⟶ Chapter summary | He may not be the Prince Charming written in fairy tales, but in your eyes, he seems perfectly yours. Even with many secrets lying between you, a part of you insists to put faith in him, to trust him, even with your secrets. Besides, there is a good reason why fate answered your prayers by allowing you to meet him again, shouldn’t it?
⟶ Title | The Bedroom Hymns: a Bluebeard’s twist
⟶ Pairings | Min Yoongi x female reader
⟶ Genre | Fairy Prince!Yoongi, Crown Princess!reader, Fantasy!AU, Fairy Tale retelling
⟶ Word count | 9,264 words
⟶ Ratings | PG-13, +18 / M for Mature for future chapters; include magic terms, classism, brief mention of slavery, black market, usage of drugs mentioned, hypnotism.
⟶ Story Masterlist: The Bedroom Hymns | ⤎ previous chapter | next chapter ⇢
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chapter xxiii. serendipity-3
The sun has finally gone out. The bright sky is now painted in vibrant colours of blue, faded teal, and purple as dusk slowly melts into night. Up above, the stars are beginning to show their presence, looking like pixie dust spreading into the night.
Once the pixies welcomed Yoongi into their circle, he was sat down by the curious pixies to endure the same questioning as you had.
“Where did you come from?”
“How did you cross the border?”
“Is that a real sword? Is it heavy? Have you ever hurt anyone with it? Have you ever hurt yourself?”
“Your hair is so soft. What did you put in it?”
You had to hold back a smile while he went through it, yet your own curiosity rose when Yoongi visibly tensed and surprised when he heard Illyn asking, “Did you also walk past the fairy portal in the woods?”
It didn’t take long for the pixies to lose interest in Yoongi, however, as fireflies began to come out of their hiding once it grew dark and caught their attention. Seems like they have yet to run out of energy, even after playing the whole day and the entire afternoon, as they are now busy chasing the fireflies and slipping between the thickening white mist rising around the riverbank. The sound of their joyful giggles echoes through the evening as you join Yoongi on a stroll along the length of the river, spending the last hour that you have left before you have to run home.
The thought of having to say goodbye when you barely have enough time to share with Yoongi saddens you. Yet you try to make the best of it. You don’t even resist when Yoongi insists on holding your hand when he helps you jump across a small puddle, and you say nothing when he still keeps your hand in his as you slowly make your way back towards the elven town.
“It feels really peaceful here, doesn’t it?” you muse with a sigh as you look up beyond the canopy of leaves above your head, marvelling at the colours showing in the sky—colours you wouldn’t normally see back home—and the sparkle of stars now filling the sky.
Far ahead of you, just beyond the tree line, the elven town lights up. Golden lights emerge through the open windows, lanterns hanging from the houses and on the small roads illuminate the rest of the town, and each sparkle of light is reflected on the waterfall that gleams brighter in the night.
“Aren’t you afraid of the dark?” Yoongi asks, almost teasingly, “There is barely any light here, under the trees, and starlight can’t really reach us once we get deeper into the woods.”
You glance around, seeing the contrasting sight of the dark forest filled with nothing but unmoving shadows against the brightening town. Before, it would have been daunting for you to travel into these woods, when the only colours you’d see are the white mist crawling on the ground and the fog forming from your breath. But after the chilling darkness and the daunting sights you find during your previous trips, this kind of darkness doesn’t incite any uneasiness rushing through your skin.
The cold breeze doesn’t make you shiver. The cricket sounds echoing from the riverbanks, the faint night birdsong, and the echoes of the giggling and humming sounds of the pixies only give you a sense of calmness. Yoongi’s gentle hold on your hand and his warm presence make you feel secure enough to stare into the darkness and walk through it.
“No, I’m not afraid,” you simply answer him with a smile. “Compared to where I’ve been lately, this place feels more like heaven. And what should I worry about when I have you here with me?”
Yoongi lowers his eyes as he draws his bottom lip between his teeth. “Have you missed me while I was gone?”
“No. Not really,” the lie easily slips out of your lips, and the corners of his lips rise to a smile.
A deep chuckle escapes him, causing your heartbeat to trip. Air slowly leaves your lungs as he gently opens his eyes, showing you the deep gaze which haunts your thoughts whether you are in slumber or when you are awake. “You look pretty even when you lie,” he whispers with a low voice.
Turning away from him, you take a deep, long breath. You have no idea if the heat rising on your cheeks came from his words or the way he is looking at you. “You always speak as you please.”
“Yet I’m not the one who is lying,” he replies, and you can almost hear his smile before your eyes find him again. “That’s me saying that I don’t believe you. Not for one second.”
Your cheeks are flushed, his words become a spell that makes your heart race and your hope bloom like wildflowers. And then the feeling is made worse when you turn to face Yoongi, capturing the deep longing in his gaze which mirrors yours perfectly that your words begin to spill out. “And if I tell you that I missed you, what would you do?”
His chest rises with a sharp breath. The intense look in his gaze makes it hard for you to breathe and you cannot understand why. “I will cherish it,” he says, his voice sounding firm and sure that you find no reason to be doubtful. “The thought of you thinking about me in my absence brings me joy like no other.”
Your throat feels dry. Your heart feels like it is about to jump out of your chest the first chance it gets.
“Always so charming with your words.”
A ghost of a smile appears on his face, and then it is gone. “Yet none of it is a lie.”
“I believe you,” you whisper with a sigh, and you mean it. because you can see it—you can feel it—simply by looking into his eyes. For a moment, you find it hard to look away. You despise ever thinking about having to look at other things but his face, to even look away from his eyes that are sometimes more honest than his words.
But then the sound of wild giggles seems to be coming closer, the fluttering movements of the pixies entering the trees break the spell forming between you, and Yoongi is the one to give in first with a smile.
“Now, shall we enjoy the rest of the evening? Maybe see what they are up to now before I send you home?”
Home.
The thought of having to walk away from this place, from him, is eating you from the inside. Yet you try to push it down, silently hoping—praying—that this wouldn’t be the last evening that you would be spending with him.
“All right. Lead the way.”
Yoongi is left astonished at what is happening at this moment.
Right before his eyes, the pixies are dancing and singing together, giving the two of you a show in an opening they found in the middle of the forest. Here, the moonlight is shining brightly from above, as if creating a special stage for them to perform their little celebration. And you are standing right beside him, enjoying this view together with him, with your hand entwined with his and shoulder brushing against his as you gently sway to the song the pixies are singing.
He secretly steals a glance at your face without you realising it. He wants to commit this moment to his memory; the look of awe on your face as you watch the pixies dancing before you; your eyes that are glowing with amusement and pure joy; the delicate way your fingers seem to sink into his palm, as if they belong there.
For the first time after quite some time, Yoongi feels at ease. Perhaps being with you helps, feeling your presence nearby and the touch of your hand in his becoming his anchor.
For the past week, he felt as if his life was going out of control. But with you, he feels like everything is slowly falling into place, and he simply wants to hold on to everything before it slips away from his hold.
Smiling, Yoongi turns his attention back to the pixies. The song they are singing seems to rouse a peculiar sensation within him. It fills him with joy and—amusingly—raw pleasure that he had only ever felt from drinking the strongest ales created by the hands of the moon fairies of Emburn.
He shouldn’t be surprised to feel this kind of sensation simply by listening to the pixies’ tune. He has learned quite a lot about pixies after his previous journeys and his various close encounters with beings of their kind. Many may not have known this, but their magic dust isn’t the only thing that is special about the pixies. The song they sing, the tune and the words they hum, are said to be magical, acting like a spell to incite various sensations within other beings—mostly humans, as they are the most vulnerable beings against magic.
As he continues to watch their performance and feels as if he is no longer carrying unwanted weight on his shoulders, his troubles forgotten and feeling only hope blooming in his chest, Yoongi wonders if the song that they are singing is the kind of spell that only brings joy. The kind that often causes dream-like experiences for other beings like himself, and others like you.
Needing this escape, Yoongi allows himself to relish this feeling for a moment longer, to enjoy this moment with you, before he begins worrying about other matters.
One of which is trying to make things right with you, when his lack of presence as of late may have placed him a few steps behind from what he wanted to achieve by following you through the portals. All he wanted was to become closer, not to feel as if you were a world apart from him even when you are right beside him.
He wanted to win your trust, and perhaps one day, he can win your heart. But how would he be able to do so if he kept missing from your life whenever you needed him?
“Forgive me for not being able to join you during your previous trips. I had somewhere else to be, and not one of my excursions ever led me to your path.” Yoongi says as he walks beside you, continuing your stroll along the river once he can sense that your time here is slowly coming to an end.
You and Yoongi have left the pixies behind you, still enjoying their time partying in the forest with more and more other pixies joining in to form a bigger circle. The last time Yoongi turned to glance over his shoulder, the pixies’ dancing had become so intense that he began seeing golden dust sparkling all around them, their rapid dancing and the spells they were singing brought together magic pixie dust to illuminate the forest around them.
Those pixie dust have now scattered all over the gravelled pathway before him, as the wined pixie kept floating across to drop the magical dust to help light up the way, allowing the two of you to see clearly through the darkening woods.
Muted golden glow from the magic dust spreads all around him, the lights reflecting perfectly on your face that Yoongi cannot look away. In his eyes, you look as if you are walking among the stars, up there in the night sky, and he is floating with you like a shadow, protecting you from the night.
He has pictured this moment many times before, when he was walking down the royal garden or through the halls within the Imperial Palace, wishing that you were by his side. Wishing that he was spending time with you instead of with the bratty princess who was more than happy to play along with the Empress’ ploy in keeping him back home. Now that this is finally happening, it seems hard for his mind to accept that this is his reality and not just a figment of his imagination, his wishful thinking playing tricks on him to make him believe that this is real.
“I—wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to see you today, to be honest,” Yoongi painfully admits, while recalling how hard it was for him to escape from the palace today.
It was his own fault for getting him in such a situation, after all.
He shouldn’t have traded the dance that he wanted so badly to avoid with a promise. A promise that he regretted the moment he stepped into the royal garden, when he realised too late that he had made a deal with the wrong force.
What Yoongi had imagined to be a swift affair, a simple afternoon tea to appease the royal brat of a princess where all he had to do was sit and act nice while she gushed and gossiped about life within the empire, had turned out to be everything that was not.
The entire encounter had instead turned mostly peculiar.
Princess Celestyna has always worn the facade of a coy and almost naive and child-like, just like any other sheltered and spoiled princess he has ever met. But this afternoon, as she sat at the table set up for their little ‘date’, the princess had shed her entire facade and worn a new persona. Her presence emitted arrogance and an eerie calmness that made him feel uneasy. He was just about to call everything off when the princess dropped a bomb on him.
“I know that this is the last place you would rather be, Your Highness,” she said to him between taking dainty sips of her tea, with a gaze that carried a peculiar look to which Yoongi felt cautious. But then his blood ran cold when she added, “Do you know the real reason why I followed my father to visit your empire and meet the Empress? You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The air is changing. You cannot tell me you have no idea what, or who is causing it.”
Realisation dawned in Yoongi back then, just as everything that he noticed about the realm upon his return came back to him; the turbulence he felt welcoming him home in waves; the stillness in the air; and the imbalance of magic.
Before Yoongi could process things further, or inquire the princess about the secrets that she seemed to be offering him, he felt the ripple of magic rising at the back of his mind. It was subtle enough so that he knew he would be the only one who could feel it, and he immediately knew that it was the moment you stepped into a portal.
Yoongi was caught between staying, accepting the princess’s olive branch, and the fear of losing the chance to see you again, so for a moment, he nearly faltered. But his wish to see you again prevailed. He felt your presence calling for him, pulling at his soul, and it gave him the willpower to walk away and race through the portal to catch up with you.
“You won’t be able to keep running, Your Highness,” the princess called out to him just as Yoongi began to walk away, “You can try to avoid me as much as you want to or deny what must happen for as long as you can, but you must know that you won’t be able to change anything.”
Yoongi shakes his head, shaking away the memory of the unpleasant encounter from his mind. He hates that even now, when he is supposed to be enjoying his time with you, that second princess of the Kosha Empire still dares to invade his mind—just like how she has been trying to invade his entire life.
“It wasn’t easy, and I debated if I should risk making this trip at the last minute, when I still had my duties ahead of me,” he says with a grim smile on his face as the memory of Princess Celestyna’s cunning smile comes and goes. “But in the end, I am glad that I chose to listen to my gut and risk everything for a chance to see you again.”
The smile that you give him alleviates his guilt. Only slightly.
But it is still the same smile that he has been longing to see. So much so that he has been seeing it in his dreams that he suddenly feels the urge to pinch himself just to make sure that this isn’t another dream, taunting him with your presence only to take you away from him so soon.
“And here you are, right when I was just wondering if I should walk away sooner than planned,” you respond to him, much to his relief. A part of him was expecting to see your growing distrust of him, and yet your words hold no adversity in them that it makes him feel almost undeserving of your kindness.
“I am beginning to believe this matter of fate that you spoke of so often, seeing that you were able to find me despite how busy you’ve been.” A soft chuckle slips out of your lips. “I’m amazed that you managed to find me at all.”
Pain pierces through him as he returns your smile. He feels bitter about the fact that he had been the one who spoke of fate intertwining your lives together and yet has become the one defying fate itself. He cannot stop feeling as if he has failed you, and he knows that this feeling will continue to haunt him each time he remembers the disappointed look in your eyes looking back at him.
And he knows that he will disappoint you further by not being able to share his secrets, even if only to answer your curiosity.
“Is it another mercenary work that’s been keeping you away?” you innocently question him, and Yoongi can only bite back his tongue. In a way, it wouldn’t be too off the mark, since he did use his mercenary work as an excuse to stay out of the imperial palace from time to time, or when he needed a break from the Empress’ plot of keeping him close to their royal guests.
It was safer for him to use the mercenary army as an excuse rather than using the magic portals, with the chances of having the Empress planting an eye around him.
“Perhaps,” he sighs, “you can say that.” He hates not being able to tell you the truth, but he also has no way of confessing that his lack of presence in your expeditions has been caused by another. With a tight smile on his face, Yoongi turns to ask you, “Have you been travelling well lately?”
For a moment, you look quite reluctant to answer. At first, Yoongi simply takes it as your hesitance about sharing the secrets behind the magic that you are using. But instead, you choose to share something completely unexpected.
“Not that much, actually. I have been—unwell,” you slowly admit. “After the last time we met in Grimm, I was left bedridden for quite a while.”
His brows rise. “How so?” he asks, feeling uneasy.
Pressing your lips together, you shrug at him. “It seems that I have been using up my mana due to my travelling.”
“Do you mean to say that your means of travel has been draining your mana?” Yoongi asks. His surprise almost caused him to make a slip-up, to show you that he knows by which way you have been travelling to different places.
Thankfully, you don’t seem to notice it as you continue walking. “It may seem so”—a touch of a smile flickers on your face—”although it is just a personal assumption that I made up, seeing that it happened after I came back from travelling.” You stop for a moment, thinking. “Actually, now that I think about it, this kind of exhaustion only happened when I went across to places within Far Far Away.”
Yoongi falls silent as he ponders over this. He cannot figure out why the same magic that empowers him—and one that he has learned to understand and control since he was just a young boy—would be reacting differently towards you. While this explains the reason behind your recent absence, he cannot say that he takes any pleasure in knowing.
Perhaps it would have been better to hear that you had encountered something else getting in the way of you using the portals. Anything else but having your well-being and your safety having been compromised to be the reason for it.
“You never felt the same when you were travelling back to Smotia?”
You consider it for a moment before shaking your head. “Hmmm, I don’t recall that I have. I always felt tired, but it wasn’t as bad as it has been lately.” You stop, furrowing your brows, before turning to him. “Do you think—”
“What?”
Gnawing your lips, you shake your head gently before sharing your thoughts. “It’s just something that I thought of,” you begin to say, still hesitant. “What if, the—magic that I’m using to travel is feeding off my mana?” You turn to him. “Can something like that happen?”
“You mean, it’s using your mana like fuel?” Yoongi asks, raising his brows.
You slowly nod. “Like what oil does to a lamp, or food to humans.”
Humming to himself, Yoongi recalls everything that he has learned about the magic portals. To think of any possible side effects or the possibility of it not taking its powers from the moon—as expected of these types of portals—but from its user instead. Yet he comes up with nothing. Because nothing similar to this has ever happened. Not to him, and certainly not to the Emperor, who used to travel merely through the portals to deal with the empire’s business.
But the truth is, he simply never heard of it.
A random thought suddenly crosses Yoongi’s mind just then.
“In theory, it can happen,” he cautiously says, just as he remembers something that he once learned about magic.
Any form of magic requires a price. A sacrifice is needed to be made to pay for any magic that is pulled out of the realm, used and cast by whoever is summoning them. For the type of magic as strong as the fairy portals, a sacrifice must be made. The Ancient moon fairies, however, had found a way to resolve this.
By borrowing power from the moon, the fairies obtaining the skill to create, open, and use the portals would no longer need to sacrifice a thing. Only to then repay all the powers lent to them by the moon by celebrating the rites during the Runea Luna Eve. This is how it’s been done for centuries, until Yoongi was given the keys to the magic portals.
But could this really be the reason?
Yoongi wonders as he looks at you. Since you are not a fairy such as himself, nor you were born with a fairy blood or a direct connection to the moon, using the magic which belonged to his kind may require you to pay for it with something else. Something valuable.
Your mana. A piece of your heart. Your—lifespan.
Yoongi fists his hands by his side. “Have you talked about this with anyone else?”
“Well, yes.” The crease between your brows deepens, and then you mutter, “Okay, maybe not.” A beat of silence passes, before you correct yourself, “Not really.”
Yoongi says nothing, only that he knows now that you have yet to share your secret with anyone else. No one knows about her using the portals, he muses, surprised with what he just learned. He shouldn’t feel relieved about it, since that only means that you have no one by your side to guide you through it.
But if you still have nobody to talk to about this, if you are still keeping this a secret, then this means he can use this to strengthen the bond he has with you. To gain your trust that has become so fragile from his own doing.
Cocking your head, you innocently ask him, “What are you thinking?”
Yoongi grabs your hand instead of answering directly. He still has to work on finding out the truth about this side-effect before slowly revealing the truth about the portal—that he knows more about it than he is letting on, and that he and his family are the ones behind it. He needs to make sure that you trust him enough before he can.
Because revealing the origin of the portal you are using might risk him losing your trust. It might risk him losing the only link he has to the Wicked King.
“I’m just wondering,” he says, as he begins rubbing circles on the back of your hand with his thumb, drawing shivers through your skin, “you mentioned before that this is all new for you. That you are still getting used to your new life in Far Far Away.”
He stops to wait until you respond with a nod before he continues, “Even without having to use magic, travelling within this realm itself can be draining, and you still can’t fully access your magic to begin with.” Looking down at the ground covered in pixie dust, Yoongi points at the glowing lights. “Take a look at how the scattered magic dust is covering the dark, hard ground beneath. Look at it as the realm we are standing in.”
You turn to look at the sparkling magic dust and keep your eyes on it while Yoongi keeps speaking, “There are layers and layers of mana in this realm which—depending on which part of the land you are—may require different levels of mana within yourself to withstand it. For you to be able to ride the energy flow that is present all around you when you are stepping into a new territory.”
Yoongi smiles as he senses you growing more at ease, and that you seem to understand what he is trying to say. “With your magic still restrained, you haven’t been able to put your raw mana to use. At the very least, not in its full potential.”
Your gaze finds his after hearing this, which encourages Yoongi to continue, “So it’s quite possible that your body was weakened due to the insufficient amount of mana you had to boost the power of the magic. And it if had instead begun to feed on your life energy, that might explain why you experience fatigue and why it took longer for your mana to recover.”
An understanding look fills your eyes. “That would make sense,” you mutter softly, and Yoongi can almost hear the wheels in your head turning. He can hear the questions that you have before you even think of voicing them out loud. He knows that—despite your lack of experience with magic—you are smart enough to understand things quickly.
Right when you are about to speak, to question him further—to force him to tell you everything about the portals—Yoongi cuts you off with his own question, “What about your latest trips? I thought you said you had been going back to back while I was away? How are you feeling now?”
Finding out that you are experiencing some side effects from the portals made him feel wary, and it worries him more when he thinks about the constant waves of magic reaching out to him and he was never there. “You know, some people might think that it would be better to avoid anything that was harmful to them,” he tries to joke, “and yet you decided to jump right back into it again the moment you had the chance.”
A grin lifts on the corner of your lips. “You got me,” you softly laugh. “I suppose my curiosity got the better of me. In a way, I wanted to test my theory, and—” You stop for a moment as you recall the past few days—the days that Yoongi would have loved to hear more about in detail—and then shrug a little. “You can say that the circumstances made it hard for me to avoid going on those trips.”
Your gaze flicks back to him. “I might say that fate pointed out the way and I simply followed.” Yoongi returns your smile. “But things are different now.”
“Different? In what way?”
You make a humming sound as you answer, “I’ve been training. Someone—one of my guardians—offered to help me practice controlling my mana, even if I can’t really use it to expel magic.” Yoongi cannot help but smile as you share this. He loves seeing how proud you look, simply from thinking about what you have achieved on your own. The look of excitement for overcoming a challenge and getting yourself ready to try facing another.
“Do you think your training has been helping you, seeing that you are doing quite alright now even after—how busy you’ve been?”
“I’m not quite sure, really,” you admit with a nervous smile, “That’s also why I’ve been waiting to see you. What do you think? Do you reckon my progress may have anything to do with how I’m not sick right now?”
Yoongi considers the option for a moment before nodding. “It might,” he cautiously says, “By having control of your mana, you might have been able to inadvertently prevent your mana from being drained completely while you had your expeditions.”
This answer seems to please you. “Of course, I am not an expert in this type of magic,” he quickly says before you get your hopes up. And it is not a complete lie, as there are real experts back home at Emburn who study this old magic properly that would know better than he does now. And he quickly makes it his mission to find them once he returns. ”I can try and help you look for answers if that can help you.”
Your smile widens. And he suddenly feels like his chest is too tight for his beating heart. “Would you do that for me?” you ask, to which he feels his knees weakening beneath him that he comes to a halt, bringing you close to him as he pulls you gently towards him.
“Anything, little dove,” he murmurs as he gently leans closer. “Even if only to make up for my recent absence and the days that went on without us being able to enjoy our time like this.”
Yoongi is so close. You are so close that he can breathe in the scent of your shampoo and the soft fragrance that you might have dropped onto the curves of your neckline this morning—something sweet and floral and maddeningly luscious—that his entire body grows warm. Before he can stop himself, his hand rises, fingers gently sweeping back some stray strands of hair that keep escaping to your cheek, and your face flushes.
Clearing your throat, you lower your gaze with a bashful smile. “Speaking of places with mana,” you softly speak, a hint of shyness flutters in your voice which pleases him dearly when you ask, “Have you been to a place called Aeris?”
Swallowing hard, Yoongi tries to calm his expression when he answers. “I’ve been there many times. Some of the merchants and barons that have hired me are those who deal with businesses in both realms, that’s why I frequently go to marketplaces like Narlès and Aeris.” He inclines his head. “Why do you ask?”
“Have you been there recently?” you question him, gnawing your lips as if you aren’t sure to ask.
“Not that I recall, no. I’ve been going to places where people were dealing with various crisis, and I have yet to visit any marketplaces lately.”
You try to hide it, but Yoongi can see a hint of disappointment in your eyes. “I see.”
Yoongi falls silent instead of questioning further. Because he knows why you would ask him about Aeris.
He was unable to leave the Imperial Palace when he felt you visiting the Mage City, so he had to send out the only one he trusted to go in his place and watch over you, making sure that you were safe. Yet it seems that Yijeong has failed to report back to him to let him know that you had caught him, or perhaps felt his presence while shadowing you through the city.
That fool.
Swallowing a frustrated groan, Yoongi reminds himself to be grateful. Despite his recklessness and his lack of trust in you, Yijeong has been there when Yoongi couldn’t. His loyal friend has continued volunteering to take his place, jumping into the magic portal whenever the ripples came calling for Yoongi to follow, all to be able to watch over you and keep you safe while Yoongi was stuck in the Empress’ little ploy.
From the mage city of Aeris to the legendary E’l Alora, the ancient place that is no longer shown on any kind of map, and then to the fallen city of Arselon, where mortals are no longer welcomed after they became casualties of war.
Yoongi cannot imagine what kind of adventures you have been to. Not even Yijeong’s reports were adequate in letting him know what you’ve learned from these expeditions of yours. How much he wishes to be there to witness it. And how inadequate it makes him feel to realise how much he has missed.
“The next time we meet again,” Yoongi gently says, “Tell me everything about your latest journey.”
The smile you give him holds hope and promise. “As long as you share me yours.”
As soon as you’ve made it across the bridge with Yoongi, you come to a halt, hesitant to continue.
You can feel it from a distance; the ripples of magic coming out of the portal, waiting for your return, hidden deep between the trees.
Silently, you wonder if Yoongi can feel it too. For some reason, you know that he can feel it, but he chooses not to show it. Not to say anything. Respecting your need to hold your secret just a bit longer until you can trust him completely with it.
Judging from the way he isn’t making any move to continue, he is respecting your choice by not following you through the woods unless you allow him to.
But keeping your secret and preventing him from following you to find the opened portal is the least of your concerns at this moment. You hate having to say goodbye so soon when you just met him again. Your time together has been too short, you feel like it wasn’t enough.
Yoongi tilts his head, noticing your silence. “Is there something wrong?” he asks, as if he can sense you having an inner battle in your silence.
“I don’t want to say goodbye so soon,” you admit with a quiet whisper.
“Then don’t,” Yoongi says, smiling. “Don’t say goodbye. Not when we’re going to see each other again.”
“Is that true? Will we be able to see each other again?” You cannot help but ask, “I’ve believed that we would, but—”
Taking your hand in his, Yoongi gives it a gentle squeeze. “I promise, whenever you make the jump to travel somewhere, to a new place across the realm or even towards the next realm, I’ll come running to you,” he says with a firm voice, only that you are too afraid to believe him, to hope, after being disappointed the last few times you went and never found yourself crossing paths with him.
“Don’t say such promises as if it is something that you are capable of doing,” you whisper bitterly, looking away.
Still keeping a gentle hold of your hand, Yoongi tilts your chin up with his other hand, bringing your gaze back to him. “As I’ve told you many times before, little dove. I wouldn’t dare make a promise that I’m not sure I can keep,” he whispers as he plays with a few stray strands of your hair before tucking them behind your ear. Just like before, when he did the same and the tips of his fingers brushed lightly against your cheek, your body shudders. Your skin grows hot, and you sway on your feet, your body leaning towards him to feel more.
