#What Do You Need to Balance When Doing SEO

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15 Best Tips On What Do You Need to Balance When Doing SEO

In this blog post, we will explore the essential elements of What Do You Need to Balance When Doing SEO when implementing SEO strategies. Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for any website or online business aiming to increase its visibility and attract organic traffic from search engines. However, effective SEO involves finding the right balance between various elements to achieve…

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Stray Kids Kinktober Day 3

Stray Kids Kinktober Masterlist

Hate Sex - Changbin

Word Count: 3.7k

Summary: Why is he always there? And why is he always using the equipment you need? How is it Seo Changbin knows exactly when to hog everything you need at the gym? It’s time to piss him off as much as he pisses you off.

————————————————————

It’s a 24 hour gym. That’s why you joined. 

There’s nothing worse than dragging yourself to the gym only to find every machine that you want or need to use is taken. 

But since this one is open 24 hours a day, you can get there at ungodly hours of the morning and everything should be open for use, right?

Wrong. 

He is always there. The bane of your existence: Seo Changbin. 

You swear this man practically lives at the gym. 

If you show up after dinner, he shows up after dinner. If you park your car in the lot at noon, you best believe his sleek black sports car is already there. When you walk in around breakfast, there he is– always hogging the single working foldable weight bench. 

There were other weight benches in the gym, he just chose to always use that one. 

And he does even use it properly! He doesn’t fold it up for back support, no, he uses it as a regular bench. 

“Do you mind using one of the other benches so I can have this one?” You tried asking him once. 

Changbin huffed and moved his headphone off one ear, balancing the 50 pound weight on his thigh. “What?”

“Can I use this bench please? I can bring one of the others over for you.”

“Can’t you see it’s being used?”

“Yeah, but it’s the only folding one that works and you don’t even need it like that.”

“I might.”

You rolled your eyes, “Do you really?”

“Maybe. Now, if you don’t mind.”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled his headphones back on and looked away from you and at his form in the mirror. 

You groaned and walked away.

Ever since that day, you know he’s been going out of his way to get that bench whenever he can. 

His ass is always firmly planted on that weight bench. His perfectly round, muscular ass. 

It infuriates you to no end. 

Each time you look around for the bench and make eye contact with him, the only response Changbin has is a dark smirk. 

Slowly but surely, it became more than just the folding bench. 

The tricep strap for the cable machine was never there when you needed it. Changbin was using it. 

Where’s the ab roller? Changbin has it in front of him. 

The fifteen pound kettle bell? In fucking Seo Changbin’s hands. 

It’s like he has your routine memorized.

Your rage meter can only fill up so much before it bubbles over like a volcano erupting. 

Were you being ridiculous now? Perhaps. 

But at 3 AM, you’re certain there’s absolutely no way in hell Seo Changbin is going to be at the gym. 

Could you just join another one? Sure. But is your pride going to let you? Absolutely not. 

No one goes to the gym at three in the morning, at least no sane person does. 

So, why the hell do you see a black, luxury car in the parking lot. It’s the only car in the entire lot. 

Frustration gets the better of you and you slam your hand on the steering wheel. 

“What the hell!”

You furiously park your car. This was your last straw, you barely remember to yank your gym bag out of the back seat before setting on your war path into the building. 

Why the fuck was he here so early? Does he live here? Is he bound to the building by some curse? Is he bound to you by some curse?

You rip the door open, it practically flies off the hinges. There’s no one at the front desk. Of course there isn’t, who the hell would come here at this time?

Changbin is in the back where he usually is, sitting on that fucking weight bench. 

He doesn’t seem to have noticed you storm into the gym yet. He’s too focused on the bicep curls he’s pumping. 

Maybe if you weren’t blinded by your rage you would’ve taken the time to stop and stare at the way his arms flex in that compression shirt. 

Your bag drops onto the floor. That’s when he looks up in the mirror.

Changbin’s face goes through several different emotions. 

Surprise, shock, confusion, then finally, arrogance. 

He places his weights on the floor and takes his headphones off just in time for you to open your mouth. 

“What’s the big idea, huh?” You start, “Do you enjoy making my life miserable? Why are you here?”

Changbin stays sitting on the bench and arches an eyebrow at you. 

“Now that I’m here do you want me to go grab all the equipment I plan on using? Should I gather it all by your feet and just leave? But even if I come back you’ll still be here, won’t you? Do you live here or something?”

His smirk only grows bigger and bigger. He tongues his cheek and stares into your eyes, which are burning with anger. 

A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face and drips onto one of his exposed thighs. 

Changbin says nothing for a long moment before he looks back into the mirror and preps himself for another set. 

“I always come here this early.” He says cockily.

“Like hell you do.” you snap back at him. Your fists clench at your sides in anger. 

“Sorry, Princess. Try again another time.”

“Have you ever tried not being a dick for three seconds?”

“Have you?”

Your jaw drops and you stand there dumbfounded for a moment. 

“I am perfectly pleasant! You’re the one going out of your way to make my life miserable!”

“You really think the world revolves around you, huh?”

“Two days ago, you sat with the lat pull-down bar next to you for two hours while I waited for you to actually use it, you didn’t.”

Your arms cross over your chest. 

Changbin winks at you, “So you’re saying you watched me for two hours? How was my form? Perfect, right?”

“You’re insufferable.”

“Takes two to tango, babe.”

“Don’t—!“ Your own frustration cuts you off. “Don’t call me that! Fucking Christ.” 

And with that, you turn on your heel, snatch your bag off the ground and stomp towards the locker room. 

You’re positively seething with rage because of him. Who does he think he is?

You were not a dick! You were very nice in the beginning, explaining why you needed that bench; he’s the one that took it further than that. 

Ripping your jacket off, you practically launch it into the locker, pulling out the various things you will be using and slamming them on the bench. 

Since he’s still on the goddamn bench, it’ll be leg day, so you pull out your lifting gloves and pre workout. After dry scooping, you let it dissolve in your mouth with a big swig of water and adjust your clothes. 

The new matching GymShark set you ordered came in and it is doing wonders for your body. How great you look in this outfit is about the only plus for today. 

It’s a bright pink set that’s basically spandex shorts and a sports bra. 

And damn, you look good. 

As time ticks on in the locker room, your rage turns to a smoldering anger. 

He’s on the bench. Which means the Smith Machine is free. 

After filling your water bottle up to the top, you head out to the gym floor, headphones blasting pump up music. 

Changbin is still sitting on the folding bench when you come out of the locker room. He’s presumably in between sets since he’s looking down at his phone. His own water bottle held loosely in the other hand. 

You look away before he looks up and turn your music up louder. When you lift, you always need something that really pumps you up. 

When you get to the smith machine you put your things down and start to get it prepped. First, before squats or anything, you want to do deadlifts, and for that you need to get so much ready. 

You roll a bar out and slide on your preferred weight on either side. The entire time you can practically feel Changbin’s eyes following each one of your movements. 

Once everything is prepped, you put your gloves on and walk over to the bar. 

Your form is perfect, you know that, you’ve been doing this for years. Plus, there’s always that small bit of anxiety when you go to the gym that you’ll be doing something wrong.

So you poured hours of research into making sure everything you’re doing is right. Plus, this way, you also don’t need to worry about someone coming up and correcting you. 

At the end of your set you drop the bar to the ground. It hits the padded floor with a loud clang!. 

Everyone who lifts at this gym drops their weights, it’s nothing new at all. 

But, you see Changbin’s head snap over to you out of the corner of your eye.  

He can eat shit. 

You pace around a little in between sets, catching your breath and taking swigs of water. Bopping your head to the music a bit and thinking about what you’re going to do for the day. 

Time for set two. 

Same thing, you do all your reps and then drop the weight at the end. 

This time, though, you hear something through your music. 

Looking around, you see Changbin staring right at you with a sneer pulled at his lips. He motions for you to take your headphones off. 

You roll your eyes, but do so anyway. 

“What?” you ask. 

“Can you not do that?” he asks. By his tone, he is very obviously annoyed. 

“Do what?”

“Drop your weights.” 

“Everyone here drops their weights. Why is it different if I do it?”

“I hate it when everyone does it. You’re not special.”

You scoff and look away from him again, putting your headphone back over your ear. Changbin’s silent anger could be felt from across the gym. 

Set three. Same exact routine. 

And this time, you go out of your way to drop your weights at the end of the set. 

The mat on the floor vibrates and one machine next to you shakes a bit. 

“Yah!” Changbin yells through your music. 

Turning to look at him, he’s already walking towards you, fists clenched. 

You stand your ground, watching him stomp over to you. This time, you don’t even take your headphones off. 

Once he’s in front of you his mouth moves with whatever he’s saying. You watch him for a moment, pretending to listen to what he’s saying. 

Then you nod, putting on a show with exaggerating your movements, pretending to understand. You hold up one finger, his eyebrows furrowed together and his mouth shuts. 

You turn and grab your phone off the floor, lighting up the screen and holding it up to his face. 

“Cut The Cord by Shinedown.” you say loudly, showing him your music in his face. 

Changbin’s face contorts into an even angrier one. He bares his teeth and his shoulders raise a bit towards his ears as his fists clench more. 

All you do is smile innocently and turn around to go back to your set. 

A very large, strong hand grabs your wrist and you’re yanked back around towards him. You gasp when you’re pulled back towards him.

Changbin uses his other hand to yank your headphones off your head and throw them onto the floor. Your phone also tumbles down to the matted floor. 

“What the fuck is your prob—“

You’re cut off by Changbin grabbing your face tightly, fingers and thumb pressing harshly into your cheeks, causing your lips to pucker. 

“You just had to be fucking annoying, huh?” he asks, his voice dipping to a dangerous octave. “Always walking around here like you own the place, like you know everything.”

If looks could kill, he’d be dead. But then again, so would you.  

“Fucking let me go, Changbin.” you struggle against his hold. Changbin quickly releases your wrist to wrap his entire fist in your ponytail. He tugs harshly, bringing your face close to his. 

“I bet no one has ever put you in your fucking place before.” he growls and you’re so ashamed at the way your insides flip. 

You pull harder and harder against his grip, but it’s no use. 

“I asked you nicely to stop slamming your weights.”

“The fuck you did!” you quip back. 

He yelled at you to stop dropping your weights. 

His grip tightens on your face and he brings your body even closer to his. The heat radiating off his skin was insane. A bead of sweat drips down the side of his face. 

“Maybe someone should shut you up for once.”

“Maybe someone should—“

His lips slam into yours in a harsh meeting. Like a lightning bolt travels down your spine, your entire body feels like it’s tingling. The feeling goes straight to your cunt. 

A loud groan comes from the back of your throat. You kiss him back for about five seconds before you remember what the fuck you’re doing. 

You bite down on his lip, hard. 

Changbin yelps and brings his face away from yours. But his grip on your jaw remains solid. 

His deep brown eyes darken significantly and the only way to describe his stare is predatory. 

It’s like you just cocked the gun aimed at your own head, his finger on the trigger. 

In an entirely too swift series of movements, Changbin spins your body around and bends you over the back hyperextension standing equipment. 

The hand in your hair tightens significantly, he straddles the back of you, pressing his body completely flush with your back. 

His other hand comes around the front of you to cover your mouth. 

With no bit of gentleness, he shakes your face around and positions it forward. 

“Fucking look at that beautiful sight.”

You’re staring at yourself in the mirror in front of you. In the mirror, you can see Changbin’s eyes raking over your form. 

Against your ass you can feel his dick twitch in his gym shorts. 

Again, your cunt clenches around nothing at the feel of him against you. 

“So gorgeous when you shut the fuck up,” he whispers into your ear.

You should not be turned on by this. You should be fighting back with all your strength and slapping him across his perfectly handsome face. This is Changbin, the same guy who’s done nothing but be a thorn in your side for the past few months! 

But he’s also the same guy that looks fucking delicious in those black compression shirts. 

“Maybe it’s time someone teaches you a lesson on what happens when you talk back, little girl.” he sneers with a cocky smirk. 

You struggle against his grasp, it just makes him tighten his hold on you even more. Your scalp screams from his harsh tug, but it feels so good.

Squinting your eyes shut, you swallow a whimper from coming out. 

Both of your elbows are underneath you, holding your weight up on the pads. You’re trying so hard not to look into the mirror in front of you; you know that if you see the way his body is caged around you, you’ll lose it. 

Changbin presses his cock into your ass even harder, the feeling goes straight to your core and down your legs.

“Always in these tight fucking shorts, galavanting around the gym getting everyone’s dick hard.”

You thrash around just a bit underneath him and he holds you tighter. Your eyes open and you turn your head a little to stare at the wall, lips pulled into a sneer. 

“What’s the matter, little girl? Hate knowing that everyone’s eyes always follow your bouncing tits around the gym? That this gym is the most packed when they know you have leg day?”

Over and over his hips roll into your ass, the friction feels delicious. You’re thanking the GymShark gods that their materials don’t show moisture through the fabric.

“Does the little princess have nothing to say now?”

When you let out muffled noises, Changbin only laughs.

“Fuck you, and fuck your stupid fucking folding weight bench.” 

He leans his head down and bites your neck so hard you’re sure his teeth imprint will be there for days. The squeal that comes from your mouth is muffled by his hand.

Changbin takes his hand out of his hair to reach down and yank your shorts down over your ass.

As soon as the cool air of the gym hits your exposed core, you hiss and squirm around in his grip even more. 

“Fuck… Look at that. The princess doesn’t wear panties to the gym.” When you look at him in the mirror, he’s staring at your cunt while biting his lower lip.

His eyes are looking at your glistening folds like he’s taking in a work of art.

The hand over your mouth comes around your neck to hold your head down by your nape. His fingers thread into your hair right at the base to keep a firm restraint on you.

Two of his fingers run through your soaking wet folds, “So fucking wet for me, babe. Who knew you got off arguing with me as much as I did?”

“Fuck you.” you spit out.

Changbin’s eyes meet yours in the mirror for a split second, his grip on your head forces you down even more. 

He reaches down and pushes his shorts down just enough for his cock to spring free.

Holy fuck, he’s fucking big. Prominent veins run up his length. Your eyes widen in shock and he looks so fucking smug about it.

At this point, you’re positively dripping wet. 

Fisting one hand on his cock, he runs the head up and down your cunt, catching on your clit a few times and making you gasp and squirm a bit.

“Jesus fuck, if you’re gunna fuck me, why don’t you do it already?” you bite at him.

Changbin spits directly on your cunt.

“With pleasure, princess.”

He bottoms out in one hard thrust and your mouth falls open in a silent scream. Your eyes squint shut and eyebrows pinch together.

Changbin does not wait for you to adjust to him. He grips your hair as tight as he can and thrusts into you mercilessly. 

The wet slapping noises fill the air of the gym and echo off the bare walls; there’s no music or anything to drown out the lewd sounds of your bodies conjoining.

Every single thrust feels so fucking deep inside you it’s driving you fucking wild, it’s like he;s fucking through you.

“Holy fuck– hng– you’re fucking tight!” he grunts out.

In the mirror you can see his face screwing up in the angriest display of pleasure you’ve ever seen. He’s positively seething with how good it feels to have you clamp down on his cock.

All you’re able to do is pant and moan and practically drool with how amazing it feels inside of you. But despite the pleasure you’re feeling, you can’t allow yourself to give him the satisfaction of knowing how good it feels.

With each thrust, you do your damndest to keep the reactions to a minimum.

He notices. 

“Oh, fuck you.” he pants out. You both make eye contact in the mirror and hold it.

He pulls your hair to bring your back up against his clothes chest, his hand comes around to hold you by the throat.

This new angle allows him to bully your g-spot over and over again. You can’t help it anymore, your eyes roll back into your head and your mouth falls open with a strangled moan.

“That’s what I fucking thought, bitch. Feel how good my cock is making you feel, you can’t fucking lie to me, I can feel you clenching down on me, soaking my dick.”

