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shewritesforpoc · 2 months ago

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bartender||han jisung x you||mdni

pairings: bartender!jisung x fempoc!reader

synopsis: you go to the same bar every night, served by the same bartender, you get jelly of another lady but little did you know that bartender man was only for you.

warnings: s m u t, strangers to lovers au, slowish burn, unprotected sex , mentions of drinking, use of petnames, slight orgasm denial(m and f), slight jealousy, slight angst, multiple orgasm (f), oral (m and f), pull out method, mention of masturbation, ji has a small obsession with u, lmk if i missed anything.

a/n: this is heavily influenced by the song “dream of you” by chungha. so i would recommend listening while reading! also thanks for all the likes and follows! enjoy ;) lowercase intended

story under the cut :)

ever since your break up with your ex, you havent failed to hit up the same bar everyday after work. the sweet, fruity and spicy alcoholic taste of whiskey seems to blow the stress of life right off your shoulders, it makes you forget about deadlines, the weight of your heart break, the weight of life. it makes you feel light, it relaxes you.

today was no different. you go to the same bar and order your drink. the bartender hands you the drink and makes the usual small talk. bless him, he can tell that life has been crushing you lately. “rough day?” he asks. “yeah man, life has gone to shit for me.” you replied. “‘m sorry about that honey, but let me know if you need a refill, just dont drink too much.” he said as he winked and walked away.

maybe its the liquor or maybe you didnt notice before, but ‘damn’ you think ‘hes so fucking fine.’ all the times youve come here, he serves you, but you never asked him for his name. you didnt wanna come off as a creep or anything, youre sure many people have asked him for his name. for some reason, he doesnt wear a nametag. fuck it, “excuse me bartender.” you said suddenly. he wasnt too far away from you, just a couple customers away. he motions you to wait while he finishes with a customer.

“hi, did you want a refill?” he asked. “uh…no…um…dont take this the wrong way..but youve been serving me for a while and i never got a name.” you said. he looked at you and smiled. “how rude of me. my name is jisung!” he said and extended his arm for a handshake. “oh no i shouldve asked you. but im [reader], nice to meet you!” you said as you shook his hand profusely. he stood there for a minute, looking at you. you were looking at him. truly taking in his features. the way his glasses sat on his beautifully sculpted face. the way his uniform sorta hugged his slim figure, he was actually breathtaking.

you wouldnt be surprised if he had a girlfriend. you would be surprised if he didnt. “excuse me bartender.” a lady called. you didnt even notice you were holding his hand at that point until he smiled, briefly squeezed your hand and walked away. his hands were soft. you followed him with your eyes, you seen the lady who called for him. she wasnt all that cute. her hair was nice and neat, her outfit was formal and classy, she looked like the business class.

she was looking at him with eyes full of lust, she was flirting with him. you could tell she was really flustering him because you could hear his small giggling. she looked over at you and smirked. the hell is wrong with her? what is she trying to prove? why are you getting upset about it? jisung isnt yours, and he for damn sure isnt hers either. before you could even get to that point, you asked him to close your tab and you left.

you sat in your car for a second to be sure you werent too fucked up to drive, you took a deep breathe and looked out the window. tonight was beautiful. lightly raining, and chilly. your mind started to drift back to the moment you learned his name. his voice kept traveling in your mind. it brought a small smile to your face, it warmed your heart a little. just then, you seen the same woman walk out, jisung following behind her, he gets into her car and they leave.

“the fuck?” you said in utter disbelief. you decided not to think too much of it and went home.

the next evening, youre back at the bar. same bartender, same everything. “[reader] the usual?” said jisung. you nodded and he got your drink ready. “you doing alright?” he asked. you nodded your head once more. he looked at you confused, you normally talk to him. you always talk to him, whats with the cold shoulder? he set your drink down, and you took it. everything that happened last night, the small anger you felt, it all came rushing back. and instead of taking your small sips, you down the whole thing. slamming the cup back down and catching some peoples attention. it caught the attention of jisung.

now he knew something was up. “[reader] you are not okay. whats going on with you?” jisung said with concern lacing his voice. “i am fucking fine. aint shit wrong with me. now another one please.” you said. youre also slightly tipsy. he looks more concerned now but still gives you another one. it felt like life was still crumbling down on you. so to numb it, you downed one shot, two shots, four shots, “thats enough [reader], i legally cannot serve you anymore drinks.” jisung said. “bullshit, this is bullshit. im fucking—outta here.” you said. you start getting hiccups now, you were also totally drunk.

“ill call a cab for you. your car will be here in the morning.” jisung said. “dont fuckin act like you care ab—about me. ji—jisung.” you said drunkenly. he looked at you with slight heartbreak. he does care about you. youre the reason why he works every night. he loves looking at you, admiring you. the day you unknowingly held his hand, he went home and masturbated with the same hand. “[reader], ill take you home instead. does anyone live with you that can make sure okay and also can pick your car up tonight?” he said. hes not supposed to take you home. he could lose his job over it. but he will do anything just to be close to you. “n—no” you hiccuped.

he sat you down in an isolated booth and finished the night. he served a few more people and then closed up shop. while he was doing this, you fell asleep. though he didnt wanna wake you, he had to at least get you standing up so he can help you walk to his car. “[reader]…..[reader]” he said while gently shaking you awake. you looked around to see the bar is empty. you looked at him with confusion. “hey, its time for me to take you home.” he said and smiled. you nodded as you rubbed your eyes and got up to walk. since you were still under the influence, you had some difficulty walking on your own. luckily jisung was next to you and ready to help you walk.

he helped you in his car, strapped you in, and began driving you home. “jisung.” you spoke. “yes [reader]?” he replied. “why are you doing this?” you said softly. “because i care about you. i care about your safety.” he said. sure it was the truth but it wasnt the whole truth. “if you cared, why did you go off with that ugly ass lady?” you asked. he grinned a bit. “she took me to her house, we made out but i told her i wasn’t interested in her. i told her i had my eyes on someone else.” he said. you went from being slumped over looking out the window to now sitting up and looking at him. “you did? what happened after that?” you asked invested. “she brought me back to the bar, i got in my own car and left.” he replied.

you eventually arrived at your home and he helped you in and helped you get settled. “ji?” you called. he looked at you. “can you stay the night with me? i dont want to be alone. i wanna be with you.” you said. he smiled softly and nodded. you both got into your bed and laid there. both of you are awake, both are scared to say something. “[reader], remember when i said that i told the lady i was interested in someone else?” he spoke. “yeah.” you answered. “well, ever since you came into the bar, ive been interested in you. i was too scared to introduce myself. after i learned that you were going through a break up, i tried to suppress my feelings and make sure i was there for you. im trying to say that i want you. i know you want me as well.” he said as he looked at you.

his words made you smile, “i do, want you.” you said as you looked at him and snuggled closer. he leaned a bit closer to your face, his breath fanning your face. you were the one who closed the gap and kissed him. it was one peck, then he came back and started to kiss you passionately. you climbed on top of him, not breaking the kiss. as the room started to get hot, you started to take off your shirt. him taking off his shirt revealing his slim but muscular body. jisung reached up and unclasped your bra straps. your bra fell down your body showing off your beautiful tits. he looked in awe.

he looked you in the eyes before taking one of your nipples and sucking on it. the other nipped was being teased by this free hand. you started to grind yourself on him to relieve some of the pressure. he groaned a bit as youre right on top of his cock. you threw your head back as he swirled his tongue over your sensitive nipple. he also started to rock his hips upwards to meet your pussy halfway. this causing both of you to moan softly. “i cant wait anymore ji.” you said needily. “okay baby, let me take care of you.” he said softly.

you climbed off him and laid on your back, jisung taking off your pants and then getting up to take off his. he laid down between your legs. “wow, so wet. and your pussy is so pretty. just like you baby girl.” he said as he looked up at you. it made you blush and subconsciously close your legs, but he caught them in time. he leaned in and licked it. a small teasing lick. you whined as you grew needier and needier for him. he heard your whines and stopped teasing. he began to really savor you by sucking on your clit. then dipping his tongue in and out of your hole. you moaned loudly as hes doing this to you. “that feel good?” he asked. “mmhm~” you replied not really able to say anything.

you started to rock you hips against his mouth and he started licking faster. you grabbed his hair and pushed his head into you for more. he giggled softly at this, the vibrations of it causing you to feel closer to your climax. “just like that—ah! just like that~” you screamed softly. he cooed into you again sending vibrations to your clit. you felt your high approaching quickly. as if his mouth wasnt enough, he took two fingers and fingered you quickly. this making your high wash over you. with a loud “fuck!~” you came hard.

your legs were shaking slightly from how intense it was. you sat up and kissed him deeply. tasting yourself made you moan. you pulled back. “your turn.” you smirked. he laid down and you sat between his legs. his fully erect dick was leaking some pre. you licked a fat stripe from the bottom of his dick to his pretty tip. he hissed at the sensation. you did that two or three times before you took his tip and started to suck on it. “oh goodness—oh go—that feels nice.” he whimpered. you smiled as you took his length all the way down. it took him by surprise and he subconsciously bucked his hips upwards. whatever didnt fit in your mouth, you took your hand and jerked it.

you bobbed your head and jerked him quickly, then slowly to tease. you kept that same pattern for about 5 minutes before he says “shit—baby..im gonna..’m cumming~”. you stopped before he could, he looked at you in amusement. “youre gonna regret that honey.” he chuckled. he flipped you over so you were on your back. he lined himself with you. “is this okay? we dont have to move on if you dont want to.” he said.

“im sure, i want this, i want you.” you moaned slightly. no more words were said as he slid himself into you. he was a couple inches bigger than your ex but he was definitely wider. the stretch making your toes curl. “oh my god baby, youre tight. its feels so good princess.” he moaned as he bottomed out. he stroked himself slowly in, slowly out. it was making your eyes roll back. you gripped his arm “faster, please ji. i need it…i need—it!” you moaned loudly as he sped up like you asked. he was knocking the wind from your lungs, it felt so good!

“i know you need it, you like how it feels? hm? you like how i fuck you?” he whispered in your ear. he reached his hand down and rubbed your clit. this made you closer quickly. “yes! yesyesyes—fuck im cumming!” you nearly screamed. he pulled out quickly and let you calm down. you frowned and whined. “told you, you’d regret not letting me cum.” he said. he turned you on your knees so you were in doggy position. he stroked himself a couple times before pushing himself back into you. jisung threw his head back and he rocked himself into you. he gripped your hips as he dragged you on and off his cock.

from this angle, you felt your climax about to hit again. maybe even harder than before. by this time, jisung was also close. his hips starting to lose rhythm and became sloppier by the seconds. “fuck [reader], youre gonna make me fuckin—cum!” he whined. you were so close to yours that you barely understood what he was saying. after a couple more hard thrusts of his hips, you were screaming and crying slightly as your orgasm hit you like a bus. he fucked you through your high. shortly after you he pulled out and started to stroke himself. “oh my god—im cumming…im cu—m’ gonna—fuck!” he moaned as he finished on your back.

after you both calmed down and cleaned up, he kissed you on the lips again. “im all yours baby, im all for you.” he said. you smiled as you let yourself drift back to sleep.

fin!

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#skz smut #han jisung #han jisung smut #kpop smut #black reader #poc reader #stray kids

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 5 months ago

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Sweet Like Candy 1

Warnings: non/dubcon, power dynamic, age gap and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Characters: Thor, Bucky Barnes (Professor AU)

Summary: the new school year proves to be hectic. (short!chubby! reader)

Part of the Bad Professors AU

Note: Please leave some feedback and reblog <3 As always, I love to chat with you all.

“Hey, Oli, hold my seat,” you say into the phone speaker, “I gotta run! The professor’s office hours close in... ten minutes and I desperately need to be signed into this course. I swear, if I’m stuck taking philosophy again I’m gonna cry.”

“No problem, we can wait,” Olive assures you. She’s always a comfort. She wouldn’t dare mention how you always cry or that you did this to yourself by waiting until the last minute to sort your schedule.

“Alright, gotta go! You don’t wanna hear me huffing and puffing,” you chuff, “buh-bye!”

You hang up and clutch your phone, your bag bouncing, your bum too! You hurtle forward between the bodies of students who refuse to part for your passing. You veer towards the history building and nearly trip up the steps.

You heave as you get to the stop and grunt as you drag open the heavy wooden door. Ugh! Why are you weak? Not just in body, but mind too. If you had a degree of discipline, this wouldn’t be happening. Again.

You slow as you climb the next set of stairs. Yeah, you can’t do that. You’re dizzied by the endless halls set out like a twisted maze meant to house beasts with human heads and bulls’ bodies. It doesn’t help that those signs are fuzzy. You can make out the letters if you get real close.

You finally get to the door you need, dragging your feet as your legs burn. You raise your hand to knock on the door but it opens as if it can sense you. That’s silly. Doors don’t open themselves.

It’s too late to stop yourself from knocking on the man’s upper stomach. You cringe and pull your hand back against your chest. You force your lips into a smile.

“Sorry, I—are office hours over? I ran here,” you gasp. “I’m sorry.”

The man looks down at you and you sway nervously. He’s taller than you. Well, most people are. His blue eyes bore into you as his cheek dimples in agitation.

“Please--”

“I don’t know,” he grips the mug in his hand tighter. “Odinson, another one.”

The man doesn’t bother with an excuse me or pardon. He steps forward and you stumble back. You sidle out of his way and he marches down the hall. You peer through the door again. An even bigger man rises from behind a desk and smiles. The blond is a lot more welcoming than the brunette.

“Ah hello, I suppose you’ve come to be let into my Norse course?” He intones as he crosses the office and extends his large hand. “Professor Odinson.”

“Cerise,” you accept his hand. It’s like a paw. Maybe there are mythical beasts in here. Though he is more what you imagine a god to be. Large, golden, and those eyes. “Yes, I’m so sorry! I meant to enroll before the deadline but I had it down wrong and then I realised it was two days late and--”

“Not to worry. It’s an intensive language course. We are bound to have a few withdrawals so I’d be happy to take on a few extra,” he assures you. “Do you have your form?”

“Oh, yes!” You let the straps of your bright pink purse part on your arm and you dig inside. You take out the paper and a scatter rains over the floor. “Oops!” You bend to collect the wrapped candies and the heart lollipop. “I kinda... hurried here.”

“Not to worry,” he grins down at you as you hold out the form again.

His eyes skim to your other hand and you open your fist. “Er, you want some?”

“If you don’t mind? But don’t mention it. I wouldn’t like anyone to think I can be bribed with sweets. Though it may be true,” he winks and takes one of the strawberry candies and the form. “Cerise, an interesting name.”

He turns and goes back to his desk. You follow behind him, nervous to enter the office completely. There’s another desk. The office is bigger than you expect. You stand across form him as he sits. He lays out the paper and unwraps the candy.

He pops the sweet into his mouth and hums, “delicious.”

You teeter on your toes and clasp and unclasp your purse as he searches for a pen. He sucks loudly on the confection. As you try not to fidget, there’s a clink that makes you jump. You peek over at the other man as he returns with a full cup. He drops into his chair with as little caution.

His eyes meet yours. The line of his brows of them make you flinch. He looks angry but why? Or you think so. You narrow your eyes as you try to see him clearer.

You turn back to Odinson and shake off the tension. He scribbles with a pen across the bottom of the form. He makes a wet noise with his mouth and the other man grunts.

“Do you have to?” The dark-haired man snarls.

“Forgive my office mate,” Odinson tuts as he hands over the paper. “Barnes is rather crotchety since his own office was flooded. You think he’d be a bit more grateful for my generosity, elsewise he’d be languishing in some basement.”

“I said ‘thank you’,” the other professor mutters.

“Mm, yes, but not loud enough to hear,” Odinson chides and gives a laugh. “Don’t fret about him. I tease. We are merely adjusting to each other. You must live in residence? You know how it can be to have to adapt to others.”

“Oh, yes, my roommate is a night owl. I already know I’m not going to get any sleep,” you take the form, “thank you, sir.”

