#Yeosang headcanons | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

starrysvn · 1 year ago

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puppy love | kang yeosang

pairing: kang yeosang x gn!reader

genre: headcanon; e2l (i TRIED); co-workers au, volunteering at an animal shelter; fluff; angst if you really, really squint, crack (i’m nOT funny)

word count: 3.1k

rating: pg-13

warnings: none; one smooch, mayhaps a couple swear words (lowercase intended)

networks: @cromernet

author’s note: happy belated christmas from your secret santa, @armysantiny !! i really hope you’ll enjoy this and i sincerely hoped you spent warm holidays surrounded by people you loved! <3 i’ve tried my very best with the e2l but mAN writing it is so much less fun than reading it. big, huge, thanks to @hwaightme for giving me wonderful ideas to use and delulus to ponder so i could write this down. ilysm <333

kang yeosang is one infuriating individual. for one, there is no way anyone can be so praised and well-liked by literally everyone. not a day goes by where you don’t wonder how his small smiles and quiet attitude could bewitch every last person he talked to. not when he would not bother to say hi in passing to you specifically, or resolve to small nods and monosyllables when talking. to you.

it seems that you are the problem.

you and him work volunteer shifts at the same shelter. only, he deals with cats while you deal with dogs so it wasn’t like you’d see each other that often, but it was often enough to know he doesn’t like you.

not enough to say hi, engage in any sort of coversation or, least of all, help out if needed.

until christmas.

the shelter was decked out, you spent a whole afternoon helping out with decorations, along with yunho and yena, two other volunteers.

and yeosang.

the man almost laughed his ass off watching you balance on a ladder in the most uncoordinated way possible to avoid falling. arms flailing around and everything.

he just stood there, an ornament in his hands, with his stupidly cute smile and watched.

you sigh, scratching behind the ear of the latest rescue dog that was brought in. you like baxter, he is chill and his black, shiny fur does not show signs of him having had to live out in the streets all on his own for weeks anymore. you like him best because it looks like he is listening when you ramble on, in disbelief of the rudeness showcased, about yeosang.

just then, a call of your name sounds in the air, the voice coming from the front desk of the shelter.

“see you later,” you leave behind baxter’s toy, leaving him with one last pat on the head, and make your way to the front where hongjoong had called for you.

you smile upon entering the reception area as it had been a joint decorating effort between you, yunho and yena. the result was looking very much like an elementary school christmas project, but you enjoy the general vibe. the senior rescuer currently behind the counter, looking rather preoccupied with a few papers, however, had just shook his head dejectedly upon seeing the final result.

“i’m sorry to be doing this, but could you take the christmas day shift?” he looks apologetic as he asks, rushing to explain. “it’d only be a half day, I promise that by one you can leave, we’ve got the staff taking care of the other shifts and the morning one’s the only one left uncovered-”

“no worries,” you interrupt his rambling. “i’ll be there.”

hongjoong smiles, looking relieved only for a second, before his face betrays further worrying.

“what is it?”

“nothing, i,” he sighs, shoulders sagging upon seeing the inquisitive look on your face. “yeosang will be working the same shift.”

defeat. dejection. betrayed trust. you groan dramatically, barely hearing hongjoong say that you’d already agreed and it would not be that bad.

surely it’d make for an interesting christmas.

when you arrive on christmas morning, the night shift staff gives you a tired nod and you offer him a smile in return, quickly wishing him happy holidays.

you waste no time in doing the rounds, giving all the cute doggos their breakfast.

while going over the duty checklist left from the night shift staff you hear the bell jingle in the front and roll your eyes.

when you finally decide to go up front it takes a couple of minutes before yeosang finally comes into view.

decked out in his funniest ugly sweater it reads “here comes santa paws” and has a cat wearing a christmas hat on it and with his long hair tucked behind his ears, he’s coming up to you with an awkward air about him.

you squint your eyes in suspicion.

“merry christmas,”

you’re floored, shocked, gaping like a fish looking up at your co-worker who for the first time ever has spoken to you first.

“cookie?” he produces a tupperware from behind his back, carefully removing the lid to reveal the most crooked, ill-decorated christmas cookies you’ve ever seen. some look slightly burned. a gingerbread man has three eyes.

you’re still gaping, not in the slightest understanding how it's possible that he’s spoken to you first, and also not noticing how ever so slowly a blush starts to creep up on his cheeks.

maybe you’re hallucinating, but it snaps you out of your trance.

you quickly reach for the gingerbread man with three eyes.

“thanks,” you mumble, giving him a small smile. “merry christmas.”

yeosang nods, closing the tupperware and disappearing without a word.

so you’re left there, cookie in hand, not knowing what to do with this.

you stay put, eating your cookie, until you hear a loud bang.

you rush to the source of it, finding a very flustered yeosang surrounded by cat litter. at least it’s clean.

you hold in your laughter, seeing him stand there, look around and try to come up with a plan.

“a little help?” you pretend to wipe away tears, facing his deadpan expression.

“you would’ve let me fall from a ladder,”

“you would’ve survived,”

you scoff, turning around to grab the broom and toss it his way. Yeosang catches it, just barely.

“really?”

“you scared my dogs.”

with that, you leave him to his mess, going to comfort and play a little bit with the shaken up puppies.

it’s not until a little later that you show up at the front desk again, noticing yeosang is already sitting there, typing away on the computer.

he’s also got the phone pressed to his ear, helping out someone on the line with cat duties, speaking with his honey voice and a small smile on his face.

it’s almost mesmerizing seeing him wear an expression that’s not his usual blank stare he holds up around you.

“if you’re done staring, we’ve got hongjoong’s checklist to go through,”

just like that, you feel like a deer caught in headlights, heat pervading your face.

“sure,” you shrug, going over to him to take a look at it, trying not to stare at his smug pout.

deep down, very deep down, you think about kissing it away.

if he weren’t so unbearable. but he is. so.

the checklist read “lobby Ikea chairs”

you both looked at each other, confused, until you noticed the boxes hidden behind the counter.

there was a post-it on it that read: “good luck! -HJ”

simply infuriating. you’d lost count of all the times you had to resist the urge to roll your eyes or drop everything and go back to your dogs.

there was no trace of the cold, odd yeosang you were used to.

he’d casually sat down on the spot where you were assembling the Ikea chairs, picked up the instruction manual and waited for you to hand him the screwdriver. bewildered, you had.

that was about two hours ago, before trying to follow instructions had gone to your heads, when it was only extremely awkward and quiet while he read the manual and you tried your best to sneak glances at him. to figure out what possibly could have been going through his head, of course.

now you were busy trying to one up each other in an undeclared war of who is the best handyman, clearly having lost the main aim: building the damned chairs.

“you were supposed to put in the screw first and then the little wooden thingy.”

“does it matter?”

“does your chair look structurally sound?”

“listen, if we start over-” pinching the bridge of his nose and scrunching his eyes closed with a sigh, you stop him before he could finish his sentence.

“like hell we are, it took us two hours just to get to this.”

“exactly,” his deadpan tone leaves you no choice but to sigh.

“fine,” you give in.

you were going to kill hongjoong.

because it took you only two hours to realize all it took for yeosang to distract you were his hands working on assembling furniture, his voice asking you to pass him stuff and his silence.

if you hated it before, now you appreciated the quiet moments where all you could hear was the faint music coming from the radio and the occasional bark or meow that prompted one of you to stand up and go check on your animals.

of course it was because you didn’t have to hear his disdainful reprimanding, not at all because it gave you the chance to throw glances at him and how a few strands of hair escaped the clips pinning it back and framing his face very nicely. no, not at all. you still couldn’t stand him. mhmh.

once you finally finish building the chairs, he helps you set them up in exchange for the older ones, now piled up in the storage room.

it’s almost second nature for you to hold up your fist for him to bump.

it’s just a thing you do all the time with your friends but now you’re standing there awkwardly, fist mid air, yeosang staring at you very lost, eyes going back and forth from your face to your hand and of course now he’s not going to want to see your face ever again and you feel embarrassment slowly and steadily creeping in the more you stand there until

he fist-bumps back

a little puzzled, seemingly asking if he’s done the right thing with one look, before dropping his hand and clearing his voice

you do the same

“gotta go see the dogs,”

“yeah, no, me too… i mean, the cats, yeah, so-”

he turns around and speeds away.

you follow him.