Tiny whimpers leave your throat.

Changbin reaches his other hand down and begins toying with your clit, rubbing circles at the same rhythm that his thrusts were going in.

The combination of the two has you seeing stars.

“Shit–!” he moans out in your ear, “Pussy so tight when I do that, fuck!”

His hand around your throat squeezes a bit, making it hard to breathe, but my god it’s so erotic.

“Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.” you pant out in between each thrust.

“Fuck me?” he says incredulously, he grabs your jaw and forces you to look at yourself in the mirror. “Fucking look at yourself, getting fucked raw by my cock in the middle of the gym where anyone could walk in.”

Another clench down on his cock.

“Fucking bitch, you like that, huh?”

You can’t take your eyes off where your bodies are joined together, his cock slips in and out of you so easily, entirely coated in your combined juices. His thick fingers rubbing your clit, hurling you towards your orgasm.

“Shit.” you hiss as you approach that edge, it makes your toes curl in your sneakers. “G’na cum.” you mumble.

“Is that right?” Changbin says in your ear and immediately his pace increases.

You cry out and throw your head back, but Changbin forces it back down.

“No, you’re going to watch,” he growls. “You’re going to watch yourself fucking cum all over my cock. And then you’re going to watch me cum in this tight pussy.”

All you can do is pant and keep your eyes focused on his thrusts, the way his balls smack against your skin with each one.

More and more and more the pressure builds until it's too much and you finally topple over the edge.

You cry out and try to look away, but Changbin’s firm grip keeps you there.

“Holy fucking shit, fuck fuck, ah shit!”

Immediately after your orgasm you feel your insides flood with something warm and sticky. Within seconds you watch as it begins to leak out of you around Changbin’s now softening cock. 

Both of you sit there for a moment, panting in silence. No other sounds fill the gym until Changbin finally speaks up.

“Next time, don’t slam the weights in my gym.”

Of fucking course he was the owner. 

[ybklix]

𝔩𝔦𝔎𝔢 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔡𝔬

⭒˚‧♱ pairing: ceo!seochangbin x fem!reader ⁺‧₊˚ ♡ summary: Your new boss is quite interesting, so the night lends itself to a few drinks and the discovery of never-before-explored bodies in such an inappropriate but magnetic act. ₊ ⊹⋆ 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 — 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: MDNI, smut, dom!changbin, sub!reader, dilf!changbin, oral sex, praise, deepthroat, fingering, sir kink, pet names (some dreg), overstimulation, multiple orgasms, choking, spanking, tit slapping, unprotected sex, creampie, cheating, adultery, implied age gap. word count: 7.5k

♬⋆.˚ like lovers do by hey violet

(𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 '𝟮𝟰) - 𝔴𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔬𝔟𝔢𝔯 ₊˚🕯️♱‧₊˚. 03: lover

movie inspo: the housemaid (2010)

You didn’t have to feel ashamed, even though a part of you did, you were young and the job was temporary while you tried to establish yourself and get a better one, besides, you would live there for a while and you would stop bothering your parents in the meantime since you still lived with them, your siblings would stop bothering you telling you that you were already an adult and you should look for your own life and stop depending on your parents, stop bothering you while they rubbed on your face their orderly and balanced life.

It was not a desperate action, it was a decent job with excellent pay, only that the thin stigma of it all made you somewhat nervous, you were naive, young and had a lot to lose if you did not start working now so your best option for the moment was to accept the offer of practically a stranger in whom you trusted, Kang Gahyeon, a housekeeper who had been working practically all her life for a particularly rich family, the Seo.

Gahyeon was an acquaintance of the housekeeper of your former female professor at your university in your senior year. You met your teacher casually one night and, among certain confessions you told her that life was being hard on you and she somewhat embarrassed suddenly blurted out that a wealthy young family she knew needed a nanny to stay at home to take care of their little 6-year-old daughter as the wife was very pregnant of 35 weeks; that if you were interested she could pass on the contact to you as she knew you had experience babysitting children as you used to do it as a little extra job while you continued with your studies.

You thought about it for a while and then agreed without further ado, then you met Gahyeon, who gave you the general details of the family and the kind of work involved; you really thought you would be a simple babysitter, but in your teacher’s vague words, she forgot to mention that the whole job was as a housemaid.

You overthought it again, maybe because just thinking about it seemed slightly humiliating, serving rich people while wearing a uniform, something too old-fashioned to be real, you hadn’t even taken the time to think that there are still such jobs, that people still dress and are disciplined before with much more wealth and social status people. But you felt trapped and the pay was so tempting, even though part of you thought it was logical that it was since you didn’t know what kind of people those with so much power really were.

You accepted naively, with a six-month contract, at least the time needed while the mother-to-be focused on taking care of the babies and you helped them with the little one. You accepted, even when your mother told you that you could wait and look for a better job offer that did not resort to the old systems, which were still very much in place today, of social oppression. You called her an exaggerator, telling her that Mrs. Kang claims that the Seo are nice, somewhat cold, but they are decent. You took the job believing it would be a bit of your beginning of independence and adulthood.

And there you were, in the huge, beautiful mansion in the hills that would be your sort of home for the next few months, or at least a spacious room next to little Dahae’s room.

You stood still in your place, watching Mrs. Seo with surprise, Seo Haeun, doing yoga and pelvic floor exercises with the help of a young instructor. You fixed your gaze on her big and notorious uncovered pregnant bump, it looked like she was going to explode and it was true in a way, Haeun was expecting twins. She ended up tired and panting as the yoga instructor helped her to stand up and then she sat on the couch catching her breath as Mrs. Kang stood beside her to pass her water to drink.

You watched her, with your hands clasped together in front of your body, Haeun was beautiful, she was one of those women whose huge belly and big breasts made her look even prettier, her hair was straight, dark, silky mid-length, her eyebrows straight, small and youthful heart-shaped face, big eyes, button nose and round plumpy lips, she was like a little doll, the kind of beauty you want to keep just to yourself. Haeun was a model, but overseas. She sipped from the water as she stared at you, standing in front of her from a distance.

You introduced yourself to her, saying it was a pleasure.

“Welcome” she said to you, handing the glass of water to Gahyeon, “Well Mrs. Kang recommended you, you must be good. She will tell you what to do and show you around. Dahae should be here at 1:30 for you to meet her, take care of her, and help her with her homework. You can go to see your room and change your clothes.”

She was direct, her tone and expression were monotone, and you saw the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead and breasts one last time before following Gahyeon to your new room. She handed you your uniform clothes, all black and white, skirts and dresses; you bit your lip still unsure if wanting to serve a rich family was the kind of job you were looking for... but you were already there.

“Do I have to wear heels?” was what you said with a smirk as you saw three pairs of black silhouette heels, and then you saw the exact same shoes on Mrs. Kang.

“The clacking of the heels is what keeps them alert to know every place you’re at and that you’re not loitering where you shouldn’t.”

Minutes later you were ready, looking at yourself in the mirror with a blank mind, thinking that at least the uniform was tailored for you, the skirt fit your silhouette and was just mid-thigh length. This would be your new life, a distraction, and a new beginning.

You helped Mrs. Kang cook and at exactly 1:25 p.m. you went outside the house to wait for the little Seo girl who arrived seven minutes later in a black car accompanied by serious men dressed in suits that looked like bodyguards.

You smiled at the sight of the little girl who was looking down at the ground and had no expression. Her eyes were just as big as her mother’s but the rest of her face looked different, maybe she looked like her father. Dahae almost overlooked you but raised her gaze as she walked near you.

“Hi, I’m Y/n, I’ll be your new babysitter” you told her cheerfully, gently touching her shoulder so she could give you her backpack.

“Nice to meet you, Y/n. I’m Seo Dahae” the little girl replied, in a monotone tone, and continued her walk home as if nothing.

You followed her somewhat hurriedly and confused, the girl had a warm and kind look but her attitude was completely cold and distant.

“You can change and get ready to go downstairs to eat with your mother, okay?” you said, following her to her room.

“Okay, thank you, Y/n. I can change by myself.”

You smiled at her, feeling like you were looking at and talking to a small adult, her appearance was innocent because she was small and she was a child... but there was something about her that made you insecure, she was serious, quiet and so far you’ve only seen her blink as if she was disconnected to her childhood. You left her backpack in her room.

“I’ll be outside if you need anything and for us to go downstairs together.”

You didn’t think she would be a difficult child, after all, she was just a child, plus you thought growing up with money was a somewhat different experience than what you knew in your childhood, evidently.

The day was normal, after lunch, you cleaned up, and you helped Dahae with her homework, took little orders from Haeun, and watched from afar her little routine like a pregnant wife who spent all day at home. At dinner once again it was just Haeun and his daughter at the table while Gahyeon blurted out a little comment on the air saying that Changbin will be late tonight.

You knew little about them, it really didn’t cost you anything to google their faces or occupations but you were so immersed in your mild embarrassment that you decided not to and played the little game of seeing their faces for the first time in person. You knew that Gahyeon had been working for the Seo’s for a while now, she first worked for the parents of your new boss, Seo Changbin, she practically raised Changbin and was his nanny and as soon as he got married, she followed him to his new home, now working for his family, having a long history with the Seo.

You had dinner in the quiet company of the slightly old housekeeper woman, cleaned everything up, and were ready to end your day when the sound of the doorway alerted Mrs. Kang’s senses.

“He’s here.”

Was all she said and walked out of the kitchen. You blinked in confusion, hesitating whether to follow her but the ideal was to do so, so you hurried your pace behind her but Gahyeon was already standing well to the side of the entrance of the house.

“You don’t always have to greet me, Mrs. Kang, it’s late, you can go to rest” you heard a man’s voice and saw him pass by as soon as you stood next to your co-worker.

The man did not notice your presence and continued on his way, Mrs. Kang went after him and you followed her again.

You fleetingly saw the man’s back, wide arms, gray suit, and short black hair, quickly deducing with obviousness that it was your boss, Mr. Seo Changbin.

You followed her into the living room, where you finally appreciated your boss fully. He sat on the couch, sighing slightly wearily as he unbuttoned his suit jacket.

“Daddy!” happily exclaimed Dahae who was watching some TV before going to bed, rushing over to hug her father.

You were surprised for a second as it was the first time in the day you saw Dahae smile, sound, act, and look like a real six-year-old. You knew immediately that her relationship with her mother was slightly cold and distant. Changbin smiled broadly reciprocating his daughter’s hug and giving her a resounding kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, there, what are you doing up this late? You have school tomorrow,” he said tenderly.

“Daddy, have you met Ms. Y/n? She’s my new nanny, I like her, she’s nice.”

Dahae settled her little body next to her father as a confused expression formed on his face. You blushed at the little girl’s confession, you were happy to be able to like her.

“Y/n?” Changbin looked around in confusion.

And there you were, standing at Mrs. Kang’s side. He caught your gaze and before you could say anything your co-worker stepped forward to speak.

“This is Y/n, sir. Your new employee.”

Changbin grimaced a little as he heard Gahyeon speak formally to him and refer to him as sir, when he thought their relationship was already closer for all the years she worked for him.

“Nice to meet you. I am Dahae’s father, Seo Changbin. I hope you feel comfortable in the house.”

“Nice to meet you, sir” you replied shyly almost in a whisper.

Submissiveness and excessive modesty made you blush a little, usually you were a submissive person, you pleased others and tried to always be as nice as possible and at least now you would earn money for that.

Changbin gave you a small smile and you saw the details of his face, alluring sleepy eyes, straight nose, and featherly lips. He also watched you thinking that he had never had another maid this young before, most of them had been ladies with children in their thirties. He sighed, interrupted his thoughts, and went on to say:

“Now that Dahae has a babysitter, I’d like you to accompany her to school and pick her up.”

You nodded, biting your lip slightly nervously.

“Okay, sir.”

“Alright, little one, let Y/n take you to bed. I’ll go upstairs with your mom” he said again tenderly looking at his daughter and then turned to you again, “Mrs. Kang you can rest now, good night. Same to you, Y/n, as soon as Dahae falls asleep.”

You nodded frantically and approached the little girl, also approaching Changbin and breathing in his strong manly scent of exquisite perfume. You held out your hand and Dahae took it.

“Good night, daddy.”

“Sweet dreams, my girl.”

Changbin pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, acting disinterested but as soon as he had you close he took the opportunity to see you in full view, from the exposure of your legs to your slightly tousled hair bun. You felt his gaze and got nervous, thinking maybe the skirts were a little short.

You finally finished your first day, took a shower, and fell into your bed, tired of wearing heels all the time. You checked your phone before you fell completely asleep, messages from your mom asking if work was treating you well and from your best friend telling you if Seo Changbin was more handsome in person.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

The next morning you took Changbin’s breakfast to his office where he was comfortably reading the newspaper and then playing the piano for a while. Once again you felt a heavy gaze on you, but you thought you were paranoid.

He only said a soft “Thank you, Y/n.” And he would follow you with his gaze until you walked out of there.

You liked Changbin a little bit… you felt that attraction of which you thought only you felt it. You couldn’t help the fact that it crossed your mind that he was handsome… and if you didn’t know how to control it, and if he didn’t have respect for his wife, something fatal but avoidable could happen, but it was just a silly and passing thought, affairs between a boss and his maid were so typical, but you weren’t like that. You were there to respect them and for the job.

After Haeun and Dahae had breakfast, Haeun kissed her husband goodbye with a kiss and a simple “Have a good time at school” to her little daughter, and you walked her to the car to drop her off at school.

“I’m glad you could drop Dahae off, usually boys did that but… they were boys, nothing like the warmth of another girl for her” Changbin commented as he checked his phone.

You didn’t have much to say and that Changbin could tell, you were of few words.

Dahae was in between the two of you, still it was inevitable for Changbin not to observe your serene face looking out the window, your neck adorned with a thin golden necklace and your chest slightly uncovered by the illusion of cleavage given by your open buttons of your white blouse, he couldn’t help but lower his gaze down to your chest and watch the calmness of your breathing until he lost his sight on your thighs and how your skirt was lifted up. He didn’t want to accept what was happening to him but he was beginning to feel and think it more and more.

They dropped the little girl off first as Changbin changed the direction of travel, usually they would drop him off first but now it was the perfect excuse to have some time alone with you. You got out of the car to walk Dahae to the school entrance where a teacher was receiving them, but then you felt Changbin’s presence beside you, squatting down and waving goodbye to her.

You both got back into the SUV, you tried to fix the length of your skirt and he did nothing but stare at you again; questions flooded his mind, you looked so young, so pretty… why would you work being a simple maid.

He cleared his throat and said:

“I hope you liked your first day.”

You turned to look at him and smiled, it hadn’t been bad, but you had no choice either. You weren’t crazy, but you felt a certain tension in the air, his muscular presence made you nervous, the way his suit fit him drove you slightly crazy, fitted to his strong proportions.

“It was nice.”

“So… how old are you? You look young…” he spoke, staring at you. You answered, not sounding nervous and suddenly he blurted out something that somehow made you tingle.

“And do you have a boyfriend?”

“No” you answered unsure, there was really no one in your life, other than another friend with benefits that… now that you thought about it you missed him.

Mr. Seo left you breathless and slightly aroused, but now you lived under his roof and had no privacy… you wondered if Han Jisung would like to have a fuck again, you needed distraction as you felt out of yourself, plus the good feeling of an orgasm.

He smiled happy to know you didn’t have someone waiting for your caresses, he believed you, your look was so docile and sincere it drove him crazy.

“I was asking out of curiosity, you are very young and now you are practically living in my house maybe you like to go out, I don’t know” he excused himself, “I also hope you are doing well with Haeun’s friends today, anything let me know.”