“Not at all, but I must warn you. This is a language course, not mythology. We use the stories to learn the language so you will need to be attentive to your studies,” he girds, “I’d hate for this all to be for not.”

“I understand,” you look down at the form. You can kind of make out his signature.

It’s fine. They have all sorts of assistive technology these days. First year, you go through one text-to-speech. Everything is only so you’re really not worried. And you would love to be able to speak like a viking.

“I’ll see you in class, professor,” you give a triumphant smile and bounce on your heel as you turn.

Barnes huffs heavily as you cross the office. You stop as a crinkle comes from your hand. You only realise then you’re still clutching onto the candies. You glance over and slowly near his desk.

“Do you want one?” You open your hand and offer the candies.

He doesn’t even look up, “no.”

Odinson sucks loudly, “don’t be such a bore. Leave him a chocolate. He does like them. He keeps truffles in his drawer.”

Barnes inhales sharply but doesn’t say a word. You take one of the chocolate balls and put it on his desk. You dump the rest in your bag then spin away.

“Have a great day,” you chirp as you get to the door.

#thor #bucky barnes #dark thor #dark bucky barnes #dark!thor #dark!bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #thor x reader #series #drabble #au #professor au #marvel #mcu #winter soldier #captain america #avengers #sweet like candy

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confused-reading-ink-rat · 2 months ago

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Wicked AU where there is a mark of your soulmate on your skin, and it becomes an outline when they die.

Chapter 1; Poppies With Heart-Shaped Petals

It was one of the most exciting days in Shiz University. It was the day that marks would appear on your skin, and you'd finally meet your soulmate.

______________________________________________________

The air was charged with tension, people dolling themselves for the possibility of meeting their soulmates, couples breaking up left and right, or exchanging vows, sometimes even simultaneously. It was complete social chaos. Some opportunist students were even selling snake oil cures to make the marks appear faster. Shiz really does make the dull think sharp, even if it’s for quick coin.

Galinda heard that a select few somewhat worked. But she didn't trust the rumors, especially on a day like this? She had to admit she was tempted, but her reputation had to be preserved.

Ah, Galinda Upland. She tucked a stray golden curl behind her ear and smiled at her audience, giving them their favourite show, her.

She strode through the halls with exercised confidence radiating off her effortlessly, with Pfanne and ShenShen flanking her from behind. In truth, she was a nervous wreck inside. Her bones rattled uncontrollably inside her body, as if they'd rather crawl out from beyond the flesh and form a xylophone than deal with every what-if her half-functioning brain was churning out in her head.

Oh, but she was perfectly fine.

Perfectly, absolutely fine.

(Meanwhile...)

Elphaba Thropp was tired, was soulmates the only thing on everyone's mind today? Well, the professors also extended the deadline for most of their assignments, so she couldn't really blame them when even the school encouraged them. It was the day, after all, it appeared she was the only one who didn't care for it. She avoided the crowds of students with ease, as they already gave her a wide berth. It wasn't difficult to get away from everyone when they were also trying to get away from you.

She wasn't sharing the tense and hopeful feelings the rest of the student body was drowning in. No, she had long given up on a soulmate, believing herself to be part of the small percentage of Oz that didn't have one. It was much easier that way. Much better than holding out hope that maybe, someone out there would see beyond the green.

She shook her head, freeing herself from the thought. She just needed to get away today, right now everyone's too busy fussing over themselves to taunt her, Oz knows how long that would last. She rounds a corner, and of course, the Universe decides that then. She just had to see Galinda Upland today. Had to see her skipping along the halls without a care in the world, bragging about how she's so confident that she'd meet her soulmate today and they'd accept her immediately, rambling on about how happy she'd be when they meet. Elphaba can't help but roll her eyes at the delusions, no one fell for someone that fast, but this was Galinda Upland. She did her best to ignore the blonde, moving on. She had better things to worry about anyways.

She didn't, but she wasn't about to admit that to herself.

She strolled past her as well and straight ahead, hoping to hide herself and get lost in the nooks and crannies of Shiz University before everyone realizes she's gone. They won't. No one ever comes looking for her anyways.

Maybe to hide from herself too, and the ache of possibly having no one in her life that would want her.

Galinda paced in her shared dorm room, as she had been for the past hour already. She had assured Pfanne, ShenShen and the whole student body that her soulmate mark was just taking its sweet time to get to her, time makes the heart grow fonder after all. She wasn't sure if that was meant to ease everyone's concern or her own. It should be here by now.

She stared at her reflection in her vanity, daring it to change something, anything. But still, nothing. No mark on her skin, no colorful reminder, none. She jumped out of her seat in frustration, muttering curses as she threw herself onto bed.

Maybe she was a late bloomer, she had to be. Oh, yes that'd be horrendible but there was no way she had no soulmate! What would everyone think?! Oh how miserable she would be! Well not really, there were plenty of eligible soulmate-less bachelors all over Oz vying for her hand. Maybe she could form an artificial bond, oh Oz, that was desperate, but everyone needs a back-up plan—

Galinda froze, feeling the skin just below her ear start to tingle. She hurriedly sat herself in front of her mirror, eagerly staring at her reflection, waiting for the colors to mark her body.

As the door opened and her roommate invited herself inside, Galinda stared in disbelief.

A simple green poppy with heart-shaped petals.

Then, Galinda spoke in a soft tone she didn't know she could say with the name she had laced with malice so many times slipped out of her lips.

"Elphaba.”

As usual, mentioning people;

@nether2010

@kekescalope

@spinelesscacti

@filofandomfrenzy

@thestorytellingfool

@mulder-its-me-223

@soundofcomets

@rainbow-tomato-draws @moonpheus

ALL PARTS:

Part 1 : Here

Part 2 : Here

Part 3 : Here

Part 4 : Here

Part 5 : Here

Masterlist for all parts ; Here

If you want to keep following the story, just follow the tag "poppies with heart shaped petals" and "poppies with heart-shaped petals"

#wicked #elphaba thropp #galinda upland #gelphie #soulmates #soulmarks #what if #no beta we die like nessa #wizard of oz #fanfiction #poppies with heart-shaped petals #poppies with heart shaped petals

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lucysgraybird · 1 year ago

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modern!university!coriolanus x fem!reader. part 2 here, part 3 here

notes: this is not set in panem -- if you're looking for a vibe, think harvard/uchicago/any of the old-guard, upper echelon US universities. i have another part in the works that i'll post tomorrow or thursday. also i promise that they both have some crazy in them . It will appear in later parts

“Please remember that I cannot accept late work for this essay,” your professor says as everyone packs up. “The deadline is the deadline for work for the semester, so everything has to be submitted by then. This includes any outstanding work you might have.”

She shoots a look at a boy in the front row when she says that, and he bows his head.

“Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you all Monday.”

You shove your laptop in your bag, sling it across your body, and make a beeline for the exit. This is your last class of the day and you have no intention of spending any more time in a lecture hall than you have to. Just as you're about to leave the building, someone catches you by the shoulder and pulls you back.

“Excuse you,” you mutter, turning to see who would do something so…well, to put it diplomatically, bold.

There stands a boy with a shock of hair so blonde it's nearly white and eyes so blue they're nearly translucent. It would be eerie if he didn't wear it well: angular and bright, it's like he's been carved from the purest block of ice. His pale features are offset by the rich ruby of his sweater. He looks royal, though you'd think a prince wouldn't go around grabbing girls by their arms.

“I'm sorry,” he says. “I've been wanting to talk to you for weeks, but you always fly out of the building and I didn't want to miss you this time.”

“Talk to me? About what?”

God willing, not about some group project that had slipped your mind. You're so careful about organization, but sometimes things slip through the cracks.

“Would you like to go out with me?”

“Who are you?”

His eyebrows (the only dark thing on his face) twitch, and you wonder if he's so arrogant as to assume you'd know who he is. He doesn't say anything, though, just extending a hand to you.

“Coriolanus Snow. Pleasure.”

You shake his hand, finding the official-ness of it a little odd. When you open your mouth to introduce yourself, he stops you.

“I realize this is going to sound…odd, but I do know who you are. You're the only person I listen to in that insipid class.”

“Oh.”

Because honestly, what are you supposed to say to that?

“Let me take you to dinner, please,” Coriolanus says. “At least for the conversation.”

Your pause must spur him on, because he continues, “And you're gorgeous. Honestly, you caught my eye before you even started speaking, and then…well.”

He's very forward, but it doesn't come off as desperate. He carries himself with such a confident air that if he hadn't tried to be suave, it would've been more awkward.

You allow yourself to be flattered, offering him a soft laugh. His poise must be a front, at least a little, and you can put up a façade too.

“Why, thank you, Coriolanus. I'd love to go out with you, but I'm so busy with finals coming up…”

This is partly true – you're taking the maximum number of credits your advisor would let you, which is over the credit load the school has set, so you have a good deal of work to do. However, you're not above playing a little hard-to-get, especially if you are interested in the person. Half the fun of a hunt is the chase.

“All the more reason to go out. I know a spot if you're free tonight – one more bit of fun before hitting the books?”

“What kind of fun, Mr. Snow?”

“Well, we'll see where the night takes us, if that's a yes.”

It can't hurt, right?

“It's a yes. I'll text you my address?” You extend your phone to him, a delicate smile gracing your lips.

“Perfect,” he says, putting in his number. “I'll pick you up at 7:30. Wear something nice.”

“Where are we going?”

“A surprise, but it's very classy. You'll love it.”

You can't wait to look this guy up when you get home. “I'm looking forward to it. See you tonight."

“See you tonight.”

—

“Classy” is an unhelpful dress code, you're discovering. It refers to such a range of places, so you're left to take a guess and hope you don't make some sort of grave faux pas. You're limited in being overdressed as a university student, so you select the nicest thing you brought from home. It's a wine-coloured dress that skims just the middle of your calves, with a cowl at the neck and a sweeping back that shows a tasteful (yet tempting, you hope) amount of skin. With a thin necklace and some earrings, you could fit in at most “nice” restaurants that would be appropriate for a first date with a nigh-stranger.

At 7:25, you slip on your coat and heels and head down to the lobby of your apartment building. Something tells you that Coriolanus has a tendency towards extreme punctuality, so you'd rather not keep him waiting a moment.

Just as you suspected, at 7:30 exactly the silhouette of a tall man appears at your door and your phone buzzes with a text.

Coriolanus Snow: I'm here.

When you open the door, he is, indeed, there, holding a bouquet of white roses and wearing a red vest and slacks with a white dress shirt. He is nothing if not coordinated, you suppose.

“Ah,” he says. “Hello. These are for you.”

It is a lovely gesture, and it garners a genuine blush from you while you accept the bouquet. “Thank you. They're gorgeous. I didn't even know they made white roses.”

He offers his elbow to you, which you accept. Though it's odd, there's something sweet about his anachronistic nature. You, like any college girl, have had many a bad first date, and it's pleasant to have one with a man who is, at the least, polite.

“My grandmother grows them. I dropped by and picked these up on my way here. You look wonderful, by the way.”

“Oh! Thank you. I wasn't quite sure what to wear because I don't know where we're going, so I'm glad I chose well.” You glance over at his outfit. “We match, sort of.”

“So we do.”

He smiles in a way that's almost indescribable – it's not quite aloof, though it has some of the same calculation behind it. It actually feels incredibly personal, and sets your heart racing. Why this boy gets under your skin the way he does – the way no one has before – is something you have yet to discover.

Your walk with him ends at a black car, for which he opens the back door and allows you to climb in before following you. A scan of social media earlier had turned up tragically few results, and every single thing Coriolanus does makes you more curious about him. He settles next to you.

“So are you a polisci major, or are you just taking the one class?” You ask, unwilling to let silence be for more than a moment.

“Polisci and philosophy,” he replies. “My goal is law school directly after college, and then politics.”

“I should've guessed,” you say.

“Oh?”

“Not in a bad way. Just…you're very smooth. Well-spoken, attractive, all of that. You'd do well in politics.”

The corners of his lips turn in a slight smile. “You think I'm attractive?”

You laugh. “I certainly do, Coriolanus. I do have standards, you know.”

“Then I'm very glad I'm meeting them. Are you looking to do politics too, then, or…?”

“Honestly, not right now. I think I might stick to academia for a while. I don't have the stomach for pandering that you have to have for politics.”

“It's my least favourite part, honestly. I did some work for a senator last summer and the endless word-parsing drove me insane. No one ever says what they mean.”

“Right. The image of it all is fun, though. Like playing a character. But you don't have to do politics to do that.”

Coriolanus nudges his knee against yours. “Are you putting on an image for me right now?”

“A lady never tells. Are you putting on one for me?”

When you turn, he's a lot closer than you expected. You can see the spires in his irises, like cracked moonstones, and can smell his cologne: whiskey and spice and something woody, clean.

“You'll just have to find out,” he says, his voice low in his chest. It's said as a secret – there's no one else in the car, but it's as though if he says it too loud the leather of the seats might remember. These words were for your ears only, the rumble meant to coast across just your skin, and you shudder.

#coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #coryo snow #tom blyth #tom blyth fanfiction #tom blyth x reader #coriolanus x you #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus snow smut #coriolanus snow x you #coriolanus snow imagine #coriolanus snow fanfiction #coryo x reader #coryo

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hotvintagepoll · 1 year ago

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Propaganda

Anne Baxter (The Ten Commandments, All About Eve)—her soft, gentle voice in "all about eve", those gentle eyes with something odd behind them, the way she flips from Sweet Innocent to Viper on a dime......there was something Built Different about anne baxter, man, and it makes her so good for playing people who are Built Wrong. also one of my favorite batmen villains (her joint episode w vincent price is a delight) and of course I'm obsessed with her columbo episode where she bosses around edith head and does fabulous movie star things for no good reason. and i would be REMISS if i didn't mention her slink—oh the slink—in the ten commandments...................pardon me i must go think of sinning again

Waheeda Rehman (Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Pyaasa, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam)—90+ films and counting, an absolute legend of Hindi cinema. When I see her in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam it makes me want to chew glass

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Anne Baxter:

The prettiest murderer in that film. Just so beautifully evil as Nefertari.

Anne Baxter was part of my Bisexual Awakening. My family has a tradition that every Palm Sunday we watch The ten commandments on TV together... And starting from a very young age, I essentially developed a crushes on Anne Baxter's Nefertiri & Yul Brynner's Ramses. Dude, the woman was HOT! They both were! My crush definitely wasn't helped by the fact that Anne Baxter's costumes were a bit on the sheer side. She had a way of capturing you with her eyes, and I never understood why Charlton heston's Moses didn't just have a threesome with Nefertiri and Ramses. LOL

Her Nefertiri in The Ten Commandments was FORMATIVE TO ME. If not the hottest old movie lady, then she definitely played the hottest old movie character. if that makes sense.

Look. Listen. I only *just* discovered her on a post from the Have You Seen This Romcom poll blog. Saw she had the same last name as me and went OOH hi hello. Went to her IMdB and saw she was born in Indiana like moi. I am now even more intrigued. Been eagerly telling my partner this, and he was like "maybe you guys are distantly related?" And after 2 hrs of going down the tumblr tag + her imdb photos, I'm In Deep(tm) and I can't stop looking at her like 😍 When I go to my grandma's house, bet your ass I'm gonna check my grandpa's genealogy and see if we're somehow related. Sorry that's not really propaganda I just got real excited, esp when I saw that the submission deadline was extended (bless your soul). Narrowing down the movies where she's hottest in was Hell tyvm. I've only just discovered her, she looks gorgeous to me in every movie still I see of her gdi lol.

Waheeda Rehman propaganda:

Linked gif

Linked gif 2

#waheeda rehman #anne baxter #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 3

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ofswordsandpens · 1 year ago

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Finale Thoughts

The show stuck the ending far better than I thought it would and when compared to the preceding episodes it knocks it out of the park. That being said, I think because the bar was so low going in, that it makes this episode feel spectacular when really every episode should have done this well, at minimum.

