#Detouring Blue | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sanakiras · 4 months ago

Text

LIAR, LIAR!

PAIRING — kim mingyu x fem!reader

❝ AND THE DANCE FLOOR IS FILLING UP WITH BLOOD, BUT OH LORD, YOU’VE NEVER BEEN SO IN LOVE! ❞

WORD COUNT — 17k

SYNOPSIS — in a dramatic turn of events, a rich businessman is found dead in his lavish estate, and the authorities believe it was no accident. as the detectives dig deeper, they ultimately end up with two key suspects: you, the businessman’s very own daughter, and your sworn enemy, kim mingyu. as the time progresses, tensions rise and secrets spill — and the truth has the power to either bring you closer together or tear you apart.

TAGS — murder mystery, rich rivals to partners in crime to lovers, whole lotta plot, explicit sexual content, somewhat graphic depictions of death, everyone and everything is dysfunctional™, mentions of suicide, unrealistic circumstances, moral compass is nowhere to be found, angst, medium long hair!gyu bc self-indulgence, tsundere-ish reader again guys sorry i love her so bad, mentions of parental neglect, this ended up so long help

♪ verydeadly - wolves (kanye west cover),, low - dancing and blood,, vessel - red sex,, florence + the machine - mermaids,, zayn - bordersz,, mikky ekko - who are you, really?,, q - alone,, danna paola - tenemos que hablar,, blue foundation - eyes on fire (4 ave version),, summer camp - i want you

NOTE — one of my favorite episodes of going seventeen remains bad clue 2020, i loved mingyu’s role in it and i could totally see him portraying darker/morally grey characters and rock tf out of it so. i wrote this solely based on that idea. the music recs above are also really nice to get into the vibe! enjoyyyy :D

[ ONE ] ✧˚ · .⋆ ★ [ JUMP TO PART TWO ]

i. ASK ME THE TRUTH AND I’LL TELL YOU A LIE

the interrogation room is unnecessarily bright, the noise of the water dispenser in the corner and the flickering led light above you running through your ears. the chair you’re seated on is uncomfortable, though it’s nothing compared to the tension you feel as the man in front of you treats you like you’re guilty of something.

“on september 2nd, around six o’clock, your father reportedly got unwell, so he left his office early, choosing to do the rest of his paperwork at home. according to the information we got from the gps tracker in his car, he went straight home, took no detours. he arrived at your family estate thirty minutes later. then at eight o’clock, the police receives a call from you, saying your father hung himself.”

you stare at the the inspector — whose name you did not bother remembering — before waving with your hand. “i’m aware. i’ve heard the recap of events many times at this point. this isn’t the first time i’m being interrogated, surprisingly enough.”

with a puzzled look, he raises his brow at you. “you don’t think you should be a suspect?”

“no, i don’t.”

“at the time of the incident, you were home, as well as two members of the staff. since the staff were on their dinner break and you were apparently in your room, it’s hard to say what exactly happened, since there were no witnesses.”

“do you mind me asking why you think it’s murder and not just a suicide?”

he’s intrigued by the way you discuss the topic so casually. “your father was an important man. wouldn’t you want to know who killed him if that were the case?”

“sure. i’d thank them.” you smile at him, the hatred for your father shining through. “believe me, inspector — my father was a miserable man who surrounded himself with miserable people. i wasn’t there by choice.”

“did he treat you badly, then?” he continues, trying to pry any information out of you.

all you can do is sigh. “i was his daughter in blood and name only. nothing more.”

with your demeanor softening into something sadder, the inspector’s tone changes into something different. “aside from you, and the staff, of course, we do have another suspect who we think could have something to do with your father’s death.”

that sparks your interest. “who?”

the inspector grabs his small pile of documents to pull a printed photo out of it, putting it before you. you visibly frown, because the person on the photo is someone you’re unfortunately awfully familiar with.

“kim mingyu is a suspect? seriously?” you ask, completely in shock. ironically, he’s the last person you’d suspect in a scenario like the one you currently find yourself in.

“what can you tell me about him?”

leaning back in your chair, you list a few things. “he’s a year younger than me. we went to the same high school, same university, have some of the same friends. though all of that is relatively common in our social circle.”

“anything else?”

keeping the insults to yourself for now, you press your lips together. “our parents are good friends. well, were, now that my father’s gone. mingyu and i hate eachother to the bone, though.”

“any particular reason why?”

“i’m not sure where it started… there’s just something off about him. it’s always been there. he’s—beyond arrogant. always showing off his looks, his wealth, his charm, his intelligence. everything. he insults me, i insult him. we simply don’t get along, never have. nothing you haven’t seen before, i’m sure.”

the inspector raises his brow. “i think you may have left something out.”

“such as?”

his hand moves into the blue folder sitting on the table, taking another photo out of it, holding it up before you. “your father was often spotted with him. at events, business meetings — you name it. matter of fact, your father seemed to be accompanied by kim mingyu more than anyone else. which is interesting, considering you are his only child.”

your gaze turns sour, voice softer yet more hateful than before. “don’t tell me this is the reason i’m a suspect.”

“let’s just say it doesn’t make you look good.”

“you really believe i murdered my own father in cold blood because he cared more about kim mingyu than he ever did about me? that’s pathetic and ridiculous.”

“you wouldn’t be the first. it’s a plausible story.”

scoffing at the accusation, you shake your head. “we’re done here. the moment you have an actual lead, i’ll talk, but not like this. i’m still here grieving and you’re accusing me of being the culprit.” you get up in anger, taking your bag with you before slamming the door shut, not bothering to listen to what the man is trying to tell you to make you stay.

this whole shit-train started two weeks ago. your father was found dead in your childhood home, hung by a rope around his neck. instead of calling it a death by suicide, the police apparently have enough reason to suspect it was a homicide.

you’ve been questioned several times in the past few weeks, but there’s been a gradual shift in the behavior of the inspector and his handimen — they’re treating you like a suspect now.

which you are, for whatever reason. they have yet to come up with any actual evidence.

your contact in the police force mentioned to you that you’re not just any suspect — you’re one of the two main suspects.

and that is unsettling, especially when you discovered who else is.

as you go down the hall, you suddenly lock eyes with kim mingyu himself, who’s leaning against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. a few strands of hair hover by his cheeks, framing his strong features.

“what the fuck are you doing here?” you ask in a rather hostile manner, the scowl on your face deepening.

his lips part before he starts explaining. “they wanted to talk to me. again.”

“haven’t you heard the rumors, gyu?” you mockingly use the nickname, taking a step closer to him, “they’re saying there’s a possibility you killed him.”

your arch-nemesis looks back at you with a furrowed brow. “that’s ridiculous.”

“is it? you were always with him… it’s perhaps the only thing that makes sense in all of this.”

he seems offended you’d even insinuate something like that. “it’s really the other way around, though. you’re the one who hated him. i had nothing against the man.”

it’s true that you and your father didn’t exactly get along, especially the past few years, to put it lightly. you always considered him to be greedy, cold and unforgiving, and you certainly didn’t cry the moment they told you he had passed away.

“no, we all know how much you liked him,” you hardly make an effort to hide your disdain, “but they must not believe that, considering you’re just as much of a suspect as i am.”

he clenches his jaw. “i’m not guilty.”

“neither am i.” you state. like always, there’s a tangible coldness to your voice, which he finds soothing, for whatever reason.

it’s quiet for a moment as you’re both unsure of what to say next, a rarity between you.

a few years ago, your father mentioned you and mingyu could make a good pair.

you proceeded to laugh in his face.

mingyu is a constant reminder of what you could be, and that’s the last thing you need in your life.

“if i find out you’re somehow involved in this—”

instead of immediately refuting the statement, he narrows his eyes at you. “then what?”

you realize you need to be careful with your words here — you can’t throw around threats to kill people as the top suspect in a murder investigation. “i’ll make sure you pay for it. they might buy your little golden-boy act, but i sure as shit don’t. i never have.”

a smirk subtly tugs at his lips as he leans more down, eyes flicking lower before they meet yours again. “i’d be careful with my words if i were you,” he firmly tells you, his lashes fluttering, “there’s always someone watching.”

only now do you take notice of how close you’re standing to him, and you look behind you, seeing the inspector that just interrogated you observing you and mingyu from a distance.

so you push yourself away from him, giving him a last glare before walking away.

mingyu only moves from his spot once you’re gone from his field of view, greeting the inspector with a kind smile.

ii. THE HATRED WE BEAR

you find yourself staring at your father’s tombstone with a numb face and the wind breezing through your hair. your makeup is slightly smudged under your eyes from the tears you shed just an hour before, while you were giving the public a final speech regarding his passing.

the funeral was long — too long.

at a certain point, once the whole thing was done and everyone left, you decided to take a quiet moment for yourself in the graveyard to let everything sink in.

you made the mistake of thinking you’d left alone.

a voice you’re too familiar with speaks up behind you. “i’m sorry for your loss.”

of course it’s kim mingyu out of all people who’s still here, sneaking up on you.

you don’t have the energy to make a snarky comment this time. “i’d ask why you’re still here, but it’s a question i already know the answer to.”

he still offers you his answer. “i’m here to check up on you.”

well, that takes you by surprise. “why?”

“you lost the one parent you had left. i don’t want you to be alone.”

something about that sentence fuels a sudden anger in you. he’s got some fucking nerve, saying that to you. “maybe you should’ve considered that a couple years ago. you know, before you decided to become my dad’s little protege.”

even as a little girl, your bond with your father was a shitty one. your mother passed when you were young, so you barely have any memories left of her.

in an attempt to win his love and affection, you always did everything your father asked of you, yet your efforts were hardly acknowledged. you found him to be a harsh and cruel man, but surely with you being his daughter, his only child, he must’ve cared for you. or so you always told yourself.

something about your yearning for his approval and support changed for the worse when mingyu’s mother became a prominent business partner to your father, about nine years ago. it made him spend more time with the kim family, and you have no idea how or why it happened, but mingyu became like a son for him.

you saw how well your dad treated him, and you cried for a long, long time as you compared it to his neglect towards you. for every pat on mingyu’s back, you got scolded for not being good enough. whenever he got praised, you got discarded. it’s no miracle that you came to be the way that you are. detached, perceptive, appearing to be just as unfeeling as the man who raised you.

you hated your father. with all your heart.

but you grew to hate kim mingyu more.

so to hear him say that he doesn’t want you to be alone — that takes the goddamn cake.

he lowers his head at your words. “it wasn’t like that.”

“right. of course it wasn’t.” your voice is painfully spiteful.

“i wouldn’t have done it if i knew it was at your expense. i’m sorry.”

he’s trying to be nice to you, not understanding yet that it’s actually doing more damage, making you angrier. “the last thing i want is your fucking pity.”

“then what do you want?”

“nothing you can give me.” it’s a subtle final warning coming from you, because you’re actually about to explode at him. “just leave me be.”

“please, just... i wanna help you.”

like a ticking time bomb, you suddenly hit your limit. finally, you turn around, facing him, and it’s only then that he truly sees how upset you are, like a storm suddenly changing its direction, and he’s in the way.

“help me? you’d help me by getting the fuck out of my face. you wanna know what i want, mingyu? i want to know what in god’s name everyone loves so much about you, what it is that made my father shut me out completely and replace me with you. he gave you more love than he ever gave me. just looking at you makes me sick. what the fuck did he see in you that he didn’t see in me?” you ask, unable to stop yourself from pouring your emotions out to the guy in front of you. “why did he hate me so much? even in death, he favors you over me. he left you... everything. a final ‘fuck you’ to his own child. and for what? for you?”

the fact that you got word from your father’s lawyer that your father chose to leave everything he had to mingyu instead of you was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

throughout your life, you always did what was expected of you. you were the perfect daughter.

and for what?

the fact that your father grew to hate you and love this asshole so much that he left you not a single penny to your name — that is your tipping point.

and mingyu just wordlessly allows you to continue ranting, almost as if he deserves it.

“what the fuck is so special about you, huh? because i don’t get it. sure, you’ve got a nice face and you’re a smart guy, but i don’t believe you actually give a shit about others. i bet you came here today to rub my dad’s inheritance in my face — you fucking pretentious douchebag.”

“i’m sorry. i never meant—” he stumbles, nearly falling over as he backs away while you keep stepping forward, feeling surprisingly small in front of you, in spite of his tall frame.

“i don’t give a shit if this is what you intended to happen or not! i’m all alone.” you show your sadness right between the anger and hostility, vulnerable in front of him. “no family like everyone else, no money, no house, nothing. abandoned by the one person i had left.”

he looks at you as if you’ve just slapped him across the face. he’s never even shown you a hint of vulnerability — nor have you for that matter — so why is he showing it now?

you’re too deep into your breakdown to think rationally about it. “you took literally everything that i had. and i’ll never forgive you for that.”

“please, let me—let me fix it.” he chokes out, as overwhelmed by your strong emotions as you are yourself.

the harshness of your words makes him feel like he’s crumbling in your presence. “talk to me like you care about me one more goddamn time, and i’ll make you regret ever meeting me in the first place.”

in all the years that you’ve known him, you don’t think you’ve ever seen him flinch — you doubt any of your words have ever hurt him.

until this moment, it seems. but why is he even hurt? you don’t care about him and he doesn’t care about you. it’s always been that way, and you have a hard time believing it’ll ever change.

the moment you walk away from him with a sharp pain in your chest, pushing him to the side by his shoulder, he’s left behind in a shocked and bewildered state, neither of you aware that a pair of curious eyes witnessed the whole exchange.

iii. ULTERIOR MOTIVES

“the full inheritance of your father has been transferred over to you.”

the cup of tea you were raising stills with your hand. your eyes narrow at your lawyer as you’re seated in the garden of your father’s estate. “what—how? why? it wasn’t passed down to me.”

“no, but the person it was passed down to can always make the decision to pass it on. and he did — surprisingly with no strings attached,” he tells you, putting the document from the notary in front of you, “i had it all double-checked. everything’s there, the documents signed by kim mingyu himself.”

just hearing the name makes you grimace, putting you off your tea. “and there’s absolutely nothing he wants from me?”

“nothing was mentioned, no. he did, however, leave you a note.”

“what does it say?”

your lawyer raises his brow as he reads it, handing it to you instead of reading it out loud, which makes you give him a puzzled look before casting your eyes downwards to the piece of paper.

tomorrow, 4:30, my apartment. all you have to do is sign the papers. i look forward to the day you’ll make me regret meeting you.

“that asshole.” you mutter to yourself, not loud enough for your lawyer to hear it, but he’s certainly got an idea of how you feel about the whole situation.

“you do, of course, always have the option to reject the inheritance, but i would highly recommend not to. frankly, in all of my years of experience in this field, i’ve never felt a bigger need to encourage a client to take a deal.”

once you’ve picked up the documents and skimmed over the words, you look back at him. “and if i did accept it, it wouldn’t contain any possible implications for me in the long term?”

“none. it is... fairly remarkable he’s willing to give you the full inheritance for nothing in return, even if he and his family are known for their wealth. but it wouldn’t be a significant loss for him, considering the capital he already has to his name.” the man explains, not needing to spell it out for you.

you put down your cup. “knowing him, i’m not so sure he doesn’t want anything. i suppose i’ll have to talk to him about it myself, tomorrow.”

your lawyer highly encourages you to do so, leaving you to spend the rest of the day wondering what he could possibly want from you.

and so the following day, at 4:30 sharp, you step into his apartment — penthouse is the more fitting term. you’ll admit, though, that he’s got style.

it’s dead silent in his place, save for the metronome in the background and the slow brew of his coffee machine. he’s wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with black trousers as he approaches you. “glad you could make it. coffee?”

“why are you willing to give me the inheritance?” you ask directly, not feeling up for the unnecessary chitchat. you’ve always hated small talk. “if it was just a set-up, i’m leaving.”

he doesn’t seem to be even the slightest bit surprised by your forwardness. “i’m willing to give it to you because a) i don’t need it, and b) i don’t want it. i think it’s ridiculous your dad set up his will like this.”

“well, that makes two of us.” you fake a polite smile, clearly very sarcastically, putting your hand on your hip. “you asked me to come sign the papers, but i have yet to see them.”

mingyu smiles a little at you. of course you’d skip straight to business — you never were a girl of many words. he walks over to a cupboard and takes a sealed folder with the documents out of a drawer, handing it to you.

when you attempt to take the folder from him, he swiftly retracts his hand like the asshole he is. “it’s not completely free, though.”

you pinch the bridge of your nose. “of course. i should’ve known better than to believe you were willing to do something out of the kindness of your own heart.”

he just keeps going as if he didn’t hear you, very much used to the little quips you throw at him by now. “don’t worry, i think you can manage this very small task for me.”

“just tell me what you want already—”

“my family’s hosting a gala next week, on friday. i’d like you to be my date.”

you’re baffled. this is what he wants in return for the inheritance worth millions of dollars? to have you on his arm for a single night?

oh, hell no. you’re not falling for it.

“why? you wanna publicly humiliate me or something?” you question, a deep frown settled in your forehead.

he huffs, annoyed that you’d think that low of him. “i know we’ve always hated eachother, but, maybe, during a hard time… it would be nice to have one relaxed night. and yeah, i wouldn’t mind doing that with a pretty girl to keep me company. what do you say? deal?”

not once in all the years you’ve known him has he ever called you pretty.

“fine. but don’t think about pulling any stunts.”

“wouldn’t dare.” his smile sits somewhere beween teasing and serious when he finally hands you the papers.

you sit down and briefly scan the documents, not signing them right away to have them checked by your lawyer first. “if everything in this is according to the plan, you’ll have them signed by tomorrow morning.”