You had completely forgotten. Mrs. Seo’s birthday celebration with her close group of friends. Tomorrow you would accompany them to their home in the mountains to take care of Dahae and work for them, on Seo Changbin’s wife’s real birthday. Mrs. Kang had told you in whispers that as much as Haeun takes care of herself since her dream was a natural childbirth and as much as she loves to conceive Changbin’s children, millionaires from her womb, she felt slightly insecure about her appearance so she didn’t go out much and ideally would just bring her friends home.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

It was certainly a long day, her friends were not equally as decent as Haeun, you felt their slight dismissive glances and the comment behind your back of, “She looks so young, are you sure she's doing a good job?” “I could never have a maid that young hanging around with Chan in the house.”

Haeun answered them with, “She’s nice and gets along well Dahae, plus Changbin is never home, he just comes in to sleep.”

Then they proceeded to judge her because her husband was never home.

You found it amusing how you were suddenly a threat, yes you found your boss attractive, but he was still your boss and you literally just washed his wife’s clothes.

But the real day came which changed everything. Seo Haeun’s birthday, she asked to be in privacy and intimacy in the house near the mountains with her small and dear family; honestly, you were not contemplated on the trip, you started to work on Thursday morning, and weekends were your days off but you barely had two days working so your official break started next week and Haeun took the opportunity for you to go with them and help them a little bit watching Dahae.

Once again, a driver took them there as Haeun claimed that Changbin was too exhausted to drive. You didn’t talk much to Dahae’s parents, you did more with Dahae herself. You took orders of them, took care of the little girl, prepared food for them and felt the tension, sensing the double intentions of Changbin’s closeness as he asked you what you cooked and if you needed help, gently pressing his body to yours, you had liked it, but you had to stop him right away. It wasn’t appropriate or right.

You continued as if nothing, trying to forget what was going on while you started reading a book acting indifferent, while they enjoyed their activities as a family, singing happy birthday to Haeun, eating cake and then opened a lot of gifts that were already in the house, it felt like Christmas, or at least seeing them from afar smiling under the warm light, as a family while she opened gift after gift.

But night came, you put Dahae to bed, read her a story and watched over her sleep for a while until you could go to the guest room, where you again had time for your tormenting thoughts, you got rid of your uniform and made yourself comfortable in your panties, no bra and a small white top loose to your body and breasts. You washed your face with cold water, thinking it was what you deserved after biting your lip and lightly fantasizing about your boss, a handsome millionaire, married and family man. You remembered again his closeness, the light touch of his body as he gently put his hands on your elbows while you chopped vegetables and he gently rubbed behind you, Changbin was crazy and you thought you didn’t know what the fuck was happening to you.

On the other hand, having their little privacy gave Haeun a hormonal burst with an uncontrollable urge to have sex, she was so horny that her husband got ready, drank some of his favorite wine, and lay down next to his wife who was wearing a sexy silk nightgown. Haeun was already feeling insecure, it was awkward to kiss her husband, for her it felt that way, with a huge bump in between, still she found a way to stroke her husband’s cock to get him hard, she was already so aroused and wet, ready to take him so once she felt Changbin’s throbbing penis in her hand, in one swift movement, Haeun slid his cock inside her making her cry out softly, Changbin moaned at the surprise where he felt his member being embraced by his wife’s walls and she began to ride him, turning her back to him.

“Babe, turn around, I want to see your pretty face” Changbin moaned, stroking his wife's back under her clothes.

Changbin couldn’t help but think for a moment of his maid’s young body. Haeun moaned in excitement, feeling her husband’s cock fill her completely but slowly her gasps of excitement were turning to pain, she was starting to feel uncomfortable in addition to the slight embarrassment she had about her physical appearance, ceasing to enjoy sex and creating a huge insecurity that Changbin didn’t want to fuck her like that, but that wasn’t it, both their minds were getting busy.

Changbin noticed Haeun’s behavior, she was suddenly moaning in pain and her movements were small, soft and inconsistent, ceasing to stimulate him sexually, it wasn’t working for either of them, so Haeun, worried and frustrated pulled out of her husband, lying down beside him grievingly.

“I’m sorry” she said, almost on the verge of tears.

Haeun adored Changbin, and loved pleasing him but felt sexually useless once her belly started to grow and grow. She also adored the idea of starting a big family and the desire to carry on the whole Seo dynasty, but her initial plan was only another child at a time, not two which she was unexpectedly burdened with.

“It’s okay, honey, it’s okay” Changbin comforted her, admiring her beautiful and slightly swollen face, but now he was sexually frustrated, his penis was flaccid but the sensations were at the surface, “You can use your mouth...” he whispered to her.

But Haeun refused, she already felt uncomfortable with her body so she was indisposed to more sex. She slept, but Changbin couldn’t, he stared up at the ceiling, naked... hesitating whether he should give himself and seek pleasure tonight or go to sleep.

He stood up, washing himself a bit, evading the thoughts and went back to the room, sitting on the couch while watching Haeun sleep, then started drinking more and more wine getting slightly drunk, but very conscious of his actions.

Changbin sighed and acted slowly on pure impulse, he put on his expensive silky robe, took another clean glass, and walked to your room, psyching himself up that it would only be a one-night stand... that you would extract some of his frustration out of him if you accepted... or he just wanted to have a conversation with someone different, all the time it was all about his work and business, then he would come home and exchange at most 100 words with his wife and then go to sleep, he wanted some fresh air for a second.

It was a cold night in mid-October, the wind was blowing and branches from a dry tree were banging and scraping against your window. After your little crisis, you decided better to enjoy the small comforts of being a guest in the Seo house, your own relaxing bathroom with a bathtub in it, so you immersed yourself in the warm water, relaxing your body and enjoying your solitude, but what you didn’t know was that you were not alone at all.

Changbin entered your room stealthily, making a minimal noise which you suddenly became aware of and immediately thought of Dahae, since the rooms were in the same hallway and maybe she couldn’t sleep.

“Dahae, is that you? I’m in the bathtub” you raised your voice.

Seconds later there was no answer and you sighed, you were with your back backward to the half-open bathroom door, and you thought maybe it was nothing more than a simple sound. But what you didn’t know was that it was your boss, secretly peeking through the half-open door, seeing a bit of your naked body enjoying the bathtub.

Changbin’s body and every one of his senses began to react, he caught a glimpse of your round breasts and soft nipples in the water. He sighed and placed the wine and glasses on a small table in the room.

You were startled again by a noise, which could be heard nearby, and suddenly you felt the fear of a presence in the room. You got out of the bathtub and dried your body, quickly put on your bathrobe and somewhat frightened you went out of the bathroom to the bedroom, 99% sure that it was just your imagination and you were just checking out of curiosity, but you gave a little jump of impression when you found Changbin standing in front of the window drinking a glass of wine, watching you with a dark look and wearing only his underwear with a loose, silky and open purple robe.

You looked at him confused and almost swallowed nervously at the sight of his exposed semi-naked body, the smoothness of his muscular, worked abdomen and his lower body only covered by black boxers.

You were speechless and clung to your bathrobe as underneath you were naked.

“I can’t sleep… let’s have a drink.”

He came dangerously close to you with the empty glass and the bottle of wine in his hands, his eyes on the target, almost seducing you slowly.

You watched him, not wanting to tell him he had to leave. Changbin poured the wine into the glass, swirling it gently and passed it to you. He watched you expectantly, waiting for you to drink it and you did.

“You’re a good girl, I can tell,” he said, happy, handing you more of the wine.

There was no need for so many words in such a heavy atmosphere and tangible tension, you wanted to touch him, to get closer to him… and it was obvious he was dying to do it too.

“And you don’t talk much… why, darling?”

You became agitated at his comment alone and said, “I don’t have much to say…”

“Well I want to know everything” Changbin smiled at you tenderly as the bathrobe looked big for your shoulders, “Everything about you…” he whispered, returning to his game of seduction, but it was you who had him seduced and captivated, “Oh can we not talk too much…”

Changbin was so hard and aroused, the silence overwhelmed him and your submissive posture had him trapped. He took the glass from your hands and you caught his gaze, seeing him with bright eyes that you were about to throw it all away and say yes to everything, at least tonight.

“Let me see…”

Changbin murmured, completely lost in desire, tugging at the knot of your bathrobe to remove it slowly and gently, enjoying the sensuality of your body being exposed, the bareness of your shoulders and then the garment opening completely revealing your silhouette, until dropping the garment to the floor.

You bit your lip so fucking aroused, enjoying the strong gaze of your boss on your naked body. He began to caress you, finely tracing a path with his fingertips: from between your breasts, down your abdomen, your mons pubis, your thighs and your inner thighs, tickling the skin of the outer lips of your pussy, almost making you gasp.

“You are so beautiful.”

He babbled, letting himself go as he never had before, almost gasping for breath, appreciating your body and the expressions on your face at the same time. His hand came up, massaging your breasts. Changbin licked his lips, finding your breasts supremely soft and squeezable, your nipples so pinchable, hard and appetizing, responding to every stimulation he gave to them.

A moan escaped your lips as you enjoyed his hand all over your breasts, treating them gently, squeezing them hard, touching them as he pleased.

“Fuck” he gasped, excited, his cock throbbing after hearing your first soft moan, “You like that, sweetheart?”

You felt an infuriating tingling in your pussy that burned inside you. Your face was red, and your breasts and nipples were sensitive to his constant stimulation.

“Y-yes” you answered with difficulty.

He smirked smugly and in one swift movement put the glass and bottle of wine back on the small table to return again to you, your still in place and stunning naked body.

“Would you kiss me, sweetie?” he hissed sizzlingly close to your face.

You nodded without breaking eye contact and rushed at him until you joined your lips in the most passionate and forbidden kiss.

Changbin grabbed your ass and pulled you close to him, feeling the softness of his marked pecs press against your breasts and the stiffness of his cock against your body. You put your arms around his shoulders and hugged him, deepening the act. Both of you were slowly losing your sanity more and more. Changbin kept massaging your ass until he suddenly started to spank it hard, making you moan between his lips and the sound of your skin being slapped hard became present, you were starting to become more intensely aroused.

He tugged gently on your hair, pulling you away from him and leering at you.

“Are you going to be a good girl? Answer me.”

Changbin gave you another spank, exciting you further and you moaned in an audible squeal.

“Shh, sh-sh. We have to be quiet” he spoke again.

You nodded feeling your bottom burn with pain, “Yes…” you replied and the word hung in the air because you didn’t know how to refer to him, whether with honorifics, whether to call him by name, he noticed.

“It drives me fucking crazy when you follow my orders and call me sir” he blurted out suddenly with a half smile.

Your ears turned red, there was some humiliation but it made you so excited.

“Yes sir” you crooned softly, causing Changbin’s cock to throb in desperation.

“Get on your knees” he ordered you quietly in a thick voice, “And use your mouth.”

You looked him in the eyes for a few short seconds and obeyed his command, your folds slick and your nipples hard, you replied once more, “Yes, sir” only to see his satisfied face.

You sighed half-heartedly, eagerly pulling down his boxers, releasing his hard, slightly thick cock with its red tip. You were about to take it in your hands, but Changbin came up with something better:

“Ah, ah, just use your mouth, princess,” he said again, “Don’t use your hands. Put them on your thighs.”

You raised your eyes to look at him with big pleading eyes, your mouth salivated and you positioned your face so you could lick his length with just your mouth, feeling his throbbing cock on your tongue. Changbin moaned in pleasure, seeing your submissive position, your hands almost digging into your thighs, only using your mouth to grab and stimulate his erection. He grabbed you by the hair.

“Look at you…you’re a good girl gone bad.”

You looked at him again, it was harder that way, just using your mouth, you tasted him, you wanted to play with his soft glans and seeing you so helpless, made Changbin take the base of his cock and guided it into your mouth, he moaned, self-pleasuring himself in your cavity, resenting the softness of your cheeks and pushing himself deeper and deeper until he reached your throat. You whimpered with his cock in your throat, about to move your hands, but remaining submissive and obeying what he said was igniting every part of your body. Your tears began to flow, you clenched your thighs in desperation as your pussy still throbbed for action.

“Ah, fuck, you take my cock like a fucking slut” he moaned, grabbing your hair and starting to gently thrust into your mouth, “Touch yourself, your little whore, fuck.”

You looked up at him again in supplication and your trembling hand began to caress your dripping pussy. Changbin continued to fuck your mouth, thrusting in and out of your throat, pounding your tract, leaving you sore and drooling as with your fingers in your vagina you tried to recreate the rhythm of his ramming. He continued to cum in you, shooting his cum into your mouth and abruptly pulling his member out of you, holding it in his hand as he gasped and let out a small shot at the corner of your lips, but you managed to get yourself overstimulated.

“Come here, stand up and sit on the bed” he ordered you.

You obeyed him, taking small embarrassed and excited steps to the bed, you were a mess, eager to have an orgasm.

“Yes, sir” you provoked him, sitting down and lightly caressing your breasts, looking innocently at him, inviting him to come closer.

Your boss undressed completely, dropping his robe to the floor and approached you with his eager erect cock. Changbin wiped your face and kissed you sweetly again, exploring your cavity, tasting a bit of himself and as you parted for lack of air with swollen lips, he practically pushed your body so that you fell back on the bed, in contrast to his warm and nice kiss.

Changbin positioned himself on the bed, spreading your legs and appreciating your shiny, swollen, used pussy, quickening his pulse.

“Look at this fucking pussy, fuck, ahh” he moaned, engrossed at the sight of your cunt, slapping your vulva in moderate force, making you stir from the excitement and the impact on your sensitive area.

With his left hand, with his soft, manly thumb he attended to your clit, while his right hand brought it to your entrance, inserting three fingers into you slowly, you bit your lip holding back a moan and Changbin waited for you to adjust to the sensation to start playing with your entrance roughly, his hand taking in intense vibrating motions and abusing your cunt, making you squeal and wallow in pleasure. He smiled, seeing how much you were struggling to keep from making so much noise and what could be heard were your soft sighs and the splashing of his fingers in you. You couldn’t take it anymore, you cum once… twice… making a mess and Mr. Seo still kept stimulating you, until he stopped before bringing you to a third orgasm, he appreciated your anatomy again and rubbed his cock in your folds ready to truly feel you.

“You’re so wet, baby fuck, this pretty pussy is ready to be fucked, mmh.”

He pushed into you, stretching your entrance, making you arch your back and enjoying every inch inside you. He began to fuck you hard, manipulating your body to his pleasure, bringing one of his hands to your neck and the other roughly covering your mouth so that only airy choked moans came out of you. You were beginning to see stars, you had never felt this used, dirty and well fucked as your boss was doing it to you… who began to short your breath with a strong hand on your neck. Changbin had never felt this powerful, not even with all the fortune in the world… possessing your body was a completely different experience, which brought him to his most intense orgasm. Turning you into a pair of lovers.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ── By Sunday afternoon you were back at the mansion, there kept being complicit glances between you and Changbin, you were in shock… unable to believe that you had completely given in, it was so wrong, but the connection with Changbin had felt so good.

Returning to your normal life as a maid you rarely saw Changbin again; you gently asked Mrs. Kang if she might know where he was to which she replied maybe in his office. You managed to slip away from Mrs. Kang’s side for a moment and seeing no one around, you took off your heels and walked quietly to his office, you didn’t know what you might say… but something in you wanted to see Changbin again, alone.

His door was half open and you peeked your head in to catch a glimpse of him on a hectic phone call, you admired him, finding him so attractive when he raised his voice and realized he was always working.

You went back to hiding in the wall, stopping yourself and wondering what you were doing… you looked like an immature, deluded little girl. But you weren’t so silly, you knew exactly why you were sneaking back out and looking for him again, you needed him again.

You stopped hearing his voice and out of curiosity you wanted to peek out again, you almost bumped into him as he was about to leave his office. You looked up to see him.

“You were looking for me?” he said in a smug tone and a half smile.

