makeitmingi - Tumblr blog

makeitmingi · 6 days ago

Text

When Flowers Bloom In The Dark [Chapter 20]

Genre: Romance, Mafia!AU, Violence, Angst, Slow burn

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Florist!Reader, Mafioso!Hongjoong, Mafioso!Seonghwa, Mafioso!Yunho, Mafioso!Yeosang, Mafioso!San, Mafioso!Mingi, Mafioso!Wooyoung, Mafioso!Jongho

Summary: When you appeared and wept at his mother's funeral, Hongjoong found himself wanting to find out more about you. A regular girl, who owns a flower shop in his territory and has a relationship with the mother that he hasn't spoken to in years, why hasn't he ever noticed you before?

[Warning(s): 18+ for violence, use of weapons, smoking, alcohol consumption, slight gore, gang affiliation, tattoos and character deaths. Minors DNI. This is a work of fiction and does not represent the Ateez members in real life.]

Word count: 3.3K

"Sorry, sir. This is a private event for listed vendors only." The guard came up to you and Jihoon.

"Oh, he's with me." You explained to the guard.

"Apologies, miss. But we only have you listed under the florist teams. As this event has tight security and many high profiled guests attending, I cannot allow someone to be here without being checked." The guard said.

"Of course. We understand." Jihoon cut in. He glanced behind the guard and saw Hongjoong standing there, watching the entire exchange with a smirk on his face.

"Actually, are you done? I can head back with you." Jihoon turned to you.

"Oh... I'm not really done yet. Plus, the event is organised by someone I know. You've met him, Hongjoong..." You informed.

"I see. It's fine, I'll see you tomorrow or something. Let us know when you're heading back." Jihoon patted your head. You nodded with an apologetic smile and waved as he headed off.

"Hongjoong, if she finds out, she's not going to be happy." Seonghwa said as Hongjoong watched Jihoon leave with a proud smile.

"Then she won't find out, Hwa." Hongjoong shot his best friend a pointed look and walked away.

"If only I could take (y/n) to the gala with me. Have her on my arm." Mingi said absentmindedly, not realising Hongjoong was standing behind him.

"Mingi." San coughed. Mingi blinked in confusion and turned around to see Hongjoong standing there with a threateningly stoic expression on his face. He reached up to slap the back of Mingi's head and walked over to Yunho, who was discussing things with the venue's manager.

"You're dead." San whistled.

"Not surprising but enlighten me. Why is Mingi hyung dead?" Jongho asked with a snicker, having heard what San said to the taller. Mingi rolled his eyes with a low groan.

"He said he wants to take (y/n) as his date to the gala. Right in front of Hongjoong hyung." San chuckled.

"Goodbye, Mingi hyung." Jongho waved.

"It's not my fault he stood behind me. Besides, he's so protective and possessive of her but he would never admit it or act on his feelings." Mingi scoffed.

"Those that are done can go to the prep rooms." Seonghwa said, calling the younger boys.

"You guys, go first." Hongjoong told everyone. They watched as he jogged to where you were, starting a conversation with you.

"He should just ask her to come with him tonight." Yeosang tilted his head.

"He did. He got rejected. This isn't (y/n)'s scene and Hongjoong hyung doesn't want to make her even more uncomfortable. You should have seen their reactions when they found out that (y/n) was the florist for the gala." Yunho informed.

"Oh, yikes. Okay, let's leave them then." Wooyoung winced as they headed to the rooms where they were going to get dressed and prepare themselves for the gala.

"You did this... Didn't you?" Mingi asked his best friend as they walked side by side.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Yunho replied with a glint in his eyes.

"As your best friend, I have to tell you that you're one scary man, Jeong Yunho." Mingi shivered. Yunho burst out laughing, slinging his arm around Mingi's shoulders.

"I am great! I should open a matchmaking service." Yunho joked.

"That's if Hongjoong hyung and (y/n) doesn't kill you first." Mingi raised his eyebrows.

"Hongjoong hyung, I'm not scared of. (y/n) on the other hand... I don't know her well enough to know if she actually has the ability to kill me. But I'm sure they'll thank me soon." Yunho's eyes widened.

"Sure..." Mingi chuckled as they entered the presidential suite, where they will all be getting ready. San and Jongho were already laying in one of the big beds, lounging lazily while Seonghwa and Yeosang were discussing something in front of their iPads. Wooyoung looked like he was scolding someone on the phone.

"The outfits are here." Yunho announced, pulling the clothing rack in that was delivered to them.