Your eyes flutter to close as you embrace this feeling, yet you quickly open them again, resisting, only so you can look at him longer. But then his face comes closer, almost as if he is leaning for a kiss. “Can you keep that promise?” you force yourself to ask, even when your voice comes out small, almost breathless. “Can you really find a way to know where I am the next time I walk across the realm and be there when I make the jump?”
Yoongi says nothing at first. But the intense way he is looking at you, with no words, only with a gaze that seems tortured, as if he is pained for not being able to say much seems to speak louder than his words would.
“How? How would you be able to do such a thing?”
Instead of answering you, Yoongi only smiles. “Why don’t we make a little deal, you and me?” Yoongi offers instead, “I will tell you the next time we see each other again. Better yet, each time we meet again, I will share with you one secret of mine for you to keep. Something more about myself.”
Sucking a deep breath, you try to calm the flutter building in your chest. And fail. “Promise?” Your voice comes out in a whisper. “And I—” You continue, feeling your throat tightening when you think about all the things you can offer to make this fair. You want to give something back. A piece of you to every piece of himself that he is willing to give you.
Bringing your hand up, you offer him your pinky finger. “Then I’ll share something about myself too when we see each other again.”
Looking up close, Yoongi’s eyes seem to sparkle. Intrigued and pleased, Yoongi’s smile deepens as he entwines his pinky finger around yours and murmurs, “It’s a promise.”
Neither of you makes a move to separate, remaining in this position just a bit longer, staying close with his eyes staring deeply into yours. For a moment, you wonder if he is going to kiss you, as he slowly bends down, his face growing closer, until he suddenly stops with a hesitant smile. “Until we meet again,” he says instead, kissing the back of your hand.
You are filled with a mix of emotions, yet the touch of his lips on your skin makes your heart flutter, soaring with hope.
“Remember,” he whispers, “All you need to do is jump, and I’ll come running to you.”
Despite everything, you know deep down that you can hold onto this promise. You want to believe him, and that is exactly what you say to him in the end before you finally decide to part ways just beyond the last line of trees.
“Will you be okay crossing the woods on your own?” Yoongi asks, still reluctant to let you go into the woods.
“I have my dagger with me, and I know how to defend myself,” you reassure him, and his gaze flickers with knowing, believing that you are telling him the truth. “If all fails, I’ll scream for help.”
Yoongi softly laughs. “I’ll be here,” he says, as he slides his hands into his pockets, as if he is doing so to hold back from reaching out to you. “At least until you make it across.”
You leave him standing by the bridge as you trudge into the thickets, his warm smile becomes the last thing you see when you look over your shoulder one last time, before slipping deeper into the woods and entering the magic portal waiting to take you home. You close your eyes for a brief moment when the magic engulfs you, pulling you through the space in between before you arrive back home. The force of the magic is so strong, that you barely feel it when another ripple of magic follows your departure, coming from somewhere nearby, right before the magic door closes behind you.
The moment you open your eyes again, you are standing in the middle of the quiet corridor back in Stargrave. There is an emptiness in your chest as you walk further away from the ghostly feeling of the magic portal slowly waning behind you as you slowly make your way back to your bedchamber, yet you find no reason to feel any sorrow as you stroll down the empty hallways and into your silent quarter.
Because you've arrived back home not all empty-handed. Not when you have the warmth of a promise filling your heart, the ghost of Yoongi’s touch lingering in your palm, and five pouches of pixie dust in the pocket of your dress.
The day after your last trip, where you got to visit the home of elves and pixies, you remain in the castle instead of allowing your curiosity to take you away once again.
Your father’s keys are secured safely in one of the drawers inside your bedchamber. Out of sight, though not entirely out of mind.
“Take a day off from travelling, especially since you’ve been travelling more frequently as of late,” Yoongi had suggested yesterday, right before you parted ways, right after you made him so obviously worry about your well-being after you shared your recent predicament.
And you have chosen to follow his advice. To preserve your energy and mana until the next time you will be needing it again. Until the next time you see him again.
“And where will you be while I’m gone? Back to your mercenary business?”
Yoongi had given you a tight smile when you asked. Yet his eyes were filled with resolve when he answered, “Perhaps I shall handle my business to make sure they will no longer be in the way of me catching up to you.”
With no plans on escaping the confines of the castle, you spend your afternoon at the terrace on Nanny Abigail’s quarter for some afternoon tea with your governess. It has been a while since you spent some time with her without any agenda hidden under your sleeves—or hers.
Being here also means keeping you away from any possibility of you straying down vacant hallways in the castle and finding cryptic doors with humming spells enchanting you to open.
“It’s quite remarkable to think that on the same day you spent the hour of your dancing lesson stubbing your toes one too many times, you spent the rest of the afternoon sparring with the knights,” Nanny Abigail lifts her eyes from her tea and runs her gaze on your body, perusing briefly before commenting, “and without any injuries on your skin.”
You look up, forcing a smile as you resist the urge to admit that you did gain some injuries. But you choose not to say anything, lest you are to be forced to explain everything. Or worse, to risk causing an innocent royal knight to take the blame.
“How did you find out?” You ask her instead while keeping your voice calm.
Nanny Abigail presses her lips together. A look of displeasure is written all over her face. “Words travel fast in this place. The maids here keep curious eyes on the Princess who had been kept away from the only home she ever knew and is struggling to adjust in this new place,” she says with a wistful tone of voice, as if she has grown tired of the gossips, until she adds, “And those words always come back to me.”
“No wonder I felt like I was constantly being watched.” With an exaggerated sigh, you shake your head and mutter, “And here I thought it was all you.”
Eyebrows raised, Nanny Abigail looks at you with an unamused look on her face. “You think I planted a spy on you?”
You give her a sly grin as you shrug. “Wouldn’t be too surprised if you had. You’ve always seemed to have many eyes looking at me even when you are not around.”
Your governess narrows her eyes at you as she murmurs almost to herself, “Perhaps it’s time I should put a spy on you to make sure you behave like a princess for once.”
The bitter way she says it only makes you laugh, which draws a smile to her face. A fleeting sight to see, that you almost believe you are imagining things, until you hear the sound of her soft chuckle, laughing at her own joke. She expertly hides it behind her cup of tea, keeping her poise as always.
“May I ask you something?” you carefully ask her when a thought comes through your mind. Something has been weighing in your mind lately, and seeing that your governess seems to be in a light mood—enough for her to joke around with you—you figure this might as well be the right time to bring this up.
Nanny Abigail lifts her eyebrows and hums. “I don’t suppose it will stop you from trying if I refuse.”
You roll your eyes. “Glad to know you think so highly of me,” you tease, once again drawing a small smile from her. You take a deep breath before asking, “How well did you know my mother?”
At the mention of your mother, Nanny Abigail’s shoulders grow stiff. She quickly recovers and straightens up as she slowly lowers her cup. She clears her throat before answering, “Well enough to see parts of her in you each time I’m looking at you. It’s like seeing a reflection of her when I look at your face, or listen to you speak.”
Her gaze finds you. The joy in her eyes dims and softens when a smile comes to her face. A smile that is filled with melancholy and a familiar sense of longing. “Might be why it doesn’t surprise me when you are always up to something whenever no one is looking.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Nanny Abigail sighs. “The Queen, your mother, has always been just as mischievous as you are. She has always been like that since she was a child. Always so curious, always questioning and looking for answers, even if it’s the most impossible ones to find.”
You cannot help but smile as you hear this. “How did that go with my father?”
“His Majesty was always worried about her, but what can he do?” she says, waving her hand dismissively. “Not even the most strict rules can stop her from going out to see the world.”
Your back straightens. You have learned from Lord Gordan that you may have some similarities with your mother. You never expected to even share this with her. “She was a traveller.”
Nanny Abigail looks at you, smiling. “And a scholar,” she adds. “That was her true power.” She briefly halts, thinking, before adding, “Well, one of them. Her curiosity is one, and her knowledge is the other. But the most important one that she obtained over the years would be her courage. The one thing that kept pushing her to find more and more knowledge, no matter where and how.”
“This castle is full of books,” you muse, recalling how much the royal library had amazed you the first time you entered it. And it seems that you keep finding more and more books—all the rare ones that have often helped answer your questions—the more you explore deeper. “Was it because my mother loved to learn?”
“Yes, it was. Your mother’s always so fond of books,” Nanny Abigail says with a fond look in her eyes. “I believe she also kept a journal with her. A small notebook where she would keep the things she found and learned through her journeys.”
The conversation halts for a moment as Nanny Abigail pours some more tea into the cups, while your mind wanders. “How did she travel?” you find yourself asking, wondering, to which Nanny Abigail merely scoffs.
“Heavens know. She always had her secrets,” she answers with a soft chuckle. “Mostly, she would disappear hours into the day and come back once evening comes. Sometimes later, looking weary and excited at the same time from whatever adventure she got herself on.”
Furrowing your brows, you think about what she mentioned earlier. “The journal. Have you ever seen it? Have you ever read what she wrote in it?”
Nanny Abigail presses her lips and shakes her head. “No, she used to keep it to herself. Kept it hidden in her bedchamber.” Her gaze seems far away when she continues, “But she would talk about her day as she was writing about it. Sometimes she would do sketches. She would draw the places, the people she met, and the things she saw into these rough sketches for her to keep in her memory, but never once had she ever shown me anything she put down in that journal.”
Talking about your mother and the things they used to do back then brings another smile to her face. And she talks as if the memory is still fresh, that everything is happening in the present instead of the past, that you can almost see it through her eyes, to feel your mother’s presence the way Nanny Abigail is feeling it now. “Besides, even if I ever got a peek at her writing, I wouldn’t have understood it,” she adds.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Your mother’s quite adept with languages. She grew up speaking the language of the elves, and she was learning the native language of the moon fairies when she first began writing in that journal.” Her sigh is filled with longing when she continues, “She left a page on her desk once, something that looked like a letter that fell from the journal. She was quick to hide it, but I remember not recognising the language or the letters that she used. I couldn’t even read her scribbles, since she wrote them so quickly. Perhaps she had done it while on the road.”
She laughs. “I think it’s her way of keeping all the information she wrote a secret, only for certain people to be able to read them.”
You lean forward, getting more and more curious about this journal that your mother had allegedly carried with her. “Do you know where it is now?” you try to ask. “Or is it—is it lost with most of her belongings?”
Nanny Abigail only answers with a resigned sigh. “No one knows. The Queen holds her secrets deeply, even in her absence.” Her gaze finds yours as she raises her cup of tea to her lips. “Just like you do.”
A beat of silence falls. The wheels in your head are turning wildly as you try to connect all the dots. The places you’ve been. The words that were given to you by the people you met.
But then all the puzzling clues you have gathered in your memory scatter when Nanny Abigail suddenly chastises you, “Of all the things you could have been doing in your free time, why did it have to be a sword fight?”
Scoffing, you raise your brows at her. “Are you wishing that I’d be doing embroideries instead?”
“Well, you could need some more work on that, for sure,” she teases, making you laugh.
“Hah! Very funny,” you respond with a chuckle. “But really, I was—” Sighing, you decide to share some truth about what has been troubling you. “I was bored, and I was getting too soft.”
Nanny Abigail gives you an incredulous look. “From dancing?”
“From the lack of physical training,” you bitterly admit, “I don’t think Lord Gordan is brazen enough to defy my father in terms of giving me lessons in fighting.”
You hear Nanny Abigail sighing as she mutters, “As if you still need one.”
“You are good at dancing and yet you still practice when you have the chance.”
Your governess looks at you, saying nothing, but you can tell that she is silently agreeing with you. But the world will end if she ever admits it to your face. “So,” she says after sipping her tea. “Did you win?”
Your lips twist to a sly grin. “What do you think?”
One hour later, you find yourself returning to your quarters after a lazy afternoon. Your bedchamber is quiet, yet your mind is almost as lively as the rapid sound of your heartbeat as you reach for your dresser. Opening the top drawer, you find the set of keys gifted by your father. The magic keys cast silver and golden glow across the drawers and onto your face, the spell hums through the quiet space around you, as if asking why you haven’t reached for them today.
Yet your gaze moves past them, landing on the small bundle that you had carried home with you from the fallen city of Arselon.
You slowly reach for it, lifting the bundle in your hand with precise care—as if the thing will crumble into dust under your fingers. The bundle felt small when Gaia first handed it to you, enough for you to slip it under your cloak when you took it home. With gentle fingers, you pry open the velvet fabric covering it, revealing three small items bound together by a thick, white thread.
The first item is a key; made of steel and mostly covered in rust, reminding you of the iron gate leading towards the forbidden part of the royal garden that you have yet to travel into.
The second is an old folded map; with an inscription on the front cover written in one of the native languages you have been learning from Lady Laurel. Elven tongue.
But what intrigues you the most is the third item. Weighing down on your palm is a small notebook. Small enough to fit in the small sling bag that you often carry with you when you are travelling or into the side pocket of your coat. The leather cover is tainted with ink stains and appears to be slightly worn out by age. The papers seem old and worn, with yellowing edges and some growing crisp and falling apart. Deep down, you have a feeling that you already know what this item is even without having to open it.
“I believe she also kept a journal with her…”
Nanny Abigail’s voice echoes through your head as you gently run the tips of your fingers over the leather covering, finding the small initial embossed into the leather, right at the bottom corner of the front cover.
The inscription is made in a cursive letter, looking almost like a signed autograph marked into the leather coverings so it wouldn’t wear away by the passing of time, and the inscription reads the letter ‘M’.
⟶ Chapter summary | Anyone would think you daring to gamble with your life, to keep using the magic doors to escape despite your circumstances. But you cannot help to feel restless, unable to stay still when you still have too many questions to answer, nor when fate keeps pointing a new path for you and doors to enter. So when fate once again points you towards a new door, you cannot resist stepping into the next world, to see what kind of surprises that fate has in store for you.
⟶ Title | The Bedroom Hymns: a Bluebeard’s twist
⟶ Pairings | Min Yoongi x female reader
⟶ Genre | Fairy Prince!Yoongi, Crown Princess!reader, Fantasy!AU, Fairy Tale retelling
⟶ Word count | 9,500 words
⟶ Ratings | PG-13, +18 / M for Mature for future chapters; include magic terms, classism, brief mention of slavery, black market, usage of drugs mentioned, hypnotism.
⟶ Story Masterlist: The Bedroom Hymns | ⤎ previous chapter | next chapter ⇢
⟶ Main Masterlist | Mailbox | Taglist | Feedback | Music Playlist | Ko-fi
⟶ Author's note | Forgive me for the delay, but we finally have a new chapter and we'll continue our little adventures. I know I said that I wasn't going to split this part into separate chapters, but after finishing it, the lengthy word count didn't seem fitting for me to post this one as a full piece. I hope the change won't ruin your reading experience! Enjoy reading and have fun!
chapter xxii. serendipity-2
The silence in the hallways of Stargrave feels peculiar today.
The sun is still up. You can hear the palace maids chatting in their break rooms and service halls when you walk past after you are done with your lessons with Lady Laurel at the library, yet you have yet to see any of them walking down the corridors and halls when you make your way through the castle.
Once again, your day was filled with long, exhausting hours of tutoring—hours of reading through a variety of tomes on magic and old folktales of Ancients and Kings—and minor royal duties, which ended only once afternoon comes and your tutors retreated to their quarters. With Lord Gordan once again absent for your afternoon lessons, still busy filling in for His Majesty King Aneas and dealing with the royal duties until the King returns, it leaves your afternoon free of any activities.
But your mind is still too lively for you to retreat into your bedchamber and find a moment to rest. The adrenaline that you felt from the previous days still keeping you high-strung to remain still. So you fill your free time strolling down the hallways of Stargrave, finding some entertainment in memorising the long-winding corridors, mapping out the halls and rooms and the indoor atriums that you walk past just to keep your mind busy.
Normally, you would be spending the time browsing for the magic doors, either finding one that would tempt you into using the magic key to venture through the portal or simply learning more about their characteristics and the secrets behind each door.
But not this time.
Not because you are reluctant, or that you are disinterested in having another journey so soon after the last one you had. But it is because of the lack of privacy you are getting after stepping out of the library.
Aside from your mealtime and the designated time for your daily tutoring sessions, you are rarely escorted by the royal guards. You would usually see them standing in their posts during this time of the day, all staying alert even when there is barely any threat coming to Stargrave.
But today, you have Sir Stephan following you close, watching your every move and making sure to be there while you are making a stroll from one place to another.
“Do you have nothing to do with your time, Sir Stephan?” You finally speak to him after walking in silence together for quite some time with him keeping only a few steps distance behind. “Or do you wish to have another sparring today?”
You hear a soft chuckle from him before he speaks. “Lord Gordan has caught wind of what happened the other day,” Sir Stephan responds with a slight tilt on the corner of his mouth.
You raise your eyebrows as you look at him. “Did he scold you for indulging me?”
“No, Your Highness. He didn’t seem pleased, but—” His lips twitch, as if amused to say, “He seemed oddly intrigued by the news when he learned that you have beaten me during our sword fighting.”
You let out a scoff. “As he should, since he’s been the one training me in place of my father.” Your hand twitches, suddenly aching to have a grip on the hilt of your sword again, to have a grip on something.
You suddenly feel the desire to have your body moving again with another practice. The golden dagger that you had slipped under the skirt of your day dress this morning feels tight against your upper thigh, reminding you that it exists there, even if hidden from sight, ready for you whenever you find the need to pull it out.
And you do have enough free time to mess around with it this afternoon.
Only that your muscles are still aching, caused by the rigorous sparring and the intense fight happening on the same day. The wound from the fight against the guards of Arselon itself has mostly healed—thanks to the medicinal herbs that Gaia pasted on your skin and possibly some kind of remedial spells that she might have slipped in—but the faint scar was still visible when you took off your bandage this morning.
Instinctively, you move your other hand, reaching up to your forearm and pressing against the scar from over the sleeve of your dress. Choosing a long-sleeved day dress this morning raised some questions from the maid assigned to help you this morning, as the weather is quite warm today and she had expected you to request a thinner and shorter dress instead. But you managed to alleviate her worries simply by telling her that you wanted to have a nice change.
The healing scar might be hidden now under your sleeve, yet you can still feel the phantom pain pulsing when you move, reminding you that it would be too soon for you to raise your sword again.
Your arms fall back to your sides as you turn toward a corridor leading to the side courtyard, the sounds of Sir Stephan’s footsteps echoing close as he follows. You take notice of the silence and bring up a different topic to get your mind out of it—of the fight, the scar, and the empty feeling in your hand with nothing to hold.
“It seems that Lord Gordan has been rather busy.”
“He is indeed, Your Highness. The royal duties never stop coming for the royal aide.”
You look over your shoulder, meeting Stephan’s gaze. “And he has since sent you to make sure I’m not causing trouble when he’s not babysitting me? Or is this some sort of a punishment that he has given you for accommodating my actions from yesterday?”
Again, the guard’s lips twitch to a broken smile. “I won’t dare say that the royal aide sees you as a troublemaker, Your Highness.”
Holding back a chuckle, you turn away to continue your stroll, your escort quickly following close behind. “Everyone seems to be busy today, more than other days,” you muse, almost to yourself. “Is something happening?”
“I cannot dare say—”
“Without my guardian’s permission, I take it?” you retort back with another scoff. “Nanny Abigail has been my guardian since I was a wee babe. Well, supposedly older, if I recall correctly. And she has always been open to me about the business with the empire, no matter what it is,” you find yourself sharing a bit of yourself before you can stop it, before glancing back at your guard again. “I assume that Lord Gordan has taken over the duty under the King’s order? Seems like he’s doing things differently when it comes to sharing information about the happenings in the empire.”
It makes you feel bitter just thinking about it. You have always hated being kept in the dark about certain things. Including all the things that should have mattered to you. And you will surely hate it should you be placed in such position once again.
Sir Stephan takes a moment to consider his response, which only confirms your suspicion. “It has been officially passed on to the palace staff that you are currently under Lord Gordan’s guardianship, though Lady Abigail still retains her role as your governess,” he carefully explains instead of giving you a direct answer. “If there’s any news that may involve your wellbeing and your duties in the palace, I am sure that either the royal aide or the Governess will inform you themselves.”
Sighing, you can only nod. You keep your eyes looking towards the courtyard for a moment before smiling at him. “And until then, you’re going to have to remain patient as my babysitter?”
This time, when you turn to look at your guard again, he makes no effort to hide his amused smile. “I wouldn’t mind it.”
Closing your eyes, you tilt your head up, relishing the warm late afternoon sunlight falling on your face.
This is quite a nice change, you wonder with a grateful sigh.
After your previous trips, where you were taken to sacred places where you were met only with twilight and dim grey of sunlight, having this kind of warmth blanketing your skin and being surrounded by all the radiant colours spreading around you feels like a nice treat to enjoy.
Having an adrenaline rush flowing through your blood may have alleviated this feeling too. A mixed sense of thrill and relief that you had gotten after fate gave you the chance to slip away from your temporary shadow of a guard.
Any hope you had for being able to find the time and a chance to escape so you could travel today had started to dwindle, when Sir Stephan continued to follow you, shadowing your movements. Even when it was obvious that you had simply been walking down the long hallways and quiet corridors of Stargrave with no obvious direction, the guard was relentless.
He only kept quiet, letting you continue exhausting yourself for quite some time. Barring you from entering the hallway where the magic doors were located so you could slip away to a different part of the realm. Until fate intervened.
Another guard came in just when you were about to give up. Announcing that Lord Gordan had summoned Sir Stephan to come and meet the royal aide in his office. Not expecting the sudden change of duty, Sir Stephan looked hesitant about stepping away, while you couldn’t have been more eager to relieve him from his duty before he could even get a word in.
“I should at least walk you back towards your bedchamber,” he said before he departed. You may have only known him for a short time, but it was quite obvious that he was displeased to know that he was being let go from his post.
You held back a smile as you teased him, “To make sure that I won’t escape and cause some trouble?” From the corner of your eyes, you could see the other guard widening his eyes. He seemed baffled as he looked back and forth between you and his fellow knightly guard, amused to see the other guard bantering smoothly with their princess.
Sir Stephan’s lips quirked to a grin. “Just making sure that you’ll be safe without an escort,” he said, stressing out his words as he regarded you with, “Your Highness.”
“I’ll be safe between these walls. My bedchamber is merely a hall away,” you answered him by tilting your chin towards the small connecting hall leading you towards the West Tower. “It seems that your business with Lord Gordan is more urgent than sending me off to my afternoon nap.”
Sir Stephan said nothing to respond, but the way his gaze flickered towards the next hall was sharp and quick, and you could tell that he had to hold back. A lot. Keeping his words to himself, the guard merely nodded and bowed.
“Then I shall take my leave,” he said. “I shall inform the royal aide that you are on your way to your quarter.”
You returned his bow with a nod and turned away before he could say anything else. And you kept on walking towards the next corridor, listening closely to the sound of their footsteps as they walked the opposite way. Only once you were sure they were no longer in sight, you quickly turned to a different hall to begin your afternoon exploits.
You walked through some more corridors and then headed down some stairs, finding yourself in the Apex Hall connecting the center palace and the tower housing the king’s chambers, where lines and lines of doors appeared before your eyes. The hall was devoid of any form of activities, as there were only guest bedrooms and galleries for royal guests available in this part of the castle. But after going through a royal guest room the one time to find your way to Aeris, you were curious to see if you could find any portals hidden among these doors that would be able to lead you to places similar to the mage city.
Places that wouldn’t be as daunting and gloomy as the previous places you’ve recently been to, that aren’t as dilapidated from hardships or haunted by their dark history.
The ground floor hall was filled with charming things, trinkets and decorations that made the place look even more alive than the other parts of Stargrave; royal portraits of who you assumed to be your ancestors or the previous kings and queens; sculptures and vases filled with fresh flowers; tables similar yet smaller to the ones you saw in guest rooms, all carved similarly to the ornate doors standing all round the atrium.
You walked up some steps and stood by one of those doors which had caught your attention among others. Made of old cherrywood—much like these other doors, only slightly darker—with carvings of tendrils of ivy looping around its frame, the door had a delicate charm which was alluring to look at.
It was the image carved at the center which had mostly drawn you to it; the carving of a chalice and crescent moon, similar to the image painted on the banners you saw at the temple of Arselon.
The only difference you saw was that the crescent moon wasn’t hovering above the chalice but instead carved within its core, as if it was portraying the moon as being presented like fine and holy wine.
The grooves around the carvings were filled with threads of silver lining, glinting under the dim light of the afternoon which penetrated through the glass windows under the arch ceiling above your head. Silver dust floated from the keyhole as you pulled out your magic key, beckoning you to reach it.
The same silver dust seems to have followed you to this place, floating in the air where the streaks of sunlight are falling, floating above the lake filled with crystal-clear waters vastly spreading before you, and between your fingers when you reach out to touch the vibrant petals of the wild roses growing all around you.
There is magic here, pulsing in the same rhythm as your heartbeat as if living and breathing. Strange how it makes you feel like you have become one with the place, and you barely spent more than an hour strolling across the grassy plains.
A spread of green grass as thick as the rugs you find back at the palace lies beneath your feet. Your low heels sink into the soft grass with each step you take, yet you find no discomfort as you continue to stroll down the small forested hill where you had emerged from. Excitedly, but cautiously at the same time, you cross the meadow with your eyes drawn towards the glittering lake.
Beautiful, you wonder to yourself. And it feels so peaceful here.
You look at your surroundings, enjoying the scenery that is presented for you to see. All around you, there are only trees, spreading all around and to the top of the hill. A myriad of colours appear before you as the shades of yellow and beige and brown are mixing into the green as they grow from the trees, a sign that autumn is seeping in. Some leaves have also dropped onto the ground, covering the green grass with yellow dots sprouting here and there among the vibrant roses. The air is fresh, filled with the scent of fresh grass and damp soil. A cool breeze flows all around you, and the warm sun feels comforting against your skin.
Looking over across the lake, you see no sign of a town or anything that may indicate the presence of humans. But the more you look, the more you are curious, seeing that the trees on the other side of the lake appear to be bigger, stretching up to reach the sky, and thicker. The foliage seems denser, enough to hide something in the shadows.
Just like the grove back in Arselon which kept the Keep and the shelters where the humans lived in hiding.
You continue to stroll around the lake, hoping to find a way to get across and see if you can find anything on the other side. Once again, fate seems to be on your side—or perhaps you are just getting lucky today—as you find your wish fulfilled the moment you see the bridge crossing the lake.
Without any hesitation, you walk up to make it across. From up the bridge, you find the chance to fully marvel at the nature around you as you get a better view of everything. And you cannot help but marvel at the structure stretching over the lake, connecting the two separate plains together.
