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gammasnippets · 1 year ago

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[CHANNEL_9] fromis_9 '채널나인' EP58. Spotlighting🎬 Part.1

fromis_9 Lee Saerom, Song Hayoung, Jang Gyuri, Park Jiwon, Roh Jisun, Lee Seoyeon, Lee Chaeyoung, Lee Nagyung, Baek Jiheon

2,824 words (Unedited)

It’s the year 2027.

With the immense attention social media content garners these days, K-pop groups must put out a lot of various kinds of content for their fans to stay in their boat. And as of late, some artists are even resorting to a more risqué and sexual form of media just to stay in the game. The morality and ethics of it is something that shouldn’t be scoffed at, as it has sparked controversy around the industry. Others are in favor of it, while some are against it.

But as time goes by, this venture becomes harder and harder to resist as more and more fans are eating all forms of content… Until their perception of it all becomes grayed out.

Being one of the industry's most revered groups, the members of fromis_9 are just some of the artists who started partaking in more provocative and sensual concepts for their content to provide fans with a more sensual form of fanservice. Their agency has always been reluctant to do so, as they had their reputation to keep up. But with many groups competing for the top spot, these nine girls have to “exploit” what assets they have to push themselves higher in the industry.

As the group delved deeper into this sensual rabbit hole, they made a variety of content that fans will surely go crazy about. From music videos that show their bodies in tight, revealing clothes, and a bunch of photoshoots that would make you blush with the sheer sensuality of the outfits and poses that they had, fromis_9 has gone to the world that only the most daring of groups would dare venture in. And being a part of a group of editors tasked to produce content like this, you often find yourself getting a lot of material to jerk off to from these girls.

To commemorate the group’s 10th anniversary, the company has planned a series of special videos featuring the girls for their ever-loyal fans. And after several passes and editing by the other editors, the videos finally came in your email, waiting for a final review to be conducted by no other than you. The pressure is high, as this could very well be the most successful video project yet. As the last editor to get the content, it's all up to you to give it the final touches and make these videos—12 in total— as flawless as possible. With tissues and lotion just within arm's reach, you start reviewing the footage.

You press play on the first video on the list and the unforgettable intro for their variety series “Channel_9” starts.

The episode begins as the camera shows a large studio complex, almost like the ones they have in other countries where they create live-action films and such, panning through the many large structures and beautiful gardenscapes scattered around the area. It then transitions to a drone shot, where the girls can be seen walking through the complex. They pass by large water fountains and flower patches, all the while showing how nice and beautiful the place is. All of them gasped in awe at the sight of the complex.

“This place looks like a big hotel. They could be hiding the rides in those buildings,” says Hayoung.

Seoyeon chuckles. “You mean a theme park?”

“Ah… Right,” she answers.

You can hear all the girls laughing at that short yet funny conversation.

“Unnie,” says Chaeyoung. “We just visited one recently and you still can’t forget about it.”

“That place was fun, though,” she retorts.

“Yeah. You’re right,” Saerom and Chaeyoung answer, almost in unison.

“Wish we can return to that place,” Jiheon tells everyone.

"Maybe the crew's planning to take us to a theme park," Jiwon tells the group as she looks at the cameraman with a smug look on her face.

Everyone giggles at that.

Gyuri then sighs. "There she goes again."

"Watch it get jinxed," Nagyung adds.

Seoyeon laughs out loud at that. "Her plans never work out."

"Ya!" Jiwon protests, "It'll work out this time. Just watch!"

She looks back at the camera again, nodding as if persuading them to agree with her.

However… She got silence for an answer.

Jiwon playfully sulks, making everyone laugh.

They continue to walk through the complex until they've reached the center of a huge courtyard, where the rest of the filming crew is waiting for them. As they are all getting into their respective positions, you see the members getting excited to start shooting the first episode.

"This will be exciting, hmmm?" Hayoung asks them, looking eager.

"I sure hope so," Jisun replies, smiling.

"Oh, me too," says Saerom.

One of the staff members then began to speak up.

"Hello, everyone," the staff member began, greeting them.

The group greeted her back in unison, bowing their heads.

"Welcome to the country's biggest filming facility," the staff member continued.

"Oh! So this is what it is!" Jiheon gasps.

The camera then pans out in a drone camera, giving the viewers another good look of the entire complex.

"This is probably where they filmed that one train movie I just watched," Chaeyoung says in excitement, her eyes sparkling in awe.

Suddenly, Hayoung yells.

"Ahh! Ahh!"

Everyone looks at her, shocked.

"What is it?" asks Saerom.

Hayoung, still looking shocked, excitedly points somewhere far.

"I… I've seen that bench from my favorite drama show!"

"Really?" Gyuri asks.

Hayoung nods.

The camera then pans over to a familiar bench that looks identical to the one in the show.

"It really does look like that one," Seoyeon says.

"Wow, unnie," Nagyung says. "You do know your stuff."

Hayoung smiles and gives her a thumbs-up.

"Anyway… We have prepared a series of challenges for all of you," the staff member resumes.

Oohs and ahhs can be heard from the girls.

“We call these Spotlighting Challenges.”

Another wave of amazement envelops the group.

Hayoung then raises her hand. “Spotlighting Challenge?”

The staff member nods. “These challenges refer to a study about how people behave differently when they are being watched—be it on camera or in the spotlight.”

Everyone nods at the given explanation.

“Ooh. So that’s why there’s ‘spotlight’ in the name,” Chaeyoung remarks, nodding her head.

“Yeah,” Jisun hears her and agrees. “But we’re definitely used to it by now, right?”

Chaeyoung nods back, laughing. “Yeah. This should be easy for us!”

"Every single challenge has different goals and rules to achieve,” the staff member follows up. “All of you must do your best to complete each challenge."

"I see…" Nagyung replies, attentively listening.

"So where are these challenges located?" Saerom asks.

"Each challenge is located at different areas within the complex. There are nine challenges—one for each member."

Everyone is shocked at the announcement.

"Woah! Nine?" Jiheon exclaims.

"Yes, each member has a unique challenge."

"Unique challenge?" Jiwon asks, her eyes wide in shock. "So we'll be alone?"

"Yes," the staff member nods her head. "These challenges can only be completed individually."

A sudden silence fills the air as they process the information.

"Jeez… This is going to be nerve-wracking," Gyuri mumbles, scratching her head.

"I feel the same," Jiheon tells her, her body shaking in nervousness.

"We know you girls will worry about not having each other by your side," the staff member tells them reassuringly. "But we believe in each of your skills and strengths."

"Thank you," Jisun bows, accepting the encouragement.

"Are the challenges going to be difficult?" Chaeyoung asks, curiously.

The staff member shrugs her shoulders and replies in a soft tone.

“Kinda…”

Everyone then lets out sighs and grunts at the answer.

“Oh dear. We’re done for,” Nagyung frowns.

"But we made each challenge doable for any member," the staff member explains.

Everyone responds with a mixture of relief and determination.

"Well that's good news," she says with a smile.

"I know right?" Jiwon replies, also relieved.

"These challenges will require all of you to be creative. So do your best," the staff member adds.

Those words piqued the girls' curiosity. Some of them begin thinking of what they could mean.

"Be creative, huh?" Saerom asks them, her tone doubtful.

The staff member nods. She follows up with the instructions with a smirk forming on her face.

"And maybe some of your… Physical skills."

A mischievous glint suddenly sparkles in the girls' eyes as they exchange knowing looks.

"Hmmm… I wonder how physical these challenges can get?" Jiwon mischievously suggests with a playful tone.

Her teasing remark sends a wave of laughter through the group, instantly lightening the tense atmosphere.

"Oh, boy. Jiwon's at it again," Hayoung chuckles at Jiwon's suggestive remark.

The group can't help but blush at the playful insinuation.

"Surely it's nothing like that… Right?" Chaeyoung asks, looking dumbfounded at the revelation of their challenges.

The staff member smiles knowingly, making the girls even more intrigued

"Oh, dear…" Jiheon whispers under her breath, her cheeks slowly blushing. "This is going to be interesting."

"Are we really going to do it? Here?" Jisun murmurs, sounding both nervous and excited.

"I guess so," Gyuri responds with a sly grin.

The girls look at each other once again, giggling, as if they're sharing a naughty secret only they know.

"But what do we get if we win?" Nagyung then asks, diverting the topic to their goal.

"We have prepared something for all of you if you win," the staff member replies. "Since there are nine of you, the group will need five members to successfully complete the challenges."

Everyone is intrigued, their curiosity piqued by the promise of a reward.

"What's the prize? Can we get a hint?" Saerom asks, sounding mischievously.

"Yeah! Tell us!" Jiwon follows up, yelling in excitement.

"Jeez, unnie. Tone it down," Chaeyoung playfully berates her.

"Well… Is there anything you girls like?" the staff member asks the group.

Some of the members start thinking of an answer, but the others already have their minds made up.

"An all-you-can-eat buffet!"

"A trip to a theme park!"

"Rent a cinema, maybe?"

"Ooh! Let's go overseas!"

Those are some of the answers the girls excitedly shout out, their enthusiasm shooting through the roof.

The entire staff bursts into laughter at their liveliness and shared excitement.

"I guess we'll have to discuss that later," the staff member says with a smile.

"Alright!" Hayoung replies, pumping her fist in the air.

"I'm actually kinda excited now," Gyuri admits, a joyous look on her face.

"Me too," Jisun adds.

"So please do your best, everyone," the staff member encourages.

Saerom nods, looking determined. "Of course."

The other members nod, too.

The rest of the staff then carries, in front of them, a ballot box. Colorful envelopes can be seen inside the transparent box.

"Wow! So pretty," Jiheon exclaims, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"That's cute," Nagyung agrees, a smile forming on her face.

"Everyone, please take turns drawing an envelope," the staff member instructs, gesturing towards the box.

The girls eagerly step towards the box one by one, reaching into the ballot box. They then head back to their original spots, envelopes in hand, excitement radiating from each of them. Some are careful in picking their envelopes, while some are swift and waste no time… And some play around with their selection.

All the members seem eager to open the envelopes and reveal the contents. But everyone is waiting for a signal, patiently, as their anticipation builds.

"Please remember that you shouldn't reveal the contents of your envelopes to anyone," the staff member reminds them.

Everyone responds in affirmation as they grip their envelopes tightly, excitement and curiosity swirling in their eyes.

"Okay. You can open your envelopes now."

The members rip open their envelopes, their eyes meticulously scanning the contents.

"Oh. So this is just instructions to where we should head for," Chaeyoung asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

The staff member nods. "Yes. You will be informed about the challenge once you reach your designated location."

She nods back in understanding. "I see…"

"I hope the missions are fun!" Saerom exclaims with a grin on her face.

"I'm more hoping that they're easy," Gyuri chuckles, crossing her fingers.

"That too!" Saerom adds, laughing along with her.

"Ugh! I'm getting nervous!" Seoyeon whines, hopping from foot to foot.

"Pretty sure you can do it," Hayoung reassures her, giving Seoyeon a comforting pat on the back.

"How cute," Nagyung murmurs, giggling at the two.

"So, is everyone ready?"

Everyone responds in unison, their voices filled with anticipation.

"We're ready!"

"Yes!"

"Let's go!"

"The Spotlight Challenge has started! Again do your best, everyone!" the staff member announces as she cheers them on.

"Thank you!" In response, the girls bowed to everyone in gratitude.

Each member then reviewed their instructions and began looking around, figuring out where to go.

"Hmmm… I guess I should be going here," Jisun muses to herself, reading the directions on her instructions sheet as she walks off.

"Hey, unnie!" Jiheon calls out to her. "Are you going?"

Jisun turns around and nods. "Ah! Uhmm... Yes."

"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Jiheon decides, running up to join Jisun on their journey.

On the other hand, the rest of the group continued to figure out their destinations.

"Well… I think I'm heading this way," Seoyeon says, pointing opposite to Jisun's direction.

"You're heading there, too?" Hayoung asks her curiously, glancing at her own instructions.

Seoyeon just nods with a sheepish smile.

"Yay! Let's go together!" she excitedly screams as she hugs her.

"Hey! I’m also heading there too!" Nagyung adds, joining in on the hug.

As the trio embraced each other tightly, the remaining members were still working out the instructions given to them.

"If this is here, then…" Gyuri mumbles. "Then this one is… Hmmm…"

"I guess I should be going… This way?" Chaeyoung says, scratching her head in confusion as she tries to decipher the instructions.

"Huh? Chaeyoung-ah," Gyuri calls out.

"Yes, unnie?"

"Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, I think so," Chaeyoung responds, looking unsure.

"Okay. Do your best, then!" she encourages her, waving her hand at her.

"Will do! Thank you!" Chaeyoung replies cheerfully, waving back at Gyuri. "See you later!"

Suddenly, Jiwon appears behind her, as if peeking at her unnie's instructions. Gyuri quickly spots her and hides her envelope, giving Jiwon a playful glare.

"What are you doing?" the older girl asks, pretending to be annoyed.

"What?" Jiwon acts coy, smiling as if she's innocent. "I'm doing nothing?"

"You aren't supposed to peek at my directions," Gyuri scolds her, wagging her finger at Jiwon.

"No, I'm not," she continues her innocent act, blinking her eyes innocently at Gyuri.

But Gyuri sees through her act and playfully pinches Jiwon's cheek.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Unnie!" Jiwon yelps as she feigns pain.

"Come on now, don't be sneaky," she says with a smirk.

"I'm not! Really!" Jiwon insists, rubbing her cheek dramatically.

Gyuri chuckles. "Alright. Where are you heading?"

"I'm heading that way," she points to the huge building behind the filming crew.

"Ooh. That looks big."

"I bet that's the main building."

"Seems like it. Yeah."

Suddenly, Saerom spots the two, approaches them, and joins in on the conversation.

"So, where are you going?" she asks.

Gyuri is the first to answer, pondering her options.

"I think I'll head to that building and ask around," she says, pointing to the same building Jiwon had mentioned earlier.

"Me too," Jiwon adds, nodding in agreement. "I think my challenge is somewhere in that building."

"I see…" Saerom replies, nodding at their answers.

"So where will you go?" asks Jiwon.

"Me?"

The two other girls nod expectantly.

"Same as you two. To that building," Saerom answers, confirming their choice.

"Oh. Then we all should go together," Gyuri suggests with a smile.

"Yes! Let's all go!" Jiwon exclaims excitedly, grabbing onto Gyuri and Saerom's arms.

Now with all the nine members of fromis_9 walking off in different directions, the view then shifts to a drone shot, showing the immense size of the complex, before showing a slo-mo view from each camera team that follows every member towards their respective destinations. Nervousness and excitement can be read on their faces, adding anticipation for the upcoming events.

All of a sudden, a brief montage teasing the future episodes plays. It showcases the members meeting new people, strategizing for their challenges, and lots of pure, unadulterated sex—the girls letting out screams and moans no one has probably heard. Your heart skips a beat as you process what you just saw. Doing sexy projects might not be new to them at this point, but nothing that's as bold and intense as this is.

You can't deny the creeping sense of unease that you're suddenly feeling. Yet, at the same time, it's an undeniable fact that you are getting excited and eager to see more.

Finally, the screen fades out, leaving you excited to review all of fromis_9's thrilling new series.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Author’s Notes:

I'm back... I guess? 😅 I apologize for the sudden absence that took more than a year. I left everyone without saying a word. And with that, I would like to make up with a huge series starring all of fromis_9.

Yes. Including Gyuri. 🍊

As ambitious as this might be, and given the fact that I'm not the most creative writer with the most amount of creative juice there is, I'm gonna try and sprinkle a few other stories featuring other idols in between... Just to add variety, and to not bore myself (and everyone) with just one group.

And, yes. I know. I still have 6 more Girls' Generations to write a story about. We'll get there when we get there, okay? It'll happen... When it happens. 😂

A huge thanks to @braaan for the poster! You are too kind. 🫂

And with that, thank you very much for reading! 🙇

#smut #kpopfanfiction #kpopfanfic #kpopsmut #fromis9smut #saeromsmut #hayoungsmut #gyurismut #jiwonsmut #jisunsmut #seoyeonsmut #chaeyoungsmut #nagyungsmut #jiheonsmut

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keehomania · 8 months ago

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business proposal (제안서) — kim seokjin (김석진)

✧.* 18+

a closer look reveals the hidden multitude of narcissists roaming freely across the earth. they moved through life as ordinary figures—doctors, lawyers—sharing the same vulnerability of human blood. yet, there lingered a belief in their superiority, an unspoken arrogance. among them, businessmen appeared to embody that conceit most profoundly.

kim enterprises had the value of 1.5 billion won. a leading technology firm specializing in cutting-edge ai solutions and smart home devices. founded on the principles of advancing human-technology synergy, the company designs state-of-the-art gadgets that seamlessly integrate with daily life. under the visionary leadership of kim seokjin, the president’s son, the company has gained a reputation for pushing boundaries and setting new industry standards. currently, it lies at the forefront of revolutionizing smart technology, with a diverse portfolio ranging from intelligent automation systems to next-generation personal assistants.

impressive, really. it'd have been much more impressive if he was as likeable as his company. he was a narcissist in the purest form, no matter how much he cared for the company and his employees. only because no care would amount to the kind he put into himself.

the company had been running smoothly under his care for nine years, as his father had fallen ill and was unable to sustain it on his own. he knew he was making the right decision when he deemed seokjin the next heir, the next in control. he was smart, charming, persuasive. he knew every corner and end of a business deal, how to tie the knots and when to cut off loose ends.

“kim, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person. i must say, kim enterprises has been on our radar for quite some time.” seokjin shook his hand firmly, returning the smile. “the pleasure is mine, james. i've been following your company’s progress closely as well. it’s impressive how you’ve carved out a niche in ai development.”

james’s eyes lit up. “thank you. we’re particularly interested in your smart home integration systems. from what i understand, your latest model has seen a significant uptick in market share.” seokjin’s smile widened, “yes, our quantum series has been a game-changer. we’ve seen a 30% increase in market penetration over the past year. the integration of adaptive ai has really resonated with consumers, allowing for a more intuitive user experience.”

james nodded, clearly pleased. “exactly. that’s why we’re keen on a partnership. our research indicates that your technology complements our upcoming product line perfectly. what terms are you envisioning for this deal?” seokjin considered the question thoughtfully. “given the scope of the integration and the potential for cross-promotion, i’d suggest a revenue-sharing model. we propose a 60-40 split in favor of kim enterprises for the first two years. this would allow us to leverage your distribution network while providing you with a substantial stake in the revenue generated.”

james raised an eyebrow, thoughtful. “that’s a fair proposition. but considering the development and marketing costs, how about adjusting the split to 50-50 initially, with a performance-based adjustment thereafter?” seokjin weighed the offer, then nodded. “i see your point. let’s compromise at 55-45, with a performance review after the first year to reassess the terms. we can draft a detailed agreement to reflect this.”

james’s expression softened into one of admiration. “agreed. your understanding of both the technology and market dynamics is impressive, kim. it’s clear you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

seokjin’s eyes sparkled with resolve. “thank you, james. i believe in building partnerships that are beneficial for both sides. our goal is not just to expand our market presence but to also deliver exceptional value through innovative collaborations.” james raised his glass with a smile. “well said. i look forward to working with you. let’s toast to a successful partnership.”

he truly was a natural, he knew exactly what to say and how to say it. however, even if he was reluctant to admit it, he couldn't have done it on his own.

you navigated the room with a calm, poised demeanor, your sharp eyes scanning for any potential issues or tasks that needed attention. you approached seokjin with a subtle nod, a tablet in hand. he acknowledged the gesture, his eyes flickering with appreciation. “i’ve just received the finalized draft of the agreement,” you said quietly, sliding the tablet over to him. “i made sure to include the revised revenue split and the performance review clause you discussed with james.”

he glanced at the document, his expression approving. “perfect timing. you’ve captured all the necessary details. thanks for handling this so efficiently.” james, intrigued, looked at you. “i must say, it’s clear that you play a crucial role in ensuring everything runs smoothly. your attention to detail must be invaluable.”

you smiled modestly. “thank you, james. it’s my job to make sure that the priorities are met and that every aspect of our deal is thoroughly managed. it’s a pleasure to contribute to the success of our partnerships.” as you stepped back, you made a quick call to coordinate a follow-up meeting with the legal team, ensuring that all paperwork would be processed without delay. your presence was a testament to the meticulous planning that underpinned seokjin's success.

although he was the brains behind the operation, you were the one that made sure the operation was in action. you coordinated all of his appointments and travel arrangements, handled all of his phone calls, drafted all of the reports and presentations, organized all of the meetings, supported all of the projects, and so much more. you were good at your job, and you loved it.

it was one of the many reasons why that same night, in the back of seokjin's limo, he had met your words with a look of horror displayed on his face. you remained stoic as you adjusted the hem of your dress, pushing your hair past your shoulder before meeting his gaze once more. “you want to quit?” you nodded in confirmation. the question itself held more shock than intended, but he couldn't help it. your announcement had put a dent in the night. you had been his left hand for exactly nine years and, out of the blue, you had announced that you were ready to leave the company.

the city lights blurred past the windows as you sat in the back of seokjin's sleek, black limousine. the leather seats were soft beneath you, but there was tension in the air that makes you sit a little straighter, hands folded tightly in your lap. seokjin was beside you, scrolling through his phone with a practiced ease, oblivious to the storm brewing in your mind.