“so how’re the cats?”

yeosang jumps on his spot, almost dropping the little mouse toy he was about to throw for a kitty to catch.

“sleeping, mostly,” he shrugs. “how’re the dogs?”

you motion for him to follow and, surprisingly, he does.

immediately, he greets the ones that are up or go up to him with a smile on his face that you’ve never seen.

it shines brighter than the sun and you find yourself smiling as well, seeing him crouch down and pat dogs left and right.

then you get a grip, not for long

it leaves you pleasantly surprised how he follows while you introduce him to every dog, how he listens while you explain why they’re there, their stories, their backgrounds

but then, while you try to get some of the dogs to play with you so he could finish the round of greetings, he reaches the puppies’ enclosure and enters it to sit among them

and while he tries to play catch with a couple, one makes his way into his arms

and when he looks down at the pup, he’s wearing the most adoring expression

like a kid seeing snow for the first time

it’s wondrous and starry and happy

and you’re staring as he softly pats the puppy’s head and coos at it

“what’s his name?”

you almost don’t answer, too focused on the scene unfolding and having trouble locating the information he’s asked for in your brain

“i don’t think he has one,” you mumble, patting baxter’s head

“sleepy,” he looks down at the puppy. “cause he’s asleep while everyone wants to play, you know?”

you just nod with a smile, or at least you hope it is because what the fuck

why are you losing your mind over yeosang cradling a sleeping puppy?

why is your brain recognizing just now that your stomach’s doing cartwheels? why do you want to look away but also keep staring?

“what’s this?” you think he’s speaking to himself, but you still catch the words leaving his mouth as he enquires the toy another puppy has just brought him

then yeosang looks up at you, eyes wide as saucers, and your heart drops for being caught staring

he doesn’t say a thing, but looks down prompting you to do the same

it’s the mistletoe chew toy

yunho’s brilliant idea of getting the dogs christmas themed toys

yeosang looks away throwing it

“yunho,” you start, catching your coworker’s attention. “yunho’s idea, to get them those.”

you offer him a pained smile as he nods, scratching his head.

“seonghwa too, for the cats…”

“ah, really?”

“yeah…”

you want to bash your head into the wall

but the phone saves you, so you dash to the front, escaping the burning flames of awkwardness

it turns out to be a family wanting to adopt as a christmas present for their kids

so you say that yes, you’re open and yes they can come in whenever

when they do, yeosang has re-emerged and stands beside you, silent like always

this time around, though, you fear he’ll hear your heart beating out of your chest at the proximity

why’s he so close?

you almost jump to greet the happy family of four when they walk in to the sound of let it snow coming from the radio

“we were afraid it wasn’t going to stop!” the dad says, brushing off some snow from his hat

turns out they’d like to adopt a dog

it surprises you that yeosang follows when you lead the family in but you try to pay him no mind

the kids seem to be enamored with every dog they see, their parents giving them free reign

they’re still very polite and don’t cause much ruckus or yell too loud, which you’re grateful for

“could you tell us more about him?”

you’re about to turn to answer the question, if it weren’t that yeosang’s already at it

he’s introducing the kids to baxter

“he’s been here for a while, he’s very fond of our y/n and his favorite snack is carrots. he doesn’t like loud noises all that much. his past owners left him here because they could no longer take care of him, but he’s looking to find a new home,” he speaks as if he’s always been taking care of him, like he hadn’t just learned all that stuff half an hour ago

and he has his smile on, the one who could charm and warm up even the coldest of hearts

except one detail

you didn’t notice the little girl facing the puppies enclosure

until you hear her go “that one’s sleeping!”

but you can’t tear your eyes away from yeosang and his can’t help but hear his soft giggle as he says “his name’s sleepy”

yeah you want to punch a wall just about now

though you have to snap out of it quick

because you’re now letting this nice family adopt baxter and can’t fuck up the procedure or hongjoong will have your head

“how’d you know?” you ask, a little melancholic but over the moon to finally see your baxter go to a family worthy of him, as you both watch the car pull out of the parking lot.

“know what?” when yeosang turns to look at you, it’s with a shadow of a smile and curious eyes, an expression you’ve rarely ever seen directed your way

you swallow hard before speaking next

“that baxter’s fond of me”

his eyes light up in recognition

yeosang swore no soul shall ever know of this

but now he feels his resolution coming apart under your waiting eyes

because truth is, he’s noticed

he notices everything about you

from how you walk in dragging your feet when you have an early morning shift, relying on your cup of coffee, to how you laugh loudly at yunho’s jokes, always get your favorite snack from the vending machines at just about the same time he goes to get his melon pan he does wait for you to be done before going up to the machines himself

and how deeply you care for the dogs and how you seem to have a soft spot for baxter

maybe he’s even heard you once or twice rambling on and on to him about how you don’t get why he doesn’t like you

truth is, he sees you, and he likes you

so much

too much

he’s afraid of doing the wrong thing, say the wrong thing and make you hate him

but apparently his plan had backfired immensely

that’s why he insisted hongjoong gave him and not seonghwa the christmas shift

he even baked stupid cookies to give you

“ah, well…” yeosang has no idea how to get out of this one. “you just seemed to like him a lot from the way you spoke about him”

you hum, not really convinced

yeosang notices though, just as he notices the car of the afternoon staff pull in under the snowfall to free you of your volunteering duties

it’s not long before the shift’s over and he’s not going to see you until after the holidays

so, as you part ways to say goodbye to the pets and grab your coats, he musters up some courage

under the snowfall, he calls your name

when you turn around his dark hair is lightly dusted with snowflakes, only making him look more ethereal, and his eyes are determined

you don’t know what’s up with you today and why suddenly he’s making you feel like a teenager dealing with their first crush under his gaze

“yes?”

he comes closer, much more than he’s ever been, so close that you’re frozen on the spot

“just wanted to let you know that you can redeem your mistletoe kiss whenever you want to”

there’s a smugness in his voice, in his pouty smirk and a sense of accomplishment shining clear in his honey eyes

have they always been this mesmerizing?

his words and his warmth leave you breathless for just a beat too long, until your eyes fall on his lips

when you look back into his eyes, his are already looking at you, waiting

“alright,” you mutter lowly, pecking his lips once, testing the waters

he places another peck on your lips and, before you know, you’re kissing him

it feels exhilarating, and soft, so soft, just like his lips. just like the hand that’s come up to cup your cheek, bringing you closer, deepening the kiss.

when you come up for air you giggle, yeosang following suit

“may i also interest you in a coffee?” he asks, hand still on your cheek, gently brushing away snowflakes before they melt. you smile.

“i thought you hated me,” it almost sounds like a question and your brow furrows when he clicks his tongue.

“have you ever heard about the concept of quiet, introverted people who feel highly intimidated by awesome, funny, pretty people?”

you laugh, finally presented with the answer to the question that most replayed in your head

“take me on a date, hilarious, quiet, handsome guy”

he blushes and you know he’ll blame it on the cold, but only brushes his nose against yours

and to think you thought he couldn’t stand you mere hours ago

now he’s here, making your heart melt like snow upon touching his perfect skin

277 notes · View notes

mingiswow · 2 years ago

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Lion Heart | Yeosang

Pairing: Prisioner!Yeosang x afab!servant!reader

Genre: Dystopian!Ateez, smut

Word Count: +5.1k (oopsie?)

