#Jongho au | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

anyamaris · 2 years ago

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No Take Backs

Word Count-3738

Summary- Staying with your brother and his best friend and roommate, you find yourself rediscovering some old feelings for your childhood friend.

Pairing- Brother's BFF!Jongho x Fem!Reader

Trope- Brother's bff to lovers AU

Warnings- Vulgarity, unprotected sex (wrap it up irl), MINORS DNI 18+

For all my lovely Jongho lovers, I hope you enjoy! This man deserves so much love! Especially @ssaboala 🤍💜🤍

Thank you to @cafekitsune for banners below!

Tags- @cultofdionysusnet @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @yoonguurt @shinestarhwaa @babesindestroyland @lemonhongjoong @stardragongalaxy @kpop-stories-21 @thelargefrye @sanjoongie @kwanisms @ssaboala @millennial-fangirl @starillusion13 @pyeonghongrie-main

“No no, not that….Mingi….shit! NO HIT THE …damn it….the turret, Mingi….” Jongho sighs. You can’t help but stand back and cover your mouth as you watch your brother and his best friend play at their computers. You’ll never know why Jongho bothered playing with your brother. Mingi wasn’t very good, but you supposed he was fun to be around.

“I’m here.” you mumble, knowing the two were too involved to bother greeting you. Sure enough, Jongho was explaining to Mingi what he should have done and of course ... .Mingi was explaining how he did actually do the thing that you knew very well he didn’t. Whatever it was….you didn’t pay much attention to the games they played.

Tossing your bag on the couch and shaking your head, you tuck your spare key into your pocket. Jongho and Mingi had moved in together after high school and they’d been roommates ever since. Now that you’d move back to town for the summer, you were going to crash here since they had the extra room.

You weren’t sure what that was going to mean for the two of them, or how well you’d sleep with the two of them around. Jongho was fairly respectful, he always had been when you’d been growing up, but Mingi tended to get loud when he was playing games. Smiling at their antics you watch them for a few moments before you grab your bag and head into the guest room.

A bit later after putting your few things away, tossing on some sweats and a tank top, you head back out. It had been quiet and you notice just Jongho sitting at the computer with his headset on. Wondering where your brother had gone, you walk up next to your long time friend.

Smiling as he is so into what he’s doing that you can’t help yourself, you lean down and blow on the back of his neck. The high pitched yell that escapes him has you laughing like a moron as he spins, pulling the headset down. His eyes are huge before he notices you and he shakes his head.

“Y-...Y/n??” he stutters, his cheeks turning pink. Oh my god, he’s even more adorable than ever, you think, smiling. Pinching his cheek, you lean down close to him. “Did I scare you?” you ask, grinning and he pushes his chair back, a scowl coming over his face. “What the hell, when did you get here?” he asks, rubbing his neck. You can’t help but notice the tinge of red on his neck too and smirk. He was still so easy to tease.

“I’ve been here since you were explaining to my moron of a brother what to do with some kind of turret thing.” you say and he just looks at you, then shakes his head. “Why do you still play with him?” you ask and he just sighs. “I ask myself that all the time, but here I am.” You just smile knowingly and pet his hair. “My poor teddy bear.” you say pouting and he brushes your hand away. “Cut it out, we’re too old for that.” he says but you can’t help but notice the little twitch of a smile.

“Aww….fine then, I’ll just ignore you like every other boring guy. I’ll go find another cuddly bear to -” Coughing, he stands up, taking your hand and putting it back on his head. “Fine fine, I’ll be your bear.” he sighs, rolling his eyes.

“Yay!” you say, clapping. He gives you his adorable gummy smile and you can’t help but feel the tiny twinge of a long forgotten crush creep up. Shaking your head, you just brush it off and make your way into the kitchen. “I bet you two haven’t eaten anything but take out and ramen for awhile huh?” you ask and he makes his way over to the small area, sitting on a stool to watch you pick through their supplies.

“You know us so well. Mingi hasn’t shut up about wanting your cooking again though. I can’t say that I disagree either.” He smiles again and you lean over to pinch his cheek. “Well I’ve missed cooking for you guys.” Frowning, you pull open a drawer and quickly grab a notepad and pen, starting a list.

“UNFORTUNATELY, I will have to go shopping for stuff, since you guys have almost nothing but junk.” you busy yourself making the list and he just watches you, making chit chat. Mingi comes barreling back in the door and grabs something off the table. “OH! HEY Y/N! BE BACK-” he yells, then runs back out.

“Ooookay, weirdo.” you say, just shaking your head and returning to the list. “Not going to even ask.” you mutter. “Ok! Me too, I’ll be back in a bit.” you say, going to grab your bag and shoes. “I’ll come with you. I can help carry everything back with you.” he offers and you smile, nodding. “Thanks, you’re always so sweet and reliable. Can I just clone you?” you ask and he smiles at you.

You have an uneventful shopping trip and true to his word, Jongho carries everything back, not even letting you carry a light bag. “Seriously, are you trying to impress me, sir?” you ask, raising an eyebrow. He grins and leans over to you. “Why? Is it working?” he asks slyly and you can’t help but feel your heart skip for just a split second. “Hmm…it may be …” you say, returning his sly smirk.

Clearing his throat, you both make your way into the dark apartment. “What the hell…” Jongho says, then sets everything down. As you busy yourself putting things away, Jongho pulls out his phone. “Idiot. He forgot he had to work overnight tonight. No wonder.” he snorts and you burst out into laughter.

“He still hasn’t been able to figure out his alarm on his phone?” you ask and Jongho shakes his head. “I’ve tried….even when I do it for him, he loses his phone. You know how it is.” You just nod, starting to prep veggies. “Oh I do…I do..” you smile. Jongho comes to join you, listening to directions as you tell him how to cut things.

“You’re still so damned good at everything, aren’t you? Doesn’t it get annoying?” you ask, laughing. He just smiles down at you, and you can’t help but notice how small you feel compared to him. “There’s maybe a few things I’ve not mastered yet. But not many.” he says, and from anyone else it would sound cocky. But you’ve known him long enough to know the truth…he really was just good at everything he did. “Somehow I imagine if you truly wanted to do them, you’d do them well.” you mutter, snorting. He just shakes his head at you as you continue to cook.

Once everything was done and you’d both eaten, you decide to go change into some pjs. When you come back out you notice he is just watching something on his computer. “Hey…if you’re busy I can-” “Nope!” he says, pulling off his headset and getting up. “Want to watch a movie or something?” he asks and you just shrug, going to flop onto the couch.

“Sure, I don’t know anything I want to see though…” you say and he sits next to you. “Ok, we can just browse..” he says, flipping through some apps to find something. “Why don’t you tell me how you’ve been?” you suggest, turning towards him, pulling your leg under yourself. He smiles, glancing over at you.

“How is the singing thing going? You really need to do something with that gorgeous voice of yours.” You say, letting your head fall to the side and admiring him. He glances at you again, noticing that you’re staring. “Uh…yeah well, I’m still doing some training stuff…it’s still…Why don’t you tell me about what you’ve been up to? What’s new?” he asks and you smirk, knowing he hated talking about himself.

“Hmm…nothing new. School is fine, one more semester then I should be back permanently unless you know, something incredible happens.” you say. Pulling the remote from his hand, you toss it to the side. “I don’t want to watch anything. I did have….a weird question for you.” you say, biting your lip. It would be odd to ask Jongho about this but…you didn’t really have anyone but the girls in your dorm back at Uni.

Talking to a guy would probably be your best bet. “I…so…” you try to start and he wrinkles his eyebrows, turning towards you, mimicking your posture to listen. “Tell me…What’s going on?” he asks and you already feel comforted. Even when you were young, Jongho was always your big teddy bear, even when you and Mingi fought, he was always on your side. His presence alone was comforting for you.

“Ok don’t tell Mingi I talked to you about this…” you say and he nods, concentrating on you. “I…sort of dated and I had some issues and I won’t get into them but like…” you trail off as his eyes darken and his lips pull down. “Dated?” he asks and you nod, scratching your neck as you look away. “Yeah…guy was kind of a jerk but like….I’m over it! Anyhow-” He cuts you off, grabbing your hand. “What do you mean?” He asks and his eyes are searching yours.

“Just uh…I don’t want to get into it!” you laugh, realizing how serious he’s being. “Probably not a good idea to mention it, sorry. I forgot it’s probably weird to think of me as anything but Mingi’s annoying little sister.” you say, feeling your cheeks heat up. His gaze was not leaving you and you felt oddly vulnerable all of a sudden.

“That’s not what I was thinking, Y/n. Not at all. I was wondering if some bastard hurt you and who I was going to have to break in half.” he says, completely deadpan. You feel your stomach flip at his demeanor and you swallow, realizing your tiny crush may not have been completely squashed at all. “Jongho…I’m fine…just don’t look at me….like…that.” you whisper and he frowns, cocking his head to the side. “Like what?” he asks, confused.

You can’t help but let out a small laugh, chewing your lip. “Like you want to protect me as more than your friends sister….I’ll get weird ideas…” you mutter, then you redden even more as you realize you said that out loud. Instead of laughing at you though, you’re met with silence as his gaze bores into you. You can’t help but keep looking away, growing even more confused at his stillness. Then his eyes change, like he’s come to a decision before he is grasping your hand, pulling you towards him, his mouth meeting yours.

You go completely still in shock for a split second before you throw your arms around his neck and push yourself onto him. The sudden change in your attitude has him falling backwards, scrambling to grab you and hold you as you pry his lips apart with your tongue. You moan into his mouth as his tongue slips against yours. His tentative hold on your waist all of a sudden becomes a strong grip, his hands sliding around you. One hand slides up your back, his hand cradling the back of your neck. “Fuck-” he manages as he nips your bottom lip, then your hands are in his hair.

You used to have dreams of what it would be like to kiss Jongho, far back when you were teenagers. But those were little girl dreams and this was the real thing. And it was so much better than you’d ever imagined. But never once had you imagined he’d actually be the one to kiss you first. You always assumed he’d never seen you that way. But his mouth and his tongue and…certain parts pressing against you as you pressed against him were saying something else.

“Jongho-” you moan against his mouth and then he’s tearing his lips from yours, pushing himself back even as you reach for him. “Shit….Y/n…I’m sorry I-” he says but you just crawl towards him, straddling him as he lays back on the couch, his eyes wide. “No you don’t, don’t you dare….” you say, seating yourself on him so you can feel his arousal against your ass.

“Don’t you even, Choi Jongho. Don’t you dare do something like that, then turn around and try to take it back. You can’t unopen this door.” you say, grabbing his hand and bringing it to your waistband, pulling up your tank top with your other hand. You only have to bring his fingers to the flesh of your hip before he’s sitting back up, taking control as he dips his hand into your pajama bottoms. His large hand squeezes a handful of your ass as you grind against him.

“Shit…” he mutters as you run your fingers through his hair, tipping his head back as you gently pull the strands. “I want you, Choi Jongho.” you state and he closes his eyes briefly, seeming to steel himself as you wait for him to come to terms with what is about to happen. “I’m not taking no as an answ-” you start but then he’s flipping you onto your back, settling himself between your parted thighs. Your eyes go as wide as your smile as you look up at the man hovering above you.

“Oh my…” you breathe out, your eyes dancing as his stern expression brings a dampness to your panties you hadn’t expected. “Jongho…” you whisper as he dips down to take your mouth with his, propping himself up on his elbow. His other hand slips up your top, his fingertips skimming along your side and making you shiver. “I wasn’t saying no, princess…” he murmurs, kissing down your jawline. He draws back to look down at you as his hand cups your breast, your lips parting in a moan as he lightly pinches your nipple through the thin material of your bralette. “Then…what were you stopping for…?” you say, his touch bringing little pants from you.

“Coming to terms with what I’ve wanted to do for a long fucking time.” he says and your eyes fly open as he yanks your top up, exposing your tits so he can admire you. “Fuck…you’re so sexy…” he murmurs, then he’s taking your nipple in his mouth, rolling his tongue around on it. “You’ve- oh my god-” “Shhh, talk later….my mouth is full…” he mutters between moving to your other breast, sucking that nipple into his mouth. You raise your hips a bit, trying to get him closer, wanting to feel him against you.

“Patience, princess…” he says and you can’t help but smirk at the cute nickname he’d given you when you were younger. You tug at his top and he sits up to help you remove it. You admire his chest, always hidden under so much clothing but you knew he was athletic and it showed. You run your hands down his bare torso and he hisses as you get to his pants. “Jongho…” you moan out, licking your lips.

He just watches as you unbutton, then unzip his jeans, yanking them down with his boxers. Your eyes light up as his thick, rigid cock is freed, standing big and proud in front of you. Unable to stop yourself, you sit up enough to take just the head of his cock into your mouth, moaning softly as you taste the saltiness of his precum wet your tongue. His hand buries itself into your hair as you roll your tongue around, mimicking what he’d done to your nipple as you look up at him.

The sight of you with your mouth on him, your top yanked up and your tits exposed has him groaning loudly, gasping as you wrap your hand around him to stroke. You cup his balls in your other hand and as you watch him and slowly take him until he is hitting the back of your throat, he has to pull you off with a small cry.

“Stop…fuck…” he whispers, standing up and yanking you up with him. He pulls off your top and bralette, tossing them, then he’s yanking down your pajama bottoms, kicking his own pants off in the process. Then he’s backing you up against the wall. “Tell me now, if this is ok. I want to hear you say again that you want this. I need to make sure…” he is growling out and there’s nothing in the world that would make you say anything but, “Yes, fuck yes, I need you inside of me right n-” you are pawing at him, as he lifts you and presses your back into the wall. Your legs wrap around him as he cuts you off with his tongue, delving into your mouth.

He holds you effortlessly as he slips his hand between you, his fingers exploring your delicate folds, soaked with need for him. “Oh my god…” he moans and you yank his hair. “Stop playing and fuck me.” you demand, biting his lip. He just nods, hoisting you up a bit, his hand leaving your drenched core to guide his thick cock against you, slipping back and forth across your slick to tease you. “Jongho!!!!” you cry as you wiggle, desperate for him.

“Patience, little girl…” he whispers as he presses himself into you, stretching you with how thick he is. “God, you’re so tight….” you nod, your hands clenching his shoulders as he eases himself into you. “Fuck baby girl…talk to me…tell me you’re doing alright…” he says through clenched teeth and you nod, leaning back so you can see eachother’s faces.

“Jongho..you feel so good….please….more…more…” you moan and he drops his head onto your shoulder. “Yeah, more?” he asks and you cry out as he holds your ass and plunges the rest of the way into you. At your sharp cry, he stops momentarily, but then he starts pulling out, just to drive himself deep into you again. This draws out another yell, your voice cracking as he fills you completely, his dick so big you can feel it almost in your womb.

“MORE!” you scream, and he moans loudly into your neck as he plows into you mercilessly. The feeling of being suspended with just his body holding you up as you dizzy, your abdomen tightening quickly and you grip his hair, his shoulders as you as thrown into a spiral as your orgasm washes over you.

He leans back to watch you cum, his face completely flushed with passion as you clench around him, drenching him as he continues his steady pace. Your whimpers have him slowing, then he’s gently letting you down on your legs. “Turn around for me, gorgeous. I want to see your pretty ass while I fuck you…” You had steadied yourself for a moment but his words make you go weak again and he’s chuckling in your ear as he turns you to place your hands on the wall.