“okay. see you friday.” he winks at you, escorting you to his front door, a subtle grin on his face that gives off the impression he’s planning something, and you can only imagine what it might be.

there is one good thing about having to spend time in his family home, though — and that’s to search his rooms to find anything that might implicate him having something to do with your father’s murder.

since there’s still a culprit to be named.

with your own agenda in mind, you walk out of his apartment, searching for the name of your stylist in your contacts.

you’re going to need a dress, after all.

iv. A PROPOSAL

with a stern look on your face, you look at the entrance of the gala from the tinted window of your car. it’s all bright lights and colorful decorations, candles, flowers — the kim family is well known for their luxurious and memorable parties. you’ve attended plenty of them. while you and mingyu may not get along, his sister and mother are genuine sweethearts, some of the kindest and most welcoming people you know.

if only you could say the same for the asshole you’re about to spend the evening with.

after checking your makeup in the pocket-sized mirror for a final time, your driver opens your door so you can step out of the car, which leaves you on your own in front of the stairs.

mingyu originally mentioned he wanted to pick you up at your home like the gentleman he very much claims to be, but you very quickly shut the idea down and told him you’d just meet him at his family’s mansion.

so here you are.

attending a gala only a month after your father’s funeral must seem like an… interesting choice, to say the least. the people you come across express their condolences and ask if you’re doing well — you wonder if the sentiment is real or not — and you tell them you’re here because it serves well as a distraction.

you’ve become an excellent liar over the years.

as you’re standing at the top of the stairs, leaning on the railing, you observe the people on the dance floor below. those who aren’t dancing are chattering, the noises of clinking glasses and laughter filling your ears.

most of the time, you’re able to somewhat enjoy this life. but the truth is that it can be as exhausting as it is glamorous.

but with your last living parent gone, you do feel a sense of freedom, even if it is lonely at times.

not like you didn’t feel lonely when he was still alive.

you didn’t love him or care for your father. you cared for the hope that someday he would change. that he would show you he did care for you, even a little bit.

but that day never came.

he was primarily an investor, so at least you haven’t been burdened with having to take over a business or anything like it. having no siblings either, you feel like you should take this opportunity to start fresh; focus on building your own career and use your father’s money for things he’d never approve of.

suddenly, you spot your date in the midst of the crowd, breaking you out of your train of thoughts. his half-long hair looks pretty on him, you have to admit, the few strands in front of his face paired with the tailored, navy suit giving him the appearance of a model.

he’s currently talking to an older woman who clearly seems to adore him, the smile he puts up making her give him a gentle, loving squeeze on his upper arms. like always, no one is able to read the bitterness you feel as your face remains neutral.

growing up in your restricted social circle of the country’s wealthiest families, your group of peers wasn’t extremely big. you all went to the same primary school, same private high school. mingyu was always one of if not the most popular kid at school. an effortless ace at every fucking thing. everyone loved him, be it your peers or their parents.

you wouldn’t say you weren’t popular. quite the opposite, actually. your best friend was the queen bee of the school, as she was always striving to be the best in everything. top of the class, highest achievements, a true perfectionist at heart. bold, definitely a bit judgemental and classist too, but once she’s your friend, she’s the sweetest girl in the world. she did like to dabble in some drama with others if it came onto her path.

and you were the opposite. you preferred to steer clear of any drama, much preferring to watch it unfold from the sidelines — as you usually just didn’t care enough to interfere with it — and you were never quite as talkative as your best friend.

the sentences leaving your mouth are always quick, direct, sharp and without stutter. you’re masterful at small talk, even though you hate it. you know how to play people like a fiddle. your father made you use your manipulation skills to good use rather frequently.

many consider you cold and calculated.

which is true, of course. but you still have a heart, even if it barely beats.

the outburst you gave mingyu after your father’s funeral must’ve come as a shock to him. no one has ever seen you in such a vulnerable and weak state, and out of all the people who could’ve seen it, it naturally had to be him — and that makes you uncomfortable.

once he’s finished his conversation, he looks in front of him, then up at the balcony — and he locks eyes with you.

you give him a look of acknowledgment, but that’s it. he doesn’t seem to mind, though, still shining as brightly as ever, making his way up the stairs as fast as he can. “i’m sorry i wasn’t at the entrance to greet you, i didn’t think you’d be here so soon.”

“it’s fine.”

he glances up and down, admiring the dress you chose. “you look gorgeous.”

the deeply dark green dress with its boat neckline, long and fitted sleeves and intricate gold embroidery makes you look elegant. with the dress itself already being quite the statement piece, you chose to pair it with dainty earrings, your hair half-up and curled.

“thank you.” you don’t bother saying anything about his appearance. he must be used to it at this point.

“can i get you something to drink?”

you test the waters by throwing in a joke. “what, planning on poisoning me?”

his eyes flicker for a moment, stricken by something you can’t quite place, which makes you blink at him. his flirtatious and charming self returns within a mere second, and he proceeds to snicker at your joke. “i could, but where’d be the fun in that?”

rolling your eyes at him, you take his arm once he’s offered it, keeping in mind you’re doing this for the inheritance.

the time goes by quicker than expected. he introduces you to some of the people he’s close with, tells you stories you’ve never heard before, even asks you about yours.

a few of his friends come by as well, surprised to see you by mingyu’s side. most people your age here know that you and him have never quite gotten along, to put it lightly.

when they subtly ask about it, mingyu tells them he insisted you came to distract yourself from the death of your father, and that you could probably use a party.

it raises more question marks as to what his motive is for asking you to be here tonight. what is he gaining from this? he hasn’t humiliated you yet. if anything, he’s only spoken of you highly, save for the little snark he keeps between the two of you.

it’s strange. really strange.

after a while, once all the guests have been drinking a bit, you decide to set your own plan in motion. this might be your only chance to snoop around here, as you doubt you’ll find yourself in here again anytime soon.

you’re literally invited in his home — you’d be a fool not to check his room.

unfortunately, just as you try to disappear from the crowd, mingyu extends his hand to you. “dance with me?”

just as you’re about to refuse him, you remember that this is the one night you have to be nice to him, all so he can give you the inheritance that was meant to be yours in the first place.

with a small sigh, you slide your hand in his, at which he grins triumphantly.

before you know it, you’re in the middle of the room together, and he has his one hand on your lower back, the other hand intertwined with yours. he’s smooth with his moves, you have to admit.

the question has already left your mouth when you process it. “why am i here? i’m sure there’s a reason i needed to be your date tonight.”

mingyu cocks his head at you. “i think you’ve had to endure a lot the past couple weeks. the incident, the interrogations, the press, the shit with the inheritance — i’m impressed you haven’t lost your mind yet.”

“how do you know i haven’t?” you ask, and he twirls you around, his hands feeling like they’re burning on your skin. “wasn’t my breakdown after the funeral enough to prove you otherwise?”

“well, looking back, i should’ve probably left you alone in that moment. but i did think about what you said, and you can correct me if i’m wrong, but i feel like your father and our ties to him were what made us hate eachother so much. now that he’s gone, maybe we can… i don’t know. tolerate one another.”

you make sure to hide your confusion from him. does he really not see it? sure, the main reason you’ve always despised mingyu was because of his relationship with your father, but you weren’t exactly best friends before that either.

even putting it like that would still make it the understatement of the year.

if he actually pictures the two of you becoming friends, though, he’s lost it.

unsure of what to tell him, you give him a shitty excuse to escape the conversation. “i’m just gonna use the ladies’ room, if you don’t mind.” you let mingyu know, and he nods at you in acknowledgement, caught off guard by you leaving so suddenly.

so you walk off, the voices of the people and the music in the hall fading into the background as you trail off.

now that you’re alone, you can finally go check his room.

it’s harder to navigate the mansion than you thought. hallways that all look similar, god knows how many rooms — you hope you won’t get lost here.

one of your best friends is good friends with mingyu’s sister, and so she knows the place like the back of her hand. when you asked her for the layout of the place, she did think it strange, but you told her she had nothing to worry about.

mingyu’s bedroom and study are supposedly on the third floor of the east wing, and the party takes place in the west wing.

so that’s just fucking great.

your best friend did warn you that he most often keeps his doors locked whenever visitors are present, so to ensure you could get in, you snatched the key from his pocket when he was dancing with you earlier.

it almost makes you chuckle when you think about how easy it was.

when you’ve finally arrived at what seems to be the door to mingyu’s room, you double-check the environment around you to see whether anyone’s following you, and when it appears to be safe, you shove the key into the lock, twisting it.

you exhale when realizing it’s the right key.

entering the room, you quickly shut it behind you, taking in the sight.

it’s raining outside, which you take notice of through the large windows. several paintings adorn the walls — you didn’t know he was a lover of art — as well as some photos of him with his family.

the room is surprisingly tidy, his clothes all neatly folded on the wooden planks in his closet and the drawers underneath. the few books he has sitting on top of the cupboard are gathering dust — you suppose he doesn’t like to read all that much.

of course he doesn’t.

his king-sized bed seems soft and comfortable, and the room smells of the cologne and perfume he always wears.

you blink a few times, realizing you’re dwelling too much on details that are not a priority right now.

which is enough to snap you awake, a rush of adrenaline moving through your veins as you look for anything interesting. files, documents, notebooks — anything.

you find his agenda in a drawer of his desk. with slightly trembling fingers, you move the pages back to the date of your father’s death, as well as the days before that.

as you’re caught up with doing so, you momentarily forget the first rule of breaking into a forbidden space: never turn your back to a door when you should be watching it.

“you know, i’m starting to think you agreeing to be my date came with ulterior motives on your side.” you suddenly hear mingyu’s voice behind you, at which you turn around, looking a bit too guilty for comfort.

your voice almost gets caught up in your throat, but you keep your composure. “if it makes you feel any better, i didn’t plan this.”

“it’s alright.” he responds, closing the door behind him smoothly, as if he doesn’t want you to see it. “you still think i had something to do with your father’s death, don’t you?”

“i’m not sure. i don’t see why you would, now that you’ve given me the inheritance. what other motive could you have?”

all mingyu does is clench his jaw at the rhetorical question. then he snaps out of it, his eyes trailing to the desk you’re currently leaning on. he takes a few steps closer to you, and you raise a brow, waiting in anticipation what he’ll do.

his face is suddenly very close to yours, and you’re almost convinced he’s leaning in to touch you when he reaches for the drawer behind you instead. “well, as a matter of fact, i did have something to show you.”

that surprises you.

“your father always carried a little red notebook with him. it’s the only part of the inheritance i didn’t give you, solely because i wanted to show you myself. there’s a few strange scribblings in it, with locations and numbers, and look at this—” he opens it up in front of you, pointing at the paper with his index finger, “apparently he felt like he was being followed just days before he died. maybe the police is right and he did get murdered.”

“yeah, i already figured he probably pissed off the wrong guy.” when he looks at you hopefully, you shrug. “what?”

“we should check it out, right? find out who killed him.”

you immediately shake your head at his suggestion. “no.”

mingyu’s whole body language changes, genuine confusion overtaking his features. “what do you mean, no?”

“he was caught up in all kinds of shit, things i never wanted to be a part of. that’s no different now that he’s six feet under.”

“are you not the slightest bit curious who killed him?”

“frankly, no, i’m not. i’d say whoever is guilty did me a favor.”

despite your valid point, he persists. “okay, then how about this — what if this person would come after you for whatever reason? don’t you want to know who you’re dealing with?”

you narrow your eyes at him. “why do you care so much, mingyu? i’m sure this is something you could manage on your own.”

the sudden question surprises him, so he shrugs. “maybe i’m not sure why. but i do. and you know i did care for him.”

“why don’t you just let the police handle it?”

“because they don’t know this world — and we have access to places, people they wouldn’t even know where to find or how to deal with. have you talked to the detectives? they’re amateurs.” he answers, pausing before taking a step closer to you. “he’s dead either way, doing a small bit of research might be interesting. who knows what you might find.”

“and you wanna do this with me of all people because...?”

he rolls his eyes at the question. “you were the only other person directly affected by it. c��mon, am i really so bad that you can’t even deal with me for a little while?”

the fact that you just give him a deadpan stare tells him all he needs to know.

it makes you bite your lip. you don’t feel like doing this at all, certainly not with mingyu of all people, but he appears to be ready to do this with or without you.

besides, you do feel up for a little adventure.

“fine, i’ll bite. hypothetically, what if i were interested in finding out who killed him?”

the young man in front of you tilts his head. “then i’d suggest we work together and do some digging.”

pursing your lips, you watch his pleased expression when he notices you’re actually considering it. “why do i feel like i’m gonna regret this?”

“maybe you will. maybe you won’t. we can go right back to hating eachother after this, but for now, we’ll be partners. deal?”

your eyes linger on the hand he’s stretched out to you, and even as you’re hesitant to take it, he doesn’t take his eyes off you.

with a sigh, you shake his hand. “okay. deal.”

v. PARTNERS IN CRIME

“for someone so organized, he sure as hell has a lot of unnecessary shit lying around here.” mingyu mutters, searching through the drawers of the cupboard.

you scoff in agreement. “tell me about it.”

the two of you are rummaging through your father’s study in your home in an attempt to find anything interesting as to what he might’ve been up to the past few years.

so far, you’ve had zero luck with it.

you already figured there’d probably be nothing of interest here, but mingyu insisted, said it would be stupid not to. so here you are.

“you know, i’m pretty sure my dad wouldn’t be as stupid as to just leave traces of his criminal affiliations lying around in his study.”

mingyu shrugs while simultaneously looking into a drawer. “you never know.”

“he was an asshole, but he was a smart one.” you mumble to yourself as you go through the little notebook mingyu just handed you a few minutes ago.

he watches you with curiosity. “can i ask you something?”

without looking up at him, you give him a rather direct response. “i’m sure you’ll ask me regardless of my answer to that question.”

ever so indifferent, he thinks. if anything, one thing about you he is actually fond of is your unfiltered attitude. more people should be like that. “you said you’d never forgive me for what i did to you."

hearing those words makes you look up at him. you’re surprised he’s taking an approach this straightforward with you. “i know what i said.”

“is there nothing i can do to at least make things more civil between us?”

god, you’re sick of him already.

instead of outright telling him you hate him more than anyone else you know, you cross your arms over your chest and fire a question right back at him. “why do you want things to be different between us? don’t tell me you’re losing sleep over it, now.”

mingyu pauses a moment before he answers you. “i thought about the things you said, when you were upset with me, and i realized i’ve made your life harder without having intended to do so. and yeah, i am losing sleep over it.”

while he does appear earnest, you don’t exactly trust him, so all you do is shrug your shoulders.

he wants to say something right when his phone rings. once he picks up, you figure it must be something business-related, judging by the tone of his voice and formal language.

an apology directed at you leaves his mouth as soon as he’s hit the red button on his screen. “i’m sorry. an important business meeting was moved and i promised my mom i’d be there.”

you’ve met mingyu’s mother a few times, at events. she’s the ceo of a very prominent hotel business. many of the highest ranked hotels around the world are under her care, and she clearly knows what she’s doing, since her business has been thriving for many years at this point. you remember it was her who took over as ceo after mingyu’s father passed in a car accident when he was younger.

“then you better get going.” you tell him, your face not pulling a single muscle. you hope he didn’t think you were going to ask him to stay.

he nods at your words, taking the jacket with his initials embroidered in the tag and slinging it over his arm. “yeah. i’ll call you.” he says, going out the doorway, yet your voice makes him halt in his tracks.

“mingyu.” you say his name to him, an unfamiliar feeling on your tongue, and he turns to look back at you.

he awaits your words, catching the subtle warning in your eyes as you refer back to the question of his you had yet to answer.

“we may be working together now — call us associates, or even partners in crime — but once this is over, we’ll go right back to strangers. let’s just keep this… somewhat professional.”

you find he can be surprisingly hard to read from time to time, for a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. after blankly staring at you for a few seconds, processing the words, he just offers you a little smile and a gentle response. “okay.”

and he walks off, only leaving you more intrigued than before.

for two days, it’s complete radio silence from mingyu. all he asked you over text was if you’d been able to find anything in the study, to which you replied with a simple no. he didn’t say anything else.

you sincerely thought this whole investigation of yours wasn’t actually gonna lead to anything, that it was useless — until now.

it’s eleven o’clock, dark outside, the metronome ticking in the background of your living room as your eyes are glued to the screen of your laptop.

you just got a notification from the bank that someone made a significant withdrawal from one of your father’s bank accounts, one that still needs to be signed over to your name.

question is, who the fuck has access to your father’s bank account besides you?

no one. supposedly.

staring at mingyu’s contact in your phone, you twist your lips, unsure of whether to call him about this or not.

going against your gut, you press on his phone number and wait for him to answer the call.

nothing.

for good measure, you call him a second time. same result.

then it hits you. you spoke to wonwoo last night — he mentioned something about him and mingyu going out together this evening.

wonwoo, thankfully, does pick up his phone. “hey. what’s up?”

“hey. are you with mingyu right now?”

“yeah, why?”

“where are you?”

“uh—” he stutters out an address in the middle of the city, clearly confused by the urgency in your voice. “what’s going on? what do you need mingyu for?”

“well, it’s hard to explain. anyway, i’m coming over.”

“he’s kind of—”

you quickly interrupt him by hanging up. taking your wallet and car keys, you head out. the address wonwoo’s given you is located in the club scene downtown, and you make it there in no-time with the navigation on your phone.

parking your car across the block, you get out and check your phone, heading to wherever wonwoo and mingyu currently are. you usually tend to go for the clubs at the other side of the city, as the vibe feels a little different here, but you’ve been around the neighborhood a couple times, so it’s not entirely unfamiliar to you.

when you arrive at the club, you catch the sight of your friend leaning against the stone wall outside.

jeon wonwoo, all handsome in his expensive jacket and sleek shoes, looks surprised when he notices you of all people coming up to him, even though you told him you were coming. his voice is soft when he greets you. “hey. you gonna tell me what exactly you’re doing here?”

shrugging your shoulders, you put your hands in the pockets of your black coat. “you said you were here with mingyu. i gotta talk to him.”

“right now?”

taking note of his baffled reaction, you tilt your head to the side. “yes, right now. i don’t care if he’s occupied.”

wonwoo brings a cigarette to his lips, pushing the pair of dark-rimmed glasses higher up his nose. “what’s going on with you and him, anyway? i thought you hated each other.”

“we still do.”

“well, something’s changed.”

“believe me, wonwoo, i don’t like him any more than he likes me.”

all he does is narrow his dark eyes at you.

just when you want to open the backdoor to the club, wonwoo stops you. “you do know what kind of establishment this place is, right?”

frowning at him, you open the door just the slightest bit to check whatever he’s getting at, and once you catch sight of the pink and red lights, sensual music and metal poles attached to the ceiling, you momentarily close the door again.

right. this must be one of those clubs that are hidden from the prying eyes of non-customers, to give the illusion there’s nothing going on behind these walls, giving the rich clients some privacy in their activities.

you roll your eyes. “when you said you were going to the club, i didn’t think you meant a strip club.”

“i was about to tell you when you hung up on me.”

“so why are you out here and not in there with him?”

“because i wanted to smoke and he felt like heading into a more secluded space. with company, no doubt.”

oh, this is gonna be fun. since kim mingyu pretty much ruined your life, the very least you can do in return is ruin his night. you briefly chuckle to yourself. “alright. well, have fun smoking.”

“you’re still going in?” he calls after you, and all you can do is scoff.

“you think i care whether kim mingyu’s gonna have a good time or not?”

“forget i asked.” he responds, the hint of a smile tugging at his facial features. “i’ll wait here ‘til you get back.”

you shoot him a knowing smirk before stepping into the club. remaining in the background, you scan the area to see if there’s a glimpse of him somewhere.

at the other side of the bar, a man seems to be on watch in front of a separate hallway, so you figure that’s where the jackpot is.

not bothering to look back at the bartender, whose gaze trails after you, you head over to where you need to be, which is where you’re stopped in your path, as expected.

“these are occupied private rooms, ma’am.” a bouncer tells you.

“look, sir, i…” you begin, coming up with some bullshit excuse to get past him, “i’m pretty sure i saw my boyfriend just go in here with a dancer. all i want is a confirmation, i’m not looking to start drama.”

before the man can respond, you wordlessly hold up a small stack of hundred dollar bills between your index and middle finger, waiting for him to take the bribe.

works like a charm wherever you go.

his demeanor changes once he sees the money. “what’s he look like?”