Content Warning: mentions of poverty, mentions of alcohol and food, brief mentions of canibalism (the poor people pick up the pieces of the dead to have something to eat), mention of animal and human deaths, matriarchy (is that really a warning?), English is not my first language, if I forgot anything lmk

Smut warning: just pure filth omg, reader has a vagina and boobs, oral (reader recieciving), piv, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, fingering, kinda rough sex?, reader has their hands tied, dirty talking, Yeosang call reader servant and baby several times, unprotected sex (don’t be stupid, stds exist), cumshot, slightly cum eating and sharing (I said it was filthy)

a/n: another part of the Halazia series that you guys voted for me to keep writing (with the amazing 88,8% answering yes). Since the first time I saw the mv Yeosang reminded me of a gladiator so I had to make this scenario mixing the idea of gladiators and dystopia. It was really fun to make and I hope you guys enjoy it ^^

The loud cheers from the crowd announced that another one of the prisoners was killed. You winced at the thought of the man’s body torn apart, pieces scattered around the arena for the lion to eat. You always hated those battles, never understanding the need for that. How the world, which was in constant expansion, evolution, and technology evolving to the point of having automatic cars and smart houses, turned into this mess that could only be compared to the ancient times.

The part of the Earth in which you lived was responsible for the meat, the fields that once were full of life were now dry and full of malnourished animals that only the richest could afford to buy, the other people would have to pick up the pieces of the prisoners to eat, not caring that once that was another human being, the hunger bigger than that.

“Yn, can you please bring another cup of mead?” The daughter of the state chief, and your mistress, asked while not taking her eyes off the arena in front of her. You nodded and headed to the small makeshift kitchen to grab her drink.

Not everyone had the luck you had, most people from where you came would be down in the crowd or probably dead like your parents. But destiny was good to you and put you on the same path and the same time and day that your mistress was, saving her from being killed by some of the government objectors. The chief and her husband were so thankful that they gave you a job as her servant and promised to take care of your family when you have one. You were both kids when that happened, so you grew up by her side, accompanying her in every step, even allowing you to study with her.

It was during one of your study sessions that you learned that in ancient times they used to have something similar to what you had now, panem et circenses, a way of distracting the population from the real problems, keeping them entertained with the battles. It worked back then and it worked now.

You gave the young woman her drink before going back inside the tent where the chief’s family stood to see the fights. “You really don’t like these, do you?” Her father, a middle-aged short man with a mustache and brows that resembled fluffy caterpillars, asked coming from the other end of the tent, the one where it led to the tunnel that connected the arena to the fort you lived.

“Violence is not my forte” you replied, handing him a jug of mead. “Never really understood how people could enjoy seeing others being torn apart like rag dolls”

“Me neither, but they seem to enjoy it,” you nodded. “Why don’t you go home?”

“Oh no, sir, I must wait for mistress and the chief, it’s my duty”

“Oh don’t worry dear, I can take c-“

“YN! DAD! COME SEE THIS!” You stood by the girl’s side and looked over the arena. “He’s winning the lion”. Down on the sandy ground, you could see a man fighting against the lion, he outsmarted the feline, making it hit its head on the concrete wall several times. You could see the animal was dizzy and probably not seeing its target properly. The fighter grabbed one of the chains that were attached to his body - to make it heavier and harder to run or fight - and threw it at the lion, hitting his sides, the action making the animal roar and try to grab the man, that used the movement as his advantage and jumped on top of the lion’s back and swung another chain around the neck and squeezed tightly. The animal tried to fight but he ended up lying dead on the ground.

Your mistress raised from her seat and clapped excitedly, joining the screams of the crowd, that cheered the man’s deed. “Bring the man to have dinner with us tonight” the chief said, leaving her chair and going back to the fort, her men following suit, as well as her husband.

“Don’t you think he was amazing, yn? Killing that lion so cleverly” the girl asked while going back to the fort. “How old do you think he is? He didn’t seem old. Probably my age? Do you think he’d sleep with me?” you chuckled at her words, she was always finding new men to sleep with, her mom’s bodyguard not being enough anymore. “What about you, yn? I’ve never seen you interested in anyone” she looked at you, genuinely curious. You’ve been together forever now, she considered you her best friend, and so could you consider the same.

“I don’t have time for that, miss Solbin, I have to take care of you” you said, her eyes rolling at your excuses. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t had my adventures but no one ever caught my attention in that department” you confessed. The chief’s men weren’t your cup of tea, nor you were theirs, which was good to keep your relationship completely professional. And besides them, you barely interacted with anyone else, the ones you did were merely one-night stands.

“So you are open to a relationship?”

“I didn’t say that” she giggled excitedly, as if she was planning something. And knowing Solbin she was.

After safely arriving at the fort and being greeted by the guards, you ran to prepare the woman’s bath for the dinner, grabbing the warm sun water and putting it in the tub, filling it enough for her body to be under the bubbles. Sometimes - most of the times - you thought of how unfair it was for the richest to have warm water, bubble baths, soft pillows, warm clothes, and delicious food, all while more than 90% of the world barely had enough food to survive. All of their riches came from the exploitation of these people. And you, being their employee, enjoyed at least part of it.

The giggles of the woman shook your thoughts away before leaving the bathroom so she could take her bath alone. When you entered the room she was already missing some pieces of clothing, one of the new guards looking like a lovesick cartoon from the doorframe. “Oh, yn, didn’t see you there” she grabbed the man, pulling him inside.

“I’m leaving now, miss Solbin. The bath is ready, if you need anything else let me know” you said trying to ignore the fact that the man was almost eating her neck.

“Before I forget, mommy asked you to take some clothes to the prisoner and lead him to the service bathroom” you nodded before leaving, her excited giggles getting trapped behind the giant wooden door.

You walked past the corridor until you arrived at the central hall, where the chief’s husband was helping the employees to arrange everything for the dinner.

“It’s an important day, no fighter has won the lion for the past twenty years” as if he was reading your mind, the man told you. “Hyebin wants everything perfect” you nodded. “Dear, take those clothes to the man, please. And take him to the service bathroom, it must be empty by now” you nodded again and dismissed yourself, going to the cells under the fort.

Those cells haven’t been used for centuries, since it was too dangerous to keep the prisoners in the same place as the chief. The fort was an old castle built centuries ago, you always joked that it was when dragons used to exist of how old it was. But it was still some of the most protected and secure places to keep someone like the chief herself and her family. You walked past the only guard that was looking after the prisoner, that, now, wasn’t a prisoner anymore since he won the battle. So why keep him down here?

As you got closer to his cell, you heard some of the most beautiful songs you’ve ever heard, the voice singing it soft, velvety, deep. The lyrics were about this world that once existed, where animals walked free and people were happy, with no worries in their minds, only spending time with their loved ones while baking delicious food. The closer you got, the clearer you could hear how beautiful the voice was and how it felt like you were laying in a soft bed with hundred of soft blankets wrapping around your body.

“Are you enjoying the show?” you snapped out of the trance when you realized you were already in front of his cell, staring at him while you listened to his beautiful voice. He smirked at you and you felt weak on the knees. You have never seen such a beautiful man in front of you. He had a built physique, not like the guards, but his arms were strong and his shoulders wide, giving him this almost superior look. Even all dirty in mud, sand and dry blood he still looked like the most beautiful creature you’ve laid your eyes on. “Are you the chief’s servant?” he asked, leaving the bed and coming closer to you and you noticed how tall he was.

“Yes, I mean, I’m her daughter’s servant” you bit your tongue at how stupid you sounded stuttering to him. “I’m here to take you to take a bath and get ready for the dinner.”

“Are you going to help me bathe?” the mischievous grin he held as he walked closer to you was your end, making you wet for no reason. You felt so stupid, he said a couple of words and had a smirk and you were already wet.

“No, sir, I am going to show you the bathroom” you gave him the neatly folded clothes you held. “Here are the clothes the chief gave you to wear” he grabbed the pile, hand caressing yours in the process, smirk still on his lips. “If you’re ready, please follow me” you turned around and started to walk outside the dungeon, him following suit.

You could feel your back burning from his stare and unconsciously you started to sway your hips more, as if you were trying to allure him to do something to you. You felt pathetic really, wanting this unknown man to fuck you senseless until you had nothing in your brain besides that beautiful voice of his. And you couldn’t help but wonder how his moans sounded, making you bite your lower lip at the thought.