“That’s it, don’t worry I’ve got you…” he murmurs, placing his hand on your lower back to bend you forward. You look back at him and bite your lip as his hand slips down the front of you, his fingers seeking out your puffy clit as he guides himself back into you. “Jongho…oh god…you…” you try to say but he’s just humming at you, almost cooing as he buries himself completely within you. His free hand presses against your lower belly as he starts thrusting into you and he gasps. “Fuck, I call feel myself inside of you, so nice and deep..” he groans out and you can only whine as he picks up the pace.

“Jongho…so big…fuck me harder…more…” you cry out and his noises go from heavy breathing and moans to sharper cries as you talk to him. “Yeah? You like when I fuck you? You like me deep inside your pretty pussy?” he asks and you scream as his fingers rub your swollen nub faster, driving you over into another orgasm.

“Jongho! C-ccuu-mming…” you manage, gritting your teeth. You look back at him again, watching his face contort as you clamp around him and his eyes fly open, then squeeze shut as he gasps, his hips stuttering. “Ah fuc-” he chokes out but then he’s pulling out of you, and you watch as he cums all over your ass, the white ropes of cum shooting out in spurts. “Mmm cum for me….so fucking hot..” you moan, as he jerks himself off, milking every last drop. You can’t help yourself as you turn around and drop to your knees, taking him in your hand to make sure he’s completely empty. He groans, then almost squeaks as you take him in your mouth, tasting his release and savoring it as you look up at him.

“Oh my god….you’re killing me…” he moans, then has to gently pull you off as he hisses, too sensitive after cumming so hard. “Mmmm…you taste amazing…” you murmur, licking your lips and his eyes roll back as he grunts at you. “Oh man…yeah…you’re going to be the death of me.”

You stand up and he pulls you into his arms, his mouth capturing yours in a deep, intimate kiss. “Mmm…” you murmur, happy in his strong embrace. “Do me a favor, princess.” he says, pulling back to brush your hair back. “Hmm?” you manage, your lips trying to find his again. He laughs and pokes your nose. “Don’t date anyone else. You’re mine.” he says, and you open your eyes, smiling happily.

“As if that was even a thought, you big idiot.” you say and he shakes his head at you. “But…who’s gonna tell Mingi?” you say and his eyes go wide. You smirk and run towards the bathroom. “Not it! Now get in here and clean me up!” you yell and he’s immediately chasing you.

“When I catch you, it’s not cleaning up we will be doing…” he growls and your screams as he catches you echo through the empty apartment. Finally, your childhood crush had turned into a fully bloomed love for your brother’s best friend.

#cultofdionysusnet #Jongho Smut #Jongho x reader #Jongho brothers best friend #ateez au #Jongho au

222 notes · View notes

twilightzoneletters · 1 year ago

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[10:22 pm] breakup!au

time seems to freeze as you read the little bubble of text from jongho on the screen in front of you.

'hey. i don't want to do this because i don't want to hurt you. but i don't think i'm where i need to be to be in a relationship right now. i want to end it now before i end up hurting you'

hurt you???

hurt you?????

it was too late for that.

those kisses and giggles shared between the both of you.

the things you had shared with him and not anyone else.

the vulnerability and time you shared with him.

the promises he made...

how dare he think that by ending it now he would not hurt you.

how dare he think that he hadn't already become someone you cared about deeply.

how dare he break your heart like it was nothing to him.

how dare he love you so dearly for a moment just to let you go as if it were nothing to him.

through text.

how dare he.

92 notes · View notes

daemour · 1 year ago

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Shut Up Before I Fall In Love

Pairing: Jongho x f!Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, childhood f2l, family au

WC: 3729

Warnings: Cursing, absent family is a big part of it but not explored too much.

Summary: After you finish college, your parents ask you to move back home to help with your nephew. As much as you are bitter about your older sister dumping her child to go “find herself”, you’d do anything for little Jihoon.

When you return home, you’re surprised to see your childhood best friend, Jongho, still around, after growing up hearing him talk about how he’d love to move to America. But you won’t say no to his company.

This is written for @pirateeznet's anniversary project! My quiz result was Illusion :) Go and check out the other authors' works!

I do have an idea for a continuation of this more focused on the family part of it so if you want to see that too let me know ^^

As you leave the taxi, you hear your nephew screech your name before he can barrel himself into your legs. “Auntie!” You gasp playfully as you wrap your arms around the ball of energy clinging to you. “You’re here!”

“I am!” you cheer as you sweep the preschooler up in your arms, spinning him around once before setting him back down. “You’ve gotten so big, baby. Soon I won’t be able to pick you up anymore!” Jihoon puffs out his chest, proud of his achievement.

“Yeah! Soon I’ll pick you up instead!” You laugh, ruffling his hair. “Will you take me to the park instead of Gramma and Grampa?”

“Yes, baby. We can spend all summer together.” Jihoon cheers, his little fists pumping up in the air, and you smile at the cute action.

When you finally look up from the top of your nephew’s head, you first see your mother waving languidly and then your eyes catch on a familiar figure. “Jongho?” the name falls out of your mouth and the man in question smiles and raises a hand in acknowledgement.

“(Y/N), it’s been a while.”

Your heart is overflowing with such warmth at the familiar sight. “It certainly has been. Still in the same neighbourhood, Mr America?” you tease, grinning at the sight of Jongho’s ears turning red as he averts his eyes.

“Yeah,” Jongho rolls his eyes at your jibe good-naturedly. “I was six, dude. You’re never gonna let me live that down.”

You laugh, shoving at his shoulder. “You were six, and then you were twelve, and then you were eighteen and still talking about it. No, I will not be letting it go. But really, it’s good to see you again. Hopefully we can catch up at some point.”

Before Jongho even gets a chance to respond, Jihoon pulls at your pant leg. “Auntie, talk grown-up later! I’m more important!” At his straight-forward demand, all three of the “grown-ups” laugh and you’re quickly ushered into the house by the child, looking back and giving Jongho a quick wave. His pealing laughter follows you even after the door closes.

It’s only been about a week since you’ve returned, and it feels like both nothing and so much has changed. Your room has been changed into a storage unit and you’ve currently taken over the guest room, but the rest of the house’s layout remains unchanged save a few decor. Your mom also remains unchanged, and the only large difference is, well, the presence of Jihoon.

Every so often, you don’t expect him barreling around the corners into your knees and every time you see him, your disdain for your sister grows. It’s not his fault, and it’s definitely not her fault that the father is a deadbeat and out of the picture. And it’s not her fault that she wants to be able to have fun in life, but you also think that her time spent “finding herself” should not be spent partying it up dangerously and only showing up when she wants something from your mother. She doesn’t call him her son unless it’s to his face, but still won’t give him up for adoption for the pity points. It’s despicable in your eyes. Jihoon needs his mom but he doesn’t need your sister.

Thinking about the situation just causes you stress each day. You dropped everything to come here to care for your nephew, but she can’t even spare time to see her son win an award at his preschool. Jihoon is always asking about his mother, and neither you nor your mother has the heart to tell him the truth. Not just yet. His world is full of empty promises and you don’t know how to fix it.

Today’s another day of your mother desperately begging your sister to spend time with Jihoon and you taking the few school hours you have left to sit on the porch and contemplate life. Every so often you can hear another door slam as your mother paces from room to room and you wonder how you got here.

A gentle nudge to your shoulder makes your eyes fly open as you stare up at Jongho. “Falling asleep on the job?” he teases, a crooked smile on his face as he dodges your swat.

“It’s not a job,” you snark, even though you and Jongho know that’s a lie. “I’m just waiting for him to come barrelling down the sidewalk.”

“Spoken like a true mother hen,” Jongho laughs, and judging from his facial expressions he immediately regrets his choice of joke. You don’t point it out, however, and so neither does he. Instead, you scoot aside on the porch swing and Jongho plops down beside you.

You decide to ignore the heat of his body next to you and the press of his thighs against yours, just closing your eyes and letting your head fall against the back of the swing. A moment passes.

“What time is Jihoon’s bedtime?” The question makes your eyes open as you turn your head to look at Jongho’s soft side profile. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“How’d you know I was looking at you?” you ask without expecting an answer. “Anyways, he goes to bed around nine, why?”

Jongho still refuses to look at you and you wonder why in the back of your head. “Wanna get fries afterwards?” You raise an eyebrow at the familiar olive branch, poking at Jongho’s leg with your foot. Every time he felt like he hurt you somehow, he would always offer to buy you food, starting way back in grade school when he accidentally broke your glasses.

“Slick, dude. But yeah, I’d like to.” No more words are spoken on the matter as Jihoon runs up the driveway, just a nod and then your attention turns to the three-year-old. Once again, it’s time to forget you are your own person and become a parental figure for Jihoon. With a sigh and a shake of your head, you will those thoughts out of your head and prepare for a busy afternoon of watching Jihoon.

“Okay, I'm home free,” you announce as you come down the stairs to where Jongho is waiting with a patient smile on his face. “Let’s go get fries.”

“The usual place?” Jongho asks and you nod excitedly.

“I haven’t been to that diner in forever! Ahjussi still going strong?” Your eyes are practically sparkling at the prospect of going to the “old” spot.

Jongho smiles knowingly and that gives you the only answer you need. “And he still hates being called Ahjussi. Come on, I’ll drive.”

Excitedly, you follow him out to his old sedan, hopping into the passenger seat. “Any better at driving?” you tease and he smacks your arm without hesitation. Some things never change.

And just as you remembered, the drive takes a meagre ten minutes, most of which was you singing along badly to the radio with Jongho laughing at your pitiful attempts. Not that you were actually trying.

Giggling, the two of you stumble into the 24/7 diner, placing orders through laughter and you’re pretty sure the worker is already sick of you two. Jongho makes sure to tip her well and you ignore the warmth in your stomach again at seeing his warm smile and hearing his low ‘thanks’.

“So!” Jongho proclaims in a news anchor voice, holding his straw as a makeshift microphone, “Here we have Ms. (Y/N) (L/N), home from college! Please, update us on how your life has been in the great shining city of Seoul!”

You’re laughing too hard to answer him properly and Jongho smiles at you fondly. “You’re just as weird as I remember, huh,” you finally manage to say, wiping the tears from your eyes. “It’s been nice. I really enjoy all the little hole-in-the-wall stores I chance upon there, but it’s really fast-paced there.”

Jongho nods understandingly. “Small towns are really nice in that way. Not so much getting everywhere at all times.”

You frown, leaning forward. ‘That reminds me…why didn’t you go to America? You certainly had the grades to do it.” You didn’t mean to be direct about it, but it’s been pressing on your mind since you returned to town. “I left quickly for college, so I don’t know what was up with you for so long.”

Jongho grows silent, his eyes darting away. “It wasn’t much. I just wanted to stay instead.” But alas, Jongho can’t lie when it comes to you, and he never could. All it takes is one look from you for his resolve to fold. “I…you can’t hate me for this, okay?”

You frown, tilting your head at that. “I could never hate you, Jongho. Come on, just tell me.”

Jongho bites his lip and averts his eyes, but finally speaks. “I stayed for Jihoon.” You blink, confused, and Jongho rushes to explain himself. “You couldn’t just drop college—you were in your second year—and your mom couldn’t handle both your sister and a newborn. I didn’t want them to have to call you back if they could help it. I didn’t even apply to colleges at that point so I didn’t lose anything. I just–”

“Jongho,” you whisper, feeling your heart bloom with affection for him. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

Jongho smiles weakly. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. All you knew was that there was a baby, but not all the issues that came with him.”

You smile back at him, reaching out to take his hands. “I don’t hate you, you know. You’ve done so much for us, and I can’t imagine what it would’ve been like without you here. Jihoon loves you.” Jongho peeks at you and you squeeze his hands comfortingly. “Thank you for all your help.”

Jongho’s eyes are suspiciously shiny, but before anything else can happen, the girl who took your order shyly approaches the table. “Uh, I’m sorry to interrupt…but we’re closing and need to wipe down the tables.”

You and Jongho both stand up startlingly fast, averting both of your eyes in embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry. We’ll be out of your hair,” Jongho reassures before turning to you. “Let’s get you home. It’s a school night after all.”

At that, the tension is gone and you smack his bicep with a snort. “Yeah yeah, dad, let’s go home.”

When the two of you finally arrive home, you pause in the driveway. “I don’t want to go in,” you blurt out and Jongho frowns, coming up behind you. “I know I’m being dramatic, but it feels like if I go in, my life will be gone. I’m twenty-three, Jongho. I can’t be a parent. I love Jihoon but I don’t want to live my life being his mom for my sister.”

Jongho’s hand comes to rest on your shoulder. “I get it. But you know, I think you’re doing great. Jihoon will get older soon and he’ll understand. And you have me and your mom to lean on.” He squeezes your shoulder, and in typical Jongho fashion, winks to brighten up the conversation. You roll your eyes but smile at him, thankful for his comfort.

“Thanks, Jongho. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When he leaves, his words stick with you up until you get ready to sleep and lie in bed, and you dream of his warm smile.

“Fries?”

“Fries.”

Those two words became a staple of your and Jongho’s relationship. About once a week, you’d go get fries and just chill and feel like the young adults you actually are. But a new problem has occurred.

You have a crush on Jongho.

And maybe in any other circumstance, it would’ve been fine. Perhaps in a different life, you would’ve been happy with Jongho, starting a life together. But not now, not like this. Not whenever you think about having a life of your own guilt wrenches in your gut because of Jihoon.

So like any self-respecting human being would do, you start to avoid him. At first, it wasn’t an issue. You didn’t mind hanging out in groups, but you avoided one-on-one time like the plague. It helped to use Jihoon as an excuse, but sooner or later, that wasn’t going to fly.

But on a day like this, when it’s just you and your nephew, you feel at peace. Your mom is having a luncheon with her friends and Jongho is at work so you’re watching your nephew yourself, something that surprisingly doesn’t happen too often. But your mom deserves some time with her friends too and you like having alone time while Jihoon plays by himself.

The pitter-patter of his feet does not catch your attention right until he stops at your side. “Hey, auntie?” Jihoon tugs at your pant legs as you cut vegetables in preparation for lunch. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” you smile at him, putting down the knife and wiping your hands on your apron as you crouch down. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“Are you my mom now?” Your jaw drops and you’re pretty sure you’re not blinking because your eyes are stinging as you just stay in the same position. You both knew this question would be coming and yet weren’t expecting it at all.

“Jihoon, what do you mean by that?” You do know what he means by that but you need to get to the root of his thoughts.

Jihoon shrugs, no longer looking into your eyes as if he did something bad, and you feel guilty over your reaction although you don’t think you could’ve helped it. “My teachers always say mommies are always here and you are! So can you be my new mom?”

You try to speak but nothing but a strangled sob comes out and you clear your throat. “Jihoon, honey…it’s not quite how that works. I take care of you but I can’t be your mom.”

“Why? Grandma’s too old so it’s you!” He sounds almost angry about it and if not for the context you would laugh.

You frown as you think of the best way to explain this to someone whose knowledge of the world consists of LEGOs and Frozen. “It’s just a lot of adult problems that need to be solved first. Just like when you play with building blocks! You gotta build the bottom before the next part!”

Jihoon nods sagely. “Okay,” he agrees easily, patting you on the knee before going back to colouring pages on the couch. You’re left in the kitchen on your knees, silently letting the tears fall as your family breaks apart even more.

You want someone to come. You want your mom, you want Jongho. Distancing be damned. You just want someone. You try your best to wipe away your tears furiously when you hear the door creak open. “Uncle Jongho!”

Oh shit. You didn’t mean to actually manifest Jongho coming around, even if you knew that it was very likely that he would just go over to your place instead of heading to his own. It was almost like his own home at this point, no matter how much you and your mom tried to convince him that he didn’t have to let his life be taken up by your little family.