You shook your head frantically, scared looking at him with your docile eyes wide open, making him chuckle at the sight of you with that expression, being caught, your heels in your hands.

“Come here” he said again, holding you tightly by your forearm, pulling you inside.

You almost whimpered at his rough grip but he released you at once, closing the door.

“What is it you were looking for?” he spoke, defiantly, “You must be here and coming back because you want something… what do you want?”

Changbin moved dangerously close to you, almost pushing you into the door.

“What are you playing at…?” he muttered through his teeth.

He was already pinning you against the door, it was driving him crazy the way you were acting like a frightened little creature about to be devoured. His nose brushed yours and his right hand began to caress your thigh, slowly moving up to under your skirt. Your breathing began to hitch, you were so anxious and excited for your boss.

“Use your words. Now. Tell me what you want me to do to you.”

Your whole body flipped. You wanted him to come back to make you exhausted and sore, to make you whimper and make a mess. His left hand went around your neck, and his thumb played with your lips, gently dabbing it on your lipstick. You were about to speak, but a loud push from the door interrupted you.

You both separated, stepping away from the door and from each other. Mrs. Kang appeared without knocking and struggled with the door.

“Mr. Seo. Dinner is ready.”

She observed your full body with a cold gaze and noticed that you were not wearing your shoes, the uneasiness of your body, and Changbin’s amused expression. Kang Gahyeon had been working for rich people for decades. It was impossible not to know their every secret and move. She was the real eyes of the house. She was already getting suspicious of the tension between you and Changbin, and she didn’t like it at all.

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

You were impatient. You’d be lying if you claimed you weren’t waiting for Mr. Seo, but you were already naked on your bed hoping to see him come through your door. You got all ready for him, or at least you fixed your hair, putting it in a nice cute bow and subtly did your make-up, thinking if you should wait for him with a baby doll or completely naked.

Time passed and he didn’t show up, so without realizing it you fell into a sleep, but fifteen minutes later, he finally appeared, wearing his pajamas, white sleeveless t-shirt tight to his body, and blue soft silk pajama pants. Changbin saw you asleep, with your face towards the ceiling, he smiled tenderly and gently pulled off the sheet you were covering your body with, revealing your naked body. He licked his lips and the urge to touch you came over him again, caressing your body finely with the back of his fingers, tickling you and causing you to open your eyes slowly, meeting Changbin’s strong silhouette.

You smiled at him. Thinking he had come to see you… but once again doing so with his whole family around was so risky, but you wanted to convince yourself that the walls of the mansion were thick and you couldn’t be heard.

“You were sleeping, princess” he whispered to you.

You grabbed his hand that was still caressing your abdomen and sat up in your bed, denying.

“I’m awake now” you replied cheerfully.

“Were you waiting for me, little angel?”

The nickname made you shy and Changbin bent his body to be at the level of your face, delicately taking your lips to kiss them, gradually raising the temperature of the situation, taking advantage by grabbing your breasts, squeezing them, and slapping them from time to time leaving you sensitive, sore but aroused, you whimpered a little as his left hand circled around your neck and the other went down to your moisten vaginal lips, stimulating you and inserting two fingers into you, then he pulled your face away from him as he pulled your neck, leaving you missing his lips and looked at you with a perverse smile as he controlled the pleasure of your core.

You whimpered in delight at the pace of his fingers inside you and his thumb caressing the rest of your pussy. On the other hand, Changbin almost cum in his underwear at the sweet sound of your moans and your soft sensitive core receiving his fingers, ecstasy came over you and you took it, collapsing in your first orgasm on his fingers, but he kept stimulating you. Changbin released your neck and began kissing you, moving his mouth down your body, sucking your already sensitive breasts, filling you with a pleasurable wave of pain, he kissed and gently licked your abdomen, still penetrating your insides and exciting you again, until his face leveled with your exposed, swollen pussy, to begin playing with it with his mouth.

“You taste so fuking delicious, fuck” he babbled, licking all over your vulva and sucking your clit.

You moaned, biting your lip to keep from doing it so loud. Changbin savored your first orgasm and more of your fluid coming out of you, you were on the edge, unable to feel anything but pleasure, unable to think of the guilt you should be feeling, to think and stop him, both of you couldn’t stop playing with each other, exploring each other’s bodies secretly.

When Changbin sensed your frustration and overstimulation, he turned your body quickly, to fuck your pussy as he delighted in ramming into your ass, he covered your mouth to hold back the loud grunt that was about to come out of your mouth as you felt him inside you and he lost himself completely in you, satisfied by the sensation of your dripping center consuming his cock. You both sighed and he began to pound into you hard and steady, letting that room hold every gasp and steamy sigh, playing with each other like lovers do.

It was a bad idea to think that no one could hear you, because in the darkness lurked the one woman in the house who knew absolutely everything. The floor of Dahae’s room was above her room, as soon as she heard footsteps she did not hesitate for a second to go and see, so that in the end she confirmed and witnessed the grotesque act that was taking place in your room. An act of infidelity, passion, and lust, coming out of your room the sounds of the moans of both of you and your skins colliding that upset her gradually. The lady who raised Changbin felt disgusted for him, rejection, and contempt for you… she knew that the infidelities of a rich man towards his wife was something almost inevitable, but she never got to think it of Changbin. But she wasn’t going to allow that to go on in that house or outside of it. She had to get rid of you now or expose your little secrets.

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[sunboki]

WHEN SKZ REALIZE THEY WANT TO MARRY YOU

including; ot8

notes; in conclusion, this is a collection of things i’ve daydreamed abt in class.. enjoy

*lowercase intended

BANGCHAN’s favrorite thing is when you cuddle him. that’s it. just kidding. perhaps it’s the way you look at him, eyes filled with so much love. he usually has to look away in order to maintain his sanity, which doesn’t last long anyway. “you’re so pretty Chan.” your voice, soft and saccharine sweet as you admire—gently holding his cheeks in your hands. he giggles like a lovestruck kid, the tips of his ears flushing a pretty pink. then his mind wanders. wanders to what he would give to experience this with you every day, wake up next to you every day, listen to your voice every day. he wouldn’t be surprised if one of these days he explodes from all the torture his heart puts up with because of your antics. it floors him. no less Hannah teases him about how whipped he is on FaceTime and continuously tells you that she would treat you better. jokingly, of course. or..?

MINHO bids you goodbye, already missing your presence even though you’re simply getting snacks from the supermarket down the street. he’d never admit it, as always. that is until the gentle lull of rain greets him from outside. then it hits him. it’s raining? you don’t have an umbrella with you, do you? cue a worried Minho racing through the downpour in search of you, the last thing he wanted is for you to catch a cold. it’s straight out a kdrama when you step from the entryway with your bags in each hand, gazing at your exhausted boyfriend drenched in rain. without a care you skip towards him, ignoring his obvious distress whilst he shouts a warning to wait for him under the awning. “Baby.. i was gonna bring the umbrella to you. you better not catch a cold.” he scolds, quickly opening the umbrella currently sheltering you two. “you’re so cute Min.” you kiss his nose thoughtfully. he’s blushing red.

CHANGBIN lives for your happiness. he’s accepted his role in life wholeheartedly or whole-chestedly without complaint. the story goes all the way back with Changbin, back when you’d just began dating and he was nervous wreck. before he’d shove his socks in your face just to get playfully slapped, giggling regardless. at the time you sat in their recording studio, listening to a few in-progress tracks 3racha was testing out. but it was when he was recording live, composing in front of you. he was beyond anxious that you wouldn’t like his rapping; until he made eye contact with you. that look. he can’t describe it. was it admiration, awe? whatever it was, he loved it. no, he’d die for you to look at him like that—look at anything like that for the record. such pure and raw happiness he treasured so deeply. that’s when Seo Changbin’s mind flipped a switch to a ‘i need to be with you forever’ mode.

HYUNJIN took you ice skating. not the sweet and romantic ice skating where it looks like you’re both floating on ice, hand in hand. but the ice skating where you’re basically clawing down him like a disoriented cat. granted, Hyunjin isn’t the best skater either, but you make him look like a pro. “tell me why i ever agreed to this.” you grumble, cursing your balance. “hold onto me, love.” your boyfriend instructs, mitten clad hands holding your own with a reassuring squeeze you can’t help but feebly return. slowly but surely he maneuvers you along the ice, guiding your movements oh so carefully. having Hyunjin beside you makes ice skating not as miserable. “i’m gonna be so bruised later.” you mumbled from the bench, watching him untie your skates calmly. and when he looks up to respond? bang. his heart shattered. your face is hidden in his red scarf, cheeks and nose a rosy pink and toboggan adding to the sweetness. he’s gone. oh to tattoo this adorable moment into his eyelids. easily clarification he wants your hand in marriage.

HAN sits on the windowsill. the soft thrum of raindrops hum against the pane, creating a peaceful ambience. he hears you move from your place snuggled in bed, searching for his absent presence. but for the busy Quokka, this is his napping time. he’d arrived home at an ungodly hour last night from the studio, gaze heavy from sleep deprivation as he stumbled into your sheets—still exhausted into the morning. as if for a moment his mind drifted elsewhere, subtly relaxing till his eyes snap back open from a minty smell wafting beside him. there you stood; his big t-shirt that hung off your shoulder lopsidedly, holding two mugs of warm mint tea. taking the cup happily, you watched him stare at you, apparently waiting for something. “c’mere, i’ll always sing lullabies for you.” you laugh at his pout, ushering him to lay down. that saturday he plopped his head onto your lap, listening to you hum him a quiet lullaby like a child. he’d never make it without this, without you. he preferred it that way.

FELIX had been chasing you down the street for 20 minutes, well, because of his own doing. why you were running? because you’d both made a bet that whoever got to the playground down the street from the convenience store faster got $20, and Felix was not one to back down. running as fast as his legs could take him, he just barely stepped foot into the sand when you screamed “i won!” which led to a very begrudging $20 being slapped in your hand. “not fair.” your boyfriend huffed, flopping onto one of the swings nearby to watch you dance around. “or maybe..” you got closer, leaning in with a menacing smile, “—not fast enough.” being sure to wave the crisp bill right in front of his face. “yah.. stop rubbing it in.” he dramatically deflated, hunching over. “ahh i’m just kidding.” you giggled, sitting beside him now as you reached your hand out for him to take the money. “buy us something with it, something fun.” and of course the ginormous rubber duck in the mall had came home with him the next day. something he called the “most fun in his life.” with freckles basically twinkling.. how could you resist.

SEUNGMIN peered over your shoulder, watching the numerous words be typed up on the screen. being the nice guy he was, Seungmin decided to help work on your paper with you. “this?” you pointed to the screen, then glanced back in his direction—not expecting your boyfriend to be wearing his glasses and all. you had to admit, it was beyond charming. he nodded quickly in reply, appearing more focused than you. however, the way your shoulders trembled with laughter didn’t go unnoticed, Seungmin cocking a playful brow. “what?” he teasingly hovered in front of your screen, dissolving you into louder a fit of laughter. “you’re just so handsome with glasses, Mr. Seungmin.” the title earned a snort from him, shaking his head. “or should i say, my husband.” the room got quiet. “..are we engaged?” another burst of giggles from you, he was so serious and it was breaking you. “no, but one day.” you promised softly, watching a big smile tug at his lips. so pretty now that he didn’t conceal that beautiful smile. “one day.”

JEONGIN didn’t waste time when he heard the smash of glass against your tile flooring echo along the halls. “i’m okay!” you call out quickly, but Jeongin was already there. and despite your assurance, you still had multiple cuts scattered along your now bloodied hands. “Don’t move.” your boyfriend gently instructed, carefully maneuvering around the glass to scoop you off your feet with ease—funny that the ‘baby’ of the group was so much stronger than expected, sitting you on the bathroom counter to patch up. “you shouldn’t just tell me you’re okay, you could’ve gotten really hurt.“ his knitted brows and jutting lip told you he was worried, and it utterly melted your heart. “let me take care of you sometimes. i love to take care of you.” he lied. he wanted to take care of you all the time, not just sometimes. to be the one putting bandaids on for you and sitting by your bedside when you were sick to kiss your forehead. god, did he mention you’d look stunning in wedding attire?

taglist — @starlostseungmin

all rights reserved for @sunboki

[coupsie-daisies]

Kinktober '23: Pegging | Seo Changbin

Pairing: Seo Changbin x Reader

Genre: Smut (minors DO NOT interact), established relationship

Summary: You'd do anything to help your boyfriend relax after a long day, and he knows just what to ask of you.

WC: 2.7k

Warnings: Pegging, anal fingering, Reader is called ma'am, Changbin is wearing lingerie, nipple play, praise, cockwarming mentioned at the end

A/N: On god I'm gonna finish my kinktober. Maybe not by this October, but surely by the end of the year. I enjoy them too much to give up

Tags: @dragonofthenorth0726 // @wooyussy // @burningupp-replies // @bunnypig18 // @decaffedthoughts // @brownieracha / @ferrethyun // @moonchild0325 // @walkxthexmoon // @aesteraceae // @wonuqrtz // @mixling-blog // @wonwooz1

Main Masterlist

Kinktober '23 Masterlist

This fanfiction is property of @/coupsie-daisies, reposting on any other platform is prohibited

Your relationship with Changbin was something to be admired, which you chalked up to him being an absolutely amazing person with the kindest heart and sweetest soul of anyone you'd ever met. He was a dream, and he'd say the same thing about you. Your entire relationship was based on reciprocation. Despite having different love languages. You accepted his words of affirmation and gave them right back to him, and he made time in his hectic schedule for the quality one on one time that you craved. You prioritized yourselves and your relationships. Balance.

That balance carried through every aspect of your lives. Chores, date planning, and maybe most importantly your sex life. It wasn't something that anyone would expect from the two of you and your picture perfect relationship, but the two of you liked to experiment with your play. After all, if there was something that you could be doing better, you'd want to find out. Your only goal in the bedroom was to make each other feel safe, loved, and as good as possible.

So it was really just another day when Changbin got home from the studio and found you tidying up the kitchen even though it was getting late. He knew then that you'd stayed up to wait for him, you always tried to no matter how often he told you that it wasn't necessary. He wrapped his arms around you, pressing a few soft kisses to your shoulder.

"Missed you," He muttered, and you smiled, drying your hands off and turning in his arms. You tipped his chin towards you so you could press a chaste kiss to his lips. He melted a little closer to you, breathing you in and letting himself feel you. He was always clingy after a long day, all of his usual energy melting away and leaving just your precious boyfriend, tired and quiet and sweet.

"Missed you too." You tried not to giggle at the ticklish sensation of his lips against your neck, his breath caressing your skin. "There's food in the microwave, did you eat?"

"Not hungry," He said. You could already feel the way he was growing needy for your touch, his teeth dragging over your weak spot and earning him a quiet chuckle, more sigh than laugh. "Wanted you all day, need to feel you so bad."

"Bin," You tried to argue, but his hands were on your waist, sliding under the shirt you were wearing. His fingers were calloused, but so gentle as they stroked your body, working you up slowly but surely. His kisses continued, body caging you against the counter. Up your neck, along your jaw, across your cheek until he finally met your lips. The kiss washed over you, slow but so wholeheartedly desperate. You let his tongue dip into your mouth, savoring the taste of him and his longing.

Your hand wound its way into his hair, tugging lightly until he pulled away, lips already turning pink from working over yours.

"Tell me what you need, Binnie." You said. You watched the tension loosening in his shoulders, the way his eyes seemed to darken even more, going soft as he looks at you. He buried his face in your neck, pressing impossible closer to you until every inch of your front was squished into his.

"Need you to fuck me. Wanna feel good," He muttered, and you hummed, stroking his hair as you held him close.

"Alright baby, I can do that. Go get undressed, I'll be in there in a minute. Just gotta put the food away, okay?" You told him, nudging him away. He whined, pulling you closer. Still, you stayed firm. "Bin, I promise I won't be long. You can pick which strap you wanna take, yeah? Get everything out for me?"