“tall, dark medium-long hair, brown eyes, pretty handsome — though that’s probably subjective.” you shrug, adding a little fake smile to it. you can get far in life with a little charm and money.

the few generic features seem to be enough for the bouncer to know who you’re talking about. he takes the money from your hand, pointing his finger at one of the more secluded rooms in the back.

“go for room number six.” he says, stepping to the side so you can pass him.

thanking him, you head into the back, the heels of your ankle boots clicking against the floor.

the rooms have their matching numbers on neon signs above them. your eyes curiously take in everything they see, but all rooms grant the people in them privacy with the use of frosted glass.

once you’ve made it to the room with the number six on the sign, you take a breath while your hand rests on the handle.

you enter the room soundlessly. the broad space is dimly lit with its soft lights, a mixture of yellow, pink and red almost convincing you that this place is a mere fever dream.

mingyu is seated on the velvet red couch, his legs spread with a girl in skimpy lingerie dancing between them.

yet his eyes are on you.

with his head tilted down, he looks up at you from beneath his lowered brows, peering right past the bare hips of the girl as if she’s not dancing in front of him at all.

you catch a hint of intrigue in his features. he reaches inside his pocket to hand a small stack of money to the dancer in the exact same way you did with the bouncer only a minute before, and the girl leaves you to your privacy.

“hello to you, too.” he says, not bothering to move a single muscle as he remains on the soft couch.

“next time, answer your damn phone.” you scold him, staring him down with the coldest glare you can muster, and mingyu’s not sure why, but he relishes in it. it doesn’t happen often that someone treats him like this.

“i was occupied.” he casually answers, his hand running through his dark locks.

“well, not anymore.” you grin, handing him your phone to show the photo of the bank transcripts. “apparently, my dead father just took fifty grand out of his account.”

mingyu furrows his brows at the screen. “where?”

“all the way at the other side of the city. question is, who else has access to his account, aside from me?”

“we should go and check the footage.” he says, shrugging his shoulders, and he finally gets up, towering over you again. “i know someone who’s with the municipal authorities, i’ll make the call.”

“right now?” you ask, referring to how deep into the night it is, at which he raises his brow.

“yes, right now. this is the best clue we’ve come across so far. don’t you agree?”

“i do. i just thought you cared more about, y��know, being occupied.” you emphasise the last words with a waving hand, gesturing to the girl that was previously dancing on him, and his flirtatious nature comes right back to him as if it never left.

“why? wanna give me a show before we leave?” he smirks, getting closer, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of you, to see what’s lurking underneath your closed-off persona.

fine. both of you can play this game, you think to yourself. “what, are the girls here not enough to get you off?”

“is that a yes?”

“why would you want a lap dance from a girl you can’t stand? i may not like you, mingyu, but i didn’t think you’d stoop so low to go after any woman with a pulse.”

“i feel flattered,” he smiles, eyes trailing down to your exposed collarbones, finding it ridiculously hot in here, “and i don’t particularly like you, either, but we both know you’re gorgeous. besides, i’ve seen you dance at chan’s club. you looked good.”

his honesty almost stuns you in your place. you didn’t think he held that kind of physical attraction towards you, yet it makes you feel good — because you think he’s fucking hot, too.

such a shame that he’s an asshole.

but still, there’s no time to dwell on his words. you have a reputation to uphold and a murder to solve, after all.

so you lean in, whispering your decision. “in your dreams.”

jesus, mingyu thinks, do you even remotely know how much sex appeal you have? it makes him beyond impulsive. “did you know studies have shown that sleeping with someone you can’t stand is arguably the best thing ever?”

you sarcastically reply to him with the exact same tone. “did you know you’d be so much more bearable if you just kept your mouth shut?”

“what? it’s part of my charm.” is all he says in return, snickering a little over your response, and you merely roll your eyes.

“we’ve got a different idea of charm, then.”

“okay, fair enough.” he shrugs, still maintaining the minimal distance between your bodies. “so what do you find charming? i’m dying to know, really.”

“i like men who don’t feel the need to pay for a woman’s touch.” the reply comes fast and sharp as a blade. “i hope you pay them generously, since they have to put up with you out of all people.”

“she didn’t touch me, though. it’s a strip club, not a brothel.”

“how noble of you.” you humorlessly chuckle at him, attitude turning more playful.

“mhm.” mingyu nods his head, the rest of his words sounding lower and suave. “tell me more. c’mon, i’m curious. i gotta know my partner’s preferences, right?”

the look you give your current partner is something. you decide to indulge him this once, face inching closer to his, just to keep things interesting. “i want someone who won’t hold me back. someone who will accept me for who i am — uninhibited.”

there’s something you can’t quite place flashing behind his eyes. it’s close to intrigue, but more intense, and you don’t think you’ve ever seen it in anyone else’s eyes before.

“good to know.” he breathes out, as if your words stole his breath, and you come to the realization that maybe, there’s more to kim mingyu than you thought.

now that he seems to be pretty much speechless, you raise your shoulders. “so, are we heading out or should i tell the dancer to come back in?”

he stutters out a reply, and you find it funny how his attitude is constantly going back and forth between a flustered mess and the most confident guy in the room.

once you’ve returned to the backdoor where you got in, you see wonwoo is still outside, his cigarette put out on the ashtray beside him.

“you leaving?” wonwoo asks, waiting for either of you to answer.

“yeah. duty calls.” mingyu replies while putting his jacket on.

for what it’s worth, wonwoo is actually a dear friend of yours, and one of the few people you show physical affection to, so you give him a kiss on the cheek before walking off. “catch you later, okay?”

he nods, catching mingyu curiously watching the exchange, and when you walk off with him, wonwoo notices him put his hand on your lower back, which you proceed to swat away.

a mere twenty minutes later, you and mingyu are seated in your car in an empty parking lot, looking at a screen displaying street security footage of the bank where the withdrawal was made earlier tonight.

mingyu’s friend seungkwan, who works for the authorities, sent you the footage, and as you’re looking it over, he’s on the phone explaining his observations. “he was wearing a mask and a cap, so we couldn’t recognize him. the car he drove has a license plate that doesn’t match, so likely stolen. he drove from a nearby parking garage to the bank, withdrew the cash, got back in the car and then parked it right here, about six blocks further, in the business district.”

the building the car is parked across is one you’d recognize any time of day. it’s where your father’s main office is — or was — one of the places he never allowed you to get into, or anyone for that matter. it was the only place where he got the peace and quiet he wanted.

you turn your head to glance at mingyu, giving him a knowing look. “that’s where my father’s main office is.”

“you think the guy’s gonna try to break in?”

“if he got his hands on the passcodes and proceeds to wait before the building he always worked in, then yeah, i do.”

you nod in agreement, because he makes a fair point. mingyu looks at the worried expression on your face and decides you’ve gathered enough information now.

he thanks seungkwan and tells him bye before hanging up, then turning his focus to you. “whoever that guy is, if he’s planning on breaking in, we gotta beat him to it.”

“you wanna break into an office on the seventh floor located in a building that neither of us are allowed into? they won’t even let us pass the front desk. i know because i’ve tried.”

he shakes his head. “trust me — we’ll find a way in. i’ve got an idea, but it’s not gonna be easy.”

vi. WE’RE NOT SO DIFFERENT, YOU AND I

the following days are spent analyzing and memorizing blueprints, tracking the people entering and exiting the building and checking security in the hope of finding some kind of loophole in the system.

trying to get in through the front door is too risky, so you’ve opted for the roof instead, because there’s several buildings so closeby that you can get into either of the buildings next to it and reach it from there. you’ll get in with a classic heist movie tactic you pray works in real life as well.

ventilation shafts.

so now, you’re both in dark and practical clothing to attempt breaking in. because your plan is mediocre at best.

as you watch from the rooftop of a currently unoccupied office building nearby with a binocular, you face-palm yourself the moment you notice the security set-up is different than anticipated with the blueprints, meaning the ventilation shafts are most likely not accessible. “well, fuck.”

“what’s wrong?”

you hand the binocular to mingyu, and he mimics your previous actions, huffing in annoyance when he sees it too. “shit. what do we do now?”

“nothing.”

“what?”

“our plan was already risky enough, but now that we pretty much don’t even have a way in, we’d be stupid to try. we only have a fifteen-minute window before a security guard comes up the roof again.”

“that’s plenty.”

“it would be, for like — a swat team. we’re amateurs. at this, anyway.”

“speak for yourself.”

“oh, i’m sorry, have you done anything remotely on this scale before?”

“well… no.”

pinching the bridge of your nose, you roll your eyes to yourself. “we should’ve brought wonwoo.”

mingyu is quick to respond with a sarcastic comment. “and tell him what, exactly? ‘hey, we need your help breaking into one of the best-guarded buildings in the city so we can snoop around and try to find a clue leading to a killer’?”

“well, i don’t know if you’ve noticed, gyu, but we quite literally have no other options.”

“we could always try the front door. you’re still his daughter, they might let you in.”

“i really hope that wasn’t an actual suggestion, because if it was, it would highly diminish the idea i have of your intelligence.”

“is this your way of telling me you think i’m smart?”

“well, currently, i think you’re being an idiot, so no.” you retort, stealing the binocular out of his hand again. “god, i’m starting to respect criminals. this shit is difficult to navigate around.”

mingyu chuckles as he adjusts the black baseball cap on his head. “there has to be another way. maybe we could—”

“—get in through an open window.” you interrupt, handing the device over to him. “you see the glass window in the roof of his office? it looks like it’s ajar.”

once he sees it too, he tilts his head. “it’s almost too easy. it’d have to open manually, otherwise we’re screwed.”

you can only shrug. “it’s only a modern interior on the inside, the building itself is older, so the odds might be on our side. besides, it’s worth a shot, right?”

“can’t argue with that.” he agrees, checking the other buildings around to figure out the best approach.

you watch him as he’s distracted. he’s fully going for the whole partners-in-crime thing you’ve got going on with him, yet a part of you is still unsure what his motives might be.

but for now, you’ll just focus on the task at hand.

every fifteen minutes, a security guard comes up to the roof, checks everything, stays for a minute or two and leaves again. you’ve been keeping track of it. as soon as the one currently on duty closes the door to the staircase behind him, heading back down, you both start a silent timer on your watches, getting to work.

one thing you discover doing said task is that jumping from roof to roof is really not as easy as they make it seem in the movies. if anything, it’s pretty scary, even if they are relatively close to eachother.

the jump from the last building to the one you need to be on top of has the biggest gap, and mingyu takes a solid leap, landing ever so gracefully.

you shuffle your feet for a moment, making the mistake of looking down. mingyu notices your hesitation and tries to encourage you the best he can. “it looks scary, but it’s a relatively easy jump. i swear. that’s gotta mean something coming from a person with a fear of heights.”

clenching your fists, you try to steady your breathing. “don’t you lie to me, kim.”

there’s something strangely charming about you using his last name whenever you’re scolding him. “c’mon. i’ve always thought you were fearless. you’re not gonna diminish the idea i have of you, right?”

curse him for using your words against you like that.

clenching your fists, you bite your lip, the worst case scenario going through your head over and over.

“just go back a couple steps. steady your breathing, and then you run. okay?”

you don’t respond to his words but do as he says anyways. the jump isn’t even that far, you’re just afraid of tripping.

but you won’t go out embarrassing yourself in front of kim mingyu. your pride is too strong for that.

so you take a deep breath and make a run for it, jumping over the gap and landing on top of the other roof, far away from the edge. mingyu laughs triumphantly. “good job.”

“thanks.” you smile as he helps you up to your feet, and you dust off your jacket, proud of yourself for going through with it.

the two of you walk over to the glass window, and you kneel down, inspecting the lock. thank fuck — it’s so simple that all you have to do is click it open. you’re guessing they probably thought the security walking around was enough.

with your hands covered in gloves, you wiggle them through the gap and crack it open, after which mingyu takes the lead. he lets himself drop into the office silently, looking up at you as a gesture for you to follow him.

you attempt to do the same as him, but you figure he must have strong arm muscles, because you’re barely able to hold yourself up the way he can. he notices your struggle and moves to stand underneath you.

“just let go. i’ll catch you.”

“are you sure?”

he nods, his arms up as if he’s waiting for you to jump right into them. “yeah, yeah. i got you.”

not entirely convinced, you try to drop onto the floor in a way you can still hold yourself up, but mingyu proves himself true to his word when he catches you as easily as drawing his next breath. he looks you in the eye while he has you in his arms, his senses feeling heightened as your clothed skin touches with his.

then you tap on his shoulder, and he lets go of you.

the office is bigger than anticipated. the moonlight from outside is bright enough for you to not need a flashlight, so that’s beneficial.

mingyu is awfully quick on his feet for someone as tall and bulky as him. he’s quiet in every step he takes, which is useful in a situation like this.

while he begins to look through a bunch of drawers, you open cabinet after cabinet, going through some documents that don’t really contain anything interesting.

you turn to look at the desk and the painting on the wall behind it. it’s nothing spectacular — your father never had much of an appreciation for art, so you find it strange he’d even have it up here.

out of sheer curiosity, you try to check if there’s a secret stash behind the painting like in those crime movies.

you have to refrain from laughing when your eyes fall onto the safe in the wall. “hey. gyu.”

he turns around, his entire demeanor changing when he sees what you’ve found. “you’re kidding.”

the safe has a surprisingly easy system. it has four dials, so you need a code with four numbers to get access to whatever’s inside. you change the dials to your birth year for fun, but naturally, it doesn’t work. hell, mingyu’s birth year might have a better shot.

while you try out every combination you can think of, mingyu gets the little notebook out of his pocket — the one that was part of your father’s inheritance. he flips to one of the last pages. “try 9-3-6-8.”

going with his suggestion, you rotate the dials until they have the right numbers, and you hear a click. blinking a few times, you turn the small crank wheel beside the dials and open the safe.

there’s not much inside in terms of quantity, but the things that are in there are no joke.

two gold ingots, a stack of files and a loaded handgun with a silencer attached to it.

“what the fuck was he up to?” mingyu asks rhetorically, inspecting the pistol with care, and you shrug, grabbing the files to put them into the bag you took with you.

“i don’t know, but we should hurry up. we can look at whatever all this is later. clock’s ticking.”

he figures you make a good point, so you hold out your bag, and he puts all of the safe’s contents into it.

you’re both scared to death when you suddenly hear voices coming from the other side of the door. you immediately zip up your bag and close the safe back up, putting the painting right back in front of it.

footsteps come approaching your direction, and you realize you don’t have enough time to get back out of the office without being caught red-handed, so you’ll have to find a place to hide.

just as you’re about to go sit underneath the desk, mingyu doesn’t hesitate to grab you by your hand and pull you against his body, both of you hiding in the small gap between the bookcase and the wall, which is right next to the door.

you almost jump in your place when the door is opened by a security guard, and mingyu puts his hand over your mouth to make sure the guard doesn’t hear you.

thankfully, you’re hidden right behind the door now that it’s opened, but your heart is fucking pounding as your chest is pressed against mingyu’s, and all you can focus on is him.

he’s suffocatingly close to you.

the situation forces you to look at him so closely — like never before. your attention trails down from his dark eyes to the litte mole on the bottom of his nose, the shape of his lips, and the glimpse you catch of the silver chain adorning his collarbones.

it’s the first time you see how big of a man he is. he’s been working out a lot in the past few years, with considerable results — standing this close to him highlights the contrast between his frame and yours.

the footsteps leave the office not long after, and the door closes. you’re finally able to breathe properly when he releases his palm from your mouth, and you inhale and exhale deeply.

“you alright?”

“yeah. that was just — scary.” you respond, cracking a little smile.

he nods, neither of you really moving in your places yet. “you can let go of me, y’know.” mingyu whispers, sounding entirely unconvincing, and you frown before looking to your hand that’s apparently been clutching his jacket this whole time.

“oh, yeah. sorry.”

“it’s okay.” he assures you, pointing to the ceiling. “we should probably head back.”

you agree and sling the bag over your shoulders, on your back. he gets onto the desk first so he can climb out the same window you used to get in, and once he’s gotten up the roof again, he extends his hand to you so he can pull you up.

it doesn’t go smoothly. he’s a little clumsy, but he manages, so you take a breather once you’ve made it out of the office with him. you close the window in the exact position it was before you opened it, and you make it to the safety of the rooftop where you started just twenty minutes ago.

as you quickly go down the stairs of the abandoned building to reach the ground floor, he laughs triumphantly. “holy fucking shit. i can’t believe we actually pulled that off.”

you smile at him with adrenaline still rushing through you, heart still pounding in your chest when you realize what you just did.

and honestly, you don’t think you’ve ever felt that… alive.

a mere fifteen minutes later, you’re seated in a half-empty diner with him. he’s across from you in the booth, elbows on the table as he fiddles with his fingers.

while he looks around the place, you take the files you found in the safe out of your bag so you can look them over.

as your eyes fall onto the first page, you frown.

mingyu notices your gaze. “what’s wrong?”

you switch to the other file folders before scoffing to yourself, realization hitting you. “you gotta be fucking kidding me. they’re tabs he kept on the people around him. the staff at home, his driver... even me. and you. well, looks like he didn’t trust you completely.”

before he can even reply to the subtle dig, you slide the folder with his name on it across the table, and he opens it up, noticing a huge chunk of information on him neatly stashed away in separate documents. there’s even candids there that must’ve been made by a private investigator.

“i knew he was paranoid, but this takes the cake.” you mutter, and you throw the folders back into your bag, and mingyu hands you his so you can take it as well.

“well, this sucks.” he sighs. “those files aren’t of much use, so now we’re back to square one.”

you tilt your head. “that’s not entirely true. we might be able to check where the gun came from, or whose name it’s registered under.”

mingyu hums, lifting the cup to his mouth, whispering a compliment, not really expecting for you to hear it. “smart girl.”

with your bag zipped up and everything off the table again, it’s quiet between you and mingyu for a moment.

“god, i’m starving.” he says as you wait for your food to arrive, and where he’s slightly fidgeting in his place, you sit completely still, looking at him with a frown. once he catches your gaze, he raises a brow at you. “what?”

“do you do this often?”

“eating in a cheap diner?”

“trespassing. breaking in. illegal activities. whatever you wanna call it.”

he shrugs. “occasionally. keeps life interesting, y’know?”

the casualness in his attitude makes you scoff. “sure.”

“you don’t agree?”

“i didn’t say that.”

“no, but then again, you don’t really say much at all.” he says bluntly. he doesn’t mean it as an offensive statement in the slightest, but it would’ve probably sounded better if worded differently.

for a moment, he thinks his impulsivity must’ve upset you, seeing as you remain silent for a moment.

then you laugh at him. the sound is completely new to him, yet strangely soothing to his ears.

“you’re bold, i’ll give you that.” you snicker before taking a sip of your coke. “but i assume you don’t have an issue with people who are on the quieter side, since you’re besties with wonwoo and all.”

mingyu mimics your facial expressions. “yeah, i prefer being around quieter people more. but i didn’t—it came out wrong. i meant, you don’t really, like... show who you are. if that makes sense. even back when we were in high school, you were like a mystery. you still are, to me.”