Solo Lessons and Ares Battle

I'm so happy they included the one-on-one training sessions with Luke since its so essential to foreshadowing. I also liked the setting in the woods but why was it like autumn/fall in the flashback lol? However, I think that did unintentionally add a dreamlike quality to the scene which I did really like so whatever I'm here for it.

That being said I do wish these scenes were in episode 2/3 alongside the other chb stuff instead of being a flashback in the finale because it makes it just so on the nose that Luke's the traitor. However, the shot panning from Luke's extended sword to Percy's on the beach ate I can't lie.

Honestly it may have been interesting if they had established some of the solo lessons early on in episode 3 and then done periodic flashbacks to expand on them throughout the series. That way, its not so obvious that Luke's the traitor in the final hour and we also get cool transition shots and establishing that Percy is thinking about what he's learned from his lessons with Luke.

#Relieved that the Ares and Percy fight was not a single sword strike and then cut to black. Glad we had some action. Still think we should've pushed the limits much harder tho.

Oh but Percy's wave did go hard. They actually made the wave much bigger than what happened in the book and now I'm just sitting here wondering why we couldn't see some more of this instead of 10,000 cut to black scenes every time Percy uses his powers.

I wish we had gotten this Ares's reaction from the book when he lost: "The roar that followed made Hades’s earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide." Show Ares's reaction seemed so anticlimactic in comparison.

And no curse???? huh??

I know Ares was like "we're enemies 4 life now" but the curse and dialogue from the book goes so unbelievably hard: “You have made an enemy, godling. You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blade in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Perseus Jackson. Beware.”

Why couldn't show Ares say that??

Olympus, Zeus, & Poseidon

[Insert aw, she's ugly John Mulaney Meme]

sorry Olympus could've should've been prettier.

Like Olympus in the book felt a lot more wondrous and lush and colorful. But in the show it seemed so dull. Idk if its cause the "war's happening" or whatever it was just bland. a wash of dull-looking cgi and then an instant cut to the Big Palace.

Lance Reddick's Zeus was amazing tho. He had that godly presence I've been waiting for.

And Toby Stephens's Poseidon? oh I loved it.

I especially loved their conversation in greek.

I still wish however they would have done effects on the gods' eyes. Like glowing with energy or something when they get emotional. I felt like I was waiting to see electricity burst from Zeus when he was yelling at Percy.

And so it turns out that the reason why they changed it to Percy missing the deadline in the show was to create a situation in which Poseidon surrenders a war for his son.

And listen, if this scene existed in a vacuum I'd be so here for it. I guess a part of me can't fathom the solstice being anything other than a hard deadline. I enjoy the scene without context, within context I have mixed feelings about it.

But the "do you dream?" convo between Percy and Poseidon. Oh my god no notes. I loved it.

Some more book dialogue that I wish made it: “You did well, Perseus. Do not misunderstand me. Whatever else you do, know that you are mine. You are a true son of the Sea God.”

Luke's Betrayal

Okay here's where we get some high highs and low lows.

Some things I sincerely liked:

The setting. Fireworks going off in the background. The lantern illuminating the side of Luke's face with the scar. So visually nice.

Luke actively trying to recruit Percy! I've always joked that if Luke was just a little smarter he would have tried to persuade Percy to join his side rather than immediately kill him. And I do like that the show went this direction.

While I do mourn the loss of the scorpion them battling via swords is a great subversion of the sword mentor/mentee dynamic they share. It makes the scene tense and fast pace.

And its all of the above that makes me wonder why we didn't have more of this throughout the show: talking while battling, visually appealing and dynamic settings, unique visuals, etc.

I love how triggered Luke was at Percy's mention of meeting Hermes. I still hate how much Hermes introduction bogged down the show but damn if it didn't lead to one singular funny moment.

Percy getting a hit in on Luke and then immediately apologizing

"I didn't think you'd give the shoes to Grover." Oh that was cold.

Walker and Charlie deserve their flowers and more they were fantastic and carried.

Now things I DIDN'T like:

I don't like how Percy pieced it together with the information he did have... which honestly isn't a lot in the show? If he was going to figure out that Luke was the traitor I would've have had Luke show more of his bitterness like he did in the book. Like the fact the show never even mentioned Luke's failed his quest loses the entire element of Percy succeeding an "impossible" quest and being celebrated while Luke only got a scar and a chip on his shoulder from his failed one.

Luke's scar shoulda been worse idc.

Percy should have been mortally wounded. That's where we run into an issue with there being no scorpion because yeah, a fatal sword injury probably would've been a bit much to depict. I also 10000% think that Luke is enough of a baby to get his daddy issues triggered and then try to off Percy for it even if his original intention was to recruit him.

Also the fact that you see Luke raise his sword for a damning blow and then the very next day you have Percy like "I don't think Luke was trying to kill me." and Chiron agreeing? asdlkfjsdlkf WRONG.

Also, sorry, I don't like that Annabeth was there.

But if you're gonna have Annabeth there, her reaction to Luke betraying her and trying to hurt Percy should've been way more severe than a solemn "I heard everything."

She shoulda been crying, questioning, yelling even if she had suspected him. It's one thing to suspect it, it's another to see the person you consider your family to actually prove it true.

(And this isn't on Leah! It's 100% on the directors cause what was the thought process here? Her brother figure betrays her and she's like :/)

And sure, in the book Annabeth isn't actually all that surprised by Luke's betrayal when Percy tells her about it... but we also never got to see her initial reaction to it. Percy was out for 2 days.

Just, if book Annabeth had been there, she would've been so emotional and that's okay!! let Leah show off her chops!

Sally

I mourn book Sally. I mourn her arc. I mourn the power of Sally unapologetically petrifying Gabe with Medusa's head.

One of the most iconic storylines from the book and it was sanitized in the show to the point that it lost all sense and meaning.

Honestly one of the biggest disappointments of the show for me.

Other

I love the fact that a flower is the searcher's license for satyrs its just so silly and sweet.

I love Annabeth sincerely hugging Percy but also using it for strategizing purposes it feels very on point for her.

Also her braids at the end!! so sweet!

I am very very bitter that Percy didn't see the fates. This + the changes made to Sally's characterization and arc... the show truly doesn't get it.

#pjo show crit #probably need to edit this its likely riddled with typos but

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x0x0josephinex0x0 · 1 year ago

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pretty boy | jeonghan

I can't help myself from writing enemies to lovers Jeonghan, because he provides the source material himself. Also big thanks to Hani @vanillacheol for letting me use her name and likeness to a) provide our MC with a bestie and b) provide Seungcheol with a girlfriend. Anyway, here are the details: Word count: 8.3k Summary: After a complicated first date, you swear to hate Jeonghan forever, but fate has other plans >:) Genre: E2L, academic rivals to lovers, royalty au kind of, college au kind of Warnings: reader is referred to using feminine pronouns and other identifiers, reader is mentioned to be wearing a skirt and a gown on separate instances, Jeonghan calls reader "princess" a lot (because she is), there are pranks mentioned, pressure to choose someone to marry is mentioned, lots of name-calling, a couple of arguments, lots of kissing, some suggestive language, some brief actual bullying (not between Jeonghan and MC), long-hair Jeonghan (def needs a warning), and Jeonghan is an absolute menace as per usual.

“Are you listening to me?” your friend Hani asks, bringing you back down to earth.

The truth is, you hadn’t been listening to her at all. You’d been miles away in your mind, daydreaming of home. “I’m sorry,” you say sheepishly. “Would you mind repeating?”

Hani rolls her eyes. “I was asking,” she says pointedly, “if you’ve got a flight for my birthday ball yet.”

“Of course,” you reply. “Why?”

She fidgets nervously — a telltale sign she’s hiding something. “Oh, no reason,” she says, trying to sound casual and failing miserably.

Your grin drops. “He’s coming,” you realize. “Jeonghan is coming to your birthday ball after all.”

“I know what you’re going to say, and I need you to be rational about it. Jeonghan is Seungcheol’s best friend, and I couldn’t just not invite him.” Hani plays with her pearl bracelet, a gift from her boyfriend, and avoids eye contact with you. She’s gotten more assertive since she started her relationship with Seungcheol, the prince of a nearby country, who’d fallen in love with your friend at freshman orientation at your posh private college. They’d been together for a year and a half, and six months ago she never would’ve said any of that to you, carefully concealing her real feelings behind a placid smile.

It’s for this reason you’re grateful for Seungcheol. He’s helped your friend feel confident and strong, and you can tell how much he loves her. He’s also kind and thoughtful and genuine and funny, very down-to-earth despite being a prince, and full of good advice when you need it. Becoming his friend has been a huge perk of the relationship he has with Hani.

The one major downside? Yoon Jeonghan. He’s Seungcheol’s best friend from home, the son of a high-ranking military leader in Seungcheol’s home country, and apparently they were raised like brothers. Unlike sweet and harmless Seungcheol, though, Jeonghan is a devil in disguise. Blessed with the face of a fairy prince, with intellect to match, he was confident to the point of arrogance and seemed to always get exactly what he wanted. He could sweet-talk even the strictest professors into extending deadlines just for him, and had a penchant for connecting especially accommodating students and teachers to job opportunities and networking events and even really nice favors — once he paid for one of the school secretaries to fly to a tropical island with her new husband just because she straightened out an attendance issue for him.

You had butt heads with Jeonghan almost upon first sight, which had coincidentally been on a date that Hani insisted you go on. “You’ll love him,” she had oozed.

“Are you sure you’re not just trying to fulfill your lifelong dream of us dating brothers?” you’d grumbled, trying to avoid showing how nervous you’d been.

“They’re not really brothers,” Hani had reminded you, “but of course I would love it if you dated Jeonghan for real. He’s perfect for you, trust me.”

She’d had to eat her words when you came home from the date soaked to the bone, a murderous glare in your eyes. “He is without a doubt the most bull-headed, self-important, cocky, absolutely despicable human being I’ve ever met. I never want to see him again,” you’d fumed.

“What happened?” Hani had exclaimed, rushing to grab you a towel. She listened sympathetically as you recounted how it had all gone down.

It had actually started off well. Jeonghan struck you as the kind of person who could make a brick wall feel clever and important, and he was a perfect gentleman at first. He’d even addressed you as “my lady”, a reference to your position as eldest princess of a small island country, until you begged him to relax, but the level of decorum he’d approached you with had bolstered your confidence a bit.

“So...princess,” he’d said cautiously after you’d insisted he call you by your name, and you’d rolled your eyes at this. “How’s the island these days?”

“Are you asking me about foreign policy on our date?” you had asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, I’m asking you about your home,” he’d countered. “What’s it like there? It’s one of the few places I’ve never been.”

“Oh, really?” Your eyes lit up. “Well, it’s much warmer than it is here.”

“Naturally,” Jeonghan had said. “Do you miss that?”

“More than anything,” you’d said, frowning at the snow falling in soft piles outside. “Near the palace is this one stretch of beach -- you sort of have to hike through a small jungle to get there, but nothing too bad, you know -- and when it snows like this I have to remind myself that it still exists and I can go back there one day.”

Jeonghan grinned. “What does it look like?”

“Well, there’s a thick treeline since it’s just past the woods, but that means it’s very private. It’s got the most beautiful sand -- it’s pink!”

“Pink sand?” Jeonghan had repeated, his head propped up by one hand as he gazed at you, rambling on excitedly.

“Yeah, it’s from a micro-organism that lives in the coral reefs that grow around the island. There are a few different pink beaches on our island, but this one is special. Hardly anyone knows about it. Seokmin -- my cousin, you know, the theater major -- found it first, and I’ve been going there ever since.” You caught sight of him watching you and felt your face heat up. “Uh, sorry. I got carried away.”

“No, no, it was cute,” he reassured you, which made you feel even more embarrassed.

“What about you?” you had asked, and you’d listened with rapt attention as Jeonghan had described the mountainous region he hailed from, with so many clever little asides that made you laugh. You were generally more of a “black cat” type personality, but Jeonghan was bringing out an eager, girlish side of you that almost no one got to see. He made you feel like your blood had become carbonated -- like little tiny bubbles were flowing all over your body, all tingly and excited.

The conversation had lasted hours, covering everything from your families (yours was close, his was rather distant) to your favorite foods (seafood for you, fried chicken for him) to the most unusual kinds of music you liked (film scores for you, musical theater songs for him). Finally, with all your food eaten and the drinks all but drained from their fancy bottles, it had come time to talk about education. “If you weren’t a princess, what would you be studying?” Jeonghan had asked.

“I think I would still want to learn about public policy, especially as it relates to nonprofits,” you had replied. “At my core, I want to use what I know to help others, and there’s almost no easier way to do that than improve the legal conditions for charity work.”

Jeonghan nodded thoughtfully. “You might be the biggest nerd I’ve ever met,” he finally said with a grin.

You had gasped, pretending to be scandalized. “Even bigger than you, Mr. Political Science?”

He shook his head. “Imagine how cool I’d have to actually be to be studying poli-sci and still be considered cool.”

“Oh, are you considered cool?” you’d teased. “I hadn’t heard that.” (Which was a lie. When a girl in your dorm had found out who you were going on the date with, she’d almost keyed your car out of jealousy. Jeonghan was notoriously cool.)

He clapped a hand over his chest. “Please don’t wound me like this. My reputation is all I have.”

You looked him up and down in the way that tabloid articles had called your “man-eater move.” “Just your reputation, pretty boy?” you questioned lightly. “How disappointing.”

Jeonghan’s eyes got wide, but he recovered quickly. “I actually have one more thing. Way more important than my reputation.” He said it so seriously that you leaned forward in interest.

“What is it?” you asked, looking up at him through your eyelashes.

He leaned forward to match you and whispered in your ear softly, “A fully completed Death Star Lego set.”

And you had burst into laughter. People were generally easy for you to read, but Jeonghan took you by surprise every time. The rest of the meal was full of giggles and simmering tension. More than once you caught yourself staring at him and wondering what it’d be like to kiss the smirk right off his gorgeous face.

Which is how you found yourself in the custodian closet at that very restaurant twenty minutes later doing exactly that.

He had begun it -- suggesting a quick bathroom break that you somehow understood with your eyes, and on your way in he’d pulled you right into that tiny closet and pressed his mouth to yours like it might be the last thing he ever did. You were surprised at how strong this lithe boy was as his arms wrapped around your waist, his hands tightening into fists around the fabric of your skirt at your hips as he pressed you up against one of the shelves, knocking several bottles of cleaning wipes onto the floor. You had gasped and pulled away, just enough that you could look at him. “Careful, pretty boy,” you’d hummed breathlessly as you pulled him back for more, and he’d groaned.

“Call me that one more time, princess, I dare you,” he’d murmured against your lips.

“Is that a threat?” you’d whispered back, knotting your fingers into his long hair, perfectly content to let him do whatever it was he’d had in mind.

But then his cellphone, which had somehow slipped out of his pocket onto the floor, rang. Loudly. You both dived for it, worried that someone would hear, and you reached it first. After silencing it, you saw a familiar notification pop up on Jeonghan’s phone.

“No way!” you’d exclaimed quietly. “Are you in Exploration of Debate?” It was an online class you were taking as a general, where you posted anonymously on an online debate forum. The person with the highest number of won debates was the person with the highest grade, and to your chagrin, you were in second place after a devastating loss to “TwinkleToes17”. In fact, so ruthless was TwinkleToes that they’d gained a reputation outside the class as someone who was a pure psychopath, willing and ready to twist every word to their advantage. It seemed like everyone on campus had heard of this person.

Which is why you’d burst out of the closet two minutes after. “I can’t believe this,” you’d yelled, not caring that the other restaurant patrons and the wait staff were staring at you. You’d ripped your coat off your chair, grabbed your bag, and ran out into the wet, snowy evening, Jeonghan hot on your trail.

“I don’t understand why you’re so upset. It’s a class,” he’d insisted, jogging to keep up with your dramatic pace, a laugh in his voice that only made your anger more overwhelming.

