
He couldn't explain why he felt so much more frustrated than usual when it came to you. He'd dealt with disrespectful students a million times but something about the way he spoke to you made the inspector's blood boil.
"No way, I was totally right. You're defending your girl, aren't you?"
You stared at the tense interaction between the two, silent since you knew you should just let the ERPB do their job. But you didn't want any of the students to end up injured as a result, you'd heard multiple times of the consequences other rebellious people had faced.
"So what if I am?"
Hwa-jin responded casually as he stood up straight, away from the wall where he had been leaning, and approached the student seated down on his desk.
You couldn't help the way your heart raced at the fact that he didn't deny it. No, not just that, but he played into the comment. He didn't even seem affected by it, and you made sure to act like you weren't either.
To act like the student hadn't been right on the dot when he called you out for dressing up to impress a certain inspector.
The ring of the bell broke you out of your thoughts, and Hwa-jin finally backed away from the student. He leaned back against the wall, face tilting up to look at you as the students ran out before you could even dismiss them.
You knew you couldn't control them as they hurried away, the same way you couldn't control the racing of your heart when you were alone in the classroom with the inspector.
"I'm sorry about what he said. It was totally out of line, especially when he knows about your-"
"Don't worry, I didn't mind it. It's about time I moved on like that old man said anyways."
He sighed before leaving the room as well. Your heart was beating even faster than before. He didn't mind people assuming you two were in a relationship? He was trying to move on from his dead fiance because of you?
You shook your head, trying to shake away the thoughts along with it. No, you were overthinking it. He'd started this entire project with his father-in-law as a result of the violence she'd endured that took her life. There was no way in hell a man of that sort would ever think of being with a doormat like you, let alone move on from the incident because of a teacher that was easily controlled by the students.
.☆°☆•
PRESENT TIME:
"Ah, sorry. We're not on first name basis yet."
"I don't mind!"
You replied a little too quickly, causing him to pause and stare down at you as you mentally beat yourself up over the enthusiasm.
"I mean, I think referring to each other in any other way would be too formal. We're not exactly strangers at this point, are we?"
Two days was all it took to have you over-explaining yourself like a fool to make sure he didn't get the wrong impression of you. Two days, and you were already acting like you guys were friends and he wasn't a stranger.
"We're not that close either."
He responded in that same tone he always used with every student and every teacher. You had never had more of an urge to bury yourself deep into the ground. You hoped the ground would open up and suck you within, that you could hibernate beneath the Earth's surface until the ERPB had finished their duty.
Of course, it'd only been two days. You were closer to strangers than anything else.
"You're right. Sorry, I got ahead of myself..."
You laughed awkwardly, giving him a smile so forced that it made the entire situation much worse. You let the horrifying moment of silence sit between you two before drifting your gaze back to his polished shoes.
"The next time a student speaks out like that to you, don't just stand there and take it."
His advice brought you back to reality as you turned your gaze back up to face him again, expecting him to point it out but not so randomly.
"It wasn't that big of a deal. All he said is that I'm dressing up to impress someone, I don't want to be too harsh on him over a comment."
And also because you knew the student had been completely right. You dressed up for Na Hwa-Jin the last two days. The damn inspector who was uncaring and solely here for the purpose of fulfilling his job.
"It's not one comment though, is it? And it's not only about you, think of all the other girls in this school having to deal with his comments. All the diligent students being disturbed because one couldn't shut his mouth up."
You were silent as you processed his words. He had a point. The reason he'd even earned the name of 'Byun-Tae' around campus was because he would repeatedly disturb every existing female around him. You took in a breath and acknowledged his words with a nod.
"If a teacher won't help her students, then who will? They all rely on you, ____, to be the responsible adult for them."
You let out the breath you were holding until you stopped breathing entirely. There it was, your first name again. You understood what he was saying, you processed the way he said it like he was teaching you a lesson you should've learnt from the beginning, and then you finally heard your name.
"I thought we weren't close enough for first names yet?"
"I changed my mind."