"Check through to make sure it's okay." Seonghwa said to everyone. They took turns, unzipping the fabrics and making sure that all their clothing items were there.

"I'm using this space for my accessories." Wooyoung announced, reserving one of the tables so he could lay his things out.

"I'm gonna nap." Jongho yawned and went back to the bed.

"(y/n)." Hongjoong called.

"Hongjoong, I was about to come look for you. I'm done with the set up if you would like the check." You smiled, packing up the empty boxes and your water spritzer.

"No, I won't check. I trust that you know what you're doing." Hongjoong teased you with a cheeky smile.

"Now that makes me more pressured." You punched his arm. You both strolled around the place, giving Hongjoong a chance to check the floral arrangements. But to be honest, he wasn't even really paying attention to the flowers.

"So, are you thinking of heading back already?" Hongjoong asked.

"I feel like I should stay in case anything goes wrong when the gala starts but if you think I should go home now, I can...?" You looked at him, giggling.

"No! No, no. That's not what I'm saying. You can stay as long as you like." Hongjoong involuntarily raised his voice defensively.

"I'm just kidding, Hongjoong." You smiled.

"We have rooms to rest in until the gala begins, if you'd like to hang out there. It's upstairs." Hongjoong offered. You thought about it, should you be seen hanging out around them?

"Don't worry." Hongjoong said softly, as if he knew your fears. You chewed on your bottom lip but nodded.

"Alright, this way." He gestured and you both headed to the lift.

Hongjoong's right, you shouldn't feel uncomfortable. You're just friends with Hongjoong and you didn't have any ulterior motive in being his friend, you didn't even know he was rich before. He was always known to you as Mrs Kim's son. You were just unfamiliar with all the looks and stares.

"Are you hungry? We usually get food." Hongjoong asked as you both travelled in the lift.

"No thanks, I'm good. But also, don't you guys have like michelin star chefs and all that cooking for the gala tonight? Wouldn't you guys be too full?" You asked.

"We're usually too busy to eat since we're handling other things, networking, greeting people, all that." He explained.

"Also, you've seen the boys eat. They can eat multiple meals in one seating." He added.

"Yes, I have seen that. They do eat a lot." You laughed. Hongjoong led you to the presidential suite and swiped his room card, opening the door for you to enter.

"(y/n)'s here." Hongjoong said to the boys, not announcing your arrival but more of a warning to them.

"Hi again, (y/n)." Yunho waved but his eyes were glued to the screen of the gaming console.

"Hi, Yunho and Yeosang." You chuckled, sitting on the couch behind him and Yeosang, who were challenging each other in some game that looked like street fighter. Yeosang gave you a backwards wave as he focused on trying to beat Yunho.

"(y/n), can I try to change your mind in attending the gala with me tonight?" Wooyoung sat on the couch beside you and slung an arm around your shoulders.

"Are you asking me to be your date?" You raised an eyebrow.

If you saw Hongjoong now, you would have seen him about to burst a blood vessel but he stood behind you, plotting Wooyoung's death.

"Of course, we'll be the next power couple." Wooyoung smirked. You just laughed in reply.

"Thanks for the flattery, Wooyoung. But it's really not my scene. You guys know this rich people world and I don't." You giggled. Despite this, Wooyoung didn't remove his arm from you.

"Don't go touching people without permission." Hongjoong growled and pinched Wooyoung's arm, making him recoil.

"If you're worried about looks, I can get you dress right here, right now. Just say the words." Wooyoung winked.

"Let it rest, Wooyoung ah. Don't make (y/n) feel cornered." Seonghwa said with a chuckle, hiding under the guise that he was caring for you. Actually, he didn't want Hongjoong to have a heart attack or stroke right before the gala just because Wooyoung was deliberately trying to rile him up.

"Here." Hongjoong passed you a glass of sparkling water with a lime wedge, noticing you didn't have anything to drink yet. You received it with a grateful smile.

"Room service is here." Mingi yawned, going to open the door for the staff to enter who pushed in carts of food.

"Wow, that's a lot of food." Your eyes widened.

"Told you. Help yourself, okay?" Hongjoong smiled, taking a plate and handing it to you first before the boys could ravage the food. Since you were not that hungry, you grabbed some fries first.

"Isn't anyone gonna wake San and Jongho?" Yeosang asked as he turned off the game.

"Nope. They snooze, they lose." Yunho stretched his arms, putting a forkful of pasta and a chunk of steak on his plate.