“Okay, firstly, even outside the class everyone knows you’re a monster,” you’d said. “And secondly, you manipulated me and twisted every word that I said to win that debate.” The third thing, which you hadn’t said, is that you couldn’t bear looking stupid in front of anyone, even if no one knew it was you. Mistaken, fine. Naive, sure. But never stupid.

And Jeonghan had made you look really stupid.

So you’d ignored his repeated calls after you, until he’d finally got frustrated and stopped following you. You’d walked the entire five kilometers home in the snow, arriving soaked and cold and grumpier than you’d possibly ever been. Worse was when you shared classes with Jeonghan for the next two semesters, unraveling your plan to never see him again.

When recounting this story to Hani, you left out the part about the short-lived makeout session in the closet and the undeniable chemistry between the two of you. You, instead, focused on the massive betrayal of learning about his online activities, Hani had scolded you for being too stubborn, prideful, and competitive, and that had been the end of it.

But the true rivalry had begun six months ago. You had had to go over to Seungcheol’s apartment to take care of Hani while he was away. Hani usually stayed at his place when she was sick, mainly because Seungcheol was the world’s biggest worrywart and called her constantly when he couldn’t be there while she wasn’t feeling her best.

So you had driven to his place, to hopefully ease some of her suffering (and Seungcheol’s), completely forgetting who he lived with. To your shock, it was Jeonghan who answered the door. “Ah, princess,” he’d exclaimed. “Welcome.”

The way he’d beamed when he saw you was infuriating. Peeking around his shoulder, you made venomous eye contact with Hani, who was sitting in a heap on the couch, her eyes red and watery with her illness. “How are you?” you asked, pointedly stepping around Jeonghan to go to her.

“I’m suffering,” she said. “But Jeonghan has been taking really good care of me.”

“Has he, now,” you’d said in a deadpan voice.

“Well, now that you’re here, I need to run some errands,” Jeonghan had said, quickly excusing himself to go to the grocery store. You had tended to Hani while he left, not turning when he’d called a goodbye over his shoulder as he stepped out into the night.

Watching Hani was mostly uneventful. You brought her water when she finished her glass and watched TV together until Seungcheol came back. As you’d stood up to leave Hani and Seungcheol, who were snuggled together on the couch, Hani asked if you would grab the ibuprofen out of Jeonghan’s bathroom.

You had been surprised (and a little annoyed) at how clean it was inside, but he had left his toothbrush out on the counter, which immediately made you think of the fluorescent blue dye you had in your bag that you had needed for a recent experiment in your geology class. The dye, coincidentally, was colorless until it reacted to saliva, and stained everything around it a shocking shade of blue for several hours before fading completely. You had tried to be good, you really had -- you’d almost left the bathroom without doing anything to the toothbrush -- but there was a petty streak in you that desperately wanted Jeonghan to feel even one bit as foolish as he’d made you feel. Plus, when were you ever going to get an opportunity like this again?

This had been the beginning of the prank war between you and Jeonghan. The following week, you’d come home to a flock of confused pigeons trapped in your apartment. “Where did he even get a flock of pigeons?” you had muttered as you mopped your hardwood floors free of all the lingering gifts that the birds had left for you.

“Beats me,” Hani said, spraying your tabletop with cleanser. “But I think this is a good learning experience for you. Jeonghan is really sweet, but he’s competitive, and he’ll do anything to win.”

“Oh, but I’m the exact same way,” you’d told her with a grim determination.

And so, it had continued. One week you were swapping out Jeonghan’s bar of soap for one that was almost identical but had a particularly itchy ingredient, the next week Jeonghan rearranged the letters on your keyboard and made it nearly impossible for you to finish your assignments in time, the week following you stole his textbooks and replaced them with poorly written erotic novels.

The pranks had only escalated the academic rivalry you’d had, especially as the two of you had striven to derail the other. When the exam results came out, you were elated to learn that despite Jeonghan’s efforts, you had come out of the semester at the top of the class — with Jeonghan just below you at number 2, by .02 points. Now, as you were about to fly to Hani’s birthday ball during spring break, your elation has been crushed. “Are you still going to come?” Hani asks, giving you her big sad eyes that you can’t say no to.

And because this is Hani, who knows you better than anyone and has always been there for you, you already know what you have to say. “Of course I’m going to come,” you reassure her. “It’s your birthday. I suppose I knew he’d probably end up deciding to come. But I’ll be darned if I let a man get between us.” You can’t suppress an eye roll. “Especially not that man.”

“You’re the best!” Hani exclaims. “Do you have a dress yet?”

“I have a few options,” you say. “I’ll take them with me so we can try things on together and you can help me choose.” You grin at her squeal of delight and try not to think about all the strategizing you’re going to have to do to avoid Jeonghan at the ball.

******

“You’ve got to be kidding,” you groan.

Jeonghan grins from the seat beside yours. “What? Did you want the window seat?” he asks, pointing out the small window of the airplane. It’s one of those huge jets with two stories, built for a seventeen-hour flight across the world, and yet, of all the seats you could be sitting in, of course Jeonghan is sitting in the next one over.

You huff as you sit down. “Why didn’t you fly with Cheol?”

“He flew with Hani,” Jeonghan replies. “I didn’t want to third-wheel for that many hours in a row.”

That’s honestly pretty fair, but you can’t let him see you agree, so you roll your eyes. “Well, this is actually good. I needed to talk to you.”

“About?”

“The ball. We have to call a truce on our war.”

“Our war?” Jeonghan repeats with a raised eyebrow.

You clear your throat. “Our...rivalry.”

“I would call it a ‘friendly competition’,” he tells you.

“It’s really not that friendly,” you snap, and rifle in your bag for your headphones. “And it doesn’t matter what you call it, we just need to be well-behaved and civil during the ball because I will not have you or anyone else ruining Hani’s birthday party.”

“Well, I can’t promise to be well-behaved, but I promise I won’t ruin Hani’s party,” he comforts.

You shake your head. “I guess that’s the best I could really hope for,” you grumble. Unable to locate your headphones, you toss your bag under your seat in frustration.

“What did that poor bag ever do to you?” Jeonghan asks.

“I can’t find my headphones,” you hiss.

“I brought an extra pair.”

You stare at him. “You did not.”

“I truly, truly did,” he says. “Would you like to use them?”

“What will it cost me?”

“Nothing,” he says, grinning. “Let’s call it a mark of our truce.” He pulls them out of his bag and hands them to you, and you accept them, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Do they zap your ears when you put them in?” you ask nervously.

“No,” he says, taking one bud and putting it in his own ear. “Just regular old headphones.”

So you put one of them in, bracing yourself. Nothing happens, but the way Jeonghan is watching you is making you worried. “Forgive me if I’m a little wary after the pen incident.” (You were, of course, referring to a prank Jeonghan had pulled where he had replaced your pen with one that shocked you at random intervals.)

Jeonghan rolls his eyes. “I’m not trying to make your life miserable, princess. Actually, right now, I’m trying to make your life easier.” He leans back against his seat’s headrest and closes his eyes. “It’s not going to kill you to trust me a little.”

You shoot him a dubious look before acquiescing, slipping the other bud into your ear. No shock. You decide he’s probably telling the truth, and you listen to an audiobook while you wait for the plane to take off.

Hours later, after you’ve watched the sunset fade to black outside Jeonghan’s window, and after watching two movies and dozing off during a third, you jolt awake to a sudden dip of the plane. Blinking rapidly, you try to make sense of your surroundings, and the first thing you register is a hand clasping your own.

You look over, mortified, to see Jeonghan staring at you. But instead of the sneer you expected, his expression is serious and kind. “Are you okay?” he asks, squeezing your hand comfortingly.

“I’m fine,” you say, although your voice is shaking and you can’t bring yourself to let go of his hand even though it’s embarrassing.

“You’re scared of flying?” he asks you quietly.

“Not enough to not do it,” you reply. Maybe it’s the look in his eyes that makes you think that you’ve stepped outside the incessant teasing that has been the hallmark of your relationship with this man, but you find yourself saying, “I feel like I should be used to it already.” Immediately you begin to worry about how Jeonghan might use this weakness against you, but he just looks at you.

“Well, if it makes any difference,” he finally says, “you’re handling it pretty well.” He gives your hand a squeeze.

This is just too weird. The weirdest part is, it doesn’t feel weird at all -- not talking with him, not holding his hand, not even the way he looks at you. For a second, you remember how intently Jeonghan had listened to you speak at that dinner all those months ago. This seems much more like the person you thought he was before you’d found out he’d destroyed you in an anonymous online debate. And, terrifyingly, this was a person you could see yourself falling deeply into, with no hope of escape.

The plane lurches again, and you close your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose. A low chuckle from Jeonghan makes you shoot him an annoyed look.

He shrugs. “Sorry,” he says. “I don’t mean to laugh at you, I’m just surprised.”

“Why?” you ask through gritted teeth.

“Because,” he says, as though choosing his words very carefully. “You don’t strike me as the kind of person who’s scared of anything.”

His tone is -- dare you say it? -- respectful, almost awed, full of admiration.

“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” you remind him, swallowing nervously.

He purses his lips. “Sad, but true.”

“What do you mean?” you ask.

He leans back in his seat again, closing his eyes. “Figure it out, princess,” he whispers, before falling asleep with your hand clenched around his.

******

The night before the ball, you’re on a video chat with your little sister when your dad enters the frame.

“How’s my girl doing?” the king asks, and you have to smile. Your dad is really an amazing leader, and an even better dad.

“I’m good,” you say. “Just three more days before I’m home!”

“We’re so excited to have you back,” your sister chimes in, and your dad nods enthusiastically.

“Can I have a word with your sister?” your dad asks her, and she skips away with a quick “bye!”

“What’s up?” you ask.

“There’s been a little bit of tension on the mainland lately,” your dad confesses. “Nothing too concerning, but we want to nip it in the bud. I think it’s time for you to think about your future.”

You know when he says “future” he means “marriage”, and your heart sinks. As the eldest child, you will inherit the crown once your father retires. His hair and beard are grayer every time you see him, and you’ve known for awhile that he’s feeling a bit exhausted. “I am thinking about it,” you admit. “I’ve been going on dates.”

“Anything promising?” your dad asks hopefully.

You fiddle with your shirt hem, hesitating before you answer. The truth is, only one date you’ve been on since college is memorable at all. You try not to think about Jeonghan’s smirk and the way he’d made you laugh and holding his hand on basically the entire seventeen-hour flight over and most importantly his lips against yours in that dusty custodian’s closet before shaking your head. “Not really,” you confess. “Most politicians are really boring.”

Your dad scoffs. “Tell me about it.” He sighs. “Well, I’m not trying to force you into anything, but maybe the ball can be a good networking event for you. I heard that Prince Chan will be there.”

Prince Chan was internationally famous for being a real-life “Prince Charming” -- the perfect gentleman, always smiling, handsome as a fairytale prince. Your country was off his country’s southern coast, so his home was close to yours. “That might be a good political move.”

“And Prince Seungcheol will be there, and the general’s son, I forget his name...” Your dad trails off, but you know who he means, and you rush to put an end to those thoughts.

“Seungcheol is dating Hani,” you remind your dad quickly. “And Jeonghan -- the general’s son -- is...not an option either.”

“Okay,” your dad says, not catching the unspoken information in your tone. “Well, you’ll have boots on the ground, so just try, okay? And we can talk about it when you get back.”

You finish your talk and hang up, looking up at the vaulted ceiling of your guest bedroom in Hani’s parents’ palace. It was a curse to be the heir to the throne sometimes. The weight of your mantle was often so heavy it felt crushing. Your country was a small one, inhabited by gentle people. Military power, the nuances of war, conquest — none of these things were built into your culture. You weren’t sure what you’d do if things went south.

Sighing, you head to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. When you emerge from your shower and as you’re brushing your hair, the wind starts to pick up from outside. By the time you get into bed, a storm is raging outside. This, coupled with the thoughts swirling relentlessly around you head, has you thoroughly wound up and incapable of sleeping.

So you wrap yourself in a dressing gown and head up the corridor toward the spiral staircase that leads to the library. One thing that always helps you sleep is a familiar book. You wander between the dim shelves, only lit by a few strategically placed lamps, as the thunder gets louder and louder. Finally, you’re able to locate a copy of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Secret Garden, which you take from the shelf, cozying up in a large armchair to read by one of the lamps.

A few pages in, you’re nearly startled to death by a voice from behind you. “What are you doing awake?”

You jump out of the chair and whirl around. “Jeonghan!” you whisper-shout. “For the love of all that is holy, you scared me.”

He gives a small smile. “Sorry, princess.” He’s also in his PJs, his shoulder-length hair still wet from a shower, and there are dark circles under his eyes that make him look more gaunt and melancholy than usual — a vampire rather than his standard fairy. It’s especially pronounced in the low lamplight.

“What are you doing here?” you ask.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he says simply.

“Why not?”

“‘Cause you couldn’t sleep. I sensed you coming in here.”

You scoff. “What nonsense,” you say.

“I’m serious. We’re soulmates.” Jeonghan’s grin has turned sly.

“Don’t be difficult,” you snap. “Was there a real reason you wanted to share, or — ?”

But then a bolt of lightning briefly illuminates the library in bright white light. The following clap of thunder is so loud it seems to shake the library. Jeonghan cringes and claps his hands to his ears before eyeing you warily.

You point a finger at him. “You’re scared of thunderstorms?” you guess.

He blushes. “Scared is a strong word.”

He cowers as the lightning flashes again, plugging his ears preemptively to avoid the massive clap of thunder. “You’re totally terrified,” you say when he finally takes his fingers out of his ears. “Well, this is just perfect.”

“That seems like a strong word, too,” he grumbles, coming to sit in the chair next to yours. “Perfect, how?”

“Now I know your weakness, and you know mine,” you explain, turning your attention back to your book. “We’re even.”

You couldn’t be more shocked when Jeonghan snakes a cold hand onto your wrist. When you gape at him, he looks at you with wide, innocent eyes. “I held your hand during the turbulence,” he reminds you. “So this is actually how you get even.”

This is hard to argue with, so you just keep reading with his fingers wrapped around your hand. “Do what you need to do, pretty boy,” you sigh.

His sharp intake of air makes you look up from your book. “What?”

“You need to stop calling me that,” Jeonghan says quietly.

“Or what?” you say, shutting your book with a snap.

“Or I’ll lose my mind,” he says in a strained tone. His jaw is clenched, his cheeks are flushed, and his palm on your wrist has become clammy with sweat. “I thought it would be easier to be close to you, but you insist on making my life harder, don’t you?”

This hits you like a punch in the gut. Glaring, you wrench your hand from Jeonghan’s grasp. “You don’t have to talk to me, Jeonghan. It’s perfectly alright for you to ignore me if it’s that hard for you to stand interacting with me.” Suddenly the library doesn’t feel big enough for you and Jeonghan to occupy the space at the same time -- as if all the air has been sucked out of the room. You jump from the armchair and turn on your heel, your robe blowing out behind you.

But Jeonghan is following you again -- and it’s so reminiscent of that first night that you almost laugh. “I don’t understand how you’re not as tortured as I am,” he calls after you. “That’s part of what makes me so insane.”

“Who says I’m not? You’re absolutely agonizing to be around,” you shoot back over your shoulder.

“No, you don’t understand,” he says, and he catches you by the arm, whirling you around so that you face him. You try to shake free, but his grip is iron-strong. “It’s like you’re barely affected by my presence. You don’t feel this constant draw -- this constant need to --

“To what, Jeonghan?” you ask, taking a step forward. “Finish the sentence. To what?”

Your faces are inches apart, the tension between you so thick you could cut it with a knife, and Jeonghan flexes his jaw and swallows hard before his gaze flicks down to your lips. You’re breathing too hard, your pulse too quick, your face hot. He inches closer -- the tips of your noses nearly touching, and when he whispers, it’s in a husky tone that sends chills down your spine. “It’s impossible for me to understand how you don’t seem to think about what happened between us. For you, it’s like it never happened. For me...I think about it every day.”

He’s so close you can smell the peppermint toothpaste on his breath. So close that if you even slightly moved forward, your lips would meet.