He gave in then, slowly slipping away from you and heading for the bedroom like you said, his exhaustion and reluctance so clear in the way that he carried himself that you almost felt bad sending him away. But it didn't matter, you knew your job was to do what was best for him, and what was best was making sure he had food for later before you fucked him to sleep. So you made quick work of putting it up before you went to find him.

When you reached the bedroom, Changbin was stripped down to just the pretty undergarments that he liked to wear for you, perched on the bed with a few items laid carefully in front of him. You smiled proudly, taking off your pants and joining him on the bed.

"Look at you, such a good listener." You told him, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and running your thumb over the softness of his cheek. "Still want to play?"

He nodded eagerly, looking up at you with the sweetest eyes.

"Good boy." Your hand ran lower, tracing the pretty baby blue strap of the bra he had on, down to where his tits were peeking over the delicate cups. "Did you wear this all day or did you put it on just for me?"

"Had it all day, but I put it on for you," He answered, hands coming to your waist to pull you closer to him, always so needy for the contact. "Wanted to look pretty when I got home."

You swallowed down a groan at his words. So fucking pretty for you, always was like this. You kissed him again, long and messy, before guiding him to lay down.

"My pretty baby. Gonna take such good care of you, just relax." You told him, dipping down to mouth at his collar bone, dragging your tongue along it before moving lower down to the dip between his pecs. He whined, squirming a little before seemingly reminding himself that you'd want him to keep still. He was always so eager to please, to give you exactly what you wanted so you'd give it back in return.

You slid one of the straps off his shoulder, then the other, then you slid a hand under him to unclasp it and slide it off all together, almost regretting the loss of the sight in front of you. But if he wanted you to top him, you knew you'd need him nice and pliant for you, putty in your hands. And there was no better way than this.

You wrapped your mouth around one of his nipples, listening to the way he whimpered. His hands reached for you, scrambling to find a place to touch you. You continued to suckle on the sensitive nub, your tongue tracing circles around it before finally pulling off and switching to the other side. Changbin's breath was coming out shaky. His tits were so much more sensitive than he'd known before meeting you, and you were just as addicted to playing with them as he was to having them toyed with.

"Ma'am, please." He whined. You pulled away from his abused nipple with a soft pop, looking up at him.

"What, sweet boy? What's the matter? Thought you wanted me to take care of you." You said, your hands trailing down the soft muscle of his stomach, feeling the way he tensed and relaxed under your touch and admiring the hard work that he put into his physique. He pouted, eyes growing wet with tears that tugged at your heartstrings.

"Need you inside. Please,"

It was so hard to deny him when he asked so nicely, and after all he dealt with on a daily basis, you couldn't find it in you to deny him. So you nodded, pecking his lips before sitting back.

"Alright baby, let's get you opened up, okay? Gotta be patient with me," You told him. You traced your fingers along the waistband of the pretty pair of panties he'd put on, the same pretty blue lace as the bra. Really it was a shame to take them off when they were fighting to hold his cock in so cutely, but you gave it to him anyway, tugging them down his plush thighs until you could take them off his ankles.

Changbin quickly turned over without even being told to, presenting his ass for you and squishing his cheek against the pillow. It was the easiest for him like this, didn't have to put as much effort into spreading himself open for you to play with him. You kissed his hip before reaching behind you for the bottle of lube he'd gotten out. You used one hand to pop the cap open, the other coming to knead one of his asscheeks, spreading them open and watching the way his hole clenched and unclenched. You dripped a generous amount of lube over the tight hole, earning a tiny gasp from Changbin at the temperature change. Your fingers followed after, spreading the lube and coating your fingers in it before dripping a little more onto them and testing one of your fingertips against his rim.

As always, Changbin was tense, but the feeling of your finger trying to breach his most sensitive spot made his entire body visibly relax, trying to make it a little easier for you. Once your finger started sliding in, it was easier to get him to open up. You worked it in slow, pumping it in and out to the first knuckle, then the second, carefully pressing against his rim to urge his hole wider until you could easily fuck one of your fingers into him.

He wasn't generally very loud, not this early on, but you were left with the pretty sound of his breath hitching, and the rhythmic hums that he let out each time you filled him up. Then you were adding a second and he was keening so pretty that you almost wanted to tease him again. You could see his cock jump, surely leaking the prettiest beads of precum already.

"Feel good, Binnie?" You asked, your free hand running over his hip. He nodded, breathless and pressing back onto your fingers as you scissored them open. You pulled them out, ignoring his huff and the tantalizing wiggle of his ass to add a little more lube. Then you were splitting him open with three fingers and just like that you'd pushed him into a new level of desperation.

"Please, ma'am, need you. Can take it, I promise. 'M open now, please. Fuck me, please." You were so helpless to him when he begged like that. You pulled your hand away, wiping your fingers on a tissue before leaning down to kiss his lower back, nudging him to lay back down, which he did eagerly.

You climbed off the bed, taking your sweet time while situating the strap to your body, feeling his gaze weighing heavily on you. Once it was on, you held your hand out and Changbin obediently leaned forward, lips pursed as he spit into your palm. You murmured gentle praise before stroking the silicon toy and smearing his spit on it, more for show than anything. As you settled between his thick thighs, Changbin spread himself open wide for you, pulling his thighs back and putting himself on display.

You uncapped the lube again, letting it spill onto the toy, some of it dripping onto Changbin's own rock hard dick, making him whine and squirm. He reached down to stroke himself, seeking some level of release, but you knocked his hand away, lining up the toy with his desperate hole.

"Color?" You asked, eyes flickering back up to his face. Getting pegged was always vulnerable for him, especially after a long day, and you weren't going to disregard that easily.

"Green. Just fuck me." He demanded, though it was so whiny that you had a hard time taking him seriously.

You pressed your hips forward, letting the head of the toy press into him and watching the way he tensed, then relaxed, melting into the bed beneath him. Once you saw that wave wash over him, you pressed in deeper, giving slow, shallow thrusts until you were buried inside of him entirely. His face was overtaken with lust, lips parted with the bliss of being full. Your hand wrapped around him, pushing his thigh closer to his stomach and hooking over the top of it to keep him in place. The other wrapped around his weeping cock, smearing the mix of lube and his precum up his length a few times while he adjusted.

Once you were sure that he was ready for you, you pulled out again, then plunged back in, finding your rhythm in slow, steady thrusts until you brushed just right against his prostate. He arched, a pretty whimper slipping out of him, and you were determined to hear it again. You shifted, finding your power in fucking the absolute demigod of a man beneath you absolutely brainless.

Your thrusts got harder, and with each of them the steady stream of desperate praise falling out of his lips jumped and hitched and broke until he was barely coherent. You could tell you were hitting right where he liked it by the way his cock twitched between the two of you, dripping and leaving a pretty puddle against his soft tummy.

"Look how good you're taking me, so perfect wrapped around my dick. You're so perfect, aren't you Changbinnie?" You asked, hand coming between you again to stroke him in time with your thrusts. He nodded, dark waves a mess against the pillow and eyes screwed shut as he tried to cling to his sanity.

"Yes, ma'am. So perfect for you. Good boy, right? Your good boy." He babbled. You leaned down, your lips slotting over his and your tongue dipping into his mouth to taste the saccharine words on his tongue. The new angle has him falling apart, fingers digging against your waist, pulling you impossibly closer. With the way you were pressed, your movement was turning into barely there grinds, digging the tip of your cock against his prostate and trying to messily stroke his dick in time. But despite the awkward position, it was absolutely giving Changbin everything that he needed.

"Close," He warned you, breathless and skin shining with the sheen of sweat he'd worked up. You latched your mouth over his nipple again, giving you a little more room to work. It was another three thrusts, a few tugs of his cock, and a particularly harsh suck before he was sent over the edge, cum leaking out of him down onto your hand. His eyes were shut tight against the tears threatening to fall, face scrunched up as he panted and whined out thanks under you. He always came a lot, even more so when you fucked him through it like this, milking every last drop out of him until it was running down your hand, pooling on his pelvis and dripping along the crook of his thigh.

"That's my good boy, good job." You hummed, bringing your messy hand up for him to lap at until it was all clean, smearing a bit of his cum against his cheek as you did, but he couldn't mind in the least. No, Changbin was on cloud nine, and you were thriving on the steady thrum of pride that came with getting him there.

"Thank you," He murmured against your skin, still suckling at your fingers. You reached up with your free hand, stroking against his cheek. He was so sweet when he got like this, fuzzy and warm from an orgasm and high on the feeling of not having to think.

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" You moved to pull out of him, but his muscular thighs instantly closed around your hips, keeping you close to him as he looked up at you with the sweetest eyes.

"Stay inside. Just a little longer." He asked. You knew that if you did he'd be hard again in no time and begging you to fuck another one out of him. But he was looking at you with the sweetest eyes, and you really weren't capable of saying no to him like that. So you leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips, then another.

"Alright, sweet prince. I'll stay. But we gotta get you cleaned up before you fall asleep. Promise?"

"Promise,"

You smiled, stroking his sides and pressing close to him with no regards to the mess between you. After all, a mess could be cleaned up, but you'd only have one lifetime with Seo Changbin in your arms.

copyright 2023 coupsie-daisies, all rights reserved

[sean-parnell]

How Manufacturers Can Leverage Content Marketing to Grow

Cold calls, print advertising, tradeshow participation, and knocking on doors once worked well manufacturers can no longer rely on them to generate leads that fuel sustainable, double-digit growth despite having an effective sales team that may still have some skills in these areas.

Inbound lead generation in commercial and industrial markets requires compelling brand storytelling and thought leadership that educates prospects along the buyer’s journey, who don’t want to talk with salespeople before they’re good and ready as they fear being “sold to” by people that don’t have their best interest in mind.

Problems Solved vs. Products & Services, Features & Benefits

Powerfully resonating with prospects requires brand storytelling that converts website visitors into prospects then into customers.

Your brand story begins with having a deep understanding of the problems faced by your prospects, what they need to overcome them, and the value to them in doing so before promoting all of your products and services and their features and benefits. Prospects are searching for who can solve their problems and may have a limited understanding of what will solve their problems, so claiming your solutions are “the best” and that you’re an “industry leader” may mean nothing until they have an understanding of how your products will help them.

The hero of your prospects’ story is themselves, so you need to educate them on how you can solve their problems, and how your people, process, products, and services – not just products – do so. This is what will resonate powerfully with them. In this way, you serve as a guide for achieving success and avoiding failure. Your products and services with their features and benefits are how you solve these problems..

Thus, your “brand story” needs to be told throughout all of your marketing: on your home and about pages, blogs, guides, case studies, marketing collateral, presentations, proposals, press releases, third-party website profiles, direct mail, email campaigns, your tagline, and anywhere else you promote your company.

A brand story for each product and service you sell can also be developed as each of them solves different problems in different ways for different markets. This “sub-brand storytelling” is also effective for different vertical and geographic markets as each has different requirements.

Extracting & Promoting Thought Leadership

When they have a problem that they want to solve – because the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of the change – prospects self-educate themselves by researching the internet before speaking with any vendors, so it’s important to provide educational content that will help them understand how you can solve their problems:

TOFU: Top of Funnel: this content builds awareness by providing an overview of the problems you solve and how your products solve them

MOFU: Middle Funnel: this content goes one level deeper and helps them consider between different options that can solve their problem

BOFU: Bottom Funnel: this content gets very specific and helps prospects make their final decisions

OOFU: Out of Funnel: this content is created in a misguided attempt to maximize keyword rankings and website traffic as part of a flawed search engine optimization strategy (SEO) but fails to generate leads though can be quite costly

Tip: it’s important to have a good balance of all types of content (except OOFU).

It’s especially important for manufacturers to understand that, in addition to learning about how you solve their problems with your products and services, your prospects want to know how your solutions and business practices compare with both direct and indirect competitors. They also want to understand how their investment can be cost-justified so they can sell the idea of buying from you to internal decision makers that may not be in communication with you. Product comparisons are very useful because this is what prospects try to compile themselves, especially if they include areas where your competitors have an advantage over yours. Case studies that include return on investment (ROI) estimates are also highly useful for prospects.

Lead-Generating Content Begins with Keyword Research

Understanding and prioritizing what your prospects are searching for is a critical first step for lead generation, which begins with conducting keyword research on all the different terms your prospects may use.

Onsite SEO then fully leverages the content you’ve already developed when you work the highest priority keyword phrases into your page titles, meta descriptions, H1 headers, and throughout the content of each page – just remember it has to read well and should only be performed by someone that thoroughly understands your business and what prospects value.

Brainstorming content ideas that incorporate these keyword phrases and educates prospects along the buyer’s journey is the next step, following by prioritizing these content ideas into an editorial calendar. The best content comes from getting a professional copywriter to interview your company’s thought leaders and then writing up what is learned in the form of foundational website content, blogs and guides.

Best Practice: Google Search Console reports the keywords people searched for to find you.

Creating Lead Magnets

When your prospects discover that you are providing education and thought leadership for how you can solve their problems, many will be willing to provide their contact information to download this gated content – especially long-form, MOFU and BOFU content including guides, whitepapers, ebooks, and webinars. It’s also important that your contact forms ask prospects where they found out about you so you can attribute each download to the marketing or other activities that generated them. It’s not recommend to gate promotional material that prospects expect to be freely available, including blogs, brochures, data sheets, infographics, case studies, and similar materials.

Promoting MOFU and BOFU also generate even more website traffic and leads, including in Google Ads, LinkedIn Campaigns, Microsoft Ads and other pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, your social media profiles (especially LinkedIn and Twitter), on third-party article publishing sites (e.g. Medium), and throughout your public relations activities.

The Manufacturing Content Creation & Lead Generation Process

Here are the steps for creating content that has been proven to generate leads and product sales from many commercial and industrial manufacturers:

Conduct keyword research and optimize all of your current content for search

Develop brand storytelling and implement it throughout your home and about pages, marketing collateral, presentations, and all other marketing materials

Write blogs and publish them on a consistent schedule, educating prospects on a wide variety of topics that help them understand how your products and services will solve their problems

Syndicate unique versions of this content on high ranking, third-party websites

Launch Google ads and email campaigns to bring more prospects in

Create microsites to promote how you solve specific problems in your top vertical markets

Launch ecommerce to supplement sales through your channel partners for people that want to speak with and buy directly from you – just don’t undercut them, so selling only at list price is recommended

Evaluate new market opportunities where your current competitors are irrelevant with Blue Ocean Strategy

This approach routinely generates sustainable, double-digit sales growth with an ROI of over 300% within 12-18 months when executed by an experienced industrial marketing agency – and your company will no longer be a well-kept secret in your markets.

The Case for a Marketing Audit

While it may be appealing to hire a full-time content marketer, SEO specialist, or to outsource to a manufacturing marketing agency that may wow you with shiny objects, conducting deep dive marketing due diligence with an experience marketing consulting resource understands your industry is typically a better way to start.

An effective marketing audit will identify what it will take for you to generate sustainable, double-digit growth by leveraging brand storytelling, content marketing, SEO, content syndication, email campaigns, marketing automation, social media, advertising, PR, and more.

Most marketing audits focus only on promotional marketing communications, so you may want to find an industrial marketing agency that can auditing the other three Ps of your marketing: products and services, pricing and placement (selling through channels and go-to-market strategy).