“What's your name, sweetie?” if it was anyone else, you’d cringe at the nickname, but it sounded so good coming from his lips.

“Yn” you answered, finally arriving at the bathroom and opening the door for you two to enter.

“Mine’s Yeosang if you’re interested” he walked past you, leaving the pile of clothes in a dry corner near where the bath was already prepared for him.

“I’ll leave you be, mister Yeosang, the guards will be waiting outside for you to get ready. Don’t get too long with the bath, the dinner is almost ready and you wouldn’t want to leave Ms. Hyebin and her family waiting” you closed the door behind you and let out a deep sigh.

“He’s that hot?” Yohan, one of the guards, asked you with a playful smile on his lips.

“Fuck off and do your job” you left the place to go back to the hall, your head spinning in millions different directions. How could someone be this hot and alluring? What was his trick?

You kept your way to Solbin’s room, hoping she had sent the guard she was fucking back to his job, you didn’t want to see anyone having sex. Not in the bothered state you were.

For your enjoyment, the man was already gone and the woman was almost ready for the dinner, her beautiful delicate face adorned with a pink blush that gave her even more of a youthful look than she already had. You two had almost the same age, you being two years older than her, yet, you looked more aged than her, probably from work and sun damage. “Oh, you’re there, yn. I thought you wouldn’t come back” she smiled at you through the mirror. “Aren’t you going to bathe? The dinner is almost ready and I bet the man is almost done with his hygiene as well” you nodded.

“I was just making sure you were on time, miss Solbin” you answered, helping her to put one of her hair pieces. “I was worried you’d be late again” she giggled.

“Oh you know… these men never take too long” she lifted herself from the chair and went to the full-body mirror, admiring her outfit. “Now go, yn. You don’t want to leave mother waiting”

“Yes, miss” you left her room and went to yours, which was next door. You sighed as you looked at yourself in the mirror, face wet in sweat, hair disheveled and clothes dirty.

You took your clothes off and threw the dirty pile in a corner, you’d deal with them later, and decide on a quick shower, not wanting to take too long. The cold water hit your warm skin, making the body hair bristle and the pores shiver. You started to hum the same song Yeosang was singing earlier and your mind wandered back to him, to his voice, his smirk, his voice. You kept imagining how he’d look under the bubbly water, his body in all its glory. How his muscles must be hard and defined, his legs just as strong as his arms. Maybe his little friend was as pretty as him. Without even thinking your hand went south, touching your body through the way down before finding its way in between your legs, playing with the folds of your vulva, the tip of your index and middle finger starting to slowly circle your clit. You threw your head back, mouth agape but no sound left, you got used to being quiet so no one would listen to you. You kept your assault on your clit, going faster with each passing second until you reached your orgasm. When you came back to your senses and you realized what you did, you felt dirty, almost disgusting, for masturbating to a man you didn’t even know.

You quickly came out of the shower, putting on the only clothes you had for occasions like that. You looked yourself over in the mirror, the dress pants hugging your hips and thighs just right, enhancing every curve you had, the matching vest and beige button up shirt looked gorgeous on you, you had to admit that. Even though it was the only outfit you had, it still made you feel pretty confident in your body. You put on your black boots and went to the hall where Solbin and Yeosang were already there, happily talking. The guards and maids watched their interaction in their spot.

You greeted the fellow staff and got to your position behind Solbin, a few steps back. The woman didn’t even realize you arrived, completely lost in her flirting game with the man in front of her, the two whispering things to each other and talking I. Each others’ ears. In the corner of your eye, you could see the guard she had previously fucked throwing daggers with his eyes at Yeosang. She only acknowledged your presence when the man in front of her smirked looking at you. She turned around and smiled at you.

“Yn, come sit with us at the table” she motioned her hand for you to join them but you refused.

“It’s okay, miss Solbin, I’ll stay with the staff”

“Oh come on, yn~” she extended your name, pouting at you. “I thought we were best friends” you chuckled at her, always trying to get you with her cuteness.

“That doesn’t mean I’m not part of the staff, I’m still your servant” she rolled her eyes and when she was about to debate, her mother and father appeared.

“Solbin is right, yn, you may be staff but you are almost part of the family” the woman spoke as she walked across the wooden floor, her steps echoing every time the heels met the floor. “Sit with us, I insist” she motioned to the chair next to Yeosang and you bowed, accepting the offer.

You awkwardly sat by his side, still a little uncomfortable. Not only with the fact that you were having privileges over the other employees, which you always hated but also because you could feel your face heating with the thought that you just masturbated thinking about the man on your side.

The maids brought over the tray carts filled with food and put the plates in front of you. You knew they had made Ms. Hyebin’s favorite, roast lamb with mint sauce. You noticed how Yeosang’s eyes shined looking at the food and wondered how much he starved.

Everyone waited for the chief to take the first bite before starting to eat as well.

“So, Yeosang, right? How did you become a prisoner?” The woman asked, eyes never leaving the man.

“I lost my job as a fisherman and couldn’t buy my sister’s medicine anymore, so when she died I got angry and drunk more than I should have and ended up breaking the pharmacy” he simply said, almost as if didn’t affect him, but you could see his left leg bouncing under the table and instinctively you put your hand on top of it to hold it down.

“What did she have?”

"Leukemia. The medicine didn’t cure but it retarded the effects” she nodded to him once again.

“I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I wish we could do more for the population but as you know, the main government doesn’t allow us to do anything without prior approval” it was Yeosang's turn to nod. “I assume I am really privileged to come from the family I came from and have the opportunities I had but not even 10% of the population worldwide have this chance” she sighed looking at her plate, defeated for being part of this system.

“So… you were a fisherman?” It was her husband’s turn to talk, trying to lift up the mood and change subjects. Which worked.

The dinner was nice, even the other staff joined after a while. Hyebin, a bit drunk and overwhelmed with her own feelings, invited them to be part of the celebration as well. It was past 2 am when the chief and her husband decided to go to bed, mostly him making her go due to her wasted state. You were the next one to excuse yourself, not wanting to cock-block Yeosang and Solbin, that seemed to get along pretty well.

You arrived at your room, taking the clothes off and folding them neatly, and storing them away before putting on your nightgown and going to bed. You were almost asleep when you heard a knock on your door. Groaning a little from being interrupted, you left your bed and opened the door, a smirking Yeosang behind it. “Hi, sweetie” his voice a little bit lower and hoarse from the alcohol.

“Can I help you?” You asked, a bit self conscious with the transparency of your camisole.

“Yes, you can” he pushed himself inside your room and closed the door behind him. “You see, there’s this servant that I can’t stop thinking about, the way their hands were warm holding my leg still under the table” he started to take steps towards you, and you took steps back until the back of your knees hit your bed, making you fall sitting on it. He stopped in front of you and got on his knees. And you couldn’t deny that that was one of the hottest images you’ve seen. “The way the curve of their breasts kept getting my eye and all I thought was that I wanted to put my face between them while fucking them in front of everyone” you gulped at his words. The man grabbed one of your hands and put on top of his pants, you could feel his member hard under the fabric. “Can you help me with my problem?” You looked over his dark eyes and nodded, breath getting stuck in your throat when he pulled you closer to him by your waist and attacked your lips.

And dear god you don’t even remember the last time you kissed someone so good. His lips were rough on you, moving with hunger, kissing you like your lives depended on it. His hands were everywhere, all over your body, giving special attention to your thighs that were right in front of him. You never felt so turned on by something, by someone, you didn’t know if it was his body, his voice, his smile, how his throat would do low rumbles every time he’d lower his kisses to your throat and collarbones. He stopped his ministrations so he could take off your nightgown, revealing your uncovered breasts and the thin material of your underwear, which he could see that it had a damp spot on it. His lips were instantly on one of your breasts, sucking the hardened nipple and soft flesh, all while his hand played with the other, pinching the soft bud in between his fingers, earning a soft moan coming from your mouth.