“Hey, kiddo,” you hear Jongho high-five your nephew and you smile despite your overflowing emotions. “Where’s (Y/N)?”

“Kitchen,” your rascal of a relative rats you out with relative ease (not that he would take that much interest in your forest fire of a crush). “She’s making lunch.”

“Thanks, kiddo.” You can practically see Jongho ruffle Jihoon’s hair, an action the toddler absolutely adores. And soon enough, his heavy footsteps make their way to where you’re standing like a buffoon.

As you’ve mentioned, you’re a self-respecting human. So self-respecting that you whirl around to hide your red eyes and overall pretty shabby appearance. “Hello, Jongho,” you greet him a little too casually and Jongho is immediately on high alert.

“What happened?” is his first question, with no hesitation whatsoever and you silently curse at how well he knows you. “Are you all right?”

“Oh yeah, I’m okay.” You’re not fooling anyone, not with a voice thick with tears and you’re refusal to turn around. “Uh…do you mind finishing up lunch for me? I think I need a moment to myself.”

“Yeah, of course…” There’s confusion and worry prevalent in his voice, and before you can escape to your room, you feel his hand grip at your shoulder as he pulls you into a bone-crushing hug.

The warmth and sturdiness of his arms comforts you more than you can explain and it takes all your energy to not let the tears break free as you squeeze his waist before pulling back and sighing deeply with a whispered “thank you”. You’re still not ready to talk to him but you will never take his consideration for granted.

“Let’s talk later, okay?” Jongho raises an eyebrow and you know it’s not really a question. You can only nod and hope that you can escape the questioning for a little longer before you get your thoughts under control.

And you’re caught not two precious weeks later when Jongho corners you before you can go to bed, raising an eyebrow along with his request “fries?” and you know you can’t back out this time.

To your surprise, he doesn’t pull into a parking space, instead utilising the drive-through, before going down an old road you almost don’t remember. It’s only when you reach the destination that you remember—the open field you and Jongho used to skip classes at.

“Jongho?” you start to question but he holds up a hand.

“Not yet. Let’s set up first.”

“Set up?” Your words are stopped short when he pulls out a large picnic blanket from the backseat.

Not moments later, Jongho motions for you to come join him on the ground, smiling to himself at his little impromptu picnic. Unsure, you slowly lower yourself on the ground, and it’s only when you get comfortable he finally speaks. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

You blanch, not ready to have been called out so quickly. “What? What do you mean?” you try to defend but it comes out so squeakily that you know there’s no escaping the conversation. With another look from Jongho, you sigh. “I just needed to think over things. Nothing against you. Getting my life straight and all that.”

Jongho frowns, his concern sweet. “Is it about Jihoon?”

You almost laugh at how close and yet so far he is. “Basically. Just a lot of things adding up and I don’t know…just trying to sort through it.” It’s so hard to lie to him, even if your ability to is a little better than his. It takes everything in your willpower to not spill everything like you’re so used to doing.

Jongho tilts his head adorably and you can feel your cheeks warming up. You turn your gaze away lest you fall further. “I can help you, (Y/N). You don’t have to shoulder it all by yourself.”

Before you can stop yourself, the mental blockade falls and you blink at him, before blurting out, “Stop.” Jongho stares at you, surprised and maybe a little hurt, but your big fat mouth can’t stop moving. “Shut up before I fall in love with you, okay? It’s so hard, Jongho. I just want to be able to live without the guilt of Jihoon and eonni over my head but when you’re so perfect, so pretty and so kind it’s so damn hard to not love you.”

Jongho opens his mouth and nothing comes out and it’s only then you realise the weight of your words. “I…I’m sorry. Just forget I said anything,” you mutter, turning away in embarrassment. You didn’t mean to let it all spill out, and now what is Jongho going to think of you? You want to go home and hide under all of your blankets but the issue is Jongho is your ride home. You’re in no mood to walk and there’s no way Jongho would let you walk home either.

As you sit in awkward silence, a single fry coming into your line of vision baffles you enough to look up. Jongho sits right in front of you, his expression stone cold as he attempts to feed you a fry. When you open your mouth to question him, he just sticks the fry in your mouth. Unfortunately, he is a little too enthusiastic and basically shoves it down your throat and you cough violently.

“Oh shit, sorry, I didn’t mean to do it that harshly,” he panics, rummaging around the bag he brought trying to find his water bottle, and you almost laugh but choke some more instead. “Stop talking you’re making it worse!”

With some patting on the back by Jongho and an unholy amount of water, you finally manage to swallow the fry properly. “What was that for?” you croak out and it’s Jongho’s turn to look away bashfully.

“I just wanted you to shut up and stop being stupid.” Jongho scolds, his hand coming up to rest at the top of your head. You can’t help but notice the way his fingers slowly stroke at your hair. “You shouldn’t hold all that to yourself. Talk about it, you idiot. How else would I know you like me too?”

You stare at him, unblinking as you process his words. “You what?”

Jongho rolls his eyes before leaning closer so his nose almost touches yours. “I like you, you fool. Don’t feel guilty about it, idiot. Jihoon would want you to be happy, and I won’t be weird about it. I practically raised him too, you know. It hurts a little you think I wouldn’t care that much.”

You don’t know what to say to that and instead just opt for something more simple. “Can I kiss you?”

All Jongho does in answer is press his lips to yours. As soon as your faces meet, you feel the warmth in your stomach bubble up so intensely that you fear you might melt with all the love you have for him. “What did I do to deserve you?” you mumble and you can feel Jongho’s smile against your lips.

“You were you.”

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fxckteez · 1 year ago

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・❥・ JONGHO AS BOYFRIEND

° He's cute. You love the way he's always so shy around you.

° Soft smiles when you're talking.

° Pays attention to everything you say and everything you do.

° Always asks you to do a duet with him.

° A honest boy. He would tell you everything that is going on his mind, the way he feels... Always very clear about his feelings.

° It's monday and he's already planning the next weekend with you, because the best part of his days, are the moments you're together.

° Your parents and your friends love him. He's so gentle all the time, it's kinda impossible not loving him.

° His love language is words of affirmation. So often he's gonna say how beautiful and brilliant you are.

#ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez x reader #ateez au #ateez headcanon #kpop #jongho #jongho scenario #jongho au #jongho headcanons #jongho x reader #jongho as boyfriend #ateez as boyfriends

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babieateez · 11 months ago

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stoner jongho who thought weed was for losers at first but sees you, someone he really likes, smoking at some party and decides to join. he takes his first hit of the joint and barely inhales but coughs so much that his face turns read and he sees stars. when you giggle at him though, his face isn’t red from the coughing anymore. he hardly gets high but pretends to be just so he can get away with staring at your face every chance he gets and not have it be creepy. once you invite him to hang with you and your other friends to smoke some other time, he immediately agrees, forgetting that he doesn’t consider himself someone who would smoke weed for fun. but once he realizes he feels so relaxed and happy being around you (regardless of if he’s high) he embraces the stoner life. he gets his bud from a friend of yours, choi san, and often lets you have entire joints that he’s paid for, because he loves seeing your face light up whenever he offers it to you. every so often, it ends up being just the two of you, jongho and you, smoking in your car somewhere. those times, he finds himself sneaking gentle touches, brushing your shoulders together, moving hair out of your face, moving so you can lean on his shoulders. he doesn’t know it, but you love him. soon, the casual touches turn to more frequent affection, him finding comfort in the way you grab his arm when he tells a funny joke or the way you sigh quietly and let yourself find peace in him after a hard day, and one day you feel like you might cry or melt or cease to exist and you have nothing to hold back anymore and you whisper under your breath, the smell of weed sweetly hanging in the air, a quiet “jongho. jongho i love you.” he goes silent and you think you’ve ruined it, but he looks at you with the widest eyes, completely sober, and brings his hand up to your face, touching your cheek, pulling you close to his face, so close you can feel his breath on your lips and you think he might kiss you but instead he presses his forehead against yours and says “i love you too, i’ve loved you for so long” and then he kisses you, sweetly, gently, lovingly, and you know that he means it, it’s not the weed talking. after he’s done kissing you, he tries to play it cool by taking another hit of the joint you both were smoking but is so excited that you love him back that he chokes on the smoke, coughing almost as hard as the first time he took a hit with you, and you laugh. this time, neither of you have to hide your blushing, and once he’s done coughing you kiss him on the cheek, telling him teasingly “if you can’t hang, i’m gonna have to stop smoking with you.” he knows you’re joking but he pouts anyway, pulling you into his arms saying “nope, now you’re never getting rid of me.”

#ateez imagines #ateez scenarios #ateez au #bee writes #ateez #jongho imgines #jongho au #jongho scenarios #choi jongho #teehee!!! i bet nobody knows what my favorite pastime is from this story

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mi-rae07 · 1 year ago

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Choi Jongho : Regret (Part 2/2)

Pairing : Choi Jongho (Ateez) and named character (Na Jieun)

___________________

2 months later :

Jieun was now sitting at home, watching the TV as it was a Sunday and her day off of work. It was already October, a few months away from her favourite holiday week. Just as jieun was about to open the third potato chip packet of the day the channel suddenly switched to SBS, showing pictures of the Ateez members standing together outside a variety show set. Jieun's eyes suddenly went to jongho, realizing how pale and worn out he looked in the videos and photos.

He had always looked tired but this was different, this looked as if he genuinely needed someone to hold him up. Jongho hadn't contacted her from that day but the gifts still continued, jieun even had to buy two extra vases to fit all the flowers in. but she'd forgotten about how jongho could overwork himself to the point where he'd need weeks of rest afterwards.

Jieun let out a breath, keeping the packet of chips away as she took her phone and dialed hongjoong's number before calling. He picked up a few seconds later

Hongjoong : jieun?

Jieun : please don't tell jongho I called, or is he next to you already?

Hongjoong : no he isn't next to me. But-

Hongjoong cut himself off as another voice was heard through the line, a polite female voice

??? : choi jongho-shi will be awake within a few minutes, if you wish you can go meet him now.

Jieun's eyes widened, quickly standing up as she asked

Jieun : hongjoong, are you at a hospital?

Hongjoong : uh yes. Thing is, jongho fainted a few hours ago and we were worried so we brought him to the hospital. The doctors said it was because he'd overworked and tired himself out. He just needs a bit of rest-

Jieun : where is he?

Hongjoong : xxx hospital.

Before hongjoong could say anything more jieun cut the call, quickly putting on her coat before rushing out the apartment.

________________________

Jieun ran into the hospital room hallway with a racing heart, pausing at the sight of san standing right outside the room the receptionist had told jongho was in. He straightened up as jieun walked towards him, worry evident in her eyes as she asked breathlessly

Jieun : jongho, is he okay now?

San : he needs bed rest for a few days, but the doctors say he can be discharged tomorrow.

Jieun let out a shaky breath, the door to jongho's room opening as hongjoong stepped out. He smiled at the sight of jieun before saying

Hongjoong : jieun-ah. You're here already?

Jieun : can I…can I see him?

Hongjoong : of course, you don't need our permission for that. Please, go in.

Jieun nodded and gave a small smile to the both of them before entering inside, shutting the door behind her.

Jongho : hyung I told you I'm fine-

Jieun : it's me.

Jongho paused as jieun walked to his bed where he was currently lying down, his eyes showing shock as jieun said

Jieun : you've done it again.

Jongho : jieun.

Jieun : why can't you ever take care of yourself, jongho? Why can't you-

Jongho : why can't you accept my gifts, hmm? Why do you keep…why do you keep pushing me away?

Jieun : what does that have to do with this, jongho!

Jongho : it has everything to do with this! You're here for what, because hongjoong told you I was hospitalized? Couldn't you have told him we didn't have anything between us anymore? Why did you have to come? Why do you have to pretend as if everything is alright-

Jongho cut himself off as jieun suddenly hugged him, his eyes widening as he felt jieun sniffle against his shoulder

Jongho : jieun-ah.

Jieun : stop. Stop doing this to me, jongho. I'm trying-trying my best to move away from you and you keep doing this, you keep worrying me and I keep coming back.

Jongho laid his hand against jieun's back, closing his eyes as he whispered with small tears in his eyes

Jongho : I was a mess, jieun. I was scared my group would go back because of how less concentration I was paying these days and I thought I'd disappoint my fans so I just…I'm sorry for worrying you, alright? It won't happen again, I promise.

Jieun pulled back, wiping her tears as she said, holding jongho's hands in hers

Jieun : don't do this for me, do this for yourself, jongho.

Jongho : everything I have done I have done for you, jieun-ah. I have forgotten how to do things for me now, it's been too long.

Jieun looked at jongho, tears in her eyes as jongho laid his hand against her cheek before whispering

Jongho : you don't have to do this anymore if you don't want to, jieun. You can go away from me, I'll let you. I'll stop bothering you from now.

Jieun felt her heart drop at jongho's words as he said

Jongho : I want you to be happy, and I can clearly see now that I don't bring happiness to you anymore. So I'll stop, once and for all.

________________________

Jieun plopped down on her couch, feeling empty as ever. This was what she'd wanted, right? She'd wanted jongho to go away, and now he was ready to do so. Jieun looked at the three different flowers vases kept in her kitchen counter, the flowers jongho had given her the past few months all growing really well. At this point she could make a garden out of the flowers he'd given her, and although she'd found it annoying in the beginning, now? Now she'd miss it.

Jieun groaned, falling back against the couch as she placed the back of her hand against her eyes. She hated this, she hated how she felt right now. He was giving her what she'd asked for and now she didn't want it anymore? This was so embarassing.

Just as jieun was about to try and sleep her phone rang, making her sit back up as she checked the contact. It was jongho.

Jieun : hello?

Jongho : yes uhm I was going to ask you to come back home? Not for anything else, it's just because I have some of your stuff left behind at home. And I thought you'd want it back since you're leaving so if you could come by tomorrow-

Jieun : I don't want them.

Jongho : w-what?

Jieun : I don't want them back, they're yours.

Jongho : no jieun, these are your hoodies-

Jieun : those hoodies I'd brought them so we could match together, jongho. There is no point in me having those hoodies if the match can't be made. You…you keep them or throw them away or do whatever with it.

Jongho sighed over the line, jieun gripping the phone harder in her hand as she bit her lip to stop the unwanted tears

Jongho : I'm trying to make this work, jieun. I'm trying to let you go, finally, and you aren't helping.

Jieun : jongho.

Jongho : no what has changed, huh? The fact that I'm hospitalized? That's called pity, jieun-ah, not love-

Jieun : I can differentiate between pity and love myself, jongho. I know what this is, clearly.

Jongho : then what is it?

Jieun : jongho, we can't.

Jongho : no because we're at this anyway, so then tell me. Tell me what I am to you now.

Jieun closed her eyes, feelings tears in them as she whispered

Jieun : I don't know, okay? Up until…up until a few weeks ago I wanted to break up, I wanted us to stop. And then now…now I'm-I feel like I still love you, jongho.

Jongho : are you sure?

Jieun : I am.

Jongho : then come home tomorrow, for lunch. Please?

Jieun wiped her tears as she said

Jieun : yeah, I'll be there.

____________________________

2 weeks later :

Jieun would now go to jongho's house a few times every week, doing whatever it is that he wanted to do that day. From movie dates, to cooking together, or even listening to his new music, they'd do it all together. Jieun had no idea what it meant, and neither did jongho. But whatever it was, they wanted to be together.

Jieun was now helping jongho arrange the library in his house, giggling at something jongho had just said

Jongho : so what I'm saying is, san is just really stupid when it comes to cooking.