[park-jaechan]

Korean TV Drama Vol.123 (Media Boy MOOK) Jaechan Interview

"Semantic Error" The lead actor, a kind young man, is perfectly cast! In 2019, Jaechan made his singing debut as a member of the idol group DKZ (formerly DONGKIZ), while also pursuing acting simultaneously. He has been diligently working hard, releasing albums and appearing in web dramas, balancing both careers. In 2022, he starred in the leading role of "Semantic Error" (WATCHA), which became a hit as the first BL drama in South Korea, marking his blossoming as an actor. In 2024, he appeared in "Bitter Sweet Hell" (MBC) and "My Sweet Mobster." He plays Lee Donghee, a gentle young man who, despite being the youngest “thirsty deer” longing for Seo Jihwan (played by Um Taegoo), modestly supports Go Eunha (played by Han Sunhwa), bringing comfort to viewers.

A Filming Set Full of Improvisation Once I got used to it, I was able to enjoy the filming.

What kind of work is "The Girlfriend Who Plays"? It's a project that taught me how enjoyable acting can be and how I can approach it with a relaxed mindset. I quickly became friends with the seniors from “Thirsty Deer,” and the set was always filled with laughter. There were many moments where I truly felt like a family. Only enjoyable memories come to mind.

How did you think about expressing the character, Lee Donghee? Honestly, at first, I thought the role of Donghee was very difficult. Donghee is a character who is quiet and shy, feeling a strong pressure not to burden his seniors or the company. So, I struggled with how to behave in front of the playful seniors. However, I decided to act with the mindset of "Donghee should just quietly do what he needs to do."

How similar are you to Jaechan himself? Donghee is the same age as me, but he is much more mature than I am. So, it took me some time to understand him. I couldn't relate to his tendency to carry pain by himself. When I face difficulties, I’m the type to talk to others and seek advice, so it pained me to see Donghee struggling alone. Nevertheless, Donghee is a character with kindness, so I focused on expressing that aspect.

Donghee was a kind person who gave flowers to Eunha. That was the director's idea. He said, "Let’s go with the concept of Donghee as a man who holds flowers," so I always had flower props around me. Thanks to that, I think Donghee's kindness was well expressed. I also believe that Donghee’s quiet dedication to his work is another charm of his character.

The scenes with the “Thirsty Deer” employees were quite comedic. What was the atmosphere like on set? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that half of the scenes in “Thirsty Deer” were improvised (laughs). It felt like a group of people who love acting were doing skits together, and everyone was in sync. At first, I struggled to adapt to that atmosphere, but before I knew it, I got used to it and was able to enjoy the filming.

Was there a particularly memorable episode? There’s a scene where Lee Yoojoon (played by Jung Manho) presents a new product at the company, but his lines were suddenly changed on set. He ended up messing up his lines about ten times. Since it was a comedic scene, the NG itself was funny, and I remember us trying to hold back our laughter while filming. Shy Donghee didn’t join in on the laughter much, but I felt a bit disappointed thinking that if he were more extroverted, he could have played along.

In a past interview, you mentioned that you’re “quick to learn.” What did you learn from this work? I think I was able to learn the wit and improvisation of my seniors. As we got to the later stages of filming, I became able to respond quickly to their improvised lines, so I believe my reflexes improved a bit and I became more resourceful.

"It Was Just Like the Original" I will never forget the joy of that moment.

How was it working with Um Taegoo and Han Sunhwa? Watching my seniors act made me feel, “Professionals are truly different.” One scene that particularly impressed me was when Jihwan celebrated Eunha’s subscriber count reaching one million. Before filming, Taegoo hyung was really worried about how to express it, but once we started shooting, he acted like a carefree child, which was really amazing.

There were also scenes where your performance shone. How about the scene where Donghee's past is revealed? Donghee has a trauma from an accident during high school. There’s a scene where a friend’s brother connected to the accident visits Donghee, and it’s a moment where Donghee gets agitated. It was the first time Donghee's emotions were visible, so I was quite careful during the filming. Maybe I got too immersed in the emotions, as even after shooting, my heart was still aching. The scene where he cries and pours out his feelings in front of prosecutor Kwon Yool (played by Jang Hyunwoo) was equally impactful.

What is your favorite scene? It’s the ending scene of the final episode. Everyone is wearing trench coats, and when they take them off, the members of “Thirsty Deer” and Eunha are each wearing T-shirts with words written on them. You’ll have to watch the broadcast to find out what it says (laughs). That kind of direction was really innovative, and I remember everyone having fun during the filming. Although Donghee’s conclusion isn’t elaborately described, I imagine Donghee works hard at “Thirsty Deer,” gets promoted, and eventually takes the position of CEO from Seo Jihwan (laughs), ending up as Lee Donghee.

I’d like to ask about “Bitter Sweet Hell.” In the role of Dohyun, which you play, Kim Heesun was cast as the mother and Kim Namhee as the father. Wasn’t it a pressure to work with such esteemed seniors? First of all, Heesun and Namhee are very bright, and especially Namhee is truly a playful person. Even in serious scenes, he made everyone laugh, so the set was always filled with laughter. Lee Hyeyoung, who plays the grandmother, has a powerful presence that you can feel just by watching her on TV. During filming, she was even more impressive and a bit scary, but in reality, she is very charming. To be honest, I was nervous about working with my seniors, but they seemed to sense that and lightened the mood with jokes.

Are there any scenes from “Bitter Sweet Hell” that you’d like to highlight? There’s a scene where Dohyun lies to his mother, and it ends up being revealed, leading to a quarrel. But actually, Dohyun has a significant secret, and he just didn’t say it. In the end, he gathers the courage to confess and gets comforted by his mother. It was an impactful scene, and it connects to Dohyun’s happy ending, so I’d definitely like to highlight it.

Let’s talk about “Semantic Error,” which brought a significant turning point in your life. It’s an unforgettable work for you, isn’t it? Of course. It’s a work that gave me a huge opportunity. Thanks to the role of Chu Sangwoo, I received a lot of love and had various experiences. I was also given the task of creating a character as loved as Sangwoo in “Semantic Error.” When I played Sangwoo, both the director and the viewers said, “He was exactly the character we imagined from the original,” and I still can’t forget the joy of that moment. I would love to play a role that I can’t imagine anyone else portraying.

Trials Create Who I Am Now Everything is my destined experience.

I want to know more about you. What have you been eating recently, what music are you listening to, and what are your current hobbies? Lately, I’ve been eating soy sauce egg rice a lot. It’s simple to make and delicious, so I really like it. I sometimes add meat to it as well. The song I’m currently into is “I Like U (feat. CAMO)” by Leellamarz. I also plan to continue cycling, but it’s been too hot recently, so I’ve taken a little break. I think I’ll start cycling again when autumn comes.

How do you overcome tough times? I often just stay still. Instead of forcing myself to overcome it, I leave it be, and before I know it, that moment has passed. I believe in destiny. I’m still young, but I think I’ve experienced quite a few trials in my life so far. I believe those trials have shaped who I am today. So, whether it's tough times, happy moments, success, or setbacks, I try not to worry and accept that it’s all part of my destined experiences.

Do you have any new goals? I want to make acting and singing lifelong friends, something I can always walk alongside. I want to experience more and continue to create music that reflects my own colors based on those experiences. If possible, I’d like to prepare an album within 2024.

Do you still want to play a psychopath? It’s something I often talked about in interviews after “Semantic Error,” and I still feel that way. I want to challenge myself with a villain role. I’ve mainly played kind and intelligent characters, so now I feel like trying to play a character that’s the complete opposite. I’d love to portray a villain like the one Im Siwan senior played in “Unlocked” (2022).

Finally, could you tell the Japanese readers about the drama you’re currently filming, “Check-in Hanyang” (broadcast date on Channel A is undecided)? It’s a comedic period drama depicting young people striving to enter Yongcheon Building, a lodging that’s more glamorous and splendid than the royal palace during the Joseon era. I’m appearing alongside Bae Inhyuk, Jung Gunjoo, and Lee Howon, and I play Go Soora, a character who is struggling to become a regular employee of Yongcheon Building. I think it will be a funny piece, so please enjoy watching it!

Translated by Park Jaechan Updates Thanks to @/lllJC1206lll for allowing us to use the scanned photos

[ladywillowwc-blog]

More on Dr Cha - the finale

I’ve been reading responses to the finale of Dr Cha. If you read my previous post, it will not surprise you that I loved the ending.

Dr Cha spent 20 years and more putting other people first. This is not uncommon for women who make up the sandwich generation (our mothers and grandmothers may also have occupied this space - it is not a new phenomenon.) in addition to having jobs and generally most of the household responsibilities, some of us care for elderly parents and parents-in-law, a partner, children, and even grandchildren. Everyone’s needs are likely to come first - partly because we are conditioned to believe our needs should not be a priority, and partly because until everyone else is taken care of, it is hard to get any space, time, or peace to take care of ourselves.

If this does not resonate with you, I suggest you speak to a woman between the ages of 45 and 80. I bet this reality beats like a gong for her.

As for Dr Roy Kim falling in love with Jeong Suk and supporting her and wanting to be her saviour - WOMEN DO NOT OWE MEN LOVE.

Read that again: WOMEN DO NOT OWE MEN LOVE.

Or anything else. Someone else’s love and devotion cannot dictate a person’s feelings.

I think Jeong Suk was genuinely grateful to Dr Kim. She may have thought about what it would be like to be with him romantically. But she was not in love with him. And in the end she knew that her debt to him would be too big to find any balance.

Which is why she could accept the liver from Seo In Ho. He discharged his debt by signing the divorce papers, giving her the building, and promising to not “pathetically cling” to her. She could take his donation as payment for all the sins he had committed and feel no more obligation. He could rebuild his karma - remember when Eun Seo asks how both her mother and “that lady” could feel so much for him and he says, “I must have done some great deed in a former life”?

You don’t have to like that way of thinking, but it is a genuine and deeply held belief among billions of people. As audience, we should at least respect it.

I don’t understand the people watching this drama making no attempt to understand a very different way of thinking about life, obligation, duty, and happiness.

Plus - this story is not The Glory. Dr Cha doesn’t burn down the world. Her revenge is in living her best life with peace and happiness.

That seems like a good choice to me.

[lgcminki]

minki schedules a private interview with seo youngjae.

it's been a long time.

a part of minki thinks he's making a mistake, scheduling a private interview when there are many things that he should be considering and rethinking this moment. is the stage truly meant for him, can he achieve it alone now? he doesn't know, he can't even begin to find the answers to this question so late into the game—but there's no way out. sure, he can just take a pause to figure it out, but that feels fundamentally wrong too. so many thoughts to sort out and not enough energy.

maybe that's why he's here. maybe that's why he wants to try this out. he can't end it himself, this dream of his that he had been chasing for all of his life—maybe he needs legacy to end it for him. it's dramatic; almost as if this is his last chance. it could be, depending on how this will go.

but he wants to try—to make one last attempt. he wants to see if he can make it on his own, without the haunting images of his old friend plaguing his mind.

so he braces himself for the first question.

"why are you interested in being in NEWKIDS NEWDREAMS?"

minki knows the answer to this all too well, has been pondering over it before he took his seat. "i think it's about time. like a... this is it moment," he explains. "ah, i suppose that's a little too vague, sorry about that. who wouldn't be interested in joining a group and debuting, finally?" that's the truth, or at least half of it. "it's been a while since i've been in legacy, so i'd be lying if i said it's not because i want to leave the back stage and actually be a part of the stage. it's just about whether i will shine or not." more than ever, minki feels it now. if he gets dropped here, he'll have to think of what he truly wants to do in the future. "i want to get out there, and see how the stage looks from the other side. i want to know if i can make it too." [100]

"considering the current confirmed members, what can you add to the formation ON AND OFF stage if you are picked?"

"hm, i guess my answer would be passion." that sounds kind of corny now that he has said it, but it's the first thing that came to mind. "even after everything, i can't stop this... weird yearning i have for performing. on stage, i'd give it my all—even if i'm sweating buckets and running out of breath." he knows he has gone through many late nights to improve himself. "i believe i have the capabilities to keep eyes on me—as long as i keep up the energy, of course. there's a balance to that too. to stand out, but because i'm in a group, not stand out so much that it becomes jarring." he takes a pause, thinking for a moment. "when it comes to off stage... this probably gets said often, but i am a hardworker. i think the coaches know how i was off-tune when i got to legacy. after lots of training—and asking friends to help out—i finally got a stable footing on my voice. i can sing well now, i believe. then again, it's up for you to judge." [143]

"which skill do you want to be known for and why?"

"skills... i'd like to be known for my performance skills. more than singing, more than dancing." there's a brief shift in expression when he mentions dancing, but it disappears as soon as it appears. "of course, those skills amplify my performances. but i'd like to be known for being able to capture the audience—i want to know that i'm able to make them feel through my performances. from the way i move, or from the way i sing. i want to move people, whether to tears or to laughter. back then—well, until recently, i try to do that with my dance. after i learned to cultivate my vocal skills better, i'd like to be able to use both to my advantage." [103]

"what kind of concept are you good at and what kind are you bad at?"

this question made minki wonder what legacy had in mind for this new group too. "i suppose i'd like high energy concepts compared to relaxed ones. i tend to go overboard when it comes to performing, sometimes it might come off as a little extra if i were put in a more fresh and lax concept. so to that question, a group with slower vibes wouldn't suit me. although doing ballads would be fun and challenging, i'd definitely do better with something more upbeat with high tension. i'd try everything if i could, but realistically i know that's not possible." [85]

"what kind of group would you ideally want to be part of and why?"

"like i mentioned before, i'd love to be a part of a group with high performance." that has always stayed the same. "more so than songs that are released, it's important to be able to keep up with the hype of a new album with equally hyped-up performances. i also think it'd be beneficial to be in a group that makes people go—wow, they're a lot better live! or something like that. it'd be nice if i could lend some creativity into the process too, for example creating choreographies in the future. one step at a time though." [92]

the interview ends sooner than expected, but it also feels as if it had been going on forever. either way, it's over—all minki can do now is wait for the results. and then he'll decide what to do from then on.

[madhukumarc]

SEO Challenges - [Know these Top 7 to Rank Higher]

SEO challenges might look big, but you can solve them too with timely efforts.

In this blog post, I can shed some light on the top 7 challenges faced by SEO professionals including the latest challenge buzz by Search Generative Experience [SGE], and provide insights on how to overcome them.

Do you know? - “Without a strong SEO foundation, you will completely rely on paid spend” – Conductor

SEO Challenges:

1. Changing Search Engine Algorithms:

One of the biggest challenges in SEO is keeping up with the ever-changing search algorithms.

Google, in particular, updates its algorithm multiple times a year, which means that what worked yesterday may not work today.

To stay on top of these changes, it's crucial to keep yourself informed through industry blogs, forums, newsletters, and conferences.

Keep following the blogs of Ahrefs, Semrush, Search Engine Round Table, Search Engine Journal, and Search Engine Land to get yourself updated.

“Because SEO is a dynamic field that involves frequent algorithm updates and evolving best practices, you’ll need to continue your SEO education and keep up with industry changes” – Semrush

2. Conducting Keyword Research:

Another challenge is keyword research. Choosing the right keywords is essential for optimizing your website's content and driving organic traffic.

However, finding the right balance between high search volume and low competition can be tricky.

To overcome this challenge, I suggest using premium keyword research tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, Long Tail Pro, or Keyword Tool to identify relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition.

You might also get some initial keyword research and content ideas from using other SEO tools like Google Keyword Planner, Answer The Public, Also Asked, and Exploding Topics.

You can further supplement your efforts using Quora, and Reddit platforms for most SEO-burning issues discussed, commented, and shared via their forums and communities respectively.

“Your keyword research should go beyond merely evaluating search volume and keyword difficulty to discovering the intent, topical galaxy, audience characteristics, and place in the buyer’s journey for every keyword” – seoClarity

3. Monitoring Technical SEO Issues:

Technical SEO issues can also pose a significant challenge. This includes problems like slow page speed, broken links, indexing errors, duplicate content, and mobile-friendliness.

These issues not only affect your website's user experience but also impact your search engine rankings.