“Yeosang…” you mewled under his ministrations, aching more. “Please, I need more” he chuckled at your neediness but deep inside he was just like you. So his lips left your tit, to go down to your core, hands expertly taking your underwear off, the fabric sticking to your wetness. Yeosang didn’t waisted his time, mouth going straight to your cunt, licking a stripe from bottom to top so he could taste you.

“God, you taste so good, yn” he kept licking your slit, gathering all the taste he could, growls leaving from his throat. You were merciless, really, mind already empty, not a single thought just the way he was eating you out, making your hole pulse against nothing.

His mouth attacked your clit, sucking the bud and making you moan louder than you expected. The long period without having sex made you more sensitive to anything he’d do to your body. You kept moaning as he kept sucking on your clit, your right hand holding his locks and keeping him close to your pussy, not that he planned on leaving soon. His assault on your engorged bud now getting rougher, the tip of his tongue dancing against it, going in circles.

When you were getting closer to your orgasm, he stopped what he was doing, edging you and making you squirm on top of the bed, whining and pleading him for your release. “Impatient, aren’t we?” he chuckled at you before getting on his feet and grabbing your camisole. “I want you to be a good servant for me, okay?” you nodded, eyes watery from having your orgasm taken away. He manhandled your body with ease on top of the bed, making you lay right in the middle, head on your pillows. He grabbed both your hands and put them on top of your head, using your camisole to tie your wrists against the metal frame of the bed. “Are you gonna be a good servant for me and let me use you?” you nodded, almost cumming from the way he looked at you, from how merciless you were once again, you could be in danger, he could do anything he wanted to you, yet the situation only excited you more. “I want words, baby”

“Yes, use me, Yeosang. Please” you squirmed your hips, knots on your wrist tightening as you pulled them.

“So good for me, baby” he licked your lips. “I gonna use you and make both of us feel good, ‘k?” you nodded again, yesses leaving your mouth like a vice.

Before you could even register, he took off all of his clothes, discarding them on the floor, his dick finally free from the pants and your mouth watered at the sight, the tip already leaking pre cum and angry red, his shaft completely hard, tilting slightly upwards. He smirked at your reaction, getting between your legs again, but still not giving what you wanted, he inserted two fingers inside you, a loud and elongated moan leaving your lips at the sudden yet delicious intrusion. Yeosang didn’t give you time to adjust to his fingers or anything and started to pump his digits inside and out of you, disappearing completely inside of you before coming out and repeating the process at an excruciating speed yet so delicious. He added his thumb on your clit, now both of his hands working fast on you, orgasm approaching each second it passed and he could feel by the way your walls started to grip his fingers.

With a few more circles on your clit you came undone for the first time, exploding into his hands, lewd sounds coming from down under where your wetness increased even more. The man didn’t stop his ministrations, using your orgasm to enter a third finger easily, now his mouth going down to suck and lick your clit once in a while, overstimulation making your legs shake.

“Go on, give me another one” he said, face millimeters away from your pussy, his hot breath fanning over your sensitive nub. He increased speed on your hole even more, your walls eating his three fingers as his thumb rubbed circles again on your clit. Before you could even register what was happening, vision going black and mind going blank you came again, your juices squirting all over him as you moaned so loud from the feeling. “Gosh you’re so hot, yn. I didn’t know you could do that” he licked your folds, cleaning a bit of the mess before licking his fingers and whipping the salty liquid from his face.

“Neither… Neither did I” you confessed, it was indeed your first time coming like that, and if you weren’t so fucked out already, you’d be proud of yourself. You locked your legs around his legs, moaning as a way to say you wanted his cock. He chuckled at your state, already completely gone.

“Are you sure you can take my dick, babe? Don’t you wanna rest a little?” you denied with your head.

“Fuck me, please, I need it so bad” you pleaded, hips squirming.

“Just because you were such a good little servant for me and let me use you” you nodded and hissed at the feeling of the tip of his dick touching your abused hole. “God, you’re such a slut, huh? Can’t be one second without being stuffed” you nodded desperately, begging him to fill you up, not a care in the world, not a single thought on your head besides Yeosang fucking you.

Before he entered you, he untied your wrists, letting your weak wobbly arms free to touch him. Finally. And then with a sharp and precise thrust, he entered you, filling you up to the brim, the tip of his long dick touching just the right spot. “Fuck, babe, your walls hug me so well. So warm” he started to move, taking almost all of his member out before slamming back in, a guttural moan leaving your lips each time, his speed increasing with each movement. Your arms finally regained some strength and you circled around his neck, pushing your chests together, your lips going to the junction of his neck and shoulder, leaving bites on the sun-kissed skin, and earning growls and moans from him as well.

You could feel his high approaching because his movements started to become more erratic, the pace slowing. “Cum for me Yeosang, I can feel you getting close. Don’t you?” he moaned at your sweet fucked out voice in his ear. You pressed your fingernails on his back, the pain making him even closer.

“I want you to cum first” he managed to say. His right hand sneaking between your bodies and started to draw circles on your clit.

You didn’t know who was more fucked out, you or him, but either way, he managed to make you cum around him once again, body leaving his and going limp against the bed, eyes closed and arms spread out as he kept riding your orgasm before he reached his, taking his member off of you and cumming all over your belly and chest, some of his load falling right on top of your nipple and he couldn’t hold himself, licking his own cum out of your still hardened nub, his salty taste being welcomed in his tongue.

You pulled his face and kissed him, his cum falling to your mouth as you hummed at the feeling and taste. The filthy act almost feeling like a bonding moment between you two.

You let your drowsiness get the best of you and fell asleep, all sweaty and covered and cum.

When you woke up, already the next morning, the sun rays leaking through a few holes in the curtain and birds chirping happily outside, you were already cleaned up, camisole back on your body, and no sight of Yeosang whatsoever. You moved, body still aching from the night before, a smile growing on your lips as flashes from the sex started to replay in your brain.

Just as you were about to take a shower you found a piece of paper with messy handwriting and a tiny doodle in the corner.

“Sorry I couldn’t stay the night with you, baby, I had to go back to get my freedom. If you want to repeat the dose you can find me at the hostel next to the sea. I’ll be waiting. Ps.: I took a little souvenir from you with me. I hope you don’t mind ;) Yeosang”

You just then realized you were not wearing any underwear. That little pervert. Still, you smiled stupidly, thinking about looking for him as soon as your body recovered.

“I can see the night was enjoyable” you looked over the door, a smirking Solbin leaned against the frame, arms crossed on top of his chest as if she was scolding you.

“Was I too loud?” you asked and she just entered the room, closing the door behind her and sitting by your side on the bed.

“These rooms are soundproof, darling, you're safe. We actually saw him leave this noon” she smiled and held your hands. “Now tell me everything. I want to know” she giggled like an excited little girl getting a new toy.

“It was mindblowingly great” she squealed and you smiled, starting to tell her about your night.

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whatsk-poppinhomies · 2 years ago

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Pairing : Kang Yeosang x F!Reader TW : mainly fluff ; just a little bit of angst ; long distance relationship ; pregnancy ; children ; Word Count : 9.3k A/N : First Ateez related fic!! Woooo!! Let me know what you think, if you like it, reblog it, comment, ya know. If you want to read more Ateez content from me, request something, anything.

Yeosang wasn’t lonely in the way that most would think when the word was said. He always had people around, he was surrounded by the other members and staff, he was surrounded by fans that doted upon every single thing that he did. It was nice, but it wasn’t everything. Outwardly, he wasn’t lonely at all, it probably seemed like he had everything a person could ever need. Inside though, he was as lonely as anyone could be. He had people in his life, sure… But he didn’t have someone in his life. Someone that would chase away that lonely feeling, make him feel loved like no one else ever could. He needed it, he craved it, he longed to share his life with someone that would support him and be there for him.

It was a tour stop, and at this point in the lineup, he couldn’t even remember where the plane had landed. He was tired, his body was exhausted, and the only thing keeping him going was the thought of how upset the fans would be if he didn’t make it to one of the concerts. Of course, mental and physical health were far more important, but there were only a couple more stops after this one and then he’d be able to go home.