"Let me know what time I should leave for you guys to get ready." You told them.

"Get ready to stay the entire time because we will never tell you to leave, (y/n)." Mingi laughed. You laughed along with him, shaking your head.

You thought they were joking but Mingi was right, the boys all adored you too much to tell you to leave. Usually, they wouldn't care and just speak their minds but with you, even as their friend, they liked having you around with them.

But when the time came, you did excuse yourself, letting the boys change and get ready while you went downstairs.

"Hey, you! I've been trying to talk to you. You didn't mention that you're close friends with the organiser!" The girl from before came up to you with a big grin.

"Honestly, I didn't even know they were the organisers. Both us didn't know." You rubbed the back of your neck.

"You're so lucky, they're all so good looking. And no one dares to approach them because of their status." She giggled.

"We're just friends, I guess I never took into account their status." You shrugged.

"Some of the guests are arriving soon. If you want to observe the event, we can stand over there to remain out of the way." She pointed to the corner.

"Thank you. I just want to make sure the flowers are okay. If there are any that are wilting or drooping, I'll change it." You explained.

"Sure. I have to go help with ushering. See you!" She patted you on the shoulder and ran off.

You tried your best to stay hidden by the corner of the room, watching as guests finally began to stroll in. They were all high society people, you even recognised some celebrities and politicians here. Compared to the simple clothes you were wearing, they were dressed to the nines.

You have never felt so out of place.

"Entering now, let's welcome to organisers of this gala." The announcer said. You turned your head to see the 8 standing there, dressed in their matching purple, velvet outfits.

"Good evening." They walked down the stairs together, the diamonds of their accessories shining under the light of the chandelier.

"Wow." You couldn't help but admire how handsome all of them were. Everyone clapped for them.

They scattered around, with people rushing to greet them and shake their hands. Hongjoong looked so different, confident and charismatic as he greeted people.

"Mr Kim. Nice to see you." An older gentleman approached Hongjoong with a girl by his side, you figured she was his daughter.

"Hongjoong. How are you?" She smiled and pulled Hongjoong into a hug of familiarity.

"I hope you 2 are enjoying the gala so far." Hongjoong smiled back. The girl naturally hugged Hongjoong's arm as he conversed with her and her father.

"She's so pretty." You couldn't help but comment to yourself. She was obviously rich, someone from Hongjoong's world. You tried to ignore the sudden tighteness in your chest, clearing your throat and tearing your eyes away to observe the rest of the gala.

Then you were struck with a reality check. This scene wasn't you, you were not familiar with this. This wasn't your world.

"(y/n), are you alright?" You didn't realise that Jongho had come over to you, noticing the tense look on your face. Blinking to re-focus yourself, you nodded your head.

"Everything looks under control here so I think I'm going to head back." You told him.

"Are you sure? If you're not feeling well, you can rest in the room. We don't mind it." He tried to offer his room card to you.

"No, no. It's fine, Jongho. I'm fine, don't worry, thank you for the offer though. I'll just go home now, see you." You forced a small smile and patted his arm.

"Wait, at least let me arrange for our driver to send you back. It's late and you shouldn't be alone." He protested.

"Thanks but I'd rather walk. Have a nice evening." You said and left before he could insist further.

You and Jongho didn't realise that while talking to business partners, Hongjoong kept his eye on you the entire time. He wasn't even focusing on what the man and his daughter was saying.

"Jongho, is (y/n) okay? Where did she go?" When he was finally able to get away from the very boring conversation, he caught the youngest by the arm. When he saw you leave the ballroom with a slightly grim expression after speaking with Jongho and not returning, he was worried.

"She said she's fine but I'm not sure. I told her that she could go up to the room to rest but she wanted to go home." Jongho explained.

"Did you get the driver to send her back? It's so late." Hongjoong asked, checking his watch to see the time.

"No. I wanted to and insisted but she wanted to go home on her own, she walked away before I could argue further. Hyung, is everything okay?" Jongho blinked.

"Yeah..." Hongjoong replied, absentmindedly.

"I need to-" Hongjoong was cut off by Seonghwa heading over with someone else.

"There he is. Hongjoong, I've been looking for you. This is the new medical director that will be overseeing our new wing at the hospital." Seonghwa smiled as he introduced.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr Kim. Thank you for entrusting me with such a responsibility. I will not let you down." The male bowed.

"Sure." Hongjoong said, not shaking the guy's hand. Seonghwa could tell his best friend's mind was somewhere else.