And then lightning strikes again. Jeonghan lets go of your arm, takes a step back, nods to you like he would an acquaintance from class, and leaves you alone in the library, where you lean, trembling, against a bookshelf just as the more distant clap of thunder rings out. You have to place a hand over your chest to soothe the frantic beating of your heart. The rest of the night is sleepless -- you toss and turn, wondering what on earth has just happened between you and Jeonghan.

******

“Is Hani ready?” Seungcheol asks, meeting you halfway up the stairs.

“Almost,” you say, adjusting your pearl necklace so the clasp is in the back. “And she gave me explicit instructions that you are to stay at the bottom of the stairs. She wants that movie moment. And you are going to give it to her, because it’s her birthday.”

Seungcheol follows you back down the stairs. “So, Jeonghan’s been weird today,” he says, a question in his tone.

“He’s always weird,” you say shortly.

“Weirder than usual. You look great, by the way,” he tells you, gesturing at the glittering white dress you’re wearing. It hugs your frame with a corseted top, cascading like sea foam down your hips and ending in a train. Hani had picked it out, saying that it matched your small pearl-encrusted crown the best, but you also suspected that she knew it was your most devastating look.

“Thanks,” you say to Seungcheol. “Wait until you see Hani.”

He’s so down bad he even smiles just at the sound of her name. “I can’t wait.”

“And about Jeonghan,” you continue. “Did he tell you -- anything?”

Seungcheol gives you a stern look. “Should he have? Did anything happen last night?”

“There was a thunderstorm,” you say quickly.

“Ah,” Seungcheol says, his gaze a little too understanding. “Jeonghan is scared of thunderstorms.”

You nod, refusing to answer the question he isn’t asking. Luckily, you’re saved by the arrival of Hani at the top of the stairs, looking absolutely stunning in the prettiest blue dress. Seungcheol’s whole face transforms into a picture of joy. “Wow,” he breathes.

You can see her beaming from here. You decide to let them have their moment by themselves, and instead push through the magnificent double doors into the ballroom. As your eyes scan the crowd, you try to believe that you’re not looking for Jeonghan, but there has been a knot in your chest since last night, and you somehow sense he is the only person who can do anything about it. Before landing on Jeonghan, though, your eyes land on Prince Chan. You remember your dad’s request and plaster on your most winning smile as you approach him.

“Hello, Prince Chan,” you say, curtsying low to him. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

He’s just as handsome as everyone has said, and he’s smiling just as kindly as you’d expect. “It’s a beautiful party,” he says. “The hostess is your best friend, right?”

“She is,” you confirm. “Princess Hani is wonderful. Have you ever met her?”

“Only a handful of times. We were kids,” he explains. “But everyone speaks highly of her.”

You nod. “So, how are things on the mainland?” you ask, changing the subject.

You pass a few pleasant minutes discussing his interests, the state of his country’s affairs, and you. After awhile, a very territorial woman comes to stand between you and Prince Chan, interrupting your conversation. He shoots you an apologetic look over her shoulder, and you wave him off with a small smile and a bow, backing away.

“Already causing problems, I see,” says a familiar voice.

You turn to see him -- Jeonghan, in his decorated military uniform, looking far more handsome and ethereal than he had any right to. You stick up your chin. “Well, it wasn’t my intention,” you say. “He was standing alone.”

“What a kind soul you are,” Jeonghan says drily as Hani makes her grand entrance.

You pause in your bickering to applaud her, beaming and embracing her as she comes to greet you. “Do you feel beautiful?” you ask her.

“Yes, I do,” she tells you. “Thank you for always being here.”

After she walks away to greet her other guests, you turn back to Jeonghan. “So, do you have anything else to say to me? Or do you have more pigeons to sedate and put in my bedroom?”

He grins. “As tempting as that is, I have plenty more to say to you.”

Just then, the music starts, and before Jeonghan can offer you his arm to escort you onto the floor, you are turning to the nearest passing gentleman and asking him to dance. Jeonghan follows suit, escorting a pretty redhead in a yellow dress into the space right beside you. As you begin the steps of the dance, you make polite conversation with your partner, whose name you have already forgotten. Jeonghan seems to be vaguely paying attention to his own partner as she rambles on good-naturedly, but his eyes never leave you. His scorching looks from across the dance column have heat rising in your cheeks and the back of your neck, and a funny swooping feeling in your stomach, almost like you’ve done a massive drop on a roller coaster.

At the end of the dance, you politely bow to your partner and are just about to scurry away when Jeonghan catches your hand. “One dance,” he begs. “Please.”

And his eyes are searing with some barely-concealed passion, his skin unnecessarily flushed and his jaw set in a hard line, and you open your mouth — to refuse him, you remind yourself — but nothing comes out, leaving Jeonghan free to pull you back into the dance floor and into his arms for the waltz.

You have done a simple waltz a thousand times — maybe hundreds of thousands at this point. Your feet are familiar with the steps and the turns. It’s simple enough to do. But waltzing with Jeonghan is like trying to speak a language you’ve never heard before. Pressed against his body, his hand burning into the small of your back through your dress, you find yourself unable to meet his eyes as he leads you through the steps. Something about him holding you like this is reminding you forcefully of that distant janitor’s closet, and this is making it impossible for you to look at him for fear of what it might do to you. So, with your heart pounding in your ears, you fixate on the top button of Jeonghan’s uniform and let him whirl you around, until it feels like everything else has faded away but the music and his arms around you. You can feel the weight of his gaze, but you don’t look up until the very last strains of the song are fading away.

And as you do, Jeonghan’s angelic face breaks into a smile that could make the devil repent. He’s so unbearably beautiful that you actually feel your breath hiss out of you, stolen by his smile. You realize that it doesn’t matter how much you pranked him or ignored him or rejected him or lied to yourself — there was absolutely nothing that could have kept you from falling in love with him.

Just at this moment of revelation, someone taps Jeonghan’s shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt,” Prince Chan says.

“It’s no trouble,” Jeonghan says. He’s still partially holding you in his arms, and you are still struggling to remember how to breathe, but Prince Chan seems not to notice or care.

“Would you mind if I had the next dance?” he asks, looking between the two of you.

You find it impossible to speak, so you just nod in assent. Jeonghan gives your hand to Chan, looking mildly crestfallen, and you try to get your crap together before the music starts.

You successfully collect yourself enough to look Prince Chan in the face. He’s smiling at you, but his eyes are a little too understanding. “Jeonghan’s great, huh?” he asks.

You try to laugh, but it comes out choked and awkward. “He’s a bit too charming for his own good,” is all you’re willing to admit.

Chan nods in agreement. “He’s interesting. Most people like to show their very best selves to others, and you find out the bad stuff the more you get to know them. But Jeonghan kind of does the opposite.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’ll be crafty and cunning up front, but he’s actually very kind. And you only get to see that if you get close to him.”

“How do you know?” you ask.

Chan glances over at Jeonghan. “I actually stayed with his family for a month while my mother was sick,” he explains. “Jeonghan had gone through something similar, and he was a big help to me. Of course he still drove me crazy sometimes,” he adds with a laugh, “but he’s solid gold all the way through. You just have to crack him open a bit to see it.”

You’re silent, chewing on this information, when all of a sudden, someone tosses the contents of their wine glass at you, coating your gown in a deep red stain. You gasp and look over to see Jeonghan with his current dance partner -- who is holding her empty wine glass and grinning wickedly at you. You recognize her as the one who interrupted your earlier conversation with Chan. “Oops,” she says.

Your eyes bounce between Jeonghan and the girl. “I need to go change,” you say to Chan. “Please excuse me.”

Chan’s glaring at the girl, and he nods to acknowledge he heard you. You immediately turn away from Jeonghan’s wide-eyed stare, hugging your arms to your chest and heading straight for Hani and Seungcheol. “Some psycho threw her wine on me,” you whisper to her. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” she asks with concern.

You muster a weak smile. “No, you stay and enjoy your party.”

“I’m going to go escort the psycho out of here,” Seungcheol says, his eyes focused behind you on where you’ve left Chan and the girl and Jeonghan. You look over your shoulder to see Jeonghan leaning in close to the girl and whispering something in her ear, and this is the final straw. A part of you wonders if he planned it himself -- even after you asked him not to ruin things. So you turn on your heel and flee from the ballroom, running up the stairs and heading toward the library.

The tears start the minute you cross the threshold. You hate crying, and hate being a cliche damsel in distress, but the lack of sleep, the confusion about your own feelings, and the blatant bullying you’ve experienced have overwhelmed you, and it’s hard to stop yourself from collapsing into full-blown sobs. You only have a few seconds to cry by yourself between the bookshelves, however, before you hear someone’s footsteps sprinting into the library.

“Princess?”

Oh, no.

You try not to make any noise so that he won’t find you, but Jeonghan still rounds the corner and finds you. You immediately turn your back to him, wiping your eyes as you face the bookshelf. You can hear him approaching you slowly. “Princess?” he repeats.

You slowly turn over your shoulder to face him, looking him in the eye. You know you probably look ridiculous, but you still have to ask. “Was that your idea of a prank?” you say in a hard voice.

“Not at all,” he replies, his voice equally sharp. “Seungcheol and I threw her out ourselves.”

“You did?” you squeak.

He gives you a sad smile. “Of course. She’s never going to be within fifty miles of you ever again if I can help it.”

You nod, looking at your feet. “Well, that’s good. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Jeonghan hesitates, then takes another step forward. “I need to talk to you,” he says.

You avoid his gaze and back up a little, right into the bookshelf. “I don’t see what we have left to talk about,” you hedge.

“Are we back to the bickering?” he asks, sounding frustrated. He steps forward again, nearly toe-to-toe with you, and brings a hand up to your chin, tugging on it gently. “Need you to look at me, princess.”

You lift your eyes to him and are once again overwhelmed by his closeness. You can’t help the deep breath you take at the sight of him. “Why do you keep pretending you hate me?” Jeonghan asks you quietly.

“What do you mean?” you reply.

“I know you don’t really hate me,” he explains. “I’ve known it for months. But I just don’t know why you can’t admit it to yourself. I wish you’d just let it go.” When you don’t reply, he sighs. “I’ve never met anyone as stubborn as you. You truly have no equal.”

Your emotions are so overwhelming and close to the surface that this light barb stings a lot more than Jeonghan probably intended. And this sends you over the edge. You bat his hand away and whisper-yell, “Well, you’re selfish, and conceited, and self-important, and conniving, and I don’t know why I --”

But you stop yourself before you give yourself away. Jeonghan impulsively brings his hands to both sides of your face, trapping you in. “Finish the sentence,” he demands. “You don’t know why you...what?”

But the answer won’t come, stuck between your heart and your voicebox, your stubborn mind trying fruitlessly to bar Jeonghan from knowing the truth. But, as is always the case in all the love stories you’ve ever read, the heart is too strong for the mind, and for a moment, it overcomes all rational thought and takes control over your hands. You grab Jeonghan by the collar and pull his lips to yours.

No amount of shock could keep Jeonghan from responding to your kiss. Ever quick on his feet, he brings a hand to the back of your neck so that he can move you in just the way he wants to, and you, for the first time in forever, let go of your need to sort through all your feelings and make them make sense, and give in to your heart entirely. You don't have to think with Jeonghan -- he takes charge in a way that makes your knees feel weak, and you cling to him desperately to avoid toppling over. Jeonghan kisses with even more passion than he had in that closet, with enough fire that you think you both might combust. His lips are searing and insistent, and you melt into his arms. Instinctively, you tangle your fingers in his hair, and he gives a throaty chuckle. “Careful, princess,” he whispers between kisses, and you hum against his lips in bliss.

Eventually, his kisses turn soft and sweet, slowing down to a pace where you can both catch your breath. And then he pulls away. The sight of him with his hair ruffled from your hands and his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright makes you giggle, and he beams at you, his gaze flicking to your lips again. “Wait,” you say before he can kiss you again. “I like you.”

“Duh,” he says with a laugh in his voice.

You swat his arm. “I mean it. I don’t understand how, or why, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the night we met. And compared to you, everyone seems so...dull.” He’s smirking now, and you swat at him again. “Stop it! I’m trying to be sincere.”

“I can’t help it,” he complains, and he’s looking at you so fondly that it’s dangerous. “You’re so cute. And I love to listen to you speak, but when you speak you move your mouth, and suddenly that’s just become so incredibly distracting for me.”

“My lips are distracting?” you repeat, wrinkling your nose in disgust at how corny it is.

“Well, they always were,” Jeonghan admits. “But right now...” He leans in, gives you a peck, and then runs a hand through his disheveled hair and groans. “Oh, it’s nearly too much.”

You giggle again. “You’re truly obsessed with me, aren’t you?”

“Embarrassingly so,” he says proudly. “Why else do you think I bribed the person who would’ve sat next to you on the plane to take my seat on Seungcheol and Hani’s flight?”

“You switched flights to travel with me?” Yesterday, this would’ve been annoying to learn -- but now, it’s a little endearing.

He nods. “And I switched classes so that I could take them with you. I’m still going to do that until we graduate, mind you, so if you could please avoid the eight o’clock classes, I would appreciate that so much.”

You tsk in fond exasperation at him. “And all of this time, you didn’t think to tell me that you’re --”

“Head over heels for you? Well, I sort of felt like it probably wouldn’t have gone over well. So I bided my time. And it was worth the wait,” he says, clasping one of your hands to his chest. “There’s absolutely no one like you, princess. You’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

You shake your head, although on the inside you feel like angels are singing. “What an end to our war,” you say, snaking your arms around Jeonghan’s shoulders.

“War is such a strong word,” Jeonghan complains. “It was barely a scuffle.”

“You filled my room with pigeons.”

“And that was low-hanging fruit for me.”

“You’re shameless.”

“Entirely,” he agrees. “Which is why I have no plans to return to that ball anytime soon.” He gives you a mischievous smile and once again looks at your lips.

“I can’t miss my best friend’s entire birthday party,” you remind him, playing with a lock of his hair shyly.

“Hmm,” he says thoughtfully. “That is a predicament. Might I suggest a compromise?”

“Indubitably,” you say, playing along with his posh tone.

He scoffs. “We go back in an hour. We stay to watch her open her gifts. And then we meet back here.”

“To do what?” you ask him, giving him your own dangerous grin.

“What an excellent question, princess,” he says, leaning in and kissing you deeply and slowly before pulling away just slightly and brushing a stray hair from your face. “I guess we’ll have to play it by ear,” he finally tells you in a low voice. “How does that sound?”

“It sounds perfect,” you sigh, and then you smirk at him. “Pretty boy,” you add as an afterthought.

His eyes darken. “I’m going to make you regret that,” he threatens. And as he kisses you into oblivion once again, you seriously doubt it.

#seventeen #svt #svt fic #svt fanfic #svt imagines #svt x reader #jeonghan #yoon jeonghan #jeonghan x reader #jeonghan imagines #jeonghan x you

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justmochi · 7 months ago

Text

OA ENTERTAINMENT uploaded: EDEN - The Making of 'WHO AM I' Documentary

Eden rubs her eyes with her fingers, checking out her puffy face in the mirror. “Good morning,” She whispers to the camera before pointing her phone screen towards it. “It’s currently four a.m. It is going to be our very first day in the studio recording for my first mini album.”

She quickly brushes her teeth and washes her face. She applies toner pads before whispering again. “I am very excited, but also anxious. It’s gonna be my first release working with an entirely new team, but I’m confident the results are going to be great. I managed to get about three hours of sleep, but we shouldn’t be recording too many vocals on the first day. I’m hoping it’ll be pretty chill as we create a roadmap for what we’re going to accomplish.”

She slouches over the kitchen counter, waiting for her coffee to brew. “I’d usually head around the corner to the cafe near our apartment, but it is four a.m. So I’m just gonna make a quick coffee and order breakfast when everything starts opening up.”

The video cuts to Eden kissing her fingertips, proceeding to press it against the top of a teddy bear. “Gotta give Younghui a goodbye kiss before I leave.”