“it's personal,” you explained, trying to keep your tone even. “i have some matters in my life that need my full attention right now.” he stared at you, disbelief etched on his features. “after nine years? just like that?”

“i'm sorry,” you said, your heart aching with each word. “but it's something i have to do.” seokjin's jaw tightened, but he nodded curtly. “if that's your decision, i won't stand in your way.” the rest of the ride passed in heavy silence, the atmosphere between you both laden with unspoken words and shared sorrow. you could only gaze at the fleeting cars through the window, oblivious to the hurt etched into what was supposed to be his stoic expression.

that night, he found himself tossing and turning in his grand, empty bed. sleep eluded him, chased away by a persistent nightmare. in it, he saw a woman with long, black hair, her back always turned to him. no matter how much he called out and cried, she never looked back, slipping further away with each step. he woke up in a cold sweat, the image of the woman haunting him. the clock beside his bed read that it was only four o'clock. frustrated and unsettled, he spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling, unable to shake the sense of impending loss.

the following morning, he stood in front of the mirror in his expansive bedroom, the morning light filtering through the curtains. his shirt was buttoned, but his tie lies undone around his neck. he waited, as he always did, for you. when you arrived, your expression was composed, professional. "good morning, vice chairman."

he nodded, his eyes fixed on your reflection in the mirror. “morning, secretary (y/n).” you stepped forward, deftly tying his tie with practiced hands, the sound of your name stinging more than necessary. the proximity, once a simple part of your routine, now felt charged with the weight of your impending departure.

he gazed at himself in the mirror, his ego surfacing as a way to mask his vulnerability. “do you see that? the beauty?” you glanced at the mirror, assuming he meant the sunlight casting a golden glow across the room. “yes, the sunrise is beautiful.” a faint smirk touched his lips. “no, not the sunrise. me. my aura.”

you suppressed a sigh, knowing that it was nothing but the the standard for him. “yes, very dazzling, vice chairman.” satisfied, he turned away from the mirror and straightened his suit jacket. “let's go. we have breakfast at my parents' house.”

the drive to the kim family estate was quiet, the earlier tension replaced by a heavy resignation. seokjin's family home was grand, an imposing structure surrounded by meticulously maintained gardens. inside, you were greeted by his mother, her warm smile a stark contrast to the austere demeanor of the chairman. “good morning, hyeon. (y/n), it's always a pleasure to see you.”

“good morning, mother,” seokjin replied, his tone polite yet distant. the chairman nodded at you both, his presence commanding respect. “let's eat.”

breakfast was a formal affair, the table laden with an array of traditional dishes. conversation was polite, centered around business and family matters. seokjin's parents were unaware of your decision to leave, and you caught seokjin's gaze more than once, a silent understanding passing between you. as the meal progressed, you couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. that world, so intertwined with his, had been your life for nearly a decade. leaving it behind wouldn't be easy.

breakfast ended, and the chairman suggested that he and his son retire to the study room for a private discussion. you followed his mother to the sitting room, where she invited you to join her for tea. she was a gracious host, her demeanor warm and inviting. “how have you been, sweetheart? it feels like forever since we had a proper chat,” she said, pouring tea into delicate porcelain cups.

you smiled, taking the offered cup. “i've been well, mrs. kim. thank you.” her eyes sparkled with curiosity. “tell me, what do you think about my hyeon? he talks about you often.”

you paused, considering your words carefully. you knew she was an older lady, so you didn't question the way she misnamed him. her memory had probably grown shabby. “he's an exceptional leader, very dedicated to his work. it's been an honor to work with him.” she nodded, her smile widening. “yes, he's always been very driven. but tell me, is my son seeing anyone? he never mentions these things to me.”

you shook your head. “despite all the girls around him, he's not dating anyone.” mrs. kim's eyes widened in horror. “he's not— gay, is he?”

you stifled a laugh, shaking your head again. “no, mrs. kim, he's not. he's just very focused on his work.” she sighed in relief, placing a hand over her heart. “thank goodness. it would be wonderful for him to finally get a girlfriend. he's not getting any younger, you know.” you couldn't help but wonder at her words. the idea of him with someone else felt oddly unsettling.

in the study room, seokjin's father, chairman kim, sat behind an imposing oak desk, his expression stern. “i heard a rumor, seokjin. (y/n) is quitting?” his jaw tightened, but he met his father's gaze steadily. “it's true. but i won't let it happen.”

chairman kim raised an eyebrow. “and how do you plan to stop it?” seokjin's voice was firm. “i'll find a way to convince her to stay. she's indispensable to me.”

a moment of silence passed before chairman kim's lips twitched into a faint smile. “are you dating her?” seokjin blinked, momentarily taken aback. “no, father, i'm not.”

the chairman feigned a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest. “oh, i feel faint. my son, the great seokjin, not dating his perfect secretary.” he rolled his eyes, a rare display of exasperation. “i've seen your medical records, father. you're perfectly healthy.”

chairman kim waved a dismissive hand. “you should do your father a favor and find a wife, give us grandchildren. it's time you settled down.” seokjin sighed, the weight of his father's words lingering. he had never been in a relationship, and neither had you. it was one of the reasons you knew you had to quit. your life revolved around your work, as did his. only, you weren't satisfied with that. it wasn't that he wasn't attracted to anybody, because he was, but nothing mattered more than his craft. he felt off about women touching him, in any case. it made him anxious, and brought up memories he fought to keep hidden.

you and seokjin departed for the office, the morning sun casting long shadows across the driveway as the car pulled away from the estate. the ride was initially silent, both of you lost in thought. he finally broke the silence, “what exactly did you mean by personal matters?” his tone was careful, almost hesitant.

you turned to him, offering a small smile. “i'm looking to settle down, vice chairman. i want to get married, have children.” he fell silent, the weight of your words settling over him. the rest of the ride to the office was steeped in an unusual quiet, your declaration hanging in the air like a specter.

upon arriving at the office, he moved through the halls in a daze. his usual commanding presence seemed diminished, his mind clearly elsewhere. he entered his office, finding his younger intern already there. “good morning, vice chairman,” jungkook greeted cheerfully, his youthful energy a contrast to seokjin's subdued demeanor.

he barely acknowledged him, slumping into his chair. jungkook, sensing something was off, leaned forward with a curious smile. “you look like you've seen a ghost. what's up?” seokjin rubbed his temples, sighing. “it's secretary (l/n). she wants to quit.”

jungkook raised an eyebrow. “oh? did you try offering her a promotion, bigger pay, fewer working hours?” he nodded in response. “i did. she dismissed it all. said she wants to settle down, get married, have children.”

jungkook's eyes twinkled with mischief. “and that shocked you?” seokjin glared at him, but his grin remained unshaken. “why does it bother you so much, vice chairman? do you like her more than just a secretary?” the question lingered in the air, met with silence. his mind raced, trying to comprehend why your decision affected him so deeply. he couldn't deny the pang of jealousy at the thought of you with someone else, starting a life that didn't include him.

jungkook leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “maybe it's time to ask yourself why her leaving matters so much to you.” he remained quiet, lost in thought. How could marriage and a family be more important than the bond you shared with him? the realization struck him hard—perhaps it wasn't just about losing an exceptional secretary. maybe, just maybe, it was about losing you.

a knock on the door disrupted the tense silence between the two men. you entered, carrying a tray with a steaming pot of tea and three cookies on the side, exactly how seokjin liked it. the aroma of the tea briefly lightened the atmosphere. he looked up, his expression softening momentarily at the sight of you. “thank you, secretary (l/n).”

you placed the tray on the table, pouring a cup of tea for him and setting it in on his desk. “i've sent out emails looking for a future secretary. one of the primary candidates is on her way.” jungkook observed the way his face twisted with hurt at your words. despite the pain evident in his eyes, seokjin maintained his composure. “join us while we wait for her.”

you nodded, taking a seat beside the young intern. the room fell into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the ticking of the clock. seokjin sipped his tea, the familiar taste doing little to ease his troubled mind.

a few minutes later, the door opened, and a young woman entered. she had a bright, cheerful demeanor, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “hello, i'm jung keulgi. it's an honor to be here.” seokjin straightened, adopting his usual authoritative posture. “miss jung, are you ready to devote yourself to a perfect company?” she beamed. “absolutely! i'm very excited for this opportunity.”

you couldn't help but roll your eyes at the narcissistic question. “are you prepared to handle working for someone with an ego as big as the company?” keulgi sensed the underlying tension but maintained her cheerful facade. “i'm sure i'll manage.”

seokjin continued, his tone growing sharper. “will you stay devoted instead of quitting due to silly things like personal matters?” the tension in the room escalated. you snapped, unable to hold back any longer. “are you done, vice chairman?”

his eyes flashed with anger. “about as done as you are, secretary (l/n).” keulgi, clearly uncomfortable but trying to stay positive, interjected softly, “if you hire me, i'll do my best.”

seokjin didn't take his eyes off you as he replied, “you're hired.” as he turned to you, his voice was cold and demanding. “you have a month to turn her into your carbon copy. after that, do as you please.” the room fell silent once more as the weight of his words settled over you. keulgi glanced between you and him, her cheerful demeanor now tinged with apprehension.

he stood, signaling the end of the meeting. “that will be all for now. welcome to kim enterprises, miss jung.” she nodded, offering a hesitant smile. “thank you, vice chairman.”

as she left the room, you remained seated, the gravity of your situation sinking in. seokjin's harsh command echoed in your mind, a painful reminder of the rift that had formed between you. jungkook, sensing the need for a distraction, cleared his throat. “well, this is going to be interesting.”

seokjin shot him a glare. “you're dismissed, jungkook.” with a playful salute, he left the room, leaving you and him alone once more. the silence was heavy, filled with the unspoken emotions and unresolved tension. he finally broke the silence, his voice softer but still edged with hurt. “you can have the rest of the day off.”

you glanced up at him in disbelief, but you weren't willing to argue any further. all you could do was nod and bow before leaving the room. he was alone, once more. he couldn't do anything but watch as you left, gulping as if to hold himself back from calling out your name. you could train all the candidates in the world, yet it would never be the same.

you stood at your kitchen sink, washing the last of the dinner dishes as the sun set, casting a warm orange glow through the window. the evening was peaceful, the kind of tranquility you had been craving. as you dried your hands and prepared to head to bed, the sudden blare of a car horn startled you. peeking out the window, you saw seokjin standing next to his sleek black car, looking up at your house.

heart pounding with a mix of surprise and curiosity, you hurried outside. “vice chairman? is everything okay?” he shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips. “no emergencies, secretary (l/n). i just needed to see you.” you frowned, puzzled. “at this hour? what's so urgent?”

his eyes locked onto yours, intense and searching. “are you serious about quitting to settle down?” you nodded, feeling a familiar pang of sadness. “i am. i'm ready to put all my attention on a relationship.”

his expression shifted, the gravity of your words sinking in. he took a deep breath, and then, to your astonishment, he did the unthinkable. he dropped to one knee and pulled out a small velvet box, opening it to reveal a dazzling diamond ring.

“marry me, secretary (l/n). i'm rich, handsome, and more than capable of giving you everything you want.” you stared at him, completely taken aback. his usual confidence seemed both reassuring and out of place in this moment. he continued, his voice earnest, almost pleading. “i'm perfect for you. accept my proposal.”

his words hung in the air as you tried to process what was happening. finally, you leaned in close, your face inches from his, and inhaled deeply. seokjin's heart stopped, anticipation flickering in his eyes. but instead of a kiss, you pulled back, your expression skeptical.

“are you drunk, vice chairman?” he blinked, clearly taken aback. “no, i'm sober. i'm serious.”

you laughed softly, shaking your head. “i believe you. but vice chairman, i don't want a perfect life with a perfect man. i just want to be with an ordinary guy from an ordinary family.” his face fell, his confident facade crumbling. “why not me? i'm perfect!”

you smiled, despite the annoyance of his narcissistic words clawing at your nerves, and you chose the easy way out. assuring him that he was nothing but flawless was the only way to get him to stop talking about it. “that's exactly why. you deserve someone who sees you that way, but it's not me.” the rejection hung heavy between you as you turned and walked back into your house, leaving him kneeling in the fading light.

the following day, he recounted the entire incident to jungkook, who listened with wide eyes. when he finally finished, the intern burst into laughter, unable to contain himself despite the glares from his boss.

“vice chairman, you can't just propose out of the blue like that, this isn't the eighteenth century,” jungkook said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

his frown deepened, but he couldn't argue with jungkook's logic. “so, what should i have done, then?” he shrugged, still grinning. “maybe start by asking her on a date? get to know her outside of work. build a relationship first. you can't skip straight to marriage, no matter how perfect you think you are.”

the elder mulled over his words, realizing the truth in them. he had acted impulsively, driven by a fear of losing you, but dating? he was actively unfamiliar with the entire thing. in fact, he thought it was pointless. nothing but a waste of time, but if it meant stopping you from quitting, maybe it was wasting time in the best way possible.

you sat in your office, typing away at your computer, but your mind kept drifting back to the previous night. the image of your boss on one knee, his earnest proposal, and your subsequent rejection played on a loop in your head. the weight of your decision and its implications loomed large.

“hey, (y/n),” a familiar voice broke through your thoughts. you looked up to see kim namjoon, the head of finances, standing at your desk. his expression was a mix of concern and curiosity. “is it true? are you really leaving?” you offered him a kind smile and nodded. “yes, namjoon. it's true.”

the news seemed to ripple through the office. baekhyun and sooyoung, who were nearby, immediately voiced their protests. “you can't be serious!” baekhyun exclaimed, his usually cheerful demeanor clouded with disappointment. sooyoung nodded vigorously. “yeah, you've been here forever! what are we going to do without you?”

keulgi, who had been quietly observing, chimed in. “i've heard so much about your amazing work. it's going to be hard to fill your shoes.” you felt a pang of guilt but tried to reassure them with a smile on your face. “we'll all stay in touch. it's not like i'm disappearing.”

sooyoung then brightened, a mischievous glint in her eye. “how about we have a dinner after work? to welcome keulgi and to honor your nine years of hard work.” you hesitated, not wanting to make a big deal out of your departure. but keulgi's encouraging smile swayed you. “come on, it would be nice.” with a reluctant smile, you agreed.

the moment was cut short as the door to the office opened and seokjin walked in. the room fell silent, all eyes turning to him. he let the silence hang for a moment before speaking, his gaze locked onto yours. “am i invited to this dinner as well?” the tension was palpable. baekhyun hesitated before responding, glancing around at the others. “of course, vice chairman. you're welcome to join us.”

seokjin's smile was tight as he nodded. “very well. i'll see you all there.” he left the room as suddenly as he had entered, leaving your heart heavy with unspoken emotions. namjoon broke the silence, his tone light but his words carrying weight. “is it just me, or did it suddenly get cold in here?” the others murmured their agreement, exchanging glances.

“i don't know what's going on,” baekhyun said, shaking his head. “but he's been awfully on edge lately.” you remained silent, the weight of your decision and seokjin's reaction pressing heavily on your mind. the upcoming dinner promised to be an eventful one, but you couldn't shake the feeling that it would also be pivotal in the worst way possible.

you stood in front of your mirror, giving yourself a once-over. you had opted for a casual outfit, perfect for the laid-back atmosphere of the local barbeque spot where your colleagues were hosting your farewell dinner. just as you were adjusting your hair, a loud honk interrupted your thoughts. curiosity piqued, you peered out the window to see none other than seokjin, leaning against his car, looking as out of place in your neighborhood as a peacock in a flock of pigeons.

you opened the window and leaned out. “what are you doing here?” he glanced up, a smirk playing on his lips. “i'm not here to propose again, if that's what you're worried about. i'm here to pick you up.” your eyebrows shot up in surprise, “why?”

“isn't it so ordinary of me to go with my coworkers?” he replied, clearly pleased with himself. you shook your head, amusement dancing in your eyes. “yes, well done, vice chairman. give me a minute.”

you grabbed your bag and headed downstairs. as you stepped outside, you noticed his attire—an expensive suit that screamed high-end fashion. you stifled a laugh, knowing he would stand out like a sore thumb at the spot you had all agreed on. nonetheless, you entertained his gesture and got into the car. the drive was filled with light conversation, mostly about work and the upcoming transition. despite the casual nature of the evening, you could sense his effort to blend in, which you found oddly endearing. when you arrived at the restaurant, the familiar scent of grilled meat and beer wafted through the air, making seokjin's face contort in mild disgust. you chuckled at his reaction. “welcome to the real world, vice chairman.”

inside, your colleagues greeted you warmly, their eyes widening in surprise when they saw their boss. he maintained his composure, though you could see his discomfort. at the table, he attempted to take charge. “what's everyone drinking?” he asked, clearly expecting a sophisticated answer. “perhaps an old variation of whisky?”

a stunned silence fell over the group, everyone staring at him in disbelief. you nervously laughed. “they only serve beer and soju here, vice chairman.” for a moment, you expected him to bristle at the lack of his preferred drink. instead, he stifled a sigh and nodded. “beer it is, then.”

as the evening progressed, you found yourself reminiscing. it had been nine years since you first joined kim enterprises, and you vividly remembered celebrating your first day in this very spot. you were drinking beer when a younger seokjin had approached you, his demeanor confident and slightly arrogant. “do you know who i am?” he'd asked, and you'd honestly had no clue. little did you know back then just how egotistical he was.

now, years later, you watched him attempt to navigate this ordinary setting. as the night wore on, you noticed the subtle signs of him getting tipsy. his cheeks flushed, his laughter louder and more uninhibited. eventually, you decided it was time to call it a night. “i think i should take him home,” you said, standing up.

your colleagues protested, but you promised to make it up to them. they relented, and you guided a slightly unsteady seokjin to his car. the drive to his house was quiet, his head leaning back against the seat, eyes half-closed.

when you arrived, you helped him inside, supporting his weight as you guided him to his bedroom. you gently eased him onto the bed, intending to leave as soon as he was settled. but just as you were about to turn away, he grabbed your wrist, pulling you down onto the bed. you fell on top of him, your faces inches apart. his eyes, though slightly glazed, held a seriousness that made your heart race. “pretty ordinary of me to get drunk off beer, right?” he slurred, a lazy smile on his lips. your breath caught in your throat. “yes, very ordinary.”

“thank you, secretary (l/n),” he mumbled, his eyes closing. he fell asleep almost instantly, his grip on your wrist loosening. you stayed there for a moment, your heart pounding, before carefully tucking him in. you watched him for a few seconds longer, your emotions a whirlwind. finally, you tore yourself away, quietly leaving his house and heading home, your mind a jumble of thoughts and feelings you couldn't quite name.

the following morning, you arrived at the office early, keen to begin the handover process with keulgi. the usual hustle and bustle of the workplace greeted you, but today there was an undercurrent of anticipation and anxiety. it was the beginning of your final month at kim enterprises, and you wanted to ensure everything transitioned smoothly.

as you were explaining the intricacies of the office dynamics to keulgi, seokjin entered, looking visibly worse for wear. he massaged his temples, clearly nursing a headache from the previous night. you couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. you followed him into his office, where he promptly sank into his chair, wincing slightly.

“good morning, vice chairman,” you greeted, trying to keep your tone professional despite your concern. “morning,” he muttered, barely looking up.

despite your concern, you exited the office, re-joining keulgi in order to show her around. “so, these are the folders you'll need to keep track of—client files, project updates, and financial reports. everything is color-coded for easy access. emails are prioritized into high, medium, and low urgency. make sure to flag anything that needs immediate attention.”

she nodded, absorbing the information. “got it. and what about his schedule?” you handed her a tablet with his meticulously planned itinerary. “his schedule is very tight. make sure to coordinate with all department heads and external partners. he's very particular about his meetings being on time.”

as you continued the walkthrough, keulgi mentioned, “oh, by the way, i noticed one of the legs on his chair was falling apart, so i put it together with some cables.” your eyes widened in shock, “what kind of cables?”

“rubber cables,” she replied, confusion etched on her face at your reaction. your heart sank. without another word, you rushed into seokjin's office, your pulse racing. the sight that greeted you confirmed your worst fears. he was on the floor, shaking, his head in his hands, his entire demeanor shattered.

“vice chairman!” you cried out, rushing to his side. “i'm so sorry, she didn't know—” he didn't respond, his breathing erratic. you quickly reached for the chair and cut off the rubber cables. the moment they were gone, his shaking subsided, though his face remained pale and his expression haunted. keulgi, realizing the gravity of the situation, joined in the apologies, her voice frantic. ”i'm so sorry, vice chairman. i didn't know—“

seokjin's gaze was ice cold as he finally looked up at you, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and something you couldn't quite place. “is this how you're carrying out your duties, secretary (l/n)?” you stood there, stunned and silent. the warmth and camaraderie of the previous night seemed like a distant memory. his words cut through you like a knife, and for the first time, you had no response.

seokjin struggled to his feet, regaining his composure with great effort. “leave,” he commanded quietly, the tension in his voice unmistakable. you and keulgi hurried out of the office, the weight of the incident heavy on your shoulders. outside, you tried to reassure her, but the shock of your boss's reaction lingered.

inside his office, he sat down once again, burying his face in his hands. he mentally cursed himself for his harsh words. his eyes fell on the rubber cables now discarded in the trash can, and a shudder ran through him. memories he'd fought to bury resurfaced, and he struggled to push them back down. the trauma, long kept at bay, clawed its way to the surface. he knew he had overreacted, and he hated himself for it. he had to apologize to you, but the thought of facing you after what had just happened seemed insurmountable. how could he explain the depth of his fear, the reason for his reaction? for now, he could only sit there, the remnants of his vulnerability on display, hoping he hadn't irrevocably damaged the fragile relationship he had with you.

he sat behind his expansive mahogany desk, its polished surface reflecting the ambient light filtering through the large, floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. the cityscape of seoul lay sprawled out behind him, but his attention was far from the view. instead, his eyes were unfocused, staring blankly at the stack of documents in front of him. his mind was elsewhere, fixated on the conversation he'd had with his intern just days ago.

jungkook, seated opposite to him with his laptop open, was discussing the final preparations for the launch of their new art gallery. the young intern's enthusiasm was palpable, his voice animated as he detailed the latest developments, the artists who had confirmed their participation, and the final touches needed for the grand opening. but despite his energetic briefing, seokjin's mind kept wandering back to a single, pivotal point in their earlier exchange.