The sturdy bridge rises from the lake, standing firm from one end of the woodlands to another and high above the water like a solid gate. The structure is built with weathered stones, the foundation below covered with moss and lichen, adding a touch of green to the grey and brown. Thick ivy weaves its way along the stone bannister, softening the hard edges with its delicate tendrils. Looking down to the body of the bridge below, you see arches formed high enough to allow small boats to come passing through.
On the top, the bridge’s width is enough for a single horse carriage to travel across, while the passage is covered with natural stones that are smoothed by countless footsteps and slightly etched by marks of wheels from carriages that may have come across from time to time. It’s obvious that this isn’t some simple structure that manifested itself from nature, nor was it built by lesser beings. Although the earthly colours do make it seem like the bridge has blended into the nature it is built on, causing you to nearly miss it the first time you looked.
Halfway across the bridge, a gentle breeze flows around you, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth, and something more succulent and vibrant and fresh, a different vibe from the quiet woodlands you had just stepped away from. Slowly, you come to a halt, taking this moment to take another look at the lake as you get to see it from a different angle.
From up here, it seems as if the lake is stretched out endlessly, its surface is clear like crystals, with the glimmers coming from the silver specks of dust and the reflection of the warm sunlight glowing all the way up to your skin. Small ripples disturb the mirror-like stillness, appearing in multiple spots where you think you might find fishes swimming beneath the surface or leaves falling from above.
Smiling, you take a deep breath, taking in the scents before continuing your journey across. At the end of the bridge, a canopy of leaves welcomes you as thick branches appear to be growing and stretching low, covering what is hidden on the other side. You keep your eyes forward as you step off the bridge, and the moment your heel lands on the less solid gravel pathway, the air around you seems to ripple and shift.
With a gasp, you feel a rush of magic coursing through your body. It doesn’t feel painful, yet strange enough to make your head spin a little before you finally regain your bearings. Only a short moment later do you finally realise that you have just walked across what seems to be a border, where a protective spell has been cast to cover the land before you. With a jolt, you realise that your arrival has somehow disturbed the spell, unlocking the magic to allow you passage to continue your journey.
Still reeling over your sudden encounter with a foreign magic spell, you continue walking down the gravel-covered pathway without a word. The sparks from the magic cling to your skin for a moment longer before it slowly wanes as you walk deeper into the thickets, clearing your senses just as the low branches in front of you begin to sway.
The movement is quick, as if they are suddenly forced to hold some kind of weight. As the rustling sound of leaves begins to grow violent, its shaking sends drying leaves falling down your path, your steps falter until you completely stop.
The swaying of branches intensifies, and before you can even reach your dagger to protect yourself, something pops between the leaves.
“Hello!”
A small, cheerful voice greets you, coming from a creature that is just as small—tiny face, tiny smile, with a pair of pointy ears that remind you of the elves, yet a version of it which is probably merely a palm-sized big—hanging upside down from the low branch hanging right in front of your face. Only once your shock subsides when you recognise what kind of being is greeting you from behind the leaves.
A pixie.
A smile grows on your lips. You have learned about them—the pixies—through one of the books in the library that Lady Laurel made you read. The Magnificent Beings of The Elements.
In the book, the pixies have drawn your interest more than others. Known as little magical creatures that hide in the woodlands, the pixies were treated almost like dragons—mythical beings that are rare but most sought after. They are known to create the magical element, the pixie dust, which has a myriad of effects which are valuable to many.
To nature, pixie dust helps cast magic into the land—helping plants to grow more affluent and flowers to bloom more vibrant, for water to be cleansed of any toxin or grime, and for the air to remain fresh even in the bleakest of weather.
To other beings, pixie dust can be used as a cure for ailments, to heal physical wounds, and to alleviate the ailment of the mind.
But for most humans, pixie dust can act like a drug, giving them psychedelic sensations and causing them to feel high and happy and filled with joy or to have intense hallucinations.
For these reasons, the pixies were once hunted down, captured and sold as pets as part of illegal trade, to be made into house slaves, or to be used to create as many pixie dust to be sold illegally in the black markets as drugs that humans can use to get high. That was until the protection law for magical beings changed, forbidding any form of trading involving the pixies and other mythical creatures of the fairy tale land. They have since been declared as one of the most protected creatures, mostly hidden in sanctuaries that were built on higher grounds, up in the mountains, and the deepest woodlands.
“Oh, hello there. I didn’t see you up there,” you greet them back, smiling, and you can see the creature’s smile widening further.
“Of course, you didn’t. You weren’t supposed to,” the pixie pridefully boasts, before flipping back into the leaves and jumping into another branch, this time sitting down with their legs swaying beneath them.
“But we’ve seen you,” the tiny thing adds, while you tilt your head, wondering what they meant.
“Have we met before?”
The pixie excitedly nods, throwing the short strands of their honey-blond hair up and down their face. “We work with our master, Trish, at the magic shop in Aeris. We helped Master find some spell book for ‘ya.”
Blinking, you suddenly remember the day you spent in Aeris. And then you remember entering the magic shop—l'Équinoxe—and the female elf who was running it, and your eyes grow wide at the memory of seeing tiny pixies jumping between the racks to fetch orders for their customers. Some with their hair pinned or tied up in ponytails, while others wore floppy hats that clung to their heads even as they moved quickly from one corner of the shop to another. And all of them wore the same bright green top and white pants, exactly what your new little friend is wearing right now.
“Of course!” you cheerfully say, clapping your hands when you recall seeing a pixie with honey-blond hair perching atop the bannister on the mezzanine floor above the shop, where the shop owner—Trish—disappeared into to fetch your spell book. “So you were the—staff, in the shop?”
The pixie’s lips curl to a sneaky smile. “We were not taken in to work in the shop as slaves, if that’s what you’re worried about—” the creature says, while you are taken aback and feeling guilty that the pixie can guess what you were thinking, “Trish has helped a lot of us in the sanctuary and when we wanted to do something in return, she gave us the job in her shops. We earn our wages, benefits, and even some vacation time when we need them, just like any other creatures in the mage city.”
“So you mean”—you look around with a new sense of awe—“this is your sanctuary.”
“This is home.” The pixie says, sighing with a content smile on their face. And then their eyes flicker with curiosity as they question you, “So what are you up to in this place?”
The smile that comes to your face is small, but unguarded. It feels refreshing to hear the same question given to you, only without any underlying threat or suspicions this time. For the first time, you aren’t feeling like a criminal for crossing a border to a new land. To be seen as a regular traveller instead of a stranger trespassing into others’ land.
“I was merely passing through,” you answer with a tilt of your head. “I was running away from home because I was having an odd day.”
The pixie snorts. “Odd day isn’t good.” A frown forms on their face as if the thought of you having an unpleasant day is making them unhappy too. “It’s weird that you choose to hide here.”
You shrug. “Why would it be weird?”
Shrugging—the action coming out as a mirror to yours instead of it being something natural for them to do—the tiny thing nonchalantly answers, “Because only elves and fairies can pass through the gates. That was a part of the condition in the protection spell that was given to the sanctuary to protect us from danger.”
Your heart skips a beat. A tiny slip that makes your breath catch, while something starts nagging at the back of your mind. Every single peculiar event that you have encountered before comes rushing back to you; from your previous journeys, from the words shared by the people you met, and the things you inadvertently learned from them—
“But you won’t regret it,” the pixie continues, oblivious to your wandering mind. “There are many things to see here.”
You brush away your thoughts to smile. “Is that so? Then it’s a good thing that I’m here.”
“Do you need a guide? We can show you around. We know every place to see here and where not to go,” the pixie says, jumping up and down on the branch with excitement, as if guiding you through their land seems like some kind of a fun game for them.
Seeing this, and noticing the playful gaze in their eyes, remind you of something about them that you’ve learned from your books that cannot resist teasing, “Will it be okay? Are you sure you wouldn’t trick me into anything nefarious?”
You grin at the pixie while they cock their head to the side, narrowing their eyes at you. Based on the texts you read in the books, their kind is often portrayed to have childlike personalities; mostly friendly and kind-hearted, but other times mischievous and playful, with a bit of naughty nature as they all love to play and have fun.
There were stories written in those books where pixies, who live mostly in the deepest woodlands and higher plains, would come out at night and use their pixie dust to trick travellers and hunters, manipulating their minds with the potent magic of their dust to leave them astray between the woods.
But there were also stories of pixies helping little children in distress, saving them from any kind of peril and guiding them home when they were lost in the woods, making them one of the most contradictory beings among any other mythical creatures you’ve learned about.
The pixie merely rolls their eyes. “We might be naughty bits, but we promised Trish to not cause trouble as long as we live here. We’ve lost our old home a long, long time ago, and we want to keep this one for as long as we’re allowed to.” Their words are filled with grief, yet the way they are talking about it doesn’t show much about their loss, as the tone of their voice remains playful.
As if their mind is already jumping to the next topic, the pixie leans forward with a grin to ask, “What’s your name?”
“I’m ________,” you answer with a smile. “What should I call you?”
“Eydan,” the pixie introduces themselves by standing upright on the branch and bowing down to their waist—like a royal greeting. A wide grin appears on their face when they straighten up again, the strands of their hair flowing with the breeze. “That’s the name. The only pixie here with honey-blond hair”—Eydan flips their hair—”never forget it.”
Y'ethmelle is the name of this place.
A town where elves reside, those with a deep connection to the earth and plants and deep respect for nature. Their home becomes the source of their power, their magic, and it breathes and pulses together with the lives within.
And this place has become the perfect sanctuary for pixies like Eydan, who had once been through the kind of hardship just like what you have read in the books.
While sharing a bit of their past before entering Y'ethmelle, Eydan guides you through the trees, entering the woodlands until you finally get to see it—a town hidden in the forest, blending in with the trees, the boulders, the hills, before rising up the stone wall where water was cascading from the top to the banks below. There are structures built along the thickest giant trees, forming from the ground and up the thick branches were small houses made of timber and glass that look like crystals.
The same structures appear on the stone walls; small wooden houses floating on either side of the waterfall; hanging on top of the massive boulders framing the riverbanks; and some sinking into the foot of the cliff wall. Some houses were built extremely low and just enough for the pixies to reside in, as they blend into the small hills or hidden between the roots of the giant old trees that you saw during your stroll through the magic town.
Eydan points out their home—the one small opening hidden between the roots of a giant elm tree—before pointing to a house built with stone structures at the very end of the tree line. “That’s where Master Trish lives. The pixies that work with her live in small houses like ours, all built close enough to her home, so she can often invite us for dinners and other celebrations when she’s free.”
“Where is your boss now, then?” you ask when you notice that the house is quiet.
Eydan hops from one branch to another, and that is when you realise that the pixie never truly stops moving. They are constantly jumping, hopping and swinging on the branches, rarely ever stepping foot on the ground unless when they are sitting atop a stone.
“At the city. Aeris. She mentioned having some business to take care of at the shop. The shop is closed today, that’s why we’re home,” Eydan explains, “But Master Trish is always working. Even when she’s not busy at the shop, she would be away on trips to gather some new things to sell.”
“Is that why you have enough free time to guide a human across your homeland?”
Eydan grins. “Yes, but it was also an odd day for us.”
“How come?”
Flopping onto a nearby boulder, Eydan stands on one leg, balancing themselves as they answer, “We weren’t supposed to be off work today, but Master Trish suddenly said she had something important to do and people to see, so we were told to stay home. But then we had so much free time that we played all morning, dancing, and jumping around the river, but then we got bored. That’s when you came.”
The pixie flips to balance themselves on their hand when they continue, “Besides, it’s nearly the full moon. Us pixies always grow restless when it is time to celebrate the memorial of our found freedom.”
And that is when Eydan sits you down, sharing with you the tale behind the pixies’ freedom and how they all got to this place.
“Once upon a time, a young pixie managed to escape from their master. Seeking freedom in the woodlands, the pixie hid between the trees, claiming the forest as their new home and shelter and away from dangerous people looking to exploit their magic for nefarious uses.
One night during their hiding, the pixie sensed a human walking through the trees. While staying in the shadows, the pixie cautiously watched the human, thinking that the human had come to harm them. But upon closer look, the pixie found out that the human was just a little girl. A princess who got lost in the woods and couldn’t find her way back home. So the pixie revealed themselves, offering to use their pixie dust to guide the princess to find her way home. Once she was saved, the princess returned to favour by fighting for the freedom of all pixies.”
You listen to their story with a fond smile. Among every single tale you’ve read about the pixies, you have never seen this part of their story written in the books, nor the old scriptures you found in the library which told about old, forgotten tales of The Land Far Far Away.
“That was how we finally got our freedom. All because one pixie escaped their master and became friends with a kind-hearted princess one night. The princess was the one who wrote the law to protect us, to free us from anyone who tried to keep us like pets and slaves.”
Eydan’s eyes glow with pride as they continue with their tale, while your heart feels warm, feeling privileged to be able to hear this story. “Each full moon, pixies gather around the waterfall or any revered places in each of their sanctuary and sing under the moon to pray for the princess. It’s our way to send our gratitude to our saviour.”
Once your new friend is done with their story, the tour around the sanctuary continues.
From the homes, the pixie guides you through the small town, passing some more houses that are intricately built to blend in with nature. They greet some of the elves that come peeking out their windows, introducing you as one of their friends, and then do the same with some other pixies that you come across during your mini tour.
The tour continues until you reach even deeper into the woodlands, past the heart of Y'ethmelle, and past the old structures that look like an old Keep, completed with a tower built in the same weathered stone as the structure of the bridge on the lake.
“This was where the warriors and guardians of the sanctuary used to live. We still have elves that take the role as guardians, but the elves no longer have warriors to guard the place ever since us pixies started living here,” says Eydan, as they guide you to follow the river, going down the stream until you reach the part where it is quiet and peaceful and safe.
This place turns out to be the meeting spot where Eydan would hang out with their little friends, where Eydan had been earlier before meeting you by the bridge.
A few of Eydan’s friends are in the middle of playing down the stream of the river when you arrive. A couple of pixies who look no different than Eydan, hop between boulders and branches while splashing water with their tiny feet, while two others have wings on their back, allowing them to float and soar in the air as they dance between the rosebushes.
At first, they seem cautious, as they probably didn’t expect to have their wayward friend returning with a random human after missing for hours. But right after Eydan finishes introducing you to the little gang of mischievous pixies, they become more curious about you as they start throwing questions at Eydan while examining you closely.
“Where did you find her?”
“You didn’t kidnap her from the human town, did you?”
Eydan huffs. “Of course, not. She came in by herself. Passed the bridge and the borders after the thing we felt earlier,” they explain with their small hands waving around as if describing what they saw.
“Oh, the invisible magic ripple that came from the lake?” asks one of the pixies, surprising you once you realise that they are possibly talking about the ripple of magic coming from the portal when you came.
“You felt a magic ripple?”
Eydan nods. “Yep. It was rare for us to feel any magic of that kind. That’s why we left the others here and went to the bridge to see what it was, and then we saw you walking across the lake.”
The chattering and the line of questions continue right before you get the chance to ask them about what they felt. The other pixies who kept their distance at first soon begin to join in, asking you where you came from, how you managed to find this place, and why would a human like you need a spell book from their master. You barely manage to answer each one before they get distracted when a couple of butterflies come fluttering in between the bushes, and they soon lose any interest in your evasive, non-answering responses.
You join them for a while as they play around the stream. You even take off your heels to splash around in the water, feeling your body cooling down with it. It has been a while since you’ve felt such joy. The pixies are skilled in showing you just how to have fun and enjoy yourself the way they do, helping you forget all of your troubles without them realising it.
Exhausted, you choose to rest at the edge of the river, soaking your bare feet in the stream as you watch the pixies continue to play around, showing no sign of their energy draining. You enjoy the cool ripples of water pressing against your sore ankles, while the stream also washes away the soil tainting the hem of your dress that you had gotten after the long walk you had through the elven town.
Your heels, once covered in mud and slightly tainted from the twigs brushing against their sides, are now resting on the ground beside you after it was cleaned and mended using one of the pixies’ magic dust.
The same pixie is the only one who chooses to stay with you, studying you closely with their curious eyes while ignoring the sound of giggles and cheers from the other pixies playing in the rosebushes.
“You smell like human,” the pixie says as they flutter around you, sniffing at your hair, your back, and then pinching at the sleeve of your dress before going back to your front with a tilt of their head.
“You can—identify a person from their scent?”
Illyn, the pixie with fair skin and long golden hair nods, their delicate wings—which look like firefly wings, with silver dust sparkling from each —flutter behind them as they move around. They have their hair gathered to a braid, long enough to reach their ankles. You wonder if their hair ever gets tangled with the wings, yet the pixie has kept the braid hanging over one shoulder, keeping it away from the fluttering wings.
“Every living thing has a certain smell in them. For walking beings such as yourself, those scents come from blood, skin, soul, or even magic,” Illyn explains with wide, curious eyes, while your eyes grow wide with intrigue.
“Can you smell—my magic?”
Illyn nods as they fly around you. “Yes, we can. It’s faint. That’s why it’s confusing.”
The way they speak draws a soft laughter from you. “Why does it confuse you?”
The pixie makes a humming sound. “You smell human, but also something else. Your magic isn’t like what most humans have, and we’ve met many human mages in Aeris to know the difference.”
You raise your brow. “Really? How odd,” you hum softly, although you have no idea what that really means. You keep your eyes on the pixie as they continue to float around you, their eyes locked on parts of your face, as if searching for something. “So that’s not normal?”
Instead of answering, Illyn inclines their head to ask with a whisper, “Are you sure you aren’t a fairy?”
Hearing this, you begin to laugh. “A fairy? No, I’m pretty sure I would’ve known if I’m secretly a fairy. Why would you even think that?”
“The way you came,” they say, still keeping their voice low as if sharing a secret, “you came with the ripple of magic that we felt from the end of the river. It’s been long since we’ve felt something like that.”
Creasing your brows, you recall the way they talked about the magic flow earlier, remembering how they seemed unsure about what they felt. “And you don’t know what that magic was?”
Illyn fell silent for a moment. “Well, not really, but—” The pixie considers their answer for a moment, thinking deeply before continuing, “There were old folktales about magic portals hidden all over the land of the Far Far Away.”
Their eyes blink rapidly as they add, “Fairy portals.”
Your eyes grow wide. “Have you ever seen them?”
Illyn’s hair nearly flips back when they quickly shake their head. “No, we haven’t. But some naughty ones who went across the bridge claimed they had. We think they all lied to us and exaggerated things, because fairy tales are stories for children.”
Your lips twist to a smile. It is adorable how the pixies believe that they are normal beings, when their existence seems more like a part of a myth. Characters told in children’s bedtime stories and folktales shared by the people—humans—back in the mortal realm.
But then your mind begins to register through the information that Illyn had just shared with you about the magic they felt. You wonder if they had truly sensed the magic coming from the portal. You can still feel it on your skin, lingering like a delicate touch. And if the same magic portal you have been using to go through these various places had truly been the same as the portals known as what they believed as part of the myth among the fairies—
Just like always, when the wheels in your head are turning and you are thinking deeply about something, your hand reach up, taking hold of your necklace that has been humming with its own magic—it has been that way since the moment you stepped through the border, you realise.
Lowering your gaze, you carefully lift the ruby pendant so the pixie can have a look. “Could it be that the magic you are sensing from me actually comes from this?” you ask them, referring to how they claimed to have tried to sense and recognise the magic coming out of you.
Cocking their head, Illyn flies closer. They examine the necklace for a moment before shaking their head. “No, your magic is vibrating from inside you,” they say, before they begin rambling rapidly, “I can sense your mana. It smells a little bit like Master Trish, with a little bit of the magic that felt similar to the one we felt from the woods”—they stop with a gasp—”do you perhaps have elves where you live?”
“I don’t suppose—” You begin to answer, even if your mind can barely keep up with the quick flow of their words.
And then any chance for you to respond to their question is soon stolen when Illyn suddenly turns away, distracted by the sudden shout of their friend coming from a rosebush a few feet away. Soon, the thought of your magic and your smelling of humans is forgotten as they start fussing about a wild rose that seems to have bloomed at the heart of a dying brier. You can faintly hear them cheering at its peculiar size and colour, before they start fighting about how they should be saving it before it withers.
Seems like they have a short attention span, you wonder with a soft chuckle. Just like a child.
You continue to watch them play for a little while until Eydan returns to your side. After chasing off an innocent hummingbird that had appeared from the nearby meadow, the pixie flops down to rest on the boulder next to you, though still restless, their feet kicking out the white mist that is starting to form from the rushing water. The cold that comes as the sun begins descending beyond the trees only causes the mist to grow thicker.
“How come you don’t have wings?” you ask Eydan, pointing at the two pixies who are floating and dancing in the air, laughing as they toss each other around between the rosebushes, having a blast in their wild dance.
Eydan blinks and begins to explain to you the differences between each pixie. “Us pixies gain different characteristics depending on which element our magic comes from. We”—Eydan points at themselves—”and Aela are earth pixies.” You look over at Aela, the auburn-haired pixie who is dancing with the dark-haired pixie who has been mostly silent, and instantly start comparing the two.
While Eydan keeps their hair short, reaching only to their jaw, the other two have long hair—Aela keeps their hair in a thick, high bun which looks like a crown on top of their head, while their dance partner lets their hair down, swaying with them as they dance to some music that only they can hear.
“We live closer to the land, our homes built on the ground, while Illyn and Jolyn are air pixies. They live on trees, the ones that grow close to Master Trish’s home,” Eydan continues, pointing at the two pixies who are flying over the nearest rosebush, their wings fluttering wildly on their backs, picking up speed as they banter loudly with each other, debating about what colour the rose they are pointing is called—maroon red, according to Illyn, while Jolyn insists that it’s the colour of blood.
Just like Illyn, Jolyn’s hair is long, but in the shade of brunette. Unlike the other pixies, Jolyn is the only one with curly hair, and they have kept it untied, leaving it as a mess of wild curls fluttering with the wind as they float around with their little wings.
Eydan points at Aela’s dancing partner next. “Emara is a water pixie. They live near the lake, while their family live by the riverbank. They are good swimmers, always playing with the fish in the summer.”
“That’s interesting,” you muse as you watch them all play together. “I suppose the same can be said about the elves? About how they gain their magic from elements?”
Eydan considers it for a moment in silence, furrowing their brows as they answer, “For the elves that protect us, they do gain powers from elements, but mostly nature. But some types of elves gain power from the moon, giving them similar powers and traits to those of moon fairies.”
“You know,” you gently muse as a thought comes across your mind. “I’ve always assumed that fairies are small creatures just like you are.”
“No, obviously, they’re not,” Eydan says with a scoff. “That’s only true in children's bedtime stories. Perhaps they thought children wouldn’t be interested in fairies if they all knew that fairies look like regular humans—sometimes they even look like ghouls, depending on where they live—so they took our looks instead when they started writing stories about fairies, all to make them presentable and cute for children to love.”
Once you feel rested enough, you cannot resist joining the pixies to play on the grass. Watching them play has been fun, and you want to join in while you still can.
You join them in their little hide-and-seek—mostly as the one seeking—and then let them teach you how to do tricks on the grass. They have you join them in their group dance, following the tune of their music that only they know about. And now you are joining them in a messy game of charades.
You are in the middle of trying to guess what Jolyn is trying to mimic—as the little pixie hides behind a small boulder at the edge of the river and acts as if they are singing in high tune while seducing you to come closer—when all of a sudden, everyone around you grows still.
A gasp comes from Jolyn, the only one facing the opposite way from the others, and the pixies turn to look at the woods behind you. Everyone seems tense and wary that you start feeling worried.
“What’s wrong?” you ask, just as Eydan steps forward, standing right in front of everyone, while the rest gather closer around you.
“There’s another stranger!” One pixie hisses as you try to look beyond the thickets.
You carefully trace the hilt of your dagger with the tip of your fingers. “Are you sensing danger?”
“We’re not smelling danger, but this scent is not familiar to us,” the silent one of the bunch—Emara—speaks. Their voice sounds more like a whisper. But their fear tramples their shyness as they slide closer to hide behind your dress.
For a brief moment, nothing happens.
The darkening sky is also making it hard for you to look beyond the line of trees. You can only faintly see the shadows moving in the forest, yet you are not certain whether you are looking at swaying branches or if it is an actual figure, that something else—or someone—has arrived in the woods and is now moving in the thickets.
The trees sway a little—or perhaps the low branches?—and there are rustling sounds coming together with the heavy sound of boots landing on hard ground, stepping over fallen leaves, as if someone is walking slowly towards you and your little friends. While the pixies remain alert, you can feel a warm hum rising in your chest. A sensation that is quite familiar that every tension in your body is immediately lifted. Your heart thuds, rising slowly with a different kind of feeling that has nothing to do with fear.
There is only one person who can incite such a feeling from you. The one person who has been occupying your thoughts and dreams, even on the days that you spent without him being present. Within moments, he finally emerges from the line of trees, like a piece of a dream emerging into the waking world.
Wearing a white tunic on top of dark trousers, his leather boots sturdy at the bottom, and his half sword hanging from his left hips, Min Yoongi looks just like a prince; a dreamy character plucked out of a fairy tale written in storybooks as he walks into the dim light.
The Prince Charming coming to life.
The length of his hair falls to frame his perfect face, fluttering with the gentle breeze as he slowly comes closer. The urge to pinch at your skin comes over you—because you cannot tell if you are simply dreaming—yet you make no move, too mesmerised by the sight of him.
Because every image of him which you tried to conjure in your thoughts and your dreams didn’t do any justice to the real him.
As Yoongi stops, a smile slowly forms on his face. His eyes, upon finding you, seeing you completely left stunned, seem to glow brighter. A look of mirth dancing in his gaze when he gently greets you,
“There you are, little dove.”
You briefly close your eyes, relishing the shudder that Yoongi’s deep voice brings. This isn’t an imagination and I am not dreaming, you muse to yourself as you open your eyes to see him still standing right before you instead of dispersing with the wind. The white mist forming around the stream close by and from the temperature drop curls around his boots, breaking away when he takes another step closer.
You listen to the sound of your heartbeat for a drop of a moment before finding your voice again.
“You’re late.” Too many long days, three different trips late. “I almost believed that I wouldn’t be so lucky to see you today before I leave.”
Your gaze flickers towards the darkening sky as you say this, noticing how close it is for dusk to come. With merely a short time left to spare, he would have made this the fourth time you would be missing him if he had come once the sunlight was gone.
A painful pinch shoots right through your heart when you take a sharp inhale of breath. You never realised how badly you have been hoping to see him. How you kept wishing that you would cross paths with him again.