Jieun : well you don't know how to do it either so.

Jongho frowned as he lightly hit jieun's head with a book, jieun gasping as she said

Jieun : I'm calling the cops on you, choi jongho.

Jongho : please do. Jail would be a really needed vacay for me.

Jieun smiled, standing on her tiptoes as she tried putting a book onto the top shelf. Jieun paused as she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist, lifting her off of the ground as she came to the same level as that of the shelf. Jieun let out a breath as she quickly kept the book in, jongho lowering down as jieun whispered

Jieun : I could've just taken a stool or something.

Jongho : why bother?

Jongho was about to move away when jieun quickly held his wrist, making him pause as she said

Jieun : jongho-ya, what…what are we now?

Jongho looked at jieun in part shock at the sudden question, her eyes searching his for some answer as jongho finally said

Jongho : what do you want us to be?

Jieun : you know what, jongho.

Jongho : no, no I don't. because if you remember, you're the one that left me, jieun. You're the one that said you didn't wanna deal with me anymore. So-

Jieun : that was what I thought, okay? But now…now I just-

Jongho : you what, want us back together?

Jieun looked up at jongho as he said

Jongho : I don't think we should do this, jieun. Not right now.

Jieun : jongho-

Jongho stepped away from jieun, his eyes now closed off as he said

Jongho : go back home, jieun-ah, it's getting late.

_______________________________

A week later :

Things had been awkward since then, because whenever jieun would try talking to jongho, he'd either be dry to her or just cut her off entirely. Jieun wasn't enjoying it, and that in turn led to her having too much Soju and ringing the doorbell to jongho's house. The roles really had switched.

Jongho, meanwhile, was scared. He was scared that if the both of them were to start dating again, it'd only hurt jieun in the end. He felt like he wasn't deserving of her, and that made him want to stay away from her, no matter how much he wanted her. But when he saw a drunk jieun staggering in front of his door at 10 in the night, jongho quickly ran to open it.

Jongho : jieun?

Jieun smiled at jongho, quickly falling into his arms as jongho held her up, placing his hand against her red cheek before whispering

Jongho : did you really have to drink so much?

Jieun : did you really have to push me away so much?

Jongho sighed, lifting her up as he said

Jongho : let's get you inside, it's cold.

Jongho stepped inside with jieun in his arms and shut the door behind him, walking up to the couch before placing jieun on it. Jieun quickly sat back up straight, frowning at jongho before saying

Jieun : you're too mean.

Jongho : jieun, you're drunk.

Jieun : shut up, I know what I'm talking about.

Jongho sighed, kneeling down in front of her as he began removing her boots.

Jieun : jongho-ya, I wish you'd come back to me.

Jongho paused halfway through untying the shoelace as he looked up at jieun before saying

Jongho : what?

Jieun : was it not obvious? Isn't that why you pushed me away?

Jongho : jieun nothing's going to change if we get back together, you hear me? I'm going to keep hurting you with my actions and you'll scar me even more with all that you say about it. It's not going to work-

Jieun : it can work if you fucking tried, jongho! Why can't you fight for us, why won't you try changing yourself for the betterment of both of us, so we can be together? Why won't you-

Jongho : because I tried once and it didn't work, jieun.

Jieun : then try again! Try again, and again until it fucking works. Or make it work, I want to be with you.

Jongho let out a breath, keeping both her boots away as he said

Jongho : you're drunk.

Jieun : okay, and? I'm not saying this for fun.

Jongho sighed as he laid her back against the sofa before saying

Jongho : go to sleep, I'll get you a blanket.

Before jongho could leave jieun held the edge of his cuffs once again, making him pause on his tracks as she said

Jieun : jongho, I mean it. We have two weeks left before the new year fireworks, try until then. Because I'll be waiting, for you and for us. I will stand on that bridge until the dawn breaks, jongho, you have that much time to come back to me. If you don't, then I'll consider us done.

Jongho stared at jieun as she said

Jieun : and then I won't bother you ever again, truly.

_________________________

2 days later :

Jongho : hyung, please.

Mingi : you're being so stupid, jongho. She's giving you a second chance and you're not fucking taking it?

Jongho : I'm scared, okay?

Mingi : what the hell are you scared of?

Jongho : of repeating the cycle.

Mingi : then fucking break it, jongho!

Jongho : I'm trying! She asked me to, and I am trying. It just…I don't know if it’s working.

Mingi : you'd only know if it's working if you'd be with her, jongho-ya.

Jongho sighed, resting his head against the recording studio table as mingi said

Mingi : jongho-ya, you know you love her and she loves you too. All you have to do is just make some time for her, and that is not such a heinous task for you to be getting so worked up over it.

Jongho : hyung, what if…what if I can't do it? What if I fail?

Mingi : what's more important to you, jongho, her or your own comfort?

Jongho : her.

Mingi : then you already have your answer. Fail if you will, fail terribly. But in the end, you'd still have tried and that, is more than enough.

________________________

2 weeks later :

Jieun let out a breath as she walked up to the edge of the bridge, staring up at the sky as she realized there was only 5 more minutes until the fireworks started. This fireworks was important to her, because it was the night her parents and jieun would once come up here, sitting on a bench until dawn and talked about how they wanted to go by for the next year.

They'd make resolutions, and promises, and they'd have fun together. After they died jieun had no one to do that with any longer. And then jongho had come, and jieun decided she'd do it with him. And she had, for 6 years she'd stayed up with him until dawn in the same bench that her parents had once sat with her before. They'd talk about their plans, and the future they wanted together.

And now, today would decide their future together. If jongho showed up, he did. And if he didn't, that would mean the end of jieun's world.

Jieun looked up at the sky as a firework suddenly exploded, indicating that it was finally new year. Jieun smiled, small tears in her eyes as she watched the fireworks go up one by one. And just as she was about to pull out her phone for some pictures, a voice interrupted her.

Jongho : happy new year, Na Jieun.

Jieun quickly turned around, her eyes widening at the sight of jongho in front of her.

Jieun : jongho?

Jongho smiled, walking closer to jieun as he said

Jongho : I wanted to see you with someone better, but I realized I wouldn't be able to bear that if it were to happen some day. So I'm going to become better, for you and for us. I'm trying now, jieun. And I will try forever if it means being with you, I'm stupid for not doing that earlier. And I'm sorry.

Jieun quickly hugged jongho as tears streamed down her cheeks, his presence giving her all her answers as she whispered

Jieun : you came.

Jongho closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her waist before whispering

Jongho : of course I did, I love you, jieun.

Jieun : I love you too, jongho. God I have always loved you. And…I was scared you wouldn't come. I thought you didn't want me anymore, I was so scared.

Jongho placed his hand against the back of jieun's head as he said

Jongho : there isn't a universe in this world where I wouldn't want you, jieun. Not a second in my life have I not thought of you, all I have done I have done for you.

Jieun sniffled as jongho pulled back, cupping jieun's face as he whispered

Jongho : I'm going to give you my everything now. Not just…not just material things but my time, and my love. That's going to be my resolution, because I can't afford to lose you again.

Jieun smiled, looking into jongho's eyes as she whispered

Jieun : then kiss me, we have to seal the resolution, right?

Jongho chuckled, leaning forward as he connected his lips with hers. And as jieun wrapped her arms around jongho's neck, pulling him closer to the kiss, fireworks burst around them, casting the entire place with a dreamy glow.

And just like that, on the new year began a new story.

______________________________

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eightmakesonebraincell · 5 months ago

Text

asking boyfriend!ateez to buy you pads

genre: ot8 x fem!reader, crack, fluff, fake texts

c/w: the boys are trying their best okay, swearing, crude language, pet names

a/n: bc the only way to get through shark week 🦈🩸 is to pretend boyfie ateez will (try to) take care of you 😌☝️ also in other news i got rear-ended the other day LOL @sorryimananti-romantic can confirm the other driver was st00pid

taglist: at the end

apply for taglist | unable to be tagged

@thecarnivaloflies @binchanluvrr @ifykyunho @ppprimary @itza-meee

@lavishloving @okshu @mizumigi @everythingboutkpop @ayytease

@hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @hongjoongsprincess @booyoungie @green-agent @darkmentalitystarfish-blog

@taytayy178 @babymbbatinygirl @oddracha @sourkimchi @itstheghostofmypast

@kiki277 @kibs-and-bits @mlysalt @jjoongstar @aaa-sia

@nollamuumialaaksossa @skz1-4-3 @minkilicious @joongscheese @delulu18

@teenyfinds @shakalakaboomboo @fureastel @seomisaho @levishun

@readerofallthingss @potatos-on-clouds @apriecotte @smally97 @savluvsmingi

@pixie0627 @kyeos4ng @yunhowooyo @yeehawnana @telail

@drinkingrumandcocacola @iykyunho @myblovedjyh @enhacracy @satsuri3su

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sorryimananti-romantic · 2 months ago

Text

Ateez as Villains

disclaimer: read at your own risk. do not interact if not comfortable with any tropes. reminder that this is a work of fiction and must be treated so.

warnings: absolutely no morals here, 18+ mdni, illegal acts (abduction, murder, physical abuse, stalking, trafficking, financial crimes, dirty politics, corruption), suggestive/nsfw scenes, explicit language (swearing, insults), death, violence, blood & injuries, weapons, smoking, drugs, alcohol

a/n: couldn't have done this without @eightmakesonebraincell's and @chronicvagabonds' validation lmao also tribute to tite kubo for coming up with the juiciest dialogues, some of which i quoted here

Hongjoong

The Manipulator

hongjoong always knew he had leadership skills

from being the team leader whenever he played games as a young child, to growing up and eventually influencing people

he was often told that he has a certain way of pulling people’s attention and leave something stirring inside them with his words

so it is no surprise that hongjoong is where he is today. a renowned businessman, philanthropist and… politician

hongjoong adjusts the sleeves of his shirt and glances at you from the mirror

you are standing behind him, holding his coat for him. he wears it with a proud smile and holds his chin high

“tonight is very important. for me. for this country.”

he goes on about how there will be people from all over the country

people who are the foundation of this nation. people who care about the future of this world

and if you weren’t so blinded by the adoration you have for this man you would have called him delusional

but the fact is that you are deluded by him. hongjoong has the ability to cast a spell with his words

he feeds his supporters the lie of a better world in the near future, and they bow to him

hongjoong smiles devilishly at the thought of what entails the events of tonight

he can picture it clearly- the cheers and desperate screams of his followers as he steps on the podium

the cries of these people, as helpless as sheeps in a herd, waiting for an upright politician to save this nation

he can feel the thrill just imagining what it will be like tonight when he addresses the nation as the new face of his political party

to a common person, he would just be another man with a good heart striving for a better change

but the common person is weak, and for them… he is their salvation

they will hear his words tonight- words he has carefully crafted himself. the cues will register in their minds, and they will end up seeking him to announce their undying support and loyalty, to shower in his glory

you straighten hongjoong’s coat and smooth over his shirt, your hands unsteady with anticipation

“aren’t you happy to be right next to me when i conquer the stage tonight?” he whispers, lifting your chin up

you meet his eyes and he can see his answer there

you hope he doesn’t see the conflict in your eyes. the conflict is to be concealed in your heart, in the deepest, untouchable corner of it

you are blessed, they tell you, to be the politician’s favoured

and you are- you truly are. hongjoong loves you. he adores you

in fact… he’s almost obsessed with you

and why wouldn’t he be? you were the one who led him here

you were the one who held his hand and showed him the right path- his partner, and now his secretary

oh, how you sometimes wish you could turn back the hands of the clock and go back to when hongjoong was hopeless and thought that the world was a wretched place beyond saving

that is when you told him that the only way to run this world was to join hands with the elites of this nation- or to become one

it must be the fates that led him to where he is today

after all, isn’t he a king without a crown? a ruler without a throne?

he is a born leader and a strategist. he has always been good with his words

it’s how he earned the favour and graces of the elites and the politicians and made a place for himself- not under them, but beside them

but to stand beside those people, you have to be a little… corrupt. and morally ambiguous

the world is not run by saints, after all

“sweetheart?” he calls when he sees you are distracted

you don’t miss the warning tone in his voice. tonight, you have to be on your toes

you have to seek out willing supporters and show them that they mean the world to hongjoong and his political party

but more importantly… you need to target other politicians, find their weaknesses and if lucky, have some join hands with you

“i’m here,” you tell him and he nods firmly, pressing a kiss to your temple

“i will see you tonight,” he promises, and you know what he means

he always gets such a thrill out of playing the leader

he gets so much energy, and he has to take it out one way or another

and what better way to take it out in the form of lovemaking?

you feel warmth course through your body as he trails his finger down the middle of your chest purposely

he almost smiles maniacally as he leaves first, giving you a moment to gather your wits

you pour yourself a glass of drink- you can’t possibly do this sober

you join hongjoong as he gives his first speech- a very normal talk about how this nation is on the verge of collapse

corruption, crime, inhumanity, dirty politics? you name it

you admire his resilience, really. whatever he is talking about comes straight from his heart, and he has been talking about these issues for a long time now

you also admire his pompousness and the audacity to talk about dirty politics, when he is the face of dirty politics

you join the audience when they clap for him, your heart full of pride

there is a break where he meets with the high-profile people and asks them to consider joining hands with him

‘to make a better world for the future generations’. such inspiring words from such a young political leader

except hongjoong’s trick is that he always, always has something over them

he has a team dedicated specifically for this task- to dig dirt on his political targets so he can wield them like the blade of a guillotine over their heads

despite his evil means to climb the top, somehow, his image and reputation remains far too clean

and that is because he knows to take these actions behind the scenes, away from any eyes

a true politician, he’s been dubbed

it is about midnight when the hall almost empties, leaving only the members of your party and some new faces- people who are willing to hear him out and decide if they want to join his party

you wish you could tell them that it is a trap- hongjoong will promise that their efforts and support will lead them to something great

‘the greater good’, he always says, except these people do not know what they are getting into

they are merely sacrificial lambs, the stepping stones that will lead hongjoong closer to his utopia

they will, for the sake of loyalty, put a blindfold over their eyes. they will hold him in high reverence as he becomes their lord, their saviour

he will feed them copper pellets and claim that this is the best that they can get while he himself sits on a throne made of gold

and when they empty every last drop of whatever they have to offer- their blood, sweat and tears

hongjoong will discard them without remorse. that is who he is- a master manipulator

when you are done wrapping up the event in the deep, dark hours of the night, hongjoong finds you in your bedroom

his chest is heaving with energy that is threatening to combust from within him

he outstretches his hand and you saunter over to him

his hands are dominating when he holds you, though his kiss is soft and unrushed

until that too becomes scalding hot

he is quick to lead you to the couch where you sit on his lap, finding him painfully hard

he groans loudly and starts to unbuckle his pants, and you instantly know what he wants- you always know what he wants

he easily slides his hard length inside your warmth and groans heavily in relief, resting his head back and just letting you both stay still

you only move to rest your head against his shoulder. he can have you like this for as long as he wants

“we have a lot of new supporters tonight,” he begins, chuckling deeply, “the polls seem to be in our favour too.”

his dark curls caress your face as you snuggle against him

“we also managed to score deals with many influential politicians and businessmen tonight,” he tells you and you look at him with pride as he names them

“soon,” he begins, trailing his hands under your dress and squeezing your thighs, “soon… we will have our people in every sector- in business, healthcare, industrial, courts… we will be controlling the nation- we… we are the leaders of this nation.”

his cock twitches inside you as he finishes that sentence and you bite your lips in thought

“what are you thinking, love?” he asks, caressing your face

“i just sometimes wonder,” you begin- can you admit your bare thoughts to him?

he squeezes your thigh as a sign to go ahead

“i wonder how we got here, joong,” you admit, “you know that we are exploiting people-”

“for the greater good-”

“for the greater good, yes,” you finish, nodding and he furrows his brows in concentration

“these people are just like us. we were once slaves of this society, but now we are the leaders. and they are our slaves. but…”

“they will offer us what they have,” hongjoong replies softly, “and we will make the best out of it. isn’t that right?”

you nod. there is no more space for any more questioning

you have never like the darkness in his eyes when you question his- your- methods

all he knows is that he is right

he knows what he is doing is wrong in essence, but it is about the bigger picture- he is doing this for his nation

and you cannot expect to run a nation claiming to be a saint

the nation is run by wolves, and to make space there, you must be some sort of a predator. that is who he has become

his grip on your thighs tighten and he starts to grind your body on him

between the sounds of pleasure is the groan of pain as he spanks your thighs and remind you of your place

“all you have to do is follow me,” he breathes into your ear, trailing his lips across your cheek. “all you have to do is stay with me. together…” he thrusts hard inside you. “together, we will rule the world one day, you and i.”

you nod and he swallows your moans as he kisses you, thrusting with all his might until you both come crashing down

he takes you to the shower and you both quickly clean up and get in bed

as you watch his figure relax and succumb to sleep, you confess to him

“you are a great politician, hongjoong,” you tell him and the corners of his lips curl in a smile. “i’m just afraid of going too far with you. every day, we learn that we can get worse than we are, yet…”

“yet, it has become my addiction and my duty,” he whispers, hand finding your bare arm and caressing it. “don’t you want to rule the world?”