“you can't just propose out of the blue,” jungkook had laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “you need to take it slow. ask her out on a date first.”

seokjin's usually sharp mind was dulled by the weight of those words. proposing had seemed like a logical solution to him. a clear, decisive action to keep you from leaving. but now, in the wake of jungkook's advice, he realized how absurd it must have seemed. how uncharacteristically rash and desperate. the thought of asking you out on a date, a simple date, felt strangely daunting.

“vice chairman? are you listening?” jungkook's voice cut through his reverie, pulling him back to the present. he blinked, forcing his attention back to his intern. “yes, jungkook. i'm listening. the gallery—” he trailed off, struggling to find the thread of their conversation.

he raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on his lips. “the gallery launch is on track. but you don't seem very interested today. is something on your mind?” he sighed in response, running a hand through his perfectly styled hair. he prided himself on his composed and unflappable demeanor, but today, he felt anything but. “it's nothing. just some personal matters, as some would say.” he couldn't bare to focus on the project at hand. no, in fact, he was ready to execute a project of his own.

the soft hum of conversation and clinking of cutlery filled the air as you and your friends settled into a cozy corner booth at a chic restaurant. the atmosphere was relaxed, with warm lighting and comfortable seating that made it perfect for a catch-up lunch. your girlfriends were animated and full of news, and you found yourself caught between genuine happiness for them and a pang of wistful longing.

one of your friends, jiho, was regaling the table with stories about her recent wedding. her eyes sparkled with joy as she described the ceremony, the heartfelt vows, and the beautiful reception. you smiled and applauded her enthusiasm, but inside, you couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. the idea of finding such happiness seemed elusive, and your heart ached slightly at the thought.

“you're going to love being married,” jiho said, her voice full of contentment. "it’s just wonderful." you nodded, offering a supportive smile. “i'm so happy for you, jiho. it sounds like it was a perfect day.”

as she continued sharing details, your other friend, minji, leaned in, her eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint. “speaking of perfect days,” she began, “i have something to tell you. my husband’s friend saw your profile on social media and, well, he’s been asking about you.”

your heart skipped a beat. minji's husband had been a close friend of yours for years, but you had no idea who the friend in question was. the idea of someone from his circle showing interest was both flattering and daunting. “what’s he like?” you asked cautiously. minji grinned. “he’s a nice guy, charming and successful. i think you’d get along. how about we set up a blind date?”

you hesitated. the idea of a blind date was daunting, but the prospect of meeting someone new, especially someone vetted by friends, was appealing. you glanced at your friends' eager faces and took a deep breath. “okay, i’ll do it.” minji clapped her hands excitedly. “great! i'll set it up and let you know the details.”

just as the conversation shifted to wedding anecdotes and dating possibilities, a cheerful waitress approached your table with a friendly smile. “excuse me, ladies,” she said. “we’re conducting a survey to improve our service and, in exchange, we’d like to offer you a free appetizer. would you be interested?” your friends, always up for a little extra perk, agreed enthusiastically, and you followed suit. the waitress handed over a clipboard with a short survey and left to fetch the appetizer.

thu looked over the questions with mild curiosity. the first asked, “ideal date spot with your significant other?” the second, “ideal activities with significant other?” and the last, “ideal gift given by significant other?” you answered thoughtfully, trying to balance your idealistic dreams with the reality of your current situation. as you finished filling out the survey and handed it back to the waitress, you felt a slight nagging sense of familiarity with the tone of the questions. they seemed familiarly bosay and demanding, almost like they were trying to gauge your relationship ideals with a hint of urgency. but you brushed off the feeling, focusing instead on the excitement of the impending blind date and the lively conversation with your friends.

in the dimly lit rec room of seokjin's luxurious house, the soft clack of pool balls punctuated the otherwise quiet evening. jungkook lounged on the leather sofa, his gaze fixed on him, who was confidently taking shots at the pool table with practiced ease. the game seemed to serve as a backdrop for their conversation, but jungkook's attention was focused on the stack of papers spread out on the coffee table.

“you did what?” his voice was a mix of incredulity and disbelief as he stared at the surveys before him. the questions and answers were neatly recorded on the forms, and jungkook couldn't believe what he was seeing. seokjin, with a proud smirk, took another shot, his movements graceful and deliberate. “i paid the restaurant to hand out those surveys,” he said, a hint of satisfaction in his tone. “i wanted to see what kind of answer i'd get. and now, i need you to find the one with her name on it.”

jungkook’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “you’re seriously crazy, this is way over the top.” ignoring the incredulous glares from his elder, he picked up the stack of surveys and began sifting through them. his hands moved quickly, flipping through each paper as he muttered under his breath. “this is insane. what are you trying to accomplish?”

seokjin, meanwhile, remained focused on his game, the smirk never leaving his face. his confidence was unwavering, but jungkook could sense a trace of anxious anticipation beneath the surface. after what felt like an eternity to him, he finally spotted the survey with your name. he held it up, slightly hesitant. “here it is. this is the one.”

his eyes lit up with a mixture of excitement and triumph. he rushed over, snatching the paper from his hands with a deft movement. his gaze was fixed on the survey, and as he read through your answers, his smirk broadened into a genuine, if somewhat smug, smile.

“how childish,” he remarked aloud, his voice laced with a blend of amusement and satisfaction. he began reading your responses aloud with a playful tone. “ideal date spot: an amusement park. ideal activities: rides, very charming. ideal gift: a teddy bear.” jungkook watched, his initial skepticism replaced by bemused curiosity. “seriously? you’re actually taking this seriously?” he had never been more serious.

the call came just after you wrapped up your brief lunch with your friends, the sound of seokjin’s voice crackling through the speaker, urgent and commanding. “you need to meet me immediately,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. he gave you the coordinates, and you found yourself driving across town with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. arriving at the amusement park, you were surprised to see it eerily quiet and closed for the night. you sat on a bench near the entrance, trying to piece together what he could have possibly wanted in such an unconventional setting. the minutes ticked by slowly until seokjin finally appeared, stepping out of the darkness with his usual confident stride.

“what’s going on?” you asked, rising from the bench to meet him. “why did you bring me here?” his eyes twinkled with a secretive glint. “we’re going to be here for the night. i have a ‘free pass,’ so to speak.”

you blinked, puzzled. “a free pass? but the park is closed.” seokjin simply smiled, taking your hand and leading you towards the entrance. “just follow me.”

as you walked through the empty park, the moonlight casting long shadows across the deserted grounds, you couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and apprehension. he guided you to one of the rollercoasters, and despite your protests, he insisted on riding it first. the rollercoaster roared to life, and as you climbed higher and higher, your heart raced with a blend of thrill and terror. when the ride finally came to a stop, you were visibly shaken, your hands still gripping the safety bar as if it were your lifeline.

he turned to you, his face stoic but his eyes searching. “did you have fun?” you hesitated, your voice trembling. “it was fun, i guess.”

he raised an eyebrow, sensing your unease. “why do you seem so hesitant?” you sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed. “it was too scary. i wasn’t expecting it to be so intense.” he looked at you with a mixture of concern and amusement. “then why did you go on it?”

“because you asked me to,” you admitted. a smile curved his lips, and he quickly shifted gears. “alright then, let’s go on rides you want to enjoy.” your face lit up with relief and excitement. you led him towards the merry-go-round, and as the ride spun in gentle circles, you felt a wave of childhood nostalgia. you waved enthusiastically, feeling the pure joy of the moment. he watched you, his gaze softening as he took in your happiness.

the merry-go-round went around seven times, and as you disembarked, you couldn’t stop smiling. seokjin then guided you into the park’s restaurant. to your surprise, the place was completely empty.

“what’s all of this?” you asked, glancing around in awe. he shrugged casually. “i rented everything out for the night. consider it a going-away present.”

your heart fluttered at his gesture. “thank you, vice chairman.” he smiled, slicing a steak and placing it in front of you. as you dug into the meal, he glanced at you with genuine interest. “why did you enjoy the merry-go-round so much?”

you hesitated, then opened up. “it was one of my favorite rides as a child. i used to watch it from afar, because my parents never had the money to let me actually ride it.” hiw expression softened, a shadow of sadness crossing his face. “i'm sorry to hear that.”

the meal continued in a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional clinking of cutlery. after you finished, hw told you there was one more surprise. “just be patient,” he said with a hint of mischief in his eyes. curious, you followed him outside to a spot overlooking the sea. As you waited, the crackling sound of fireworks filled the air, bursting into vibrant colors against the night sky. your eyes widened with delight as you watched the display.

“isn’t it pretty?” you asked, turning to seokjin. his gaze was fixed on you, not the fireworks. “beautiful,” he replied, his voice low and sincere.

the car ride back was filled with a charged silence. as you stared out the window, a memory of the survey and its bossy tone flashed in your mind. you turned to Seokjin, your eyes wide with realization. he looked at you with a smug smile, clearly enjoying the surprise. before you could ask more, the car pulled up to your home. he exited and opened your door, handing you a large, stuffed teddy bear from the trunk. you were overwhelmed with gratitude and, in a moment of pure joy, you hugged your boss tightly.

to your astonishment, he hugged you back, his embrace warm and reassuring. as you pulled away, both of you were so close. too close for comfort. you knew better, stopping yourself as you glanced at the time. “it’s getting late,” you said softly. he nodded, his eyes reflecting a mix of emotions. “good night. i'll see you in the morning.”

the morning sun streamed through your bedroom window, casting a gentle glow over the room as you prepared for another day at work. you had almost forgotten about the stuffed teddy bear seokjin had gifted you the night before. as you reached for it, something shifted inside its pocket. curiosity piqued, you reached in and pulled out a small, elegant box.

opening it carefully, you found a delicate silver necklace inside. the intricate design and glint of the metal took your breath away. you were momentarily stunned, not expecting such a thoughtful gift. after a moment of hesitation, you decided to keep the necklace. you slipped it into your pocket, planning to wear it later.

at the office, you settled at your desk, the necklace still weighing on your mind. as you worked, you fished it out of your pocket and admired it, the silver catching the light. unbeknownst to you, he was watching from his office across the hall. his gaze softened as he observed you, a small, admiring smile on his lips. the sight of you, glowing with a mix of wonder and appreciation, made him think how gorgeous you were.

you finished adjusting the necklace around your neck, and as you headed to the bathroom, your phone rang. it was minji, her voice excited and insistent. “hey, i was just wondering if you’re still up for that blind date with my friend today? i know it’s short notice, but he’s really looking forward to it!”

it took a moment for the reminder to hit you. the blind date slipped your mind amidst the whirlwind of yesterday’s events. you agreed, albeit with some reluctance. “sure, i’ll meet him. just let me know the details.” as you entered the bathroom, keulgi emerged from a stall behind you, startling you. she had apparently overheard your conversation.

“are you going on a date?” she asked, her voice filled with surprise and curiosity. caught off guard, you nodded, glancing around to make sure no one else was within earshot. “yes, but please keep it quiet.” keulgi, ever enthusiastic, promised to keep it to herself. however, her enthusiasm got the better of her. as soon as you left the bathroom, she couldn't resist sharing the news with the rest of the office.

when you returned to your desk, the atmosphere in the office had noticeably shifted. colleagues whispered excitedly and shot you curious glances. the office buzzed with the news of your impending date. seokjin, who had been outside his office listening to the commotion, seethed with jealousy. his earlier soft smile had vanished, replaced by a scowl that betrayed his irritation. he paced back and forth, trying to control his frustration.

the excitement and chatter from your colleagues did nothing to ease his anger. his mind raced with thoughts of the date and the implications of your newfound interest. he couldn’t shake the feeling of possessiveness that gnawed at him, and the thought of someone else taking you out only fueled his frustration. the more he listened to the enthusiastic reactions of his staff, the more he felt his grip on his emotions slipping. he knew he needed to act, but he was caught between his pride and the undeniable feelings he had been trying to cast away.

the date began at a quaint, upscale café, where you met your blind date, taehyun. he greeted you with a polite smile and an amiable demeanor. as you made small talk, discussing interests and hobbies, taehyun seemed genuinely pleasant, though his compliments caught you off guard. “you look absolutely gorgeous tonight,” he said with a warm smile.

you blushed slightly, feeling a mix of embarrassment and surprise. “thank you,” you replied, attempting to refocus the conversation. as you chatted, you noticed that his tie was hanging loose and uneven. it irked you more than you expected, and you reached over to fix it, hoping to tidy up his appearance. he watched with a smile as you deftly adjusted the tie, clearly appreciative of the attention to detail.

just as you were about to continue the conversation, a loud, urgent yell interrupted the moment. “secretary (l/n)!”

you and taehyun both turned to see seokjin striding toward your table, his expression stormy and his eyes locked onto you with barely concealed anger. your heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. “vice chairman?” you asked, confusion mingling with concern. “what’s going on?”

he stopped in front of your table, his demeanor tense. “i need to see you urgently,” he said, his voice firm and unwavering. you glanced at taehyun, apologetic. “i’m so sorry, it seems to be an emergency.”

you followed him outside, where he led you to his waiting car. the drive began in silence, the air thick with unspoken tension. the car came to a sudden stop in the middle of the road, and you turned to seokjin, your anxiety growing. “what’s the matter?” you asked, trying to keep your voice calm despite the unease you felt.

his gaze was cold, his usual confident demeanor replaced by a stern, almost menacing composure. “never do that again,” he said, his voice carrying a tone of finality.

you frowned, confusion clouding your expression. “what do you mean? what did i do?” his eyes locked onto yours with intensity. “never let me see you with another man like that again.”

you didn’t respond immediately, and his jaw clenched as he seemed to wrestle with his emotions. finally, he added, “i don’t want to see you with anyone else. it’s not something i'm willing to accept.” the confession left you stunned. you stared at him, a mixture of surprise and realization dawning on you. the implications of his words were clear, and the protectiveness in his tone was undeniable. the car ride continued in silence, with the weight of his words lingering between you.

back at home, you went through your evening routine, attending to various tasks around the house. the day's events had left you both physically and emotionally drained. you found solace in a small ritual that had been a comforting presence throughout your life—your diary. sitting down at your desk, you pulled out the well-worn book, its pages filled with a mixture of memories, dreams, and sketches. as you flipped through the pages, you came across a series of drawings. they depicted a younger you and a boy, playing and laughing together. the accompanying writing read, “i miss you, brother.” the words tugged at your heart, and you felt a pang of sadness.

the drawings were a testament to a bond that had once been a central part of your life. as you closed the diary and set it aside, you felt the ache of missing something—or someone—important. the day’s events had stirred up memories you weren’t quite ready to confront.

later that night, as you drifted off to sleep, the familiar haze of dreams enveloped you. in your dream, you found yourself in a dimly lit basement, a place filled with shadows and echoes of the past. the little boy from your diary appeared, standing before you with a stern expression. you felt tears streaming down your cheeks, overwhelmed by a mixture of regret and longing. the boy began to scold you, his voice echoing with an authority that seemed to pierce through your sorrow. despite the scolding, you felt a deep sense of gratitude.

“thank you, kim soo—seo—” you started, trying to recall his name. but before you could finish, the boy cut you off with a tsk. “no, stupid. my name is kim seo—” the name was just on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t quite grasp it. the dream began to fade, and you woke up with a start, heart racing and breath uneven.

sitting up in bed, you felt the weight of the dream pressing on you. the name “kim seo” lingered in your mind, but it was elusive, slipping away before you could fully remember. the dream had left you with a deep sense of loss and confusion, and you were left grappling with the fragments of a memory that seemed to evade your grasp. as you lay back down, you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something significant you were missing, a connection that was just out of reach. the memory of the dream and the name echoed in your thoughts, haunting you as you tried to find solace in sleep once more.

seokjin arrived at work the following day with a heavy air of exhaustion surrounding him. he trudged through the office, his usual confident stride replaced by a sluggish, disoriented gait. as the morning wore on, it became increasingly clear that he was struggling to stay awake. his head bobbed with fatigue as he sat at his desk, his eyes slipping shut despite his efforts to remain alert.

concerned, you approached his desk, gently shaking his shoulder. “vice chairman, are you alright?” when there was no response, you shook him harder, your worry mounting. his body felt unnervingly heavy, and it became clear that he was deeply asleep, his breathing uneven. panic surged through you as you realized the severity of the situation. without hesitation, you grabbed your phone and dialed for emergency services.

the paramedics arrived swiftly, their professional demeanor a small comfort amidst the chaos. you watched anxiously as they wheeled him into the ambulance. your heart pounded in your chest, and despite knowing it was likely nothing serious, you refused to leave his side.

in the hospital, as the medics prepared him for further examination, they reassured you that his condition wasn’t critical. “he’s just exhausted,” one of the paramedics said. “it’s likely just severe fatigue. you can go in once we’re done.” when you were finally allowed in, he was still asleep, his face pale and drawn. you took a seat next to him, trying to steady your breathing as you buried your face in your hands. the sight of him, knocked out cold, was deeply unsettling. It reminded you of something from your past—something too familiar.

as you stared at him, your thoughts drifted back to the boy from the basement. the way he was unconscious on the floor when the lady had taken you—the same position, the same labored breathing, the same pale complexion. the memories came rushing back, painful and vivid. the name “kim seo” echoed in your mind, but it didn’t quite fit. then you remembered the boy’s full name, “kim seohyeon.” the realization came with a jolt. “kim seohyeon,” you whispered to yourself, the name feeling strangely natural as it rolled off your tongue.

your relief was fleeting, however, as a chilling thought struck you. seokjin’s mother had asked you not even a couple days ago, “what do you think about my hyeon?” it wasn’t just a fragment of a bad memory—it was a piece of a puzzle falling into place. hesitantly, you turned your gaze back to him, who remained motionless. your heart raced as you said, “kim seohyeon.” your voice was shaky, trembling with the weight of the revelation.

for a moment, the room was silent, and you felt a brief sense of relief as though your words had broken the tension. but then, he stirred, his eyes fluttering open. his gaze was bleary, and he blinked at you in confusion. “what is it?” your heart sank as you saw his groggy, disoriented expression. the name you had just spoken had clearly registered with him, but his response was laced with irritation and confusion. you were left grappling with the enormity of the realization that seokjin—kim seohyeon—was more deeply connected to your past than you had ever imagined.

you took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm of emotions surging within you. “kim seohyeon,” you repeated, your voice trembling as you looked at seokjin. his eyes, which had been closed in exhaustion, flew open at the sound of his name. the shock and recognition dawned on his face as he fully grasped the situation. “it was you,” you said, your voice laden with disbelief.

your heart pounded as you pieced together the fragmented memories that had haunted you for so long. “i remember now,” you began, your voice quivering. “there was a boy—you were in the basement with me.” his expression shifted from confusion to horror as the realization sank in. “the dreams i’ve been having,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “a black-haired woman, a basement—i’ve been dreaming about it for weeks.”

the pieces began to fall into place for you. “the boy i kept searching for, the one i couldn’t remember clearly—it was you. we were together in that basement. i’ve been trying to find you all this time, but i didn’t know it was you.” the enormity of the realization hit you like a tidal wave, and you began to sob uncontrollably. you had spent your entire life searching for the boy from the basement, the boy whose memory had haunted you for years. to discover that he was right under your nose all along, that seokjin was the one you had been seeking—it was overwhelming.

the flood of emotions surged through you, and the connections you had been struggling to piece together suddenly fell into place. the cables, the fear, the strange sense of familiarity—all of it made sense now. the sobs wracked your body, and you felt a deep, raw anguish as you realized how close you had come to losing him without ever knowing.

his gaze softened as he watched your breakdown. his usual composure and egotism crumbled in the face of your distress. weakly, he reached out to you, his hand trembling slightly. “it’s okay,” he said softly, his voice filled with a tender concern that was rare for him. “i’m here.” you hesitated for a moment, but then, seeking solace, you moved into his embrace. his arms wrapped around you, providing a comfort that felt both foreign and deeply familiar. you continued to cry, each sob a release of the pent-up fear and sorrow that had built up over the years. he held you close, his own breath shaky as he struggled to process the gravity of the situation. he stroked your hair gently, his touch soothing and steadying. the warmth of his embrace provided a sense of security that you hadn’t felt in a long time.

as your sobs began to subside, he pulled back slightly, tilting your chin so that you looked up at him. his eyes were filled with a mix of empathy and resolve. “you found me,” he said softly, his voice trembling with the weight of the moment. his words, though simple, carried a profound meaning. the realization that you had finally found him, the person you had been searching for, was both a relief and a heartbreak. in that moment, the intensity of your emotions reached a peak, and he leaned in, closing the gap between you.