She fastens her seatbelt before taking a sip of her coffee. “It’s kinda weird seeing me drive, right?”

“We’ve made it to the studio. I’ll see you inside!”

[WORKAHOLIC]

“I look back on my career and decisions I’ve made and always ask myself, “Is this really what I want? Is it worth it?” I may be a bit greedy, but is it so wrong to want more for myself?

“I just really wanted to interpret how young workers are faced with the dilemma of either working hard or enjoying life. So if you’re struggling, just know that I acknowledge you and all your hard work. If you’re not where you wanna be in life right now, that’s okay! Take it one day at a time, and make some changes! Lay out a roadmap in where you want to see yourself in a year and stick to it. Don’t be discouraged from reality and live in the moment. One day, I wanna hear all about it.”

[HAIR DOWN]

“I think this song is, in a way, a continuation of Workaholic. It’s more fun! Sometimes I just need to forget about my deadlines, let loose and live my life. Life is too short so you have to make the most of it.”

Eden has her hands on her hips, putting all her weight on one leg as the producer messes around with the mixing. She notices the studio door open behind him with her peripheral vision. She realizes it’s Jennie with takeout bags. Both of their faces light up when their eyes meet. Eden has to put her headphones on the stand before she can exit the recording room.

“Hey!” Eden hugs her member once she sets the food down. It had been a couple weeks since they last saw each other.

“How are you doing? Is everything comfortable for you here?”

“Oh, I love it. We’re getting a lot of work done.” She extends her hand, patting the back of his chair.

“I’ll let you two chit chat. I need to make a few calls.” He makes a few clicks with the mouse and then gets up to exit the room.

Jennie smiles towards her, opening the takeout bags and reaching in. “I know you’re working extra hard so I got us some good food.”

She hands Eden her favorite cold noodles, while also taking out her own order. They get themselves situated before sitting down and taking their first bite. The girls talk about how good the food is, while making small talk of what the day has offered to them so far.

“So what are you working on now?” Jennie wipes her mouth with a napkin.

“Well, let me show you.” Eden puts her chopsticks down, pushing herself towards the computer and finding a part in the song to showcase to her.

Jennie listens attentively, swaying her head back and forth. The instrumental and voice guide are the only things done but it still sounds very nice.

“And then I have two options for the second verse, one in English and the other Korean.” She clicks away and plays each version of the verse, watching Jennie’s reactions.

“I like it! They’re both very nice.”

“We haven’t decided which one to go for. Which do you like more?” Eden stops the playback, turning in her swivel chair to face the woman.

Jennie purses her lips for a second, pondering. “Well, they’re both very pretty, and I don’t know who’s all working on this one but I think the Korean verse would make it more ‘you’. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“I do.” Eden sighs and clicks her tongue, tilting her head before making more adjustments. “That settles it then.”

“You’re using the Korean verse?”

“Yep.”

“Don’t you have to discuss it with your team?”

Eden slides back over to her, smiling at Jennie. “You are my team. And I trust your judgment.”

They both smile at each other lovingly.

“I’m so proud of how far you’ve come,” Jennie squeezes her knee. “I’m so glad you have your freedom now. I’m just happy you’re doing what YOU want to do and it’s not being altered. I haven’t seen you this carefree in a while.”

“Jennie… Don’t make me cry.”

[CAFFEINE]

“The melody was the first thing to come from this song. I made it up in the passenger seat on the way home from a drive-in movie, actually. Do you ever just listen to music and think ‘this would be such a good song to play in the car, windows rolled down and feeling cool air through your hair’. That was my goal with this song. It feels very retro and nostalgic. I’m very happy with the end result.”

[SUNFLOWER GIRL]

Eden smiles, pulling her legs up on the chair to her chest and resting her chin on her knee. “I don’t really need to explain this one. It’s simple and genuine and full of love. And I’m happy. I’m really happy with how it came out.”

[HATE TO BE LAME]

“This song is about wanting to tell someone that you love them but are scared to. For me, a lot of it stems from my past relationships. You give a lot of yourself up when you say I love you for the first time. And the first time for me, it was very real. I thought it was very real for the longest time.

“The ideal way to feel when saying I love you is to be happy. But for me, I was filled with more fear and anxiety. It took a very long time to allow myself to love again. But even longer for me to express my love. I was extremely cautious about the next time I would tell someone I loved them.

“I always wonder what I would say to my past self who just finished writing this. She was so paranoid and small. But she was also very worthy of love, no matter how much she thought she was not. She didn't know that when the day finally came, it would be the easiest thing in the world. As simple as breathing.

“I wrote this many years ago so it’s just been sitting in my notes app, collecting dust. It wasn’t until earlier this year that I reached out to Finneas. I’ve always been a very big fan of his works. The first thing he sent me back was amazing and that’s the take that we use in the song. His verse was absolutely perfect and it really solidified the song as a whole.

{First time listening to Finneas’ take.}

Eden sets up the camera on the table, her hands shaking as she presses on the audio file. “I’m so nervous, I don’t know if I can press play.”

She takes a few deep breaths. “Okay.” She clicks on the play button, staring at her lap as his voice plays through the speakers. Her eyes widen as soon as it sets in that he’s singing along to the melody of her song with his own lyrics. She covers her mouth with her hands, squealing as the clip ends.

“Oh my god.” She replays it. “Oh my god.

“I gotta chill out, I can’t focus on his lyrics.” She stands to her feet, pressing her palms to her cheeks as she plays it once again. She has to replay it six times before it’s engraved in her brain. She looks at her producer friend, giving him a definitive look. “That’s it. Like it’s literally perfect. We just have to record our parts together and it’s done.”

[FIRST TIME]

Eden set up her camera at the kitchen table, soon rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. She let out a sigh and sniffled. “This song is from twenty eighteen or so, the darkest time in my life. I keep on forgetting it exists for obvious reasons. And I know I shouldn’t keep revisiting it if it keeps resurfacing past trauma, but I think in order to heal, I need to tackle it and make something of it. The whole concept of this album is to humanize myself and it would be wrong of me to just lock this song away. There could be someone out there that resonates with it as much as I do.”

She wipes her eyes with her fingers, nodding towards someone offscreen. A tiny smile appears on her face. “It was bothering me all day while recording and arranging, ‘Should this make the cut or not?’ but I think I just needed to catch my breath and think it over, get some reassurance. I feel much better now.

“Well, time to sleep so we can record this track tomorrow.”

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thirstandfurious · 7 months ago

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Straightwashing The Picture of Dorian Gray?

Two days ago, the Internet discovered a prospective Netflix adaption, that of The Picture of Dorian Gray into a tv show The Grays. (Deadline)

As the title entails, Katie Rose Rogers (writer) has made the choice to give the protagonist of Wilde’s novel a brother. She allegedly decided not to add a new Gray but to turn a pre-existing character into a relative of the oh-so-famous Dorian Gray: Basil Hallward.

The painter of the cursed portrait that contains and manifests all of Dorian’s flaws and villainy, the adoring artist infatuated with his muse and his beauty, one of the characters often analysed in queer studies of the novel, will be turned into Dorian’s brother.

Narrative license is a common occurence in the art of adaptation, but the writer’s choice raises some issues on the Internet considering the original novel, its impact on its author’s life, as well as its importance in the field of research and its role in representing queerness in history.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an 1891 work of literature written by Oscar Wilde. The novel, itself derived from an early novella-length work, tackles the moral descent of Dorian Gray as it never takes shape on his forever-young angelic face (and thus going against the belief of physiognomic degeneration of its time) but instead taints a portrait made of him by a friend—the aforementioned Basil.

Connoisseurs and those less interested in the works of Oscar Wilde tend to know at least two things about the author:

one, he wrote Dorian Gray;

two, he was a homosexual.

It is no secret that his novel is submerged by the homoerotic feelings the characters harbour towards one another. While the characters do not overtly engage in romance—a feat which would have led to a bigger scandal than it already was—they do present characteristics that are outwardly associated with queerness. Be it Lord Henry and Dorian Gray taking on a mentor/mentee approach close to Greek pederasty (educational), or Basil and Dorian adopting the artist and muse situation-ship often reserved to male artists and their female objects of inspiration and idolatry, the male/male relationships in the book deviate from normative Victorian masculine and homophile behaviours and extend into unspoken homosexual territories.

In the case of Basil, transforming him into Dorian’s brother means erasing the scandalous and ambiguous relationship between the characters that is often read as being one of the many reasons behind the decay of the portrait, by denoting the repression of nonconforming identities. Basil is written as admiring the beauty of Dorian: he considers him his own personal muse, the driving force behind his art, one that cannot be beaten and that pushes him to be a greater artist. He is as enamoured with Dorian as the Pre-Raphaelites were with women.

In the uncensored version of Dorian Gray, made publicly available in 2011, Basil says quite explicitly to Dorian Gray:

"It is quite true I have worshipped you with far more romance of feeling than a man should ever give to a friend. Somehow I have never loved a woman.” (The Guardian)

In the version commonly read by the general public, Basil also tells Lord Henry (about Dorian Gray):

“I find a strange pleasure in saying things to him that I know I shall be sorry for having said.” (Chapter 1)

This simple sentence reveals an unusual relationship constituted of deviant expressions of sentiments between Victorian men.

In the Basil/Dorian relationship, the latter is feminised through his position as Basil’s muse, he becomes an object of desire and obsession, then an enactor of violence through his ever-lasting youth and beauty, making him a relative of the femme fatale type.

Erasing the grey area between the two characters diminishes the complexity of Wilde’s work as a public critique of Victorian gender roles and morality, especially in light of his own trial and prison sentence for which the homoerotic subtext has been used as proof. This raises the issue of straightwashing and how easy it is to erase queerness in the entertainment industry to accommodate to an heteronormative vision.

——————

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/apr/27/dorian-gray-oscar-wilde-uncensored

https://deadline.com/2024/08/dorian-gray-series-netflix-katie-rose-rogers-rina-mimoun-greg-berlanti-1236045373/

https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/oscar-wilde-trial

#dorian gray #the picture of dorian gray #book adaptation #oscar wilde #netflix #this is for me to practice writing don’t break my knees #gothic #victorian #literature #queer #queer books #queer history #gothic literature #lgbtq books #queer lit #classic lit #tpodg

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tech-flyer · 5 months ago

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[INTRO POST YAY]

Petra - Interastral Peace Corporation, Technology Department

"If youre about to put more on my plate, please just.. Dont. I know im good at this but i already have my hands full, im not the only person that can do this, you know? Why dont you ever ask someone else…"

Despite her ambitious nature, rarely would others describe her as such, due to her tendency to avoid unnecessary work. She spends most of her free time dedicated to her own personal projects - that is to say building random robotic creatures she finds adorable. Unfortunately for her, such things are not very welcome in the Corporation as theyre seen as mere distractions, often leading to her creations sadly being discarded.

"I know im skilled but im not a miracle worker! Cant they extend the deadline just a bit..?"

Although intelligent, she keeps a down to earth demeanour which often causes others to underestimate her skills and knowledge. Those who know her well often remark how eerie it is to hear her talk about robots, as if she knew them from inside and out - as if they were people, and as if shes one of them.

"Yes, of course i understand the assignment, but cant i work with someone else? These people dont even remember my name, how can i trust them to remember what parts to get, let alone how to put them together?"

While she once believed the IPC had a good cause, her rose coloured glasses quickly fell off once she was officially employed. The Corporation was no longer her saviour, but a controlling force, slowly draining her passion for the robotics away - she would much rather spend her days doing her own thing.

The young robotics enthusiast often wonders what her life would look like if she teamed up with someone else, mostly enjoying the thought of joining the Intelligentsia Guild alongside her idol. She always enjoyed his company, especially fascinated by his critiques which are taken very seriously by her, fascinated by such a critical mind helping her get as close to perfection with projects as possible.

"Im sorry to say this but this project seems a bit too.. oh? In person with The Intelligentsia Guild again? Ah, of course, ill get to it right away! "

While taking every negative comment with a brave face, she was always very desperate to impress someone higher, yet it seemed impossible. She understood why people underestimate her, who say shes nothing special, often agreeing with the sentiment herself.

"Anyone could do it with enough practice, after all."

"Dont you ever wonder why everything seems so strange? The world hides so many secrets from you Pigeon, and yet you are so uninterested in the truth. Will the day ever come where you finally care to ask for answers…?"

// this took way too long im not a good writer . thats all for now....at least untill i figure out what else i need here, will be adding more stuff when needed :3

lmk if ive made any mistakes btw!! first time doing smthn like this so yea (◍•ᴗ•◍")

anyone is welcome to join in any way they want and interact with her ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

main blog: @razzmothazz

#oc rp #roleplay blog #hsr oc #honkai star rail oc #hsr rp #rp blog #honkai star rail rp #honkai star rail roleplay

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nightghoul381 · 4 months ago

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Dark If ~ Ellis Twilight

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

It’d been several days since I came to the castle… but the situation remained at a stalemate.

No matter how much I begged, the wizard said he wouldn’t lift my curse, or extend the deadline.

(I’m forbidden to even leave the castle, so I’m at a loss…)

What made it even more difficult for me, was Ellis.

Ever since I found out about Ellis and Jude’s relationship, I’ve been avoiding him.

(Even this morning…)

--Flashback—

Ellis of Thorns: “Good morning, Kate. I’ve brought your breakfast.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Today we have your favorite, freshly baked bread and raspberry jam.”

Kate: “…”

Ellis of Thorns: “… I don’t mind if you don’t talk to me, but please eat your meal or I’ll be worried.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Without water, nutrients, and sunlight, you won’t thrive…”

--End Flashback—

Remembering the sad look on Ellis’ face as he left, my sense of guilt grew again.

(I really want to be friends with him like before, but I can’t seem to find a way to do it…)

To refresh myself, I visited the garden on the castle grounds, where beautiful flowers, medicinal herbs, and thorns grew.

When I see thorns, I think of him—

Kate: “…Ellis.”

Half-consciously, I was rolling his name around in my mouth.

At that moment, the thorns in the garden began to wriggle toward me-- and a white flower suddenly bloomed.

(…It’s like he’s trying to cheer me up because I’m feeling down.)

(Now that I think about it, I used to see thorns as a friend long ago.)

When I was little, I was a princess, so I didn’t’ have anyone to talk to casually and I felt lonely…

So, I would always talk to the thorns growing in the backyard of the castle.

(Like, how I like raspberry jam, and the smell of the day after it rains… just trivial things like that.)

(…Come to think of it, I gave the thorns a name.)

When the gardener tried to cut down the thorns because they were in the way, I gave them a name.

“The thorns are my friend, so please to cut them! He even has a name—”

(But…, what did I name the thorns?)

I tried to remember… but in the end, I couldn’t recall it.

However, after seeing the beautiful thorn flowers, I found the courage to apologize to Ellis for my past behavior.

Kate: “Where is Ellis…?”

As I muttered this, the thorns in the garden began to grow in one direction.

Kate: “Could it be… Are you leading me to Ellis?”

When I asked with some skepticism, white flowers bloomed one after the other as if to say “You’re right.”

Kate: “Thank you, I’ll follow you.”

Having grown accustomed to the strangeness of the fairy tale world, I followed after the thorns.

(Oh, there’s Ellis… Is that Jude with him?)

Ellis of Thorns: “—Jude, why won’t you lift Kate’s curse?”

Ellis of Thorns: “Kate, she really wants this.”

Jude the Wizard: “Huh? Don’t ask such an obvious question. It has to do with her illness.”

(To do with my “illness”…?)

(I thought I had a “curse” on me… What does he mean, a disease?)

Kate: “Jude, what does that mean?”

Jude the Wizard: “Since when… Did you hear what I just said?”

Ellis of Thorns: “Jude, it seems like Kate wants to know, so tell her.”

Kate: “Please…!”

Jude the Wizard: “…”

Jude let out a long sigh… and then began to tell me a fact that I didn’t know.

Apparently, I had an illness for which there was no cure and I didn’t have much time left.

Jude, who found out about this by chance, put a curse on me so that I would fall into a 100-year sleep just before I died.