You didn’t realise until now, how often you kept looking over your shoulders during your previous excursions, or how you’ve kept your eyes open the entire time with the hope that you would see him again, that he would suddenly appear the way he had done it before. You were starting to lose hope, believing that fate may have decided not to give you another chance to see Yoongi.
As you look up to him again, you are surprised to see a hint of remorse in his eyes. As if he feels the same way as you do.
“I must admit that I was losing hope of seeing you as well,” he gently says. You know you shouldn’t, yet you find how pleasing it is to hear that he is feeling the same.
In your fascination and delight of meeting Yoongi, you fail to realise that your pixie friends—who have remained in their places and have been watching closely at your interaction—have begun to move out of their hiding. Except maybe Emara, who is still clutching at the skirt of your dress, too wary about the other human suddenly interrupting their playtime.
“You’ve made some friends,” Yoongi muses, his gaze softening as he looks at the pixies that are watching him curiously.
You shrug. “I was getting lonely in my travels, since the only one I was expecting to accompany me has been absent,” you tease him with a smile, and for a brief second, Yoongi’s eyes widen at your playful tone, before his own smile grows just as wide.
“Do you know him?” you hear Aela asking you as she flutters by your head, cautiously flying closer. “Is he a friend?” asks Eydan, and you answer them without pulling your gaze away from Yoongi.
“Yes. A good friend.”
Yoongi’s lips quirk to a grin. His eyes move to find Eydan, who is standing right in front of you with their shoulders rising as if to make themselves look bigger. You aren’t too sure if the tiny creature has been trying to protect you, or if they were just too curious to remain hidden, but it is still quite amusing to see them acting tough in front of the newcomer.
Yoongi elaborately bows in front of the curious pixie. “You mustn’t worry about me. My name is Yoongi. I’m also a traveller like _____, and I meant no harm.”
Neither of the pixies says a thing at first, until Emara slips out of your skirt to gingerly say—their voice sounds so gentle it almost fades with the wind, “Well, if _____ trusts you, perhaps we can trust you too.”
Once again, Yoongi bows. The gesture looks perfectly elaborated to make him look like a royal. His gentle smile nearly melts your heart when he answers, “It’s an honour that you would accept me just as much as you have welcomed her into your home.”
PLEASE WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT HOLLY VISTING Y/NS APARTMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME
How long has it been? Sorry 🙇
It'd definitely happen on one of those day he locks himself in his genius lab for some melody he can't quite wrap his head around it. So, after you make sure he has enough water, food and snacks for the day and a quick peck to his forehead, you leave, holding Holly in your arms until you get to your apartment. Once there, you gently put him down after unlocking and opening the door.
''Alright sweetie, go explore!'' a smile on your face as you watch him pattering and sniffing around, wiggling his tail, to discover your place. He's a little timid at first, intimidate by the new environment, but he gets bolder by the minute, jumping on the spot, every time he finds a trace of Yoongi's scent. Grabbing his favorite treats from your backpack, you sit on the floor, resting your back against the couch and shaking the box to catch his attention. He comes running to you, happily snuggling into your lap since you've changed into one of Yoongi' shirt. You spent the whole day playing around, taking naps and eating snacks, yours for humans.
note: so it’s NOT an ego thing 🫣 yoongi and yn are on good terms since he msgd her in the last ch saying he was tryna figure himself out … everyone is in a good mood, pls don’t assume any negative hidden intentions / them being fake 🤣🙏🏼 we’re all besties here !!!
taglist request: send a request with the title of this fic “your universe” // please DO NOT comment here or on the masterlist . it gets confusing and i prefer answering and tagging through asks !!!
A/N: A sweet little slice of life scenario for Sugy’s birthday.
You had a sudden realisation one night of just how comfortable you and Yoongi were in your relationship. Somewhere down the line you'd both picked up the habit of expecting hello and goodbye kisses.
This particular evening, he was the last one home and found you in the kitchen. You were leaning on the counter scrolling through your phone while waiting for food to cook. Hearing him enter, and without looking up from the screen, you simply tilted your head slightly so that he could easily place a kiss on your cheek. No words were exchanged as he then left the room to get ready to join you for dinner.
The same thing would happen if you were meeting Yoongi while he was with the boys. He wouldn't stop a conversation to greet you, just expectantly present his cheek for you to kiss before you joined in.
Or there was the time you'd gone to his studio with dinner for the two of you. As you were leaving, he was already at his desk again, so you just pressed your lips to his temple. He gently leaned into it to acknowledge you, but no words were needed.
As the realisation of these routine kisses hit you, you couldn't help but smile. The fact that the two of you had been together long enough to form these little habits and be happy with silence between the two of you was kind of amazing. And there was the fact that you were still very much in love with him, that was a plus too.
"What are you smiling at?" Yoongi asked, reappearing in fresh clothes.
"Just thinking about you," you told him.
"Cute," he smiled back.
You walked over to him and rested your hands on his shoulders.
"I love you," you added.
Yoongi's hands found your waist, squeezing slightly as he kissed you on the lips this time.
As you pulled away, he smiled again and booped your nose before turning to the cupboards to help you plate up the dinner.
Hello <3 I do love a soft fluffy Yoongi, so I hope you enjoy this :)
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Kiss #32 - Morning Kiss - Suga (Yoongi)
Kisses Masterlist
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You woke up and found your boyfriend still sleeping soundly beside you. With a fond smile, you gently tried to ease yourself out of bed planning on making two cups of coffee before returning for morning cuddles. No sooner had you started to move, you felt Yoongi grab for your waist, wrapping an arm around you to keep you securely in place.
"Good morning," you whispered.
All that came from the man behind was a sleepy grunt.
"I was going to make coffee," you informed him.
"No," he mumbled into your back.
"I'll be right back," you said as you tried to pry his arm off your waist.
"Yah! I'm trying to be affectionate," he complained, pulling you right back down.
You wriggled round in his grip until you were facing him.
"I do love affectionate Yoongi," you admitted.
"Good," he muttered before softly, quickly pecking your lips. "Stay. Coffee later."
You couldn't help but let out a little laugh at your adorable sleepy man.
"Hm, I guess a few more cuddles won't hurt," you replied as you snuggled into his chest, his arm still tight around you.
As you closed your eyes, you felt another soft kiss placed on your forehead and the two of you drifted off once more.
Genre: Smut (of course), EXTREME Angst, with some Fluff
Warning: Adultery, cheating, brief description of miscarriage, Abuse (physical and verbal), language, controlling behavior, manipulation, car accident, Blood, and some Graphic content.
Word Count: 27.5k
A/N: Wow! Okay, I didn’t expect this story to be as long as it is. Despite it being long, I had trouble writing it. I had a plot but no story (original idea felt too cliche) so I had to put it together little by little as I typed it out. I apologize in advance but this part of the series takes a dark turn. A lot of angst. Also, this story is based on the song “Trifling” by Rico Love and “You Right” by Doja Cat and The Weeknd. Enjoy!^^
“Fuck, Yoongi,” you whined into his ear, gripping his shirt; struggling to gain hold of his body.
“I know, baby,” he groaned, spreading your legs wider and strongly cupping your ass to push himself further inside your walls. “God, you feel so fucking amazing. Your tight pussy is gripping my cock for dear life. Why is that, huh? Does your pussy love the way I fuck it? Love the way I tease and get it wet with my tongue? Or maybe...”
Suddenly, a loud guttural moan escaped from your lips as your legs locked around his lean waist. Your walls held him even tighter, almost an attempt to stop him from retreating.
“... it loves the way, I deeply massage it... scratching that itch you most desperately need.”
Yoongi continued to fuck you hard, his cock barely sliding out an inch before thrusting back inside, hard and deep. With each thrust, he had you crying his name. He wanted to kiss you. He wanted to swallow every sweet moan that came from your beautiful lips. Kiss you so passionately, everyone would know your lips were just locked together, but he also had to think logically. He didn’t want to ruin your makeup which had been professionally done that morning.
Maneuvering your large dress aside, and pulling your hips off the sink to meet his thrusts, had you coming in seconds and had Yoongi chasing after his high. He grunted out his release, slapping your wet hips together in a lewd sound. As you both remained in place, catching your breaths, Yoongi’s member softened and he carefully fixed your panties over your leaking pussy; making sure you kept his cum warm as he slipped out.
While he fixed his suit to perfection; putting back on his jacket that he didn’t want to wrinkle, you smoothed out your dress; finishing it off by looking in the mirror to catch something you’ve previously missed. Yoongi kissed the back of your neck, your eyes shutting at the contact of his soft lips.
“You really do look beautiful, babe.”
You smiled, opening your eyes to meet his dark reflective gaze in the mirror. “Thank you.”
“Now,” he smacked his hand over your clothed ass. “Get your ass out there before they come looking for you.”
“Okay.” You laughed.
You slowly opened the bathroom door enough for you to walk through and joined the company of your guests. Yoongi stayed in the bathroom a few minutes after you left, staring at himself in the mirror, before secretly exiting without the crowd knowing. He took a seat at the table occupied by his best friend as well as a few nameless guests he didn’t care to mingle with.
From across the room, your eyes locked with his as he slightly lifted his glass of champagne in the air in a personal toast that only you two shared the meaning of. Your lips tightened into a line as you tried to suppress your smile.
“Honey?” A deep voice flowed through your ear. Your attention was immediately brought back to your newly husband. “You are so beautiful... I’m so lucky to have you as my wife.”
You mendaciously smiled as he kissed your cheek. Your wedding party snapping pictures of the happy newlyweds.
“Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Bang!”
~~~~~
“Ah, Mr. Min and Mr. Kim, I’m glad you both were able to bless us with your presence. My wife and I greatly appreciate it.” Kyungjun spoke, shaking Yoongi’s and Seokjin’s hand.
“It’s no problem at all, sir and congratulations.” Seokjin spoke for both of them.
Yoongi, on the other hand, was holding a silent conversation with you through his eyes. He was feeling quite confident of himself. Not only did he have the bride, he had you before your husband did. He was really enjoying himself at the reception. However, he’d love to finish what you both started later on that night but he figured, your husband would try his luck with fucking you.
“You look beautiful.” He told you once again and before you had a chance to genuinely take in Yoongi’s compliment, your husband answered for you.
“Doesn’t she?” Kyungjun laughed. “The world’s smartest and most stunning woman is now my wife. I honestly feel like I’ve won the lottery.”
Seokjin feigned a chuckle as he nudged Yoongi to do the same, humoring the man who was only feeling good on his wedding day. However, Yoongi just glared at the older man. He hated how Kyungjun was bragging about marrying you but he had been sleeping with you for months before today.
When his eyes landed on you, you had a pleading look on your face. Probably telling him not to slip up and expose the two of you over cocky behavior. And you were right; Yoongi knew that. There was no need to get offended, after all, they were sharing the same woman.
“What a great feeling indeed and I would know that feeling all too well.” Yoongi stated, taking a sip of champagne. Seokjin swallowed his as well, finishing off his glass before grabbing another. This was not how he thought the conversation was going to go.
Kyungjun chuckled. “Yeah? How so?”
“H-Honey, there’s your cousin. I’m gonna go say ‘hi’.” And with a quickness, you exited from the group and from the conversation before it could go sour. But before you could go, Kyungjun grabbed you by the waist and kissed your lips in front of the other two men.
“I love you.”
A smile graced your features as you leaned in to give him a final peck on the lips. “I love you too.” You turned to Yoongi and Seokjin, bowing to them before holding your dress up and walking away. All three of their eyes were on your retreating figure.
“Gentlemen, I’m surprised you both could make it with your busy lifestyles.” An older man stated as he walked up to the trio.
“Absolutely, Mr. Cho, sir. It wasn’t a problem for either of us.” Seokjin immediately bowed and Yoongi followed suit in the presence of their boss.
“Glad to hear it. Hopefully it won’t be a problem when it is time for faculty meetings.” He joked but both of them could hear the threatening tone behind it. Mr. Cho turned his attention to his colleague, offering his hand to shake. “Congratulations, Kyungjun. How do you feel on your big day?”
“On top of the world. I have a lot to be grateful for. Good health, a loving and supportive wife, and a good job; thanks to you.”
Both men laughed while Yoongi was ready to vomit. Luckily for him, when he mumbled the word ‘kissass’, the only one who heard it was Seokjin; who quickly excused the two of them from the conversation.
“I don’t want to tell you how much you’re fucking up.” He warned but Yoongi simply shrugged, not up to the task of putting on a front anymore.
“I’m grown tired of this party anyway. I’m going to head home.”
“Give me a ring tomorrow.” Seokjin shouted at his departing back, listening to Yoongi’s tired ‘yeah, yeah’ in response. He smiled at his longtime friend. They grew up together and had each other’s back no matter the situation. So he knew that Yoongi would never admit it, but he was jealous of your wedding. Specifically, jealous that you officially and legally belonged to another man.
As he walked to the exit, Yoongi spotted you off to the side talking to a group of women and taking pictures. Without a second thought, he reached inside his suit jacket to pull out a pen and grabbed a napkin off the table. He scribbled onto the material as he walked closer to you.
You smiled as you took a picture, laughing at something that was said by Kyungjun’s cousin when you felt a push against your body as someone knocked into you. Looking to see who it was, you came face to face with Yoongi. He mumbled a brief apology and continued to walk away, however you didn’t fail to miss him slip something into your hand.
Rather than make it known to your immediate crowd of guests, you held it tightly in your palm until you had a chance to see what it was. Waiting until you had a moment to yourself and your company was distracted, you discreetly opened the small soft piece of material.
Meet me in the hallway by the back entrance.
You crumbled up the note, chucking it in the garbage as you made it to the location. There stood your lover with his broad back facing you as he gazed out of the glass door. The sound of your heels clicking against the waxed hardwood floor grabbed his attention as he suddenly turned to face you.
“Took you long enough.” Yoongi wittily stated with a smile.
“Would you rather me have a crowd of people following me? I had to wait, besides, what’s the rush?
Yoongi’s lips instantly crushed yours, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you close to his warmth. His large palms gently held your face as his tongue entered your mouth. You moaned in response, gripping his suit jacket to pull him closer.
Yoongi broke away to kiss and nibble a path down your neck as your eyes rolled and your hand wandered down his body, massaging over his semi-hard member.
“Mm, don’t do that, baby.” He groaned, moving away from your touch. “I don’t want to shock your entire wedding party when they come looking for you and find me fucking your sweet ass raw.”
You smiled, biting your bottom lip. “Maybe I want you to.”
“God! You’re such a fucking minx!”
Yoongi grabbed you by the back of your neck, pulling you close to shove his tongue down your throat. Although the kiss was hot and very passionate, it didn’t last long. You two broke away soon after. Deep breathing was the only sound coming from the hallway. Your eyes stared into his as you reached out and clutched his suit jacket in a loose grip.
“That felt like a goodbye kiss,” you laughed. “I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon.” You admitted.
“Nah, I have a busy day tomorrow and it seems like the party is ending anyway.”
You whined, pulling him closer. “But Yoongi...”
“Come on, don’t do that. Don’t let me ruin your special day,” he told you. Your head leaned into his palm as he gently cupped your cheek. “Once I leave, you can actually enjoy your party instead of putting on a front while I’m here.”
You swallowed the lump in your throat as tears filled your eyes. The vision of the man in front of you became blurred. Yoongi used his thumbs to wipe away the single tears that rolled down your cheeks. Concern laced in his expression.
“What’s wrong?” He questioned, realizing how his heart ached to see you cry.
You put on a smile, shaking your head. Your hand rubbed over the skin of his as you cupped his hand. “Don’t worry, tears of joy.” You assured him. “Just thinking of how this day turned out and I’m not just talking about the wedding aspect. Being with you makes me happy too.”
“Good.” Yoongi kissed your lips one last time before breaking away completely. “I’ll be in touch.”
With that, you were left with watching him walk away and out of your sight. You smiled to yourself at the absence of his presence and held yourself in your arms. The way Yoongi made you feel was unexplainable yet, you were satisfied with how the two of you met up. Your relationship wasn’t love but certainly a lustful addiction neither of you could break away from, not that you wanted to. As greedy as it sounds, you were appeased by being with another man outside of your relationship with Kyungjun. Yoongi fed your body the heated primal passion it craved, consisting of loud moans, perspiration, light teeth marks and scratches, hair pulling, restrained wrists, wet and connected hips, completed with pretense assurance.
He was the kind of fuck that had you making promises you knew you couldn’t fulfill; all to keep his tongue busy licking up your arousal. Fucking Yoongi consists of losing majority of brain function. He took you to a euphoric state that had you wondering when it was going to happen again as soon as it ended or just a simple thought of him, had your panties around your ankles or missing completely and your fingers plunged deep in your dripping walls. He made your withdrawals from him harder to bear.
Not to say that Kyungjun couldn’t do the same, it was just that the two of you had your own agenda. He was an exceptional lover but compared to Yoongi, you needed both. Sometimes one more than the other.
~~~~~
Yoongi placed his car keys on his coffee table as he made his way to the fridge to grab a cold bottle of beer. Using a band on his finger, he expertly popped open the top and took a sip. The tart flavored taste greeted his taste buds, immediately causing his body to relax with ease. After a somewhat long day, this was what he needed.
Visions from your wedding flashed through his mind. More specifically, when you snuck away to meet him in the bathroom for a quickie. The fucked out look on your face caused a faint smirk to appear on his. You were so highly addictive that he had trouble apprehending boundaries. Your pussy knows how to work him over and help him relax. If he wanted to, he would spend all night on his knees worshiping it. Not that he hasn’t attempted to before. You were that addictive.
Just as he walked into his bedroom, his ears picked up on the ringer on his cellphone. Not even glancing at who was calling, he answered. Around that time of night, there were only two people who would call his line.
“Hello?”
“Hey, baby.” A light feminine voice replied. “How was the party? Are you home?”
“Mm,” Yoongi moaned into the device, taking another sip of beer. Finishing with a satisfied sigh. “It was a wedding, babe. Not a party.”
She laughed. “What’s the difference? It’s still a party. Did you have fun?”
“Eh, I mean I did enjoy myself some but it felt like a business meeting since my boss was there. Maybe it would’ve felt different if you could’ve come.”
“Aww! I’m sorry baby. I had already made plans with my mother and I couldn’t cancel. She was already complaining how majority of my time is either spent with you or at work. But next time, okay?”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I’m sure you will, Yoongi. Would you spank me if I withdraw?”
He could tell she was smiling and biting her lip from the intonation of her voice. She was his girlfriend after all. He was familiar with all of her mannerisms.
“I’m going to do more than that.”
“Mmm, baby. You know how to really rile me up.”
Yoongi chuckled, silently undressing. “Unfortunately, babe, we have to cut it short tonight. I’m pretty tired and I have to get up early for work in the morning.”
Bojum knew his schedule inside out but he still needed to verify it for her to understand that night, he wasn’t up for long conversations over the phone. And as per usual, she always understood his needs. She always did understand him.
“Alright. Have a good night, professor. I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. I’ll text you when I’m in between classes.”
“Aye aye captain!” She gave a mocking salute although he couldn’t see it.
Yoongi ended the call and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water coarse down his body. Any stress and tension he had, melted away and emptied into the drain of the dark unknown.
His eyes closed as he released a breathily sigh. His head lowered causing the water to run through his hair and down his face. Taking his hand, he flipped his dark hair back; exposing his eyes and forehead.
Yoongi let out a groan before scoffing at himself. “What the hell am I doing?”
After washing up, he dressed in black sweats and a simple plain white shirt; climbing into bed feeling the weight of the world fade away. Thanks to you, sleep came almost instantaneously. It also didn’t surprise him when you visited his dreams; making sure he was taking care of in his unconscious state.
~~~
Yoongi adjusted the strap to his satchel on his shoulder as he walked through the doors of the lecture hall. All the students inside noticed his presence and immediately rushed to get their materials ready for class. Even his most hard working student shuddered at the very existence of his mien.
“Good morning, everyone. I hope you’ve all studied for today’s exam.” Yoongi spoke as he wrote out his grading scale and rules on the dry erase board. “Remember, retakes do not exist in my class. So let’s hope the odds are in your favor.”
Even though it was an open book test, the answers to the questions won’t be found by flipping through the pages. His students needed to study the chapters given. That was the kind of professor he was.
Min Yoongi, the best music teacher at one of the most preeminent universities in the country. He was also one of the hardest. Many students who took his class complained of it’s difficulty. It was rare that students passed his class with a high grade percentage. The standard was ‘C’ average.
He never gave handouts. He believed his students never learned that way. They’d forget the material in a month; buried in the back of their minds as they tried to keep up with whichever class they felt was of more importance. Yoongi made it his goal that his class was one of them. His students left his class with a better understanding of the arts of music and they respected him for it. Teachers respected him for his learning approach with his students. They often came to him for advice and learned much from his musical genius.
For some of the female student body who took his class, they had immediately became enamored by the tall, very attractive but aloof professor. Class was much more interesting when a hot teacher was in charge. They found his sternness a big turn on and lust after him but never had the courage to approach him in such a manner. They figured his personality was just as cold as his classroom persona and thought it would be better not to make a fool of themselves in front of him.
“Homework is already posted. Make sure you read the chapters for it.” He spoke as he gathered the exams and his belongings. His students grabbed their bags and piled out of the lecture hall. “I will know if you did by grading your homework. The work you do is the grade you get.”
“Enjoy the rest of your day, Professor Min.” A female student said in a light taintiziling voice with a sweet smile causing her group of female companions to giggle at her, while giving her shoulder a shove.
Yoongi briefly looked up, smiled, and waved before returning his focus to packing up. He heard them giggling some more as they left, when his ears picked up on something else.
“Well aren’t you quite the lady’s man?” Jin teased. This caused Yoongi to chuckle more to himself as he placed his bag across his shoulder.
“Not as much as you think.”
The two men walked down the hallway, greeting all who spoke to them. Two prominent professors in the same place; at the same time? It’d been rude not to speak. Everyone who attended the university knew who they were.
Just like Yoongi, Seokjin made a name for himself as the university’s top theater director. He taught the arts of acting and co-directed several student plays as well as directing musicals and other dramatic performances at the city’s theatre. Unlike Yoongi, jin’s had his picture in the newspaper; as well as magazines for his work. Before getting the job offer at the college, Jin was an actor. Starring in a few films as the side character, rather than the lead. And while Yoongi’s teaching methods were considered harsh, Jin’s approach was completely opposite.
He consistently praises his students for their hard work and efforts. He knew what it was like to be in their shoes and wanted to provide them with the best support. However, he was still far from a pushover.
“Bullshit,” Jin laughed as they entered Yoongi’s office, reiterating their previous conversation. “You’re dating Bojum but let’s not forget about your other side project.”
Yoongi scoffed with a shake of his head while managing to scratch his ear with his index finger. “I’d hardly call it a side project. More like a ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ agreement.”
“Is that how y/n sees it?”
Jin was the only person who knew of Yoongi’s relationship with you. He was also the only one Yoongi trusted with that kind of information...
It was a year ago as Yoongi walked down the hallway towards his office, he spotted his boss with several other people; two of which were a couple holding hands. The rest were teachers, lining up to introduce themselves.
“Ah! There he is!” Mr. Cho stated as he extended a welcoming arm to Yoongi. “One of my top employees, Min Yoongi. He teaches music in the south wing lecture hall. Let me tell you, he’s extremely gifted and his connection with the curriculum and students is extraordinary.”
“Thanks for the compliment, sir.” Yoongi bowed.
“Sounds like you’re an expert in your field. The students must look up to you,” the stranger spoke with the stretch of his hand. “Bang Kyungjun.”
“Nice to meet you.” Yoongi said while bowing at the older gentleman.
“Kyungjun is the new chairman for the English and writing department,” his boss stated with eagerness. “And this beautiful young lady is his fiancée.”
“Y/n.” You shook his hand but what took you by surprise was when Yoongi offered you a courteous bow; his hand still attached to yours.
“Mr. Bang’s office will be located in this building until renovations in the English department are done.”
The group continued walking as his boss gave a tour. Yoongi stared as they all walked away, his eyes trained on your retreating back. The warmth from your hand was fading by the second. The moment he touched it, the heat radiating from your skin was almost enough to start a spark. Something he almost missed at first and wondered if it was the same feeling for you.
A few weeks later would have you both meeting again. It was in the same hallway but under unfortunate circumstances...
Yoongi rushed down the empty corridor, dashing to a meeting he was now running late to due to a last minute discussion with another teacher. The man piled on question after question about his methods of teaching. Yoongi informed him that they could speak later, however, the man continuously carried on the conversation as if he didn’t have anywhere to be.
“Asshole.” Yoongi mumbled to him as he rounded the corner.
Unfortunately, he collided with you and the bag you were carrying. The hot cup of coffee in your hand was now staining both of your clothes. The food in the bag was now in ruins and smushed in a mixture of mess.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” He offered, checking you over to see if you were hurt.
“It’s fine. Besides the now cold coffee on my skirt and shirt, I’m okay,” you joked, trying to make light of the situation. “What about you? Are you okay? I know the coffee spilled over both of us.”
Yoongi didn’t answer as his eyes scanned over your body. He did feel uncomfortably wet, yet his focus was more on your clothes. You had a large light brown stain, not to mention, the front of your shirt was almost transparent.
“Why don’t you come to my office and get cleaned up.” Yoongi offered, taking the empty cup from your hand as well as your purse in an attempt to carry it for you.
You tried to stop him. “No, I don’t want to impose. Besides, I know a man of your stature probably has somewhere more important to be.”
Yoongi thought of the meeting he was now twenty minutes late to. Due to unforeseeable events, he wasn’t in the mood to go anymore. He thought of an excuse to explain his absence as he assisted you to his office.
Once behind closed doors, you took one final look at what was supposed to be the bag of lunch and tossed it in the trash.
“So much for that kind gesture.” You chuckled sarcastically.
“What was it? If it’s important, I’ll pay for another one.”
“Don’t bother. It was just lunch for Kyungjun. I’m sure he wouldn’t miss it. Probably already eaten.”
When you faced away from the trash can, you saw that Yoongi was holding out a shirt for you to take. “Here, put it on. I’ll turn around. I promise I won’t look.”
You watched as his broad back was staring in your direction; only a couple seconds later did you start to undress. Before removing your shirt, you took one final glance in his direction. You couldn’t help but stare in fascination at the flexing of the muscles in Yoongi’s back as he pulled his wet shirt over his head.
You watched as he placed a simple black T-shirt over his torso and quickly turned around and finished ridding yourself of your damp shirt before putting on the one he gave you.
“Are you done?” He questioned.
“Yeah. You can turn around.” When he did, he motioned for your ruined shirt in your hands. “What are you going to do with it?”
“Wash it. You can hang out here for now.” And with that, he was gone.