his lips met yours in a kiss that was gentle at first, but quickly grew more passionate. it was a kiss that spoke of the pain, the longing, and the deep connection that had been forged through shared battles. you responded, kissing him back with equal fervor, allowing the years of separation and anguish to dissolve in the intensity of the moment. when the kiss finally broke, you both pulled back slightly, breathless and awestruck. the weight of the past had been acknowledged, and the connection between you was solidified in a way that was both profound and healing.

he looked into your eyes, his expression a mix of vulnerability and resolve. “we'll be okay,” he said softly, his voice filled with a newfound determination. you nodded, feeling a deep sense of relief and hope.

the weeks following the revelation passed in a strange, uncomfortable silence. despite the deep bond you and seokjin now shared, an unspoken tension lingered in the office. the connection between you had shifted, but neither of you quite knew how to bridge the gap between your past traumas and your present reality.

he had revealed to you the reason behind his name change to seokjin. his parents had insisted on the new identity as a protective measure, believing that if seohyeon no longer existed, the woman who had once terrorized him would never be able to find him. this revelation, while reassuring, had also created a chasm between you two that was hard to navigate.

one afternoon, as the silence in the office grew increasingly heavy, he called you into his office. his demeanor was serious as he gestured for you to take a seat. you entered, your heart racing slightly, unsure of what to expect. “thank you for coming,” he began, his voice steady but laced with an undertone of something you couldn’t quite place. “i need you to do something for me.” you straightened in your chair, adopting a professional tone. “what is it?”

seokjin looked at you with an intensity that made your breath catch. “i need you to be my girlfriend.” the words hung in the air between you, and you were momentarily stunned into silence. “what?” you managed to ask, your voice betraying your shock.

his gaze softened as he continued, his expression vulnerable. “i’ve been thinking a lot about us. after everything we’ve been through, i realized how much i care about you. i need you in my life, not just as my secretary, but as my girlfriend.”

his confession touched you deeply, and you felt a swell of emotion rise within you. “vice chairman” you began, struggling to find the right words. “i didn’t expect this.”

he nodded, his gaze never leaving yours. “i know. it’s sudden, and i understand if you need time. but i wanted to be honest with you about how i feel.” the sincerity in his voice, combined with the gravity of his words, made your heart ache with a mix of relief and hope. you were touched by his honesty and the way he had finally allowed himself to be vulnerable with you.

he then leaned forward slightly, his expression shifting to something more earnest. “there’s one more thing,” he said, his voice lowering. “i need you to kiss me.”

your eyes widened at his request. the gravity of the moment, coupled with your feelings for him, made your pulse race. you nodded slowly, feeling a surge of emotions—affection, longing, and a deep connection. you stood up and walked over to him, your heart pounding in your chest. his gaze followed you, his expression a mixture of anticipation and tenderness. as you reached him, you leaned in, closing the distance between you.

the kiss was tender, filled with the emotions you both had been holding back. It was a sweet, unspoken promise of a new beginning. he responded gently, his hands resting on your back as he deepened the kiss. when you finally pulled away, both of you were breathless, your faces flushed with the intensity of the moment. he looked at you with a soft smile, his eyes reflecting the vulnerability and affection that had been building between you.

his voice was soft and teasing as he traced his fingers gently along your back. “this means you’ll be my girlfriend, doesn’t it?” the playful tone in his voice, combined with the tender touch, made you smile despite the whirlwind of emotions you were feeling. you nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and affection. “yes, it does.”

his eyes lit up with a genuine smile, his teasing demeanor giving way to something more heartfelt. “i’m glad to hear that. i’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time, but i didn’t know how.” you laughed softly, shaking your head. “you didn’t need to wait so long. i think we both knew how we felt about each other.”

his smile widened as he pulled you into a gentle hug, his arms encircling you with a sense of relief and contentment. “i guess it’s true,” he said, his voice warm and sincere. “sometimes, the things you’re looking for are right in front of you.” they really were, as it seemed.

the next few days at work were marked by an underlying tension that neither of you could quite shake off. seokjin was noticeably less cold and demanding, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor. the change was subtle but significant. he found himself taking more interest in your presence, often waving at you from across the office with a grin that was almost boyish. each time you waved back, his smile would widen, and a look of genuine joy would light up his face.

the change didn’t go unnoticed by your colleagues, who observed the shift in seokjin’s behavior with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. however, no one dared to comment, respecting the unspoken agreement that something had clearly shifted in the office dynamics.

as the days passed, his new feelings for you started to manifest in ways he hadn’t anticipated. while he relished the sweetness of your new relationship, he found himself increasingly aware of the more physical aspects of your presence. he couldn’t ignore how his pulse quickened when he noticed the way your tight skirts accentuated your figure, or how the sight of your bare legs and hair pulled back made him sweat in the middle of meetings.

he tried to maintain his composure, but the intensity of his feelings became difficult to manage. his attempts to focus on work were often disrupted by thoughts of you, and he struggled to keep his desires in check.

one afternoon, unable to ignore his escalating emotions any longer, he called you into his office. his voice, usually commanding, now carried a hint of nervousness. “can you come in here for a moment?” you nodded, entering his office with a sense of anticipation. seokjin closed the door behind you and gestured for you to lock it. his eyes were intense as he watched you comply. he then moved to pull down the blinds, casting the room into a more private, dimly lit atmosphere.

“what’s going on?” you asked, your voice tinged with concern as you approached him. he looked at you with a mixture of longing and hesitation, his gaze fixed on yours. “i need you to understand something,” he said softly. “it’s not just about what we’ve been through, or about being together. i—”

he paused, taking a deep breath as he reached out to pull you closer. the seriousness in his eyes gave way to a softer, more vulnerable expression. “i need you to know how much i care about you. and right now, i can’t help but feel…”

before he could finish, he leaned in and kissed you. the kiss was different from before—less tender, more urgent and needy. it was filled with the intensity of emotions that had been building up inside him. you responded to the kiss, your own feelings mirroring his. the kiss deepened, and the world outside the office seemed to fade away as you both lost yourselves in the moment.

it was a kiss that spoke of months of unspoken yearning, a kiss that shattered the professional façade you had both so carefully maintained. his hand found the small of your back, pulling you closer. his other hand cupped your cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of your mouth as you kissed him deeper. his tongue slipped past your lips, tasting, exploring. you gasped, your body responding instinctively to his touch.

that was it. the moment you had both been waiting for, the moment that would change everything. you could feel the tension in the room, a tight coil winding tighter with every passing second. the sound of a zipper echoed through the room as seokjin stood, lifting you onto his desk. your legs wrapped around his waist, and you could feel his erection pressing against you, hot and insistent. your breath hitched as he kissed along your neck, his teeth grazing your skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

he stepped back for a moment, looking into your eyes, searching for permission. you nodded, unable to form words, and he took that as his cue. his hands found the buttons of your blouse, deftly undoing them one by one. your bra was next, revealing your tits to his hungry gaze. He took one in his hand, squeezing gently, and your moan filled the room.

he leaned in, taking your nipple into his mouth. you arched your back, the sensation shooting straight to your core. he sucked, his tongue flicking over the sensitive peak, and your hips rolled against him. he groaned, his grip on your hip tightening. the anticipation was palpable as he reached for his belt, his eyes never leaving yours. you could see the need in them, the same need that was building within you. as he stepped closer, you felt his hardness pressing against your thigh, and you knew there was no turning back.

he whispered something in your ear, something filthy and thrilling, and you could feel your cheeks flush with arousal. his hands found the zipper of your skirt, sliding it down with a sound that seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet office. your skin prickled with excitement as the fabric fell away, revealing your lacy underwear. his hand slid under the fabric, his fingers finding your wetness. he groaned again, his breath hot against your neck. “you're so wet for me,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire.

you nodded, your eyes closing as he began to stroke you, his touch tentative at first, then growing bolder as your moans grew louder. your body was on fire, every nerve ending alive with sensation. you knew you were his, and he was yours, in this every stolen moment of passion.

with a final tug, his hand found your bare skin, and you gasped as he touched you, his fingers exploring your folds with an urgency that mirrored your own. you could feel your core tightening around his touch, desperate for more. he pulled back slightly, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched your reaction. “you like that, don't you?” he asked, his voice a low growl. you nodded, your eyes glazed over with desire. he leaned in, capturing your mouth again in a bruising kiss as his thumb began to circle your clit. the sensation was overwhelming, and you felt yourself getting closer and closer to the edge. you didn't know if you could hold on much longer.

suddenly, he stopped, his hand moving away from your panties. you whimpered in protest, but he just chuckled, a dark sound that sent shivers down your spine. “patience,” he murmured, “we're just getting started.”

with surprising strength, he flipped you over, so that you were now lying face down on his desk, your ass in the air. he stepped back, and you could feel his eyes on you, taking in the sight of your exposed body. you felt a thrill of exhibitionism, knowing that he was seeing you in such a vulnerable state.

he leaned over you, his breath hot on your ear. "you're so fucking beautiful," he whispered, his voice filled with lust. his hand came down in a firm smack on your ass, and you yelped in surprise. the sting was quickly replaced by a warmth that spread through your body, making you wetter than ever.

he smacked you again, harder this time, and you moaned. the sound seemed to spur him on, and his hand began to move in a steady rhythm, alternating between gentle caresses and firm slaps. you felt yourself getting wetter with every hit, your body begging for more. “do you like that, baby?” he asked, his voice strained with his own need. “yes,” you managed to gasp out, your voice shaky. “more.”

he complied, his hand coming down harder and faster, each smack echoing through the room. you could feel yourself getting closer, your body trembling with the effort of holding back. and then, with one final, brutal slap, you shattered, your orgasm ripping through you like a storm. he leaned down, his breathing ragged, and kissed the back of your neck. “you're mine,” he murmured, his voice possessive. “mine to claim.”

and with that, he reached for his own pants, his hands shaking with desire. he freed himself, and you could feel the tip of his cock brushing against your wetness. without another word, he pushed inside you, filling you up in one swift, agonizingly sweet motion. you yelled, the pleasure overwhelming as he claimed your virginity, your body stretching to accommodate his size.

he didn't stop there, though. he began to move, his hips pistoning into you with a relentless rhythm that had you seeing stars. you could feel every inch of him, and it was more than you had ever imagined. each thrust was a declaration of ownership, each moan a promise of more to come. you pushed back against him, meeting him halfway, your body moving in perfect sync with his. you were lost in the sensation, the pain and pleasure melding into something indescribable. your hands gripped the edge of the desk, knuckles white, as you held on for dear life.

“fuck, you're tight,” he grunted, his voice strained. “so tight.” your response was a whimper, your throat too tight to form words. all you could do was moan and arch your back, taking him deeper, letting him fill you completely. the room spun around you as he picked up the pace, his hands digging into your hips as he drove into you. you could feel his climax building, his breaths coming in harsh pants against your neck. and then, with a final, guttural groan, he came, his warmth flooding into you.

you collapsed onto the desk, your body spent, as he pulled out and leaned over you, his chest heaving. he kissed your shoulder, his breathing slowly returning to normal. the room was silent, save for the sound of your ragged breaths.

for a moment, you both just stayed there, basking in the afterglow of what had just happened. but reality began to seep back in, and you felt a sudden rush of self-consciousness. you were his secretary, and you had just had unprotected sex on his desk. the implications of your actions were just beginning to hit you.

seokjin must have noticed the change in your demeanor because he leaned in, whispering in your ear, “don't worry, i've got you.” his words were soothing, but they didn't entirely ease the anxiety coiling in your stomach. he helped you sit up, and you both began to straighten your clothes, trying to erase the evidence of your passionate encounter. your heart was racing, and you couldn't help but steal glances at him, seeing him in a new light. “we can't do this again,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “what if someone finds out?”

he turned to face you, cupping your cheek. “they won't,” he assured you. “this is our secret.” his eyes searched yours, and you could see the determination in them. “but if they do,” he trailed off, a smug smile playing on his lips. “well, then they'll just have to deal with it. you're my girlfriend, after all.”

you couldn't help but smile back, his confidence infectious. but deep down, you knew that this was just the beginning. the line between professional and personal had been irrevocably crossed, and there was no going back.

✧.*

a/n: literally no one asked for this idc this is so funny to me i based the name off one drama and the plot off another goodbye

198 notes · View notes

420b1a2eit · 8 months ago

Text

Ryujin's Review

Ryujin x BBC(3)

1598 words

tags: foursome, BBC, rough sex, double penetration, spitroast, etc.

Ryujin stretched out on the plush king-sized bed in her Los Angeles hotel room, excitement bubbling through her veins. She'd taken Yuna's advice and eagerly made three bookings on a certain app. Dredd, Louie, and Isiah—all with impressive reputations and even more impressive endowments.

She stared at herself in the mirror, admiring her toned physique. Her brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing a face that radiated confidence and anticipation. Her tight abs and thick thighs were testament to her dedication to calisthenics and martial arts. She'd dressed to impress in black lace lingerie, the delicate fabric hugging her curves, leaving little to the imagination.

The knock on the door jolted her from her reverie. She opened it to find the three men standing there, each exuding an aura of raw masculinity. Dredd, the tallest, had a dark, commanding presence with his chiseled jaw and intense eyes. Louie, with his playful grin and muscular build, exuded a sense of wild energy. Isiah, the quietest, had an air of quiet dominance, his broad shoulders and ripped abs hinting at untamed strength.

Without a word, they stepped inside, and the atmosphere crackled with anticipation. Dredd was the first to act, his large hand wrapping around Ryujin's wrist, pulling her close. He kissed her roughly, his tongue invading her mouth, while Louie and Isiah watched, their eyes dark with lust.

Ryujin moaned into Dredd's mouth, feeling her arousal spike. Louie moved behind her, his hands sliding over her hips, squeezing her ass through the thin fabric. "You ready for us, baby?" he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

"Fuck yes," she gasped, her voice trembling with excitement.

Dredd's hand moved to her throat, squeezing lightly as he guided her to the bed. He pushed her down, and Ryujin landed on her back, her legs spread invitingly. Louie and Isiah were quick to undress, their massive cocks springing free, hard and ready.

Isiah stepped forward, his cock inches from Ryujin's face. "Open wide, slut," he commanded, his voice low and authoritative. She obeyed eagerly, her mouth stretching to accommodate his girth. He thrust deep, hitting the back of her throat, making her gag and drool.

Dredd knelt between her legs, tearing away her panties and exposing her wet pussy. "Such a tight little cunt," he growled, his fingers sliding inside her, spreading her open. Louie joined in, spanking her ass hard, making her yelp around Isiah's cock.

"Take it all, bitch," Isiah snarled, his thrusts becoming more forceful. Ryujin's eyes watered, but she loved every second, her body on fire with desire.

Dredd replaced his fingers with his cock, pushing into her tight, wet heat. Ryujin screamed around Isiah's cock, the sheer size of Dredd stretching her to the limit. Louie moved to her side, grabbing her hair and yanking it back, his hand slapping her face lightly.

"Look at you, such a perfect little whore," Louie taunted, his voice dripping with lust. "You love being used, don't you?"

Ryujin nodded as best she could, her body shaking with pleasure. "Yes, I love it," she gasped when Isiah pulled out momentarily, giving her a breath before shoving back in.

The room filled with the sounds of their rough, primal fucking. Dredd pounded into her relentlessly, his balls slapping against her ass, while Isiah fucked her mouth with brutal intensity. Louie alternated between spanking her and whispering filthy words in her ear, his own cock rock-hard and leaking pre-cum.

"Such a good slut, taking all of us so well," Dredd praised, his voice gruff. He increased his pace, driving into her harder, each thrust hitting her G-spot, sending waves of ecstasy through her body.

Isiah's grip tightened in her hair, and he came with a roar, his cum flooding her mouth, forcing her to swallow. He pulled out, leaving her gasping and drooling, her lips swollen and red.

Louie took his place, pushing his cock into her mouth without hesitation. "Suck it, bitch," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for disobedience. Ryujin complied, her tongue swirling around his shaft, sucking eagerly.

Dredd's thrusts grew erratic, and he soon followed, filling her pussy with his hot seed. He pulled out, his cum dripping from her swollen lips.

"Fuck, that was amazing," he panted, collapsing beside her. Isiah and Louie soon joined, their bodies spent but their eyes still filled with desire.

Ryujin lay between them, her body aching in the best possible way. She had never felt more alive, more desired, more utterly used and satisfied.

"Ready for round two?" she asked, her voice hoarse but eager. The men exchanged grins, their cocks already twitching back to life.

"Oh, we're just getting started," Louie promised, his hand sliding down to tease her still-sensitive clit. "This night is far from over, slut."

Ryujin's heart raced as Louie's fingers expertly teased her clit, sending jolts of pleasure through her already sensitized body. The men shifted around her, their predatory gazes never leaving her flushed and eager face.

Isiah, recovered from his initial release, was the first to move. He spread Ryujin's legs wider, positioning himself between her thighs once again. His cock, still slick from her mouth, lined up with her entrance. "Ready for more?" he asked, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Yes, fuck me," Ryujin moaned, her hips bucking up to meet him. Isiah thrust into her with a powerful stroke, filling her completely. She cried out, the sensation of being stretched anew overwhelming her senses.

Dredd moved behind her, lifting her upper body slightly to position her on her hands and knees. He ran his hands down her back, gripping her hips as he aligned his cock with her tight, puckered hole. "I'm going to take this sweet ass, slut," he growled, the tip of his cock pressing against her.

Ryujin's breath hitched, a mix of pain and pleasure shooting through her as Dredd slowly pushed inside. She clenched around him, the fullness intense but exhilarating. "Oh fuck, yes," she gasped, her body trembling with anticipation.

Louie, not to be left out, moved to the side, his cock brushing against her lips. "Open up, bitch," he commanded, his tone rough and commanding. Ryujin obediently parted her lips, taking him into her mouth, the taste of his pre-cum mixing with the remnants of Isiah's release.

The three men established a rhythm, their bodies moving in perfect synchronization. Isiah pounded into her pussy, his thrusts hard and deep, while Dredd claimed her ass with relentless force. Louie's cock filled her mouth, the sound of her sucking and gagging adding to the symphony of their rough, primal fucking.

"You're such a good little whore," Louie praised, his hand tangled in her hair, guiding her head up and down his shaft. "Taking all three of us like a pro."

Ryujin's muffled moans were the only response she could manage, her body quaking with pleasure. The combined sensation of being filled so completely, of being used so thoroughly, was pushing her to the edge.

Dredd's hand snaked around to her front, his fingers finding her clit. He rubbed it in tight, rough circles, driving her wild. "Cum for us, slut," he growled, his voice low and demanding.

The command sent her over the brink. Ryujin's body convulsed, her orgasm ripping through her with an intensity that left her gasping and crying out. Her walls clenched around Isiah, milking his cock, driving him closer to his own release.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum," Isiah groaned, his pace becoming erratic. He buried himself deep inside her, his hot seed spilling into her, adding to the mix of fluids already dripping from her.

Louie followed suit, pulling out of her mouth to stroke himself to completion. He aimed his cock at her face, thick ropes of cum splattering across her cheeks, her lips, marking her as theirs.

Dredd was the last, his thrusts growing wild and desperate. He gripped her hips tightly, his own release crashing through him as he filled her ass with his cum. The sensation sent another wave of pleasure through Ryujin, her body quivering in the aftermath of their brutal, satisfying encounter.

The room was filled with the heavy sound of their breathing, the air thick with the scent of sex. Ryujin collapsed onto the bed, her body spent but utterly sated. The men lay beside her, their hands lazily caressing her skin, their eyes filled with a mixture of lust and satisfaction.

"You were incredible," Isiah murmured, his fingers tracing patterns on her thigh. "A perfect little slut."

Ryujin smiled, her body still humming with the remnants of their shared pleasure. "I'm just getting started," she replied, her voice a sultry promise of more to come.

Dredd chuckled, his hand squeezing her ass possessively. "Good, because we've got all night."

The night stretched on, filled with the sounds of their passionate, unrestrained fucking. Ryujin reveled in every moment, each touch, each thrust, each filthy word a testament to her insatiable desire. The men took her again and again, their stamina seemingly endless, their need as voracious as hers.

By the time dawn began to break, casting a soft glow through the hotel room, Ryujin lay exhausted but blissfully satisfied. She'd been used, filled, and pleasured in ways she'd only fantasized about. The memory of this night would stay with her forever, a reminder of the raw, uninhibited passion that had consumed them all.

As she drifted off to sleep, nestled between the warm, strong bodies of her lovers, she couldn't help but smile. Yuna had been right—the app was worth every single star.

#ryujin smut #kpop smut #kpop bbc #bbc smut #itzy ryujin #shin ryujin #itzy smut #itzy ryujin smut

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yatagarasuhonyaku · 1 month ago

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The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chapter 4 "Yukiya" Part 1

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

For the Index, you can find it HERE

Previously: Chihaya (Part 3)

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Chapter 3: Yukiya (Part 1)

“Taken. Please, your verification.”

The boy's clear voice reverberated through the wide hall.

Two men stood on the stands at each side of the Field, each one completely unlike the other. The first was a bulky middle aged man, all dressed up in a splendid iron blue haori with crests engraved on it. The second was a boy of small stature, dressed merely in a simple feather robe.