“is this what this whole partnering-up thing is about? you wanting to unravel the mystery about me? because if it is, i’ll give you credit for the creativity.”

mingyu tilts his head. “well, it’s a little more nuanced than that.”

“if you wanted to get to know me, why didn’t you try years ago?”

“have you met you?”

you roll your eyes. he smirks at you, enjoying your company quite a lot, anticipating whatever it is you’ll say in response.

“you wanna know something, mingyu?”

“yeah.”

“you’re telling me i’m the mysterious one, but i’d say that’s you.”

his playfulness falters a bit, and he shows his confusion instead. “me?”

“mhm. you’re popular, good-looking, charming, all of that — and i think you’ve got layers to yourself that no one even knows about. characteristics no one would ever dare imagine when they think of you.”

his breath hitches in his throat. “why do you think that?”

twisting your lips into a pout, you put your drink back down on the table. “wouldn’t be any fun if i outright told you, would it?”

mingyu narrows his eyes at you. you just shrug, as if to tell him he’ll figure it out, if he’s smart enough.

and he welcomes the challenge.

“okay.” he smiles, biting his lip when he leans back in his seat. “but, hypothetically — what if you’re wrong about me? what if i don’t have those layers you’re talking about?”

you eye him up and down, remaining quiet with your arms crossed over your chest. you’ve always had that attitude. like you know more than everyone else, as if you’re the smartest person in the room. usually, you are. and yet you’re never smug about it, unless someone challenges you to be — you’re always calm, cool, collected. stoic. the fact that wonwoo of all people called you an ice princess years ago says enough.

“i’d be sorely disappointed.”

“so you have high expectations of me?”

“in a way, perhaps. though you’ll have to work a little harder to impress me.”

“tonight wasn’t enough?”

“it was a start. we still loathe eachother, remember?”

“right. i’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

sure, you and kim mingyu hate one another, but he still makes you smile the most anyone has in ages, and you make him feel more alive than anyone else has.

vii. FRIENDS CLOSE, ENEMIES CLOSER

“i’ve got bad news.” you say, tapping your nails on the coffee table in your living room as you have mingyu on speaker.

“okay. do tell.”

“the gun isn’t registered, so we pretty much only have the files as evidence.”

“yeah. i doubt your father put those files together himself, since they seem like the work of a professional. we might be smart to seek out the private investigator who gave him the intel.”

you know he hears you sigh at the other end of the line, and your response hardly sound convincing. “yeah, i guess.”

“what’s wrong?”

it’s quiet for a moment. you speak up with a tension rumbling in your chest. “maybe we should just quit, gyu. i don’t feel like what we’re doing is actually going anywhere. we still don’t have a proper lead.”

then it’s his turn to remain silent, and you swear you can hear his breath shudder. “we’ll get there. it just... takes some time.”

“you sound a little too sure of that.”

“i just think it’d be a waste to not continue after the stunt we pulled last week.”

“what’re we gonna be doing next? breaking into the national bank?”

“something tells me you’d find that exciting.”

well, shit. have you become so transparent that kim mingyu of all people can tell the truth about you?

“maybe i would.” you grumble like a child admitting defeat.

the sound of his laughter echoes through the phone. it subconsciously brings a small smile to your face.

“look, i have a meeting ‘til five. i can come by after to brainstorm about things, pick up some food on the way. are you free tonight?”

“yeah. text me when you’re on the way here.”

“yes, ma’am.” he jests, saying he’s got to go before hanging up. it leaves you to stare at your phone for a minute. a past version of yourself would never believe it if you said mingyu would ever get close to you in the way he has over the past two months. it’s been a strange time. it’s come to the point you’re pretty sure you don’t even hate him as much as you used to.

maybe you don’t even hate him at all anymore. maybe.

but something about admitting that to yourself feels scary, so you put your thoughts elsewhere while secretly looking forward to having him come over again.

it’s a quarter past five when he sends you a message, letting you know he’s picked up the food and on the way to your house, and a mere twenty minutes later, you and him are seated in the lounge on the first floor as he tells you about his day – all while shoving a dumpling into his mouth.

what interrupts you, however, is the noise of your doorbell. mingyu frowns instantly, and you mimic his expression, because you weren’t expecting any more company. “who’s that?”

“no idea.” you shrug, so you get up from your seat, jogging down the stairs with mingyu following you, simultaneously chewing the food in his mouth.

checking the screen beside the door that’s connected to the doorbell, you notice a familiar face standing outside.

“isn’t he the main detective on the investigation?” mingyu asks rhetorically, his body language changing to something more stiff. “what is he doing here?”

“good question. i certainly didn’t invite him, but the guy at the front gate probably told him i was home. fuck — you have to hide.”

“hide? why?”

because the detective thinks you still hate mingyu, so seeing him here would make your story hardly plausible. “because he can’t see you, obviously. get upstairs and stay there. i’ll distract him.”

“are you sure?”

“yeah, so go!” you push him back with your hands on his chest, and he seems hesitant to leave you by yourself, but he eventually jogs up the stairs again to get out of sight.

the inspector smiles only as a formality. you do the same. you haven’t spoken to him since you indirectly accused him of being an asshole, a while before your father’s funeral.

“good evening. i hope i haven’t come at a bad time. may i come in?”

“i have to take a business call soon, actually, so another time would be—”

“i won’t be long. i assume you’d like to have an update on the investigation?”

well, fuck. he’s got you there, so you’re forced to let him in, but you don’t let him wonder and gesture for him to sit down in the living room, on the couch. you move to take the seat directly across from him to ensure his focus is on you, instead of on the huge staircase behind him.

“am i still at the top of your list?” you ask. when the man tries to find the right words to respond, you scoff, filling in the blanks. of course you still are. “but you have no evidence.”

“it’s not about evidence — moreso the lack thereof. i’m stuck with two people who each have a solid motive, an alibi that’s far from foolproof, and an important tie to the victim. you cannot deny that.”

“is this another interrogation? because this is all off-record.”

“not an interrogation. i was just wondering something – back when i spoke to you last, before your father’s funeral, i asked what you could tell me about kim mingyu, your father’s former associate.” hearing him say his name makes you anxious, yet you pull every possible muscle to hide it. “you spoke of him as if he were the devil himself. you clearly hated him, perhaps more than you hated your father.”

“and?”

he pulls something from the inside of his jacket, and you discover they’re a few candids, photos taken of you with mingyu while out in the city. well, that’s just fucking great. you’re gonna have to make use of your top-notch acting skills here.

“i’m sure you wouldn’t mind me asking why you’re suddenly seeing someone you claim to hate as much as you do.”

the blankness of your face dissolves as you adapt a more playful and sassy persona. “you came all the way to my home for this? a few photos?”

“a few photos of my two main suspects together for a reason i cannot think of, yes.”

“you can’t think of a single thing? really? no offense, but i was under the impression you were at least a little clever.”

the man stares at you as if he’s trying to solve a puzzle. that can only mean one thing – he’s falling for your act.

what an idiot.

you lean forward in your place, the dry smile remaining on your face. “i fucked him. several times, actually.”

he narrows his eyes at your statement. “i thought you told me you hated him.”

“oh, i do. but a good hate-fuck is the best way to release some frustration. you should try it sometime.” the sound of your voice is monotonous as you utter the words in one go.

“i’ll keep it in mind.” he sarcastically responds with a fake smile, and you copy his body language, pleased to see you’ve made him somewhat uncomfortable.

he clearly wants to change the subject, but you don’t feel like continuing this conversation any longer. “if you’ll excuse me, i really have more pressing matters, so i trust you can see yourself out.”

the inspector huffs a bit, but he knows better than to overstay his welcome. he wordlessly allows you to let you walk him to the door before turning around. “i hope you know who you’re dealing with. not everyone is who they say they are.”

leaving you confused, he looks at you a moment, proceeding to walk out your front door, after which you close it. did he know more than he was willing to let on? what a strange visit.

when you finally decide to turn around, you see mingyu standing in the middle of the stairs, looking a little baffled, at which you roll your eyes.

“why would you tell him that?”

“would you have preferred it if i told him the truth?”

“would that be so bad?”

you scoff, passing him on the staircase. “see, this is what i mean when i say you’re not as smart as you think you are.”

mingyu follows you back up to the lounge. “i’m just saying — maybe it’d make us look less suspicious.”

“it’d do the opposite, gyu. trust me.”

“okay. fine. but out of all the things you could’ve said, why that?”

“well, it made him uncomfortable, making it easier to get him to leave early. and, well… you know what you look like.”

the last sentence really grabs his attention.

“what i look like?” he repeats, knowing damn well what you’re getting at, but he’s eager to hear you spell it out for him.

“well, you’re somewhat good-looking. it’s one of your few strong points, actually.”

“so you think i’m hot?”

“didn’t quite say that.”

“no, but you implied it.”

“not really. you may be conventionally handsome, gyu, but attraction is a whole different thing.”

“oh, c’mon. admit it. i’m willing to, so…”

“do i need to remind you i said we’d keep things professional? which you agreed to.”

“god, you’re so tough.”

“part of my charm. maybe that’s why you like me so much.”

“i never said i liked you.”

“no, you didn’t have to.” you scoff, laughing at him, and mingyu feels the corners of his lips curling up — because you’re right.

then, as you plop down on the seats in the lounge again, you sigh as you look at the papers scattered across the table.

“you know, it’s been weeks, and we still haven’t got the slightest clue who’s the killer,” you frown, fingers resting on your collarbone, “and if i’m being honest, i doubt we ever will.”

mingyu briefly narrows his eyes at you, proceeding to take his laptop out of his bag. you watch curiously when he silently types away at his keyboard, then turning the device around and clicking on the play button.

suddenly you hear your own voice, and the words — you said those during the interrogations. how the hell did he get his hands on those recordings?

he seems to be able to read your mind. “i’ve got a contact in the force. he sent me the sorted files of everyone who was interrogated. we should probably listen to them, right? after all, we know more about the situation than the detectives.”

blinking a few times, you shrug and nod in agreement, so he increases the volume and presses the button again.

the following two and a half hours are spent listening to the recordings and taking notes of important things. you’re only halfway through them, but doing this the whole time really sucks you dry of energy.

at a certain point, you press the pause button and get up from your seat, moving to the liquor cabinet a few meters away. “you like a good whiskey, right?”

“yeah. how’d you know?”

“i observe and listen. that, and i heard you say it to wonwoo one time.”

he chuckles at your words, watching you take the bottle with two glasses and set it down on the table.

once you’ve poured the liquid into the glass, he takes what you offer him and down it in one go, after which you give him a judgemental stare. “seriously?”

“sorry. had a rough day.”

your gaze softens, and you pour him a second glass as he holds it out. “why?”

“i just… haven’t been feeling great lately. not really sure why.”

well, that’s interesting. “your conscience eating away at you?”

his eyes widen an uncharacteristical amount, and your face is blank for a few moments until you crack a smile. he laughs it off, squeezing his hands together, which you take notice of.

“guess you could say that. no, i don’t know. my sister’s been stressed and she won’t tell me why, which is odd ‘cause she always comes to me — and my mother’s been overworking herself, and i’m worried for her.”

pursing your lips together, you cast your eyes down for a moment.

for some reason, you feel a sense of repulsiveness whenever mingyu speaks of his family like that. as if it’s a reminder of what you didn’t have.

but you don’t show it.

“sounds tough.” you reply, not intending to sound distant — you just find it difficult to know what to say.

what you fail to recognize is that mingyu sees it. he sees your struggle and the emotions you think are so deeply hidden underneath the surface. they actually are, to be honest, but he’s come to know you and with that the way you hold yourself. and he’s suddenly able to read you better.

you’re made of sharp edges only — broken glass on all sides.

he takes another sip of his drink. you down yours in one go.

“can i ask you something?”

“sure.”

mingyu’s eyes curiously follow your every move, the alcohol in his system making him bolder. “how are you holding up?”

“me? ‘m fine. why do you ask?”

“i think mostly ‘cause i’ve asked you a lot of questions, but not that one.”

the words make you silent for a moment, and you let out a knowing sigh when you realize what he’s getting at. “i told you i was glad he died, gyu.”

“i know. but even if you are, you can still find it difficult to deal with.”

you inhale and exhale slowly, leaning back against the wall for a moment, staring into nothing. “i’m not sad that he’s gone. i never will be. but there’s things i wanted to ask him.”

when you don’t continue, he asks you to. “what things?”

“things about my youth, my mother… hell, maybe even about you.” you shrug, chuckling for a brief moment, but the sound is gone as soon as it came. “but i think, mostly, i’d ask if he saw himself in me.”

mingyu is intrigued by your answer. “why would you wanna know that?”

you shrug, your tiredness contributing to you opening up. “because maybe i’d hear the answer i want to hear, and not the one i currently have. my worst nightmare has always been to turn into him.”

“you won’t be like him.” he tries to tell you, but you shake your head.

“i already am. i hated him to the bone, and yet i act like him, sound like him, handle things like him — because he taught me everything i know. at the end of the day, i am my father’s daughter. there’s no changing that.”

“you’re not a bad person. he was.”

“how would you know? he was nice to you. stand-offish, probably, but nice.”

“you don’t think i had an idea of what kind of person he was? i cared for him, but i knew he could be harsh. i caught some bits and pieces when he… yelled at you after our high school graduation.”

you have an almost visceral reaction as he mentions the incident. your father had yelled at you after the graduation, because the best student of your class got a prize on the big podium, and it wasn’t you. and that as a result made your father angry, because being in the top five wasn’t enough — because it should’ve been you.

it was always supposed to be you.

“why did you even want to be around him at all? if you knew how much of an asshole he was all this time.”

mingyu stares at the wall for a few seconds when he thinks about it. “he came into my life when i needed it the most. but looking back, i feel guilty. i shouldn’t have cared for someone like that.”

“like what?”

“someone that cruel. he didn’t deserve to be loved or cared for, not in any way.”

“can only good people be loved?” you ask in return, and he seems positively surprised at your question.

“you’d find love for a bad person?”

“mingyu.” you say his name in a brief chuckle, and it steals his breath away. “do you think you have that much of a choice over who we love? we don’t. that’s what makes it so complicated.”

he seems to grow increasingly stressed with each thing you say, much to your surprise. “but would you want to love someone like that?”

looking away from him for a moment, you think his words over. “if that person was good to me, and had the same values… yeah, i would. trust me, the few people i care about are no saints, and yet i’d go to hell and back for them.”

“am i on that list too?”

you meet his eyes, and his expression is so beautifully genuine, full of raw emotion you’ve never seen him show before. it’s then that it finally hits you — kim mingyu actually cares about you.

the worst thing is that you just might care about him, too.

so you gently smile at him with a light shrug of your shoulders. “maybe.”

he reciprocates it, his brown eyes blown wide as he gazes at you. “i’m glad. you’re on my list too, y’know.”

“am i?” you tease, and he nods cheerfully, happy to have verbalized his appreciation for you. “well, i didn’t really see it coming, that’s for sure.”

your words bring mingyu’s thoughts back to the death of your father, the rift you accused him of causing between the two of you. a wave of guilt comes flooding in once more.

“look, i… i know you may not believe me, but i genuinely feel sorry for what happened. for taking something from you. despite the things i saw and heard, i really was too stupid to see that your dad treated you as badly as he did.”

staring him right in the eye, you don’t fail to catch the earnestness in them. “it’s alright. you’re not half as much to blame as i’ve tried to make myself believe you were.”

the words intrigue him. “how come?”

swallowing the lump in your throat, you press your lips together. “because he didn’t care about me. he never did. maybe he was different before my mother died, maybe he wasn’t. i wouldn’t know.”

mingyu tries to hold his ground as he watches you get emotional. he remains quiet in his spot next to you.

“can i tell you something?” your voice is hesitant and almost inaudible, like a child who’s trying to tell their parent they did something wrong.

when he silently nods, you continue.

“you wanted to know why i hated you, right? well, i...” you pause in an attempt to find the right words, “i felt invisible to my father. like i didn’t matter — i was treated like nothing more than a tool to improve his businesses. but you... he treated you like a son. like a person. and i spent years trying to figure out what i did wrong and you did right, and i just... i didn’t get it. i still don’t. but whatever it was, i was jealous that you had it and i didn’t. and everyone loved you and praised you, be it our friends or their parents. everyone in our social circle. from my point of view, no one had ever uttered a single bad word about you, and then when my father began to take a liking towards you as well... i just hated you. you were my perfect scapegoat.”

the guilt on his face is clear as day. when he parts his lips, you already know he wants to apologize again, but you shake your head, speaking up first.

because you don’t hate him anymore.

“mingyu, there was nothing for you to take away from me to begin with. long before you were even present in his life, he didn’t care for me either.” with the corners of your lips turned down, you continue. “i did everything he asked. perfect grades, perfect manners, perfect social life. but he didn’t care. it’s not often i say people have no heart, but he just… he just didn’t have one. for his job, perhaps, for his business partners — but not for anyone outside of his work. i just didn’t think that would go for his own child, too.”

you reach for your forehead, trying to take his attention away from your face, running your hand through your hair while blinking your tears away. why are you telling him all this?

but it just feels so good to finally get it all out.

“you did the best you could.” he tells you, and you nod with watery eyes.

“i did. and somehow, none of it mattered.”

when the first heavy sob leaves you, you try to hold it back, not wanting him to see you break down.

he doesn’t let you. he moves to sit next to you and takes you into his arms, and for the first time in however long, you let yourself break. the tears are your acknowledgement of the pain it has caused you over the years, the damage that will never quite heal and always follow you wherever you go.

you’re not sure why you’re falling apart this easily. you hardly ever cry anymore, perhaps a few times a year, and you usually feel strong enough to hold it all back when you’re in front of others, but this time — this time, you just can’t.

“it’s alright, sweetheart. it’s okay. you’re alright. he’s gone now.” he whispers into your ear as comfort. “but you’re not alone. not anymore.”

his heart shatters when he internally makes the comparison between the loving family he grew up in and the lonely, broken family you could hardly call home.

“why wasn’t i enough? why didn’t he like me?” you mutter to yourself, having lost control as you cry into mingyu’s neck, clinging onto his body as your chest aches.

“because he couldn’t. he didn’t have it in him to care for anyone. that says more about him than it does about you.” he responds, gently stroking your hair, even pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

and for the first time in a long time, you feel… cared for. like you truly matter to someone.

something that feels scary, perhaps even strange, but good.

mingyu’s big arms cage you into his hold, a comforting feeling. to be honest, you wish you could stay with him like this for the whole night. maybe even longer than that.

he rubs your back, feeling the pain in your chest as if it were his own. he’d take all of it if he could. you were damaged in a way that no one deserves, and seeing how much it still affects you and most likely will in the long term, that tears him apart.

the heavy ache in your chest subsides, yet you still cling onto him. you feel the most at ease you’ve ever been with anyone.