You took the time to look around the office. It wasn’t big like Kyungjun’s but Yoongi found a way to make it appear so. His office was well put together and organized; completely with a chaise lounge and what looked like a mini kitchen he created with a microwave, mini fridge, and coffee maker.
His desk held a few pictures, one of which was him with a beautiful woman. She had her arms wrapped around his frame and her lips made contact with his cheek. They both looked happy. She must be his girlfriend or wife.
On his wall were pictures of him at formal events; right alongside his degrees and achievements. One award, he kept on his bookshelf; dividing his books into two rows. Your fingertips grazed the picture frame of him smiling, holding that award in his hands.
Suddenly, you heard the door closing.
“Making yourself comfortable, I see.” You could hear the humor in his voice.
“Just looking around, that’s all.” You stated, looking over your shoulder at him.
“Our shirts just need to dry. It should take about thirty to forty minutes.”
You nodded mindlessly as you finished browsing his books, unaware of his eyes scanning over your backside. “So... What are you? Some kind of musical genius?”
Yoongi smirked, crossing his arms across his chest. “Something like that.”
That response made you straighten your posture, turning around to stare at him. His smartass cocky smirk was still present on his face, challenging you to say something. To disagree was more like it.
“I was just joking.”
“I wasn’t.” He still challenged.
You went to take a seat, feeling a bit stifled. When Yoongi heard you clear your throat and began to fidget with his shirt, he chuckled to himself, taking a seat at his desk. Once in front of the younger man, you gained your composure.
“Yoongi, was it? Musical awards, music teacher, musical recognition... You seem like a very important man-.”
“I am.” He curtly interrupted. “Y/n, was it?” He mocked, causing you to laugh.
“It is.”
“Wife of the chairman.”
“Soon to be.” You corrected.
“Soon to be wife, sitting in another man’s office, wearing his clothes.”
“Your fault, by the way.”
“Partly.”
“Entirely.”
“I disagree.” He countered. Your eyebrow twitched in the air with interest.
“I don’t.” You tried to hold a serious expression but locked in a stare down with Yoongi proved difficult. A smile graced your features. “Is there a reason why you are questioning me?”
“Just curious, that’s all.” He mocked again.
“Uh huh... Does a professor of your status have nothing else better to do? Out of all people, you patronize me. Why is that, huh? What would your girlfriend think?” You smiled wickedly but Yoongi seemed unfazed.
“Does me seeing someone bother you?”
“Absolutely not,” you laughed, more uncomfortably from his accusations than the proposal of his question. “I barely know you.”
“Then why did you bring her up?”
Appalled, you stood abruptly; placing your palms flat on his desk. You stared into his cold dark eyes, not only feeling your blood boil but your heart racing. “Listen here, Min Yoongi! It was YOU who ran into me! It was YOU who invited me here and it was YOU who began to fool around. I didn’t-“
“You can leave if you want to. I’m not asking you to stay nor am I holding you hostage.”
You scoff, standing in a straight posture; looking down from your hypothetical tower. You weren’t even sure why you were even having this conversation with him. You wanted to leave yet you wanted to stay. You didn’t care for his arrogance but you also found it intriguing.
“Well aren’t you going to leave?” He questioned, breaking your thoughts clear. When your eyes focused on him, you could easily detect a complacent smile, fighting to make an appearance. No doubt about your hesitation on going.
“You feel it too.” Yoongi said more as a statement than a question. He stood to his feet, coming around the desk to face you head on.
“Feel what?”
“This.” He motioned with his finger, pointing from his direction to yours.
You laughed. Genuinely this time; coming deep within your gut. “Stick to music, Mr. Min. People aren’t really your forte.”
Yoongi quietly nodded, going to stand behind you. Ever so slightly you felt the faint touch of his fingertips gliding across the smooth skin of your neck. The sudden contact had you closing your eyes rather than fighting him off. Goosebumps were now evident down both arms. Strange, it was as if he knew exactly where to touch.
You hummed in delight, not wanting him to stop even though it was brief. The office grew quiet as neither of you said a word.
“Oh!” You gasped at the contact of his lips on your skin. Your hands twitched by your side; fighting to stop yourself from gripping his hair and pulling him closer. The little control you had left was quickly drifting away.
“Not my forte, huh?” He teased in your ear.
You snickered. “Not quite,” turning around to face the virtuoso head on. “But we can perfect it.”
You locked Yoongi down into a steamy kiss; one that had you both fighting for dominance. With no hesitation, his arm swiped across his desk, clearing it of any work related items.
“Wrap your legs around me.” He grunted, his voice heavy with lust, making you eagerly comply. Your clothed back came in contact with the cool wooden glossy surface where Yoongi devoured you in his burning appetite.
Within the span of an hour, you counted four orgasms and neither of you were ready to call it quits. That’s how his relationship began with you. Not the most pleasant introduction but it lasted on the foundation of desire alone. Just sex; that was the agreement. He’d call and hang up, waiting for you to call back. It was routine. Whenever and wherever either of you wanted it, it happened. His apartment, your house, your car, his car. Anywhere, from an empty movie theater to a secluded alley. Some of the most memorable moments happened when you both were physically hungry for each other.
You gave in so easily that it confused you as to why. Why didn’t you fight for your relationship with Kyungjun and instead, broke the bond that you both shared. It was a weird feeling. You didn’t cry for what you’ve done once you left the office. Once you got home, you rinsed away all traces of Yoongi from your body. You stared at the small framed picture of you and Kyungjun on the nightstand as you dressed in the bedroom. Still, there wasn’t a hint of guilt or remorse on your end. No voice in your head, shaming you for what you’ve done. What did it mean? What did it say about you? It should have alarmed you or made you think twice but unfortunately, you didn’t. You wanted to see how far it could go; for your own satisfaction.
When his best friend all of a sudden became busy and full of excuses, Seokjin knew something was up. When questioned, Yoongi felt no need to hide anything from his longtime friend. However, Jin was all but understanding.
“You do know that this is basically your boss’s wife you’re fucking.” Seokjin could barely process what was said to him.
Yoongi laughed. “He’s definitely not my boss. My boss is the head of the music department. If anything, he’s more closer to being yours.”
“Listen here, asshole, we share the same boss,” Seokjin sighed. “I’m just trying to get you to realize the kind of situation you’re getting yourself into. From what I heard, Mr. Cho and Mr. Bang are friends. If he catches wind of what's going on, your job could be in jeopardy. You know how hard you've worked to get to where you are.”
A slight chuckle slipped from Yoongi’s lips. “Relax, Jin. I promise it won’t go further than just sex. She knows that and so do I. She’s soon to be a married woman, she’s-“
“Exactly!” He interrupted. “A married woman! My thoughts exactly and you’re not single yourself while your out fucking around. What about Bojum, huh?”
Yoongi was starting to get annoyed. He should have kept his affair to himself but he also knew if shit did hit the fan, he could always count on Seokjin to have his back. It was better to have him clued in on everything than leave him in the dark.
Yoongi shrugged, going to his coffee machine to get a cup that was freshly brewed. Taking a seat, he leaned back in his chair.
“I don’t know how y/n sees it. But it works for us so neither of us are complaining.”
It was now Jin’s turn to laugh as he got up to get himself a cup of coffee. “You’re crazy, do you know that? I know sex is good but not for what you both are risking. Balancing two women at once is tricky. Not to mention friends with benefits. That’s if you two consider each other as friends.”
Yoongi smiled to himself. The conversations and occasional pillow talk you shared was something he planned on keeping a secret, treasuring it as a distant memory.
~~~~~
What a small world it was, indeed. The term ‘coincidence’ couldn’t fit the bill for this situation. Seriously, what were the odds?
You lived on the outskirts of a fairly large city, unlike Yoongi who lived and worked there. But it seemed no matter where anyone lived, everyone remained connected. Someone knew someone that knew someone.
Here you were, out to lunch with your best friend, Yujin, and Soohee; someone you considered close enough to be a friend. As luck would have it, Soohee was close friends with a girl named Bojum and suggested the four of you should hang out; seeing how Bojum was always looking to make friends.
Now at first, you were on board; ready to meet the other woman. You already had a place in mind where you all could go. That is, until Soohee began describing how good looking Bojum’s boyfriend is. Not only that, but she mentioned him being a music teacher at a nearby university. The same university where your husband had been employed. Now it didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together, however, you didn’t want to jump to conclusions.
“Does this good looking professor have a name?” You egged on, taking a sip of your alcoholic beverage, damn near finishing it off. In reality, you were hoping it was someone else. It was hard enough to sneak around Kyungjun and your friends. The last thing you needed was to talk circles around your lover’s girlfriend.
“Yoongi. I think his name is Min Yoongi,” she stated casually. “I’m surprised you haven’t met him when you visit your husband.”
You feigned ignorance. “I don’t know him personally but I think I know who you’re talking about.”
“You do?” Soohee asked you.
“I’m sure I met him when Kyungjun was first hired.”
“Well?...” She poked with a mischievous smile on her face.
“Well what?”
“In your opinion, is he as good looking as everyone says?”
You shrugged. “He’s not bad looking. If that’s the type you go for.”
Soohee groaned, falling back in her seat with a false show of disappointment. “If I was that kind of girl, I would attempt to talk to him. However, Bojum is one of my really good friends. Not to mention, she said they’ve been together for three years. I’m not a home wrecker, no matter how good looking he is.”
It became quiet amongst the three of you as the conversation hung in the air. Yet it formed as a dark cloud over your head.
“Wow, you’ve met him and Kyungjun works alongside him. You two have a lot in common. What are the odds of that?” Yujin teased, nudging your shoulder.
“Yeah.” You laughed out obnoxiously. Inside you were screaming to the point where you could feel the blood rushing to your face.
Coincidence? Yeah right...
~~~
“Coincidence?” Yoongi asked.
“Yeah? Isn’t it odd? Or do you not have a problem with me hanging around your girlfriend?” You replied smugly over the phone.
“If you really want to, I’m not going to stop you. I just hope that you won’t become too loose at the lips that’ll land us both in trouble.”
“If you want me to be honest, Mr. Min, I’d rather spend time with you... just you. If you catch my drift.”
Yoongi closed his eyes and released a silent sigh as he felt his cock twitch at your open invitation. For a split second, he almost jumped at your offer. That’s how addictive you were and how crazy in lust you made him. Unfortunately, he had responsibilities and prior engagements he had to attend.
“Sorry, baby, but tonight isn’t a good time for me.”
“Come on, Yoongi,” you whined. “Please?... I’ve been wet all day at the thought of you inside me. Remember that itch? Mines definitely need to be scratched.”
Yoongi summoned all of the willpower he could muster. His mind was fighting against his body; his member hardening in his pants, hoping not to lose the battle. “Unfortunately, I’d have to decline, y/n. As much as I want to, right now isn’t good for me.”
You released a sigh, fumbling with the drawstrings of your robe. With Kyungjun out with friends, it left you lonely on a Friday evening. You were hoping to catch Yoongi before he left his office. “If you say so, Mr. Min. I guess I’ll have to catch you at another time.”
“I’ll make it up to you, baby. I promise.” He offered, sensing your disappointment.
After ending his call with a regretful sigh, Yoongi grabbed a few items before heading to a late department meeting. He definitely didn’t want to attend and could think of a thousand other things he could be doing instead. Yoongi shut the door, walking down the university hall; ready to get this meeting over with.
One hour and fifteen minutes. That’s how long the faculty meeting ran and to Yoongi, it was a complete waste of his time. Luckily for him, he had the perfect way to make up for it. A brand new bottle of whiskey at home, waiting on him to pop open the cap. The thought had Yoongi quickly pacing to his office to gather the rest of his belongings.
“Wow, that meeting took longer than I anticipated.” a seductive, sultry voice spoke the moment he entered the room, startling him in the process. Yoongi watched as you swiveled around in his chair, revealing your presence.
“What are you doing here?”
You slightly pouted, standing up on your feet and coming around the large desk to face him. “I said I’d catch you another time... which was after your meeting. Lucky for me, you forgot to lock your door,” you leaned forward to gently cup his face, pacing a light kiss on his pink lips. However, Yoongi didn’t respond the way you assumed he would. You pulled back sensing his hesitation. “Are you not happy to see me?” You questioned.
“It’s not that, I just-“
His words were cut off at the sight of your coat opening and sliding off your shoulders to reveal your exposing lingerie. The thin black fabric barely covered anything. But it captured Yoongi’s attention the way you hoped it would.
“Oh Professor Min, I know you’re a very busy man and I know I should have waited until you called me first like we agreed but,” your hand disappeared between your legs, only momentarily, to show him just how wet you were at the thought of fucking him. Your fingers played with the slick arousal before your lips enclosed around your fingers to suck it off. “My pussy just won’t give up until your hard cock is deep inside me and I’ve milked you of every drop of cum.”
Any resistance he was fighting against has surely left his being. It only took Yoongi a second until his lips crushed yours. In the midst of the heated kiss, he switched off the small desk lamp in the case anyone was to walk by. If you wanted your lingerie for later use, it was too late to voice it. Yoongi ripped them off your body and tossed them somewhere on the floor of his office. That Friday night, instead of drinking whiskey, Yoongi drank from you as he had both of your legs thrown over his shoulders. Your naked body was spread on his desk like a platter waiting to be devoured. And Yoongi did just that. While the rest of his coworkers emptied the building, Yoongi stayed even later to help your voice reach high notes he knew nobody else was capable of aiding you with.
~~~~~
Being a housewife definitely had its perks, yet it made parts of your life boring as hell if you couldn’t find something to keep you entertained. However, that day, you decided to pay Yoongi a visit. A surprise visit. Watch him, close hand, as he put on his persona of professor in the classroom setting.
It had been two weeks since your last rendezvous with Yoongi. You were very much sore after he brutally fucked you in his office and a part of you felt as if he purposely did it. Your punishment for showing up at his office uninvited. It was worth it but you knew you couldn’t be reckless and barge into his office when he wasn’t there. What if he was talking to another teacher or worse, what if Bojum was there waiting for him.
Either way, you promised you wouldn’t enter his office without him knowing. But that didn’t mean you still couldn’t surprise him at work.
By the time you made it to his classroom, you took a deep breath and opened the door. Immediately all eyes were on you, including Yoongi’s... especially Yoongi’s. Without saying a word, you walked up the stairs of the lecture hall, making sure your ass switched side to side for his benefit before taking a spot in one of the empty seats in the back.
Yoongi had no choice but to continue his discussion. Occasionally his eyes locked with yours and he could see the playful light teasing behind them. It was clear to him that you didn’t learn your lesson the last time. You couldn’t continue randomly popping up around him. People could get suspicious and he was going to make sure you realize that once class had ended.
~~~
“Shit...”
You slowly eased down his length, allowing his solid thick member to split your pussy lips deliciously.
“Aw... fuck.” Yoongi let out a low guttural moan, his eyes rolled closed as his head leaned back in pleasure, exposing his neck.
You smiled, wanting nothing more than to taste his skin on your tongue but you resisted. This was supposed to be a quickie before someone was to walk inside the classroom and find the two of you connected in ways you shouldn’t have been. Luckily you both were hidden between one of the rows on the floor.
Yoongi knew this was wrong. The two of you were out in the open. This was his classroom, his job was definitely at stake with the way he gambled with the choices he was making lately. He couldn’t continue doing this but fuck, you felt so good wrapped around him. He could barely think as you rode his cock with expertise. A few more minutes and he would surely come with no problem. That is... until the classroom door opened. In a panic, Yoongi pulled you to his chest and rolled over so that he was now on top. He pressed a hand to your lips to silence the noise you made.
“Hey, Yoongi?” A voice called and he easily recognized it as Jin. Peeking his head over the desks, they made eye contact.
“There you are! What are you doing over there?” Jin asked as he made his way over. “No! Wait!” Yoongi yelled for him to stop. Confused, Jin stopped and stared until he saw you peeking over the desks to see who it was.
Baffled, Jin took a couple steps away. “Are you kidding me?!” He yelled, “you guys are crazy to fuck out in the open like this! What if it wasn’t me who walked in?!”
“Yeah yeah,” Yoongi commented nonchalantly to his friend’s reaction, eventually standing up to put the remainder of his shirt on. “Keep it down before you let everyone know what went on.”
Jin huffed, staring at him with hard eyes. “When you finish getting dressed, you’re buying me a drink.” He walked away mumbled to himself under his breath.
~~~
“You know the two of you are really lucky that it was me that walked through the door.” Jin said for the fifth time while he sat at the bar nursing his second beer.
You leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek. You already knew who Kim Seokjin was and was grateful of his loyalty to Yoongi for keeping your affair a secret. But you also knew he was doing it to protect Yoongi and not so much you. Still, it felt good to know in the case of an emergency, you had someone to go to about the situation.
“We know, Jin, and thanks again for not saying anything. Right, Yoongi?” You nudged him with your arm, bringing him back to the conversation.
“Mm,” he hummed, taking a sip of his beer.
You sat between both men; laughing, drinking, and chatting as if the three of you were childhood friends. You honestly had fun and could see why Yoongi was best friends with Jin. He was a good person and a great friend. You didn’t mind hanging out with the two of them again, even if there were no sexual activities with Yoongi that day either. But what did that mean for you and your relationship with him?
~~~~~
Yoongi pulled at the tight black tie around his neck as he sipped champagne. Once again, he was invited to attend another formal dinner party hosted by the university. For once, he envied lower leveled professors for not having to attend. Because of his status, he was invited to many high-end dinner parties whose guests were none other than the rich civilians of the city.
Luckily for Yoongi, he wasn’t alone. Jin was there yet he was busy at the moment entertaining a crowd; mostly women and some men, curious to hear about his acting endeavors. If Yoongi wasn’t so tired of hearing the same old stories, he would have joined them and listened. But he had, in fact, grew up with Jin; been with him through every challenge first hand. Hearing about it countless times bored him to tears but Jin never took offense. Yoongi wasn’t the kind of person who needed something repeated to him. It was in his nature to wander around until he found conversation worthy of his attention.
Not even a few minutes later, Yoongi’s eyes locked on your figure walking into the large room. You looked absolutely stunning dolled up for the party. Your dress hugged your body, clinging tightly to the curves of your skin. Your makeup was light but enough for Yoongi to ruin when he fucked you later and he definitely planned on using your company to keep himself occupied. At this rate, he didn’t have to pretend he was enjoying himself, he actually could.
He watched as your lips stretched into a smile as you greeted a variety of people. Within a second, your eyes made contact and you knew he was there. Yoongi finished off the rest of the contents in the glass, ready to approach you when your husband soon appeared; wrapping an arm around your waist. He placed a gentle peck to your cheek, to which you leaned into and smiled.
Yoongi immediately halted; his feet rooted in place. He observed your husband leading you to another crowd of people, greeting them with bows and handshakes.
“Here you go,” Jin offered him another glass of champagne, oblivious to what had captured his attention. “I think we may need a couple of these to get through this lame ass party. Who knew being a socialite was a pain in the ass?”
But Yoongi didn’t answer. Unfortunately, he spent the rest of the gathering secretly watching over you from the corner of his eye. No matter how many minutes had gone by, he knew where you were at all times. He watched from your husband getting you a drink to him whispering in your ear that had you shying away and eyeing him seductively.
An unusual feeling washed over him; shaking him to the core. He didn’t think he could ever feel this way and didn’t like it one bit. Yoongi also didn’t like that it was you who brought these feelings to the surface.
An hour later, Yoongi had all that he could take for the evening. His tie eventually hung loose around his neck, his hair was slightly unkempt due to running his hands through it often, and he finished off his sixth glass of champagne. He wasn’t feeling like himself and felt as though he was losing control of the situation.
Excusing himself from the dinner table and whispering a short explanation to Jin, Yoongi hauled a cab home letting the party play over in his head. Pulling out his phone, his fingers itched to text you. To see if you were willing to sneak away from your husband to be with him.
Seeing the two of you together, Yoongi wanted you to prove that he was more desirable than your husband. That you’d seek him out since he was the only one who could fuck you the way you needed to be.
That night, Yoongi laid in bed staring at his phone, waiting for your text. Usually it would be the other way around, but he knew you’d seen him and yet, not one word was spoken to each other.
Yoongi eventually fell asleep, his phone next to him, and still no message from you.
~~~~~
Three weeks was the longest you’ve gone without hearing from Yoongi. He’d usually reach out a couple times by now but you figured he was just busy with work. Kyungjun stated that the university had been busy preparing for finals and you assumed that to be the reason. But on a bored, lonely Thursday afternoon, you decided to reach out; seeing how he was too busy to do the same. Even if you weren’t expecting sex to happen, you still wanted to check on his well-being.
1:12pm- you: Hey! How have you been?
You sat waiting for a response but there wasn’t any. Strange, considering how he is usually more responsive when it comes to you. After thirty minutes, you tried again.
1:41pm- you: I know you’re busy but would you like me to bring you some coffee?
This time, you finally struck gold.
1:42pm- 0XX-XXX-2556: No thanks.
Initially, you were taken back by the message but figured he was probably stressed due to work so you had continued on anyway.
1:43pm- you: ...kay. Did you want to meet up later? We don’t have to fuck lol. We could just chat a little. I’m kinda bored and want to get out of the house for a bit.
1:44pm- 0XX-XXX-2556: I’m busy.
That definitely caught your attention this time. Something was wrong, you could feel it. Was it about the two of you? You shook the thought from your head. He seemed fine at the party and if it was serious, he would have told you.
You immediately thought of him at the party. Yoongi looked so handsome that you had a hard time taking your eyes off of him. Occasionally, your eyes searched around for him and when you spotted him, your stomach did flips. You wanted to go to him that evening but it was as if Kyungjun was purposely keeping you by his side so you wouldn’t miss out.
You rolled your eyes at the thought of those annoying parties. You never fit in with any of the other wives and told Kyungjun on more than one occasion, resulting in him pulling you around like a dog on a leash.
Your thoughts went back to Yoongi. You couldn’t help but sense something was wrong. You didn’t want to believe it had anything to do with the two of you but then again, the coldness behind his messages were evidently clear. The feeling sat churning in your stomach, making you feel a bit uneasy. The discomfort soon began to bubble; rising until it was shooting from your mouth and your hands raced to catch it.
You ran to the bathroom trying to catch the reminder in the toilet. You hawked and gagged until nothing else came up. Washing your hands, you looked at yourself in the mirror. It felt like hours until you found the strength to break away.
Needless to say, it was the longest you’ve spent at the doctor.
~~~
You sipped your tea, listening as Yujin and Soohee chatted away. They invited you out on several occasions yet you declined, finding entertainment in Yoongi’s company at the time. But now, it’s as though time froze in place with the two of you. You became even more withdrawn from the world and more lost in your thoughts. It has now been another two weeks since you’ve last reached out and a little over a month since you last saw him in person.
At the very least, you considered him a friend but you seemed hesitant to reach out as that. To be honest, you were worried you’d come face to face with his aloof demeanor.
“Oh! Oh!” Soohee happily jumped in her seat, bringing you back to reality. “Guess what?”
“You found a man?” Yujin teased. You just shrugged your shoulders not caring to make a wild guess.
“No, something better!” She went on but when you both just stared at her, unmoved, she gave up. “Bojum got engaged last week! AND she invited me to the wedding!” She squeaked in delight. “Don’t worry, I’ll ask if you guys can come so keep your schedules open for a date and time.
Your heart dropped hard that you were unaware that you were clutching your chest. It was beating so loud and quickly that you could hear it in your ears. Your hand dropped to your stomach, now fighting the nausea that was threatening to take over. Yoongi was engaged... Yoongi was going to get married.
~~~~~
Checking your watch for the tenth time in less than three minutes as you paced up the stairs; too anxious to wait on an elevator. Your heels loudly clicked on the tiled floor as you quickly walked to your destination once you made it to your desired level. You brushed past people coming from the opposite direction but they couldn’t deter you. Nobody could.
You found the door you were looking for and knocked in a rather sudden and desperate manner, no doubt startling anyone who was inside. The doorknob twisted and the heavy wooden door granted you entry the moment you heard a deep ‘come in’.
You found Yoongi sitting at his desk and a student leaning over at whatever he was showing her but their attention was now on you. You studied over the young woman; from her exposed cleavage in her low cut sweater and short skirt, to her seductive gaze and innocent charm she probably tried to use on many college professors.
When your eyes landed on Yoongi, you could easily detect the irritation on his features as you silently criticized his student. And as you deduced, she was there to seduce him, however, Yoongi knew better than to get involved with a student. He knew how to handle the situation with her, especially since she was known to sleep around with his colleagues. But he certainly didn’t need you acting on his behalf and exposing the two of you acting out on impulse. As far as he knew, everyone knew he was seeing someone and that woman wasn’t you.
“Do you mind if we continue this discussion before class starts next week?”
“No problem, Professor Min.” She stated, gathering up her papers and books. “Thanks for your help. I’ll see you next class.” She walked by you, gripping her materials close to her chest in an effort to cover herself under your watchful eyes.
Yoongi gave a soft wave goodbye after seeing her to the door and shutting it behind her, leaving you both to privacy.
“Wow, Yoongi. You sure know how to pick ‘em, don’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” He asked, taking a seat at his desk.
“Surely you know what I mean. She’s young, impressionable, more than likely experienced. Years of experience fulfilling bored and lonely professors’s wet dreams of fucking an attractive student.”
“Why don’t you just say what you want without beating around the bush with bullshit.” He offered half smartly and the other half in annoyance. You bit your tongue in equal irritation pondering over the idea of questioning him over his relationship with his students. You did come there for answers and you were certainly going to get them.
“Are you fucking her too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” His temper flared as he stood with his hands flat on the desk, wrinkling thin papers under the weight. He couldn’t even believe that you would think so low of him. “She a fucking student! That’s all she is and all she’ll ever be to me.” The two of you stared off waiting until the other cracked, but Yoongi was in no mood for games. “Now is there a reason why you’re standing in my office making accusations as if I owe you anything?”
The room suddenly became silent as the tension grew stronger. The hallway sounds of students and staff outside the door were clear to interpret.
“Bojum... did you really propose to her?”
“Is there a reason why I couldn’t? I didn’t voice my opinion during the time you were someone else’s fiancée.”
Your nose twitched in anger. “What was there to voice when we were fucking regularly? You gotten what you wanted-“
“And so did you, so what's the problem?”
You opened your bag and took out an envelope but instead of passing it over, you just held it in your hand.
“Just explain to me what will happen once you get married. Are we supposed to continue having this grand ole love affair? Ignore our feelings for each other in exchange for lust?”
Yoongi came around his desk, taking a seat on the edge. “What feelings are you talking about?”
“I...” you hesitated. “After I had thought it over and contemplated my role in this relationship, I can admit my feelings for you have changed. Our connection has grown into something I can’t control and I’m shocked to admit this but I don’t want to lose that.”