At the moment, the big man was pale as a sheet, staring at the Field with plain incredulity—yet no matter how many times he checked it, the situation on the board wasn’t going to change.

The boy, on the other hand, calmly waited for the judge's resolution. The only colors in the midst of the pure black of his feather robe came from a crimson strap and a green decorative jewel. His hair was the same color as the fertile soil of a farming field, bouncy as it fell on his perfectly straight back.

He was apparently only two years older than me, yet we were more or less the same height —in fact, the Ornamented Blade resting on his hip looked disproportionate. Nevertheless, he had an unflinching figure, enveloped in an air of genuine self-confidence.

“I've verified it. Winner, lower side.”

With the announcement of the judge declaring him the winner, the boy calmly moved on to the customary greetings. “Thank you for the match.”

A commotion ensued—people's voices were filled with wonder rather than joy at the results. It turned out that the middle aged man, who had just lost during the Board Drill, was in fact a high ranking official and commander in active service working at the Feathered Grove. Everyone had thought it was impossible for the boy to win against the man, despite his ever rising reputation through the past few days’ matches.

——Amazing! To think he would actually win!

Now, what could be cooler than watching a boy almost my age face such a high ranked opponent as an equal?

People in the audience moved forward to interrogate the boy, one after the other, about the match that had just finished. ‘Why did you choose that strategy?’ ‘How did you plan to counter him if he had chosen this different method of attack?’ The boy answered everyone soundly and without hesitation.

With the match review over, the boy finally stepped down from the stand and left the building for a break. I was reluctantly watching him go, when the Township Lord—the man who had brought me here in the first place—asked me between laughs, “Do you want to go say hi?”

We found the boy right outside the hall, eating rice balls as he chatted with a group of people—possibly his friends.

“Sapling Yukiya, do you have a moment?” The Township Lord called to him.

Right then, the boy—Sapling Yukiya—noticed our presence, immediately fixing his posture. “Oh, what a surprise, Your Lordship. It's an honor to have you here. I didn’t expect you to come all the way from Ayukuni multiple days in a row.”

“Oh, it's all for my own enjoyment, in part at least. There are very few chances to watch such a huge gathering of Yamauchi's most famous and skilled generals—and your match today too. It was splendid.”

“My deepest gratitude for the compliment.”

The two of them chatted animatedly. In the meantime, my eyes were all but glued on Sapling Yukiya.

——He was truly tiny.

Now that I could see him up close, his physical appearance proved to be utterly unremarkable. The only standout was the air of maturity surrounding him, of which there was not a trace on my peers back home. He had a somewhat dignified presence, made apparent by how he managed to talk with the Township Lord with such ease.

“To tell the truth, I wanted to introduce you to someone. I thought it would be a good learning experience, you see, so I brought him here with me. He should be joining the Unbending Reed Monastery next year.”

“Oh, so he's a future junior?” Prompted by the Township Lord's words, Sapling Yukiya’s eyes turned towards me.

“I-It’s an honor to meet you! I'm Haruma of Ayukuni! Your match earlier was truly, truly wonderful. You were so imposing, Sapling Yukiya, despite your size—”

As I babbled on, all overexcited, I was suddenly struck by what I had just said. I froze immediately, taken aback by my own discourtesy. However, Sapling Yukiya didn't even blame me for my blunder—he let out a giggle instead. “Size plays no part in strategy, does it? That said, as long as today's match left an impression on you, that's all that matters.”

“...... It absolutely did!”

What a mature, big-hearted person he turned out to be! I was more and more impressed by the moment. I had gone on a fervent speech about what a help it had been to watch his match and just how fascinated I was by Sapling Yukiya's approach to battle tactics, when the Township Lord interrupted me with a wry smile, “Well, just as you see, Haruma here is a bit of an oddball. In fact, I've been secretly hoping that he has what it takes to become a second you of sorts.”

Those words were apparently enough for Sapling Yukiya to realize what the Township Lord’s expectations were.

“I see.” He nodded ever so slightly, giving me a much more serious look than before. “It's heartening for me as well to have trainees like you. We are both oddballs, so let's work hard together,” Sapling Yukiya said to me with a bright smile.

——That was the moment my path in life was set.

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The lecture hall's roof tiles sparkled as they bathed in the early spring's sunlight, all slightly different colors from being replaced time and time again. This was his first visit to the Unbending Reed Monastery in a very long time and, while he didn't regret dropping out, it was proving to have something nostalgic about it.

He was overcome by emotion, his new status as yet another outsider to the Monastery hitting him as he went through the access procedure, when someone shrieked at his back. “Wait a moment! Isn't that Lord Professor?”

Akeru looked up to find a couple of young men. They had been walking around together just a moment ago, but they were now running towards him—Hisaya and Tatsuto. Back when they were all Seeds, he looked after them quite a bit.

“It has been a whole year, hasn't it? How have you been?”

Akeru forced a smile at that. “I'm doing just fine working for His Highness Wakamiya, fortunately. More importantly, how about you? The Trial of Storm should be almost over, right?”

The second he asked that, his ex-peers’ gazes went distant. “Well, this year's first and second of the class were as good as settled, so the Trial was all for us average people to fight over the scraps,” Tatsuto explained with resignation.

“Still, I feel sorry for Shige,” Hisaya added. “If it were only the practical courses, he would have had a chance—he beat Yukiya and Chihaya in some of those. But he still ended up third because of all the points he lost in theory.”

“Well, and if you had been here, the results could have changed even further……” Tatsuto quietly mentioned.

Akeru laughed at that. “What are you implying? Don’t tell me that you want me to act as your teacher even now as Evergreens?”

“No, I didn't mean it like that!”

“I mean, you passed the Trial of Mist, didn't you? Wouldn't it have been better for you to become an Evergreen with us instead?”

Akeru gave them a big snort. “Well, I would have surely taken first place if I had stayed here, of course. But what option did I have? His Highness Wakamiya asked me to come back ‘by all means’. Ah, such are the woes of those overflowing with talent,” he said, waving his arms in a theatrical manner.

The other two, well-aware of Akeru's actual scores, loudly cackled in answer. “Oh, don't make me laugh! You weren't capable of beating us in Horsemanship even once in all your time here.”

“You're truly the same old guy, huh? That's a relief, actually.”

“Why would I have changed that easily—!? Anyway, do you two know where the hell Yukiya is?” Akeru asked. He had gone through the trouble of coming all the way to the Monastery for a reason.

The two of them glanced at each other.

“Now that's bad timing to have business with Yukiya.”

“We decided the order for the tests by lottery, you see. So Yukiya and Sadamori's battle ended up being the very last one. Those two are actually the only ones yet to finish the Trial of Storm—their Strategy match is tomorrow.”

The trainees’ skills in Strategy were tested by a demonstration match during the Trial of Storm. The two Evergreens took the role of generals in a large-scale mock battle, while the Seeds and Saplings acted as their soldiers. Even the information on the training field, chosen among the few big ones across Yamauchi, was kept from them until the day before.

Which meant that, at the time, Yukiya was cloistered in his given ‘headquarters’ as he went over the data they had prepared for him, ironing out his battle plan for the next day.

“We haven't seen him since this morning, and Chihaya and Shige have way too much time on their hands right now. They probably went over there to banter already.”

“Can you at least tell me where Yukiya's headquarters are then?”

“No idea. The Instructors are probably your only remaining option.”

Then, just as Akeru was considering what to do next, someone else meekly cut in on the conversation.

“Excuse me, seniors?” Akeru turned to find a trainee he didn't recognize—a Seed, given his decorative jewel was white. His body was thin, and freckles were spread all over his nose. He gave off quite the serious aura. “I'm sorry, I didn't plan to eavesdrop, but…… If you wish, I can guide you to Evergreen Yukiya's headquarters.”

“Oooh, really?”

“Yes. Just—I have to pick up something from the kitchen fist. Could you wait for a moment?”

He was quite the polite junior. Tatsuto and Hisaya were smiling wryly at him. “So Yukiya is working you to the bone as usual, huh?”

“You know you can tell him no if you want, right?”

“Oh, but I'm doing this because I want to, don't worry. Well then, I'll be back in a moment,” the Seed bowed his head and left in a dash.

Once he was gone, Akeru asked, “Who is that?”

“Yukiya's pupil. Name's Haruma. He has the best scores in Strategy among the Seeds by far and actually got dragged into Yukiya's Tactical Research Group the very second he got here.”

“Woah, poor kid.”

“Well, it seems Haruma himself really admires Yukiya too, so, from the looks of it, they're surprisingly doing just fine?”

“He's surely being fooled by appearances—now that makes me feel even sorrier for him.”

As they enthusiastically enjoyed some gossiping, Haruma returned in a dash, packages in his arms. “My apologies for making you wait, follow me.”

Akeru said his farewells to the two Evergreens, and so left the Unbending Reed Monastery guided by Haruma.

“Ah, now that I think about it, I haven't introduced myself to you yet. I’m—” Akeru tried to give the boy his name, but he was cut off before he could.

“It’s fine, I know,” Haruma cheerfully said. “Akeru of the Western House, right? You joined the Unbending Reed Monastery at the same time as Evergreen Yukiya and the rest but you’re now working as His Highness Wakamiya’s close aide. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Haruma spoke with a big, cheerful smile. Akeru’s eyes went wide open. “Wait, they didn’t say anything weird about me, right?”

“Not at all! Evergreen Yukiya even complimented you, saying you were ‘very wise’.” While, from the looks of it, Haruma’s interpretation of the words had been quite well-meaning, Akeru had a hunch about what Yukiya truly meant with ‘wise’—it gave him all kinds of conflicted feelings.

He may have spoken like that to Tatsuto and Hisaya, but Akeru knew better than anyone that he was no match for Yukiya and the others. Hence, after clearing the Trial of Mist, Akeru went to personally meet with Wakamiya one more time. ‘I’ve learned enough combat to protect myself but, even if I were to stay in the Monastery, it’s impossible for me to reach the heights required to protect Your Highness.’ After that, Akeru made his request to again serve directly under Wakamiya from that point onwards.

Wakamiya was appreciative of Akeru’s efforts and, this time, enlisted him as his close aide from the very beginning. Akeru was well aware that his lack of talent as a warrior would have truly become apparent if he had stayed any longer and was firm in his belief that he made the right choice back then.

That said, he didn’t enjoy others pointing it out even one bit. “That bastard…… I’ve heard you really admire Yukiya—is that true?”

“It is! I mean, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to be at the Monastery in the first place if it wasn’t for Evergreen Yukiya.”

Haruma was a commoner from the Eastern Region. He had always liked studying, but his social status had greatly limited his options to focus on such an endeavor no matter how much he wanted it. So, as he had some skill with the sword, he requested admission to the Unbending Reed Monastery, aiming for a recommendation from his Township’s Lord. However, his physical capabilities proved to be one step behind all the other candidates.

“I lost at the test matches. I truly thought that was it for me and was about ready to give up, but—” The Township Lord gave Haruma one of his precious few recommendation letters despite his results. “I couldn’t believe it! Then, when I asked him why he chose me, he brought up Evergreen Yukiya.”

Up until then, the Township Lord had been of the belief that those tough of body and blessed with physical strength were the only ones fit to become Yamauchi Guards. Yet recent events had made him consider that, perhaps, having a Guard with a clear, bright mind would be a good idea as well.

“And then! Arguing it was a perfect chance, the Township Lord even brought me to Reed Waterway Temple!” The moment he heard that, Akeru could already tell how the rest of the story was about to proceed.

It all happened about two years ago.

The rumors about a teen prodigy who had managed to defeat Suikan—the best tactician of their era—spread like wildfire in the military world. That, coupled with the fact that Suikan actually left the Monastery afterwards, led to the organization of what they called a ‘Strategy Workshop’. A screening process for the position of Strategy’s new practical Instructor in all but name.

The event included officials from the Yamauchi Guard and the Feathered Grove, as well as out-of-office scholars focused on war tactics. Everyone with confidence in their own tactical skills gathered at Reed Waterway Temple and dueled each other to determine the level of their talents.

Within the region, the event was referred to as the Reed Waterway Workshop.

With all that said and done, Yukiya, the very source of the problem at hand, proved to be the center of everyone’s attention at the Workshop. The Warfare Record of his match with Suikan had already made the rounds by that point and anyone who saw it could tell that Yukiya’s odd strategy had to be a stroke of good luck—or cheating.

At first, everyone believed that the so-called ‘Unbending Reed Monastery’s Teen Prodigy(1)’ would give himself away at the Reed Waterway Workshop—but Yukiya didn’t employ any tactic like the one against Suikan. Not even once. He battled within orthodoxy, facing his upper side opponents strictly with by-the-book tactics. Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost. He performed splendidly as well in the reviewing process after the matches themselves.

After that, his ‘Monastery’s Teen Prodigy’ nickname stopped being used as a form of mockery and quickly became genuine. The man ultimately chosen as the new Instructor was an ex-Yamauchi Guard, already retired from any sort of active service—but the renown Yukiya gained during the event was undoubtedly second to none.

“I was quite shocked when I first saw Evergreen Yukiya with my own eyes,” Haruma said with a dreamy look in his eyes, apparently lost in the memory. “Back then, Evergreen Yukiya was even smaller than I am now. But he wasn’t intimidated, no matter his opponent—he even won against people way above him! I got way too worked up,” Haruma forced a shy smile, “and even ended up disrespecting him after a match. However! He didn't seem at all bothered by it and was so nice to me. He even offered to help me out when I actually arrived at the Monastery.”

True to his word, Yukiya did apparently take quite good care of Haruma after he joined the Unbending Reed Monastery. “There are many juniors who admire Evergreen Yukiya just like me, but for me, he isn't only an example to follow—he's someone I owe my life to.”

In sharp contrast with Haruma's bright smile, Akeru found himself tremendously conflicted and desperately swallowing his words.

“I'm glad to be of any help to him whatsoever. I don't really care what others may say about it.”

“Hey, wolf in sheep's clothing bastard.” Curse words were the first thing to come out of Akeru’s mouth as he pulled the tent flap open.

Yukiya was there, sitting on a camp stool as he looked at the maps spread over the nearby stand. He just laughed in answer, his eyes still fixed on the papers. “What’s up with that? And out of nowhere!”

“Don't you have even the slightest of a guilty conscience, deceiving your poor innocent junior like that?”

“Deceiving? Perish the thought. I'm truly just a kind and caring senior.”

“Now that’s bullshit. I know you're twisted to the core, don't you lie to me.”

Nevertheless, Akeru's cursing was promptly ignored with a laugh. “So what's the deal? You came all the way here, so there must be some kind of emergency.”

As he said that, Yukiya finally raised his head.

His physical appearance had changed significantly since their days as Seeds. His features, which were once only possible to be described as round and plump, had gotten sharper with age. At the moment, gentle and soft would be a better description for them. It was a terrifying thought, but someone could even mistake Yukiya as an eloquent, fine young man by appearance alone. He had truly gone through quite the transformation.

And, while he had been the smallest among the Monastery trainees back in the day, he now possessed the fit, strong body of a warrior. Someone who hadn’t seen him in the last three years would probably have a hard time recognizing him at first. Most frustrating of it all was his height—before Akeru even realized it, Yukiya had gotten taller than him.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Akeru cleared his throat. “Indeed. I came here with a message from His Highness Wakamiya.”

“From His Highness?” Yukiya tried to ask back, but someone else's voice overlapped with his.

“Hey!” It was Shigemaru's. From where, Akeru couldn't tell. “We'll end up overhearing the conversation if we stay here, is that fine with you?”

Before Akeru got the chance to ask where he was, Shigemaru pulled up the edge of the tent right behind Yukiya and popped his head in. “Hey, Akeru!”

“Shigemaru! What are you doing here?”

“It's not only me, Chihaya is here too. I was making some tea for my best friend, being as he is in the middle of the Trial of Storm and all, but I guess it may be best for us to leave now?”

Shigemaru attempted to retreat, but Akeru stopped him. “No, you can stay. You two are going to be the second and third of the class after all, right? You'll be tasked with His Highness’ protection in the near future anyway, so it may actually be for the best.”

Besides, Shigemaru and Chihaya had already met Wakamiya on multiple occasions before and, being Yukiya and Akeru's friends, the people in Wakamiya's Faction had regarded them as allies for a long time now. What was even the point of keeping them out after all that?

“Really? Then, please, wait for just a bit!”

Shortly after Shigemaru's face vanished from the tent, he and Chihaya came in. This time, actually through the door.

“Hey, little Lord, a messenger this time? I see you're right at home with menial work.”

“Shut your trap, you poor bastard.”

The instant they saw each other, Akeru and Chihaya proceeded to exchange quite vicious greetings. The latter was carrying bamboo tea cups, while Shigemaru held a steaming iron kettle in his hands.

They all pushed aside the stand with the maps and, after spreading a mat on the ground, sat down in a circle.

“It's low-grade tea, but if that’s fine with you—”

“Thank you.”

After wetting his lips with the tea Shigemaru courteously poured for him, Akeru took a bunch of papers out of a bundled package he had brought with him. “First of all, take a look at this.”

Yukiya took the papers offered, all while Chihaya and Shigemaru peeked over his shoulder to check the contents. “Wait, what the hell is this?”

The paper was filled with a tiny grid broken down by lines. Shigemaru and Chihaya looked at it with puzzlement, yet Yukiya seemed to figure it out quite fast. “Is this one of those ‘statistical graphs' from the Outside?”

“That it is. At Wakamiya's request, we checked the records of the last hundred years and gathered data on the water levels in Center Mountain and its surroundings using this Outside-style methodology. Can you read it? The vertical lines on the grid represent the amount of water and the horizontal ones the time.”

Yukiya seemed to grasp his instructions almost immediately. He followed the lines with his finger and let out a soft ‘I see’. “It does make it quite easy to see the evolution over time.”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Yukiya left the paper on the mat so Shigemaru and Chihaya had an easier time seeing it. “In short, the more this line goes up, the more water we had at the time. The opposite is also true, the lower it goes, the less water.”

If one paid attention to the general evolution, although the line would go up and down again and again, the overall tendency was down. Thanks to Yukiya’s explanation as he traced the line with his finger, Chihaya finally grasped its meaning as well and gave a questioning look to Akeru. “The water at Center Mountain is—dwindling down?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Supporting the Imperial Court's investigation were the plentiful cases of wells drying down in the Center area during the past few years. The Center Mountain had always been blessed with plentiful water, however, with a multitude of waterfalls sprouting directly from its surface. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Residences of the Center’s many noble families had been built as if stitching them together, speckled in whatever space the waterfalls left.

Both Chihaya and Shigemaru had confusion written all over their faces. After all, why was it such a big deal if the water levels went down a bit?

“It’s normal if you can't figure out what this means with only a graph. But, try to remember,” Akeru told them solemnly. “Have you forgotten what route the Monkeys used to invade us four years ago? A dried up well.”

Tension rose among the group the moment the Monkeys came up in conversation.

“...... So this talk concerns the Monkeys?” Shigemaru asked in a quiet voice.

“Indeed it does. And it's an urgent matter,” Akeru replied. “Ever since the Monkeys’ first invasion four years ago, the Imperial Court has been examining all the wells and caves in the Center.”

Ultimately, they didn't find any other potential invasion route besides the initial dried up well—or so said the official report. “But, in reality, there are more passages than the one the Imperial Court has under its control.”

“What!?” Shigemaru yelled out of sheer shock.

Yukiya, taking Akeru's role in the conversation, explained, “No need to worry. The other known passage is already sealed and there should be people keeping proper watch over it too.”

After taking in Yukiya’s behavior, Shigemaru blinked in surprise. “I see, so you already knew about the place.”

“I do know about it, yes. After all, I was the one who personally confirmed its existence in the first place. I went through it with my own feet and even saw the Monkeys there with my own eyes,” Yukiya confessed, his tone as if he hadn’t said anything special.

“Just what kind of crazy life are you leading……” Shigemaru muttered with exasperation.

“Back to the topic. What’s the relationship between the Monkeys and the water?” Chihaya, fed up with waiting for answers, asked.

In response, Akeru looked directly at Yukiya. “Then, let's ask Yukiya as he knows these passages from firsthand experience. Is there anything in common between the well the Monkeys used as an entrance and the passage you went through?”

Like a trainee replying to the Instructor's questions in theory class, Yukiya gave Akeru a quick answer. “One could say that, geographically speaking, both were either holes or underground pathways excavated to lead deep under Center Mountain.”

“Then, this is a question for you, who has actually traversed such an underground pathway. What did you have to go through to reach the Monkeys’ territory?”

“What—?” Yukiya was stumped for a second, but it didn’t last long. “...... Water. Now that you mention it, I dove through a mysterious underground lake. Shining water poured on it. The Monkeys were right there after I surfaced.”

“That's it!”

The invasion route that the Imperial Court sealed was a hole opened on the well's very walls. It had once been filled with water, which meant there was no way for the Monkeys to come in from there. So, if one were to assume the Monkeys invaded thanks to the well drying up, and that this was due to the water levels on Center Mountain going down— “Then we could conclude that what separates us from the Monkeys’ den is actually the water itself. Or so His Highness Wakamiya thinks.”

After investigating the matter on Wakamiya's orders, it became clear that—though not without its ups and downs—the overall tendency for the water quantities flowing from the Center Mountain to Yamauchi’s different regions had been solidly downwards. “To top it all off, we got a report saying that the water coming out through the Center's waterfalls had suddenly gone down these last two or three days.”