“thank you.” you mumble, giving him a tight hug with you wrapping your arms around him ‘till he’s almost suffocating. “i needed that.”

“anytime.”

you eventually finally come down from your breakdown, body slightly twitching as the last tears silently roll down your cheeks.

with your head in his lap, you lay on your side, closing your eyes for a while as the pain in your chest slowly subsides. he’s still rubbing at your clothed skin, and you’re curious if he’s aware it does wonders for calming you down.

“i’m sorry for yelling at you, gyu. after the funeral.” you speak up, voice still raspy. “i was wrong about you.”

mingyu feels his throat tighten up. “it’s okay. i was wrong about you, too. we have more in common than i initially thought we did.”

you wipe your tears away and move to sit upright, finally feeling confident enough to look him in the eye again. “like what?”

both of you are tired. everything that’s happened the past weeks has definitely been causing some sleepless nights for both of you, and with all the alcohol and emotions running high, you’re both feeling a tad drowsy.

he runs a hand through his dark locks. “this part of society — i think it’s exhausting, a lot of the time. full of noise, small talk that’s supposed to hide how cold half these people are, social pressure, all of that. but here, at home, it’s quiet. maybe a little too quiet. the thing is, i have my friends and family that i care about more than anyone else, but i still feel… hollow. like i’m missing something.”

you nod at him. “you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely.”

“yeah.” he sighs. “do you feel it too?”

“well, i may not have a family, but i have my friends. and they mean so much to me, and i can talk to them if i need to, but… yeah. i feel it too.”

he wonders if you feel the same connection that he’s feeling right now. he’s drawn to you like a damn magnet.

mingyu already knows he’s a goner when he gently puts his hand on your cheek. he feels electrified by your presence, your voice, even the way you look at him.

he needs you.

“maybe we can be lonely together.”

his words are enough for your breath to hitch in your throat. you doubt you’ve ever wanted to have someone as much as you do now.

and so you cross a line you never thought you would and press your lips to his, desperately needing his touch.

the kiss is harsh but slow, as if you’re aching to taste eachother. his hand makes its way to the back of your head, the other on your back to pull you closer to him.

his heart might as well be lurching out of his chest. god, he feels that excitement and nervousness as if he were his teenage self sharing a first kiss with his crush — yet whatever feeling is clouding his mind is something darker and deeper, something that transcends what he can describe with words.

he kisses you like his life depends on it. once you’ve both pulled back to get some air, looking the other straight in the eye, it’s like you’re silently admitting that the relationship you share is more than just being partners.

it’s something that comes alarmingly close to love.

the moment is harshly interrupted when his phone rings. he blinks a few times before rolling his eyes at the timing, as he’s still half on top of you.

you can do nothing but wait underneath him as he takes the call, and when he closes his eyes and releases a sigh, you know it’s not positive.

“alright, thank you.” he says before hanging up, turning his focus to you. “the alarm at my apartment in the city was triggered. i gotta check it out, i’m sorry.”

“it’s fine.” you mutter out, suddenly unsure of how to talk to him now that you’ve crossed the line that you have.

but mingyu is much more straightforward. his gaze is warm and intense as it finds your eyes, and he wants nothing more than to stay here with you. so he shows you that.

just when your lips are about to touch again, he smirks, gently holding your chin. “i’ll be back for this.”

with those words, he catches his breath and gets up from the couch, after which he jogs down the stairs, and half a minute later, you hear the front doors open and close.

the sound allows you to release the breath you’ve been holding.

what the fuck have you gotten yourself into?

thank you for reading. let me know if you enjoyed it x

READ PART TWO HERE

® SANAKIRAS — do not repost, remake or copy my work in any way whatsoever. translations are not allowed.

#kim mingyu x reader #svt x reader #seventeen x reader #svthub #mingyu x reader #seventeen smut #seventeen fanfic #svt smut #seventeen imagine #svt imagine #kim mingyu ff #kim mingyu angst #svt fic #svt angst #svt fanfic #svt imagines

1K notes · View notes

k-dgn · 18 days ago

Text

Sana's Web Chapter 5: Working for Your Meals

Reader x Jihyo Words: 10k

You didn't stay too much longer over at Tzuyu's house afterwards. Despite the intense moment the two of you shared, her straightforwardness reared its head again when she had asked you to take your leave after cleaning up and resting a little bit. She had explained it was because Dahyun wouldn't take much longer to arrive at their place, and Dahyun had made it clear how disapproving she was of you after Sana's house party. You didn't mind complying, you didn't need to be up to an ungodly hour every day. Getting home in time sounds nice for a change.

It was getting pretty late, and you hadn't eaten much tonight yet. Tzuyu's place was pretty far away from yours by foot but too close for public transit, and you hadn't arrived by car. You decided you might as well head down a little detour, grab some take-out, and walk home to eat there. You couldn't decide between fried chicken and Chinese food, but since you were eating alone, a decision had to be made. No use in wasting food ordering two meals just for yourself. You settled on Chinese food, and made your way back home.

When you arrived home, you couldn't help but notice the lights were on inside. Strange, you thought, since you didn't remember leaving them on when you left. Then again, who does? If you remember, you'd have turned them off, you rationalized, calming yourself down. You unlocked the front door, walking in, when a strong smell hit your nose like a blow to the face. It was the smell of fried chicken, wafting in from the kitchen. Now this was cause for alarm, because you did for a fact know you didn't leave any fried chicken out to rest before you left. You prepared yourself for whatever could be beyond your hallway, making your way into your living room, before being met with a shock and subsequently calming down. (edited)

Sana was sitting on your couch, getting ready to eat and clearly not having taken notice of your presence, a fresh portion of delivery fried chicken resting on your table. She was wearing a dark blue button up sweater with some black slacks, black socks and as well as her glasses. It wasn't often she wore those over her contacts, usually only after getting comfortable somewhere.

"Ahem?!" You coughed out loud, startling worlds cutest home invader, who shrieked out a yelp before turning to you, seeing you standing there with your arms crossed. She immediately started giggling, the brightest smile at your little surprise before standing up to come and hug you.

"I didn't think you'd be home today anymore! Welcome home, baby~" She talked, turning up her charm to eleven, making you instantly forget and forgive her transgressions. "I ordered some fried chicken to eat. I only have one portion, since I didn't think you'd be back today, but we can share if you want." She went on, playing innocent and avoiding explaining to you why exactly she was here. Nevertheless, her charm cracked your shell.

"Actually, I brought some take-out of my own. I have chinese food though." You replied, you yourself forgetting to ask why she was here. Sana's eyes grew wide in surprise, her mouth agape as she covered it with both her hands.

"No way! I couldn't decide between Chinese or fried chicken! Wanna go half and half?" she squealed, glee in her voice as if she just got the best news in the world.

"You know, I was having the exact same dilemma when I was deciding what to get..." You replied, chuckling and nodding your head in disbelief. "Yeah, let's split!" You agreed to her request, motioning her back to the couch as you followed her closely before sitting down, unpacking your food and setting up in a way you both could share. "So what are we watching?" You asked Sana, her clearly having made herself comfortable at yours already.

"Nothing now! Oh, and before I forgot, Nayeon asked for your number. Do you mind if I give it to her?" She smiled, her eyes closed, glee radiating off of her face, throwing in a question towards you. You smiled back at her, replied with a "That's fine, go ahead." to her question, and looked towards her, curious to what she meant with her first comment but happy to indulge nonetheless. Sana took her plate, and sat herself across from you on the table instead of next to you, her back towards the TV, cross-legged sitting on the floor. "Let's talk about our days! Isn't that more fun, hmm?" She continued, looking at you, her eyes giving the smallest glint of a smirk but her smile still masking it. Something told you she wasn't just randomly asking this question. You couldn't help but think she must have already somehow learned what you did today. Today had filled you with confidence though, so you were down to tango with Sana.

"Sure! Let's talk, how was your day, Sana?" You indulged her, taking the initiative to ask her the question first. If she really knew anything and was forcing your hand to talk about it, stalling by asking her first was sure to at least give you some time to consider the situation. It's not like you didn't want Sana to know or was trying to hide it, you just didn't feel the instant need to tell her about it. You'd also prefer to not know if and who Sana's other sexual partners are if she had any. She was free to, you'd just prefer to not know.

Sana seemed to not mind. She smiled, and actually started casually talking about her day. Apparently, her day was filled with work. She was asked to come to the JYP building and go over all of the outfits she was expected to wear for their next world tour. Apparently, it was pretty custom for them to do a test run of all their outfits once decided, and see if they can swap between them fast enough to not miss their cue for a next performance. If any problems occurred, they knew to change some parts of their outfits to make them easier to swap in and out of.

"I've got some pictures from the outfits, do you want to see them?" She asked, sincerely eager for your response. You nodded yes, and letting out a small vocalization of a "yeah", to which she flipped her phone, showing you a picture of herself in white boots that came right below her knees, a green tube top and miniskirt overlayed by green fishnet-like fabric tied together using lots of string. It was enthralling, her exposed midriff looking like the perfect canvas for you to work with. She noticed you drooling over her, laughed a little in a high pitched voice and turned the phone back towards her. "I knew you'd like that! I even brought it with me here today." She teased you, throwing a wink your way before giggling the cutest giggle you'd ever seen a girl make.

"Wow, I would LOVE to see what that looks like with my own eyes." You flirted back, shooting your shot at her. The corner of her lips went up, as she seemed to expect this response. She replied with a short but resolute "Sure." Before getting up from the floor and moving towards your bedroom. You started to get up as well, thinking this was your cue to go and get her, but she stopped that idea right in its tracks.

"Sit back down, I'll come back when I'm ready~" She taunted you, her head slightly turned to show her side profile which was carrying a cheeky smile to you as she walked away, closing the door behind her. You sat back down, and not two minutes later, just enough time to have eaten but one piece of fried chicken, she'd walked back out of your bedroom, completely dressed in the previously shown garments. She looked enthralling, causing you to have trouble swallowing your food as she stepped over towards you, her hips swaying from one side to the other as she was clearly taking her time. She stepped up to right in front of you, who was just regularly sitting on the couch, leaning back a little with your feet off of the couch. She looked down on you a little, raised both her eyebrows once as if to ask "What do you think?", and confidently straddled your lap with her hands on your shoulders to stabilize her.

"So how was your day~?" She asked you, a little "oop" coming out of her mouth right after asking the question before you could answer, as your body reacted to her provocations, and your cock was pressing against her crotch.

"Only getting better." You replied, trying to match her flirt. You placed your hands on the side of her stomach, grasping her firmly the way you knew she loved, before pulling her in ever so slightly and moving in for a kiss. Sana stopped you before you could reach her lips, her right hand finding its way to your forehead and pushing you back into her seat.

"No no no, big boy. You don't get to unwrap this present until you've made good on your promise." She said, putting you back in your place. She riled you up, only to shoot you down, and you got so flustered you couldn't hide the shock on your face.

"Promise? What promise?" You inquired hastily, needing a memory jog after everything that had happened today. Sana looked a little upset at you asking for clarification, sighed, but told you anyway.

"You promised you'd find me a member we could have a threesome with, remember?" She explained what she meant, causing you to remember what she was talking about. You thought it wasn't as urgent as she made it out to be now, and just something you'd eventually have happen. Clearly, you misread the importance of this for Sana, and steel your resolve to make it a reality sooner rather than later.

"Actually... maybe I did make some progress on that..." You replied, piquing Sana's interest as you were about to spill the beans on what you did today. Sana's face turned to curiosity, her face turning slightly sideways, asking you to continue. "I kind of... fucked Tzuyu... today?" You explained further, your intonation almost as if you were asking a question, your tone slightly apprehensive. You weren't sure how to explain what happened today, and after seeing how competitive she got with Mina at her party, you weren't quite sure how to breach the topic

"Kind of? How do you kind of fuck someone?" Sana challenged your choice of words, before letting you continue.

"Well, we hit it off at that party of yours, and apparently she had some hang ups on her past experiences, which she apparently thought me fit to help with." You explained. You expected Sana to be more shocked at this, but her shock was barely visible through the glee and joy painted on her face as you told her this. You continued to explain how you found each other, her chuckling at you mentioning what a crazy coincidence it was, and you finishing with telling Sana that your fling with Tzuyu was supposed to be a recurring thing.

"Soo Tzuyu already agreed to a threesome then? That's why you're telling me this?" Sana probed, measuring the validity of your answer as she had her doubts about your assertiveness in bringing Tzuyu up. Her excitement for what you were suggesting was clearly palpable though, as she seemed to be rewarding you already, her hips moving back and forth over your lap, grinding against your most sensitive spot.

"Well, no, not yet.." You began to explain, but were interrupted by Sana standing up straight, and getting off of your lap. "I guess you're not getting this tonight then! I'm still staying over to sleep though, it's way too late for me to head home looking this great." She declared, instantly crushing any hope you had of striking a new record on how many different girls you'd fucked in one day.

"I already knew you went to see Tzuyu though, so thanks for not lying! Chaeyoung texted me, she saw you enter her place as she was leaving. You really ought to be more aware of cameras for a guy who makes his living with them." Sana continued berating you, mixing in some weird praise which you couldn't help but feel slightly bitter about. You never were going to lie to her, you had no reason, but her baiting this info out of you got you thirsty for revenge. Her slutty waist in that outfit didn't help with how rough you wanted to be to her in return. Still, if Sana wants to play hard to get and rile you up, you aren't going to lose to her.

Sana moved back to her original eating place, continuing with her food where she left off, as you two furthered your conversation about your days. Sana showed some more pictures of outfits she tried on, and in turn you told her bits about your experience with Tzuyu. You went to bed horny that evening, but not willing to lose to Sana. She made it incredibly hard on you however, as she declared any guest futon or couch you proposed to sleep in or in apart from her was too cold or scary, and absolutely needed to sleep in the same bed as you. It was no accident either then, that on multiple occasions that night, you felt her ass grind against your crotch any time you thought you'd finally cooled down.

You vowed to yourself that night that the first thing you would do in the morning would be to contact Tzuyu, and get this threesome ready to go. Preferably even before Sana leaves your apartment, to maybe get her as far to wrap herself up again. You could only dream.

—

The next morning you'd wake up to your bed emptier than when you fell asleep. Sana had already gotten up and dressed, and you soon did too. You weren't sure if she'd already left your place yet, but were hoping to still catch her before she left. You'd made your way to your living room, where she was seated, getting up the moment you walked in and heading over to put her dirty breakfast plate and utensils in the sink.

"Oh good, you haven't left yet." You noted, wiping some sleep crust from your eyes. Sana looked up at you, a tempered smile turning towards you as she finished cleaning up.

"I'm glad you're excited but as long as you haven't-" Sana began speaking, her tone clear that the next words out of her mouth were going to tease you. Before she had the chance, however, you cut her off, getting straight to the case.

"Hey, yeah, look, about that. I was wondering if you'd give me Tzuyu's number." You appealed to Sana, sticking to your vow from last night. You stared her down, showing how serious you were about this request. You didn't blink or break eye contact, this wasn't just to exchange some horny pics. You were standing on business. Sana was a little taken aback, taking a couple of seconds to collect herself, figuring out what to respond to you.

"If you think I'm going to do your work for you, you're severely mistaken. So no, I won't. Especially not without getting her permission." She replied curtly, pulling up her nose as she made sure you were going to do all the work she needed from you. When it came to treating this princess, there was no cutting corners. You sighed, muttered a still half-asleep "Okay, fine." accepting her response. "Besides, you know where she lives and sleeps now, so you can ask her yourself." She continued, her face turning away from you, a blunt "hmph!" following her explanation, as she walked past you, grabbing her bag from the couch which she already filled with all her belongings before eating and heading out.

"I'll fulfill my promise to you!" You shouted after her. You couldn't see it anymore, but she smirked at your shouted response, a little giggle escaping that you barely managed to catch as she left, leaving you assured she wasn't storming out enraged with you. This was more of a challenge, and you were ready to accept.

Getting into it with Sana today wasn't an option anymore, and as much as you'd like to march over to Tzuyu's house right now and get her geared up for a threesome, there were two things stopping you from doing just that. One, you don't know whether or not she'd be home by the time you'd arrived or if any of her housemates you'd better avoid for now were home. And two, you had work today. You couldn't just take every day off, fucking your worries away.

You did your usual morning routine, getting ready for work, and headed out. Today was a full schedule, shooting an advertisement for a popular underwear brand. As exciting as that sounded, you weren't too thrilled about the models, considering it was male underwear. But whatever, work was work and this paid well. You couldn't help yourself from daydreaming about how you'd handle your request of Tzuyu in between shots, getting more distracted than you'd normally allow yourself to be. You always had your phone on silent during shoots, like a true professional. Wasn't usually a problem, your phone wasn't known to be burning all the time. Today however, you'd face a surprise.

After your work was done, you thanked everyone for their hard work, packed your stuff and checked your phone. You had a couple of messages from an unknown number.

???, 13:52 PM: Hiii~~

???, 13:54 PM: Whatcha dooooin'?

???, 14:06 PM: Don't I just look the cutest in this picture?

???, 16:47 PM: This is Y/N, right??

Attached to the second message was a picture. It was a selfie from Nayeon, in the back of a car wearing a cute pink sweater. She was looking away from the camera, one finger on her chin, a pouty look on her visage. You checked the current time, 17:11. You had left her unresponsive for more than three hours, and in a flurry typed up a response to not keeping her waiting another second.

Y/N: Yes, this is Y/N, and yes, you look very cute!

It wasn't very long before the phone showed your message as read, and you could see her typing up a response.

NY: "I look very cute"? You're a professional photographer and it took you 3 and a half hours just to say I 'look cute'?

You thought your response was fine, but maybe it would have been better to type up a more thought out answer instead of a fast one... You internalized her message, thinking about how to redeem yourself next. Give her feedback on how to take a better selfie? No, you'd definitely get on her bad side if you criticized her now. You thought back to how she was acting with you at Sana's party, maybe her behavior from back then could give you a clue to the proper way forward.

Sana's words rang in your ears. "Nayeon loves the hunt. If she catches you on the first try, you were a boring hunt, and she'd never look your way, ever again." It doesn't look like just acting uninterested is what she would like either. So you'd need to devise a response that is simultaneously playful, flirty, and clearly still showing you don't need her.

Y/N: You look like you want me to kiss you.

Your message was read almost instantly again, and you saw the icon showing she was typing a response pop-up. And then disappear. And then pop-up again, and disappear once more. Was she typing up a response and constantly deleting it? She doesn't know what to say? You weren't sure if this was a good or a bad sign, until eventually, a good 10 minutes later, you finally heard a ding.

NY: Hahaha, and what if I do~~

You breathed a big sigh of relief. Your response was better this time, thank god. If this was the pattern you were supposed to keep up, you think you could somehow manage.