Jude the Wizard: “After you fall asleep, I’ll have 100 years to find a cure and repay your kindness.”

Kate: “Thank you… for trying to help me.”

Kate: “But, why didn’t you clear up the misunderstanding earlier?”

Jude the Wizard: “…The daughter of a foolish king who couldn’t even listen has no room to talk.”

Kate: “I-I’m sorry. That was so rude of my father…”

Kate: “…But, I’m glad I know now.”

Kate: “I’m glad I don’t have to continue my misunderstanding of you, Jude…”

Kate: “And I don’t feel like I’ve been ‘betrayed’ by you any more, Ellis.”

Ellis of Thorns: “…So, can we be friends like before?”

Kate: “As long as it’s okay with you, Ellis… I’m sorry for being so cold towards you up until now.”

Ellis of Thorns: “I don’t mind, so you shouldn’t worry about it either.”

Seeing Ellis smile softly, like a flower blooming, my heart began to race again.

--As if urging me to become aware of some emotion.

That night the misunderstanding was cleared up and I made up with Ellis.

After dinner, Ellis suddenly asked me a question.

Ellis of Thorns: “Should I stop asking Jude to lift the curse?”

Kate: “Of course! Jude’s curse was meant to keep me alive.”

Ellis of Thorns: “…”

Kate: “…Ellis?”

It was an obvious answer to me, but Ellis looked surprised.

I worried that I might have said something strange.

Ellis of Thorns: “That means we don’t have to break the curse…”

Ellis of Thorns: “…Kate, do you want to continue living?”

Kate: “…? Yeah. I have things to do…”

It’d been put off for a while, but I needed to find what was missing from this story and correct the distortion.

(Oh… But once I correct the distortion and return to my original world…)

(I won’t be able to be with Ellis anymore.)

When I first came to the fairy tale world, I thought I had to go back to the real world…

Before I knew it, I had begun to feel like it would be difficult for me to leave this world, and the main reason for that is Ellis.

(I want to spend more time with Ellis.)

(I want to eat delicious food together, see beautiful scenery… and go on a trip, just the two of us.)

(I want to know more about Ellis. I want to see him laugh up close…)

The endless overflowing desires burn painfully in my heart.

(Could this feeling be… love?)

However, now that I’m in a life-or-death situation, I can’t afford to confess.

(I’ve decided… After my illness is cured, I’ll tell Ellis how I feel.)

At that time, I didn’t notice that while I was making this decision, Ellis’ twilight-colored eyes were dark and clouded.

And so began the search for a cure for my illness.

While Jude was the one actually searching for treatments and compounding medicines…

Ellis defeated my pursuers from the royal castle and the assassins targeting Jude.

I provided food, clothing, and shelter for Ellis and Jude, and support them in their daily lives.

--But time passed without any progress.

Jude the Wizard: “…I’m low on medicine ingredients, so I’m heading out. I’ll be back in half a day.”

Although he doesn’t reveal anything about his hardships, Jude looked very exhausted as he left the castle.

(Is it okay to leave it all to Jude? Is there something else I can help with…?)

Ellis of Thorns: “…Kate, that expression, are you thinking about something troubling?”

Kate: “Yeah. It’s frustrating to be able to do nothing but watch…”

Ellis of Thorns: “Is that so… Is there anything I can do?”

Ellis of Thorns: “I like you, so I want to help you.”

Kate: “Huh?”

(I… what does he mean by “I like you”…?)

My face was red and I was in a panic as I studied Ellis’ expression.

But his expression was the same as usual… and it didn’t look like he was confessing anything at all.

Kate: “Just out of curiosity… Ellis, do you like Jude?”

Ellis of Thorns: “Jude? Yeah, I like him. I owe him a favor.”

Kate: “Th-that’s right…”

(…I’m glad I didn’t jump to conclusions. Ellis’ love is the love of friendship!)

Feeling a little disappointed, I pulled myself together and decided to get back to the original problem.

Kate: “Well, for now… I’m going to look into my illness too.”

Kate: “Ellis, can you help me?”

Thus, we visited the study, which we were told was off-limits.

Kate: “There it is!”

Jude’s methodical nature paid off, and I quickly found what I was looking for.

The research reports on my illness were stored in a desk drawer.

Kate: “Um, what is…’The Blight of Thorns’?”

According to the reports, my illness was caused by being pricked by a special thorn that possessed magical powers.

(Thorns? Could that be…)

I remembered the thorns I had been talking to as a child.

(Once upon a time, I was pricked by a thorn from that bush, and I developed a high fever.)

(…I wonder if that’s when I got sick.)

“When the time comes, the thorn that entered the body will grow rapidly inside the patient, destroying the body and causing death.”

“The only solution is to get rid of the thorns by burning them.”

As I continued reading the documents, I found out that Jude had tracked down the thorns growing in the backyard of the castle.

But—

“It’s stubborn and tenacious, and I can’t weed out all the thorns.”

“No matter how much you burn or cut it, it just keeps growing back. I’ve tried everything, but nothing works.”

Kate: “Jude has decided that there’s no way to do anything about the thorns, so he’s looking into other options.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Yeah, he used all sorts of methods. Drowning, freezing, burning…”

Ellis of Thorns: “The most painful one was when he chopped me up.”

(Ellis was also involved with getting rid of the thorns…)

(The thorns are sharp, so if you grab then while chopping them, you could get hurt.)

Ellis of Thorns: “…Hey, Kate.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Kate, do you really want to cure your illness and continue living?”

I want to live, and… I want to talk more and more with Ellis.)

Kate: “Yeah… of course.”

Ellis of Thorns: “I see… that’s what you want right now.”

Ellis of Thorns: “It’s different now… from back then.”

For some reason, Ellis laughed a little sadly.

Kate: “Ellis…?”

Ellis of Thorns: “…I understand your feelings. Let’s go then.”

Ellis of Thorns: “Now, we should be able to kill the thorns.”

#ikemen villains #ikevil #ikemen villains translation #ikevil translation #ellis twilight #ikevil ellis #ikevil ellis twilight #ikemen villains ellis #ikemen villains ellis twilight

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shiningwonderland · 1 month ago

Text

Ren Jinguji (Repeat)

Translator: Nadie (Twitter: NmoniaG)

Proofreader: Raz (Twitter: agnadance)

Editor: Snail (Twitter: herbert_snail)

QA: Rei (Twitter: wolfe_raine)

March - Believe your Musician's Soul

Before I knew it, it was already March. I only have three days of my extended time left.

The music that left me hasn't come back to my heart, so I just stare at the music sheet, unable to do anything.

The only thing I can do is to stare at the sequencer in silence.

I have to do this. This project has already started moving, regardless of the fact that I can't come up with any melodies, and regardless of the fact that my heart might break in the process.

This song is my responsibility, so even if I complain about it, there is no one who can help me.

Jinguji-san taught me that. Even though we didn't come up with a solution, at least it got my dying heart moving a little.

I want to play something. I try to squeeze out the few things I know and search for the music that I've played.

In search of my own music, I reproduce, trace, and recompile. And yet...

As the deadline approaches, I can't find my own music no matter what I do, and at this point I don't know what else to try.

Haruka Nanami: … Sigh…

Syo Kurusu: Your complexion looks bad lately, are you okay? Did something happen? If you don't mind, I can lend an ear.

Haruka Nanami: … Thank you, but it's nothing…

I signed an NDA, so I can't and shouldn't tell anyone about it.

Tokiya Ichinose: … How are we supposed to believe that when you have such a pained expression on your face? It’s hard to watch you smile like that.

Haruka Nanami: …

Ren Jinguji: If she says it's nothing then it must be nothing, right?

Syo Kurusu: What's up with you? You're her partner. Aren't you worried?

Ren Jinguji: Nope, not at all.

Jinguji-san takes a quick look at my face and flashes a smile.

Oh… I see, so Jinguji-san believes in me.

What he means is, 'I'm not worried at all, so just work hard.'

Syo Kurusu: Wow, that’s cold! You should at least console your partner when they’re feeling down!

Ren Jinguji: She's not an amateur, she's a professional. Too much consolation would just trivialize her efforts - kinda rude, don't you think? So it's okay, don't worry.

Haruka Nanami: Yes!

He recognizes me as a professional and believes in me.

Things like that shouldn't discourage me, and I'll be fine. That's what he thinks.

I can't lose here—I want to surpass his expectations.

Ren Jinguji: Ah, that's right. Lady, I know you're busy, but could you give this a listen and let me know your thoughts on it by tomorrow?

He drops a CD on my table.

Haruka Nanami: Could this be…

Ren Jinguji: It's the song for the graduation audition. I've recorded a few different takes and want to hear your opinions on it.

Jinguji-san is working hard on his own too!

Select the Phrase!

はいっ、頑張りますっ! Understood! I'll do my best! (+10 Love, +0 Music)

Ren Jinguji: Heh, you don't have to go that far. Just let me know what you think of it. Jinguji-san says with a wry smile.

レポートにして提出します! I'll write a report and turn it in! (+20 Love, +0 Music)

Ren Jinguji: No need to be that meticulous. I just want to hear your opinions.

Haruka Nanami: No way! I can't just do that! After all, I…

Haruka Nanami: I'm also betting my life on the graduation audition! So let me work hard for it!

Ren Jinguji: Your life…? That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think? But that just shows how serious you are about this. In that case, I'll wait for your report.

Haruka Nanami: Okay! You can leave it to me!

I thump my chest with my fist. Jinguji-san smiles kindly at me.

すぐ聴きます！　I'll listen to it right now! (+0 Love, +0 Music)

Ren Jinguji: No can do. Class is about to begin. Once it's over, I want you to listen to it without rushing.

Haruka Nanami: Oh… right… Okay, understood!

As soon as the bell rings and class is dismissed, I make a hasty exit and go back to the dormitory.

Obviously, I need to listen to the CD Jinguji-san gave me.

Of course, I love to compose songs, but even more than that, I love to hear someone else sing along to my compositions...

Even more so when it's the person I love singing it...

Ten seconds have passed since I inserted the CD. I really love the silence before a song begins.

When will it start and what will it be like?

My heart beats faster with excitement, and as it peaks, the first note plays.

Haruka Nanami: Oh… That's really good…

His voice is now even more stable than before, and his rhythm is no longer shifting.

Haruka Nanami: He's been practicing properly…

On this CD there are ten tracks—in each he sings with slightly different nuances.

In one he sings dazzlingly. In the next, passionately, and in another, a little lonely.

Coming up with so many different variations must have been very difficult.

It's hard enough to make even one version. He's bringing his song closer to perfection by singing it over and over while changing the style, all by himself.

Still, he made ten… How much effort did that take?

While I was complaining, he never showed the slightest sign of his own struggles and continued to work hard on his own...

Once I'm done listening to each song, I take my headphones off.

Select the Phrase!

すごかった。That was amazing. (+0 Love, +0 Music)

It's the same melody and lyrics in each but they all sound so different.

Just the melody and lyrics don't make it complete. Only when people add their emotion-filled singing to it, can it become a song…

There are those who sing but also those who listen.

Since I was so focused on my job, this had completely slipped my mind.

次はメモを取りながら聴こう。I should take notes while listening to it again. (+0 Love, +5 Music)

Haruka Nanami: Hmmm… The 1A melody was good in the second track… And the chorus… Hmmm. The last chorus was really nice in the tenth track…

I write down the first things that come to my mind, while listening to the songs on repeat.

Since there are ten tracks, it is easy to tell which one is the best.

However, since the A melody is quite nice in the second track, and the B melody is good in the fifth track, I can also recompose it.

They have the same melody and lyrics, yet they are so different.

The melody is not the final form of a song.

The potential one melody hides must be limitless.

There's as many variations as there are singers. I see… I understand now…

There is a little bit of light shining in my heart that has gone astray.

組み替えてみよう。Let's recompose this. (+0 Love, +10 Music)

The first chorus… On this track, 2A is… Four… No, it's six… Let's listen to it again.

I'm recomposing it—I'm listening to it over and over again while clipping and connecting one section, then listening to it again…

That way I'm making one song from all of the takes…

However, there is no answer to what perfection is.

This song is just a checkpoint. Obviously, the higher the degree to which this song is perfected, the better.

But that's not all there is to it. Just adding vocals to the same melody grants it limitless potential.

I'm not alone. And completing this song is not the final destination.

With that in mind, the heavy rain clouds that cover my heart start to lift.

Since then I've listened to the CD over and over again. I picked out the bits I personally liked from all ten versions.

Then, I made one song that I felt was it!

Ren Jinguji: Hey, morning! Did you listen to the CD?

Haruka Nanami: Good morning!

As soon as I see Jinguji-san's face, I stand up and immediately rush over to him.

Haruka Nanami: So! I gave it a listen! And then… well…

Select the Phrase!

迷いが晴れました。My worries were dispelled. (+0 Love, +0 Music)

Ren Jinguji: Hm, that's good. Can you work with it?

Haruka Nanami: Yes! And, well… I did my best rearranging the tracks you gave me into a song…

I'm handing Jinguji-san the CD with the song I recomposed yesterday.

Ren Jinguji: Thank you. I'll refer to it.

Jinguji-san then kisses the CD.

勉強になりました！I learned a lot! (+10 Love, +10 Music)

Ren Jinguji: You… learned from it? Well, that wasn't initially its purpose but I'm glad you deemed it useful.

Jinguji-san smiles gently and pats my head.

I'm so happy that I almost reach out to him, but I pull back my hand out of reflex… Now is not the time to let myself get spoiled.

Jinguji-san then averts his gaze and drops his hand from my head.

作ってみました！I made this! (+20 Love, +5 Music)

Haruka Nanami: I tried my best putting the best parts together.

Ren Jinguji: Oh…? So you went that far. Sorry about that, I know you're busy.

Haruka Nanami: No, it's fine! I had a lot of fun. And I was able to remember something important.

Ren Jinguji: Can you give it your all now?

Haruka Nanami: Yes! All thanks to you, Jinguji-san!

Let's go back to the beginning and think about it once more.

With the intention of adding a voice to it… I have to remember the feelings from the time when I wanted Jinguji-san to sing for me…

I barely make it to the deadline and finally hand the song to my client.

But…

"We deeply apologize. After receiving several compositions, we are still not satisfied with this one."

"Whether we will give you one more chance, or whether someone else will be assigned to this task, is still under consideration. We appreciate your patience during this time."

… says the email.

Haruka Nanami: No way…

No matter how many times I read it, the sentence stays the same. The shock is so big that I continue to blankly stare at the screen of my laptop.

The next day, due to my fatigue and the emotional shock I had received, I developed a fever.

Now really wasn't the time to be confined to my bed… Not only can I not get any work done, but I can't go to class either.

Ren Jinguji: Lady, are you in there?

I hear a voice and some knocking. For a moment, I think I must have misheard it.

Haruka Nanami: Ah! J-Jinguji-san?! W-wait, I'll open the door!

Ren Jinguji: I heard. They told me you got a cold? Now really isn't the time for that… In any case, you have to get back on your feet fast.

Ren Jinguji: Here, I brought you some food. I got egg porridge from the cafeteria. Eating is important when you feel physically weak.

Jinguji-san holds up the paper bag to show me. This makes me really happy because I haven't eaten anything since this morning.

… Sob. I'm sorry for all this.

Haruka Nanami: T-thank you. And um, I'm sorry. I know health management is also part of work, so this… Oh! I can't infect you!

Haruka Nanami: What if you were to catch a cold before the graduation audition? Um, so…

M-my mask. I have to put it on… Huh, I can't find it…

A cold infection spreads over the air so… as long as I stop breathing for now…

Ren Jinguji: A little won't hurt. And… you're probably sick due to overworking yourself, Lady. Come on, let’s get you into bed…

Jinguji-san puts the paper bag down and lifts me up in his arms.

Haruka Nanami: Eek! U-um… I can walk on my own…

Ren Jinguji: It's fine… It's okay to make myself at least a little useful in times like these, right?

He flashes a wry smile and his eyes are slightly downcast.