“you will rule the world. i will be treading on your shadow, following you closely and sharpening my teeth… but afraid.”

“afraid of what?”

“of you,” you breathe and he opens one eye

“you won’t leave me, will you?” he asks innocently, yet it is there- the warning in his tone

you are responsible for who he is today. you are an accomplice

every person he ruins to get closer to the top, you are equally responsible for it

“of course not,” you tell him, “i can’t leave you.”

hongjoong notices your choice of words

you can not leave him- you do not have a choice

he holds you close and kisses you like he means it that night

it would be such a shame if he would have to throw you away after all of this, right?

it would truly be such a shame if you are just like the others in the end- weak and helpless

since you know exactly what is going on inside hongjoong’s head, you tell him you love him like you really mean it and you let him hold you close

it may be a trap, but you don’t mind being trapped if this is where you end up every night- in his arms

your lord, your saviour

The Manipulator and the Manipulated

Seonghwa

Jekyll

park seonghwa is a man who is adored wherever he goes

be it at work- at a prestigious university as a neuroscience professor, dr. park, or at social gatherings, formal or informal

he is a man born with the best manners, the most caring and generous heart

you’ve seen him around the department as a masters student and attended a few of his classes

but you never got to interact with him personally until it’s time to choose a thesis supervisor and you learn that you have a chance with him

it’s purely because he’s amazing at what he does

your subfield matches with his specialty so it will be better if he’s your supervisor (and it’s only a bonus that the man is painfully hot so you’ll never be bored)

your professor recommends you to seonghwa and he goes over your synopsis which leaves him intrigued because coincidentally, he’s researching in molecular neuroscience as well

he gladly takes you on because he believes you both will be helping each other along the way

plus, he recognises your name- you’ve always had a different air about you (and he remembers you from somewhere else too)

he’s looking forward to working with you, that’s all

so when you arrive on your first day as his supervisee and research assistant

you catch him in his natural habitat- unaware of his surroundings, humming a tune to himself and swiping his hair hurriedly to the side with the hand that’s holding a clear solution of some sort while struggling not to drop his notes on the table that has a few microscope slides

basically, moments away from a disaster

he spots you and grunts as if asking for help and you immediately drop your bag to rush towards him, only now noticing that somehow, he’s holding his glasses by his teeth

you first take those out of his mouth and he groans in relief. “can you please help me wear my glasses? those cultures are moments away from expiring.”

“oh goodness,” you mutter and you lock eyes with him as you put on his glasses for him

and your intrusive thoughts take over because you simply cannot take how his hair is poking his eyes so you gently brush his hair out of his eyes

for a moment, time is frozen for all sorts of reasons

before seonghwa takes a deep breath and you blink, immediately getting out of his way and holding his notes for him

the notes apparently hold the readings on how much solution he needs to pour so you read it for him and consequently save him from a disaster

as soon as he is done freezing the cultures, he holds the edge of the table to save himself from slumping in relief

and you share a laugh, the ice breaking just like that

he tells you that the student assigned for taking care of the cultures had an emergency and he had to rush from another department

and he thanks you for helping him

you both move to his office to go over your thesis and he helps you create a timeline

you wrap up the meeting with a clear direction of what’s next and with a schedule of shifts where you will be assisting him

it doesn’t take long to get used to being a part of his team of five calm students with a little streak of crazy

and you suppose dr. park has an eye for people like that because you fit right in

you are all very dedicated so he seems to be at ease when you are working, though he does monitor you more closely since you’re new

you start to spend more time in the lab simply because you like how it feels there

it is like a little cocoon where you can tune out the rest of the world and work on your thesis without distractions (plus, it helps how people from your team pop in once in a while to throw some suggestions at you)

you like how it is there- neat and clean

the sound of metal against metal, glass against glass. the smell of the cleaning agent which calms you since it is something familiar now

and then there’s dr. park himself, gentle and composed, yet at times clumsy and rough which results in the room cackling with laughter

however, there’s a side to him that you only see when you’re alone with him

you’re not sure if he’s like that with everyone- he must be, right?

does he pay as much attention to everyone else as you?

perhaps, you’re delusional. that must be it

seonghwa knows you must think that, because he has not been very obvious but he has not been subtle either

it’s just that he remembers you from that time. he remembers seeing your face in his friend wooyoung’s data

wooyoung, who is an expert at singling out people like them

people like seonghwa who have a little streak of crazy in them, yet manage to be a part of the society almost seamlessly

wooyoung’s company does a good job at managing these people because they ultimately help the black market grow

seonghwa is half convinced wooyoung’s company is just a faction of the government but of course he can’t confirm that

all he knows is that he cannot act out too much and get caught

in return, he knows when someone like him is in his radar

here you are, glasses perched on the tip of your nose as you examine different slides under the microscope, muttering to yourself about the readings as your scribble them

he can’t help but notice how you always wear that one specific shade of deep red on your lips or how your hair falls in the most irresistible way in front of your face

he’s never looked at a student this way- ever- but you’re not just a student now, are you?

so when he makes his move, approaching you from behind as silently as he can

he’s not disappointed when you turn- he didn’t make a sound, yet you knew

you’re not even surprised, and that excites seonghwa to no end

“ah, dr. park,” you go casually, as if him sneaking behind you was normal behaviour. “can you approve of these hypotheses?”

seonghwa hums and stands awfully close to you, your sides brushing against each other

he purposely crowds in your personal space as he leans in to confirm the readings of the specimens on the table

“everything’s perfect,” he announces, meeting your eyes

you’re still sitting so you have to look up at him and lord. what a sight he is even from this angle. you could totally get used to it-

“what are you looking at, sweetheart?” seonghwa smirks knowingly

you have to physically struggle to maintain your composure because you are pretty sure you were gawking

“nothing, just zoned out,” you say, which isn’t a lie but not the whole truth either

he knows though. he knows the effect he has on you because he hasn’t been subtle

from the casual touches to the unnecessary (but not undeserved) praise

from the prolonged eye contact to the suggestive smirks

there is something electric between the two of you, an undeniable tension

and while you’re not one who sticks to the rules, you can’t help but wonder just why is dr. park playing with you?

“you sure you’re okay?” seonghwa leans in and searches your eyes for any signs of lies

upon finding none but gaining satisfaction from the way your lips part in surprise, he draws back

you try your best not to make things awkward for the rest of the time you’re with him

and in the following days, his advances only start becoming stronger in nature

you like the attention he gives you. you like how he always puts his hands on your shoulders and gives them a little squeeze whenever he finds you sitting

you like the way his warm breath caresses your cheek when you’re both sitting side by side inspecting a specimen

you enjoy the sound of his gentle voice as he instructs you

it’s almost as if he knows. it’s almost as if he’s asking for it

does he not know that once you become obsessed with something, you’ll try- no, you will possess it at all costs?

so one night when you’re both working at late hours, busy with wrapping up one section of your thesis

you can’t take it when seonghwa scolds you teasingly for being clumsy

“you’ve got pen on your chin,” he says and before you can take care of it, he himself scoots closer-

too close for it to be professional anymore because at this point, he can probably count the freckles on your face too-

and begins to rub at your the skin near your lips gently

he frowns when it doesn’t come off, and then he has the audacity to lick his thumb and rub your skin again

“dr. park,” you mutter, about to remind him how you are supposed to be a teacher and student

you’re not friends (despite the very friendly relationship you have developed with him)

seonghwa only hums and you can’t help but notice how he stifles a smirk as he moves his thumb to your lower lip and swipes it, all the while maintaining eye contact

you raise a brow in challenge, silently questioning why he’s still holding your chin

he leans in as if to kiss you and you stop breathing

except he tilts his head to whisper in your ear

“would you like to attend the next soul society meeting with me, love?”

to say that you freeze is an understatement

you don’t move when his lips caress your cheeks as he stays in that position

you don’t move when he purposely trails his lips along your cheek as he draws back

“what’s your classification?” you manage to ask, your voice barely a whisper

the way seonghwa smirks is something you’ll never forget

“jekyll,” he says. “nice to meet you, hyde.”

there’s a moment of silence where all you can do is stare at the man in front of you

a moment of pure static

as soon as you take off your mask and your lips curl in a smirk, it happens

you don’t know who took the first step but you’re both kissing each other

it’s rushed, passionate and desperate, the air filling with your grins and giggles and you’re only glad you’re not in the lab right now because the way seonghwa clears the table with a swipe of his hand, making the notes fall on the ground

only to lift you up and seat you there so he can kiss you better? being in the lab would have done some damage alright

between kisses, you learn how seonghwa recognised you

you ask him if he lured you here somehow, but he tells you it’s just luck that you’re here as his student right now. you don’t quite believe him though

but you let it be- if he’s jekyll, that means he’s got the brains to scheme

he tells you that he’s glad to have found his hyde because he would prefer someone else to do his dirty work for him

you agree- it’s been far too long since you’ve had an adventure, and you’ve heard about the notorious jekyll in the soul society too. you just never connected the dots

he takes you to his private lab (not before feasting on you and fucking you on that very table)

for the next few weeks, you familiarise yourself with his actual research

mind altering chemicals and drugs, anything to do with control

very illegal stuff, but the soul society funds him with whatever he needs

he can’t believe he found you- you’re perfect for him

seonghwa believes he has morals and he can be a good person

so you make the perfect partner because you can be the bad person in his stead

you’re his alter ego, the voice in his head that he never lets come out

you’re the person who not only matches his freak but helps bring it into manifestation. you are now his face

while he advances in molecular neuroscience in the world, you advance, on his behalf, in the underworld

there’s no blood on your hands- you both only produce drugs. you’re not responsible for what is done with them

you do sometimes assist in the practical work, which seonghwa avoids, because after all, he has a reputation to maintain as dr. park

no one suspects a thing. you’re just supervisor and supervisee who share a similar obsession with research

nothing to worry about

Jekyll and Hyde

Yunho

The Hunter

when you finally got to a blind date that your friend begged you to go to, you didn’t expect to meet a man who would actually catch your eye

there is something about this man, jeong yunho, that instantly pulls you in as if you really are tied by a thread

for starters, he is incredibly handsome and has a soft vibe to him that exudes warmth

his voice has a soothing quality and his mannerisms are as gentle as his gaze. his laugh is pure and he makes quite a good company

he just makes you feel comfortable and safe right away, which is kind of surprising

so when yunho tells you about himself, confirming that he is indeed a corporate lawyer at a well-known firm, you are simply in awe

you thought your friend was bluffing when she told you that she is trying to set you up with a ‘beauty with brains’

she was not lying, is all you can think now

you’re a simple school teacher, you tell yunho with a laugh

however, the man’s eyes are practically twinkling as he hears your stories about school

you’re only telling him because he insisted, and now he can’t stop appreciating your profession, saying that it’s admirable how you are able to connect with children and educate them

the conversation steers to your likes and dislikes, your preferences, and what you’re looking for in a partner

surprisingly, the two of you have a lot in common

you both have a special place in your heart for food. you both love travelling. and there are some things he does not need to say out loud

like how he’s a caring person- always making sure you’re comfortable and your bowl is full, draping his coat over your shoulders when you leave the restaurant and scour the streets for something sweet

the hand that he offers you is not suggestive and you like that (you also like how tall he is and how his hand engulfs yours almost entirely)

just two people who talk about anything and everything- that’s who you become by the end of the night

as you settle in bed later, you’re still smiling about how his eyes twinkled when he learned that you too have a thing for gaming too

you have good feelings about this person so far but there’s a feeling scratching at your heart that has you restless

it is the way his eyes darkened almost dangerously, only momentarily, when you insisted that you could get home on your own

he was a gentleman, no doubt about it, insisting that you could never be too sure these days especially with the news being so horrible lately, the crime rate spiking up dramatically in the past few months

you just did not like the idea of having a stranger accompany you all the way to your home, even if it was this gentleman- this was only your first meeting

so he made you promise to call him and let him know when you get home

and here you are. you dated him for a few months before you both decided to move in together into an apartment that suited your needs

he’s perfect in every way- attentive, responsive, caring, funny, and he gives you space when you need it

which matters the most because you value your personal space a lot

he understands the importance of personal space very well and even though you share a room, you both let each other be

you let him be when he’s gaming, and he lets you be when you’re staring at the ceiling or reading

more often though, he’ll have you sit on his lap as he games

since he’s so much bigger than you, you’ll curl on top of him to read or scroll and he’ll be focused on his game, liking your presence

it doesn’t always lead to something but when it does, it’s always fun

he has you smitten- his kisses still make you feel like it’s your first time sharing a kiss (and he’s damn good at it)

his touch lingers on your skin throughout the day and you cannot wait to be back in his arms again

it is just another night when you decide to walk and take the longer route back home because apparently yunho was going to be late and you did not want to be home alone

it gets quieter as you navigate through the streets and alleys

and when you take a turn and notice a familiar figure, you stop in your tracks

is that… not yunho? the back and the height looks pretty much the same

the man is watching a woman at the end of the street who is using her phone as if waiting for someone

the woman catches the man watching her and grows wary- you can tell even from the distance

you can tell that she is very much pretending to be on call when she starts moving

despite every cell in your body urging you to ignore this and go back home, you start to follow the man when he starts to follow the woman

you are careful to maintain a distance, cursing yourself internally for being a curious little shit who seeks thrill like there’s no tomorrow

but the woman takes a left, and the man takes a right, leaving you standing in the middle of the street, taking a few deep breaths

nothing happened, you think. you turn and start to trace your path back

and just a minute later, there’s an unmistakable sound of a woman’s scream filling the air

every hair on your body rises as your heart drops and eyes widen

you’re frozen in one spot with no idea what to do next- should you go check on the woman? see if it was the same person?

not once do you think of calling the police though

you walk back home, lost in your thoughts with the image of the man’s familiar figure branded in your mind especially since you are pretty damn sure that those were little sunflowers embroidered on the hem of the hoodie

sunflowers that you embroidered on yunho’s hoodie

when you open the door to your apartment, though, you hear the sound of the TV and yunho is sitting very casually on the couch

“ah, you’re home,” he grins and waves, just like he usually does

he’s not wearing the hoodie anymore

“i thought you were gonna be late?” you ask

“you’re late,” he counters. “why did it take you so long to get home?”