“These last two or three days……?” Shigemaru murmured weakly. Although Yukiya and Chihaya didn't say anything, the look in their eyes had clearly gotten sharper.

“If it's all groundless concerns, that’s great, but His Highness has been saying he has ‘a bad feeling about it’ nonstop ever since.”

Yukiya groaned the second he heard that. “Now that sucks. The True Golden Raven's instinct is virtually no different from a prophecy. If His Highness Wakamiya is actually saying that, something is going to happen in the near future for sure.”

“We have eyes on any suspicious spots that were found during last time's investigation. The Yamauchi Guard is on the move already, but the area to cover is way too wide. Especially because, if the worst comes to pass, they could end up in a skirmish against the Monkeys.” In short, they were sorely and utterly lacking in manpower. “That’s why His Highness Wakamiya orders you to join the search as soon as the Trial is over.”

“Understood, so I will,” Yukiya said as he straightened his back. “Tell His Highness that I’ll be joining them as soon as I’ve taken care of things here. The Trial of Storm will be all over after tomorrow's match.”

“Got it.”

“My Trial of Storm is all finished, though,” Shigemaru energetically leaned forwards. “I may not be an official Yamauchi Guard yet, but could I still help out?”

“I'll go too.”

Akeru nodded in approval at Shigemaru and Chihaya's requests. “I'm sure His Highness Wakamiya will be glad to hear you say that.”

Yukiya, meanwhile, watched the three of them, all ready to leave that very moment, with a downturned mouth. “Honestly…? I would rather go with you all right now.”

“But you can't,” Akeru flat-out refused to hear Yukiya's complaints on the matter. “Even if we assume a disaster of some kind is going to happen, we can't tell when that will be. It could be tomorrow, in ten days or even a whole month from now. To have you fail out because of this would be completely laughable. Let me give you a message: ‘Yukiya, don’t panic, and come with us only after you've actually finished everything you have pending. We'll talk after that—’ Word for word. It comes not from His Highness, but his wife.”

“Eh—” Yukiya blinked in surprise. “Sakura no Kimi told you that?”

“That she did, and His Highness too. When he heard her say that, he went ‘well, Yukiya is probably well aware of that without anyone's intervention, but tell him I'm of the same opinion just in case’.”

Yukiya bitterly held his head in his hands. “...... Then, please tell not only His Highness but Sakura no Kimi as well that I said ‘understood’. I'll go with them after the Trial of Storm without fail.”

“Got it. And you better not go and screw it all up at the very last moment and lose.”

Yukiya's lips curved into a sly grin.

“Who the hell do you think you're talking to?”

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

Akeru and the others left. The tent fell into silence and Yukiya sighed. “Well, then.”

The topographical map he had been checking represented the entirety of the surrounding terrain. He had already finished a preliminary inspection when the sun was still high in the sky—the terrain was quite craggy and there was a tunnel one could use as a shortcut if so desired. If he attempted to win in a reliable and steady manner, tomorrow's battle could turn out to be quite complex.

Of course, he wasn't concerned with losing at all, no matter how complicated the battlefield got. He had trained at this field many times before and his opponent was one of his fellow Evergreens—he knew him quite well after three whole years spent together.

What worried him wasn't victory, but rather the time spent on the test itself.

There were Seeds unaccustomed to mock battles taking part this time, so he wanted to avoid any overly intricate strategies and, after hearing what Akeru had to say, the only thing he wanted was to be done as soon as possible so he could join Wakamiya and the rest in the search. He had intended to win in a conventional manner, but it seemed like it was time to change plans post-haste.

“Evergreen Yukiya, I brought you dinner.”

“Come in.”

“Sorry to intrude,” Haruma said politely before coming in, leaving a four-legged tray with food on it in front of Yukiya. Haruma had grilled some mochi with miso sauce he had brought from the kitchen, from the looks of it. It smelled wonderful. “So, everyone has gone back.”

“Yes, I'm sorry. After you went through all that trouble to make this for everyone.”

“Don't worry. I'll bring the leftovers with me and share it with the other Seeds.” Haruma had done him the favor of preparing dinner for him, Shigemaru and the others at a spot somewhat away from the tent. He truly was a well put together junior—he was so casually considerate. Always careful to not be a bother to him.

“Ah, about tomorrow. I'm thinking of giving you command over a detached force.”

Taken by surprise, Haruma straightened his pose. “Me? Is that truly alright? That's usually a role for a Sapling to……”

“I'll carefully consider the members. There shouldn’t be many complaints if we gather people well acquainted with your talent. I'll leave the decision-making on the field to you,” Yukiya said.

Haruma's expression remained solemn, but his eyes sparkled. “That's such an honor! If I can be of help to you, Evergreen Yukiya, I'll do everything I can!”

“Good. Go rest now then.”

“I will! See you tomorrow.”

Yukiya watched Haruma go with light steps, a smile creeping on his lips.

Haruma himself didn’t seem to realize it, but, to tell the truth, Yukiya had felt suspicious about him when they first met. As a Sapling, the two juniors he had shared a room with had been a terribly insolent pair. They were all obedient now, but that was only because Yukiya had hammered the hierarchy between them physically in their very bones.

On top of that, he was very much aware of the fact that he had been an even more insolent junior himself. Yukiya had been under the conviction that an obedient and meek junior just didn’t exist anywhere in this world.

Which was why Haruma's subservient behavior right out of the gate drove Yukiya to believe he had to be scheming something—what, he didn't know—against him. It took him quite a while to realize that Haruma seemed to be, by all intents and purposes, genuine in his admiration for him. The shock was enough to make him reflect on his life choices.

Haruma joined Yukiya’s Tactical Research Group every single day without fail and would take care of any menial tasks out of his own volition—Yukiya didn't even have to give him the order. Haruma was so ridiculously considerate, Yukiya's peers had started to poke fun at him over how he ‘worked a poor Seed to the bone’.

Then there was Haruma’s talent. He was absolutely brilliant, as expected of someone recommended to the Monastery due to his brains. His practical skills were somewhat concerning, but his skill in Strategy was beyond question. Out of all the juniors currently at the Monastery, he was the one that understood Yukiya's thought process best, hands down.

As time went by, his feelings about Haruma had grown closer to what he felt for his little brother back in the Northern Region than just another simple junior. The boy's future performance wasn’t just somebody else's business to him, he actually looked forward to seeing him grow.

But that wasn’t the matter he should be pondering at the moment—he had a task in front of him to complete.

Under normal circumstances, this would be the time to pull an all-nighter and perfect his strategy, but he was already set on a course of action. He felt sorry for his opponent, but he fully planned to settle things fast the next day. That decided, Yukiya went to sleep early that night.

The next morning, Yukiya woke with the sunrise and immediately took bird form, flying around as he studied the training field from above. The weather was nice that day, no wind worth mentioning. He didn't see anything in particular that could potentially hamper his plan.

With that finished, he returned to the tent where he had spent the night. By that point, the juniors assigned to become part of Yukiya's forces during the test had already begun to gather.

Haruma was in front of them all, waiting eagerly for him. “Good morning! How were the skies?”

“The wind is gentle with no clouds in sight. The best weather conditions for a match.”

“That's good to hear.”

Yukiya took human form as he answered, quickly retying his Ornamented Blade in the process. “I'll be relying on you today.”

“Leave it to me.”

They all lined up in the plaza where the tent was. A while later, the Instructors that would act as lookouts arrived from the Unbending Reed Monastery. White banners were raised across the camp, and the trainees too tied white straps on themselves.

Yukiya’s men totaled to thirty and their only available weapons were bamboo swords and whistling arrows. The goal of the test was to steal the enemy General’s Banner. Those who had their strap stolen by the enemy or who the lookouts judged to have suffered fatal injuries were to abandon the field immediately. They had until midday the following day.

They were waiting in line for the match to start when finally the sound of drums came from afar.

——Yukiya’s last test at the Monastery had begun.

That very second, Yukiya started to give instructions to his forces. “Haruma, take your three men and leave immediately towards the enemy’s side through the nearby tunnel.”

“Yes!”

“Now, everyone else. We’ll leave one person behind to protect the General’s Banner and then march all together towards the enemy’s camp.”

After the instructions, the juniors looked at Yukiya with complete disbelief. His assigned lieutenant, a Sapling, even let out a surprised gasp before asking him in a high-pitched tone, “But—what about scouts? And why leave only one person to take care of the General’s Banner—”

“One will be enough. This is a swift attack, our true enemy is actually time.”

In these field practices, the key to victory truly lay in who managed to pressure the opponent’s forces into dispersing. If Yukiya considered his rival’s records up until that moment, his chosen strategy would surely be what they called the ‘badger’. It used a minimal amount of scouts, assigning all remaining forces to defend the General’s Banner instead.

There was also the fact that his opponent had faced defeat at Yukiya’s hands way too many times and had gotten very cautious around him. That surely meant that, at the very start of the encounter, he would send out a lot more scouts than his usual.

“I would assume he’ll send seven scouts at the least. He'll also be worried about the tunnel and send people to guard it, so the number of people away from camp could easily increase by another four or five. Even if some of them realize what we’re trying to do and return to camp, that still means about two or three people less to fight. If my calculations are correct, we’ll be facing only around twenty men once we actually arrive there.”

If the enemy planned to go on the defensive anyway, then the best chance to attack was now, when he didn’t have any information on Yukiya’s forces yet and hadn’t fully solidified his formation.

“Depending on the circumstances, we may even be able to start the battle without their scouts ever returning,” Yukiya declared as he jumped on the back of one of his juniors, shifted already into a horse.

The Sapling turned lieutenant smiled ever so subtly. “And… that’s why you think only one man is enough to defend our Banner…?”

Their loss condition relied on one of the enemy’s scouts coming over to check on them and, having found out about the empty camp, deciding to charge all by himself in the time it took them to launch their all-out attack. However, the prospects were positive. As long as they left someone specialized in archery and with plenty of whistling arrows, Yukiya believed that the trainee should be able to take any enemy scout out without even needing to engage in close combat.

The main source of concern was, then, the tunnel—it would be bad news if the opponent were to use it to send out advanced troops directly to Yukiya’s camp without him noticing. Hence he had sent Haruma there.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

“Yes!”

They headed out towards the enemy’s camp at full speed. Upon arrival, and just as Yukiya had expected, there were only nineteen boys with red straps hurrying to and fro at the enemy’s camp. Yukiya saw a few of them shift into bird form in an attempt to fight back—with that, the battle was all but won in his eyes.

“Disperse!”

Following Yukiya’s order, the big group of trainees following him cleanly divided into three platoons. Just as they had agreed beforehand, the two platoons on the sides approached the enemy’s camp as they dodged any arrows coming from above. Some of them were intercepted by the opposite side’s bird-shaped men, ending up in a fight, and others took a clean hit from the whistling arrows, but most managed to survive the charge.

Although the red-strapped soldiers on the ground fought back valiantly, the vast majority of Yukiya’s last platoon proceeded to then charge from above. They weren’t given enough time to even release their second round of arrows.

Yukiya spearheaded the descending group, flying right into the heat of the battle and slashing down four or five of the opponent’s men with his bamboo sword. The attack opened the way for one of the Saplings on his side to make a run for it and take the General’s Banner.

“Taken!” the boy yelled between pants, raising the Banner up high for everyone to see.

One of the Lookout Instructors beat the drum.

——And with that, the match was over.

“......And I thought that just this last time I could get back at you. What are you? A demon?”

“People often call me that, yes.”

After the match, no commending each other’s big efforts or any emotive scene like that took place. Instead, Sadamori made his forces line up and verified the actual losses on his side while he headed towards Yukiya with a bitter look on his face.

“Sadamori, for the record, you should have instructed your troops at the start on what they should do when fighting back, whether it is using bows and arrows or transforming into bird shape to go for the melee—one or the other. Otherwise, they can just end up hitting each other. Besides, the Seeds are unused to field drills like this so they’ll just get confused without it, you know.”

“That’s a very fair point, and I thank you for your feedback. But, you see, you attacked before I even had the time to give such instructions! Dammit!” Sadamori bitterly cursed him.

Sadamori had, apparently, seen Yukiya as a rival when they first arrived at the Monastery. Because of that, they hadn’t grown particularly close until they became Evergreens despite both of them being from the North. Sadamori was quite the sore loser but, despite that, he had proven to be quite the good-natured man once Yukiya got to actually talk with him.

“It really annoys me, but this confirms your graduation as the first of the class, right? It was a given, I guess, but still. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Good job from you as well, finishing the Trial of Storm.”

Once they verified everything, they learned that the ‘dead’ on each side had totaled to three for red and seven for white. Meanwhile, three lost their strap on the red side, two on the white. A victory was a victory, but Yukiya’s side had suffered the bigger losses.

Now that he reflected on it, Yukiya realized how reckless his approach may have been. Then, just as he was considering asking Haruma for his opinion on the matter as well, Yukiya noticed that the members of his detached force hadn’t returned yet—it was taking them too long.

“Hey, did you send someone to the tunnel this time?”

“No? I sent guards to the entrance, but they’re all back by now.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Maybe they hadn’t heard the drum beat from inside the tunnel? Yukiya turned his gaze towards the direction where the tunnel’s exit was. There, he happened to find a dark shadow flying in their direction amid the blue sky.

‘There they are’, Yukiya thought to himself at first, but he soon realized something was amiss. His detached unit was supposed to have four men including Haruma, yet he could only see one shadow approaching them. And the way he flew—as if he were panicking. The shadow got closer, and the odd sound of his desperate caws reached them.

The deja vu was unbearable.

Four years ago. The sight of a Yatagarasu flying through the blue sky between cries. Yet another tragic victim of the circumstances, and then what befell Yukiya’s homeland right after—

The Yatagarasu reached them, transforming back into human form as he fell to the ground in front of the other juniors, who had been busy cleaning up the camp. Yukiya pushed away the surrounding crowd and dashed towards him, all to reach the boy before anyone else.

“Koroku?”

He turned out to be one of the Saplings in his detached force. His expression was completely unlike anything he wore when he left camp—it was one of pure, dark terror.

“Evergreen Yukiya……”

“Yes!? Tell me, what happened?”

“The Monkeys appeared.”

For a second, it was as if the world around Yukiya had gone silent.

The next, rising tension made his five senses all the sharper. His heart beat so loudly against his chest that he could almost hear it thumping in his head.

Yukiya asked in a roar, “How many!?”

“I only saw one. It came from behind us all of a sudden and—I wanted to help fight, but we didn’t have anything worth calling a weapon……”

“Then? What about the rest?”

“I don’t know! I just thought I had to at least warn everyone—What should I do? I… I left Haruma, Teppei and Akitoki behind!” Koroku shrieked, having just realized what he had done.

Yukiya left him to it and instead turned towards the petrified trainees behind him. “Bring the Lookout Instructors here right now! And go contact the nearest Guard Station! Tell them to bring every single one of their soldiers and weapons here to block the northern tunnel!”

Following Yukiya’s incisive orders, a few of the trainees sprinted away in a way that resembled headless chickens. With that done, Yukiya returned his gaze to Koroku and quickly spoke, “To leave and warn everyone because you had no weapons was the correct choice. You must precisely tell the Instructors everything that happened when they arrive here. It’ll help us save our companions, got it?”

Koroku nodded as he shook uncontrollably. Having seen that, Yukiya stood up. “I’ll go to the nearest entrance. Sadamori, go to the opposite one and stand guard there until the reinforcements arrive. Don’t go down until we get those weapons.”

“Understood,” Sadamori immediately responded to Yukiya’s orders, a strained look on his face.

“All remaining Saplings, divide into two groups and follow us!”

Yukiya transformed into bird shape and left for the tunnel as fast as he could. A short trip later, they found the entrance. There, a transformed boy struggled as he tried to take off while another, sunken on the ground, looked into the dark depths of the cavern. Once Yukiya confirmed that there were no Monkeys around, he landed as he returned to human form.

“Teppei, Akitoki! Are you alright!?”

The one in bird form cawed without transforming, clearly maddened by the experience. The other one—Akitoki—was still motionless, but he whispered his name in a daze, “Evergreen Yukiya……”

“What’s wrong? Where’s Haruma?”

“Haruma—The Monkey took Haruma with it.”

——It… took Haruma?

Yukiya froze in place. Instantly, Akitoki’s face twisted horribly. “If only he hadn’t protected us! We tried to recover him, but that guy was too strong, it shook me off and my shoulder—”

That was when Yukiya noticed it—Akitoki’s arm was bent in an odd direction, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. All choked up, Yukiya forced himself to nod his head, “I know. This isn’t your fault.”

——The Monkeys had… taken Haruma.

“Evergreen Yukiya, we should go!” The Saplings following him yelled as they caught up to him.

“We can’t!” Yukiya answered. “With no weapons, we are just as powerless as they were to fight them.”

“Are you telling us to give up then!? Haruma may end up dead while we’re standing here!”

“But we can’t die in vain here,” Yukiya insisted resolutely. He heard the sound of breath catching sharply in the Sapling’s throat, but the boy didn’t press the matter any further.

In the end, they managed to send away Teppei, who had hurt his wing, and have Yukiya fix Akitoki’s dislocated shoulder by the time the soldiers arrived with the weapons. Akitoki remained conscious, although pale as a sheet, so ultimately Yukiya and the soldiers brought him with them as they finally went inside the cave.

“This is where we were assaulted.” The spot Akitoki pointed out connected to a subterranean stream, the only part of the tunnel to do so. It was off to the side in a slightly open corner—there, if you climbed down a bit from the more-or-less maintained path, was running water. The current made a soft rumble as it went.

Yukiya had gone down there during the preliminary inspection the day before. Bitterest regret filled him—why didn’t he even consider this possibility?

The Center. Flowing water.

It was such a perfect match for an entry route! They had discussed what the Monkeys’ infiltration conditions were just yesterday.

Yukiya then went down into the stream itself, looking in the direction the water came from. It was a dark cavern, no light whatsoever came from it. Yet there was no mistake, it had to connect to the Monkeys’ territory. He wanted nothing more than to go right after them and save Haruma, but— Yukiya bit his lips.

“Evergreen Yukiya,” someone on the path, where everyone else was waiting, called for him at that moment.

“Yes?”

“Look at this!”

Yukiya ran up to find something fallen in the middle of the road, illuminated by the torches’ light. It was a letter, no matter how one looked at it. The yellowish paper’s quality was atrocious, but he could see the letters written on it with what could be assumed to be ink. It was carefully folded. There, on its front, was the addressee’s name.

——‘To the Golden Raven.’

Next: Yukiya (Part 2)

—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---

1: The ‘teen prodigy’ bit is specifically 麒麟児 (kirinji), which technically means “Qilin colt/filly” but it’s indeed used in japanese to mean ‘child prodigy’. I adapted it into ‘teen’ because of how english works vs. japanese.

#Translation: The Raven of the Empty Coffin #yatagarasu #yatagarasu series #the raven does not choose its master #karasu wa aruji wo erabanai

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justinspoliticalcorner · 15 days ago

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S.V. Dáte at HuffPost:

WASHINGTON ― The White House’s favored new reporter, the one who scolded Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit, was the primary voice at a “news” outlet that has taken $192,000 from President Donald Trump’s political committees, nearly half of which came while he was program director there. Brian Glenn now works for a pro-Trump streaming platform called Real America’s Voice, but from September 2020 to May 2024, he was the most visible face at Right Side Broadcasting Network. Over those years, the outlet took $92,000 in “broadcast” fees, first from Trump’s Save America committee and then from Trump’s campaign, according to a HuffPost review of Federal Election Commission filings. Glenn acknowledged the payments in a brief interview, describing them as “production” costs, and then pointed to the row of television cameras set up in the back of the White House briefing room. “Who pays for them?” he asked, suggesting that the major networks like NBC, CNN and Fox also accept money from the entities they cover. In fact, taking such payments would be considered a serious ethical breach among reputable news outlets. The television networks covering this and previous White Houses, as well as print and radio outlets, all pay their own expenses when covering political events, as does HuffPost. Indeed, the Trump administration, including the White House, has falsely accused legitimate news organizations of corruption because government agencies, even those in the first Trump term, bought subscriptions from them, including some to expensive, lobbyist-oriented trade publications. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary who had worked on Trump’s campaign, also acknowledged the payments. “The Trump campaign paid RSBN for the usage of their live stream,” she said. She did not address HuffPost’s question regarding the ethics of an outlet accepting money from the subject it was covering. Those payments continued after Glenn left RSBN to join Real America’s Voice last spring. The campaign gave the online video outlet an additional $100,000 from June 2024 through the end of the year, capped off with a $57,000 payment on Nov. 14, the week following the election.

Right-wing outfit Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN), where Brian Glenn previously worked before high-tailing it over to another right-wing outfit in Real America’s Voice, took over $192,000 in payments from pro-Trump committees.

#Brian Glenn #Right Side Broadcasting Network #RSBN #Real America's Voice #Marjorie Taylor Greene #White House Press Corps #Donald Trump #Karoline Leavitt

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ennobletechnologies · 1 year ago

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Unlock the power of online reviews for effective reputation management. Enhance your online presence and build trust with customer feedback.

Do Visit: https://ennobletechnologies.com/digital-marketing/power-of-online-reviews/

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fishfooddude · 1 year ago

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Married Life

Steve Harrington x Reader (technically self-insert but like barely lol)

Just a little fluff starring my favorite Hawkins resident.