Y/N: Then you'll have to try a little harder, I seem to be in high demand lately and I'm intending on abusing that~

You felt pretty confident in that response, thinking you were locked in on the vibe. You put your phone away, giving her some breathing room to respond this time. After waiting for about 15 minutes without a response, you started to wonder if your message failed to be sent. You checked the chat, and sure enough, it was sent, and she'd already seen it as well. No response however. Did you go too far? You feared your message had turned her off, but decided you couldn't do anything to change that now, and sending a message right now to try and remedy the situation would only serve to make you look desperate. You decided it best to finish packing up and to head home. She'll respond when she wants to.

You had a pretty standard evening, nobody reaching out to you anymore as you finished eating your dinner and sat in front of the tv, thinking about how you were going to solve your predicament with Tzuyu. The sun was already down, so a surprise visit to her house might not be as charming as the dramas on tv might have led you to believe. Before you could really get lost in devising a new strategy, your phone buzzed again. You didn't expect anyone to contact you at this hour, so that only left one person in mind this could be from. You were hoping it was Nayeon. As you unlocked your phone to check, sure enough, you saw you had a new message from Nayeon. Attached was a picture of Nayeon, A selfie taken from a high angle from the waist up, looking like she was lying on a couch at her home. She was wearing a dark blue adidas tracksuit, the zipper ever so slightly open, looking straight into the lens with her lips perched in a kissy face.

NY: How about this then? What do I look like I want from you here? I'll give you a hint, it's very sticky~~

The implication of her message had your body reacting fiercely, but you managed to calm down before unzipping your pants and sending her a dick pic. You couldn't afford to just jump her way now, you had to continue playing the game. You contemplated not responding to her message instantly, but you already viewed it, and she would have surely seen that. If you wanted to make that play, you should have waited to view the message a little longer. You had to think of a good response here, and you had to think fast.

Y/N: How about you wait till you see what you're working with before acting like you can handle it, noona. 😉

Before you could even stow your phone in your pants, it buzzed again, another notification from Nayeon.

NY: Ehhhh? Then show me!

Wasn't that a bit too brazen of her, you thought to yourself. You weren't against the idea, but turning her down now would seem counterintuitive to the flirty part, but you couldn't just show her a picture of your dick like that. That'd be too hasty you felt. Let's throw the ball back into her court, she seems to like setting the pace for now.

Y/N: Hmmmm, nah. You first if you're that into me!

Her response was even faster this time, almost as if she predicted what you were gonna say and was just waiting to hit send.

NY: Okay, now you! Show me what I'm working with~~😘

Attached was a picture, a selfie she must have taken earlier, on a set for a music video they shot. She was visible from the waist up, staring down into the camera, wearing red framed glasses and nothing else. Her tits were exposed, bare for you to feast on. Her smirk was devious, knowing that whoever got to see this picture would devour it. You could no longer hold yourself back, as you rushed to your bathroom mirror, stripped from all clothes, and took a picture for her. You were fully naked, gripping your erect cock by holding the base uptight and staring your lens down. You sent just the picture, getting so lost in your frenzy you didn't type a response to go with it.

You started jerking your cock, in anticipation of what would come next, expecting an evening full of back and forth. Nayeon's response came in, and you eagerly popped open the message, hoping it would motivate you closer to completion.

NY: Wooow, if you were her right now I'd show you that I can handle that. Too bad you're not here~~

No picture attached, but what she wrote might have implied something better. She liked what she saw, and even extended an invitation to you. You put a pair of gray sweatpants on you had laying around, still showing the clear outline of your bulging cock. You wanted to keep sending her pictures of you to rile her up like she riled you up, and took another picture of yourself, flexing your core as hard as you could. You decided a cowboy shot was the play here, just to show her the outline of your cock but that you'd stuffed it away again. You took some time to try out a couple of poses, landed on one you were happy with, and sent it her way with a message attached this time.

Y/N: Don't get too carried away window shopping, I haven't sold you anything yet

Trying to keep her in check, make sure you didn't come over as desperate and too easy to fuck. Maybe you got too carried away with your dick pick, but oh well. Unfortunately, despite reading your message, no further response came that evening. Your conversation with Nayeon fell silent, and you were unsure if you fucked up, or if she just got busy. You shrugged it off, used the polaroid of Sana you'd made to relieve yourself of your pent up frustration, and just ended up going to bed early for once.

—

Another morning came, and right as you were about to sit down and formulate a plan on how to contact Tzuyu without looking like an absolute stalker, your phone rang once more. It seems you've grown quite popular. After yesterday, you decided it was best to not expect anything. You still couldn't help but be a little surprised when you picked up your phone and had a new message from Mina.

MN: We should talk. Update on your job prospects at JYP. Come by the building today at 3 PM.

That sound ominous you dreaded. You felt a wave of cold sweat form on your body. You spent too much time fucking around, literally, instead of focusing your time on leaving a good impression on all the girls. A whole week went by and all you did was get dirty with Tzuyu and text inappropriately with Nayeon. Whatever, time to face those consequences. You recollected yourself and typed up a response.

Y/N: Okay, I'll be there!

The rest of your day until you left was spent mentally languishing over what to wear, what to say and what to expect. You dressed up quite nicely, and ended up leaving half an hour early. If traffic ended up being a hassle, you'd have some wiggle room to still be on time. No way in hell you'd be late today. You ended up needing some of your time budget, as finding a parking spot turned out to be quite the challenge. You still managed to make it about 15 minutes early. You went inside, and just waited in the lobby for Mina to come find you. Without an employee ID, you had no chance of going any further and finding her yourself, so you might as well get comfortable. Not even 5 minutes after sitting down, you'd heard a familiar voice addressing you.

"You're early, that's good! Shows you care." It was Mina, who had crept up to you from behind and stood with her arms crossed. She was as stunning as always, wearing a patterned pencil skirt, with a white shirt tucked into it. Baggy socks were stuffed into her white flat shoes, and she tied the outfit together with a dark navy jeans jacket.

"On time is too late!" You responded with confidence, wanting to cement how serious you were about going for this gig full time. Mina chuckled a bit at this remark before giving you another response.

"Hehe, I like that. I'm going to hold all men in my life to that standard from now on." She responded approvingly. You smiled proudly at her remark, glad you could impress. "Follow me, let's talk for a bit?" Mina sort of meekly propositioned, turning halfway towards going deeper into the building, to which you nodded and beckoned her to lead the way. You started walking deeper into the halls, and Mina continued. "Let's get straight to the point. We held a vote today on whether or not you should get the job." She started explaining, and you felt your heart drop, expecting the worst. "It was a tie. Four of us voted in favor of you, and four of us voted against. One vote ended chickening out and hasn't voted yet. She's been given three days to decide, at which point the decision will be final." You weren't sure if you should feel relieved or if you should feel even more stressed out. If a conclusion was made right now, that would have been the end of it and you could have moved on with your life. But now you know there are three days for this life impacting decision to take hold? This would be the difference between a cozy, well-paying, secure job and shooting uninspired commercial shoots erratically for the next ten years. In any case, you'd been given a chance, and steeled your resolve.

"I see. I'll have to do whatever I can to convince the doubter then." You replied resolutely, your eyes as sharp as ever. Mina admired your determination. She had decided before you arrived that based on your response whether or not she'd help you. Safe to say, you convinced her. She replied to your statements with a final question to check your sincerity.

"You think you have what it takes?" The same fierce, piercing gaze you only saw on her when she wanted to devour you appeared here, showing how serious this was to her. You nodded back to her, and didn't break eye contact for a single second. You were determined. "Good." Mina responded, a small sigh escaping her as she closed her eyes, smirked and determined herself to help you as well.

"Sana, Tzuyu, Momo and I voted in favor of you. I'm not sure how you convinced Tzuyu, but why Sana and I are in your corner should be obvious. Momo ended up just following her gut and trusting in Sana in me. The ones who voted against you were Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Dahyun and Chaeyoung. You know what that means, right?"

"I have three days to convince Jihyo..." You muttered out, already thinking about a way to manifest that. "I'll do it, but I must say, I didn't expect that result." You replied, your eyes inquisitively searching for clues on this turnout from Mina.

"Don't look at me! You've had little over a week to convince everyone. It's your job to show you know how to go above and beyond, Twice won't settle for ordinary. For now, you're barely scraping by. The only reason Jihyo is doubting and didn't vote against you is because Tzuyu was so resolute in voting in favor of you!" Mina explained, teasing your failure at impressing the other girls the way you impressed her.

"Yeah no, that's fair. I won't ask for anything else Mina, since you've already helped me this much, but could you please tell me where to find Jihyo today?" You pleaded with Mina, clasping her both hands in between your palms, causing her usually soft-spoken self to come out once more and blush visibly, causing her to avert her gaze from you.

"She's in a meeting right now... She said she would go work out here once she's done to properly think it over..." She answered your question, her volume having lowered drastically. Your laser-focus on the task at hand made it so you caught all that without a problem anyways.

"Thank you so much! Wait, I have no idea where she works out... and I can't bother her in a meeting. Alright, I'll start planning out the fastest route in between all gyms in a 2 kilometer radius and continuously visit each one until I eventually stumble into her! I got this!" You started rambling, trying your crazy best to maximize what little time you had. You started walking away, as you were already planning everything out on your phone before Mina's volume was raised behind you, addressing you once more.

"Stop, you dummy!" She shouted in a volume you could barely call shouting. Her fists were clenched beside her body, and her eyes closed, slowly opening up to look at you turning around again. "You'll never find her that way. She's going to work out in the gym in this building." She continued to explain as you walked back to her, letting her finish. You only now realized how insane your ramblings must have sounded. At least you showed real spirit! "I'll help, so don't go acting all crazy. I'll let you into the gym after she enters, okay?" Your eyes sparkled with gratitude, excitement and thankfulness to Mina's assistance, and you were quick to respond in kind.

"You are the best, Mina! How can I ever make it up to you?!" You almost shouted throughout the hallway you were in, trumping her volume with ease.

"Come pick me up after you've finished talking with Jihyo..." She responded, meekly, unable to meet your eager gaze. You heard her fine, but you still had to wonder if you heard her correctly. It's not like you didn't want to do that for her, but you hardly thought the exchange was fair. You owed her so much more!

"Come pick you up? Is that all, are you sure?" You questioned her, making sure you really did catch everything.

"Yeah... Come pick me up and take me to your place tonight, we haven't been alone together for a while now..." She mumbled, gathering all her courage to get those words out. You understood what she was saying, and promised her you would. You swore you'd spend as much time with her as she wanted, before she ushered you away to go get a fitting outfit for entering a gym. You were too far from home to go there and come back to get your gym clothes, so you just decided to sprint out the JYPe building and visit the nearest shop you could find that sold gym clothes, bought whatever looked best they had there and rushed back over to Mina who once more allowed you access to their building.

You followed Mina into an elevator, where she ushered you into, until you reached the floor on which the company gym was located. Man, an entire private gym inside of this building really is nuts... passed your mind. If you perform well enough now, you might be enjoying those benefits soon as well. You kept following Mina, in a silence that was anything but awkward. Rather, you were being so introspective on how to tackle what was about to happen, and Mina had no intention of disrupting your focus.

"Alright, these are the changing rooms. That door over there leads to the gym. Good luck?" She finally spoke up, unsure on what else to say but the bare minimum. You took in all the information she so graciously gave you, gave her a determined nod and pulled her in tightly for a strong hug. The scent of jasmine filled your nose as your bodies got closer to each other. The floral notes were a pleasant touch, and you came to expect nothing less from a woman like Mina.

"Thank you, really. This means a lot to me!" You further explained. She gasped a little on your sudden embrace, but she didn't fight back or resist it. Rather, she got quite comfortable in your arms, before your hands found their way to her arms, pushing her back again, giving her a confident smile and leaving into a changing room. Right before stepping into the room, you remembered to ask: "Wait! When I'm done, where will I find you?"

"Ah, right. I'll be waiting in the artist lounge, it's on floor 9." She responded, a little shy from your brazen actions, so much so she forgot to tell you this in advance. If it wasn't for you remembering, she would've forgotten to tell you as well.

You went into the changing room, got dressed, took a deep breath and walked out. The hall here was empty now, just you and a door behind which you could find Jihyo. You took another deep breath, calming yourself down, before opening the door and stepping in. The lights were very bright, as they tended to be in gyms, and despite the size of the gym, there was nobody there, apart from Jihyo. You spotted her way before she spotted you. She was wearing a dark pink, sporty crop top, and some incredibly tight, form-fitting yoga pants, color matching her black sneakers.

She was doing some bench presses, repping an impressive 60kg weight, from what you could tell. You approached, and already cleared your throat to make her aware of your presence. Jihyo didn't respond to your noises, the wireless earbuds in her ears you happened to notice probably to blame for that. You kept making your way to the head of her bench, and assumed a spotters position in front of the sweating beauty. She was in the middle of a rep when you assumed your position and as she opened her eyes on the upwards press, she couldn't help but be surprised by your sudden appearance. She let out a loud yelp, as her grip weakened on the bar and she could feel it slipping down. You expected something like that to happen though, and caught the bar before anything bad could happened. Jihyo calmed down, you put the bar back in it's restraints, and she took out both of her earbuds.

"You're the last person I wanted to see right now, do you know that?" Jihyo sneered at you, but not forcefully. There was no malice in her tone, more of an exhausted resignation to your presence here. You couldn't help but throw up an awkward smile in response. Hard to blame her feeling that way, causing her to be put in this stressful position and then showing up just when you wanted to take her mind off of things.

"Yeah, well, I figured as much, but surely you understand why I showed up right?" You plead your case, already resolved to not wasting anymore time. Jihyo scoffed at what you said as she sat up straight on the bench, turning around to face you.

"Before I let you plead your case, how about you tell me about how you even got in here." Jihyo retorted. She was going to hear you out, but she was making sure you knew she wasn't going to let anything slide. Clearly she was not sold on you, and you had better make a good case.

You were used to sweating in a gym, but this was the first time it was cold. "Truth be told, I'm just as surprised as you are..." You respond in a quiet voice, as if you were trying to untangle a mess of knotted threads inside your own head. You thought you'd gotten used to speaking to these idols by now, but clearly her presence was different. She raised an eyebrow at your comment, her gaze beckoning you to continue.

"All I know is that Mina called me over literally just now, and told me that the fate of my career was hanging in your hands." you went on to explain, your hands frantically following your voice in an attempt to convince Jihyo of your sincerity.

"So she is the one that let you in here?" Jihyo questioned, almost as if she was asking you who to punish. You immediately retreated. Mina gave you this chance, and asked so little for it, no way you were going to throw her under the bus.

"Wait, it's not her fault, I asked her to let me know where you are! I basically convinced her to give me a chance, she just told me to find a way to convince you, I assured her this was my only play." Both your hands clasped around Jihyo's hands, pleading with her for kindness. She was taken aback, but she didn't seem upset at your forwardness. In fact, she was rather impressed by your willingness to stick your neck out for her, but she wasn't about to let you in on that.

"Riiiight... Well, for better or worse, you're here now." She acknowledged, taking her hands back and crossing her arms over each other. You gave her a bit of an awkward smile, one you could liken to an oaf who knew he was out of his element. She released her right arm, motioning for you to finally start making your case.

"Oh yeah, exactly! First of all, thank you for not immediately voting no." You started off explaining, not really sure where this was going yourself, but just hoping your thoughts came across.

"Yeah, well, don't get your hopes up just yet. What's your second-of-all?" Jihyo continued pressing you, still not convinced of your grand entrance.

"And, second of all, I came to beat you." You smirked, posing an enigmatic challenge.

"Beat me? Like physically hurting me?" She taunted back, clearly making fun of the weird phrasing you used.

"No! Of course not! I was talking about that conversation we had at the party. I can definitely beat you in a gym competition." You clarified, but now unmistakably posing the challenge. Jihyo smirked back at you, clearly intrigued by what you were suggesting, her original hostility dissipating as a fire seemed to have been lit under her.

You look at her with such confidence and determination, you almost intimidate her, her mind backing away from this challenge for a fraction of a second before she pushes back and takes you head on. You could tell from just one look. She was in.

"Alright, how do you wanna do this? And I'm assuming we're both putting something on the line, correct?" Jihyo questioned, trying to set the terms of this little agreement you came to suggest. Her eyes were burning a hole through your skull as she was hungrily awaiting the route she'd have to take to destroy you. You weren't shaken, however, confident in your body and its finely honed muscles.

"How about this? We'll go for three rounds, each round betting something that the winner gets. We each suggest one exercise we do, which will be round 1 and 2. For round 3, we'll settle with an endurance contest, whoever can plank the longest wins." You laid out your plan, meticulously thought out to get her to agree but also allow you to obtain all your objectives. The obvious one was getting her to change her vote to a yes. But before that, you had a new, more important objective to achieve. Getting her to not go after Mina for letting you in here in the first place. Jihyo thought about your proposal for a little while. Her eyes drifted upwards, thinking about all the different things your game would imply. She stopped to contemplate for half a second to think if this was worth it or not, before throwing caution to the wind and agreeing anyway, because she just thought this would be fun.

"Sounds good! I'll choose squatting as my exercise." She accepted. The game was on. You shot back without missing a beat. "And I'll choose pull-ups." The game was set. A quick match of rock paper scissors decided the order. Pull-ups, then squats, and then planking. You slapped both of your cheeks, getting yourself and your blood pumping, ready to take this challenge.

You both shook hands on fair play. Her grip was tight, but her skin was as soft as a cloud. Your fighting spirit almost got diminished, drowned in the perverted thought of how good her velvety touch would feel on your cock. You quickly snapped out of it, but maybe stayed in that trance long enough to want to make that idea become a reality if you won 3 games in a row.

Jihyo's playful demeanor turned vicious, a cold stare piercing your entire being. The game was on, and despite her being committed to playing fair, she wasn't going to play nice. "If I win this round, you will never contact any of my members, ever again. That sounds like a fair trade-off for you asking for my yes vote, right?" If she was being honest with herself, Jihyo knew that this first round was as good as yours; however, she wanted to see how you'd react to such an ultimatum. Would you try to talk her out of it? Would you call the whole thing off?

Her demand was stunning. It hit you like a truck. A big loss to take if you lost this round, but you pretty much already bought in at this point. Whatever, you just had to win in that case. You continued, making your demand. "I'm not gonna ask for your yes vote just yet. If I win this round, you'll not go after Mina for letting me in here." Jihyo recoiled, clearly shocked at your request. You could read it on her face, clear as day. She fully expected you to go for the yes vote here, as this was your round, and had your highest chance of yielding positive results. But instead, you chose to cover for Mina. She couldn't help but be impressed.

Truth be told, this was your best exercise, so you did think about just asking for the yes vote here. But you just couldn't get it over your heart to screw Mina like that. You were going to take this win to first make sure Mina didn't get in trouble, and then win that yes vote, fair and square. Jihyo agreed to your request, as you did to hers, and the two of you competed in the first round.