“just decided to take a walk,” you smile, ruffling his hair and planting a kiss on the top of his head before going to your room

you grab your clothes and move towards the bathroom to take a shower, and it is then that yunho’s eyes widen

“ah, babe?” he calls, his voice uncharacteristically high

when you don’t answer, he rushes towards the bathroom and finds you standing in the doorway

your eyes are fixed on the sink which is a pale shade of pink with handprints on it

yunho curses himself internally- he rushed to hide his hoodie as soon as he got home, jumped in the shower, spotted the bloody sink from when he first washed his hands and decided to make it look like he had been home for a while before cleaning the sink

only he fucking forgot

it doesn’t look as bad- it’s not a bloody red, for starters

“ah, i forgot to clean that up,” yunho awkwardly laughs, proceeding to move inside and open the tap, taking a sponge and cleaning the edges of the sink

yeah. it does not look that bad

“i accidentally spilled that red ink you have in the room- i don’t know why i got curious and messed with it.”

that’s not the colour of your ink, though, and you know it never leaves stains like these

“don’t worry about it,” you tell him, but your eyes are wider than usual. yunho notices that

he lets you shower in peace, all the while thinking if you suspect something

truth be told, he saw you when you were following him back there which is why he took another turn to mislead you

he also knows you are far too observant for your own good

he can’t lie- one of the reasons he fell for you is because of that. you are just like him

though you are free of sin unlike him, your mind is a mess

you notice too much that is not meant to be noticed. you sometimes say things that even he has not thought about. you question if human morals are an actual thing or a made up construct

is it from reading too much fiction? he thinks not

when you come out of the shower, something possesses you to move to the balcony

and that’s another thing yunho likes about you (which also scares him a little at times)

it is your intuition- which leads you to inspect the little corner where you pile up useless stuff. you can see the sleeve of his hoodie there

you pick it up and find it wet in certain spots

on its black base, you can’t tell what it is, but the sunflowers are stained a suspicious red colour, and it’s definitely not your ink

you look towards your right where yunho is standing, vigilant

there is a moment of silence before you lower the hoodie

“it really was you,” you say, unwavering

your heart is not speeding because you’re scared- it is speeding because you are right

yunho is still, contemplating how to deal with this

did he think he could hide his secret from you forever? no. was he prepared in case he gets caught? no

he just never imagined it would unfold like this

and now… will he have to hurt you if you threaten to expose him? he can’t bear to hurt a hair on your head

you bring out all the good in him. he does not know how you do that, but you make him believe that he can love with all of his heart too, just like any other person

you make him feel whole, and it would be such a shame if things fall apart now

to his surprise, you drop the hoodie back and walk towards him until there’s little distance between the two of you

you hold both of his hands in yours and look at him earnestly

“are you going to tell me what you have been up to?”

yunho is surprised at how calm your voice is and how accepting your eyes are

he sighs deeply before steering you to the couch in the living room

and then he bares his heart to you

he is a monster. that is it. he hurts people and it satisfies this ugly part of him

he does not always want to, he justifies, but sometimes, he just can’t help it

and the only reason he gets away with it is because he is not stupid and carefully chooses his victims- people who are miserable. people who have no one around them

“well then… i’m lucky to have one person in my life, right?”

yunho’s eyes widens at your response

you fulfil the criteria of being his victim- you have no one

you have no one but him- how did that happen?

he thinks back to your first date and he can’t help but feel overwhelmed

he buries his face in the crook of your neck, his head about to explode

why are you not running away from him? why are you caressing his head and holding him close?

you don’t tell him everything right away. you only ask him to trust you

so he trusts you and waits for you

he learns little bits about you- you, who do not care who yunho is, as long as he is transparent with you

you, who has a twisted sense of morality. you, who might be as bad as yunho, even worse

though, your hands are clean, you tell him sarcastically, it’s just your head that is a mess

and it’s a blessing that you two are together and can be honest about this too, right? how lucky you are to have each other

“you, without sin, are like the sun,” he tells you one night as he kisses the top of your head and holds you close

“you, even with sin, are like the sun,” you respond.

The Hunter and His Guide

Yeosang

The Mad Scientist

there is something about the innocent features of his face, the gentleness in his mannerism, the absolute ethereal aura about him

that contrasts strikingly with the pitch black (or maybe, just two shades lighter) of his soul

the man only knows how to scheme and how to take the best possible route towards his goals

the goals are all related to science

sure, he is contributing to the scientific area, doing researches no one else would do

doctor kang yeosang- a scientist and philosopher, held in high reverence in the medical field, contributing with numerous researches centering the human body

nobody needs to know exactly how he gets such extensive, solid results to support his theories

he comes off as a soft-spoken man, someone who possesses a kind heart

he is willing to overwork himself in order to make life easier for others

he is much appreciated by his peers

they don’t need to know that behind his neat and professional setup is a dark, cold space that holds his real workspace

the endless corridors lined with shelves upon shelves of jars

jars containing the human body parts within them

from the brain to the spleen, from the heart to the liver

each jar meticulously lined in an organisation such that only yeosang could close his eyes and know where to pick what he needs

each organ in the jar has a story of the human that it once was- the story that yeosang himself scribes and tucks in the safe (and in a corner of his heart)

taking it out only to read and reminiscence, or to make another addition

such as the one that he is about to make now, sauntering with an almost skipping manner, highlighting his delight in the events about to unfold

his pristine white lab coat flows behind him, a symbol of everything that he would not be doing tonight, which only adds to the irony of it all

he finds you mirroring his expressions, eyes wide with anticipation and lips curled in a stifled smile

and he can’t help but smile wider, the sound of his footsteps echoing loudly as he speeds towards you so that he can finally hold you after the long day he had, tired of playing it cool in front of everyone

you are snaking your arms around his neck immediately as he bends down to capture your lips in a fierce kiss, earning a surprised but pleased yelp from you

you let him have his moment, kissing him back with equal passion until he draws away and rests his forehead against your shoulder

“long day, huh?” you press your lips against his temple. “how did the presentation go?”

the presentation being at a conference of the national medical association where yeosang was the chief guest, awarded for his valuable insights to the medical world

“i sometimes wonder if i’m the only one wearing a mask,” yeosang confesses.

you know what he means

there surely must be others just like him

you can’t expect to make medical advancements while sticking to the stupid laws and regulations they have carved for you

the medical associations do not allow anyone freedom

“it’s tiring to pretend my research was simply a result of my team’s hard work,” yeosang continue, “they didn’t do batshit. i wish i could credit you instead.”

“but you can’t,” you caress his dark locks. “that would certainly raise suspicion since i’m… underqualified.”

well, that’s arguable

you may not be as good as yeosang at what you do but considering that you come from a non-medical background, yeosang would say that you are pretty close

in fact, overqualified

“i don’t think there’s anyone more qualified than you,” yeosang lifts his head to look up at you, eyes scanning your face. “you’re an expert of the human body.”

you are an expert, that is true

you did what you had to do to survive as a young girl who lost her way

you were meant to be a test subject yourself but you created your own path and proved that you were good with your hands- almost artistic

and that you could open up humans as long as you had a good knife

your skills were a bit rusty when yeosang found you in the black market

but he was thoroughly impressed and made an offer. it was an offer that you couldn’t resist

you would no longer be bound to be a slave for the rest of your life

you would be his equal. an accomplice

“but you are the mad scientist. i’m just your unofficial assistant,” you pat his cheek in answer

it’s a wonder that you’re here now, in his arms

a muffled sound interrupts your little moment

you both steer towards the big room and yeosang looks around for a moment to take in the glory of his workplace

the crisp white walls and clean tiles smelling of antiseptic, marred with red stains of blood that is dripping from the man’s limbs

the man who is currently tied to a stretcher in the middle of the room

the instruments and tools that he would be using tonight to open his test subject up are glinting with silver, ready to be used

he has chosen the perfect target- a relatively healthy, middle-aged homeless man

really, no one would care if he went missing

in fact, you were doing him a favour by putting an end to his miserable life, right?

surely, he did not wish to live without a home and the means to survive

though here he was, sedated but struggling nonetheless, as if finally having found the will to live

“ah, he created a mess,” yeosang begins, clicking his tongue in disappointment as he inspects the bruises around the man’s wrists. “i’m sorry you had to wait so long, hmm?”

it’s almost eerie, how yeosang’s voice drips with pity

but that’s what you like about him

he thinks of the greater good. he is doing all of this for the greater good

there is no personal desire to kill random human beings, no

he simply needs test subjects to study the human body, so there can be advancements in the medical world

he just can’t believe that the world does not have a cure or even a prevention for most of the diseases in this age

he has taken it upon himself to contribute to the medical world so people do not have to suffer anymore

he complains about this a lot

if people had guts, they would have done this ages ago

sometimes, he refers to the awful medical experiments done by humankind- especially on women

he is different from them, he claims

he cares about their pain- that is why he makes sure to make his subjects’ death quick and painless before he starts to conduct his experiments

it’s just too bad that he doesn’t have much time after the person passes to study certain functions of a living human

(so sometimes, he makes exceptions and asks god for forgiveness. easy peasy)

you watch yeosang with a sort of wonder and a little something that resembles fear as he caresses the man’s head in farewell

he asks the man to say his last words, to choose them carefully, to take his time and to make peace with the fact that there is no way out

the sedatives seem to have made the man somewhat placid

the test subject stops resisting to lock eyes with the doctor

he says something about the regrets he’s had in his life and how he just wants his misery and pain to end now

yeosang’s brows are furrowed in concentration as he listens to each and every word, nodding along as if he aims to fulfil every desire this man possesses

his hand is gently caressing the man’s head

when the man is done, yeosang tells him that his contribution to medical research won’t be forgotten

he looks at you to find you already staring at him with an unreadable expression

he signals you to get the job done and you inject the medicine meant to stop the man’s heart

you watch the man take his last breath, his face contorting in pain as his heart ceases to function

yeosang has already moved on from the little moment he had, putting on medical gloves and snapping them against his skin rather dramatically

“let’s get to work, shall we?”

you smile in response, following his instructions

soon, you are testing the functioning of the man’s abdominal organs with various equipment and drugs that yeosang has bought from the black market

you have to work quickly before necrosis begins and hinders you

yeosang is very careful with his methods. his hands are steady as if he has done this a thousand times already

and though he comes off as clumsy in the public eye, he is anything but here

his eyes are focused, darting between the electrodes placed on the man’s liver to the readings on the screen

it goes on like this for a while, yet another failed experiment as the liver fails to respond as desired to the electric shock and necrosis takes over

it doesn’t disappoint any of you though

yeosang has a strong vision and no amount of failed experiments is going to stop him

plus, there’s always something you learn even from failure

you begin to clean up when you notice a broken nail lying on the stretcher

you pick it up with tweezers and inspect it- it must have broken when the man was struggling to break free

yeosang catches you looking at the discoloured nail with curiosity and he hums in question

“hair and fingernails are beautiful ornaments.” you ask, “so why do they seem so baleful when they are removed?

yeosang stands beside you, pondering

“the answer is simple. they are previews of what is to come. of death.”

you look at him to find his eyes twinkling with the knowing glint of someone who’s seen it all

after you both finish recording the data of tonight’s session, yeosang is back to being the cute and clumsy person that you absolutely adore

the man is craving chicken after today’s hard work so you fulfil his wish and take him to his favourite place

you both sit across each other, drinking beer and savouring the juicy meat while talking about casual stuff- just an assistant and her boss

just two friends who met by chance and felt an instant pull towards each other

just two lovers, fated to be together and find solace in each other’s company

as if the stars have aligned for you yet again, a familiar face walks in and sits on the table next to you

you meet yeosang’s eyes and you both stifle a smile

it’s one of the potential test subjects you’ve had in your file, due for observation

and what better observation than to sit next to them in a casual setting and eavesdrop naturally?

yeosang raises his beer glass in toast and you share a knowing smile, raising your own glass in toast

just two partners in crime. that’s who you are

The Mad Scientist and his Accomplice

San

Executioner

choi san works hard during the day

he goes to the school and makes sure his students are in top shape

as their p.e. teacher and coach, he has every student’s physical status on his fingertips

he knows their strengths and their weaknesses. he also knows their desires

so if a student is not a good runner but wants to run better, he would never tell them to give up, he would personally coach them and make sure they know that their body is not the limit

they can be a good runner, a good player, a good swimmer- anything

as long as they are steadfast, they can conquer the world

so choi san is loved and respected by the students, known to be a very caring teacher

but choi san works harder at night. no one needs to know that

certainly not his colleagues who always go about how hardworking a teacher he is

when he is free from the school, he goes to his home and changes before driving to his friend’s place- a warehouse where a few of you hang out

someone programmes, another composes, another works out

just an innocent hideout that you’re all using even in your early thirties

except that you also huddle around to read the new request you receive on your app

“i am a twenty-one year old female. two years ago, the man who dated my older sister killed her, but due to lack of evidence, he did not receive the jail time he deserves. he claims that he is innocent, but ever since he got out, he’s been bothering me because he had to serve his short sentence anyway. he is threatening to kill my family and then me if i go to the cops. i am scared to leave the house because he is stalking me and i can always see him wherever i go. please help me. i won’t go to the cops anyway- they didn’t do anything then, and they will not do anything now.”

san is contemplating if he should accept this request

you look at wooyoung who is immediately weighing the pros and the cons

you look back at san who is still deep in thought and you gently rest your hand on his thigh, bringing him out of his head

“i’ll take it,” he mutters. “accept the request, y/n.”

you nod and go back to the computer to accept the request

you have a phone call conversation with the client where you set up a meeting

it’s you and wooyoung who go to meet with the respective parties. san works in the shadows

the next night, san finds you deep in thought outside, leaning against the worn out wall of the warehouse

he joins you, hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans

“i know what you’re thinking,” san begins, glancing at you. “you’ve been awfully quiet since the meeting.”

you shrug in defeat. “i know i can’t change your mind.”

“it’s not going to be the same,” san refers back to the one time you all took a request from a 19 year old girl who was being bullied by her seniors

it got to a dangerous point and had you been a little late, you might have lost the girl

san lost his temper that time, though

and while he couldn’t physically harm the kids who were bullying the girl, he had them locked in a room for one night while he educated them

and funnily enough, san was scarier that night

scarier than every other time he actually wields a weapon

you asked him that night if there were any just people left in this world full of evil

“all people are evil. to believe that you are just, you must believe that someone else is more evil than you”

was his response. safe to say, the girl was living her best life now, but you saw a new side of san that night

a side you had never seen all your life, and that was saying something since you were childhood friends

“we won’t let it get to that point,” san assured, outstretching your hand and you pouted before taking it

he caressed your knuckles, his voice assertive. “i will take care of it. properly. i always do.”

“do you think i only worry about things going wrong?” you finally say out loud, the words that you want to say to him every time he goes out in the field

san, despite himself, breaks into a smile that would seem so out of character to anyone who has not known him for long

“you can’t smile your way out of this,” you sulk further, snatching your hand away and folding your arms

“baby,” san begins, trying to take your hand again but you’re not having any of it

“i’m worried you’ll get hurt. i’m worried about the pain you’re willing to go through so you can lessen the pain of others.”

san stops teasing then, mimicking your position as he leans against the wall next to you

there is a thick silence surrounding you and you wonder what wooyoung is doing inside- is he napping?