Yoongi crossed his arms, staring at you with hard eyes. “What do you suggest?”
“Reconsider getting married.” He smiled at your words before chuckling to himself.
“I’m serious, Yoongi! We’ve been together for a little over a year-“
“Fucking,” he corrected. “We’ve been fucking for over a year but that doesn’t mean you were officially my girlfriend or anything.”
“But we should have some kind of loyalty to each other.” You went on, trying to disguise your hurt with words.
“What do you know about loyalty? You betrayed your own husband by sleeping around with me and you expect me to remain devoted just to you. That’s idiotic and absurd of you to admit that!” He stood to face you, no longer taking this conversation as a joke. “Are you THAT fucking selfish that only I have to look like the bad guy? Fucking a married woman while you get the pleasure of fucking me then going home to your husband!” You felt your stomach drop at the weight of his words.
“Let’s make one thing clear, right now... you don’t own me or control me! If I want to marry my girlfriend, I have every right to do so. If I want to fuck my baby into her, dammit! That’s my choice as well!
Your eyes watered. “Do you really mean that, Yoongi? Do you really love her?”
“Yes.” He stated without hesitation.
“... and me?” Your heart didn’t want to know. You didn’t even want to ask knowing the answer to an already tainted situation.
Perhaps it was silly to hope for a relationship with Yoongi. Never, when you both began sleeping together, did you think you would end up falling in love with him... but you did. Even the night before your wedding day, you had slipped away from your bachelorette party to spend the night at a hotel with him. If he had confessed even the slightest bit of affliction about you getting married or admitted his feelings for you, you wouldn’t have even said “I do” to another man.
Your eyes were brought back to his at the calling of your name. Just looking into those cold dark orbs made your tears resurface.
“This...” Yoongi began, only to close his mouth and take a deep breath. “This isn’t working anymore. Lately, things haven’t been good between us and we’ve been holding each other back. At the beginning, we established that this would be just sex between us, so why are we having this conversation? I don’t regret the time we spent getting to know each other but maybe... maybe we should just end this and remain as friends. You want more from me than I am willing to give you.”
He continued. “I’ve worked hard to get to where I am now. I’ve spent many sleepless nights working and doing what I had to in order to achieve and retain my job at one of the best prestigious universities in the country. The reputation I had made speaks more for itself so I don’t have to and I don’t want to lose any of it involved in a scandal. So let’s just agree to put this behind us and move on as friends.”
Your hand trembled around a white envelope you gripped in your fist. Your bottom lip quivered the moment you opened your mouth to speak but closed it to keep your emotions bottled up, keeping them from spilling out for him to see.
“Please do not misunderstand,” Yoongi spoke up again. “I do care deeply for you. However, it isn’t love.”
You swallowed the large lump in your throat, stabilizing your breathing. “Oh-Okay... it’s probably for the best.”
You turned around and left his office the same way you’d be leaving his life; quickly and quietly.
~~~
You would like to think that getting over Yoongi was as simple as deleting his number and moving on. But for you, it was the exact opposite. You mourned the loss as if it was the death of a loved one. Your appetite was gone and the thought of eating made you sick. Once Kyungjun left for work, your mornings were spent crying until you had a headache or to the point where your body was hunched over the toilet bowl retching.
You remained in bed from morning to evening which caused Kyungjun to become increasingly worried. Any breakfast he had prepared was still sitting in the same spot; cold from sitting out for hours. A couple times he’d hesitate, staying home longer to make sure you were okay. He’d sit on the edge of the bed, rubbing your back while you hid from your husband and the rest of the world.
One particular day, he didn’t want to leave you. Kyungjun couldn’t understand why but he had a bad feeling. It was as if a dark cloud hung over his head, haunting him on his way to work. He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, that is, until he received your phone call.
You were hysterical, screaming and crying about pain. Frantically swerving into a u-turn, Kyungjun pressed the pedal to the floor and sped off in the direction of the house. He made it home in record time, locating your fragile figure on the bed whimpering and sobbing. He carried you to the car and headed to the hospital. Occasionally, he looked over at you only to find your body shaking; uneven breaths slipped from your parted lips. Your head was facing the window and one of your arms covered your midsection.
The car barely had come to a complete halt before he was out of his side of vehicle, grabbing you, and carrying you inside. Within seconds, you were in a wheelchair being wheeled away into doctor’s care.
~~~
“Mr. Bang?” The doctor called him over.
“Is my wife going to be alright?”
“She’s in stable condition but she should be fine. We’ll monitor her health over the next couple days before she is released.”
“Thank you, Doctor. Thank you so much.”
However the doctor’s features still read grim. “That’s not all I have to discuss with you.”
Kyungjun nodded eagerly. “Go on.”
“Well during your wife’s examination, we noticed she was bleeding quite heavily from her vaginal canal. But when we checked her...” the doctor grew quiet.
“Yes, Doctor, I’m listening. What does her bleeding mean?”
“It means that her body suddenly and painfully rid itself of the embryo attached to her uterus. I’m so sorry to inform you of the situation-“
“Wait! Are you trying to tell me that my wife is pregnant?!”
“Was, Mr. Bang. She was pregnant, unfortunately, after conducting an ultrasound, we concluded the cause of the bleeding was she miscarried.”
Kyungjun became stoic, drifting away into his thoughts. You were pregnant. You were having a baby and now... it’s gone. There’s no baby? A miscarriage...
The doctor shook him conscious. “Now is not the time to wallow in your thoughts. Your wife needs you and your comfort. She suspects something but I couldn’t...” he sighed. “Her eyes held such emptiness... maybe she’d take the news better if it came from her husband. I’ll leave you to it and for what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry it came out this way.”
The man walked away, leaving Kyungjun to tend to his wife. Gently opening the door, he found you sitting up in the hospital bed, staring mindlessly out of the window. Quite the contrast of his life. People out and about without a care in the world but for him, it’s as though time had stood still.
“Hey, baby, how are you feeling?” He asked softly but you couldn’t control it.
You suddenly burst into tears and your husband didn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms. Kyungjun felt his heart break witnessing you crumble to pieces. He felt as if you already knew the news and was relieved he didn’t have to have you suffer reliving it.
The two of you just sat, crying, in each other’s arms. You gripped Kyungjun’s shoulders in a tight embrace and you cried into his clothes. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was better that it all happened the way it did. No Yoongi, no baby, no more lies. Maybe this was better for you. Now, you wouldn’t have to live with the secret that your child didn’t share the same blood as your husband.
~~~~~
“Is Mr. Bang going to join us today?” Another professor questioned.
“He had an emergency at home and will not be in for a couple days. But we can still continue the meetings without him, just like we’ve previously done before. Any more questions?”
“No, sir.” Everyone said in unison.
Yoongi wondered if the ‘emergency at home’ had anything to do with you but already figured it did. It was just the two of you that shared a home, no pets to occupy the residence when neither of you were there. Yoongi secretly pulled out his phone, scanning over your contact number. Curiosity was getting the better of him at the thought of news about you.
“Please do not misunderstand,” He told you. “I do care deeply for you. However, it isn’t love.”
His fingers froze over the keyboard as he typed out a message. Instead, he deleted it and put his phone away. He ended the relationship with you so you were no longer his concern. Whatever has happened, your husband was capable of helping you through it.
Yoongi ignored the nagging feeling of checking up on you and decided to focus on the meeting his mind should have been on anyway.
~~~
Yoongi ran his fingers through his hair and brought his hand to rest under his chin. He’d been so stressed lately, he could barely focus. Perhaps he was pushing himself a little too hard. Early mornings, late nights. Any way he could, he needed to keep his thoughts distracted; otherwise they risk wandering to you. The small urges he had that dealt with you, he couldn’t continue to allow them to happen. It was over, his mind and body needed to accept that.
“Mm, baby, you’re so tense.” Bojum stated. “Why don’t you take it easy a bit. I wouldn’t want you to over do it.”
“I’d love to, Bojum, but deadlines won’t wait until I’m feeling better. This has to get done sooner or later and I prefer sooner.”
“Oh... okay... that’s no problem.” She was initially surprised by his attitude. Yoongi was never this blunt with her and he noticed; trying to reel in his anger that had nothing to do with her. “Maybe when you’re finished, I’ll give you a massage. You’ve been so busy lately, it’s kinda hard to get your attention.”
Yoongi threw her confused look with an eyebrow in the air. “I’ve always been busy. You know that.”
“I know, it’s just...” she took a deep breath.
“Just what?” He rotated his chair around to face her, letting her know she had his attention now.
“I don’t know,” she instantly became bashful under his dark gaze. “You’ve been busy before... but now it’s like you’re not even with me. Your body's here yet your mind is somewhere else. It almost feels like you’re working so hard to keep your mind off of something.”
When Yoongi didn’t respond and just stared at her, Bojum grew uncomfortable voicing her opinion.
“You know what?” She chuckled nervously. “Forget I even brought that up. I’ll leave you to your work.” Before Bojum had a chance to walk away, Yoongi quickly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down onto his lap; catching her off guard. “What are you-“
“I know I haven’t been the best fiancé lately and I’m sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind and instead of being with you, I buried my head into work and for that, I’m sorry. I’m going to change that, okay?”
Bojum smiled, responding by placing a kiss on his lips. “What’s been on your mind?”
Yoongi thought about coming clean and telling her everything but alternatively, he returned her smile, pulling her closer on his lap. “It’s nothing that I want you to worry about.”
Bojum kissed him again but this time with more need. Yoongi easily reciprocated, holding the back of her head; deepening the kiss. His tongue fed her mouth with the aggression and passion she had been longing for. One of her hands gripped onto his shirt while the other held his soft dark strands between her fingers.
“Mm, I love you.” She told him when they came up for air.
“I love you too, baby.”
“Are you sure you can’t take a quick break?” She asked, lowering her lips from his face and kissed a path from his lips to his neck.
Yoongi groaned. “Well... when you ask like that, I think I can take a small self care break.” Immediately, holding her head in his hand, he kissed her passionately; using his other hand on her hips to grind on his lap.
“God! Yoongi don’t make me beg you.” Bojum moaned as his lips broke away to suck a light mark into her flesh.
“Mm... fuck. You don’t have to, baby.” He mumbled breathlessly.
He eased her off his lap before grabbing her thighs and hoisting her in the air. Bojum, surprised at first, didn’t hesitate to wrap her legs and arms around him. Her hair fell in a curtain around their faces as their lips locked together. Yoongi carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door close with his foot.
~~~~~
Weeks after leaving the hospital were not as bad as you assumed it would be. Witnessing how hard and how much Kyungjun supported you and stayed by your side through your ordeal, made him seem different in your eyes. He’s always been caring and had your best interest in mind. It was that greed consumed you; thinking you could be with two men at once. It wasn’t fair to Yoongi which you understood why he ended the relationship but it, unquestionably, wasn’t fair to Kyungjun. He was your husband and didn’t deserve to be lied to and misled.
It wouldn’t be hard for you to change that. To start living for your husband and return the love he’s given you. At that moment you vowed to be a better wife and better person. Not only for him but also for yourself. You were tired of being depressed, moping around the house at the loss of the man you loved. Now was the chance to get to know your husband all over again to fall in love with him. With the way things were going, he was already on the right track.
~~~
The next day, you had gotten dressed up sporting a form fitting dress with a large knitted cardigan and heeled boots. You wanted to look nice for Kyungjun, giving him the impression that you were doing better. You had prepared lunch for the two of you to eat and wanted to stop by his preferred cafe to get his favorite cup of coffee.
You felt good about the day; although the autumn season weather had already set in. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping happily, and the beautiful multi-colored leaves fell from the trees. You smiled, feeling better than you have in weeks. The thought of seeing or running into Yoongi did cross your mind, you push it away, refusing to think about him. He was moving on with his life and it was only right if you did the same.
Your heels heavily clicked on the polished floor of the university hallway as you headed to the theater department. You happily smiled and greeted everyone you came across before stopping in front of the chairman’s door. Knocking hard, you waited until you heard him yell for you to ‘come in’.
“Y/n!” His eyes widened in shock as he quickly stood to go to you. “What are you doing here?”
You lifted a large bag for him to see. “I thought I’d surprised you with lunch. As a way to thank you for taking such good care of me.”
Kyungjun softly smiled but he still stared with hard eyes. “You didn’t have to do that. I’m fine but what about you? I don’t want you leaving the house. It’s all so soon for you.”
“I’m fine, you don’t have to worry so much,” you laughed. “I’m not that ill.”
You tried to ease his conscience but when you saw it wasn’t working, you became persistent, letting him know you were okay to stay. “Really! I’m okay. You don’t have to worry. Besides, I don’t want to spend another second at home alone. It leaves me with my thoughts and makes me feel worse.”
His facial expression softened entirely. “Okay, if you’re sure. BUT I’m taking you home afterwards. Even if you’re feeling better, I don’t want any of that to change, rushing your progress.”
“How about I hang out here with you then we can go home together? I promise I won’t get in the way.”
Kyungjun smiled. How could he say ‘no’ to his wife? “Alright, if that’s what you want.”
You smiled back, giving him a kiss on the cheek before going over to his desk and pulling up an extra chair. You turned your head to look back at him, waiting for him to join you.
~~~
Weeks soon turned into months and things between you and Kyungjun were almost back to the way they were before you’d met Yoongi. Life was beginning to feel bearable again and you wanted to do something special for your husband. He’s not only been caring for you but also working hard at the university.
You planned a special date night accordingly. Kyungjun was taken back, of course, but it was worth it. Finally being able to make love with him wasn't as repulsive as you first thought it would be. Everything was going great until...
“Yoon-“ you begin to moan, causing your eyes to shoot open at the realization of the name you were going to say.
Kyungjun didn’t notice a change in your mood. He continued to rock his hips into yours, placing kisses along your neck. “What was that, baby?”
“You... you feel so good.” You lied, catching yourself before you really got yourself in trouble. However, you were no longer in the mood for sex.
Your heart began to ache in pain, tightening with sadness; causing you to feel suffocated. You missed Yoongi. Your heart couldn’t deny it. No matter how hard you tried to hide it, you missed him. Knowing he wasn’t a part of your life, broke you. You couldn’t stop the tears that fell and continued to roll down the previous path created. Your throat tightened and your nasal passage instantly closed off.
Kyungjun kissed up your neck, along your jawline, followed by your cheeks. But when he felt the light wetness on your face, he stopped all movements and worry took over. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you crying? Should I stop?”
The innocent concerned look in his eyes made you even more disappointed in yourself. Kyungjun was trying to please you intimately but even that couldn’t stop Yoongi from invading your thoughts. But rather than make him worry even more, you shook your head, pulling him closer.
“Mm, don’t stop.” You breathlessly gasped. “Just... hold me tighter...Please.” You begged. “Please don’t stop.”
You needed this. You needed to do it for yourself. You need to forget about Yoongi and focus on Kyungjun. Your heart needed to let him go. It’s over. The relationship ended and there was no point in dwelling on something that used to be or someone who was unavailable.
~~~~~
You stared at your reflection in your vanity mirror. At times you hardly recognized yourself which was becoming frequent as of late. It was as if you were there physically but mentally you were unavailable.
Hearing your husband approaching, you broke away from your thoughts. You didn’t want him to think something was wrong and become worried about you. That was in the past. You were living for yourself and Kyungjun.
He suddenly approached you from behind wrapping his arms around you in a warm embrace. Your eyes closed at the contact of his lips on the back of your neck, humming in gratification. Being in your presence, made him weak for you.
“Any plans for today?”
“Nothing I can think of. Maybe I’ll do a little shopping; treat myself to a nice dress.”
“How about we have a special date night? If you want to cook something for the two of us, I’ll bring wine and dessert.”
You smiled at the thought. “I like the sound of that.”
“Good.”
He released you to walk into the bathroom as he finished getting dressed for work. Kyungjun focused on looping his tie when a notification ‘ding’ on your phone caught his eye.
‘Our anniversary! Do something special for him!’
Kyungjun brows knitted into his head at the sight of your reminder. At first, disappointment boiled inside at the thought of him forgetting something as special as your anniversary. But then, he realized your anniversary wasn’t until another couple months.
“Hm.” He grunted in discomfort. Completely forgetting about his tie which now hung loosely around his neck.
Kyungjun tried hard to figure out which anniversary was approaching. Did he do something in which you cherish and he forgot? If that’s the case, why call it an anniversary?
His heart dropped at the thought of it being something else but he scoffed, shaking it off. There wasn’t a possibility of you seeing someone else. The thought never crossed his mind. He trusted you wholeheartedly.
However, today must’ve meant something to you. Should he ask or leave it to you? You did have a life outside of the marriage and he didn’t want to disrupt that being the controlling husband.
“Kyungjun?” You gently called his name. “Are you okay?”
You emerged from the bathroom to find him lost in his thoughts, staring off into the distance. It struck you as odd because you never witnessed such a confused look on his face. He snapped out of the spell he was under, shaking his head.
“Yeah,” he paused, going back to adjusting his tie. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking of something from work, that’s all.”
You walked over, standing in front of him. Your hands lifted as you helped him fix and adjust his neckwear. Once finished, you brushed off his shirt before planting an unsuspecting kiss to his lips.
“Don’t stress about what’s on your mind. It’ll all work itself out.”
Kyungjun smiled, giving you another kiss. “What would I do without you?”
He dropped the subject completely as he went to the kitchen for coffee before exiting the house for work.
...‘Our anniversary! Do something special for him!’
...‘Our anniversary!
...’Do something special for him!’
...‘for him!’
His mind recalled the notification from your phone. Kyungjun didn’t understand why he was still dwelling on the message. He trusted you yet, majority of the reason was that it wasn’t sitting right on his gut. It was telling him something wasn’t right about the situation and he was precise to feel the way he did. Confusion mixed with dishonesty. But were you dishonest? Were you hiding something from him? Did you even have something to hide?
When he arrived at his office, Kyungjun began the long task of contacting family members on both sides to see what anniversary you could be talking about. Though after an hour and a half of doing so, welded nothing. Neither family, yours nor his, recalled that day being special to either of you unless something recent happened.
That settled it. It had to be someone else, perhaps a friend. A male friend...
Kyungjun didn’t believe you had many of those. You had your girlfriends, all of whom he’d met and knew. Who could it have been that the two of you had your very own anniversary?
“Hey, Bang. I didn’t know you'd arrived.” Mr. Cho stated; his voice was so sudden, it caught him by surprise.
“Uh, yeah, I just arrived.”
“Good,” he motioned with his head, tossing it back slightly towards the door. “Let’s get breakfast.”
Ten minutes later, Kyungjun and Mr. Cho were standing in a nearby coffee shop, waiting for the orders they’d place when they came in. Once again, Kyungjun was lost in his thoughts. He stared blankly at the menu on the wall, until he was brought back to reality by Mr. Cho and forced to order to avoid a line.
“Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve been out of it since we left the office.”
Kyungjun mentally debated on whether or not to tell his friend the truth about his suspicions. He wasn’t sure what to make of the notification and all he had to go on was his gut feeling. In the end, he chose to remain anonymous disguising his situation as someone else’s. Mainly because he didn’t want to look like a fool if he was proven to have been mistaken.
“I have this friend who might be dealing with infidelity in his marriage.”
“Anyone I know?”
Kyungjun waved it off. “No, just an old friend. Anyways, he woke up to a message on his wife’s phone. It mentioned celebrating an anniversary and doing something special for a man yet their anniversary wasn’t for a few months. What do you make of it?”
“Did he confront his wife to see what the message was about?”
He shook his head letting out a defeated sigh. “No, he said he trusted his wife’s judgment but he’s still worried that he could be wrong. What do you suggest he do?”
Mr. Cho thought it over, thinking hard about it. “If he trusts her then I’d say he has nothing to worry about but seeing that he isn’t appeased means that he doesn’t trust her as much as he’d like to believe. In any case, if he wants answers, get the phone bill. If she is talking to someone she shouldn’t, it’ll definitely show up in the statement.”
“Wow,” Kyungjun stated in amazement. “I didn’t think of that. But what should happen if she was being unfaithful? What should he do then?”
“I think that’ll be something he should discuss with his wife. If they truly love each other, they should work it out. I know it will be painful for him because no man wants to hear how he’s not pleasing his wife but he should get to the reason why she decided to cheat. It’ll help them move forward.”
“Thanks, Daeyoung. I’ll relay the message.”
“Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do.”
~~~
Back in the safety of his office, Kyungjun immediately pulled up the phone bill online, printing it out to view it closely. Mr. Cho had a point. If you were seeing someone; let alone, talking to someone you shouldn’t, he should be able to pick up on that but did he want to?
Shaking the doubt from his mind, Kyungjun uncapped his pen. Of course he wanted to know. You were his wife. He wanted to know everything that you were involved in. And though your statement was three pages long, he focused his attention on scanning through each and every number.
He went through previous monthly statements as well seeing how the recent ones showed nothing. Twenty two minutes later, the papers were spread out over the desktop, markings over each page. Kyungjun had to laugh to keep from going to the brink of madness. He really out did himself. The papers were marked up like a student taking notes but in the end, he had a number. A number which called you several times a week. Almost like a schedule set of times.
What struck him as odd was that the call only lasted mere seconds. As if the person called and hung up. Yet it showed that you returned the call, only talking a few minutes; three the most, before the call ended.
Could this be the guy?
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bang.” A teacher greeted him, tearing him away from his stupor.
Afternoon? He had wasted his entire morning and didn’t like it. Usually he’d come to work and focus on overseeing the teachers in his division. Because of you, he felt off. His entire world felt off.
“Afternoon,” he grumbled, getting back to the matter at hand. “What can I help you with?”
“Just a quick confirmation of tomorrow’s staff meeting.”
“Yes, it is mandatory. Make sure you’re there.”
“No problem, I just hope it doesn’t go til nine like last time. I thought I was on curfew with the way my wife yelled at me.” He joked, chuckling to himself until he saw that Kyungjun wasn’t laughing with him. Usually he’d be easier to talk to. “Is something wrong?” The teacher asked him.
“I don’t know,” Kyungjun admitted, rubbing his chin in thought. “Let me ask you this... I’ve had the same number call me. It seemed to be around the same time every other day. When I go to answer, they hang up. What do you make of it?”
The man laughs. “Either you are dealing with a bill collector or someone who has the wrong number. I had people calling my number looking for someone else. Even when I informed them of the mistake, they’d still call again looking for the same person. It was a pain in the ass, quite frankly.”
Kyungjun thought about it. Could it be as simple as that? If that was the case, why would you call them back and chat for several minutes? There had to be something behind these calls. Kyungjun was sure of it but did he really want to know if it was something sinister?
“Have you tried calling the number back to see if that is the case?” He offered.
Kyungjun ’s heart leaped at the sudden realization. He could’ve just called to see who the number belonged to and why they called you so many times.
He smiled. “I guess I have a direction to go in. Thanks for the tip.”
“Anytime. Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Bang.”
Kyungjun sat in the solitude of his office. You were all that plagued his mind. He wanted to believe he was just thinking too much into it and certainly didn’t want to create any problems within the marriage. Especially now that the two of you had grown closer. But there was still that nagging feeling in his gut telling him that something wasn’t right.
Reaching for the phone records and pulling out his own phone, Kyungjun dialed the number and listened as it rang in his ear. His heart felt heavy and wanted to think there was some kind of misunderstanding. The doubt was fighting to take over his logic.
“Hello?” A deep masculine voice answered. There was a familiarity in its wake. Something Kyungjun couldn’t put his finger on. However, he knew he had to be smart so as to not let on it was him.
“Yes, I was calling in response to a missed call from this number. May I ask who this is?”
“This is Yoongi, but I don’t think I’ve made a call to this number otherwise I would have recognized it. Who did you say you were again?”
“My name is Chanhyuk, but perhaps it was a simple mistake. Sorry for wasting your time. Bye now.”
Kyungjun ended the call with his heart beating uncontrollably. Yoongi?... it couldn’t be the same Min Yoongi who worked for the same university. That was only a few offices away. It had to be someone else. But the more he pondered over the call, the voice did match the name. But what would you have to talk to Yoongi about? The two of you barely knew each other. What did you have in common to talk about, let alone chat regularly?
He was left with even more questions but vowed to get to the bottom of what went on between you and Yoongi. Using the keypad, Kyungjun dialed another number and waited.
“Yes, hello. I wanted to get a statement of my second card under this account. There might be a charge that needs to be disputed.”
Within minutes, Kyungjun was holding your credit card statements in his hands for the past couple months.
As he slowly searched the documents, he was starting to doubt himself until a particular charge at a bar caught his eye. It was a hefty bar tab resulting in close to one hundred dollars spent. After searching it up, Kyungjun discovered that particular bar was located in a hotel in the city. He tried to recall that evening you went out and came back in the early hours of the morning. Claiming your time spent away was with friends.
Checking the records and the statement again, Kyungjun took notice that Yoongi had called you that evening too. You shared a three minute conversation after he first called you.
‘This is crazy’... the same words Kyungjun mind began to chant over and over in a hypnotizing spell as he drove to the hotel. It all felt maddening as if he was living an out of body experience. Just that morning, he had made love to you and kissed your lips offering a sweet romantic evening when he returned. Now, his day was spent to confirm whether or not you had an affair.
“This is crazy.” He scoffed to himself out loud. There was no way you were cheating on him with his coworker. You were his wife of two years and had been his girlfriend for five. However, there was no other way to explain all that he’s found. There was also a high possibility that he would have never gotten this far if it wasn’t for a reminder in your phone. He would have never suspected a thing. You hid it very well. You did everything right.
Kyungjun walked through the lobby of the hotel, his eyes observing everything around him. It was, indeed, an exceptional establishment. The interior design held an upper class taste; a place built to capture the attention of newlyweds rather than a family of four on vacation. His suspicions were confirmed after learning the hotel had a club on the lower level.
Shaking off his amazement with the business, Kyungjun headed to the bar, putting on a different personality than his norm. If he wanted information, he needed to be smart about it.
“Excuse me,” he asked the young bartender at the counter. “Have you worked here long?”
“A year exactly.” The young man exclaimed proudly.
“Well I have a bit of a dilemma. You see, my sister is getting married soon but she unfortunately misplaced her engagement ring. She came here a few months ago, drinking with her friends. We have the family searching everywhere the ring might be.”
“I’m sorry to hear that but I’m not sure I could help you.”
“Sure you can. If I could just look at any video footage to see if she took it off, that would be great.”
“I’m sorry but any security footage we have is owned by the hotel. You’d have to see a manager about that.”
“Thanks for your time.”
Kyungjun took the same sob story to the front desk, asking to speak to a manager. Making it seem urgent enough, he was able to briefly get a glimpse of the footage the night you visited the hotel.