There was a fan meet after this particular concert, something that he wasn’t really used to doing, but he didn’t have a problem with it. He’d be able to sit down for a bit and talk to the people that loved him and adored him, the people that made his life what it was now.

He was a mess, sweaty and still slightly breathless from being on stage just a couple minutes ago before being rushed into a small room off to the side to start the fan meet. Only a few fans got in, something that upset him considering he’d love to meet every single one of the ATINYs that had been out in the crowd today, but he didn’t have any say in it, he essentially just went along with whatever the managers said.

Now, this is where the story gets a little crazy, and he’s sure that most people would just assume that he had met a fan, someone that caught his eye in the lineup of ATINYs that had gotten the meet and greet pass. Sure, any connection would be special, but this one just felt different, and it had started just as differently as it felt.

There was a clock that hung above the exit door that had been propped open, and he had taken a split second to look at the clock, wondering when he’d be able to go back to his hotel and get some rest. That’s when he saw you, and it felt like fate that he had looked at the clock exactly then. You just so happened to be walking by, taking a moment to stop and look into the room, and his eyes instantly locked with yours. There was an immediate connection, he knew that, he could feel it in his bones.

You smiled shyly at him, giving him a quick wave of your fingers before starting to walk off again. That couldn’t be it, no, there had to be more. He pushed himself away from the table, politely excusing himself and apologizing to the fans that had been lined up to meet him so that he could rush out the exit door, much to the surprise of the managers and the other members.

“Ah… w-wait!” He called out, his eyes drawn to the back of your head, immediately spotting you just by your hair, the color of it already memorized by him. You stopped in the middle of the parking lot, the wind whipping your hair around your face as you turned to face him, shock overtaking your features when you realized that you had been called out to by him. “Sorry… I just… Hi.”

He felt so shy, it was like meeting up with someone that he had been waiting to see for forever, and now you were finally in front of him, his nerves causing his stomach to churn. You giggled lightly, the sound beautiful when mingled with the wind that rustled the tree leaves and whistled through the air. “Hi…” You sheepishly responded, your hand moving up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as you shyly smiled back to him.

You were so beautiful, and even more so up close. He was absolutely tongue tied, it was like every single word that he had ever learned to say left his mind, he didn’t know how to speak, he didn’t know how to form even one word, all he could manage was opening and closing his mouth as he continued to look at you.

“Did… Did I forget something? I didn’t think they’d send you out to give it back…” You said, eyes wavering to break the slightly uncomfortable eye contact that was held the entirety of his silence, but your words had him quickly shaking his head. He remembered why he was there, he was there because he wanted to talk to you, he needed to talk to you, he needed to make sure that what he felt back in that room wasn’t just a fluke in his emotions.

“I wanted to see you.” He responded and your eyes widened as they finally landed on him once more. You pointed at yourself, silently questioning if he was serious, and he excitedly nodded his head yes. His feelings were right, everything that he felt when he first looked at you were valid, he still felt them now. You were the one, and fate had in fact set everything up for this moment to happen. “Is that okay?” He questioned your silence, and just as he had, your head motioned just as quickly as he had that it was okay.

It’s crazy to think that two people could hit it off so quickly, it was almost like you had never been strangers at any point, like he had known you his entire life. He was thankful that this stop lasted a couple days, it meant more time with you, and he tried not to dwell on the fact that he’d have to leave. Countless hours were spent together, and most of the time you’d go to his hotel room, talking about everything and anything either of you could think of. Your laughter had filled the room and his ears so many times that even when you left, it was like he could still hear it, resonating off the walls and twinkling in the air around him. It made him feel like you were still there, and that comforted him.

You showed him around your city, taking him to some of your favorite places, your favorite restaurants, little spots that most people in the city didn’t know about but you did, and you’d call it your secret spot where you’d hide away to try to escape the stresses and mundaneness that regular life brought with it. “One day, I’ll show you around my city.” He said as he walked with you down the sidewalk, thankful that he wasn’t recognized by anyone that walked by. He was able to be normal, something that he was beyond grateful that he got to experience with you.

“Yeah?” You mused, your clasped hands swinging back and forth as you both walked aimlessly, simply enjoying the limited time that you had together. The both of you knew that it would come to an end soon, so you tried to make the most of it. “I’d like that a bunch, Yeosang.” You murmured, but he watched your face fall as you said it, your eyes falling to the ground.

“What is it?” He asked, stopping completely to turn in your direction, his attention entirely on you and he wanted you to know that. “You think I won’t, that I don’t actually want to?” He posed, throwing out the questions but hoping that you wouldn’t agree to any of them. He had hoped that he had proven to you that you were far more than just a fan or some random girl that he wanted to hook up with during the tour. You were so much more than that to him, that’s why the thought of leaving you would have him up for hours at night once he laid in bed, tears stinging his eyes at the thought of the loneliness he’d feel once he was away from you.

Your head nodded, the mere motion of it screaming your sadness. That was the saddest part of it, the fact that your face was still wearing the same beautiful smile that it had on earlier, but you were radiating a sorrow that had Yeosangs heart aching. “It’s not like… I’ll be able to go with you… and you won’t be coming back here any time soon.” You said dejectedly, your bottom lip beginning to tremble and you quickly pulled it between your teeth to stop it. His mouth opened to speak, but you shook your head quickly. “And you can say one day, give me a little bit of hope that this is more than what it really is… But one day is nothing more than a vague timeframe that’s easier to give because all of this is nothing more than a fling.”

“That’s not true…” He murmured, his hand holding yours tightly, scared that you’d try to pull away from him. His thumb brushed over your knuckles to try to soothe your ever wandering mind, to let you know that he’s there, that he’d always be there. “This is more than that… this is way more than that… You mean more than that to me. I don’t want to go home, I wish that I didn’t have to, I wish that I could take you with me.”

“That’s crazy… This whole thing is crazy…” You murmured, your eyes still downcast as you sniffled softly.

“I know it is.” He whispered, his hand coming up under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. “That’s why I know it’s right. Everything is going to work, I know it will. Believe me… Believe in us. We’ll be fine.” He leaned in to press a kiss to your forehead, the corners of his lips turning up when he saw your eyes close and your cheeks pull up, creasing your eyes in the corners.

Us. He loved that word, it meant the two of you together, he believed that the two of you would be together as long as you both wanted it to work, and god, he wanted it to work, he needed it to work. Every single moment with you was like a breath of fresh air, you brought a feeling to him that he could only describe as feeling complete. There was no amount of distance in the world that would ruin that or take that feeling away from him either. In the deepest part of himself, he knew that you were the one for him, you were his soulmate, he believed in that wholeheartedly, and with that belief, he knew that he could make it work no matter the distance that would be put between the two of you once he left.

The three days that he got to spend with you felt like both a lifetime, and far too short. No amount of time with you would ever be enough unless he was able to be beside you forever, but you both understood that he had a career, he had fans, he had a home that he had to go back to. That home would feel a little less like a home though once he got back, you wouldn’t be there, and it’s not like you had ever been in his home before, but he found in you a home that he longed to live in, you just carried that feeling in you.

“You have everything you need?” You asked, your tone bittersweet as you stood off to the side as he made his way through the TSA line. You were trying to hold back your tears, and for a while it was working well, you were doing a great job at it, but when he looked into your eyes you couldn’t help but choke back a small sob. He had given you a lifetime of memories in three short days, and while he promised that he’d keep in touch, a small part of you wondered if he truly meant it, or if he’d land in Korea and forget about you once he was there.

“No…” He murmured, his tone matching your own as he reached out to grab your hand. “I don’t have you… I won’t have you when I land.” His lips pulled down into a frown, and you wanted nothing more than to kiss him, to let him know that he’d always have you, but there were so many people around, you were already risking enough standing so close to him for so long.

“You can call me, or text me… I don’t care what time it is… I want to know you made it home safely.” He nodded his head, his own eyes becoming glossy as he drew closer to the TSA agent, the both of you knowing that once he made it there, you wouldn’t be beside him anymore. He didn’t know if his heart would be able to handle it, but he tried to stay strong, knowing that if he started crying it would only make things harder for you. “Promise you’ll text me when you land…” You rushed out the whispered words, struggling to hold his hand just a little longer the closer he got, but your time was running out, you only had a couple seconds left.