And then he walked off like he hadn't absolutely shattered your heart seconds ago by acting distant then stitched the pieces back up together by acting like that never happened.
That night, your heart decided to stop helping you. You followed the same procedure you always did whenever it decided to turn on you.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Close your eyes.
The first three steps failed entirely, so you skipped over to the last one instead of repeatedly trying again. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn't be able to see anything. Surely, you'd fall asleep naturally.
But when you did, all you could see was him dressed in all black. His perfectly done hair, those wrinkles that looked like they'd been sculpted with loving hands, and his eyes.
Oh, his eyes.
You let out a sigh as your eyes fluttered open again, realizing you were never escaping this mess you had gotten yourself into.
.☆°☆•
THE NEXT DAY:
You thought of the multiple ways you could discipline Tae-Byun today while teaching your class, noticing his absence but assuming it was a result of his habit of constantly being late. A scolding as the first warning, ruler to the hand as the second, standing in the corner of the class as the third, sent to the principal as the fou-
You could barely finish your thoughts when the door to the class was shoved open by the inspector, before he threw inside a disheveled Tae-Byun.
His pants were ripped upto his knees, exposing the rest of his legs. His collar was ripped open, exposing his collarbones. His shoes were barely on, exposing the dirty underside of his clearly unwashed socks. Aside from his appearance, bruises coated the side of his face as if he'd been slapped multiple times, the blood staining his lips matching the shade of lipstick on yours.
"He seemed really interested in your top, so I gave him a similar one. I hope you don't mind."
Hwa-Jin stated with a grin before quickly switching back to his serious look, dragging the student across the floor and to his desk.
Class resumed like normal with no interruptions, but you could feel the inspector's eyes staring at your back as you turned towards the board. It seemed you didn't even have to discipline him for now, not when he was there like some sort of bodyguard.
Once classes ended, Tae-Byun stumbled back home. He avoided his usual route to prevent coming across both you and the inspector. You stood outside your class, mumbling underneath your breath as you fiddled with the bracelet around your wrist, reciting what you'll say when you see him.
He'll be leaving today, now that his lesson had been taught. He'd made sure both you and your terrible student had each learned the value of existing in a school, and the difference in responsibility which was present between a teacher and a student.
"'Thank you, Mr. Inspecto-' Ah, that's way too much. 'I really appreciate what you did for me today, Hwa-Jin'. Geez, I don't think I should call him by his first name. We're not that close anyways."
You sighed again as you tossed your head back against the wall, the deep exhale now a part of your hourly routine whenever you thought of him. You closed your eyes, took in a deep breath, and decided to say whatever came into your mind first.
"Na Hwa-Jin, I'm really glad you were there today. Thank you for the help, and for...teaching me to be a better teacher. I appreciate your advice, I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you for opening my eyes-"
"You could always make it up to me over dinner."
You didn't even want to open your eyes when you heard his voice. You felt like banging your head into the wall until you were out of this reality where he'd heard every single word you'd uttered. 'Opening my eyes', really? You couldn't think of anything better that sounded less like you were worshipping him?
But then you processed his words, and your eyes shot open. He wanted to go to dinner with you? He was asking you out on a date?
"I'm not asking you out."
He clarified as if he could read your mind through your wide eyes. The sudden flutter you'd felt in your stomach died down, only to be brought back as quickly and confusingly.
"I'm asking you to ask me out. Your treat."
What kind of guy even was he? One second, he could be a gentleman fighting off people that dared to disrespect you. Then you take another glance, and he's asking you to pay to take him out on a date and playing difficult with you by purposefully phrasing his sentences in that way.
Oh well, you couldn't care less in this moment. It was too good of an offer to pass up.
"Does barbeque work?"
You asked with a slight smile, removing your reading glasses now that classes were no longer in session. You placed them in your purse as you began walking, knowing well that he was matching your pace beside you.
You didn't know if this would turn into something more, you weren't a fortune teller to predict the future, but you didn't want to either. You wanted to live in this moment, where the two of you were leaving behind the empty school to enjoy barbecue together.
And maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be the last time you saw each other.