To tackle technical SEO challenges, perform regular audits of your website using tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, Semrush, or Screaming Frog.

Address any issues that are identified promptly.

“Technical SEO, in its basic form, is ensuring your website has a good technical standing so search engines can crawl, index and rank it well” – SEOTesting

4. Creating High-Quality Content:

Creating high-quality content is another challenge in SEO.

Gone are the days when keyword stuffing could get you to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). Today, search engines prioritize content that provides value to users.

To overcome this challenge, focus on creating informative, valuable, and engaging content that solves your target audience's problems.

Incorporate relevant keywords naturally and aim for content that covers topics comprehensively. Long-form content at all times is not necessary.

Unless the search intent is met as required, even short-form blog posts and articles serve the purpose.

Always focus on people-first approach content than SEO-first approach content, though you can optimize later.

“To excel in today’s evolving digital landscape, content creators must produce high-quality content that provides value and captures their target audience’s attention” – Search Engine Journal

5. Link Building or Backlinks:

Link building is yet another SEO challenge. Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites is crucial for improving your website's authority and rankings.

However, acquiring these backlinks can be time-consuming and challenging. To overcome this challenge, focus on creating link-worthy content that others would naturally want to link to.

Additionally, engage in guest blogging opportunities or collaborate with influencers in your industry to earn valuable backlinks.

Engaging in buying backlinks goes against Google's rules, and this approach might not be effective in the long run.

On the other hand, building links through genuine relationships is becoming more valuable and influential nowadays.

Internal linking between relevant website pages or blog posts is also important to remember for better search engine rankings.

“According to Aira’s State of Link Building report, guest blogging is the third most popular link building strategy, with 47% of surveyed SEOs using it as their go-to” – Ahrefs

6. Measuring SEO Performance:

Measuring and analyzing SEO performance can be a challenge.

It's important to track key metrics such as organic traffic, bounce rate, conversion rate, keyword rankings, and any others based on your business-specific to assess the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

Utilize tools like Google Analytics [GA-4] and Google Search Console [GSC] to gain insights into these metrics and make data-driven decisions.

In fact, according to many SEO experts, using these tools frequently will help you remain ahead by giving you more content ideas, allowing you to establish new SEO benchmarks, and monitoring a variety of user engagement behaviors.

Personally, I regularly check my GSC account to see which keywords my website is ranking for and to come up with fresh ideas for blog posts, and increasing my topical authority.

“Organic traffic (42% votes), followed by conversions (37% votes) and rankings (14% votes) are the top 3 metrics that are most effective in measuring SEO performance” – The State of Technical SEO Report 2023 from Aira & Women in Tech SEO

7. Influence of AI Search Generative Experience [SGE]:

You may know that search engines such as Google and Bing have incorporated AI into their search processes.

While this is still being developed and experimented with, certain bloggers, SEO experts, and website owners have noticed lower click-through rates (CTRs) and decreased organic traffic.

This is because AI-generated search or Search Generative Experience (SGE) results are taking up some of the visibility that was previously directed toward their content.

Simply put, organic results are further pushed down, which reduces the visibility of information. Although SGE doesn't affect every niche-based keyword or phrase, the search landscape is evolving.

Currently, it's necessary to get ready to adapt to this situation.

To enhance the visibility of your website content, focus on generating high-quality content and incorporating a variety of visual elements such as images, infographics, and embedded videos.

“SGE is still in its experimental stage, and many web and SEO marketers are still figuring out how generative AI can impact marketers and users in the future” – HubSpot

Pro-Tip: Make your website or blog mobile-friendly or mobile-optimized and, [if necessary], hire an SEO professional or agency to meet your business-specific needs, and get optimum results.

That being said, SEO isn't a "quick fix" for ranking; it's an ongoing process that requires constant effort and monitoring.

“Search results differ drastically between mobile and desktop. Google recently moved to mobile-first indexing, reflecting the importance and predominance of mobile compared to desktop” – Conductor

In conclusion, SEO challenges are part and parcel of the ever-evolving digital landscape.

By staying up-to-date with algorithm changes, conducting thorough keyword research, addressing technical issues promptly, creating valuable content, building high-quality backlinks, measuring SEO performance effectively, and sailing through SGE, you can overcome these challenges, and achieve your SEO goals.

Remember, persistence and adaptability are key in this dynamic field.

Here's related information that you may also find helpful – Will AI Kill SEO?

[strapstylehub]

The Best iPad Cases for Kids: A Comprehensive Guide

SEO Meta Description:

Discover the top picks for The Best iPad Cases for Kids in 2023. Our expert guide provides detailed insights, reviews, and FAQs to help you make the right choice for your child's device. Explore these recommendations and shop now at WristWatchStraps.co for the latest in kid-friendly iPad cases.

Introduction

In the digital era, iPads have become indispensable tools for children's education and entertainment. Safeguarding these devices is crucial, making the quest for the best iPad cases for kids a top priority. This comprehensive guide not only offers valuable insights but also provides a seamless shopping experience. Explore our recommendations and shop now at WristWatchStraps.co for the latest in kid-friendly iPad cases.

Factors to Consider When Choosing The Best iPad Cases for Kids

Material Matters: Durable Protection for Playful Hands

Selecting a case made from robust materials is essential. Shop now at WristWatchStraps.co for silicone or rubber cases that provide a sturdy grip, preventing accidental slips and drops. Our reviews cover the best materials that withstand the wear and tear of an active child.

Design Delights: Merging Style with Functionality

Kids love vibrant designs, and luckily, many iPad cases offer both style and functionality. Explore our recommendations and shop now at WristWatchStraps.co for cases featuring beloved characters, ergonomic designs, and functionality that enhances the overall user experience.

Size Sensibility: Finding the Perfect Fit

Not all iPad cases are one-size-fits-all. Our guide helps you navigate through various sizes and compatibility features to ensure your chosen case fits your child's iPad model like a glove. Discover the perfect fit – shop now at WristWatchStraps.co.

The Best iPad Cases for Kids in 2023

1. Fun and Functional: XYZ Cartoon Series Case

Delight your child with this eye-catching case featuring their favorite cartoon characters. The reinforced corners and shock-absorbent material make it a top choice for parents concerned about accidental drops.

Why We Love It

Vivid Design: Captivating visuals engage young minds.

Impact Resistance: Protects against bumps and falls.

Easy Access: Precise cutouts for hassle-free charging and headphone jack access.

2. Secure in Style: ABC Educational Explorer Case

Combining education and entertainment, this case offers a blend of vibrant aesthetics and educational elements. Dive into our review to discover why it's a popular choice among parents.

Top Features

Interactive Features: Built-in educational games for learning.

Kid-Friendly Design: Lightweight and easy for small hands to hold.

Parental Controls: Manage screen time effectively.

FAQs - Your Burning Questions Answered

How do I clean my child's iPad case? Regularly clean the case with a damp cloth and mild soap. Avoid harsh chemicals to prevent damage to the case material.

Can my child charge the iPad without removing the case? Yes, most kid-friendly cases provide precise cutouts for charging, eliminating the need for removal.

Are these cases compatible with different iPad models? Our recommendations cover a range of iPad models. Ensure to check the product details for compatibility with your specific device.

What makes a case "kid-friendly"? Kid-friendly cases prioritize durability, easy grip, and additional features like kickstands or educational elements.

Are these cases tested for safety standards? Yes, all the recommended cases meet safety standards and are free from harmful materials.

Can I trust online reviews for iPad cases? While online reviews offer insights, cross-reference with reputable sources and user feedback for a more accurate assessment.

Conclusion

Choosing the best iPad case for your child involves a balance of durability, design, and functionality. Our guide aims to simplify this process, providing you with the information needed to make an informed decision. Invest in the right case today to ensure your child's iPad stays protected during every adventure. Ready to make a purchase? Shop now at WristWatchStraps.co.

Contact Us Connect with us on social media:

Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/wristwatchstraps.co/]

Facebook: [https://m.facebook.com/p/Wristwatchstrapsco/]

YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@wristwatchstrapsco]

TikTok: [https://www.tiktok.com/@wristwatchstraps]

For inquiries and assistance, feel free to reach out to us through the provided links. Your journey to the perfect Apple Watch band starts with WristWatchStraps.co.

[rankingsaifortunes]

Unleashing the Power of AI-Integrated SEO: A Blueprint for Digital Dominance

In the dynamic realm of the digital age, where every click counts and every search matters, the fusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) emerges as the ultimate catalyst for online success. As an industry expert deeply immersed in this transformative journey, I invite you to explore the groundbreaking synergy between human expertise and AI innovation. Together, let's uncover the strategies, innovations, and real-world applications that are reshaping the digital landscape and offering businesses unparalleled opportunities for growth and engagement.

I. The Emergence of a Digital Ecosystem: AI and SEO Unveiled

At the core of the digital ecosystem lies the potent combination of AI and SEO. Imagine AI as the guiding star, navigating the vast sea of data, and SEO as the ship, charting the course to online visibility and prominence. This symbiotic relationship isn’t just evolutionary; it's revolutionary. AI enhances SEO strategies by deciphering user intent, predicting market trends, and ensuring businesses are not just found online but also deeply understood by their audience.

II. Decoding the Modern SEO Landscape: Beyond Keywords and Backlinks

Gone are the days when SEO was synonymous with stuffing web pages with keywords and amassing backlinks. Today, modern SEO is a sophisticated blend of technical prowess, user experience, and content relevance. AI-driven SEO algorithms, powered by machine learning, comprehend the nuances of user queries and content context. It's not just about ranking high; it's about delivering what users truly seek. From mobile optimization to voice search readiness, the modern SEO arsenal is multi-faceted, demanding a keen understanding of AI integration.

III. AI Supercharging SEO Techniques: A Deep Dive

Delve deeper, and you'll find AI supercharging traditional SEO techniques. Natural Language Processing (NLP), the marvel of AI, allows search engines to understand queries in the way humans do. Content creation is elevated to an art form, where AI generates not just words but compelling narratives that captivate audiences and search engines alike. Predictive analytics, another cornerstone of AI, transforms SEO from a reactive strategy to a proactive powerhouse. Businesses armed with AI-driven insights can anticipate market demands, consumer behavior, and emerging trends, positioning themselves miles ahead of the competition.

IV. Real-World Triumphs: AI-Integrated SEO in Action

Let’s journey through real-world scenarios where businesses, both large and small, have harnessed the power of AI-integrated SEO to achieve remarkable feats. From regional enterprises targeting hyper-local markets to global conglomerates optimizing their online presence for diverse audiences, these case studies are testament to the transformative impact of this fusion. Witness how businesses have not only increased their visibility but also enhanced user experience, leading to unprecedented growth and brand loyalty.

V. Ethical Frontiers and Future Horizons

Yet, in this boundless landscape of possibilities, ethical considerations stand as guiding beacons. Striking a balance between hyper-personalization and user privacy is paramount. As AI delves deeper into customization, businesses must uphold ethical SEO practices, ensuring a seamless, secure, and unbiased online environment. Looking forward, the horizon holds even more exciting prospects. Imagine AI-driven virtual assistants understanding your needs before you articulate them, or SEO algorithms tailored for the metaverse. The future is not just bright; it's luminescent with potential.

VI. Expert Narratives: Wisdom from the Visionaries

To truly grasp the magnitude of AI-integrated SEO, we turn to the visionaries and pioneers shaping this landscape. In exclusive interviews, these experts share their insights, challenges faced, and lessons learned. Their narratives not only provide valuable perspectives but also inspire businesses to innovate, adapt, and thrive in the ever-evolving digital sphere.

VII. Conclusion: Embrace the Future Today

In conclusion, the fusion of AI and SEO isn’t just a trend; it's a strategic imperative for businesses aiming not just to survive but to flourish. As an industry expert, I advocate for embracing this synergy as an opportunity, a chance to revolutionize digital strategies, enhance customer experiences, and lead in the competitive online arena. The blueprint for digital dominance is clear: integrate AI intelligently, understand your audience deeply, and craft experiences that resonate. The digital future is now. Are you ready to seize it? Let's embark on this transformative journey together, where innovation knows no bounds and success has no limits.

[mavassistant]

You Should Hire A Virtual Assistant & Here’s Why

To Hire a Virtual Assistant is a suitable solution for your business if you are tired of spending hours in front of the computer without free time for yourself, your friends, or your family. You might be wondering if hiring a Virtual Assistant is worth it.

We’ve all heard about how a Virtual Assistant can help your business succeed. But how? Here’s a list of ten reasons you must hire a Virtual Assistant (VA) to help reach your goals.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant provides remote services to different brands and businesses. Additionally, Virtual Assistant offers numerous benefits in the business, such as:

Grasping the most potential talent that your business needs

Less supervision

Reduces the workload

Keeps business owners away from entrepreneurial burnout

Despite these benefits, there’s a big decision to make regarding outsourcing. And since business owners always aim for success, they will undoubtedly take risks. This is due to the reason that VA leverages the business’s utmost potential.

Virtual Assistants can help everyone needing assistance, such as:

Business owners

Coaches

Teachers

Real Estate professionals

Doctors

Brands

Influencers

Embracing a Virtual Assistant means delegating remotely and with some training, especially on the client’s preferences. Thus, business owners can enjoy a work-life balance and focus on the essential tasks alone.

There are millions of Virtual Assistants ready to assist clients today. They are primarily in administration, sales, marketing, finance, customer service, human resource, IT, creatives, and many others. Virtual Assistants can work hourly or with fixed-rate jobs starting at $5/hour or $500 monthly.

Virtual Assistants Today that can Help Clients

Most of these Virtual Assistants are skilled and trained. These are some of the fields Virtual Assistants today can help clients with:

Executive Virtual Assistance

Social Media Management and Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Real Estate Virtual Assistance

ClickFunnels

Email Marketing

Shopify

Project Management

Copywriting, Editing, Proofreading

Online Bookkeeping

Video Editing

Web Design

Facebook Ads Marketing

eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Etsy, and Poshmark Virtual Assistance

Graphic Design

Amazon

Podcast Management and Marketing

Online Teaching

Brand Marketing and Advertising

Online Accounting

Full Stack Development

App Development

Business and Product Development

Xero, Wave, FreshBooks, and ZipBooks

Quickbooks, MYOB, Zoho, and AKAUNTING

Digital Marketing

ChatBot Marketing

Customer Service, Sales, and Support

Human Resource Management

Coding Designs and Procedures (Architecture and Engineering)

Online School Management

Top Three Reasons Why you Need a Virtual Assistant

1. Reduce Costs

Onboarding a new employee means additional expenses. Thus, when business owners hire a Virtual Assistant, it saves costs for training, benefits, and other fees. Considering a VA is an independent worker. Business owners can spend on something other than leave credits and benefits like a regular employee receives.

2. Saves time

Most of the VAs have experience in their expertise. This means that you can skip training. They know what to do and have the knowledge and skills to impact your business growth. And since VAs are remote workers, they know how to manage their time and tasks well. On top of that, a Virtual Assistant can multitask while ensuring quality outputs.

3. Proper tasks delegation

When you outsource, you are delegating tasks effectively. Why is that so? As your business is continuously growing, tasks are also increasing. In that case, you need to leverage a Virtual Assistant’s abilities in coping with duties. Similarly, your office employees can focus on their tasks, and you, as the owner, will focus on and prioritize core duties.

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[chenqing9]

Unintentional Love Story

I just watched the Korean Bl drama (based on a manhua I haven’t read) and really enjoyed it. Since I feel the need to rant about everything I watch here is this trash. I’m rating (out of 5)

Overall - **** Loved the characters and felt very drawn into their conflict. Personally did not love the user plot dynamic or the perceived power differential between the main characters for most of the show but that’s my strong dislike of “daddy” energy and clearly my own problem.