“I promise… I promise I’ll text you, I’ll call you every single day… I promise.” He said just as fast, holding up the line as he refused to let you go. “I’ll come back soon… Don’t worry… Okay? I will…” He whispered urgently, visibly swallowing back the lump in his throat as one of the men in his security team reluctantly pushed him towards the agent who was impatiently waiting for him, his hand falling limp once it was out of yours. Would his promise really hold up, or was he just saying it to make you happy one last time? You stuck around a little longer, watching as he walked through the gate, his head constantly turning back to look at you, a sad smile playing on his lips as he waved goodbye before turning the corner and going out of view.

“You’re up really late, love.” Yeosangs voice came through your headphones as you laid in bed, staring up at your ceiling, unable to stop smiling as you listened to him speak. “Honey, did you fall asleep?” He asked, and you quickly made a sound of disagreement, rolling over to your side to tap your phone screen, your heart fluttering at the picture that adorned your lock screen of him and you together.

“I’m still awake, was just listening.” You murmured, feeling a little shy at admitting to it, but it’s not like you hadn’t told him the same thing multiple times before. “Are you busy? Do you have to go back to work?” You asked, propping your head up on your hand to try to keep yourself from succumbing to your tiredness and stifling the yawn that threatened to escape.

“No, I just know that you have to work tomorrow, and if you don’t get enough sleep you might hurt yourself and I’ll feel guilty for keeping you up all night.” He mused, and you could hear through your headphones the sound of him shifting around and then people talking in the background. “Maybe I should end the call now, so you can rest. You can call me when you wake up.”

“W-Wait…” You stammered out, taking a deep breath as you sat up in your bed. “I have to tell you something.” Now those words shouldn’t have produced a reaction such as the one that Yeosang had, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his heart raced, his mouth going dry and his stomach sinking. He was thankful that he wasn’t video calling you, but he wondered if you could hear his breaths get more raspy and heavier with each second of silence that passed. “Do you uhm… remember… that one night that we… you know…” You stammered, and his stomach was filled with butterflies as he replayed the memory in his mind, a memory that he was constantly thinking back on, dreaming about the day he’d get to recreate it with you.

“Yeah… I remember…” He whispered bashfully, glad that the guys weren’t around to watch his cheeks glow red as images replayed in his mind of that night. “Wh-What about it? Is everything okay?” Had you come to regret it, maybe thinking too much about it and what people would think if they found out? Or maybe you had missed the feeling of being intimate with someone like you had been with him that night, maybe you had gone to someone else to get what he couldn’t give you from miles away.

You were silent for far too long, and his heart was both sinking and speeding up at the same time, and it had him feeling nauseous and lightheaded. If you could just say something, anything that would be able to stop the feeling that he had right now. “Yeosang, I’m pregnant.” Anything but that. It’s not that he didn’t want a family, the idea of having one one day had crossed his mind many times, but not right now, not at the peak of his career.

He didn’t know what to say, but he knew that if he was silent for too long you’d assume the worst, and although his mind was working overtime to make sense of what he had just heard, he had to pause for a moment and actually talk to you. “How uhm… How far… Are you?” He stumbled over his words, unable to sound calm in any way, but he hoped that you’d be able to understand why. “16 weeks…” You whispered, and it was like a gut punch. “16 weeks?! That’s… That’s like… Like 4 months already, Y/N!”

All attempts at even trying to be calm had been thrown to the wind at this point. The math added up, unless you had managed to find the time to be with someone else when he wasn’t with you, but he was with you so much when he was there, and the two of you were always on the phone once he had gotten back to Korea, it seemed impossible for something like that, for someone else to be the father. “I didn’t even know until a day ago… It’s not like I was hiding it from you!” You practically shouted back, but he could hear you sniffling and he was hit with immediate regret for snapping at you. “I didn’t think that it was possible… I mean, we were only together like that once when you were here and… I thought I was just stressed lately about my new job and that’s why I wasn’t getting my period… But then I started getting sick and I went to the doctors and they took blood work and… Here she is..”

“She?” He softly repeated the single word, his eyes brimming with tears as he thought about it. He had a daughter, not entirely, she wasn’t truly here yet, but she was, and she was his. He had so much to think about now. He loved his job, he loved the guys, he loved his fans… But he loved you, and his heart had already seemed to grow twice in size just to make room for his little girl. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna figure out what to do. Everything will be okay, I promise. I love you, you won’t be alone… I swear.”

It took a while, countless hours of meetings with managers who felt the need to drag the other guys into it as well. He didn’t want to tell them yet, and he surely didn’t want to tell them while surrounded by the people that could potentially put a pause to the group and everything they did. A part of him felt guilty, the possibility of the group being forced to disband by the managers if he did decide to leave loomed over his head.

The guys didn’t even know that he and you were together, and that you had been together for 4 months even, so the news of a child was shocking to them, almost as shocking as it had been to him. The assumptions flew around, something that Yeosang had expected, but it still hurt to think that the guys thought he was capable of doing some of the things they assumed.

Once he started explaining though, everyone seemed to calm down, although they were still shocked that he had made a mistake like this, an accusation that he quickly shut down. His daughter was in no way a mistake, she simply came a little early, and that’s what he had told everyone that was sitting at the table, including the managers. “I’m going. I need to be there for her… I’m not leaving the group, but I’d much rather be put on a personal hiatus maybe… You can tell the fans that I just need time for personal health. I don’t want them to know about her yet…”

In the end, it was agreed upon that he would fly to you and stay with you, an agreement that had him able to relax just a little. He’d still have his career, and when the announcement was made to the public they were more than supportive even though they didn’t really know what was going on, all of the fans were patiently awaiting his return. Now he could focus solely on you and his daughter, something that was both nerve wracking and exciting to him.

He had been so nervous on the plane, fidgeting in his seat, unable to even rest for a moment no matter how long the flight was. He was anxious, his heart was racing, and the little screen on the back of the seat that showed the flight path had his stomach twisting into even tighter knots the closer the small plane animation got to where you were.

Things would be completely different now, he would live like a normal person, he would be able to spend every single day with you, he’d be able to go to the grocery store or the corner shops to get you what you needed. He’d be able to go shopping with you for everything that the two of you might need. It would all feel so new to him, but there was an excitement underlying, and as nervous as he was, he couldn’t help but smile as he thought about what it would be like to live with you this way.

Any little bit of fear that he had regarding what would come washed away as soon as he stepped off the plane and walked through the gates. His eyes landed on you immediately, it was like you were glowing, and he had read somewhere online during one of his late night research adventures that women would get a glow, but you were absolutely radiating such a brilliant light around you. It was like he could finally breathe again, and he realized now that the tightness that he had felt in his chest when he was back in Korea was simply a side effect of not being near you.

His feet carried him through crowds of people, people that didn’t recognize him, or they just didn’t seem like they cared enough to try to recognize him if he looked even slightly familiar. That was the best part about being normal. He could run to you, he could sweep you up into his arms and hug you tightly, finally mending that ache that had settled in his heart when he had left. “You look lovely…” He whispered when he set you down, stepping back to look you over, and even under his mask, you could see that he was smiling, his eyes creasing in the corners.

“I missed you.” Your voice was almost unheard over the noise that surrounded the two of you in the airport, but he heard you, your voice seeming to break through the droning loudness that encircled you both. “You look so tired… Did you sleep at all during your flight?” You questioned, brushing his hair away from his face to see the dark circles under his eyes. “Let’s get back to the house and you can rest for a while, you need to sleep.”

The idea of sleep seemed far-fetched, and while he had been exhausted the entire flight, now that he was there with you, he felt fully energized. He wanted to know everything about how you were feeling, about your doctor's visits that you had gone to when he was still in Korea. He wanted to talk to you, he wanted to just be close to you again. It felt like it had been forever since he got to hold you, hug you, kiss you or touch you. He didn’t want to sleep away his entire first day back with you.