There you were, in all your beauty, sitting at the bar and drinking with your friends. Seeing you enjoy yourself caused a faint smirk to appear on his face. You were really such a stunning woman.
The manager tried to hurry him up, becoming impatient with the results. He had to get back to the hotel. However, Kyungjun felt as though luck was on his side. Not even a minute later, the manager excused himself after being called away. He clicked on another view of the camera to watch your movements. At this point, he was desperate to get to the bottom of what was going on. Not even the repercussions of his actions stopped him from knowing the truth.
Around midnight, your friends decided to excuse themselves for the evening, leaving you alone at the bar. Five minutes later, a man took a seat next to you. You both shared a few drinks and exchanged conversation. The man was none other than Min Yoongi.
Kyungjun watched the two of you pay the tab and leave the bar. From then you both disappeared from the camera angle. He clicked on another camera which captured the two of you by the elevators. It all seemed innocent enough. You stood side by side and judging by your movements, the conversation was still going.
The elevator door opened and the two of you stepped on and out of sight. Fortunately for him, Kyungjun clicked file after file until he found the footage from inside the vertical shaft. His eyes widened and his heart almost stopped beating at the sight of you and Yoongi tonguing each other down when you both believed nobody was watching. His hands pulled your dress up while his head went down to your neck. All the while, you seemed to be enjoying what Yoongi was doing to you. Your legs instantly wrapped around his waist as you were hoisted in the air, your back against the wall.
Kyungjun had to tear his eyes away from the screen as they watered. He fought to keep the tears from running down his cheeks.
He didn’t understand. He didn’t understand any of it. Earlier that day, you kissed him goodbye, expressing your love for him. Why would you cheat? What possessed you to be with another man? Didn’t he make you happy? Didn’t you want to be with him only? Why Yoongi? What did Yoongi have that he didn’t?
Luckily when Kyungjun looked back at the screen, you and Yoongi were presentable and returned to your original stance. Only when the door opened, Yoongi took hold of your hand and led you out of the elevator. Kyungjun didn’t have the heart to view another camera to see where you two were going next. Judging by the eagerness in Yoongi’s movements, he knew exactly what was about to take place.
He numbingly walked through the hotel lobby to the exit. His body felt weighed down by pressure. His shoulders hunched over in misery as people brushed by, their attitudes opposite of his. The place where they were excited to be was the same place he was trying to escape. He couldn’t stand being there yet his body couldn’t move any quicker. His heart felt heavy and his body was seconds from crumbling to the ground.
Once in the safety of his car, Kyungjun went to grip the steering wheel but the gleaming of his silver wedding band caught his attention. Within seconds, he was reduced to a puddle of tears, a dark cloud forming over his head. He sobbed in anger, beating his fists against the leather material of the wheel. How could you do this to him? He gave you everything. Loved you; took care of you. Being that emotional support you needed when you fell ill. He was there for you but you threw it away. You gave away something sacred. Something, that when he married you, would belong to him only.
Kyungjun wanted to make you pay. He wanted to make Min Yoongi pay for ruining his marriage. He wanted to find him and beat his face into the ground. Show the world that Yoongi was nothing and he was everything. A bit of satisfaction filled his heart at the thought of you watching him beat your lover to death. You both deserved it. You both deserve to be feeling as miserable as he did. He wanted to find him, everything in him was screaming to do so. Instead, he started his car, pulled off onto the road, and headed home.
~~~~~
“Hey baby!” You chirped from the kitchen. “You’re a little early but dinner is almost ready.”
His lack of response and emotion was what caused you to go to him in concern. You’ve never seen him so lost and disconsolate. This was definitely out of the norm for him.
“Kyungjun? Is everything okay, baby?”
Immediately, his dark, cold eyes; full of acrimony, focused on you. It was as if his sharp gaze pierced through your chest, stabbing your heart. It hurt to have him stare at you like that.
Kyungjun walked into the kitchen, with you following close behind, and yanked hard on the fridge door, he almost broke it. He needed something to cool down his burning rage. He thought he could just come home and talk it over but looking at you... looking into your face sent him into a rage he was trying his best to control.
One look at you and all he could see was how you whored yourself to another man. Your lips definitely kissed him and probably...
Kyungjun closed his eyes at the thought. How could you do this to him? Why?
“Kyungjun?” You called out to him once again. “What’s the matter? Why are you acting this way?”
“Because...” he finally spoke.
“Because what?” You pleaded. Your intuition was screaming at you to leave it alone but you ignored it. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Because I just found out that my wife has been fucking another man.” He muttered, glaring at you. Right away, the malice in his voice was evident. You couldn’t ignore that nor the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. All you could do is stare in shock at the news. This wasn’t good.
“Wa-What are you talking about?” You nervously laugh, trying to ease the tension. Your mind didn’t agree but you moved closer to him to show that you were serious. “You know I’d never do that to you.”
“So you’re going to stand there and continue lying to my face?”
You didn’t know what to say. Speechless wasn’t the word as your words refused to escape your lips. After getting back on track with your marriage, the last thing you expected Kyungjun to do was find out about your relationship with Yoongi; or what used to be.
“For how long?” You were brought back to reality by his deep voice, hinting anger.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s over now.” You mumbled, your head down towards the floor.
“No shit! I figured it was the reason behind your fucking depressed episode. I’m no idiot, y/n!” He lowered his tone to a menacing one. Kyungjun didn’t want to think of the baby situation either. As far as he was concerned, the baby was his. He wrecked his brain putting together a timeline leading up to the miscarriage. After all, he made love to you occasionally as well. Either way, the baby was gone and there’s no way to check who the actual father was. But for the sake of his sanity, the baby was his, otherwise, he'd have no choice but to watch the life leave your body as he wrung your neck. “Now I’m only going to ask one more time, how long were you fucking him?”
You hesitated, wondering if you should be truthful or spare his feelings. In the end, you chose the latter. “You don’t want to know.”
Kyungjun lips pressed into a tight line, the blood rushed to his face to give his skin a deep shade of pink. You knew he was struggling to keep his anger inside but was failing miserably. He let out a deep shaky breath, a failed attempt to level out this breathing as to not be read so easily.
“I won’t ask again, y/n.”
You turned your head away from him and just as quick as lightning, his hand came up and struck you across the face. You gripped your face in shock as you stared at your husband with blurry vision. Never has he displayed any violent tendencies nor did you expect him to put his hands on you in a violent manner. Already you could feel your skin start to tighten up as it swelled.
“What?” He asked simply, seeing the expression on your face. Witnessing your transformation to meek, in front of him, after your resilient attitude, made him feel somewhat pleased. “I never once had to put my hands on a woman until today. But you’re not a woman. A woman doesn’t do what you did; lie to her husband and sleep with another man. You’re nothing but a whore, a tramp, willing to fuck any cock that stands up tall in the air.”
You turn your head away from him in defiance, causing him to reach out and roughly grip your face, forcing you to look at him. In a light struggle, you tried to remove his hand, which has a death grip on your cheeks, by grabbing onto his wrist with one hand and pushing against his chest with the other.
“Let... go of me.” You ordered breathlessly as tears filled your eyes.
“No,” Kyungjun stated coldly. “Did you really think you and that asshole, Min Yoongi, could sneak around behind my back? Let me tell you something, y/n. I’ll never let him have you.” He gritted out, his fingers tightened on your face, causing you to cry out in pain. “If he thinks he could break up our marriage, he’s mistaken. I’m never leaving you and I’ll never let you leave me. YOU belong to me and only me.”
He released you in a not so gentle fashion as you scurried to get away from him. You stared at the man who you used to recognize as your husband. Now you stood in front of him fearful and worried for your safety.
“How dare you put your hands on me,” you cried; not needing to look in a mirror to know that he left marks. You could still feel the pressure from where his fingers left impressions on your skin. “You hurt me! You really hurt me!”
“I don’t give a fuck, y/n! You hurt me! How do you think I feel knowing my wife has been fucking one of my colleagues for months?! And who knows how long?! That motherfucker has probably been smiling in my face since we’ve gotten married knowing he’s been sticking his dick into you whenever he gotten the chance!” He turned away from you to gather himself before facing you again.
“From here on out, you are not to look or speak to him again. If I catch you even exchanging pleasantries; you think what I just did was bad. I’ll make sure you’ll live to regret it and if ‘Professor’ Min wants to test me, I’ll make sure he’s as good as fired.”
~~~~~
“Tonight, you’ll behave yourself. Do you understand?” He threatened. “I’d hate to cause a scene and bring your little affair to the forefront.”
But you didn’t answer. In fact, you plan to ignore his presence the entire night. Tonight was another party hosted by the university which meant mingling amongst the rich. Something you particularly didn’t enjoy doing. With the way things have been between the two of you, you were shocked yet weren’t surprised when he mentioned you were attending. You figured he didn’t want to be near his cheating wife but Kyungjun was smarter than that. Time away from him would mean that you would attempt to leave him.
A couple nights ago, you tried to. The same night he assaulted you, but then he threatened to harm himself. Fearful, you stayed but you knew you had to get away somehow. All you needed was a chance to slip away but much to your dismay, Kyungjun tightly held onto your hand throughout the gathering. Even when you tried to excuse yourself to the bathroom, he walked you over and even went so far as to wait by the bathroom entrance for you.
He was stifling to the point where you felt like a prisoner. When you tried to jerk away on one occasion, you could see the rage building.
“Keep this up, y/n, and I’ll help you put on a show for our friends and colleagues. Is that what you want?”
Kyungjun ’s grip tightened on your waist as he pulled you closer to him at the sight of Yoongi. Even though he had another woman on his arm, Kyungjun knew it was just a front. A ruse to hide the fact that you were the woman he pursued. Thinking back on it, Yoongi almost never brought up if he was dating someone or not despite bringing his alleged ‘girlfriend’ to the company meeting.
You tried not to let your eyes roam to Yoongi and the woman you assumed was Bojum, his fiancée. She looked slightly different from the picture in his office but he looked just as handsome since the day you last saw him. He seemed happier, actually engaging in conversation with a man. Was he really that happy that you weren’t around? The entire situation was making you sick with sadness.
Kyungjun felt the change in your mood and felt himself slipping into a dark place. After all this time, Yoongi still had some effect on you. His mere presence was causing you to withdraw and sulk. It was a fact Kyungjun noticed and didn’t like very much.
He suddenly was pulling you through the room, practically dragging you behind him as he walked out of the party. After not so gently helping you into the car, he walked around and climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the door in anger.
Kyungjun pulled off into the night, picking up speed down the street. You watched from the corner of your eye as Kyungjun gripped the steering wheel in anger. Not only that, your ears picked up on him mumbling to himself as the car suddenly picked up even more speed. Your anxiety began to rise as the car sped down the street going faster than it was legally supposed to. Even though there were barely any cars on the road, you didn’t want to risk something happening that could’ve been prevented.
“Please, slow down.” You spoke through your nervousness. You didn’t want to talk to him, especially when he’s in the state that he was. Kyungjun might risk putting his hands on you since he’s so worked up. A terrible thought you didn’t think you had to experience.
“Kyungjun... please.” You tried again.
“Don’t speak to me.” He gritted out. Kyungjun assumed if he had you under a strict hold at the party, he could get a rise out of Yoongi but it was as if he didn’t even notice a difference. When he really thought about it, Yoongi barely looked in your direction all night. He kept his distance from you. Kyungjun shook the thought from his head.
Ever since he found out about your affair, he felt nothing but foolish. He must’ve looked foolish all night dragging you around the party and dangling you in front of Yoongi like a piece of meat.
He was not supposed to be feeling this way. He was supposed to be the victorious one, laughing and talking with the guests at the party knowing how he had the upper hand over your lover. He had power over you and refused to let someone like Min Yoongi take over his life.
“You...” he scoffed.
“Me what?” You asked quite confused and a little on edge.
Kyungjun briefly took his attention off the road to glare at you. “What was it that made you fall for the likes of Min Yoongi?”
You scoffed, baffled by his question. “I’m not doing this with you right now and definitely not in the state you’re in.”
Kyungjun chuckled. “Now, don’t be that way, honey. You should be happy. I'm curious to know how Professor Min broke you in for me.”
“Obsessed is more like it.” You mumbled to yourself. You didn’t want to discuss your relationship with Yoongi even though it had ended and you definitely didn’t want to talk about it to your spiteful husband, whom you got the feeling he just wanted to shame you.
“I’m serious, y/n. How did you go about spreading your legs for a man with no respect or backbone?” He questioned. “Was it the way he talked filth into your ear? Or was he fucking you to the musical tune on his desk in front of his students?”
He laughed, shaking around the silly thoughts that jogged his mind. “You’ve always been such a horny slut full of dirty thoughts that you’ve tried to bring into our bedroom.
“Have you lost your mind? First and foremost, I’ve never brought filth into our home and I don’t know why you’ve become so obsessed with Professor Min,” you paused briefly after saying his name. This time you didn’t hold back what you had to say. Kyungjun needed to hear it while you needed to be reminded of it. “Yoongi is not the person you think he is. All you’ve done is badmouth him out of anger and hurt. I get why you feel that way but what he and I did doesn’t define who he is as a person. Deep down, he’s a very caring, dedicated, intelligent man. He’s definitely not evil or has any ill intentions.”
“You talk as if you are in love with him.” Kyungjun interrogated, however you fell silent, thinking there might be some truth to his statement. You’ve always respected Yoongi and definitely became enamored with his personality and gentle soul... if only he...
“That’s it, isn’t it?” Kyungjun interrupted your thoughts as he bounced his eyes between you and the road. “You love him, don’t you?”
You didn’t respond, instead let your silence speak for you as you kept your gaze out of the window. Kyungjun suddenly grabbed your head, knotting his fingers in your hair to roughly pull you across the console to look him in the face.
“I asked you a fucking question!” He spat in your face, trying to balance driving and putting you in your place. The car swerved a bit off road before he got a handle of the wheel and steered back. “I’m your husband and you will respect me, do you understand?!”
But all his efforts did was push you further away, struggling to free yourself from his hold; screaming at him to release you.
“Let go of me!” You cried, clawing at his face in an attempt to find a weak spot.
“Not until you answer me! Do you love Min Yoongi?!”
“Yes, okay?! Are you happy now?! Is that what you wanted to hear?! I love him and no matter what you do, I will never stop loving him!”
Kyungjun went silent, using his hand to force you back in your seat. You took deep breaths to regulate your breathing to a steady pace, fixing your appearance. He didn’t say another word nor would he look your way.
The sudden sound of the car accelerating caught your attention and you began to panic. Kyungjun was going three times the speed limit and the car began to swerve even more than it did before. He suddenly shifted the steering wheel and the car maneuvered in that direction. When you looked out of the windshield, your blood went cold.
The car was headed on a direct course towards a large tree. Your heart dropped into your stomach and the panic inside began to escalate.
“W-What are you doing?” You asked breathlessly.
“I was serious when I said I refused to let him have you.”
The tree was seconds away and closing in fast.
“No no no! NO- KYUNGJUN! WAIT! PLEASE!” You screamed right before impact.
The car slammed into the trunk, wrapping around it. Pieces of debris scattered nearby, falling from the air and onto the wet pavement. Besides noise from the now totaled car, no other sounds were heard coming from the inside.
~~~
Yoongi went to retrieve his phone when he heard it ringing in the other room. After taking one look, he immediately answered.
“Hey, Jin. I was just about to call you. I could really use a drink. Did you want to go out?”
“Now’s really not the time.” He sighed in worry.
“Aw come on. You missed that bullshit faculty gathering. You owe it to me; sitting there without your dry humor to keep me company.” He joked but instantly noticed a lack of laughter from his friend. In fact, since Jin had called, he didn’t sound like his usual self. “Is everything okay?”
Jin let out another dreadful sigh. “Are you sitting down?”
Yoongi’s heart dropped; his stomach clenched at the sinking feeling of bad news. He suddenly felt a bit sick at whatever execrable information Jin was bringing him. “I don’t need to sit down. What’s going on?”
“I think you should, Yoongi.”
“Seokjin, we’ve been friends for years. You know me. Whatever you need to tell me, just say it. What I can’t take is this fucking prolonging!” He could sense the anxious feeling boiling in the pit of his stomach.
“Mr. Cho called me,” he paused. Already knowing how Yoongi would take the news. “Mr. Bang and his wife were in a horrible car accident.”
Yoongi’s eyes momentarily shut at the thought of you. Your voice, your face; the last time he saw you...
“Bullshit... I saw them at the party a while ago.”
“I-I don’t know. I guess they were leaving and-“
“No. There has to be some sort of mistake.”
“Yoongi...” Jin said in a comforting manner.
“Is she okay?” He gripped the phone with shaky hands. His heartbeat increased and he tried to focus. “Please tell me she’s okay and it’s nothing serious.”
Jin let out a regretful sigh. “I don’t know all the details. From what he told me, it doesn’t sound good. I’m sorry, Yoongi.” Jin said in a shaking breath as he tried to remain calm for his friend. The truth was that he’s crying in silence having to relay the message to Yoongi considering the nature of the relationship. No matter how it ended, Jin knew he really cared about you.
Yoongi took the phone and flung it into the wall, ending the call with his friend by shattering it. From there, he went on a rampage nearly destroying his apartment before falling to the floor in defeat.
He sat with his knees bent towards his body and his arms propped up on them. Blood dripped from his hands from a variety of lacerations that decorated his skin. Yoongi couldn’t hold back his emotions and broke into a sob, hiding his face from the emptiness of his apartment.
He couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be real. There had to be some kind of miscommunication or faulty news. You were going to be okay. There’s no way it could be as serious as they made it or worse; death. You were okay. Just sent to the hospital with a few scratches and sore muscles; nothing serious.
Just earlier that day, you plagued his thoughts. The last conversation you shared had him deep in thought. Even when he attended the party, he didn’t approach you due to his own insecurities. He didn’t know how to face you because he knew how he handled the situation was wrong. He shouldn’t have shut you off like that. You were looking for an answer; one he couldn’t afford to give you given what you both were risking. What if he never got the chance to give you that answer?
“Y/n...” he mumbled to himself, breaking down in a miserable sob on his living room floor.
Jin arrived at Yoongi's apartment not even fifteen minutes later. His friend needed him there and he wasn’t going to be anywhere else. It honestly hurt him to see Yoongi so broken. This was opposite from the Yoongi he knew but it also told him how he felt about you no matter how much he denied it.
“Come on,” Jin said gently, not wanting to risk breaking him further. “We should go.”
“Go where?” Yoongi mumbled, his head hung low; his chin tucked into his chest.
“I’m not sure if you want to but, the hospital.”
~~~
Both men rushed down the refulgent corridor as if their life depended on it. In some ways, for Yoongi, it did. He needed to see you. He needed to be by your side; to see with his own eyes that everything was ok. That everything wasn’t as bad as everyone made it seem.
Nobody they knew had arrived but it didn’t prevent them from stopping the first medical staff member to get information.
“Excuse me,” Jin immediately spoke up. “Our friend was admitted here, her name is Bang y/n. We just want to know if she is alright.”
The nurse blinked at both men, taking in their disheveled appearances. “I’m sorry but I’m not sure of who that is.”
“Can you check?!” Yoongi’s voice rose in frustration. Once he saw her eyes widen in surprise, he changed his tone. “Please, it’s really important.”
She frowned. “I understand you’re upset; I really do. But I’m unable to help you at this moment. If you’re looking for information on a patient, please see the receptionist.”
She walked away, leaving both men to watch her retreating back. They had no choice but to seek help at the front desk. They repeated the same thing to the small woman with glasses behind the desk. Despite their impatient state, she had them take a seat in the waiting area, assuring them that someone would be out to speak with them.
Yoongi rested his head in his hands, shutting out the noise around him. The only thing he could afford to do at that moment was to talk himself down from the ledge. He needed to keep his mind clear and think rationally about this.
Around thirty- five minutes later, someone came to speak to them. To Yoongi, it felt like hours.
“Gentlemen,” a tall, broad man with dark hair and glasses, stood in front of them. His voice was slightly muffled by the surgical mask he wore over his face. “I was told you both were friends of Bang Y/n?”
They were on their feet in seconds.
“Is she alright?” Yoongi asked.
“We just want to know her condition.” Jin added.
“I’m sorry to inform you both under these circumstances but Mrs. Bang was brought in critical condition. Right now she’s undergoing surgery but I’ll be blunt. It doesn’t look good,” he offered. Yoongi’s heart sunk in his chest. “It is rare for someone to recover from the state she’s in. However, we’re going to do all that we can to-“
“What the hell is this?!” Another deep voice boomed, earning the stares of everyone in the waiting room, including staff.
With the help of a single crutch, Kyungjun limped his way towards the trio, having a nurse rush after him in an attempt to halt his actions. Although his injuries weren’t as serious as yours, he was still hurt a substantial amount; suffering from multiple rib fractures, a dislocated shoulder, concussion, and a torn ligament in his knee; not to mention several lacerations and small fractures.
“Sir, please.“ she tried to stop him a final time resulting in him shrugging her off completely.
As he lied in an e.r. bed, he overheard doctors conversing about your condition. It didn’t look good, you were on the brink of death. His heart swelled at the news. Partly because of sadness and never being able to see your face or hold and talk to you again. Kyungjun let out a deep sigh of satisfaction at what he’d done. At this rate, Yoongi wouldn’t be able to touch what belonged to him ever again. That was something he didn’t mind proving repeatedly, if he had to.
But what he didn’t expect was to overhear a doctor telling his colleagues that your friends were there demanding news on your condition. At first he thought nothing of it until he heard it were two men seeking information. Kyungjun was enraged to find that particular doctor blabbing away at the man he despised more than anything at that time; Min Yoongi.
“What the fuck is going on?!” He yelled, coming to stop in front of Yoongi. They were standing chest to chest and neither were backing down but Kyungjun turned his attention to the doctor. “I never authorized the release of my wife’s information! I ought to have your license for this!”
He poked the man in the chest in a threatening manner. By now, security had come over to the group once it began to escalate.
“Sir, I’m going to ask you to refrain from touching medical staff or I’ll have to detain you.”
“Like hell you are!” Kyungjun was enraged. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He was the one in an accident. He’s the victim. Why was he being treated as if he was the problem? The problem was standing right in front of him.
“And you call yourself an officer!” He now turned his rage on security. “How dare you even allow this man in the building?! My wife has a restraining order on him.” He pointed his index finger at Yoongi.
“What?!” Both he and Jin yelled in unison. Stunned by the sudden news.
“You heard me!” Kyungjun challenged, fabricating a police report to keep Yoongi away from you. He had reached an all time low and knew that. “After all the times you’ve harassed her, she was scared for her life. And now you have the audacity to show up worried for her safety!”
“That’s bullshit!” Yoongi threatened, stepping in Kyungjun’s face. He knew you and knew despite how the relationship ended, you wouldn’t have put a restraining order on him. It just didn’t sound like you and refused to believe it as true. His dark eyes scanned over Kyungjun’s appearance, seizing him up. Yet a mark on his face caught Yoongi’s eye. It wasn’t just any mark but three identical scratches, dragging from his cheek down to his chin.
Yoongi found himself holding Kyungjun in a heated gaze. If he knew any better, he had a feeling that Kyungjun knew what he was looking at and had gotten a sick feeling about it. The look in Kyungjun’s eyes only validated his assumptions.
“Come on, Yoongi,” Jin grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away. “Sorry to upset you. We’ll be going.”
Jin ended up using both hands to drag his friend out of the doors, letting the cool air calm him. Just like Yoongi, Jin was equally perturbed by what had taken place. From your condition to Mr. Bang’s irate behavior, it definitely gave him a bad feeling. He’d never seen him behave that way; being the man that he was. Something just didn’t didn’t feel right. They were only there to see if you were okay. Why direct his anger at Yoongi? Why threaten him with a restraining order just to keep him away from you? Unless...
Jin found Yoongi leaning against the car, his head casted down in the direction of the pavement. He looked defeated; his entire aura read grim.
“Hey, how are you holding up?” Jin questioned. He wanted to know where Yoongi’s mind was before confronting him with a theory of his own.
“I don’t know what to say, Jin.” He admitted with a sniff. He stood to face his best friend, tears in his eyes. “She’s right there. Right fucking there and that prick!...”
He stopped talking to release an angered breathily sigh. His voice trembled as he fought to get his rage under control. What he really wanted to do was repeatedly smash his fists into his face.
“Do you think it’s true?” Jin asked him. “The police statement, I mean.”
“Not for one second!” He barked. “Y/n wouldn’t do that.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she’s not that kind of person. In my heart, I truly believe she wouldn’t do that to me. He was just spewing nonsense. Anything to keep me away.”
“But why? Why the sudden grudge against you?” Jin questioned, pausing before speaking. “Do you think he found out? About you and her? It’ll definitely explain his behavior.”
Yoongi suddenly recalled the scratches. “If he did, do you think he’d purposely hurt her to get back at me?”
“That’s pretty dark, Yoongi.”
He sighed. “I know...” he hated himself for even thinking this way. But something was wrong, he knew that. He could feel it. “But don’t you think it’s strange that they both were in this horrible accident and while y/n is fighting for her life, that asshole is walking around like it’s nothing! Let’s not forget about the scratches on his face.”
“Maybe it was from the accident.”
“Those scratch marks looked like they came from someone’s hand. Come on, Jin, I know you’re smarter than that.”
“But why would she attack him? Mr. Bang is her husband.”
“Husband or not. Y/n wouldn’t physically attack him. I don’t know what actually took place but, if it’s serious enough for her to scratch him then I’d say it’s bad.” Yoongi came out of his thoughts, facing Jin and gripping his shoulders steady. “I need a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to go back in there and see about Y/n’s status and see if the doctors checked her nails. If I find out that he crashed the car on purpose and she tried to stop him, I want him buried underneath the jail.”
“How am I supposed to do that? He doesn’t want us there.”
“He doesn’t want me there.” Yoongi corrected. “You’d be able to find out a lot more than I could.”
~~~~~
Jin couldn’t believe he was doing this as he walked back through the doors of the emergency room. He left Yoongi waiting in the car, promising that he’ll find something out. However, Jin had no idea how to go about doing that. What if he were to run into Mr. Bang again? What would he say?
Hoping it wouldn’t come to that, he waited; watching as nurses and doctors passed him by until one caught his eye and he went for it. Jin rushed after the nurse he and Yoongi ran into earlier and prayed that she’d be willing to help him out this time.
Gently grabbing her arm, she turned to face him. “Hey, do you remember me?” He chuckled nervously. “Listen, you don’t know me and you have every right to go back to work but if you do, just know that you’d be unintentionally helping out a criminal.”
She crossed her arms. “Is that right?”