“it’s something i have to do. something only i can do. you know that, right?”

“i know,” you say, almost a whisper. “and that’s what makes this more frustrating.”

because it was originally your idea

on a summer night when you were all about to graduate, a tragedy happened in your town

a man went on a spree, killing and wounding multiple women and children for weeks

you, who knew one of the victims personally, were shocked by the act and disgusted at how lazy the police were being

it turned out that the assailant was a high-profile businessman and the police were trying to cover the case up as per the orders of their superiors

the three of you were hanging out in the warehouse, each burdened by their own train of thoughts, until you finally said it out loud

“what if we were some sort of a private service where we help the victims? especially when the police can’t?”

it was wooyoung who agreed first, and san who disagreed

it took him some convincing to finally agree, and you set rules

you were not going to kill anyone- only maim

if it’s a serial killer, you maim their hands so they can never hold a weapon again

if it’s a bully, you maim their mouth so they think before they speak

the three of you are a team, but san is the executioner

wooyoung is his eyes and feet, and you are the brains

so it is ironic how worried you are about san now, when you gave him this role

“i know that i can get hurt,” san begins, taking a deep breath. “but there is no pain as long as i keep my eyes on the balance scale.”

this time, when he outstretches his hand, you take it. he plants a sweet kiss on your knuckles

“don’t worry about me, hmm?” he tugs you closer so you can rest your head against his firm chest as he embraces you. “i can’t focus when you’re so worried.”

“i can’t help it,” you tell him. “you’ll just have to get used to it.”

san lifts your face with his thumb below your chin, his brows furrowed with concentration and worry as he looks at you

his eyes are sharp as he scans you so you smile

immediately, his body relaxes and the corners of his lips curl in a smile as he pecks your lips- once, twice

and it is about to turn into a deeper kiss when wooyoung claps loudly to get your attention

“alright, lovebirds. get inside. we have a heads-up.”

you scowl at wooyoung who smirks in response but you both immediately join the youngest inside

your client has texted to let you know that she’s about to go out so you can stalk her stalker

you and wooyoung take your equipment to the van and san prepares himself

he’ll be observing tonight, but he is prepared in case the stalker catches on

just like that, you observe the stalker for a few days, assuring your client that she is safe

you plan a trap to lure the stalker to an abandoned area where san will have a little chat with the stalker

and when the day comes, all your client has to do is threaten to call the cops on him

he comes after her and that is when san knocks him out with a punch

the stalker finds himself tied to a chair in an empty room when he opens his eyes

there is the stale smell of something resembling death in the room, and that makes the man resist

from the darkness, san emerges, clad in all black, his face covered with a mask

and his favourite weapon, the dagger, in his hand

you and wooyoung are watching from the camera embedded on his coat

you can see the glint of the dagger as he twists it dramatically in his hand

san circles around the man once as if to gauge the room

even through the camera, you can tell how thick the air must be feeling

san meets eyes with the man and removes the tape over his mouth, wincing when the man screams his lungs out in hopes that help would come

there is no help, not for miles

“who are you?” the stalker spits on the ground near san’s feet

san only shuts his eyes in mild annoyance. he is not easily riled up

“you have been found guilty of the crime of stalking. tell me… what should be your sentence?”

the man pales, fresh beads of sweat trickling down his forehead

“it will be better if you admit to your wrongdoings and give me a fair number. you don’t want to leave it in my hands.”

“what do you mean sentence?” the stalker starts struggling fiercely, almost falling off the chair. “i have already served!”

san grins under the mask, closing in like a cat and stomping on his foot, making the man let out a guttural groan of pain

he leans in to whisper in his ear

“but… that was for murder. and unfortunately, i am not charging you for murder tonight. otherwise… you would not have walked out alive.”

the man gulps loudly, meeting eyes with who has to be the person he has heard so much about in prison

most of the people in prison feared this man- the judge, they called him

the man was the judge, jury and executioner for criminals, feared more than the cops or actual prosecutors

“surely… you’re not him, are you?”

you wince at the fear in the stalker’s voice and meet wooyoung’s eyes

san never confirms if he is that. he simply finishes the job right there

the stalker’s screams are heard for quite a distance, even outside your earpieces

you shut your eyes momentarily and when you open, you can see the blood oozing out of the man’s left leg

san is wiping the dagger with the man’s own jacket as he tells him that he will never be able to stalk people again

the man screams and screams, waiting for something more, but nothing else comes

san’s job is done

he tosses a broken piece of glass near the chair for the man to free himself if he wishes to

when san comes back to the van, the air is sombre, just like after every finished request

wooyoung pats his shoulder in acknowledgement and mutters a joke in an attempt to lighten the mood, which works

“they still call you the judge, huh?” wooyoung teases as he drives

“judge, jury, executioner. how scary, choi san.”

san raises a brow at your comment- he can tell what you’re referring to

you’re referring to the first time when he came back covered in blood

and the first time he realised that no matter what he did, you would never be scared of him

and that you and wooyoung would always have his back and guide him

“i think i’m only the executioner. you both are the judge and jury.”

“makes sense,” wooyoung agrees. “but the world does not need to know that.”

Judge, Jury and Executioner

Mingi

The Overseer

“the future, pitch black, upside down”

mingi dips his brush into the onyx ink, finishing writing the words on the big canvas

the canvas that is a splash of colours- red for the blood on his hands. white for the innocence he lost too soon. blue for all those nights he spent trapped with only the moon as his friend

and finally, black for the future. the future is the only uncertainty in his life

despite being a leader of a notorious gang, he can never be certain about his future. there are always people after his life

he cannot trust anyone- not one soul-

“sir,” a voice interrupts and he knows who it is instantly

even if he did not hear your voice, he knows you are the only person who would dare interrupt him in the middle of his private time-

“tea, sir. you’ve been cooped up in here for too long,” you say, placing the mug on the table

-for something as meagre as tea

mingi spares a glance in your direction, noticing how you are still dressed in your usual all-black fit

which means you have not gone to sleep yet, even though it’s well past midnight

“and what are you doing up so late?” he asks as he picks up the cup and sips it, finding it exactly to his liking. a flavour only you can nail

“watching you paint,” you confess without hesitation

because in this place, in this room, between the two of you, there may be truths hidden, but there are no secrets

mingi is amused to hear that though he does his best to hide it

“and what do you think of the painting?” he asks, allowing you to take a closer look

you smile at his permission to inspect his art and you inch closer to the painting, now standing beside your boss

you read the words on it in a whisper and cock your head in thought

“isn’t this too dark, even for you?” you question

mingi shakes his head in amusement and looks down. only you could have made this observation, having been at his side for a solid seven years now

where others would say that his paintings were too ‘colourful’ considering the kind of person he is, you still find them too dark and void of life

you’d know better, because you know mingi inside out

he first found you when he was a street thug in the process of becoming something big

all he had was his raw strength, a strategic brain, a few rusty weapons and some loyal friends

he went on to fight gang after gang, always emerging victorious and merging the losing team with a good deal- it’s how he earned respect around and gained a reputation

every other gang knew not to stand against him unless they wanted to risk losing everything they had

when he first opened his office in the darkest part of the town, he found you purely by chance

you were nearing the end of your teens- a rebellious little girl who cut ties from her family and ran away from home

at that time, you had multiple part-time jobs trying to make ends meet, hoping to find a place to live

and one fateful night, you found yourself in front of a building to deliver chicken, peering up at the light coming from the 4th floor- this must be it

although… you weren’t sure if the loud sounds coming from the floor were just men having a good time or if something had gone really, really wrong

men will be men, you thought, wanting to get the delivery done with so you could move on

only when you reached the 4th floor, you spotted men lying on the ground and clutching their limbs, blood all around

while every sane part of your brain screamed at you to pretend you saw nothing and go back, you recalled how when you received the order, they promised a big tip to the rider

you could not miss that, could you? you had to find a place to live, and you needed every penny

so you started with the men who seemed to be unconscious. you took any cash they had, being careful to hide your face in the hoodie

you moved to the office, hearing a crashing sound and flinching

you made quick work of grabbing more cash from the thugs- they had to be thugs

they all had guns, for fuck’s sake

you went into one of the neater rooms and placed the bags of fried chicken there

and you froze when a burly man made his way inside, wiping blood from the edge of his mouth

“ah… you must be song’s girl, eh?” he snickered, scanning you up and down

“i- i’m delivering chicken,” you pointed at the table. “i’ll be on my way then-”

“not so quick,” his gaze darkened

instinctively, you grabbed the nearest object, which so happened to be a mug and chucked it at the man, successfully hitting his head

he clutched his head in pain and you made a dash outside, bumping into another man

the tall man seemed mostly unscathed save for a bruise on his cheek

he held your wrists to steady you and his eyes darted in the man’s direction who was clutching his head no more

“oi, song!” the burly man called. “teach your girl some manners, will you?”

the man called song pushed you to the side and a gunfight ensued

you took shelter behind a shelf, observing how the taller man successfully shot his every target

when he thought he was done- and was out of bullets, he looked in your direction and tsked loudly

you were about to come out of the shadows when you noticed one of the supposedly unconscious men take aim of song’s head

your eyes widened and almost instinctively, you grabbed a heavy metal object from the shelf and rushed to the man who was targeting your saviour

to say that mingi was surprised to see a young girl save him from his enemy by nearly crushing the man’s skull?

he knew you were something special right away

you both stared at each other for a long time before he told you to go back to his office, lock the door and not come out until he comes back

he was done sooner than you thought, and while his men cleaned his mess, he found you in his room, sitting rather calmly

“so you’re the delivery girl,” he narrowed his eyes

“i hope the chicken is still warm,” you responded. “if you can just pay me so i can leave-”

“why did you do that earlier?” he asked, voice low and rough that sent shivers up your spine

“i don’t know,” you answered truthfully

mingi paid you more than extra that night and told you to come next time they place an order

the next time would turn out to be the last time you would ever work a part-time job

mingi offered you a place in his gang, and you took it

you are still not sure what your position in this gang is though- they smuggle drugs but keep you away from the work, so what are you doing here?

personal assistant? chef? manager? all of these?

sometimes, you are accompanying wooyoung in the field- the gang now has an official base and a few legal businesses

sometimes, you stay in the kitchen with seonghwa and wooyoung to cook

other times, you sit with yunho and hongjoong to plan and offer your opinion on their strategic takes

you aren’t sure if you are qualified for that- you probably aren’t

somehow, though, the gang members respect you for whoever you are

you are the light in their dark life, they joke. you are someone’s friend now, sibling to some, secretkeeper for others

but you still aren’t sure what you are to mingi

whenever you ask him why he took you in, mingi always responds with something different

“you were clever grabbing all that money from our enemies”

“you saved me- though i must say i could have handled it”

“you looked like a lost cat”

“you didn’t report us”- excuses, all of them

truth be told, mingi has no idea what you are to him either

he has a certain fondness for you that he has for no one else. of course, it didn’t happen instantly

he took you in because he realised you had a strategic mind and he could really use that

he insisted the office needed a ‘feminine touch’ even though it came in the form of a cranky teen who wouldn’t stop asking questions

but somehow, the two of you formed an unbreakable bond

he finds solace just being with you in one room, even in complete silence

he loves to hear you talk, even though you mostly question his morals

because he is not a good person, you found out

song mingi is not conventionally good. he is a man of principles, but he does not have the best morals

despite all that, you learned a lot from him. the world is a harsh place, and only he can protect you

he learned a lot from you too. the world is a harsh place, and only you are his safe space

when at times things get stressful, he comes to seek you. he finds you in the shared residence and sits with you

if he is feeling down, you will have him lay his head in your lap. you will caress his head and let him be

if he wants to talk, he will. otherwise, he will watch you for a long time until he falls asleep, unguarded

when he gets tired, he will seek your arms. all he has to do is show up and you will know what to do

you will drop whatever you are doing and spread your arms

it is his home at this point. that’s how things are like

are you in a relationship? you don’t know

all you know is that song mingi is the most important person in your life

it doesn’t matter if he lives life the way he does

it doesn’t affect you anymore- the blood on his hands or the chaos in his mind

it doesn’t bother you because you know his heart, and that is all that matters

so standing in his private space right next to him, inspecting his painting with a critical eye, you tell him that the painting is not him

he tells you to pick a colour and you reach out for a box, making him chuckle

“really?” he asks

“the future may seem black, but…” you begin. “it doesn’t feel so dark when i’m with you.”

mingi takes a deep breath at your words. you always get him like this, and he is not sure if he can restrain himself anymore

your heart aches when you see him curl his fists, a sign that he is holding back some words or an action

“tell me what you’re thinking,” you request, though it registers like a command in the gang leader’s brain

“i’m thinking that i never should have given you this life.”

you shake your head at that- how many times has he voiced out that he wished you had lived a better, normal life, away from the clutches of the underworld?

“no, you’re thinking something else too,” you comment

“i’m thinking that i want you to stay here, with me, forever,” he responds

you nod in approval. “i’m right here. i’m not going anywhere.”

“you could get hurt,” mingi says, taking a step closer and closing the gap between your bodies

“i am a big girl now, mingi,” you laugh, wrapping your arms around his waist and hearing his erratic heartbeat

his arms are still by his sides for a moment before he embraces you

“i’m old now, in fact. how much longer will you keep me waiting?”

mingi grows stiff at your question. so you know

of course you do

mingi cups your face and locks eyes with you

“i won’t break,” you promise

“i know,” he smiles, pecking your forehead. “i’m afraid you will break me.”

your lips curl in a smile and he rests his forehead against yours

“are you sure about your choice?”