Jihyo went first, you two taking turns, so you could judge each other's forms for no foul play. She jumped up, arms hanging on the bar, and she looked right at home. Her muscles glistened with the sweat she had already worked up before you got here. Her abs had beads of sweat piled up in the crevices, and it took everything you had to not just gawk at her body. You persevered, your conviction for winning this competition strong enough to pull through. She flexed her arms, and pulled her entire body up, chin above the bar. First one done, and her form was immaculate. There were no cracks or slip ups, you might even stand to learn a thing or two. If she was taking this so seriously, you had no chance of not matching her explosive energy. She went at it for a little while, her form never crumbling, only growing slower. It took her a full 14 pull ups before she lost the strength to go for another one.

You stepped up to the plate. You stretched a little before jumping up to the bar, taking in a deep breath, and doing it like you always do. Inhale going up, exhale going down. First one done. Inhale going up, exhale going down. Jihyo's intense gaze was hyper focused on you. Nothing strange about it, she was judging your form for flaws. Inhale going up, exhale going down. You sneaked a peek at her, her eyes matching you, raising her eyebrow inquisitively at your sudden eye contact. Did you have time to flirt during this? She felt taunted, and would go on to get you back for this perceived slight, but you were just having your trouble ignoring a beautiful woman right in front of you. Inhale going up, exhale going down. You're at 12 now. You could do 20 of these with no worries, inhale going up, exhale going down. 15th pullup done, and you had officially won, but you were so focused on not staring at Jihyo, you just kept going.

"Okay, you won, you can come down now." Jihyo lamented, urging you to release the bar. You didn't hear any of it though. Inhale going up, exhale going down. "No need to brag, you can stop now." She continued. Inhale going up, exhale going down. You're at 19 now, but you weren't counting. If you were looking at Jihyo's face, you'd have noticed her getting annoyed at how you weren't listening. In her mind, she was searching for ways to make you listen, when suddenly, it hit her. You were halfway up on your 20th pullup, when a sudden breeze caused you to snap out of your trance. Jihyo had pulled your pants down, getting her revenge for your multiple bragging offenses. Your entire package was on full display, and it was not your fault you were kind of erect. Jihyo's physique mixed with the fact that working out always made you horny got you like this. You wasted no time releasing the bar, and pulling your pants back up.

You scowled at Jihyo over this. You weren't upset she saw your dick, hell, part of you was kind of happy she did, but you, lost in your trance, thought she cheated to make you lose. "At least I get why Sana is coming back to you now." Jihyo remarked, her hand covering her mouth to hide her smile.

Unbeknownst to both of you, Sana had gotten wind of what you were up to. She had snuck in, peeping through the cracks of the door of the gym to see how you were doing. She wasn't going to let you know, but she was cheering you on. She also hadn't ever had the chance to see you working out, so she decided to snap a picture of you trying your very best. She'd make up for the creepiness to you personally at some point later. Her timing couldn't be any better though, as to her own surprise, she caught the exact moment your cock flopped out of your pants, halfway in a pullup, with Jihyo's hands still attached to your pants. She left quickly after this, much preferring hearing the rest of the details personally from you than witnessing them here and now.

Cutting back to you and Jihyo, you were in the middle of belting out a big "What the hell?!" at Jihyo for her little prank. She got flustered at your anger, thinking you'd take it better. You couldn't help it though, you thought she just threw her fair play away and cheated you out of your win. "You were the one taunting me and bragging excessively after your win! Honestly, you brought this on yourself. And besides, now we are even for what happened at Sana's party!" Jihyo crackled back at you, like fireworks exploding in your face. The realization of your win had only now begun to set in, calming you down. It also helped that Jihyo bringing back the memory of her perfect, bare-naked chest got you to mellow out as well.

"So that means you're not going to hold Mina accountable, right?" You confirmed, your loud voice shrinking to a more appropriate indoor volume. Jihyo nodded her head and confirmed your question.

"Yep. You have my word. Are you ready for the squats?" She hurried along, as if ready to humiliate you the way you humiliated her. You took this round, but she was confident she would take the next.

"I am. And this time I will take that yes vote if I win." Your demand was clear. You got your good deed out of the way, now it's time to take what you came for. "Are you still going to force me to cut all contact?" You questioned. You figured she would, and that you just had to squat like your life depended on it. Her response was a welcome one, however.

"Nope. I'm changing my stake." She clarified. This time a sly smirk on her face, in stark contrast to her winter cold visage from earlier. "If I win, you will become my gym buddy for an entire year. You'll stay my gym buddy until I can beat you in every body weight exercise there is. And if I call you up to come work out, you can't say no, even if you're balls deep in Sana. Or Mina." Your face scrunched up. This didn't sound too bad? Yeah, you could handle this. It's way better than her first stake. She looked a lot more amicable, but no less feisty than when you first proposed this challenge. But wait. "You know about me and Mina?" You appealed, certain that the only three people who knew were you, Sana and Mina herself.

"I had my suspicions since Sana's party, but thanks for confirming them. We can open that can of worms if you manage to get a yes vote out of me, but for now I'll not interfere because they seem more content and docile, making my job easier." Jihyo elucidated, exposing the fact that you had walked right into her trap. You berated yourself internally for exposing yourself like this, and vowed to watch out for this girl. She wasn't just pretty and strong, she had the brains to match.

"Fuck." You let slip out. She giggled at your honest reaction, but the time for the next round was upon you. You shook on your stakes, and you both took position in front of the mirror wall. Side by side, so you could spectate each other for mistakes, while you both vied for the win.

The non-existing starting shot went off in both of your heads, and sweat started flying the brows of you both. It didn't take long for you to already read the results of this round. You were getting slaughtered. It hadn't been 30 squats yet, and you already felt your legs cramping up. Jihyo, on the other hand, looked like she hadn't even begun yet. Her form never crumbling, and her perfectly trained media smile just taunting you, as she caught on to your desperate staring. Searching for any clues of imperfection proved fruitless.

"You can just quit and we can move on to the last game!" She jeered joyfully, taking incredible delight in the fact that she was smoking you. You'd be lying if you said you didn't consider it, but you had other plans. It might have been a little dirty, but you were betting on the fact that Jihyo had been working out for a little while before you got here. You weren't gonna win this round, but you could tire her out this round. Push her stamina to its limit, and then just hold on longer during the planking. Your core, contrary to your legs, was a part of you you had the utmost of faith in.

"Heh, yeah right." You pushed out in between laborious breaths, accompanied by a forced chuckle. You hadn't been spending too much time with Jihyo, but you could tell by now. She cocked her head to the side, shrugged her shoulders a little and focused up, almost as if to say she respected your grit.

Despite your greatest of efforts, by consecutive squat 80 you had to throw in the towel. "I'm going to enjoy working you to the bone, gym buddy!" Jihyo jabbed, her hand giving a light push against your shoulder as you stood there, bent over, hands on your knees. You were a bit of a sore loser at this point. It would have been nice to get that yes vote, so you decided to snap back.

"You only mentioned having to come even when balls deep in Sana or Mina, right? So it's cool to ignore you while I'm having some fun with Tzuyu?" You ran your mouth off. Partly out of competitive spirit, partly because exhaustion was beginning to take its toll on you. Jihyo went agape, jaw on the floor, like she just saw a ghost.

"You're shitting me! You got that far with her? I thought you just walked her dogs or something!" Jihyo almost yelled, the disbelief of your reveal coupled with her exhaustion stopping her from holding back. You gave a sly smirk back to her, as if proud of your conquest.

"You don't know what you're missing out on." You quipped back, showing you hadn't lost your confidence after this defeat. You were still in it to win it. You had picked up on a couple of Jihyo's tells, but you didn't know what this one meant yet. She had her tongue slightly protruding out between both her lips, and her eyes went just that tiniest bit wider. She was attracted to you, but you had no way of knowing it just yet. "Anyways, I still want the same thing for round 3. What's your ask?" You told the girl, calming down from your little back and forth.

"Alright then, big guy. Let's see you put your money where your mouth is." Jihyo started off, giving a rebuttal to your taunts. "If I win, I get the rights to your dick for a month. If I end up doing something with that or leave you horny will depend on your future performance, gym buddy" She declared, making the final stake of the game clear. She was like a monster, her tiny stature appearing larger than was physically possible. The idea of her controlling your dick was appealing, but dangerous. Fail to push past 100 squats, and who knows, she might just force you into celibacy for a month. Losing this round might feel worse than dying... But you had come this far.

"I can't back out now." You resigned, brimming with determination.

"Alright, but don't come begging to me when you feel like you're going to explode!" She playfully wisecracked back, joking for the last time before taking a deep breath and gaining a deadly look in her eyes. She was done joking, and ready to win this thing. You felt kind of flattered that she looked like she was going to try this hard to win your dick, but equally frightened that she might have wanted to render it useless.

You both got down on the floor, forearms pressed into the floor as your toes kept you upright. By this point, you were both exhausted, but too deep in to not finish this fight.

It was over before you realized it. It took over 3 and a half minutes for Jihyo to crack and drop to the floor. You got close too. You considered quitting, but even if your abs turned blue from bruises caused by overexertion, you would get this win.

Jihyo rolled over onto her back, her face towards the ceiling with a wide smile adorned onto her sweaty visage. You couldn't help but drop to the floor as well, but in contrast to the beauty next to you, you ended quickly regaining posture and sitting cross-legged, facing her. She had lost, but she was smiling. If you weren't in so much pain, you'd have diverted all your energy into hitting on her right here, and right now. That's how attractive she looked to you. But you won, so you would not risk upsetting her with unnecessary advances and cause your win to be meaningless.

"I am going to..." she began to speak, her own puffing and panting interrupting her speech. "Enjoy training with you, y/n..." She's rubbing her second round win in your face again. Unbelievable. "As well as..." She continued, with labored breaths. "Having you work for us." Your face lit up. She acknowledged your win, and basically softly confirmed which way she would vote. You were in! A short scream for joy left your body, as you pulled your fist into the sides of your body, celebrating the pay off of your hard work.

You were so lost in your elation, you barely noticed Jihyo working herself up. She'd gotten herself to sit in front of you, sharing your joy as she sat on her knees. You instantly snapped out of it, focusing on what was happening around you the second you felt a tingling sensation on your dick. You've always known that exercising got you horny, and the sight of Jihyo only enhanced that. It didn't take an eagle's eye to spot your erection, all it took was Jihyo's perceptive gaze.

She had begun leaning forward, her left hand posed upon your right thigh, supporting her body as she inched closer, and her right hand had found its way, palmed around the bulge in your pants. "It's a shame I lost though, you and I could have had a lot of fun." Jihyo smirked, a sly grin taunting your victory as she offered a different destiny.

Her elbows pushed together, her tits squeezed in between the tiny space she left them, looking absolutely divine, inviting you in. "I would have done things to you that you can't even imagine with the other girls..." Her words sizzled and cooked your mind, as her arms squeezed her tits even tighter. You couldn't help it. No man could. You looked down, stealing a peek at her chest, instantly looking back up at Jihyo, but way too obvious. She knew, she saw. But all she did to acknowledge it, was lift both her eyebrows up and down rapidly, before giving you a wink as if to ask: "How about it? Want to change your ask?"

You considered it for a tenth of a second. "As enticing as that is... I am more than happy with the current outcome." Your reply was defiant and resolute, causing Jihyo to pull back and giggle behind her hand. "Good answer. I like a man who doesn't falter." She commended you, and you couldn't shake the feeling like you just passed a test. "The vote is yours. I'll vouch for you." Jihyo finished up, standing up right and turning away from you. Her walk away from you was like your final little reward, her ass swaying from left to right as you couldn’t help but stare. She raised her hand as if waving at you without turning back to address you, speaking her last words before leaving the gym.

“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow in this gym. I’ll get your number from Sana and text you the hour you need to be here. Don’t be late!” And with that, she was gone. You achieved your goal, but sacrifices had to be made. No matter, truth be told, you kind of looked forward to it. It gave you a chance to get to know Jihyo better.

You cherished the victory for the little while you had, before also getting up, and leaving the gym as well. You made a promise to Mina, and it was time to live up to that.

#kpop fanfic #kpop smut #twice #twice smut #twice sana #sana #twice nayeon #nayeon #twice mina #mina #twice jihyo #jihyo

481 notes · View notes

pastordude87 · 2 years ago

Text

Closed Blue Ridge Parkway - Redirected

Closed Parkway It was a lovely day. The sky was clear and the air was cold. So I decided to head to the mountains. We have a houseguest. He has fallen oil love with the trees and countryside of Virginia. I get it. It’s nothing like the concrete and crowded urban area of south Dallas. It’s a piece of nature still in much of its rawness. Oh, we have lots of roads, houses, development, but there…

View On WordPress

#Blue Ridge Parkway #detours #Natural Bridge

0 notes

itneverendshere · 2 months ago

Text

you said i have to trust more freely - r.c series (three)

requested here; (one); (two)

pairing: rafe x pogue!reader (the duff inspired) word count: 5.4k

You hadn’t planned for that kiss to happen the other day.

It was supposed to be all part of the game, of the plan.

You just wanted to learn things properly. Right? But you knew, you had wanted it, and worse, you had liked it.

God, what the hell were you doing?

He was Rafe Cameron. Cocky, rich, your nightmare with a reputation that should have sent you running in the opposite direction. And yet, here you were, feeling the ghost of his lips against yours, wondering what would’ve happened if he hadn’t pulled back. If you hadn’t let the spell break.

"Focus," you muttered to yourself, shaking your head like you could shake him off too. You had bigger things to worry about—like Nate.

Remember Nate? The whole point of this was to get him to notice you, to finally realize that you were more than just the girl he studied with. You weren’t supposed to be getting caught up with Rafe Cameron’s sudden vulnerability or, God forbid, catching feelings for him.

You groaned, running a hand through your hair as you turned down the street toward your apartment. But no matter how hard you tried to ignore it, the thought of Rafe stayed with you for hours, sneaking its way back in every time you thought you’d pushed it out for good.

What was it about him, anyway? He was hot, sure. But it wasn’t just that. It was the way he looked at you sometimes, like he was seeing something deeper. Like there was more to this than either of you were willing to admit. And maybe that was the problem. Maybe you were starting to want him to see more.

By the time you reached your door, you had spiraled enough to know you needed a distraction. So you did what any girl in your situation would do: you grabbed your phone and texted Harper back.

You: Movie night better include wine. Lots of wine.

Her reply came almost immediately.

Harper <3: “Already taken care of, babe. See you soon.”

You smiled to yourself, feeling a little better. It was exactly what you needed. Maybe after a few glasses of wine and some cheesy rom-coms, you’d finally stop thinking about that stupid kiss.

As you closed the door behind you and flopped onto your bed, your phone buzzed again. Expecting it to be Harper, you lazily reached for it, but your heart nearly stopped when you saw Rafe’s name instead.

Rafe: got your notes ready for tomorrow? or should i just show up and charm my way through it?

You stared at the screen for a second, unsure whether to laugh or throw your phone across the room. Why did he always have to do this? Act like nothing had changed when everything felt different?

Not that you were any better.

Finally, you typed back.

You: “depends. can ur charm get you through an entire chapter on portuguese colonization?”

His reply came almost instantly. Like he’d been waiting for yours.

Rafe: “we both know my charm can get me through anything.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the stupid smile tugging at your lips.

You: “let’s not test that theory. see you tomorrow.”

You tossed your phone aside, willing yourself not to overthink the fact that just seeing his name pop up on your screen made your heart race.

You were going to get through this. Nate was your goal. This thing with Rafe was just a detour. A very distracting, very complicated detour that you’d handle... eventually.

But tonight? Tonight was for your girls, your movies, and drowning out the chaos in your head with as much wine as it took to stop thinking about blue eyes and stupid smirks.

Later that night, you found yourself sprawled out on Ava’s couch, surrounded by blankets and popcorn, watching some cheesy rom-com that Harper had picked out. The glow of the TV cast a soft light over the room, but your mind was still elsewhere. Even with your best friends beside you, laughing and making snide comments about the movie, your thoughts kept drifting back to him.

It wasn’t just the kiss—although that had definitely been messing with your head lately—it was everything. The way he’d been acting, the things he’d said, the stupid nickname that you couldn’t seem to shake. Harper and Ava had a point, but they didn’t know Rafe like you did. Not anymore, at least. You’d seen sides of him recently that no one else had, and while you weren’t exactly sure what to make of it, there was something there. Something more than just the cocky rich boy everyone saw.

You sighed, reaching for another handful of popcorn, but Harper, ever the perceptive one, caught the look on your face before you could hide it.

“You’ve been quiet,” she said, nudging your leg with her foot. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Yeah, you’ve barely roasted this movie,” Ava added, throwing a piece of popcorn at you. “That’s not like you.”

You didn't want to get into it, “Just tired, I guess. Long day.”

Harper wasn’t buying it, though. She turned the volume on the TV down and sat up, crossing her legs underneath her. “Okay, spill. This is about Rafe, isn’t it?”

You groaned, covering your face with a pillow. “Can we not talk about him ?”

“Nope,” Harper said, yanking the pillow away. “Not until you tell us what’s going on. I know a liar when I see one."

Busted.

“Did something happen?”

You hesitated, glancing between the two of them. They were your best friends, and you knew they only wanted what was best for you. But the whole thing with Rafe felt complicated, like more than just a stupid crush. Still, you couldn’t keep it all bottled up forever.

“Fine,” you sighed, running a hand through your hair. “There was... a kiss.”

Harper’s jaw practically dropped. “A kiss? With Rafe?”

“When did this happen?” Ava demanded, practically bouncing in her seat. “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?”

“I was scared!” You bit your lip, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks again as you thought back to that moment in the library, “He knew I never kissed anyone and offered.”

“Wait, what? Your first kiss was with Rafe freaking Cameron?”

Ava gasped, covering her mouth in shock. “He offered? What the hell does that even mean? Did he just, like, present his lips to you like some weirdo?”

You groaned, wishing you could shrink into the couch and disappear.

“It wasn’t like that, okay? We were talking, and it came up. I told him I hadn’t kissed anyone, and then he was all, ‘I can fix that,’ or something. It just... happened a few days later.”

“So, what was it like? Was it good? Did he use tongue? I need details, girl.”

Harper elbowed her. “Ava! Let her breathe, she’s clearly still processing.”

You felt your cheeks heat up even more as you fidgeted with a loose string on your sweater. “I don’t know. I mean, yeah, it was good, okay? Really good. But it’s Rafe, and now everything’s weird, and I don’t know what to do.”

Harper’s expression softened, “Okay, I’m trying to wrap my head around this. You’ve hated Rafe for, like, ever, right? And now, all of a sudden, you’re kissing him? What about Nate?”

“I know!” you groaned again, throwing your head back against the couch.

Ava looked like she was about to explode. “So... do you like him? Because it sounds like you’re starting to like him.”

“No! Maybe? I don’t know.” You buried your face in your hands. “I wasn’t supposed to like him. It wasn’t part of the plan. But then he had to go and be all... different. Like, he’s still Rafe, but sometimes he’s—I don’t know, sweet? Ugh, that sounds ridiculous.”

Harper sighed, shaking her head slowly. “Babe, if you’re getting all messed up over a guy like Rafe, this could be a problem.”