Ren Jinguji: Really… I let you out of my sight for a bit and you go and overwork yourself… What am I to do with you…

Jinguji-san mutters in a 'dear me' kind of tone.

He then carries me to my bed and covers me with my blanket.

He also brushes my cheek as he puts his hand on my forehead to take my temperature.

Ren Jinguji: Your face is all red… And your cheeks are heated… Did you take any medicine?

I shake my head from side to side. Jinguji-san then goes to the paper bag and, from it, takes out a Chinese spoon and a container of porridge.

Ren Jinguji: In any case, you should have a small meal first. Taking medicine on an empty stomach is not good for you. Here, open wide, "ahhh."

Haruka Nanami: Uh, e-excuse me… I-I can eat it on my own!

Ren Jinguji: No can do. Let me do it... I've sometimes dreamed of this... I mean, for someone to gently nurse me when I was bedridden with a cold.

Ren Jinguji: Well, right now I'm the one who's nursing you, but... I'm going to do everything for you that I wish someone had done for me.

That's right… Jinguji-san didn't have a mother that could nurse him back to health…

Haruka Nanami: I-in that case, if you ever catch a cold and get bedridden, let me take care of you, Jinguji-san!

Ren Jinguji: Heh, thanks. I'm happy to hear that. Well, I'm taking my health seriously, but if I do get sick one day I'll be in your care. I'm sure if you nurse me, I'll be cured.

Ren Jinguji: So far, George has had to do it for me. But George's way of nursing is pretty rough. He'd just tell me, "Eat!" or "Sleep!"

Haruka Nanami: Whoa, that's quite…

I can somehow totally see George-san being that way.

Ren Jinguji: That's why I always wanted to try this out. Foo, foo. Here, "ahhh."

Haruka Nanami: Er… A-ahhh…

I open my mouth and Jinguji-san lifts the Chinese spoon with the porridge to it.

… T-this is way more embarrassing than I initially thought…!

Ren Jinguji: Is it good?

Haruka Nanami: Y-… Yes… But it's a little embarrassing after all…

Ren Jinguji: One more then. Foo, foo. I have to cool it down properly, if not, your cute lips could get burned and we wouldn't want that. Hm, this should be fine. Okay, "ahhh".

He blows on it to cool the food down, then takes the Chinese spoon and lightly pushes it against his lips to measure the temperature. Then…

Jinguji-san turns the spoon to me with a smile on his face.

Haruka Nanami: Um, er… L-like I said… I-it's embarrassing…

It's so embarrassing, but… Jinguji-san grins lightly, seemingly enjoying this…

Haruka Nanami: Er, ah… Ahhh.

In the end, I let Jinguji-san feed me the whole porridge until there is nothing left.

Haruka Nanami: … T-thank you for the meal. Um… It was delicious.

Ren Jinguji: Sorry that it was so simple. Oh… Looks like… a grain of rice got stuck next to your mouth.

"Mwah," he pecks the corner of my mouth and quickly pulls his lips away from mine.

Haruka Nanami: Wha! U-uhm!!

Ren Jinguji: Thanks for the meal, Lady. That was delicious.

He says, wearing a smile that betrays his glee.

Haruka Nanami: A-a-a-…

My face is burning up from this embarrassing situation. I want to say something but am speechless as I repeatedly open and close my mouth.

Ren Jinguji: Hehe, sorry. Looks like I teased you a bit too much. I need you to get well soon, so we can't have your fever getting worse, Lady.

Jinguji-san laughs innocently like a mischievous child. I didn't know he could make such an expression…

I don't think I could stand it if he were to look at me with such gentle eyes.

I cause so many people trouble… Like Jinguji-san for example, I'm causing so much trouble for him…

And yet I failed to show any kind of results. In the end, I even came down with a fever, causing even more trouble.

Haruka Nanami: U-um… I'm sorry. I… Although I got this job… it ended up with this outcome…

Ren Jinguji: What? Could it be that you're already giving up?

Select the Phrase!

そんなことっ！No way! (+20 Love, +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: I decided to debut no matter what it will take. As long as there is a chance I won't give up!

Haruka Nanami: It's just that… The chances are so low… I apologize… for being so pathetic…

I'm about to cry while saying this, so I try my best to hold my tears back.

Ren Jinguji: What's important isn't the past—it's the future… As well as the will to connect with that future.

Jinguji-san gently pets my hair.

あきらめたくないです。I don't want to give up. (+15 Love, +5 Music)

Haruka Nanami: But… All I can do now is wait. I thought about composing a song while waiting, but…

Haruka Nanami: I fear I might trouble them by sending them too many things… What should I do…? What can I do…?

Haruka Nanami: So I guess the only thing I can do after all is to wait… If I think too much about it I might get another fever… I'm pathetic.

Suddenly, his outstretched hand touches my forehead.

Ren Jinguji: Maybe you overheated because you usually follow your intuition and rarely use your head.

もう、どうしていいのか……。I don't know what else to do… (+0 Love, +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: I don't want to give up. I want to debut, but…

Haruka Nanami: I can only wait for their reply… And I'm… scared of the result.

Ren Jinguji: Can you… still go on? Or would you like to quit here?

Ren Jinguji: This won't be the only case. As a professional, you'll get through the same experiences many times from now on. Are you confident that you can endure that?

Ren Jinguji: You still have the chance to quit now. Your music is free and full of artistry. You may be better suited to create music as a hobby, where there's no pressure and there's no limit to what you can make.

Haruka Nanami: That… may be true. But I want everyone to listen to my compositions… rather, to the songs I'll compose.

Haruka Nanami: At first I only looked up to HAYATO-sama so I only thought about making music for idols. But things are different now.

Haruka Nanami: Now I want you to sing my songs, Jinguji-san. And then I want the whole world to listen to them!

Haruka Nanami: I love your songs. Your presence in itself is shining so brightly that it's blinding. And I want to let everyone know that.

Haruka Nanami: I want to move them deeply. That's the reason why I want to debut no matter what.

Ren Jinguji: Okay, Lady. I see your eyes are still full of life. Your fever should settle soon. We can make another song when that time comes.

Ren Jinguji: Don't even think about it not turning out well. You're a composer after all, so all you have to do is to compose while following your heart.

Haruka Nanami: Alright!

Ren Jinguji: But for now… you should rest until your fever goes down. And your next assignment will be to work hard but not too excessively, 'kay?

He lightly kisses my eyelids and gently runs his hand through my hair.

It feels so good that I fall into a deep sleep on the spot.

There were still no results. Despite that, I continue working on my composition in the recording room.

Haruka Nanami: Ah!!

Jinguji-san's big brother??? W-why is he here?

Seiichiro Jinguji: Am I interrupting?

Haruka Nanami: N-no, not at all… U-um, I apologize for the mess…

Seiichiro Jinguji: Don't worry, I don't mind. Do you mind if we talk a little?

Haruka Nanami: Ah! Of course…

Seiichiro Jinguji: I'm sorry for having you make so many retakes on the composition. It must have been tough.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, n-no, I am the one who should apologize for not being able to deliver anything satisfactory.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Personally, I liked each of your songs. Your compositions are so straightforward, innocent and so honest…

Seiichiro Jinguji: I'm sure your compositions reveal your personality. I'm glad that someone like you got to be Ren's partner.

Haruka Nanami: No, you flatter me… All I really do is cause Jinguji-san trouble…

Seiichiro Jinguji: It must be quite difficult for you. One might say it's because he’s… unreadable.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Even as his biological brother, there are times when I can't tell what he's thinking.

Haruka Nanami: Jinguji-san is really…

Select the Phrase!

優しい方です。He's such a kind person. (+20 Love, +0 Music)

Seiichiro Jinguji: Well, he's only kind to women on the surface. He never enters a serious relationship, so he just ends up being showered with attention by women.

Seiichiro Jinguji: I was a little worried because I thought he would always be like that. Sooner or later this behavior towards women would lead to conflicts.

Haruka Nanami: Uhm… I think you're right about him being kind to women. But he's also someone who cherishes his companions.

Seiichiro Jinguji: His… companions? Meaning you are being cherished by him as well?

Haruka Nanami: Yes! Jinguji-san is always kind to me!

繊細な方です。He's such a delicate person. (+10 Love, +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: There is a sense of sensitivity in the inner workings of his heart that allows him to notice even the most fine details. I think this is why he is so popular with women.

Seiichiro Jinguji: You're right, rather than being cunning, he has this strangely skillful side.

華やかな方です。He's such a dazzling person. (+0 Love, +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: He's always so dazzling to the point that he's sparkling.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Yeah… He inherited that kind of presence from our mother.

Seiichiro Jinguji: I see... Ren really has a good partner. I'm glad I sent him to this academy.

Haruka Nanami: Um... Jinguji-san told me that he was forced to come to this academy... Is that true?

Seiichiro Jinguji: Right, the fact that he was half-forced is true. He's... Well, you can’t help feeling bad for him.

Seiichiro Jinguji: He lost our mother right after he was born, so our biological father became displeased with him. Father suspected that Ren wasn't his child.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Of course, that's not true... Father loved our mother deeply, so the shock of losing her must have been too great.

Seiichiro Jinguji: That must have taken a mental toll on him. Regrettably, all his irritation and grief was focused and directed at Ren.

Seiichiro Jinguji: As for us—we couldn't protect him from that. No matter what we said, Father was an absolute figure in the Jinguji household, so no one could oppose him.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Despite receiving our father's harsh treatment, I think Ren still grew up big and strong. That's because George supported him behind the scenes.

Haruka Nanami: George-san did…?

Seiichiro Jinguji: Yes, and he still does. He only helps him a little bit, but it's thanks to George that Ren was able to grow up without going down the wrong path.

Seiichiro Jinguji: But... With our father's death, even though Ren gained freedom, he lost his purpose in life.

Seiichiro Jinguji: He left the school he used to attend and wandered aimlessly around the city, doing nothing.

Seiichiro Jinguji: There were times when it seemed like dangerous people were trying to deceive him. Things couldn't go on like that, so I enrolled him here.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Ren tried to hide it, but when he was a child he admired idols.

Haruka Nanami: Idols?

But at first he hated the idea of becoming an idol...

Lately, he seems to enjoy singing and dancing. Jinguji-san looks so happy when he sings.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Correct. He would secretly watch idol videos while singing and dancing along to them. Even then, I thought he had a talent for it, but...

Seiichiro Jinguji: I would have suggested for Ren to become an idol, but I couldn't tell him that in front of our father. At that time, it was basically taboo to talk about anything related to our mother.

Seiichiro Jinguji: But our father is no longer with us. I thought that if he got in touch with the profession he once admired, he would surely find something he could devote himself to...

His big brother... He does care about Jinguji-san.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Looks like the plan worked. All thanks to you and everyone else.

Haruka Nanami: Oh no, I didn't do anything...

Seiichiro Jinguji: I doubt that he would be so serious about something without you doing anything.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Ren seems to be quite fond of your compositions. Yesterday, he visited me without making an appointment beforehand.

Haruka Nanami: What…?

But Jinguji-san even hates his big brother being mentioned as a topic...

He visited him on his own regard? And that without an appointment… What did he visit him for?

Seiichiro Jinguji: For formal reasons, he brought the specifics regarding the work we commissioned from you, and he also wrote a new proposal.

Seiichiro Jinguji: He came to promote his and your song. If I recall correctly, it's the song that he will sing for the graduation audition.

Haruka Nanami: Huh… U-um… By "promote" you mean…

Why did he do that?

Seiichiro Jinguji: Hm? Did Ren not tell you about it?

Haruka Nanami: Um, well… I don't know what this is about…

Seiichiro Jinguji: It's about the commercial song. With your song we can certainly increase the buying interest. At least, that's what he, brimming with confidence, presented to us…

Seiichiro Jinguji: When we told him that the song didn't fit the image of the product, he replied that the song's appeal was too good to worry about such details.

Seiichiro Jinguji: He then emphasized that it will also definitely leave a lasting impression of the product. For that, however, we need verification.

Seiichiro Jinguji: So I told him that if the song is good enough to win at the graduation audition, then we would use it.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Using a song like that would also come with its prestige, and I initially intended to use one of your songs regardless.

Seiichiro Jinguji: On top of that, using him for the commercial of one of our products just makes sense. It wasn't a bad deal.

Seiichiro Jinguji: However, if the execution of the song was bad, we would have to order a new one, which would be difficult and cost us due to the long delay.

Seiichiro Jinguji: I didn't know whether to take the risk and bet on you two or not... That's why I came here to ask your opinion.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Regarding this project, I wanted to know if you haven't given up yet. Do you want to try this new challenge together with Ren? And—above all—are you confident in yourself?

All the songs I confidently turned in within this one month got rejected.

So… No, I no longer have confidence in my own talent.

But... This song is not only my composition. It also has Jinguji-san's vocals. I composed it in anticipation of Jinguji-san singing it.

Even if my strength alone isn't enough, when we combine both of our forces the possibilities become infinite.

Jinguji-san has presented me with this chance. I can't let it go to waste.

It will surely be fine. We can… no, we will win!

Haruka Nanami: I'm confident. Please allow us to do this!

I declare with resolution.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Understood. I'll steer the conversation in that direction. I have high expectations. Please do your best.

Haruka Nanami: I will!

After that, thanks to Jinguji-san's big brother informing the principal about this, I was saved from dropping out of the academy.

In exchange, I won't be granted a second chance to debut if we fail to win the graduation audition.

That's what I promised.

Haruka Nanami: The audition will be held soon. I have to do my best!

Mini Game

Ryuya Hyuga: Laugh or cry about it but the graduation audition only happens once. There are no retakes.

Ryuya Hyuga: To perform your best song on stage, you have no choice but to practice in the background. Each time you listen and perform, the quality of your song will improve.

Ryuya Hyuga: Think of this as the real deal. In preparation for the audition, find the faults in your song and crush them! Got it?

Ryuya Hyuga: This is the final lesson. Put in your spirit!

S RANK

Ren Jinguji: To say the truth, I was confident in myself—confident that I would never get serious about anyone. You truly are a puzzling girl.

Haruka Nanami: I'm… puzzling? People often tell me that I'm weird…

A laugh slips out of Jinguji-san.

Huh? Did I say something strange? Japanese is so difficult.

Finally, the day of the graduation audition is here.

Haruka Nanami: It looks like it’s about to start.

If we don't win this, my dream of becoming a composer will never come true.

W-what should I do? My heart won't stop racing and my… my hands won't stop shaking…

A hand then falls on my shoulder from behind me.

Haruka Nanami: Jinguji-san…

Ren Jinguji: Are you nervous? Well, I can't blame you. You'll lose everything if we don't win here. But no need to worry. After all, I am the one who will be singing.

Ren Jinguji: Losing isn't even an option for us! I'll go all out all for this moment! I'll wager everything on this one song.

After that declaration, he slicks back his hair with his hands and licks his lips with his tongue.

Oh, that's his habit. He does that every time he gets serious…

Jinguji-san and I feel the same way. It's the feeling of wagering everything on this graduation audition.

Haruka Nanami: T-thank you very much, and, um… This might not be the time for this but I wanted to ask you why you went so far for me?

I believed that Jinguji-san didn't want to interfere with my work.

During the time I lost my spirit, he coldly kept his distance from me. I was lonely, but I was the one who took the job so it had nothing to do with him.

That's why I worked hard on my own.

Still, he looked into the details of my job, wrote a proposal and with it, went to his big brother to promote our song.

Jinguji-san is always so kind. But I've always felt his kindness is passive—he isn't the type to be proactive.

That's why I want to know: Why did he do it?

Haruka Nanami: You went to your brother to negotiate about the commercial song, didn't you? I thought you hate talking to your big brother, so why—

Unexpectedly, he puts his index finger on my lips, cutting me off.

Ren Jinguji: Who knows? Right, you can find the answer in… the song… Once you hear it, you'll understand everything.

With that said, he flashes a smile that brims with confidence and rushes out onto the stage.

Chapter End

#UtaPri #Repeat #ren jinguji #ren repeat

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