Directory

Stranger Things MasterList

Meeting you in college was the best accident Steve had ever made. He’d gotten lost in the main building while looking for his actual class. You sat in the front row of the lecture hall, nose in a book, waiting for class to start. You hadn’t noticed Steve until he sat beside you; you shot him a grin and returned to your book. He casually glanced in your direction throughout the specialized sociology elective. He was enthralled and knew you’d be the next Mrs. Harrington from the moment he saw you.

Your relationship started like any classmate dynamic; he’d asked to borrow a pen or if you knew the time. He’d ask to copy your notes or borrow a piece of paper. By mid-terms, he’d worked up the courage to talk to you about anything other than sociology. “Hey, Y/N, do you wanna study together sometime?” Steve suppressed his overwhelming urge to squeal when you'd agreed to it.

The two of you sat in the library, reviewing notes for approximately 10 minutes before diving into more interesting topics. He took mental notes of everything you’d said you enjoyed; he’d causally start bringing you coffee or snacks. There was something about Steve you found intriguing and after months of friendship and a string of bad dates on your end. Steve gathered the courage to ask you on a real date. You agreed Steve was a nice guy and wasn’t ugly- or weird. It was a simple first date; the two of you went to the movie theater on campus, and then he walked you back to your dorm. After that, you were hooked.

The two of you seemed to do everything together. He’d walk you to class and drop you off at work. He was always willing to spend time with you even if it was 'inconvenient' for him.

He challenged your point of view, and you challenged him as well. He didn’t understand why you’d chosen to major in sociology but loved how you lit up when you spoke about it.

Going to Hawkins for the first time was interesting. You hadn’t known about Steve’s high school reputation but were thoroughly amused at Robin’s retelling of embarrassing story after embarrassing story. His parents adored you fresh out of the gate; you saw his Dad pull him aside on your last night. While you hadn’t heard what he told the young man, you noticed how his face had lit up. As you were getting ready to return to school the next day, you had to find out, “He told me to marry you because a woman like you is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.”

After graduation, you and Steve finally rented a small apartment together. You had both landed jobs you loved, and everything was perfect except for one thing. Your last name…

Steve wanted to plan the perfect proposal. He spent months looking for the perfect ring and asked every woman in his life for their opinion. After buying what he hoped would be your engagement ring, he had to figure out how to ask you. A romantic weekend away? A simple but elegant dinner date? At the beach? Or at a park? He thought he had a perfect plan, but one day, you two were walking through a parking structure trying to find his car, and it was the moment. Steve stopped and fished the ring box out of his jacket pocket. You turned around when you realized Steve wasn’t beside you anymore.

“So this wasn’t what I planned on doing, but, Y/N, will you marry me? I know we're in the middle of a fuckin’ parking lot, but this is what I want. I want to be with you forever; this may be the least romantic or special way to propose to the woman of your dreams, but it feels right.” you laughed at first, but as he got down on one knee, you realized he was serious. “Yes, Steve, I would love to be your wife.”

#stranger things #stranger things fan fiction #stranger things one shot #stranger things imagine #steve harrington headcannon #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington one shot

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masterdetectivexx · 7 months ago

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Hi !

The current case is a quite complicated, if you read last file could you give us your thoughts on it, who is the culprit.. also what about kazuha she is acting very strange this case

Last but not least, do you think the confession will happen or not

File 1129-1132 Review

Here's a promised early review of the recent big Osaka case that includes a case deduction. I have thoroughly been enjoying this serial murder case, as well as all the past references, character reappearances and the Heizuha confession plot that has been building through out.

Case Deduction

I think this serial murder is slightly more nuanced, in that there is not only one mastermind behind all the elements involved, but rather two.

I think the culprit behind the actual murders is Kuraishi Youka (the actress behind Ootsuka Kaede [Momiji role]). I suspect that she killed Narasawa (first victim) after fighting over Narasawa threatening to use Kuraishi's past conflict with the thugs 8 years ago (that lead to Anzaka killing a person and hurting his own reputation) into making Kuraishi give up her role so she could have a better chance with Anzaka.

Narasawa probably found out from Kakiwaki Ayari (second victim) that her love rival's (Kuraishi's) weakness was that she feels responsible for damaging Anzaka's reputation, and Kakiwaki was most likely the one who shared the screenshot of the news article (File 1132).

I suspect that Kakiwaki was killed because she figured out that Kuraishi was behind Narasawa's death, since Narasawa died soon after she shared that info about Kuraishi with her. Kakiwaki likely threatened that she would expose her unless she followed her demands, hence why she said to the police that she "has forgotten" [won't tell] who the love rival of Narasawa was unless it serves her (File 1130).

I also suspect however that the other layer behind killing Kakiwaki, and especially Nagakubo Nobuya, is that they might have had nefarious plans of orchestrating a death to not only boost the mystic and intrigue for the play, but also further their careers at the expense of Kuraishi and Anzaka, building on the marionette devil's curse (File 1129)

This would fit with how Kakiwaki was happily hoping for another murder to take place after Kabumoto (as if she has things in store) (File 1129).

So in short, this whole serial murder started with Kuraishi trying to protect Anzaka from the cast members who wanted to do him harm and she was planning to turn herself into the final victim (commit suicide), and I also suspect she was planning on framing Yoshiura for the murders, since she probably blamed him for not helping de-escalating the thug-fight Anzaka went through 8 years ago that hurt him and rather just filmed the whole incident (File 1132). Kuraishi might have also heard what Yoshiura said about himself, Nagakubo & Kakiwaki taking over the role of Heichi, Daigorou and Kaede (which was because he knew about Anzaka's deteriorating health from the incident 8 years ago that was gonna limit his activities) (File 1130) and it could have made her view him just as inconsiderate as the rest of the cast members.

This would explain why Yoshiura was always stuck in the bathroom with a bad stomach without alibi for all the murders (as if someone could have messed with his disgestive system) (File 1131) as well as why he was suddenly gone from the bathroom at the end of File 1132 (as if he could have been called to Naniwa Harukas observation deck to get framed for Kuraishi's suicide as she shows him the view from the top that he once showed her and Anzaka 8 years ago).

So now, at the end of File 1132, Conan and Heiji have ambushed Kuraishi as she is about to turn herself into the final victim and expecting Yoshiura to arrive and get framed for it.

Now, I think the tricky part of this case is that the Semaphore codes and phone messages left in the crime scene were actually not left by Kuraishi, but rather the only person who was mostly the first person present near the bodies, Anzaka Tenma (File 1132).

Anzaka immediately realized after Narasawa's fall that she was likely killed by his former schoolmate, Kuraishi, which is why he wanted to stop his mother from revealing that he was the first person to innocently encounter the crime scene (File 1132).

This explains why Nagakubo got the impression that Anzaka was first to arrive, but somehow pretended to arrive later (File 1130),... because just after fixing up Narasawa's body into a semaphore code, he ran up to the highest floor in order to drop her phone from the roof with the fake message from the Marionette devil (Kabumoto's curse), which Conan and Heiji later discovered (File 1129).

This also coincides well with Kuraishi's intense reaction to all the messages to the point of fainting and losing her cool, which made Heiji suspect that she is hiding something. All of her words so far while fearing Kabumoto's curse has directly been confessing that she has been responsible and that the murders will not stop unless she dies (File 1129-1131).

Anzaka's messages weren't however to scare her or give her guilt for the murders he predicted she would commit. I suspect that he predicted she was gonna kill Kakiwaki and Nagakubo right after Narasawa, and that she was gonna end all the murders with her as the final death (by suicide). This is why Anzaka wrote on the phone "two more to go" after Kakiwaki's death, and he wanted to convey with "from shimote" that when you gather all the letters of the semaphore codes ("E", "V", "I" and the predictable "L"), that you are supposed to read the message from the right (rather than stage right, as Heiji deduced), and so rather than "EVIL", he is trying to spell the message "LIVE" for Kuraishi, as in that she shouldn't commit suicide after Nagakubo's death (File 1132).

As for how Anzaka was able to leave a semaphore code using Kakiwaki's corpse despite her falling while he was asleep upstairs (File 1131), it's most likely due to the timing of her death getting fabricated. After Anzaka had discovered Kakiwaki dead on the ground (as he predicted), he formed the semaphore code with her corpse and then went upstairs to nap and asked Kuraishi to wake him up in 30 min.

When Kuraishi arrived to wake Anzaka up, the missing recording of Kakiwaki's scream from a previous play (File 1132) was then made to sound as if it was getting further away to mimic the scream of a falling person, from outside the balcony (for example, by making it so that the volume gradually gets lowered), and then followed by a landing "thud" sound, ultimately resulting in giving both Anzaka and Kuraishi an alibi for Kakiwaki's death. The framed certificate on the wall for the previous play might have been removed to not remind anyone about Kakiwaki's recorded scream amidst the police investigation.

Since Anzaka expected Kuraishi to come alone, I'm leaning towards Kuraishi being the one who fabricated the timing of Kakiwaki's fall and intentionally brought Heiji and Conan with her as witnesses for her and Anzaka to gain an alibi (File 1130).

As for Nagakubo's death, while Kuraishi most likely was scared by Kabumoto's curse, her plan was most likely exactly as Conan proposed, that she shouted to get Nagakubo's attention from the rooftop so he would lean on the railing that were corroded by liquid gallium and fall to his death (File 1132).

Confession

I predict that Kazuha is gonna be the one to confess her feelings to Heiji, as foreshadowed by how Osamu Kenzaki's fiancé Takeno Yuki proposed to him in Naniwa Harukas Observation deck, in order for Gosho to subvert the predictable planned confession attempts by Heiji that have constantly failed (File 1129-1131).

It's unfortunate that Momiji hasn't had an opportunity to be present through out this whole case, but since she was said to be busy with a Karuta match (File 1129), it's not unlikely that she could make an appearance in the resolution chapter just in time to interrupt Heiji from getting a chance to reply to Kazuha's confession.

Kazuha has however had other plans in mind. It seems like she has been planning to surprise Ran with something (File 1129), and though she got scolded for remaining involved with a case for that reason by her mother, and then later having her father Toyama Ginshiro appear sternly to also make sure she listens to her mother (File 1132), despite getting a little discouraged, Kazuha persistently goes ahead and tries to bring Ran to Naniwa Harukas observation deck (as planned by Heiji), as if her surprise for Ran can still be achieved over there.

From the way Kazuha has acted, it seems like her surprise for Ran is very detached from Heiji, so if she is ultimately gonna confess to Heiji in the resolution chapter, it's very likely gonna be a spur-of-the-moment confession like Shinichi's in London. In that case, it could mean that her surprise for Ran might get resolved after her confession to Heiji, and if the reply to her confession indeed gets interrupted by Momiji who arrives just in time after the Karuta match, then I could see all of this culminating into something like Momiji playing a role in Ran's surprise, like for example Kazuha and Momiji having planned a trip/event for Ran's upcoming birthday, since they are her friends. This would turn it all into a truly wholesome twist, and it could also set up an aftermath case where Momiji has to beat Kazuha into confessing to Heiji and get his reply before he gives his reply to Kazuha's confession, and subsequently more ShinRan developments and even a potential Shinichi reappearance.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this long case and I couldn't be more excited for the resolution. It's nice to finally have Ginshiro appear again (for the first time during Rum arc) after so long and I'm especially excited to find out what Kazuha's mother's personality and character is like after the recent reveal that she is an Ex-elite agent of the Osaka police's firearms control unit (File 1131).

#detective conan #Heizuha confession #heiji hattori #kazuha toyama #edogawa conan #mouri ran #kudo shinichi #ooka momiji #Osaka naniwa harukas #case deduction #marionette devil #file 1129 #file 1130 #file 1131 #file 1132 #confession

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ak-vintage · 10 months ago

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Quarry - Chapter 18

Pairing: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) x f!reader

Summary: Din Djarin is on what he expects to be his last bounty hunt for Greef Karga. After all, Nevarro is swiftly moving away from its previous reputation as a Guild member’s paradise, and Din has more important concerns now, like finding a Jedi to train his mysterious foundling. However, after capturing a wanted starship engineer who would rather go anywhere other than “home,” the Mandalorian is forced to reassess his priorities.

Your taste of freedom had been brief but glorious. Now you are a prisoner of the most infamous bounty hunter in the Outer Rim – it’s only a matter of time before he turns you in. There isn’t much you would not do to keep from being sent home, but as you find yourself growing closer to your captor and his strange little companion, you start to wonder whether escape is really what you want.

Set after Chapter 13: The Jedi but before Chapter 14: The Tragedy.

Chapter Tags & Warnings: 18+ MDNI! Reader is Mando's live-in starship engineer, second-person POV, no use of Y/N, minimal descriptors of reader character, canon-typical violence, descriptions of injuries, heavy angst, Din is coping poorly and is acting like an asshole in this one, y'all

Series Masterlist | Read on AO3

When you were a child on Chardaan, your parents had acquired an extensive library of starship reference manuals. Hull configurations, engine builds, weapons arrays, life support systems, and just about every flavor of modification you could imagine for nearly every model of ship ever designed – all organized by manufacturer, design purpose, and years of production. It had been your father’s favorite pastime – collecting, sorting, studying ship design, one that he passed on to you at a young age. You could recall sitting on the floor of his office, small enough to fit in the snug little nook under his desk, with a portable holoprojector, swiping through model after model, watching them spin in the palm of your hand. Even then, they had inspired your imagination, and the fire that imagination had lit in you led you to acquire far more than your fair share of ship design expertise long before Orron Halcard ever called you up for service in the shipyards.

And yet, even with such expertise, you found that Boba Fett’s ship was unlike any you had ever encountered.

Under different circumstances, you would have been falling over yourself for an opportunity to review the schematics, to examine the power generators, to get your hands on the hyperdrive reactors or the clearly heavily modified weaponry. As it was, when Din deposited you unceremoniously in one of the chairs that lined the edges of the ship’s navigation room, all you had the energy to do was watch, dumbstruck, as the ship’s walls began to rotate 90 degrees around the stationary platform under your feet. The cockpit, which had once been parallel with the navigation room, now sat above you, and had you not already been sitting, you thought you might have lost your balance at the vertigo-inducing visual of the two-story viewport suddenly dropping from the ceiling to the forward wall. Instead, you simply allowed your head to drop into your hands, elbows resting on your knees, refusing to look.

Fennec offered you a sympathetic smile and assured you that you would get used to the ship’s…unique design. She also directed you to a yellow-painted ladder that led to the lower decks, which filled the long, narrow body of the ship now that it was “vertical.”

“It’s not much,” she said wryly, “But if you take it all the way to the bottom, there’s a ‘fresher you can use. Why don’t you go get cleaned up? You’ll want to get that dirt out of your burns before we try to treat them.”

You glanced over at Din, reluctant to go off on your own and leave him alone when he clearly was not himself. However, rather than the nod of approval or the request to stay that you had been expecting, you found him standing with his back to you at the edge of the room, arms folded across his chest, visor fixed on the approaching blackness of space.

He was somewhere else entirely, and he was entirely unaware of you.

Swallowing against the lump that had formed in your throat, you sent a half-hearted smile in Fennec’s direction before rising slowly to your feet and descending the ladder.

As you would expect given the size and function of the vessel, the lower decks of the Firespray proved to be rather cramped and utilitarian, but you were, nonetheless, impressed by the variety of functions Boba Fett had managed to account for in such a restricted space. Directly below the navigation room, you found what appeared to be a multipurpose common area not dissimilar from the Razor Crest’s cargo hold. You spotted what looked like a kitchen counter complete with a double-burner hot plate that had been bolted to its surface, a wall lined from floor to ceiling with anonymous-looking cargo bins that had been lashed into place with tactical netting, and a little rusted table with two well-worn chairs mounted to the deck plating. The next level down featured nothing but a closed door behind which you assumed was Boba’s personal bunk, while the following level included six low-ceiling bounty cells arranged into two columns of three. The first one on the left had clearly already been claimed, as the cell door had been left open, and you spotted a small arsenal of blaster rifles and an open bag full of jet-black clothes stacked in the corner. The others remained closed, their insides visible only through the gaps between the bars that crossed the narrow doorways.

At the sight of them, you felt a rush of belated gratitude for the Razor Crest’s mobile carbonite freezer. You couldn’t imagine toting around multiple, conscious bounties at a time as this ship was designed to do, like some kind of deep space prison warden.

The ‘fresher Fennec had referred to was at the very bottom of the ladder, the last stop on the long way down. It was, somehow, even smaller than the one you had built on the Razor Crest, as this one featured only a durasteel privy and a single-person sonic shower stall, but in the state you were in, you were in no position to thumb your nose at it.

Your whole body ached as you stripped down to your skin, sore from the hurried climb down and then back up the side of the mountain, sore from the impact of the Razor Crest’s explosion, sore from your abrupt collision with the hard ground as the blast knocked you off your feet and into the air. The vibration of the sonic waves was soothing on your muscles, allowing them to finally unclench, though by the time the cycle ended, the angry, red flesh on your face, neck, and hands had become even more so. Though now clean and suitably sanitized, your skin felt more inflamed than ever, and it throbbed with the incessant stimulation of the sonics. You opted for leaving your boilersuit undone as you redressed, tying the sleeves around your hips so you didn’t have to drag the coarse fabric back over the protesting skin.

As you ascended the ladder to rejoin the group, you found yourself taken aback at the sight that greeted you in the common space. Stiff and rigid in his chair sat the broad, beskar silhouette of Din Djarin. On the little table before him sat an unlabeled, sealed jar about the size of his fist and a reflective silver packet you recognized as medical-grade disinfectant wipes. He glanced up at you as you came into view, saying nothing, but you dismounted from the ladder just the same.

“Din,” you acknowledged, surprise and something like relief coloring your tone. You hadn’t expected him to seek you out, not after how you had left things on Tython.

However, there was no warmth in his gaze, no softness in the way he turned to face you. The set of his shoulders remained tense, and his raspy voice held none of its characteristic fondness as he said without preamble, “Fett gave me some ointment for your burns. He says it’s not bacta, so the effects won’t be instantaneous, but it will get the job done.”

You blinked at him. “Oh. Right. Thank you.” You found yourself approaching him cautiously, as though he was a wild animal you were wary of spooking. It had been months since you had felt this kind of unease in his presence. It was wrong, on a fundamental level, and it left you feeling unmoored, adrift and painfully alone even though he sat only a handful of feet from you. “Din… Din, I’m so sorry – ”

But he did not allow you to finish offering your condolences. He broke your gaze instantly, angling his visor away from you and interjecting, “No. Don’t apologize.” Gesturing toward the other rickety chair at the table beside him, he added, in a tone that brooked no further argument, “Sit. I’ll help you put it on.”

You drew your lower lip between your teeth, chastened, and did so without protest, watching as he removed a couple of those disinfectant wipes from their package and used them to wipe down his leather gloves. The wipes came away dusty and stained and left the faint scent of antiseptic behind, burning your nostrils. Unscrewing the lid from the jar of ointment, Din dipped his first two fingers into the oily salve, streaking the dark orange leather with its residue.

You frowned at that, taken aback. “You sure you want to get that all over your gloves? You could just take them off.”

The Mandalorian shook his head sharply, the dim light reflecting off his helmet. “Not here.”

Ah. You should have known. Even just that small scrap of skin was too much exposure, too much vulnerability on this unfamiliar ship with its unfamiliar crew. Internally, you mourned any potential glimpse of his body you might have hoped to see on this journey. You doubted he would even be removing any of his armor pieces for any longer than it would take to use the sonic shower until you arrived on Nevarro.

He gestured for you to lean forward in your seat, and you obliged, allowing him to begin swiping the thick salve across the burns on your face. He did so silently, not even his breathing audible through his vocoder, and though his touch was gentle, he felt to you like he was a million miles away, as inaccessible as the other side of the galaxy.

“We’re going to find him, Din,” you murmured, eyebrows drawn inward in sympathy.

His reply was quick, cold. “Don’t. Please.”

You swallowed, feeling the stretch of the scorched skin of your neck and wincing slightly. “Okay. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, we don’t.”

Stifling a sigh, you continued, “Can you at least…tell me how you’re feeling right now? If there’s anything I can do to help?”

Din’s fingers paused at the hollow of your throat, having moved on from your face, and he hit you with a stare so impenetrable, so stern and yet so detached that you felt your heartrate spike with anxiety under his touch. The man looking back at you through his visor was as much a stranger to you as he had been all those months ago when he had first clapped you in binder cuffs, and you swore a part of your heart withered in your chest.

“Okay. Understood.”

He finished applying your ointment in utter silence, moving on from your neck to your chest, then from your chest to your hands. The familiar touch of his gloves on your skin felt alien to you now, and although the warmth of him was pleasant, and he was never rough with you, somehow this almost clinical approach was more disquieting than comforting. By the time he completed his task and began wiping down his gloves and resealing the ointment jar, your stomach had tied itself in knots so tight you felt nauseous, and you found it difficult to breathe.

Sliding the jar across the table to you, he said, “You’ll need to reapply twice a day until we get to Nevarro. Should be all healed up by then.”

You nodded your understanding and accepted the container, feeling more than a little lost.

After a beat too long of tense silence, Din rose to his feet. “You should get some sleep.”

“Do you…want to join me?” A spark of hope made its way into your voice, but you knew the moment the words left your mouth that they were foolish.

“I’m fine,” he replied curtly.