“Tell me about it,” you muttered. You didn’t want to like Rafe. He was the last person you should be catching feelings for.

“Guys like him? They’ll pull you in, mess with your head, and leave you confused as hell.”

“I know,” you said, hating how true that sounded. “But it’s not just that. There’s something else. Like, when we’re alone, he’s— I don’t know. He lets his guard down, and I see a side of him that I don’t think anyone else does. He's weirdly honest."

Harper raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re not catching feelings?”

You let out a frustrated sigh, flopping back against the couch. “I don’t even know anymore. I thought this was just a stupid kiss, but now it feels like everything’s different. And it’s so dumb because I should be focused on Nate!"

Ava and Harper exchanged a glance, both of them looking concerned. Harper was the first to speak.

“Okay, maybe this is a sign you need to figure out what you really want. Do you want to keep chasing Nate, or... do you want to see where things go with Rafe?”

You blinked, the question hitting you harder than you expected. What did you want? Nate had always been the plan—nice, safe, uncomplicated Nate.

It wasn’t just the kiss. It was how you couldn’t stop thinking about him. His stupid grin, the way he’d tease you but also get serious for like, two seconds, just long enough to make you question everything.

You sighed, pushing your hair out of your face, “This was a terrible mistake.”

Harper crossed her arms, studying you. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Call him.”

“What?!” You sat up, heart racing. “No way. I can’t just call him out of nowhere.”

“Yes, you can,” Ava chimed in, nodding like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Here’s the test—if he picks up right away, it means he’s been thinking about you too. If he doesn’t? Then maybe he’s just playing games.”

You stared at them like they’d just suggested jumping off a cliff. “Are you guys serious? There’s no way I’m doing that. You're not serious."

Harper smirked, grabbing your phone off the table and holding it out to you. “Do it. Right now. Trust me, if he cares, he’ll pick up.”

What kind of fucked up science was that? Rafe? Liking you? It was ridiculous. There was no way. Not when he'd been with so many girls, kissed even more, and never gave you a second glance. You were just...there.

Your stomach twisted in knots. “What if he doesn’t answer? What if he thinks I’m weird for calling at night? What if I just— explode from embarrassment?”

Ava waved her hand dismissively. “If he doesn’t answer, then you know where you stand. But if he does... well, that’s another story. And I highly��doubt you’ll explode. Just call him and see.”

You took a deep breath, staring at your phone like it was about to bite you. It felt reckless, terrifying even. But you were curious too—what would happen if you actually did it? Would he care? Would he answer?

“Fine,” you muttered, grabbing the phone from Harper and quickly finding Rafe’s name in your contacts before you could change your mind.

Ava grinned, leaning in. “Ooh, this is gonna be good.”

“I thought you hated him—"

“Call him!”

You hit call, holding your breath as the phone rang once, twice—

And then, to your absolute horror, it stopped. He picked up.

“Hey,” Rafe’s voice came through, “Everything okay?”

Your heart jumped into your throat.

You glanced at Harper and Ava, who were both staring at you like this was the most exciting thing to ever happen. You cleared your throat, trying to sound normal, like you hadn’t just spent the last ten minutes freaking out about calling him.

“Uh, yeah, everything’s fine,” you said, cringing at how awkward you sounded. “I just... wanted to see if you were ready for tomorrow’s study session.”

Lame. So, so lame.

Rafe chuckled softly. “You called me at night to ask about studying? I didn’t know I was that irresistible.”

You rolled your eyes, but your heart was pounding. “Don’t flatter yourself, Cameron.”

He laughed again, and you could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “Too late. Anyway, I’m ready for tomorrow. Was studying really the reason you called?”

You glanced at Harper and Ava, who were both nodding furiously, encouraging you to say something—anything that wasn’t study-related.

“Well... maybe not just that,” you admitted, feeling your cheeks heat up again.

There was a pause on the other end, and when he spoke again, his tone was softer, more serious. “I’m glad you called.”

Your heart skipped a beat. You weren’t sure what to say, so you just muttered, “Yeah, me too.”

There was another moment of silence, like you were both trying to figure out what to say next.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Rafe said, his voice a little lower, almost... warmer? “Night.”

“Night,” you replied, and then the call ended.

You dropped your phone onto the couch, staring at it like it had just turned into a bomb.

Harper squealed. “He picked up right away! And he was flirty! Oh my God, he likes you!”

Ava clapped her hands, bouncing on the couch. “I knew it! He’s totally into you. Nevermind what we said earlier. Rafe Cameron is into you. We were wrong. Scratch the whole 'he’s just messing with your head' thing. He’s definitely catching feelings.”

You scowled, “Where’s your backbone? Five minutes ago, you were all, ‘Rafe’s trouble, don’t fall for it,’ and now you’re practically shipping us?”

Harper shrugged, unapologetic. “Yeah, but that was before he picked up right away and sounded all soft. That’s different, babe.”

“Exactly!” Ava chimed in. “Nate who?”

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t know. He’s... safe. And uncomplicated. Why am I even entertaining this idea of Rafe?”

Harper raised an eyebrow. “Because safe doesn’t make your heart race. And it sure as hell doesn’t make you stay up all night overthinking. If you were so into Nate, you wouldn’t be calling Rafe at night. Or letting him kiss you!”

You opened your mouth to argue, but nothing came out. They had a point, as annoying as it was. Nate might’ve been the goal, but Rafe was what had your head spinning. You groaned again, flopping back against the couch.

Sure, maybe he’d been acting a little off lately. Like, sometimes he’d actually ask you how your day was or show up when he knew you’d be around. You didn’t think much of it, though. That’s just how it was with guys like Rafe—he probably wanted something, or maybe he was just bored.

You huffed, feeling your cheeks heat up. “It’s just so stupid. He’s Rafe. He’s... ugh, he’s complicated, and I don’t even know if he’s serious, or if he’s just bored, or what. And now I’ve kissed him, and I can’t stop thinking about it, and—”

“And now you’re realizing that maybe Nate isn’t what you really want after all,” Harper finished.

You sighed, hugging a pillow to your chest. “What am I supposed to do now?”

He’d flirt, he’d flash that stupid grin, and then he’d move on like nothing ever happened. Why would you be different?

“Easy. You figure out what you want. Not what Nate wants, not what Rafe wants. You. And until then, just... enjoy. No one said you had to decide everything right now.”

Harper nodded in agreement, giving your arm a reassuring squeeze.

“Yeah. Take it slow. And for tonight, let’s just not overthinking every little thing, okay?”

Yet, you thought about him all night. You’d seen the way he treated other girls. He’d throw them those lazy smiles, the ones that practically screamed I’ll forget your name by tomorrow, and it always seemed to work.

They all fell for it—why wouldn’t they? Rafe was good at getting what he wanted, and he never stuck around long enough for things to get messy. You? You were invisible up until recently. He only paid attention when he felt like pissing you off. Your friends had to be reading too much into things.

This was Rafe. The same Rafe who was impossible to figure out, who never took anything seriously—least of all you. There was no way he liked you.

But the next day came way too fast, and you were paying for it. Hard.

You groaned as you dragged yourself into the library, sunglasses on like they were going to somehow shield you from the pounding headache.

Harper and Ava had insisted on one more glass of wine, which of course, turned into two. And now, you were here, praying Rafe wouldn’t notice that you felt like death.

As you slumped into the chair across from him, he immediately raised an eyebrow, “Rough night?”

You gave him a look, your head already throbbing too much for his sarcasm. “Don’t even start, Cameron.”

He leaned back in his chair, eyes twinkling with amusement as he took in your state. “Wow, I can smell the regret from here. You look like you partied with a bottle of tequila and lost.”

You groaned, rubbing your temples. “It was wine, thank you very much. And yeah, it was a little too much.”

He chuckled softly, flipping open his notebook. “A little? You look like you just survived a war zone. Was the study session that boring to look forward to?”

“Ha ha, so funny,” you muttered, wincing as you reached for your bag. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Barely.” He tilted his head, clearly enjoying every second of it. “I’m impressed you made it at all. Should I have brought a bucket? You know, just in case?”

You glared at him from behind your sunglasses. “I hate you so much right now.”

Rafe just grinned, unfazed. “Trust me, it’s mutual. But seriously, you need water or something? You’re about two seconds away from face-planting on that table.”

You bit your lip, knowing he was right but not wanting to give him the satisfaction. Still, your mouth felt like a desert, and the thought of anything cold and hydrating sounded like heaven.

“Maybe… a coffee?”

“Have you eaten?”

“Huh? No?”

“You’re not drinking coffee before you eat.”

You squinted at him, thoroughly annoyed. “Rafe, I’m hungover, not five years old.”

He just raised an eyebrow, clearly not swayed.

“Hungover means your brain’s working even worse than normal, so yeah, I’m pulling the adult card here. You need food before coffee.”

You rolled your eyes, regretting it instantly as your head throbbed harder. “Fine. I’ll get food after the coffee.”

He shook his head, already getting up. “Nope. I’m grabbing you a bagel or something.”

“Rafe, seriously—” you started, but he was already walking away, not even bothering to let you finish.

You slumped back in your chair, groaning under your breath. As much as you hated to admit it, he was right. You hadn’t eaten anything since last night, and your stomach was twisting in a way that wasn’t just from the hangover. But it was so typical of him to boss you around, like he knew what was best for you. He seemed almost too serious about all this, like it wasn’t just about breakfast or caffeine. Was he actually… worried?

He was being so over-the-top about something so simple. Maybe he noticed things you didn’t even realize were slipping—how little you’d been eating, how tired you always seemed. You didn’t want him to worry, to get so wrapped up in how you were doing. But the fact that he did…

Rafe returned, dropping a bagel in front of you. “Eat. Then you can have your coffee.”

You blinked at the bagel, caught off guard. “You actually got me food?”

He gave you a look. “You really thought I wouldn’t? What kind of person do you think I am?”

“A pain in my ass?” you muttered, but there was no real bite to it. You unwrapped the bagel, taking a cautious bite, and, annoyingly, it actually helped. “Thanks, I guess.”

“You’re welcome. Now, once you finish that, we’ll get started on actual studying. You might wanna take those sunglasses off too. It’s not that bright in here.”

“Stop being so smug about it,” you grumbled, but you took another bite of the bagel, your headache easing just a little.

He leaned back in his chair, stretching out like he owned the place.

“Hey, if you’re gonna drink like that, you should at least have someone who can take care of you after.”

There was something about the way he said it that made your heart skip a beat. “Is this your way of saying you care?”

“Eat your bagel.”

You rolled your eyes, but there was no denying the flutter in your chest. Why was he always like this? One minute he was the biggest pain, and the next, he was sweet? You took another bite of the bagel, trying to ignore the way his comment made your stomach do a weird little flip.

Rafe just watched you, arms crossed, looking smug as ever. "I'm not saying anything," he teased, leaning forward slightly. "But you did call me last night."

You nearly choked on your bagel. "That was for studying!"

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth pulling into a grin. "Oh, right. You totally call guys at night to talk about history."

You threw a balled-up napkin at him, feeling your cheeks heat up again. "Don't start with me, Cameron. You texted me first!"

"Fair enough," He caught the napkin effortlessly, still grinning, like teasing you was the highlight of his day. He was holding his hands up in surrender, but there was no hiding the amusement in his eyes. "Don’t know if it’s the kiss or maybe you’re just starting to realize I'm not all bad."

You scoffed, trying to brush off how much that actually hit home.

"Please. You're still an entitled jerk, Rafe. One kiss doesn’t change that."

But the truth was, maybe it did change something. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since. And now, sitting here with him being all unexpectedly considerate, it was getting harder to pretend like there wasn’t something going on.

“So it hasn’t been keeping you up at night?”

“Why would it? It was just a kiss. Happens all the time, right?”

His smirk widen, “So I didn’t get your panties in a twist?”

You were going to throw a book at his face.

"You’re so full of yourself," you muttered, trying to act unbothered, but your pulse quickened.

Rafe leaned in a little closer, that stupid smirk still plastered on his face. “I’m just saying, it seemed like more than ‘just a kiss’ with the way you keep getting flustered. You sure it didn’t mean anything?”

You narrowed your eyes, determined not to give him the satisfaction.

“What do you want me to say, Rafe? That I’m totally falling for you? That I can’t stop thinking about the kiss? Because that’s not happening.”

He chuckled softly, leaning back again, but something shifted in his expression. He was still teasing, but there was an edge of curiosity now, almost like he was testing the waters.

“Good to know. Guess I’ll just keep doing my thing then.”

“Your thing? What, being an annoying, arrogant jerk?” you shot back, though there was less bite in your tone than usual.

Rafe’s lips twitched, “I’d hate to think I’m keeping you up at night.”

Ugh. Why was he like this? Why was this working on you?

You rolled your eyes, trying to stay focused on the whole reason you were here in the first place: studying, Nate, anything but this. But the way Rafe was looking at you right now, like he could see through all the walls you put up... yeah, it was messing with your head again.

"Can we just study now?" you grumbled, flipping open your textbook, praying the conversation would shift before your cheeks got any redder. "I didn’t drag myself here to talk about your ridiculous fantasies."

His grin softened into something more genuine, and he shook his head, finally relenting. “Alright, alright. I’ll be good. Let’s get started before your brain melts from that hangover.”

But as you pulled out your notes, you couldn’t help but notice the way his gaze lingered just a little too long. And worse, you knew your heart was doing the same—stupid fluttering and all.

There was something about this back-and-forth with him that was starting to feel... different. And maybe, just maybe, that scared you more than you were willing to admit.

As the two of you dove into the study session, you tried—really tried—to focus on the material in front of you. But every time he leaned in a little closer or cracked a joke that made you roll your eyes, your mind wandered back to that kiss. To the way he looked at you when no one else was around. To the fact that, as much as you hated to admit it, Rafe Cameron was making you feel something you hadn’t expected.

“Do you remember that bonfire when we were sixteen?” he asked all of a sudden.

You raised an eyebrow, confused for a moment. “Which one? There were like, a million bonfires.”

“The one where you dumped your drink in my face.”

Your hand froze halfway to your mouth. Oh. That bonfire. It felt like a lifetime ago, but the memory came rushing back, clear as day.

“I can’t believe you remember that.”

Rafe chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, it’s not exactly something you forget. One minute I was talking to you, and the next, I was soaking wet with a face full of—what was it? Lemonade?”

“Spiked lemonade,” you corrected, biting your lip to keep from laughing. “You deserved it.”

“Deserved it?” he echoed, leaning forward, clearly enjoying this trip down memory lane. “I asked if you wanted to hang out by the water. How’s that deserving a drink to the face?”

You rolled your eyes, feeling the old annoyance bubble up again. “You asked me to hang out after you and your friends had spent the whole night making fun of me."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, maybe we were a little rough back then. But I swear, I wasn’t trying to be a dick that night.”

“You were always a dick,” you muttered, but there was no real heat behind your words. Sixteen-year-old you had despised him and his cocky attitude.

He smirked, “You were so pissed off. Your face was all red, and you were shaking with anger, like you couldn’t believe I’d even dared to speak to you.”

“You had it coming.”

“I probably did,” he agreed, a softer look crossing his face. “But I remember thinking, even back then, you were different. You didn’t take shit from anyone.”

You blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. “Wait, are you actually complimenting me right now? What is happening?”

Rafe just grinned, leaning back again, but his eyes stayed locked on yours. “I’m just saying, you’ve always had more fight in you.”

Your stomach did that weird little flip again, and you quickly looked away, focusing on the crumbs left on the table. “Well, maybe if you hadn’t been such an ass, I wouldn’t have had to.”

“I think that’s why I liked messing with you so much.” His voice was quieter now, more thoughtful. “You always pushed back.”

You bit your lip, not sure how to respond to that. The Rafe you remembered from back then was all arrogance and teasing, but this... this was different. It was like he was admitting that he’d seen you in a way no one else had back then.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaching cut your conversation short. You glanced up, thinking it might just be another student passing by, but your heart nearly stopped when you saw Nate walking toward you and Rafe.

Rafe’s smirk faded instantly when he spotted him approaching.

“Hey,” Nate greeted with a casual smile, though his eyes flicked quickly between you and Rafe, “Didn’t know you guys studied here too.”

You cleared your throat, trying to sound normal even though your brain was racing. “Yeah, uh, just catching up on some work.”

Nate’s smile wavered slightly as his gaze lingered on Rafe, then back to you. “Mind if I join? I was just gonna find a spot to get some work done, but...” His voice trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air.

For a second, you were torn. Nate was here, right in front of you—the guy you’d been chasing for months, the one who was supposed to be the plan. But Rafe was sitting across from you.

He leaned back further in his chair, crossing his arms with that signature smirk creeping back onto his face. “Yeah, sure, the more, the merrier.”

You shot him a look, silently pleading with him not to make this worse, but he just raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the situation.

Nate pulled out a chair, setting his bag down, “What’re you working on?” he asked, glancing between you and Rafe.

Before you could answer, Rafe spoke up, again, “Just a little review. Nothing too complicated, right?” His eyes flicked to you, daring you to answer.

You swallowed hard, feeling both their gazes on you. “Yeah, just going over some notes. We’re almost done, actually.”

Nate’s eyes lingered on Rafe for a beat longer than necessary, like he was sizing him up. “Right. Cool. I guess I’ll just... grab a spot over there.”

“You do that.”

“Rafe.” you grumbled under your breath, kicking him under the table.

"You wanna grab lunch after? I was gonna head to that new sandwich place, and figured you might want to come."

For a split second, you hesitated. Lunch with Nate was the safe, easy option—exactly what you’d been trying to hold onto. But the way Rafe was watching you now... Nate’s invitation wasn’t just about lunch. It was a claim, a reminder that he was the one you were supposed to be into.

"I, um—” you started, but the words were stuck in your throat.

You’d just spent the last half hour trying to convince yourself that Rafe didn’t matter. That this whole thing with him wasn’t a big deal. But now, with Nate standing right here, it felt like your brain was short-circuiting.

Rafe stood up suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor. "Well, looks like you’ve got plans," he said, his voice flat. He glanced at you, before grabbing his notebook. "Catch you later, I guess."

Before you could say anything, he walked away, his footsteps heavy as he left the library. You stared after him, your heart doing this weird thing where it felt like it was both racing and sinking at the same time.

Nate raised an eyebrow, watching Rafe go. "That guy’s... intense," he said, his tone light, but you could tell he was fishing for something.

You forced a smile, "Yeah, that’s Rafe for you."

But even as you said it, your mind wasn’t on Nate. It was still stuck on Rafe—on the way he’d looked at you before he left, like maybe he’d been hoping you wouldn’t just go along with Nate’s plan. Like maybe he’d wanted you to choose something different.

"So, lunch?" Nate asked again, his smile back in place, but it didn’t feel the same. Not anymore.

You swallowed hard, nodding automatically. “Sure, lunch sounds good.”

But as you followed him out of the library, you couldn’t ignore the feeling that you’d just walked away from something important.

539 notes · View notes