Connection/Romance - ***** The connection between the main couple is what I consider perfect. They fall hard and then stick with it because they can’t do anything else. The care they show each other is sweet, typical bl expressions of affection but what absolutely slays is the eye contact. You got me writhing on the ground over EYE CONTACT? Ok guys you did something right.

Humor - ***** I laughed out loud multiple times. The sprinkling of humor throughout is very good and legitimately unexpectedly funny.

Angst - ***** High complex situational angst holy crap yeah I was very upset in multiple ways at once? Read below for my shameless spoiler rant.

Side Characters - ***** It might not get better than those two fools in love.

Seriousness-to-Fluff scale: Balanced. Oh it’s fluffy alright. Which I believe matches the novel so it makes sense. But it’s also emotionally serious and tackles some real issues (corporate corruption, familial abuse, user-y exes etc.)

My spoiler rant below:

———

Alright. The plot. I will be 100%, I hated Wonyoung for a good 2/3 of this series. I’m sorry. I know he’s cute. He’s also a snitch. Yeah… you find someone who’s in hiding to the point that they changed their name? You do NOT report them to the people searching for them my god. What a naive little gfghsagjk. I was entirely in Taejoon’s court and my heart hurt so much when he found out he was being used by the person he loves.

What redeemed Wonyoung for me? Besides something my rabbi said that I have taken horribly out of context, it’s the fact that he grows the hell up. Towards the end he does a complete 180, he’s no longer a desperate tool of the company but a self-determined individual who does not give up on Taejoon despite everything. He even protects him within the company and gives his ex an absolute piece of him mind. When Taejoon is finally at the point where he’s willing to forgive him, so am I.

The relationship between Donghee and Hotae is so fascinating to me. They are both hilarious characters in their own right (Donghee has perfected the dramatic long-suffering gay sigh and Hotae’s puppy-dog attitude is just the cutest paired with his gangster reputation.) Watching them navigate the idea of a real relationship is sweet and painful. Donghee is, I think, so scared. He has been abused by his family for being gay and it’s not clear to me if he wants to protect himself or Hotae or his Auntie or everyone by denying himself. The fact that he has to hold all of that actually makes him the saddest character to me. I’m happy when I see Hotae say things like “I’ll just hang around you for the rest of your life” because that’s what he needs. That level of certainty.

Manager Jung can go grovel in the mud like the slug he is. Actually I like slugs, nevermind.

Finally, Cha Seo Won is so hot. My god, man. Sorry, I am just in awe. He should keep that haircut and wear a trenchcoat at all times.

[division-d]

The Power of Mentorship

April 24, 2023

By Drue Moxley, Copywriter  

If you’ve ever been thrown into a new job with zero direction, then you’re probably familiar with the overwhelming feeling of stress that comes along with it. On top of feeling like the ‘new kid,’ you’re left to fend for yourself in an industry you might not have experience in. It’s not enjoyable, is it?

Eventually, you either figure things out on your own (kudos to you) or become so frustrated that you start looking elsewhere – without the assurance that it won’t happen again.

So, what’s the problem?  

You didn’t have a mentor to lead you in the right direction!  

Whether you’re just entering the workforce, transitioning to a new position, or completely altering your career path, having an experienced team member’s guidance is always in your best interest.  

Training is one thing, but the advice you’ll receive on navigating situations and minimizing challenges from someone who’s been in the game longer than you is essential to your professional development.

“Digital Advertising is a constantly growing industry with much to cram into your brain at one time, and that can be overwhelming, so I strive to be a mentor that helps make learning it all a little easier.”

- Taylor Coleman, Mentor

How do mentors help?  

They’ve been in your shoes, dealt with pressure as a newbie, moved through imposter syndrome, established their sense of purpose, and eventually became successful and confident enough to let you in on their tricks of the trade.  

Becoming a mentor is a process, but rest assured, if you’re assigned a mentor, you’re in good hands.

A mentor is like a professional older sibling. Think about it; they’re more developed, acclimated to office culture and day-to-day expectations, and eager to help you achieve your goals.

“Throughout the entire learning process, my mentor helped encourage me, allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them, and proved to me that I had the skills I needed to truly be successful in a sales role.”

- Lauren Faulkner, Mentee 

At Division-D, mentorship is a fundamental part of our company culture.

When you join our team, our priority is to make you feel comfortable, supported, and ready to take on any task.  

Fostering incredible dynamics is an aspect of Division-D's culture we take pride in. Our leadership team, including mentors, is here to encourage you until you find your workload balance.  

So – what does the process look like?  

The mentor-to-mentee dynamic at Division-D includes one-on-one weekly check-ins where questions are answered and concerns are addressed. Mentors also oversee mentee tasks, approve work once complete, and provide guidance where needed.

“My mentor has been such a huge help when it comes to answering questions that my clients have, guiding me through tasks I haven’t done before, checking over my work, and providing helpful and detailed feedback.”  

- Mackenzie Helms – Mentee 

Mentorship is a powerful tool in the workplace.  

Take advantage of every moment, meeting, piece of advice, correction, and then some, and watch your confidence grow and reflect in the work you’re putting out. Who knows, you might even become a mentor yourself!  

Ready to find a company that’s enthusiastic about mentorship? We’re hiring! See here to apply.

READ OUR LAST ARTICLE: How to Forecast and Calculate the ROI of SEO [With Template]

[whats-wild-to-you]

Abandoned (Jay Park AU)

- Know Your Place -

“Sophia, darling, it’s so nice to see you again!” 

The man in his 60s said while approaching Sophia, chivalrously, placing a kiss on the back of her hand. 

“It’s good to see you too, Mr. Lee.”

“Oh, please, call me Sang-Woo. We’re amongst us here!”

Sophia took a look around. The cigar lounge was usually reserved for men, but since it also was where the important deals happened, she had to gain access to it sooner or later. 

“Tell me, kid, do you also have a Korean name?”

Another boss asked. He was less amused about the fact that Sophia had infiltrated their secret gatherings. He was also a lot older, as Sophia noticed.

“Eun-Ji.”

“Good. Then call yourself Kim Eun-Ji from now on. That’s step one into fitting in Korean society.”

It wasn’t a suggestion, and Sophia understood that. Jay looked at her eagle-eyed, prepared to step in should she make a mistake or slip up. It took a little arm twisting to get both Jay and Sophia in there, seeing as some bosses thought it might throw off the balance.

Sophia resisted the urge to apologize. This was lesson number one, and Jun-Seo made sure she understood and internalized it prior to this meeting. Never apologize. An apology shows weakness. And the weak are easy prey.

Lesson number two was to look the part. Jun-Seo went through Sophia’s clothes, weeding out everything that wasn’t appropriate, or too colorful. Or both. And Sophia had a lot of that. Then they went shopping and now Sophia’s closet was filled with black, grey and burgundy colored outfits.

The men had examined Sophia’s outfit as soon as she arrived, nodding content. At least she was able to score some points in that department.

Lesson number three, language. Here, Sophia struggled the most. Between the occasional use of swearwords and her unability to stop talking, Jay and Jun-Seo were having a tough time. The less you talk, the better!, Jay had said to her just before they arrived at the cigar lounge. Sophia kept repeating it like a mantra, inadvertently talking non-stop and unnecessarily pissing off Jay.

“Jaebeom, I take it you will brief Eun-Ji about everything she needs to know?”

Lee Sang-Woo asked, his gaze on Jay, trying to intimidate him. Sophia noticed and a cold shower ran down her spine.

“Already on it!”

“Good. I think that’s all for today then.”

“Wait a minute!”

The old man got up, raising his hand.

“We need to establish who we’re going to deal with from now on?”

“With Jaebeom, of course! After all, it’s what Jinyoung wanted!”

Lee Sang-Woo chimed in, silencing the much older male. 

“Then why the hell is she here?”

He pointed his finger at Sophia and a murmur went through the room. 

“Have you already forgotten, old man? She’s here because she’s Jinyoung’s daughter!”

“Then let’s get rid of Jaebeom.”

Sophia’s breath caught in her throat when the old man uttered those words. Stealing glances at Jay, she saw that he didn’t appear to be worried and her posture relaxed.

“Maybe it’s time for you to step down!”

Lee Sang-Woo doubled down, laughing, with some men chiming in, earning death stares from the old man.

Shortly after, the group dispersed, with Lee Sang-Woo calling after Jay and Sophia who had almost made it to the door.

“So close.”

Sophia heard Jay mumble and had to stifle a laugh.

“Sophia, umm I mean Eun-Ji, wait! I heard from my son that you got to talk to him a little during the recent dinner. What did you think?”

“About?...”

“My son! He’s going to inherit the business one day.”

“Umm...”

Sophia looked at Jay panic-stricken, as if to beg for him to help her. But Jay stood off to the side, his gaze casted downwards.

“We didn’t really get to talk that much.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll try to change that very soon!”

Lee Sang-Woo replied with a grin and both Jay and Sophia bid their goodbyes. 

“Thanks for the help back there by the way!”

She snapped at him as soon as they got in their car. Upon hearing the way Sophia talked to Jay, the driver panicked and almost caused an accident when he backed out of the parking spot.

“Watch how you talk to me.” 

Jay’s voice was low, threatening. It caused Sophia an involuntary shudder to run down her back and she apologized remorsefully, loud enough for the driver to hear.

Jay gave the driver instructions to Sophia’s apartment. She was startled when Jay got off too and told the driver to wait nearby.

Sure that Jay was going to scold her, Sophia walked extra slow, stalling, when she got in the elevator, trying to buy some time for herself, hoping that Jay would calm down when they arrived at her door. But Jay was panting, and the more time passed the more impatient he grew.

Finally they were at her door and Sophia typed in the passcode to unlock her door. As soon as the door closed behind them, Jay pinned her against the wall, his arms on either side, preventing her from escaping.

“You know, you really got some nerves. Who do you think I am that you can play with me like this?”

“I-”

“Quiet. I don’t want to hear anything from you!”

Sophia blinked rapidly, overcome with fear for the first time. She knew there was a different side to Jay, but she wasn’t expecting to witness it up close.

“You listen to me, and you listen to me well. You do as I say, understood?”

Sophia nodded frantically, trying her best to keep the tears from spilling. She was breathing heavily and avoided Jay’s stare as best as she could.

“I’m not going down because of you, do you hear me?”

Sophia nodded again, and Jay, blind with rage, punched the wall only centimeters away from her face.

“Answer me!”

“Yes.”

Sophia eventually said, after mustering up all her courage.

“Goddammit. Fuck!”

Jay cursed, hitting another spot in the wall, leaving a dent and blood splatter. Sophia winced, holding her breath.

Terrorized, she entered her bedroom as soon as Jay left, grabbing a suitcase from her closet, filling it with everything she laid eyes on. She took a moment to book a flight, her fingers trembling, as she typed in her information. Then she splattered some water on her face, changed her outfit, wore some sunglasses and dragged her heavy suitcase to the door. Making sure she had her wallet and phone on hand, she opened the door coming face to face with Jun-Seo. 

“Sophia, what are you doing?”

“Let me go!”

She figured if she screamed loud enough the neighbors would open their door to check in on her. But no one cared. Jun-Seo successfully pushed her back into her apartment, closing the door and blocking Sophia’s only escape route with his body.

“Sophia, please! Calm down!”

“You don’t even know what happened. He-”

“I know. That’s why I’m here. Please. Sit.”

Sophia slumped down on the couch breaking down in tears, asking again and again what her father was thinking dragging her into all of this.

“Why? Huh? Why me?”

“We’re all on edge here.”

“Of course you would defend Jay. Did you know about his nasty temper?”

“He’s bearing the brunt! He’s also going through something he didn’t ask for.”

“He chose this life. I didn’t!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize on his behalf. It’s bad enough you have to clean up his mess.”

Sophia said, watching as Jun-Seo opened a large duffle bag, producing a bottle of sodium hydroxide and slathering some of it on the wall, effectively removing the blood splatter. Then he mixed some plaster and evened out the dent Jay’s fist had created.

“He’s not like this usually.”

“Hard to believe after what I witnessed.”

“He’s doing everything he can to keep the family together. Lots of his guys don’t respect him, already tried to kill him, even before Jinyoung died. But he remains unshaken, putting his life on the line since many of our people have families or sick parents to take care of. He’s sacrificing himself for these people daily. He was the only one, besides Jinyoung, who really cared about the family staying together. Jinyoung saw this and was going to name him successor even if his son didn’t turn out a bastard.”

“I find it hard to picture my father as a loyal man when he abandoned his wife and unborn child.”

“He didn’t abandon you. He thought he had to protect you, and he only saw one way.”

“Where is he, you know, resting?”

Jun-Seo nodded and scribbled an address on the back of his business card. Sophia took the paper from him, thanked him and left to pay her father that overdue visit.

Arriving at the cemetery, she walked up a hill, following the directions the warden had given her. In the distance she could see Jinyoung’s grave but he wasn’t alone.

“How did you find me?”

“I wasn’t looking for you. I asked Jun-Seo where my father was buried.”

“Why are you here? To complain about me?”

“That was my plan!”

“Listen, I-”

“I know I appear as if I don’t think before I talk, as if I talk too much, overshare, appear mindless, you name it. I’ve been struggling with this my whole life. I blamed it all on the father I didn’t have. It was his job to teach me all these things. My mom, she did her best, but couldn’t replace a father figure. I know I was out of line earlier.”

“Sophia-”

“But I’ve never been more scared in my life either. I guess you have a lot on your plate as is, and now you have to deal with me too on top of that, but-”

“I was thinking of eating some Seolleongtang. Care to join me?”

If Sophia ever thought about declining, her growling stomach betrayed her, answering for her. She chuckled softly, nodding as she wiped the tears off her eyes.

“Is it okay that we’re here?”

“What do you mean?”

“Won’t people recognize you?”

“From where? The posters on their walls?”

Sophia laughed out loud at Jay’s comment, drawing attention to her and Jay.

“OMG, you’re like batman!” 

She leaned forward, revealing enough of her cleavage to make Jay nervous.

“You can’t do this! You can’t lean in, show some skin, bat your eyelashes. Like a girl!”

“What are you talking about? I am a girl!”

“No, you’re not!”

“I’m not, you’re right! I’m a woman!” 

“You need to be tough! You’re going to be amongst men, you must act like one. Think like one! Tomorrow I’m taking you to meet the family. Everyone’s been asking why you haven’t shown up yet. There are a lot of people who were very loyal to Jinyoung, and they would really like to meet you.”

“Is this a good idea?”

“Whether it’s a good idea or not, we’ll see tomorrow. If you’re done, we should go.”

Sophia nodded, and her and Jay left the store. Sophia insisted on taking a taxi back to her place, while Jay made a mental note to arrange for a car and a driver.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, okay?”

Jay showed up personally first thing in the morning, driving Sophia back to the villa. It was her first time being back, after spending only a day there. She kept rubbing her sweaty palms against the fabric of her pants, breathing in and out.

“Why are you nervous? Don’t be!”

“Easier said than done.”

“Listen to me, you’re their boss! Yes, they’re big, bulky, scary men, but you’re their boss! Don’t forget that.”

“Will I be meeting all 30 of t-”

“No. Just the lieutenants. They’re like military captains. We have three of them.”

“What do they do?”

“They’re heads of different branches, commanding the soldiers.”

“And I’m their boss?”

“You’re their boss.”

“I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Please don’t. I had the car cleaned yesterday!”

“Why?”

“Blood. Everywhere.”

“You’re joking!”

“I wish. Some fool took it and ruined the leather.”

“Now I’m really going to throw up!”

“You’re supposed to be a doctor, for Christ’s sake! You can’t feel queasy at the sight of blood. I’m pretty sure that’s a requirement to pass med school!” 

“Thanks for making me laugh! And, don’t worry. I’ll be as cold as ice in there. Because I’m their boss!”

Sophia said, repeating that phrase until Jay car stopped in the villa’s driveway.

***

- Unexpected Alliances -