“It is... but if you could tell me anything about Bang Y/n, I would be really grateful to you.”
“Hmph..” The nurse stood with her mouth pouting to the side as she thought it over. “Are you really friends with her?”
“Absolutely! My friend and I just want to know if she is okay. They were really close.”
“I heard she’s still in ICU, unfortunately.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s cleared the first few surgeries, however, she’s in a medically induced coma. She’s likely to remain that way until the other surgeries have cleared, successfully.”
Jin frowned at the news, his heart ached to tell Yoongi. “Is there anything else?”
“Wait here.” She walked away, leaving Jin to wonder what was going on. Was she going to help or not?
The nurse eventually returned, carrying an object and a bag in her hand. She held her arm out to him, offering him the items. “Here.”
“What’s this?” Jin asked; confused.
“Her clothes and purse. It was brought in but nobody has claimed it. Her husband seemed uninterested, which struck me as odd.”
Jin immediately took them from her, offering her a low bow to show his gratitude. “Thank you! Thank you so much! If there’s anything you need, I would gladly help you out.”
The nurse crossed her arms with a light smirk on her lips. “There is one thing...”
“Hm?”
“How about in exchange, I could have your number?”
Jin smiled weakly.
~~~
“I really appreciate your help, Jin.” Yoongi stated, looking through your belongings. He was hoping to find some kind of clue that’ll lead him to finding the truth.
“Yeah, you’re lucky you’re my friend. You can’t believe what I went through to get y/n’s things.” He huffed. “I’ll expect some sort of compensation on your behalf.”
Yoongi smiled but it was only brief. He came across an envelope, a white one. He recalled seeing something similar in your hand the last time you came to see him. Hesitating, he decided to open it anyway and was faced with a horrid reality.
Seeing such a distressed look on his face, caused Jin to worry. “What is it?”
Yoongi couldn’t speak, not because he didn’t want to but because his entire world was crashing down on him. Jin couldn’t take it anymore and practically snatched the thin paper from his hands. His eyes widened as he read each word carefully.
“But... this is...”
Yoongi’s heart was all he could hear as it pounded in his ears. You... you were pregnant. You were having a baby. But was it his?
Remembering how you were trying to get him to reconsider getting married now made sense. Were you planning on leaving your husband? Now that Yoongi thought about it, you wanted to know how he felt about you. If he really cared for you; if he really loved you.
Yoongi couldn’t hold it in. The tears suddenly fell down his face in a downpour of sorrow and regret. You were pregnant but now after the car accident, he doubts if the baby survived and now he risked losing you too. What if you never came out of your coma or worse, your husband wanted to pull the plug?
“Yoongi...” Jin began softly. He knew his friend was in a sensitive state. Jin pitied him. This entire night was a continuous blow for Yoongi. “Was... was the baby yours?”
He couldn’t deny it; all the signs were there. He nodded.
Jin was baffled, he didn’t know what to say or think. It was all starting to come together and he was afraid Yoongi was right. Maybe your husband did have something to do with the accident if he found out about the baby.
“You know I’m here for you; whatever you need, I’m here.”
Yoongi wiped his eyes. “Thanks, Jin.”
“I have one question though. What about Bojum? What about your relationship with her?”
“I have no choice but to tell her the truth. Hopefully, she won't be too pissed at me.”
~~~~~
“You bastard!” Bojum screamed as she slapped Yoongi across his cheek, already it began to turn a light shade of pink. “How could you do this to me?! ME, Yoongi!”
He lowered his head in shame. “I know it doesn’t mean much but I’m sorry.”
“Fuck you and your sorry!” She sobbed, her body crumbling from the weight of the news. Out of all the things, Bojum never expected Yoongi to bring his cheating ways to her door especially at that time of night. “You told me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, how did that change? Why would you cheat?”
“I don’t know,” Yoongi admitted, closing his eyes to glance up at the ceiling. He needed to get his thoughts together. “I just acted on impulse. I can’t even say what I did was a mistake because I initiated it. I enjoyed it and continued to see her. It... just felt good. Being with her felt good.”
“How long were you seeing her?”
“A year and eight months.”
Bojum felt her heart drop, sinking into the acid of her stomach. Her arm wrapped around her midsection, gripping her stomach to console herself. She cupped her mouth in shock, shutting her eyes tightly to muffle her cries.
Her boyfriend was seeing someone else. Sharing the same bed with someone else while he came back and did the same to her. She felt sick. Sick for never picking up on his unavailability or his unusual behavior recently. She thought it was due to stress at work.
But as hurt as she was, she looked at the man whom she cared deeply for and felt the sadness radiating from his body. Yoongi was usually a confident man, now he stood in front of her broken with no way to go. Lost in his own despair.
“What else happened?” She questioned. “I won’t get mad. I just want to know the truth.”
He sighed, running his hands through his dark hair. “I really started considering her as a friend and spending time with her. But then, I saw her with her husband and my jealousy took over. I started to resent her, resent the connection we had. I wanted to make her feel like shit so I proposed to you, knowing it would get back to her and when she questioned me about it, I ended the relationship with her.”
“Did you love her?” Bojum questioned. Half from her own sick pleasures of knowing that Yoongi still belonged to her and the other half from curiosity that came from the deep depths of her masochistic personality.
“I told myself that I didn’t. Fought hard to ignore the urges to speak to her. Maybe I’m just scared of really losing her.”
“Losing her, how?”
Bojum watched Yoongi’s head drop to his lap, shaking side to side ever so slightly that she almost missed the gesture.
“She’s... she’s in a medically induced coma,” he sobbed, breaking down in front of the last person he expected to listen. “She was in a car accident.”
“You may not want to hear this, but it’s karma for the sins you both have committed. Her retribution is surviving a car crash while yours is the pain of having to possibly live without her.”
A horrible punishment in his eyes but Bojum was right in some aspects. This was the punishment you both had to suffer, for the lives you dragged along and ruined. However, Yoongi believed the only reason why you were in a coma in the first place was because of your vengeful husband. One way or another, Yoongi was going to make him pay.
“So where does this leave us? Surely, you didn’t come here to beg me to stay with you after what you did.” Bojum assumed, wanting nothing more than to work on her relationship with him. Rebuilding the trust that was broken and possibly live their lives going forward with marriage as the end goal.
Yoongi shook his head. “I needed to come clean about what I did. I needed to be honest with you and myself. I don’t want to live my life as a lie anymore. With that being said, I think you should live your life without me in mind.”
Bojum let the tears fall from her eyes. “I- I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.”
“Bu-But I still love you. Despite the cheating and the lying, I love you.”
“I’m sorry but I can’t return your feelings. Not when she needs me.” Yoongi admitted. “I wasn’t there when she needed me before but I’m going to be there now. It just wasn’t fair for me to string you along unknowingly.”
Bojum didn’t respond this time. She sat in a chair letting her thoughts eat her alive. How was it that life was good a week ago and now she’s living a nightmare? She didn’t know how long she had been wallowing in her pain and misery, but when she focused on her surroundings. She was left alone.
~~~~~
“Daeyoung, do you have a minute?”
Kyungjun’s voice made him immediately look up from his paperwork. His weak figure in the doorway had Mr. Cho on his feet and rushing over to him.
“What are you doing here? How did you get released from the hospital?”
“I released myself. I just had to talk to you.”
Mr. Cho motioned for him to take a seat, yet his face was stuck in a frown. He didn’t understand what was going on with his friend. If it was that important, he would have come to the hospital instead.
“What’s going on? What’s the urgency?”
Kyungjun dramatically sighed. He sat timid, resting his hands on his thighs, rubbing his palms on the cloth of his pants. His head was down, hair falling over his eyes.
“I just wanted to inform you that I don’t think I could continue my employment here at the university.”
“What? Why not?” Mr. Cho asked, sitting up in his chair and resting his hands on the desk. “You were doing well here. The feedback from the teachers was exceptional.”
“And I would like to stay but not under these circumstances. It’s too traumatic.” His voice trembled. Kyungjun stared in the eyes of his friend, wondering if he was buying the sob story.
“I’m sorry but I don’t understand.”
“Well... I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of exposing-” He broke down dejectedly. With his upper body hunched over, his face scrunched tightly, his eyes squeezed together in an attempt to force out tears. Mr. Cho quickly came around the desk to console him. “S-She’s- she... she was... having an affair. Y/n...”
“You’re kidding!” His voice boomed.
Kyungjun snorted, trying to mask his anger. “I wish I was. I really wish this was a dream.”
“How did you find out and who is the asshole she was cheating with?”
“You’re not going to believe it, I swear I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Who is it?” Kyungjun slowly lifted his head to make eye contact with his friend.
“Min Yoongi.” His voice held so much venom that he couldn’t hide the bitterness. This was the only way to destroy Yoongi and make him pay for ruining his marriage; ruining his life. A part of him got satisfaction at the thought of his hands wrapped around Yoongi’s neck.
“Bullshit!” Mr. Cho stepped away from him. “That couldn’t be correct.”
Kyungjun couldn’t be referring to one of his top employees. Yoongi was a pretty stand-up guy and it wasn’t like him to do something of that nature. He had just congratulated Yoongi on his engagement. Could he have been mistaken? It had to be the wrong guy.
“It’s true. I can’t even tell you how long they’ve been messing around because y/n refused to tell me. Now she’s...” he broke down again. “I’m sorry.”
Mr. Cho came closer. “What are you sorry for? This isn’t your fault.” He breathed deeply, his nose flared in anger. “Rest assure, I will question Mr. Min and get to the bottom of this. This kind of behavior is unacceptable amongst faculty members.”
~~~~~
Yoongi was in the middle of a lecture, playing a musical piece on the piano for his students as they took notes. He really didn’t feel up to it. In fact, he really didn’t feel like much of anything after he received the news of your accident. However, this was his job and no matter how he was feeling, he was still committed to following his passion.
His eyes closed, allowing his fingers to press down on the keys by memory as his mind took him elsewhere. He remembered the time you both were at his apartment, sitting in front of his keyboard. You had begun mindlessly playing on it, begging him to play something. And as much as he didn’t want to at that moment, he did for you.
He remembered how you sat quietly, listening to the soft flow of the melody. Afterwards, he took you on both the keyboard and on the seat. With his common sense out of the window and your body resting on top of the instrument, he knew he risked breaking it, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was being inside of you. Being close to you.
Yoongi ended the song, resting his fingers on the keys, dragging out the final note. Suddenly, his phone beeped, alerting him of a message. More specifically, an email sent by his boss.
‘Stop by my office once your class is done.’
That was all it said. No greeting or courteous words, just straightforward and to the point. Usually when Mr. Cho spoke like this, he was in a sour mood and everyone avoided him at all costs.
Yoongi frowned at the message, wondering what the hell it could be about. He was in no mood to suck up to his supervisor. He’d rather sit in the confines of his office until it was time to show up for his next lecture.
~~~
Yoongi knocked on the door, announcing his presence. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
Mr. Cho looked up with his glasses balancing on the edge of his nose. “Yes, come in and close the door behind you.”
He waited, watching Yoongi closely as he maneuvered about; soon taking a seat before him. He removed the frames, leaning back in his chair to take a good look at one of his best employees. It almost made him ashamed. Ashamed of the conversation they were about to have. He respected Yoongi a great deal and the feeling was mutual. He never really got any complaints from anyone about Yoongi but whatever Yoongi’s gotten himself involved in, spelled trouble for him. Trouble for the university if it were to get out publicly.
“I’ve called you here to discuss something very important and I think it’ll be within your best interest to be as honest as possible with me.”
Yoongi had to admit it caught it off guard at first but his expressions remained unfazed. “Of course, sir.”
In a serious manner, Mr. Cho leaned forward, resting his intertwined fingers on the glossed wooden desk. “I’ve received some news that I don’t know how to take or make of it. It really puts me in a hard place but I need to know before I seek comeuppance,” he paused. “Have you been having an affair with Mr. Bang’s wife?”
Yoongi pondered over his next move. It was only a matter of time before news had gotten back to his boss but he knew Kyungjun had something to do with this. He could lie and make it seem like an attack on his character to save his job or he could simply tell the truth. He had nothing to hide and refused to keep living his life in a lie.
“Yes. She and I had been secretly meeting up.”
Mr. Cho let out a defeated sigh. “Jesus, Yoongi. Do you know what you’ve done? Or at least what that man has been through?”
It wasn’t as if Yoongi didn’t want to answer. The words just wouldn’t come out. His mind was racing with thoughts. More particularly, the conversation between Kyungjun and Mr. Cho. What else did he tell him? Did he say anything about your condition or about the accident?
“The man came to me before going to the board. He’s hurt! He almost lost his life and is on the verge of losing his wife. He doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment! I brought him here in hopes of a new start. And I refuse to let you get in the middle of that.” He looked at Yoongi incredulously. Wondering if this was the same man that he’s known for years. At that moment, the Min Yoongi he knew was not the man in front of him. He was a fraud. A liar and a manipulator. “Mr. Min, I don’t know what to make of all this. Maybe a couple weeks would do you some good.”
Yoongi shook his head. “I’m not taking it.”
“Excuse me?!”
Yoongi faced his supervisor, intently staring him in the eyes. “I’m not leaving. I’m not giving up my job or stepping down or away. I refused to let him think that he'd won. I’m not letting him hurt me like he’s done to y/n. He’s demented if-“
“Wait! What do you mean, ‘like he’s done to y/n’? What are you insinuating?”
“He did it. Mr. Bang purposely crashed the car.”
Mr. Cho’s eyes widened. He remained quiet, stunned to the point where he couldn’t speak. Yoongi had definitely lost his mind. There wasn’t a doubt about that.
“Are you insane?! Why would Kyungjun do-“
“He found out about the affair.” Yoongi stated. These were all theories but he had a strong feeling he was on the right track. He just needed more time and perhaps, another helping hand. “Before the accident, y/n and I ended the affair. It had been months since we spoke or seen each other. Now, all of a sudden, they’re in an accident and her life as well as my livelihood is on the line. That’s not a coincidence.”
Yoongi continued. “I tried to go to the hospital but he prevented me from getting close to y/n. Why would he do that? Keep me away from her if the accident didn’t have anything to do with the affair? If he’s just now discovering the affair, why did he cause such a scene at the hospital?”
“Mr. Min, I-“
“She was pregnant.” Yoongi admitted, feeling like a pile of steaming shit. You were pregnant and went through the pain alone. He felt like such an ass, even now. “She probably isn’t pregnant anymore... but she was.”
Mr. Cho was quiet, letting it all hit him. If what Yoongi was saying is true, then that would mean... “Are you saying that the baby is yours?”
Yoongi lowered his head, nodding slightly. “I didn’t know at the time she came to see me. I was blinded by my own ignorance. But she tried talking to me about the relationship, suggesting that I don’t get married. If I had to guess, maybe she was planning on leaving Mr. Bang.”
“Then he crashed the car to...” Mr. Cho shook his head. “This is absurd! I’ve known Mr. Bang for years. He’s been together with y/n for years also. He loves her and wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Sir, I implore you to take some time and think it over. He’s not the person you think he is. He may try to harm y/n again if given the chance. Please, sir. I need your help.”
~~~
Mr. Cho stayed behind at work than he normally would. No doubt his wife would be upset but he just couldn’t shake what was happening. A close friend confided in him about his wife’s affair which happened to be with a star teacher. But that star teacher is pointing the finger at his friend for the cause of the accident.
Yoongi has always been truthful with him; no matter the situation. Mr. Cho knew that. He respected that trait in Yoongi. He could have lied about the affair but instead, he told the truth. In fact, Yoongi came clean about it all. Even as he risked losing everything, Yoongi stood his ground.
Mr. Cho had to suppress his smile. Maybe his admiration was showing a little too brightly. But then his mood darkened. He never witnessed Yoongi look so disconsolate. If he was half the man his wife says he is, he’d listen to Yoongi and take what he said into consideration. It was the least he could do before reporting to the board.
Picking up his office phone, Mr. Cho dialed out. He had a few contacts that might be able to help him out. If he was lucky, he’d get this entire matter cleared up before he got home. His last call of the night, went to his friend in the insurance company. The same company who insured Bang Kyungjun’s car.
“Hello?”
“It’s Cho Daeyoung. I’m sorry to call late in the evening but I wanted to get a few things cleared up.”
“Sure, what’s going on?”
“Bang Kyungjun has a car insured by the company and recently, he got into a wreck and totaled the car. I was offering to help pay the rest of what the insurance didn’t. Could you give me any information on what happened and the total amount of damages?”
“Hm... let me see. Bang Kyungjun, you say?”
“Yes.”
“I know exactly who and what case number that is because of how strange it was.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well for starters, we’ve received pictures of the car, the police report, as well as Mr. Bang’s statement. And let me tell you, none of it adds up.”
“Go on...” Mr. Cho urged, leaning forward to sit straight in his chair.
“Mr. Bang firmly claimed that the car swerved out of control and off the road in an attempt to dodge a raccoon in the street. He collided with a tree head on. However, the police report doesn’t support that. After reviewing the case file myself, I concluded that something wasn’t right.”
He swallowed hard. “Something like what?”
“There weren’t any skid marks to support Mr. Bang’s claim that the car swerved out of control. According to the officer who wrote the report, there were barely any skid marks at all at the scene. Granted, the officer did say that the car left behind skid marks but both markings pointed to the car briefly going off road. Mr. Bang claims he was going the speed limit but if that were true, these particular marks shouldn’t exist if that were the case.”
“And... what does that mean?”
“It means that Mr. Bang could be fabricating the claim.”
“But why would he do that? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Another statement that doesn’t add up is the car. Mr. Bang states that the vehicle collided head on, however, only the passenger side was caved in.” The man paused for a minute before adding. “Now, it’s not my place to say this but it’s almost as if he deliberately drove the right side of the car into the tree. I personally don’t know why but that’s what his file shows. With that being said, I’m not sure of the costs or if the insurance would pay for it.”
‘I can’t even tell you how long they’ve been messing around because y/n refused to tell me. Now she’s...’
Kyungjun’s voice played in his head.
“Fuck.” Mr. Cho mumbled to himself.
He ended his previous call, sitting the phone on the desk in front of him. It was the following day after his confrontation with Yoongi and getting in touch with the insurance company. After dealing with it all, he felt confused. Confused, hurt, and angry. All from a situation that he was a bystander to. It didn’t make sense. None of it made sense but now it was time to get answers; starting at the source.
Kyungjun entered his friend’s office just to find him glaring in frustration. He didn’t understand what was going on and frankly, he didn’t care. Why call him to work if he wasn’t in the mood to converse? He had more important matters to deal with than to sit around chit chatting away.
“Hey, man. What’s going on? What’s the urgency that I had to leave y/n’s side at the hospital?” He asked, falling into a seat in a careless gesture.
Mr. Cho narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t see it before but he could see it now. The condescending attitude; the manipulating behavior.
“Yesterday I spoke to the insurance company.”
“Okay...” Kyungjun shrugged. “How’d it go?”
“Well for starters, they may not pay for the damages. Something about how the statements are not adding up.” He paused to gauge his friend’s reaction. There was none. And it shouldn’t have come as a surprise either. “If you don’t mind me asking, refresh my memory of what happened that night.”
Kyungjun chuckled, more so to ease the evident tension in the room. “But I told you-“
“Tell me again.” Mr. Cho interrupted but soon changed his approach. “Please.”
“I was driving and lost control of the car. I tried to break but you know how it is when you’re in a state of panic.” He chuckled again, this time uneasily. “The car skidded into the tree.”
“Head on into the tree?”
Kyungjun hesitated. “Well yeah... y/n and I were both hurt, remember?”
Mr. Cho scoffed, shaking his head in disgust. He couldn’t believe it.
“Why are you interrogating me like a cop? Is this what you called me down here for? Did something happen that I should know about?”
“Yeah.” Was all Mr. Cho’s voice allowed him to say at that time.
“Well? Don’t keep me in the dark, man.”
“I think you should go easy on yourself and turn yourself in before the police really catch wind to what you’ve done.”
“I don’t get it,” Kyungjun sat confused. The complex look was written all over his face. “What have I done?”
“Attempted murder. Murder if your wife actually dies.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t try to kill my wife?”
“No? Then what was the real reason why you drove the car into the tree? Was it because of the affair?”
“I didn’t find out about the affair until after the wreck.”
“But wasn’t it you who said that you’ve tried to talk to y/n about the affair but couldn’t because of the accident?” Kyungjun was quiet but Mr. Cho could easily read what he wanted to say. “Listen, I may have someone you can call but I’m sorry, our friendship ends here. I have no choice but to notify the board of what’s happened.”
“You’re wrong! I love my wife and if you all are so damn blind that you can’t see that then I’ll gladly leave!” Kyungjun got up to leave. “Why doesn’t anyone understand the shit I’ve been through?! I’m the real victim here!”
~~~~~
Yoongi sat in the chair, next to your hospital bed, typing away at his computer. Since everyone had a small vacation, he decided to use his time to catch up on grading homework. He needed something to keep him busy while waiting for you to come out of your coma.
After many successful surgeries and healing in ICU, you were transferred to a regular room where people could visit you. Your friends come every week to visit you. Yoongi spent most of his time there when he wasn’t working. Occasionally the doctor came to check your vitals, updating any paperwork on your health. Your body may have been in a full cast and you’d probably spend the next few years in physical therapy but at least you were alive. Yoongi didn’t care what condition you were in, as long as he could see your smiling face once more.
Bang Kyungjun did the exact opposite of what he was told and fled. The pressure of what he’d done had gotten to him, leaving him to pack what he thought was important and left the city. With charges brought against him, including insurance fraud, Kyungjun became a fugitive. He was eventually found living with another woman a couple months later.
Although they had their suspect as well as several statements, prosecutors knew it wouldn’t be enough if they wanted Bang Kyungjun behind bars for a long time. Your testimony would greatly benefit the trial. They had no choice but to wait.
With the help of Mr. Cho, anything about your condition was changed from your husband’s information, to Yoongi’s. From here on out, he wanted to be the one responsible for you. To take care of you like he should have done.
The night before, he received a call that made his heart swell. You were at the beginning stages of coming to. You began slightly moving in your sleep to mumbling unintelligibly in your unconscious state. The nurses believed that you could wake up any day now. Lucky for him, it was the very next day.
You stirred sluggishly before slowly opening your eyes to allow the brightly lit lights above as well as the sunlight intrude into the room. At first, your vision was blurred until blinking a few times helped adjust it. You felt the presence of someone else in the room and turned your head to face it.
“Hey,” Yoongi smiled, cupping the side of your face, softly rubbing his thumb against your cheek.
It took you a moment to register your surroundings. Waking up to Yoongi in your line of vision, had you believing you were still dreaming. The last time you spoke to him, you both were at odds and even though you left as friends, companionship didn’t exist. Surprisingly your heart swelled at the sight of him.
“Hi,” you smiled weakly. “What happened? Where am I and what are you doing here?”
Your throat ached as it scraped together. Having a dry scratchy throat and a raspy voice was something you definitely didn’t enjoy waking up to. Sensing your needs, Yoongi left your side to get you a small cup of water; assisting you by gently holding the back of your head to help you slowly sip.
“You’re recovering at the hospital.”
“Hospital?” You groaned. “How long have I been here?”
“A few months.” For a second, he thought you lost your memory and hesitated, not wanting to worsen your condition if your mind was protecting you from what you’d experienced.
“You were in a car accident,” he paused. “Do you remember?”
You tried to recall the night of the party, the argument with Kyungjun, the abuse, the dreaded flash of the tree, and then it all went to black. Your body jumped as you relived the impact before your thoughts reverted to your husband. With tears instantly filling your eyes, you focused on Yoongi.
“Ky-Kyungjun... Kyungjun,” you struggled. “Is he dead?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Where is he?”
At first, Yoongi assumed you wanted to reunite with your husband but judging by your now tense figure, he knew that wasn’t the case. You seemed on edge, unconsciously gripping your hospital blanket in weak fists, you slowly swallowed as your eyes fell to his mouth; reading each word carefully as it left his lips. You suddenly became apprehensive of Kyungjun making an appearance. With your arm wrapped in a cast, it hurt to move but you needed something to hold onto to brace yourself for the news.
“Do you want me to tell the doctor to call him?”
Your head shook so quickly, you weren’t even aware if you actually moved it or if Yoongi caught on to the gesture. The fear of him walking in and grabbing you, hitting you, or pulling your hair had you on red alert. Even having Yoongi there made you scared, if Kyungjun found out, you knew he’d fly into a jealous rage; blaming you for Yoongi’s visit.
“I-“ you choked up. “I don’t want him near me! He hurts me. He-“
You broke into a sob which had Yoongi by your side, holding your face to wipe away tears. He listened as you tried to form a coherent sentence for him to understand. What also worried him was your condition. He didn’t want you to put stress on yourself after just waking up.
“You don’t have to worry about him. You don’t have to worry about him ever again. I’ll protect you, okay?”
“But you don’t know what he’s capable of, Yoongi. He could hurt you. He could-“
He shushed you, putting a finger on your lips. “He already tried but I’m grateful you didn’t allow that.”
You smiled weakly. You were grateful for Yoongi being there and felt a bit of relief when you realized he didn’t resent you anymore. You wanted to make sure you had someone in your corner for what you were about to say. With you being muted for a couple months, you weren’t aware of what Kyungjun was telling people.
“Kyung- Kyungjun drove the car into the tree. He did it after I told him I was in love with you.”
His eyes momentarily shut; his heart felt heavy to the point where it ached. He knew deep down that Kyungjun was responsible for the accident. With your confession, he’d be going away for a long time. It was going to be a long process but he promised himself and you, you wouldn’t have to go through it alone.
Yoongi dreadfully sighed at the news. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry for how I treated you. I behaved like an ass. But...” he leveled himself to lock you in a stare. “Going forward, I’m not leaving your side.”
You blinked at him, confused as to why he felt obligated to take care of you. As far as you knew, he was still in a relationship. Set to be another woman’s husband. Your stomach sank at the thought.
“You don’t have to, Yoongi. I wouldn’t want Bojum to-“
“I ended things with her.”
You stared at him wide eyed. “Why? Why, when you told me you loved her? You shouldn’t have done that on my behalf.”
“I did it for me.”
“But I don’t understand why.”
“I don’t regret our initial meeting but I think it is time to start over.” Yoongi took your hand in his, taking you by surprise. You weren’t sure what he was getting at. “Y/n... my name is Min Yoongi, an asshole professor at the university, but if you get to know me, you’d see that I’m anything but. What do you say?”
You stared into his handsome face, watching as a smile spread across his cheeks. You couldn’t help but do the same especially at his attempt.
“Y/n...” you slowly tried to shake his hand. “And I would like that very much.”