“yes,” you breathe. “i want you. i’m yours.”

mingi draws back

“i meant your choice of colour,” he tilts his head in the direction of the painting and the box of paint you picked for him

“of course you did,” you laugh at his attempt to distract you

mingi leans in to close the distance between your lips

it is soft and unrushed. you both have waited for the right moment, the right time for years and everything feels absolutely right at this moment

you go first, asking him to join you in your bedroom and he agrees

he assesses the canvas once again

as a finishing touch, he sprays a final splash of yellow- the colour you picked for him

yellow for hope, for all the light in his dark world

The Overseer and his Shelter

Wooyoung

The Maniac

it has always been a cat and mouse game with you and wooyoung

you chase after each other, running in circles with no start or end

it’s almost as if you both have sworn to keep your eyes glued on each other, watching every move, anticipating what is next

someone’s lips curls up in a failed attempt to restrain a smile- a smile that drips with mischief and mockery

someone else’s eyes glint with threat and promise that this is not over, their fists curled in anger

you chase after each other like cat and mouse

only…you’re not sure who is the cat and who is the mouse

sometimes, it is you chasing after wooyoung

jung wooyoung, the son of one of the richest businessmen in town

a privileged piece of shit who is not right in the mind

a crazy bastard who has made it his life’s mission to not only drive you to the edge of the cliff but to push you and laugh in victory as you fall

he takes advantage of you being a criminal investigator

some people jest that they can’t tell if wooyoung means to ruin your career or lead you to your promotion

with the amount of times wooyoung has gotten himself in trouble (and gotten away with it) he keeps your desk full of cases that you spend most nights investigating

while he keeps your hands full, what frustrates you to no end is that he almost always gets away with his crimes only because of his social standing and his connections

he gets away with petty crimes. he gets away with bloody fights that could very well have him spend one night in the station, cuffed

he gets away with major crimes such as money laundering and tax evasion

no matter how much you try to investigate, you cannot

there are the warnings of your superiors who threaten to fire you because this is not your worry

and even if you do start to investigate, wooyoung’s team is quick to wipe any evidence of said crimes

you’re pretty sure that at this point, he might be hiding a body somewhere in his house

you wouldn’t be surprised. man once set his enemy’s mansion on fire

to make things worse, he got away with it- even when he was the only one grinning and playing with a lighter on his way out

while the others scrambled like mice, he sauntered in style

he gets away with anything

you reputation at the station is already in shambles because of it

they call you his shadow at this point, considering how you are always following him

the truth is, you just want to wipe the shitty grin off his face for once

you want him to suffer defeat when you finally put him behind bars

you want him to chase after you like you chase after him

you might come off as delusional, but you’re half convinced that whatever wooyoung does is on purpose at this point- to get your attention

it wasn’t always like this, you and wooyoung

it started with a simple fight that broke out at a party where all the high-profile people were

someone was stupid enough to call the police- but you were more stupid because you went ahead and handcuffed wooyoung

you told him that you couldn’t waste this opportunity because you were investigating another case related to his father’s company anyway

and he? he laughed out loud like a maniac

you soon learned why, going home with the sound of your superiors scolding you still ringing in your ears

here you are, a few years and a lot of chasing each other later

except… you get something out of the chasing now

all he has to do is corner you. all he has to do is rile you up as he tells you why you lost this game yet again

with his burning gaze and honey voice, he pins you to the spot

with his fingers tracing the curves of your face, he tells you how much he loves you chasing after him

as if he’s all that you ever think about. he might be right

“don’t you think we’re meant for each other?” wooyoung questions almost innocently, licking his lips subconsciously as he trails his finger down the curve of your neck until he reaches the first button of your shirt

“don’t think too highly of yourself, wooyoung,” you respond, your chest rising and falling in controlled breaths

you can not let him know the effect he has on you

however, wooyoung doesn’t need any sort of confirmation

you can try to keep your gaze steel all you want. you can attempt to sound sure and fake indifference, but the fact is that wooyoung knows

all he has to do is take another step forward and fill the gap between you two

his warm breath caresses your face and you gulp despite yourself

he watches you intently and squeezes your neck just a bit, causing you to part your lips for air and then he brushes the tip of his nose against yours

his other hand is slowly but surely unbuckling the belt of your pants and taking it off

you can only thank god in an ashamed relief that you’re in a private space- the space being one of the empty rooms in a random building on a random street because you had been tailing wooyoung

(at least the door is locked)

wooyoung brushes his lips against yours as your pants fall on the ground and pool on your feet

the sound that makes has heat rushing to your face- this should not be happening

you are a fucking detective and wooyoung is your target

but you can’t complain when his fingertips dance along your hip bones

all he has to do is swipe his fingers up your panties

upon finding them soaked (as usual), he smirks and you smack his chest

he catches your fist in his hand, though

“all for me?” he asks

in a matter of seconds, your lips are upon each other, tongues in each other’s mouth as you wrap your legs around him

he picks you up effortlessly and places you on a very dusty table

he gets rid of his clothes all the while kissing you expertly, aiming to please you, dominate you

he sucks on your lips, your neck, anywhere he can get his mouth on

and when he finally takes off all your garments, he has more places he can get his mouth on

“admit it, detective,” he breathes against your clit. “you’re obsessed with me.”

“get to work before i cuff you and fuck your brains out, wooyoung.”

wooyoung’s laugh echoes in the room as he recalls that night- a night he is sure he can never forget

“does that mean i get to experience that again if i stop now?”

you are moments away from your high- how dare he ask if he can stop?

he gets the hint and gets to work, and he makes sure he does a good job, licking and sucking at your clit until you’re screaming

for bonus points, he dives his cock inside right after and stays still as he starts to kiss you eagerly

this time, you’re the one who loses to him and lets him take control

you let him thrust into you. you let him praise you and humiliate you to no end

truth be told, you’re addicted to him. there is no going back from here

wooyoung knows how to use his tongue and he whispers sweet nothings

he is also surprisingly good at aftercare, even though you don’t accept it from him

well, you try not to, but he is insistent

he takes you home and he invites himself in

you go to the shower and he goes to your room to admire the effort you put into bringing him down

loads of files and a board full of his ‘accomplishments’ staring back at him- nothing he doesn’t know

“you think your daddy will help you if i start to investigate the slush fund you have?”

“which one?” is his response, and he grins widely as you gape at him

he can practically see the gears in your head turning and he adores that

it is a cat and mouse game after all. he must give you something so you keep coming after him

(and you must give him something so he keeps finding you too)

while you’re still processing what he just implied, your phone rings

you flinch when you pick it up, getting an earful from your team leader once again, because where were you?

you were supposed to tail wooyoung to confirm that he is meeting up with a notorious gang member who does his dirty work

the case you’re team is on these days is targeting the gang, and yet again… wooyoung is involved

so what the hell were you doing, your superior asks

“jung wooyoung did not meet up with the gang leader,” you say into the phone, your eyes fixed on wooyoung

wooyoung has a shit-eating grin plastered on his face

“and how do you know that? i thought you lost the tail-”

“yes, i did lose the tail,” you bite your lips in thought- you can’t tell your team leader that wooyoung has a strong alibi this time-

but wooyoung goes ahead and snatches your phone from you

“detective lee,” wooyoung greets and you mutter a string of curses under your breath

you watch wooyoung charm his way through the matter

telling the detective that he was in a tight spot because of the gang they are investigating

and how it is a shame that a ‘civilised’ person such as himself is being linked to thugs

he tells him that he almost got attacked but you saved him, and you hid him in an abandoned building, being wise enough not to blow your cover

you can’t tell how he does it, but by the end of the call, your team leader is fully convinced that you did a good job today and he even praises you when you take the phone back

when you end the call, you glare at wooyoung

“what?” he shrugs. “i needed an alibi.”

“is that why you took me to the building to fuck me? because you needed an alibi?”

wooyoung watches you with mild curiosity

“did you think it meant something else?” he asks

it would have hurt if he really meant it, but that’s the thing

you both know he doesn’t mean what he says, especially about whatever is going on between you two

he has risked his position and even his life far too many times just to get you alone and fuck you

so you only smile and shake your head in response before telling him to fuck off and get out of your sight

(and he does. not before a second round)

when he leaves, you watch his car disappear from the window before going to the board and updating everything you got out of him tonight

everything about his business and his crimes. everything to make your case on him stronger

it’s truly a wonder how much you can get out of fucking someone right and you’re positive you can see the end of this case now

though… you’re not sure if you will ever take this to court. but that’s something you’ll worry about later

for now, you will follow him like a cat follows a mouse

and he will chase after you like a cat chases after a mouse

The Maniac and his Shadow

Jongho

The Tyrant

it is always a little too cold in the building for your liking

the building that is choi enterprises, located at the heart of the city, standing tall with numerous floors, laden in luxury

it is a workplace and home to some of the people in this city and a symbol of something untouchable to the others

as you enter the building, accompanied by your secretaries and a guard, you instantly feel the temperature drop despite the warm tones of the interior

the employees that greet you may have smiles on their faces but it’s all an act. you can tell, because you know what a genuine smile looks like

choi enterprises somehow always manages to keep the most calculating people to themselves. it might be why the company has flourished so much in such a short period of time

“to the private elevators, miss,” a man says and you recognise him as one of the ceo’s personal staff

you follow him and tug your jacket closer, wishing you had worn it instead of draping it over your shoulders

you catch your reflection on the golden glossy door of the elevator and straighten, lifting your chin up

you will not be pushed into submission, you repeat for the umpteenth time

however, things are not in your favour this time

in this never ending game of business rivalry, you and choi jongho have never seen eye to eye. you always stand in opposition, defensive or offensive

sometimes, you manage to outsmart him while making a new business deal or scoring a new project. other times, he is a few steps ahead and wins the game

except when you lose, somehow, the loss is much greater and a bit personal

your company always suffers more when you lose, which is why this little meeting you are going to have with jongho is no less than a negotiation- a war, if you must

sometimes, you wonder if jongho has a personal grudge against you. these meaningless battles start to seem like an excuse to see you

if not, then why is jongho looking like he just won the lottery at the sight of you?

“as beautiful as ever,” he says, scanning your figure slowly

you don’t move an inch, pretending those words don’t affect you

the secretaries move to another room, leaving you and jongho alone

jongho gets up from his chair and moves to the middle of the room, motioning you to take a seat

you watch as he pours a drink for you, his muscles flexing through the coat he’s wearing

you take the drink- you need something to calm your nerves

“i suppose the odds are not in your favour, considering you found your way back here”

an allusion to the time he said that you were meant to find your way back here again and again, that you were just a lost kitten and he was your master, controlling you

at that time, you thought he meant to spite you, but time after time, he proved himself right

you always find your way here, always as the opposition. this time, though… you won’t bend

“if the odds are in your favour,” you begin experimentally, downing the drink in one gulp and then pouring one for jongho. “would you like me to join hands with you?”

now this is new- jongho’s eyes slightly widen at your remark

“ah… how the tables have turned,” jongho started to chuckle lowly

you let him be for a moment, scoffing internally

jongho had earned the right title over the years since he stepped up as ceo of his father’s company

a monster of capitalism

known to be the owner of many questionable businesses, borderline illegal, evading taxes and having slush funds unashamedly, heavily involved in money laundering- the list goes on and on

a true financial villain- a true monster, yet… being able to get away with everything, unscathed. that’s who jongho is

he has bribed every soul who would dare go against him. and those who do not take the bribe? he makes sure they kneel

and you… you’re pretty close to being his next target- he did say you would look pretty on your knees for him

“is business not going well?” he asks, faking innocence. he knows

you are a rival company- seo enterprises. everything that jongho’s company is, but… more legal

your forefathers were once partners, and they created their independent companies without a hint of rivalry

they were the definition of true brothers (and partners in crime)

the difference between the values of your company came when you and jongho stepped up as ceo

you had made it your life’s mission for your company to earn a good reputation and moral image, while jongho seemed to have made it his life’s mission to simply conquer the world, no matter what or who the stepping stone is

“business is well,” you narrow your eyes at him. “it’s about the land in ilsan.”

jongho doesn’t seem surprised to hear that. it is always like this- he knows what moves you will make

“ah, the one where we are about to construct a gallery?” jongho asks

“we?” you repeat. “that land is a shared property. why have you not consulted us before going ahead and signing the documents? how could you begin this project without us-”

“the other option is selling it to the government because of the redevelopment project,” jongho leans forward, “and you know how much i despise the government getting their grubby hands on what’s mine”

you know he is right, and he knows that you are not here to argue about why he started this project without telling you

jongho relaxes back, considering all his options before deciding to strike. “you’re worried about your involvement in that project, is that right?”

“well,” you mirror his position, “i would like to keep my reputation clean unlike yours.”

he chuckles at that, proud of his deeds. “yeah, well, that’s going to be hard, sweetheart. that gallery is going to be an optimum location for storing money.”

you know what he means. the gallery is going to display priceless pieces of arts. those pieces are but a means of illegal transactions for the elites

you swallow your anger, taking a deep breath. “i’d like to have my shares back, then. before construction starts.”

“uh…” jongho gets up, fixing his clothes. “you’re going to have to convince me for that.”

“please,” you scoff, but he only shakes his head, ignoring that because he knows this ‘please’ was wholly sarcastic

“try harder,” he smiles mockingly before turning his back to you and moving to the window, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants and staring down at the city

a tyrant- that’s who he is

he expects to get the maximum output out of anything he set his eyes on, no matter the cost- money or lives

you join him by the window, pointing at a few spots. “that’s where people held protests against your company last week,” you tell him. “apparently, you have been exploiting labourers too.”

“that’s what they think,” he spits. “i gave them more than they deserve. they just never learn to accept. they never get pleased.”

you look at jongho- he sounds like he is saying the truth. he has the art of sounding like a victim at times, thus justifying his actions

“doesn’t all that venom in your heart make you dizzy?”

jongho glances at you, his lips threatening to curl into a smile at your words

“doesn’t it get tiring, pretending to be moral?” jongho asks, trying to read your guarded eyes

“there’s no pretending. i never claimed that i was full of morals, mr. choi,” you sigh. “i just wish for my business to have a legal foundation.”

“and it will, you don’t have to worry,” he responds, curling a section of your hair that had been resting on your shoulder in his fingers

you don’t flinch at his touch. you’ve known him since the beginning, and nothing he does fazes you anymore- except when he leans closer experimentally, locking eyes with you and trying to read you

“you will get your shares, but you will have to convince me,” he says, voice barely above a whisper

it is a challenge. it is always a challenge with choi jongho

“why are you so obsessed with me?” you laugh this time, swatting his hand away

he joins, and everything almost seems normal for a moment- just two friends with too many inside jokes, except… it only lasts for a moment

“how can i convince you?” you ask, sombre

“you know what i want from you, y/n,” he replies in a similar tone

he wants a true partnership, except his idea of a partnership is where you bend to his will (and so is yours)

“don’t turn this into a legal battle, jongho,” you warn, “i would hate to summon you to court.”

“don’t turn this into a petty rivalry,” he counters, “you will benefit from this project. you reputation won’t be harmed.”

“i don’t want my name next to yours,” you tell him in all honesty and you think you see hurt flash in his eyes

“that is not possible,” jongho declares. “our companies are not mentioned without each other. we are fated like that, you and i.”

that is true. no one dares to touch the two of you, so you two have always been alone

there is no one you both can trust. there is no one next to you

except the two of you are always together, wherever you go, be it business parties, political dinners, or high-profile events

you can only trust each other, because despite knowing everything about each other’s business, despite being at war with each other

you are always honest with each other- honest about your intentions and purpose

there is no one next to you because you two are always together, leaving no space for someone else

do you hate that? not really. does he hate that? he’s not sure

“you can buy my shares from me,” you start, “or you can shift them elsewhere. i can handle whatever loss comes with that.”

“or… you can let it be and use the revenue for something ‘moral’,” he taunts and silence envelopes the room

“no matter how much you try to maintain a clean image,” he starts, gentler this time, “you cannot undo the damage your forefathers have done to your company, y/n. seo enterprises will always be known as the company that exploited the weak to get to the top.”

you don’t wince at that, though your heart aches to hear that

“just like your company. except you are continuing in their footsteps,” you say

jongho nods, watching how your shoulders are curling inwards

“you are not weak, y/n, stand straight,” he almost scolds, taking you by surprise

you find yourself straightening at his words, confused to see how conflicted he looks

“you are the strongest person i know,” he tells you, and he means it. “i just don’t get why you are atoning for their sins.”

“i don’t know either,” you smile in defeat. “i just am.”

“well, if you ever get tired,” he gently places his hands over your shoulders, “i am here for you. you can lean on me.”

you lock eyes with him, scanning his face. his smile seems genuine

the way he kisses your forehead makes your heart melt

when he embraces you, you lean on him physically

and you almost give in, except…

“i can lean on you, huh?” you say, soaking in the warmth of his body, taking as much as you can before you continue

“so you can end my career, merge our companies and crown yourself king?”

you look up at him, finding him smirking

just like you thought

“not a chance, choi jongho.”

“how can you see right through me every time, y/n?” he laughs loudly as you smack his chest and move towards the sofa to grab your purse

“i’m the only person who knows who you are,” you tell him. “you can own the world, but you will never own me.”

his eyes glint almost dangerously

“challenge accepted,” he says

you mockingly wave goodbye before exiting the room

choi jongho never changes, and neither do you

but somehow… it gets more addicting and electrifying to be with him, to compete with him and to stand with him

even though he is a tyrant, and you are everything that he is not

The Tyrant and His Defiant Ally

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