"Hyung, you go ahead. I'm Choi Jongho, one of the 8 leader seats of the organisation." Jongho cut in front of Hongjoong, shaking the guy's hand on behalf of Hongjoong. Hongjoong patted Jongho on the shoulder and walked away.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Choi." The male bowed with a smile. Even if Hongjoong was the leader, Jongho was just as important. Seonghwa's eyes subtly followed where Hongjoong disappeared to.

"Excuse me." Seonghwa said politely and excused himself, scanning the room to find Hongjoong.

"Hyung, what's wrong?" San asked.

"Nothing. Did you see Hongjoong?" Seonghwa asked back, still looking around for the missing captain but there was just too many people. San shook his head.

"I can't believe he went AWOL." Seonghwa cursed.

"What? I'm sure he is somewhere, hyung. We've all been roped into conversations with people. Maybe he's just occupied." San said.

"No, he's gone." Seonghwa sighed with a shake of his head. Taking his phone out, he sent Hongjoong a quick text before he was soon approached by yet another business partner.

"Yunho sshi, did you see Hongjoong sshi? I've been looking for him since our conversation earlier." A girl came up to the taller.

"No, weren't you with him? Talking with your father." Yunho tilted his head.

"He said he will be right back and just disappeared. He was talking to Jongho sshi about something." The girl said. Yunho nodded and saw the maknae engaged in a conversation with the new medical director. Being taller than the rest, he was able to easily look through the crowd. That was when he noticed someone else missing.

"Maybe he's just talking to other business partners. There is a lot to discuss tonight with multiple people." Yunho lied. The girl's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Right, I understand." She cleared her throat and left.

"Jongho ah, did Hongjoong hyung and (y/n) run away together?" Yunho approached the youngest.

"Yeah. She looked upset about something and left to go home. I told Hongjoong hyung and he seemed quite bothered by it. I wouldn't be surprised if he left the party." Jongho sighed.

Hongjoong didn't really know where to go. He didn't want to call you and make you think he was watching you or something.

"Where to go?" He stood in the middle of the street, wondering if he should go to your home or the shop.

"Mister, are you a celebrity?" A couple of girls approached him. Right, he forgot that he was in his gala outfit and wearing God knows how much money worth of white gold and diamonds.

With a frown, Hongjoong ignored the girls and walked away. He walked to your shop, knowing it wouldn't be right for him to just show up at your door step. He wouldn't know how to explain himself if you asked why he was there.

"Hongjoong?" You froze when you opened the front door, intending to water your plants outside, seeing the male there.

"(y/n)." Hongjoong let out a sigh of relief.

"Wha-What are you doing here? Is the gala over? Did something happen?" You blinked, frowning slightly in worry. Hongjoong shook his head and walked towards you.

"Hongjo-" You were cut off when he suddenly pulled you into a tight hug, effectively cutting you off.

"I hate when you're upset. I worry when you're upset." He whispered.

"Upset? I'm not upset. There's nothing to worry about." You stated, unsure of what to do with your hands. Were you supposed to hug him back?

"I know you are. If you weren't, you wouldn't have left." He said. You felt the warmth of his cheek against your own.

"I'm not..." You didn't really know what to say. You were stunned, to be honest, because you didn't think that he would have noticed.

"We shouldn't do this outside. People are staring." You suddenly said. Hongjoong pulled away and nodded. Keeping your gaze down, you walked back into the shop with him in tow. Once you were in and away from public eye, you turned to look at him.

"I'm not upset. I didn't leave because I was upset." You stated, eyes looking everywhere else but him.

"Then?" Hongjoong tilted his head.

"I don't know. I don't know how to explain it because I barely know what I'm feeling. It's not that I won't explain it, it's that I can't." You let out a soft sigh of frustration.

"May I?" He asked softly, holding his hand out to you. You stared at it for a few seconds, hesitating before putting your hand in his.

"(y/n), I... I never expected it and I'm guessing you too. But I like you and not just a friend." Hongjoong said.

"What?" Your head shot up.

"I know you think we're very different and maybe we are. But our worlds don't have to be parallel. Look where we are, we've met somehow. And if you would give me a chance..." He trailed off.

"Hongjoong, I... I don't... I..." You didn't know what to say but your first instinct was to retract your hand.

Series masterlist

#sr #rb #mutuals <3 #heheheh #you know me and my cliffhangers #love them #YES I LOVE THE OVERTHINKING #i encourage it #fr #thank you for always supporting #love you

137 notes · View notes

makeitmingi · 7 days ago