He wasn’t fine. He wasn’t. Neither of you were, not after everything that had just happened, not after all of the ways in which the last few hours had gone so horribly, disastrously wrong. Beloved ship gone, beloved child gone, hurt and exhausted and broken. He wasn’t fine.

“You’re not,” you snapped, feeling anger begin to broil in your gut at his determined detachment, his forced distance.

“I’m not bleeding, am I?”

You clenched your teeth against a growl of frustration. “You’re going to need your rest.”

“I have the whole flight to rest.”

“Din.”

“Cyare.” He held your gaze steadily, not rising to meet your level of ire, not moving an inch. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Gods damn him.

“…Fine.” With a defeated sigh, you rose to your feet, suppressing a groan at the stretch of your weakened muscles. You found yourself suddenly hesitant to allow him to see your pain, and you knew you wouldn’t be seeking out his assistance with your burn ointment for the remainder of the trip. Crossing the narrow room to the ladder once more, you offered him one final brush of your hand against his pauldron, fingertips catching on the outline of his Mudhorn signet. “I love you, Din.”

The Mandalorian sighed deeply at that, his chin falling to his chest as his tense shoulders dropped. “Good night, cyare.”

You chose the bounty cell across from Fennec’s, crawling into the narrow bunk as exhaustion suddenly weighed heavily on your aching body. And if you permitted yourself a few tears as you curled up alone under a threadbare blanket, dampening the pillow beneath your cheek, it hardly mattered. No one was there to witness them anyway.

---

When you woke several hours later, you found that while your muscles felt somehow worse than they had the day before, the burns on your skin had already begun to heal. Making your way down to the ‘fresher was a chore, your limbs feeling weak and gelatinous, but as you applied a thin layer of ointment to your face and neck in the mirror, you swore you could see the dry, scaly skin soaking up the greasy substance, calming the redness and easing the inflammation. You were even able to pull your rumpled boilersuit all the way up today, the abrasive fabric nowhere near as irritating against your neck and hands as it had been the day before.

It took you longer than you would like to admit to climb back up the ladder. Your arms and legs trembled by the time you reached the deck with the makeshift mess hall, and you determined that you would pause there and catch your breath before making your way up to the navigation room. However, as you stumbled off of the ladder to lean against the nearest bulkhead, the metallic sound of a closing cabinet door caught your attention. Whirling around, you found Fennec Shand, already dressed for the day in her sleek black and orange tactical gear, standing at the counter. She had a worn-looking steel mug in one hand and a tall, unlabeled cannister in the other, and she looked as though you had caught her in the middle of something.

She inclined her head at you in acknowledgement, offering you a small smile. “Good morning. You’re looking better.”

You dragged yourself away from the bulkhead, standing on unsteady legs. “Thanks. That ointment Boba gave me is powerful stuff.”

“Well, if anyone would know about burn treatment, it’s him,” she replied wryly. “I was just about to make myself a cup of caf. Can I get you one?”

What had that meant, Boba knowing about burn treatments? You would be lying if you said you hadn’t noticed the uneven texture of his skin, the slight discoloration that stretched from his forehead to the top of his bald head. Burn scars, perhaps? They looked old, long since healed, so you hadn’t given them any thought when you had noticed them the day before, but now you wondered whether the ointment he had lent you was something he had concocted himself, rather than just choosing to stock such a thing in his first aid supplies.

Before you could think to ask further, you realized that Fennec was waiting on a response from you, and you startled back to yourself. “Oh, you don’t have to,” you said.

“Please, I insist.” Reaching into one of the cabinets below the counter, she pulled out a second mug and got to work assembling two cups of the dark, bitter beverage. “Have a seat.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Gingerly, conscious of your weakened muscles, you lowered yourself into one of the two chairs at the little table, and a companionable silence settled over the room. The other woman’s movements were even and methodical as she scooped generous helpings of the powder concentrate from the cannister into the two waiting mugs. A kettle of water steamed on the surface of the two-burner cooktop you had noticed the night before, and once she was satisfied with the temperature, she removed it from the heat, pouring a measure into each mug.

Although you had hardly known her for more than a day, you didn’t find the quiet uncomfortable or awkward in any way. Rather, it was nice to be in the company of another person and feel no pressure whatsoever to strike up a conversation. She seemed perfectly content in the silence, and there was an air about her that you found soothing. She felt…steady. Competent. Safe. After the events of the last day, it was a welcome reprieve.

As she handed you one of the steel mugs, now full to the brim with steaming brown liquid, you found yourself saying, “You know, I wanted to…thank you. For helping me yesterday. And for agreeing to help us go after Grogu.”

Fennec slid into the other seat across from you and propped her elbows up on the table, bringing her own mug to her lips. “We keep to our word. We agreed to protect him in exchange for Boba’s armor, but we failed to do that on Tython.” Something that looked suspiciously like regret shined in her dark eyes. “Until we can live up to our end of the bargain, we’re at your disposal.”

You nodded, opting to study the furls of steam pouring from your cup rather than meet that empathetic expression. That was what you had gathered from the conversation yesterday – that the familiar green armor you had seen the older man wearing had, indeed, come from the armaments storage on the Razor Crest, that it had, indeed, belonged to Boba Fett. You couldn’t help but respect the commitment the two of them were showing to this bargain they had made with Din. If you had been in their position and you had witnessed the person you were charged with protecting being kidnapped by an Imperial light cruiser, you weren’t certain you would have been as conscientious.

After all, what could two Mandalorians, a sharpshooter, and an engineer hope to accomplish against such a warship?

“You know, I saw the way you put yourself between him and those troopers, up on that henge,” Fennec recalled, pulling you out of your own musings. “You’re very brave.”

You felt your eyebrows raise to meet your hairline, scoffing. “Mando is brave. I was terrified.”

“I know. I could tell.” The other woman smirked and took a sip of her caf. “But you did it anyway. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the definition of bravery.”

You waved the compliment away, feeling your cheeks burn and your tender skin prickle. “Well, luckily, no one ever made it up there until after I was gone. Doubt I would have lasted long if any of those troopers made it past you guys.”

“I take it you’re not exactly experienced in combat?”

Returning her smirk, you shook your head. “Not at all. I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve even held a blaster.”

“And hand-to-hand?” Something like concern tightened the corners of her eyes, and you struggled to maintain eye contact with her suddenly sharp gaze.

“Never. I’m an engineer.” You shrugged, trying not to let on just how inadequate this conversation was making you feel. “I’m a fixer, not a fighter.”

Fennec’s reply was quick, almost as though it had been rehearsed, like it was something she had said often. “You don’t have to be a fighter to learn how to defend yourself.”

She wasn’t wrong, you supposed, but that feeling of inadequacy deepened in your chest all the same. This situation with the Storm Troopers, with Grogu – it reminded you of why Din had been so insistent when you accepted the position on the Razor Crest that you shore up your combat skills, why he had demanded to train you with a blaster. He led a dangerous life; both Fennec and Boba clearly did, too. You, on the other hand, had never even left the star system in which you were born until you were well into your adulthood, until you had taken it upon yourself to sneak your way out. You were no stranger to a little risk taking, but what these people did, the lives they had found themselves living – it was on a completely different level. You had never felt so woefully unprepared.

Before you could come up with a suitable response, the sound of heavy boots on metal rungs echoed through the room, and a pair of long, armored legs appeared on the ladder, climbing down from the navigation room above. Silver, you noticed quickly, not green. Din. Your eyes went to his face instinctually, drawn to him in a way you couldn’t have prevented even if you had tried, and as though he could feel your gaze on him, he turned slightly, pausing his descent a handful of rungs above the mess hall floor.

You caught a glimpse of your own reflection in his ink-black visor, your eyes wide, your injuries still more visible than you would like, marring your forehead, your nose, your cheeks. Tension stretched between you, thick and palpable, and somehow you knew then that he hadn’t been coming down to look for you. In fact, he probably hadn’t intended to run into you at all, though in a ship this size, you wondered how he thought he was going to accomplish that.

You forced your expression into some semblance of a smile, but the words to invite him to join you died on your tongue as he gave you and Fennec both a stiff, silent nod then continued down the ladder. Your heart sank at the clear dismissal, all of the anxiety and the uncertainty and the hurt from the night before surging back to the forefront of your mind, and you swallowed against a sudden lump in your throat.

“Something on your mind?” Fennec asked after a beat.

Sighing, you raised your mug and took a deep drink, willing the caf to seep into your bloodstream, to fortify you against the abrupt wave of emotional exhaustion Din’s arrival and immediate departure had triggered.

“He never went to bed last night, did he?”

The other woman shook her head, a sympathetic downturn quirking the corners of her mouth. “No, I don’t think so. I know that after you went to sleep, he spent some time talking with Boba in the cockpit, but by the time I went to turn in, he was in the navigation room, staring out the viewport. When I came up this morning, he hadn’t moved an inch.”

“Dank farrik.” You scrubbed your hands over your face, immediately wincing as you disturbed the still-healing wounds on your skin. “I hate seeing him like this.”

“Mando is a man of action. Sitting on his hands, stuck in hyperspace? Doesn’t really seem like his style.” Fennec leaned back in her chair and downed the remainder of her cup in one swallow. “Though I’m sure you know that better that me.”

“Yeah. It’s something he and I have in common, actually,” you confessed. “Neither of us do well without something to keep us busy. Even in the best of circumstances.”

“Well, you’ve got almost a week before we get to Nevarro.” Rising to her feet, the older woman offered you a dry smile. “I’m sure you’ll find something to keep yourself occupied in the meantime.”

You huffed a laugh through your nose at that. “If you see me starting to climb the walls, you’ll know what happened.” Raising your mug in her direction, you added, “Thank you again. For the caf.”

“Anytime.” With an easy grace, she swung one of her long legs up onto the closest ladder rung, hooking the shallow heel of her knee-high boot around the metal rod. “Try to take it easy today. You got the kark beat out of you less than 12 hours ago. You’re allowed to take a break.”

An unexpected wave of emotion swelled in your chest, chief among them being an immediate fondness that warmed you from the inside out. You were going to be fast friends with Fennec, you could already tell.

“I will,” you promised.

---

By day three of your journey, you were dangerously close to making good on your threat of climbing the walls.

Your body was slowly recovering from the impact of the explosion, your muscles and joints feeling less like you had run headlong into a duracrete wall every day and your burns steadily receding with every application of Boba’s ointment. As relieved as you were for the improvements and the promise that you would soon be back to normal, you found that the better you felt, the more difficult it became to tolerate the extended period of inactivity. The more the trauma of your body healed, the more the trauma in your mind made itself known.

The image of that red laser burst streaking through the atmosphere was burned into the backs of your eyelids. The ruthless way it tore through the Razor Crest, the way the blast had momentarily deafened you as it flung you off your feet, the helplessness and the disorientation that followed. The smoking crater it left behind, the way you were certain your heart bore a matching scar as you watched the only real home you had known in your adult life go up in flames.

And Grogu.

Stars, Grogu.

You had been preparing yourself for the eventuality of saying good-bye to him ever since Din had revealed the boy’s Jedi origins. But you hadn’t been prepared for this – to know that the people who had taken him intended to do him harm, to be powerless to stop them. And now to not know where he was, to not know if he was hurting, if he was afraid, if he was even still alive. You couldn’t allow yourself to think on it for too long. If you did, you would surely fall apart.

You thought it might have been easier to cope if you did not feel as though you were doing so on your own. As it was, even days later, Din had hardly spoken more than a few words to you. He hadn’t been outright hostile, nor had he given any indication that he was angry with you for any reason. However, he had refused every attempt you had made to connect with him; every well-meaning question after his wellbeing or offer of dinner or even a shared cup of caf had been turned down, and although he had been sleeping in the same bunk as you, he had taken to do so in alternating shifts so that by the time you were ready to turn in for the night, he was only just waking.

You were certain that you would have felt less lonely had you actually been alone, and you would have given anything for someone to put a hydrospanner or a fusion cutter in your hands and give you something else to occupy your thoughts.

But this wasn’t your ship. It wasn’t even Din’s ship. So there you were, worry eating away at the lining of your stomach, mind racing and yet somehow numb, sitting on your ass in the navigation room with nothing to do. Again.

“You’re sighing.”

Fennec’s dry voice pulled you from your thoughts, and you glanced over at where she sat studying some star chart or another at the console to your right. She faced away from you, the streaking blue and white lights of hyperspace illuminating the complex twists of her long, black braid, but you could tell from the tense set of her shoulders that she was growing annoyed.

“Sorry,” you replied meekly, feeling yourself flush. You needed to get ahold of yourself. Sitting on your own for so long in silence was only making the situation inside your mind worse. Fennec had been more than kind to you since you had departed Tython; she didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of your melancholy.

However, after quiet once again descended on the Firespray, you couldn’t seem to stop yourself from slipping back into the same state. Grogu, Din. Grogu, Din. Over and over, in a never-ending spiral with no way out, no way to break the surface, to breathe. You felt helpless. Useless. Alone.

A sigh slipped from your lips before you could smother it, and then Fennec was closing down her program and spinning around in her seat.

“All right, stand up.”

You startled, cursing yourself at the dark flash of aggravation in the older woman’s eyes. “Oh, kriff, I’m sorry. I’ll shut up – I promise.”

But she wasn’t having any of your empty promises today. “Stand. Up,” she repeated, her sharp tone brooking no room for argument. You were on your feet in an instant, aware for perhaps the first time that this woman was lethal – a master assassin and a deadly sniper, someone who commanded respect with both her actions and her demeanor. She had been kind to you, yes, but you didn’t savor the idea of testing her patience any more than you already had.

“What are we doing?” you asked, tentative.

Closing the distance between you in a handful of long strides, Fennec beckoned to you with both hands, gesturing at her own chest. “Try and punch me,” she said.

Your eyebrows shot up, and your jaw dropped open dumbly. You were sure you had misunderstood. “What?”

“You heard me. Try and punch me.”

“Fennec – ”

She advanced another step toward you, her gaze hard, and you stumbled back despite yourself, feeling a rush of intimidation flood your system. “You told me you’re woman of action. That you’re an engineer, a fixer. But there’s nothing we can do for the kid until we get to Nevarro, and Mando won’t let you put him back together right now. I’ve watched you try for days, and it’s going nowhere. So instead of focusing on them, you’re going to focus on you.”

“By punching you?” You could feel a wave of defensiveness rising at her words, but you couldn’t deny that she was right. There was nothing for you to fix here, and it was not-so-subtly driving you mad. But punching her? You would never. You wouldn’t stand a chance!

“Yes. You’re feeling restless? Helpless? Afraid? Then do something about it.” She took yet another step toward you, driving you across the deck until the backs of your knees hit the next chair over. “You need someplace to put all that energy? Put it right here.” She patted her chest, the sound muffled by her leather gloves and padded jacket. “Let me teach you how to fight.”

Her words had you taken aback, but you couldn’t deny the wisdom of them. Perhaps at one point, Din had planned to teach you himself, but clearly, he was too preoccupied at the moment to do so. You had nothing else to occupy your time for the remainder of the journey; your daily routine of babying your injuries and moping around the ship wasn’t doing anyone any favors, least of all you. And no one could deny that in an expedition to track down a child that had been kidnapped by a fully-armored Imperial light cruiser, you were far and away the weakest link of your band of misfits. If you were being given the opportunity to shore up those skills, even in the smallest of ways, you would be foolish to turn it down.

Steeling your nerves, you nodded once to Fennec. “Okay. Where do we start?”

The older woman smirked, pleased, and brought her fists up in a ready stance. “Put your hands up, girl. Let’s see what we’re working with.”

You took a brief moment to take in the angle of her body, the way she had spread her feet apart, one in front of the other, the position of her fists up near her face. You tried to emulate her as best as you could, and then, after a deep, steadying breath, you swung.

---

Your muscles were sporting a new kind of soreness as you emerged from the ‘fresher later that evening, hair long and loose around your shoulders, boilersuit hanging onto your hips with the sleeves framing your legs. Your eyes were heavy, exhaustion weighing on your joints, but it was a good kind of tired – the kind that felt particularly satisfying after a long day of physical activity. You were almost looking forward to finally collapsing on the thin mattress of your bunk; you knew you would pass out the moment your head hit the pillow. However, just as you wrapped your palms around the ladder to climb up and do just that, a familiar pair of brown boots appeared above you, and Din dropped the last few rungs onto the deck below.

“Din,” you acknowledged, surprise coloring your tone. “Hi.”

He turned to you then, extending his leather-clad hands to you without preamble. “Let me see your hands.”

You frowned in confusion. “What?”

But the bounty hunter did not repeat himself, nor did he wait for further reply. Instead, he simply snatched each of your hands from down at your sides and brought them up to his eye-level. You winced at the rough handling, your hands more than a little tender after Fennec’s lessons, but if he noticed your discomfort, he didn’t let on. He simply studied your fingers in the dim light, running the pads of his thumbs across the ridge of your knuckles.

“No split skin. Nothing looks broken,” he murmured, voice low and raspy, almost as though speaking to himself rather than to you. “A bit of bruising and swelling, but no more than I’d expect for a novice.” He dropped your hands and took a step back out of your space. “Looks like Fennec is a good teacher.”

“She is,” you replied. You cradled your fists close to your body, feeling suddenly, inexplicably self-conscious at his cool appraisal. That was the most he had spoken to you in days, the first time he had touched you since he had helped you with your burn ointment that first night, and the lack of warmth was almost more disquieting than the avoidance.

“I did say I wanted to work on your combat skills,” he said, matter-of-fact. “If you wanted to learn how to fight, cyare, all you had to do was ask.”

You drew back sharply at that, feeling something acidic and bitter begin to roil in the pit of your stomach. “Really?” you hissed acerbically. “How would that have gone, exactly? You’ve been avoiding me for days, Din. You haven’t hardly said two words to me since we jumped to hyperspace.”

The Mandalorian cocked his helmet at you, taking a step back in your direction, then another, driving you back toward the ‘fresher door. Had your hackles not already been up, you might have found the way he crowded into your space intimidating, but as it was, you were completely undaunted. You kept your eyes on his, jutting your chin our defiantly as he rumbled, “Forgive me if I haven’t exactly been in the mood to chat. I’ve been a bit preoccupied, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed. You’ve been sulking so loudly, I couldn’t not notice.”

“Sulking?” His modulated voice had taken on a dangerous edge, and something deep inside you, something animal, suddenly registered Din as a threat. It was a side of him you had rarely seen, something usually reserved for quarries, and it made a primal part of your psyche crack open an eye, watching your exchange with lazy interest.

“Yes. Sulking.”

For a moment, the bounty hunter appeared at a loss for words. You could hear his breathing through his helmet, so close and yet refusing to touch you, hands balled into fists down by his hips, also very carefully not touching you. But then, just as you were sure he was about to snap back with a quip of his own, he released a weighty sigh, spun around, and headed back in the direction of the ladder.

“Din, wait – ” Your hand flew out to snag on the sleeve of his flight suit, wrapping your fingers him somewhere between his pauldron and his vambrace. “I’m sorry. I know I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now.” The words poured from your mouth before you could stem them, everything you had been wanting to say to him for days all bubbling to the surface at once. There was no holding them back any more. “Losing the Crest, losing Grogu, not knowing where he is, not knowing if he’s safe – ”

“Don’t.” Din pulled his arm from your grip, but still, he didn’t retreat any further, and in spite of his warning, you took it as a sign to keep going.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Din. I want to help you. Please. Please just let me help you.” Thick, hot emotion rose in your throat, flushing your face, pricking the backs of your eyes with the burn of unwanted tears. “You don’t have to bear this on your own. We’re in this together, okay? Please don’t shut me out anymore. I…” You hiccupped, a single tear breaking free of your wet eyelashes, spilling down your cheek. “I love you.”

For a long, tense moment, he said nothing. He continued to face away from you, though now rather than looking ahead toward the ladder, he stared at the deck, chin pressed to his chest, broad, proud shoulders hunched inward on himself as though to shield himself from your fraught confession. Almost too softly for his helmet vocoder to pick up, he whispered, “I know, ner kar’ta. I love you, too.”

Another tear slipped down your face at the endearment, the gentle, lilting syllables of Mando’a settling over your shoulders like a warm blanket.

Ner kar’ta.

My heart, you recalled, and you swore the sound of the words made your soul ache.

And then you watched as all of the softness and vulnerability seemed to wash away, the Mandalorian drawing himself back up to full height, straightening his shoulders and his gaze right before your eyes.

“Get some ice on your hands before your next sparring session,” he said, once again cool and detached. “It will help with the swelling.”

In two long strides, he was back at the foot of the ladder, and that ache in your soul became a physical pain, one that had you clutching your hands over your chest, pressing on your breastbone, willing it not to split apart under your palms.

In two short minutes, he was gone, and you lost the battle with the remainder of your tears.

---

Note:

As you may have noticed, I have taken some creative liberties with the internal layout of Boba's ship, the Slave I. You will find that in every depiction of the ship, there are variations as to the exact floorplan, and there is a great deal of debate as to whether the cockpit or any other levels rotate because of the way that the ship flies "vertically" but lands "on its back." For my adaptation, I have combined a few different internal schematics I found online with the rotating navigation room mechanism described by Jon Favreau and team in the Disney Gallery - Star Wars: The Mandalorian episode "Making of Season 2." Since that is the one that is depicted in the show, I felt like it was important to align with that source material first and foremost. (Please don't ask me how many hours I spent scouring forums and fan sites looking at Slave I blueprints and cutaways lol)

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