Why did he feel so shy right now? Obviously he had been with you in ways that had the two of you closer than holding hands on the way out of the airport, but it was like being with you again had him clamming up, unable to even speak. “You uhm… You got big…” He mused, and you looked up at him, blinking your eyes a few times before dropping your head back down, staring at the ground as you wrapped your free arm around your stomach. “I… I didn’t mean it in a bad way…” He quickly blurted out, his head shaking fast as he squeezed your hand. “I mean… She’s… She’s bigger… I just didn’t really see in the video calls… You’re beautiful.”

He was rambling, but he didn’t want you to take offense, he truly thought that you were the most gorgeous girl in the whole world, and nothing would ever change that. “Right… yeah… Sorry…” You murmured, awkwardly giggling as you leaned against his arm. “I just… We haven’t seen each other in so long… I didn’t know what you’d think when you saw me now and…” He quickly shushed you, moving to stand in front of you so he could look directly at you.

“The way I feel now is… It’s no different from the way that I felt when I first saw you. I want to be with you, and now I’m able to. I love you, and that’s never going to change.” He reassured you, pulling down his mask enough to press a kiss to your forehead. “I can’t wait to finally be home with you.”

And he truly couldn’t, he was practically bouncing where he stood while waiting for the Uber to come, giddy about the thought of just being with you. He had promised you before he left that you’d be together, and while a child was unexpected, she had been the reason he had gotten to be with you now. The hiatus couldn’t last forever though, he wanted to spend as much time with you as possible, but he knew that even when he went back to working, he’d do everything he could, he’d find any way possible to be able to be with you and his daughter as much as possible. Right now though, he was all yours, and you were all his, and for at least the next 5 months he’d be able to just be with you.

Each and every day was spent waking up beside you and it would end with you falling asleep in his arms. It was like a dream come true for him, to see your face every single day and actually be able to touch you and kiss you, to not have to long for those things through his phone screen whenever you called him. He got to just live with you, and while it was a drastic change from what he was used to back in Korea, it was welcomed, he loved it.

He got to go to your doctor's appointments with you, and there was something so mesmerizing, so amazing about being able to actually be there for the scans, to watch his daughter move on the screen, to watch your stomach continue to grow while she was inside of you. It only made you even more astounding to him, and his love for you grew more than he ever thought it would.

He helped set up the nursery with you, and he helped you shop for her clothes and everything that you’d need. He loved every second of it, and he questioned why he was so scared in the first place. Everything seemed to be falling into place just right. There were no problems, the public had yet to find out about your relationship, let alone the fact that in a few short months he’d be a father. You were able to have a normal pregnancy, and he was able to be there for you like a regular boyfriend would be.

As you grew larger though and the due date moved closer, a new sadness took over. Soon he’d have to go back, he’d have to leave all of this behind, he’d have to leave not only you, but his newborn child behind to go back to work. How was he supposed to do that? How was he supposed to just casually walk out of your front door, not even knowing when he’d be able to come back? He loved his job, of course he did, he loved his fans who had given him the opportunity to meet you, but those two things also meant that he’d have to leave you to go back to them, and that thought had his heart aching.

The worst part is that the more he thought about it, the faster time seemed to go. Before he knew it, you were a week before your due date, your stomach swollen and covered in stretch marks that he’d rub cocoa butter over every night and every morning. Your back was constantly aching, and your ankles had grown double their original size, and even though he had been begging since the beginning of your 7th month to let him do things for you, you were hell bent on doing things on your own still. This part of you made him love you and adore you, admire you more than he already had.

Time continued to speed by, and in what felt like the blink of an eye, he was in the hospital with you watching his daughter be born. It was the most mesmerizing, terrifying thing he had ever experienced in his life. The pain that you went through, god, you truly were amazing. You had done it all on your own, for he couldn’t take away that pain, he couldn’t do this for you, all he could do was stand at your bedside and support you through every labored breath as you pushed, your fingers squeezing his hand so tightly it felt like his fingers would break. He never complained though, he couldn’t seem to find any words to say other than encouragement and praise for how strong you were.

It was crazy how time worked in moments like this, everything moved so fast yet so slow. One moment he was helping the midwife hold your legs while you pushed, and the next, his daughter was screaming in a small cot across the room as the nurses cleaned her up. She was finally here, and it felt like a fresh breath of life washed over him, like his entire life had new meaning. Everything he did would be for her, for you, it was like the exact moment she took her first breath, his world shifted and began to revolve around you and his daughter.

He thought that time would slow down once she was here, that he’d be able to spend it all with you and his new baby girl, but he had been sorely mistaken. The extra month that he had gotten to “help” you get accustomed to your new life as a mother was spent mostly on calls with management and the other members to fill him in on everything that had gone on while he was away. It was irritating to say the least, that they couldn’t even wait until he was back at home, especially when they knew that this would be the only time he’d get to spend with his new family for who knows how long.

Even still, he did his best, and for that you were greatly appreciative. When it was time for your daughter to eat, he’d quickly make a bottle for her, his phone between his shoulder and his ear as he mumbled out noises of understanding to show that he was still listening. Shockingly to him, being a father came easy, all he wanted was for his daughter to be loved and cared for, something that he promised to always do no matter what happened.

His favorite thing to do though, what he loved the most, were those late nights when his phone would finally stop ringing, and he’d get to lay in bed beside you for however long he could until his daughter woke up. You’d shuffle around a little bit, your eyes still closed as you tried to kick the blankets off, and he’d stop you, pressing a kiss to your forehead before telling you to lay back down so he could get his little girl.

That to him, was the craziest part, thinking about how many arguments started between parents over who got the baby at night, how many parents were miserable because their child didn’t sleep through the night. Of course, his joy at being able to spend those couple minutes to an hour with her only stemmed from the fact that he knew he didn’t have much longer. He’d much rather be beyond exhausted once he got back to Korea than to think that he missed something.

“Yeosang…” You murmured one morning, waking up to see him propped up on his elbow, his other hand gently stroking the cheek of your sleeping daughter as he stared down at her adoringly. Underneath his eyes were so dark, it was worrisome, but even with the obvious lack of sleep, his eyes seemed to twinkle whenever he looked at her. “You need to let me get her… At least enough for you to get some sleep. This isn’t good for you.”

He glanced up at you before dropping his gaze back down to her face, a small pout forming on his lips. “You’ll be able to spend every single night with her once I leave… I just want her to remember me, even a little bit. I want her to know that I love her.” He whispered, his fingers pausing against her cheek when she stirred at the sound of his voice. “I don’t know when I’ll be back…” He trailed off, clenching his teeth to bite back the shakiness that he knew was coming.

Your hand reached out to touch his cheek, your palm warm against his skin, more comforting than you probably knew. “She’ll remember you, I’ll make sure that she does.” You whispered, your voice low so as to not wake her up. “It’s not like you’re leaving forever, and even though you’ll be gone, we’re not leaving you. I’ll call you whenever I can, I’ll video call you so you can see her.”

He sighed softly, his head dropping down against the pillow but his gaze still lovingly, yet bittersweetly focused on his daughter who had captured his heart entirely the moment she took her first breath. “It won’t be the same…” He momentarily looked at you, a sad glimmer in his eyes. “I can’t hold you through the phone, I can’t kiss you… It’s gonna be awful…”

You tsked your tongue, trying to be as optimistic as possible even though your heart was breaking just as much at the thought of him not being there. “You say that now, but once you get back there and into the groove of things you’ll be a-okay.” He rolled his eyes at you, but you saw the corner of his lips twitch up. “And I’m sure you miss the guys, right? I know they miss you, I hear them talking whenever they call you.”

His head nodded as he rolled over onto his back, his hand running through his hair as a heavy sigh billowed through his parted lips. “I miss them, but my heart isn’t attached to them like it is to you and her. I don’t want to miss anything, I’m… I don’t want to be a bad dad.” Your mouth fell open, and you took a deep breath, about to speak, but he gave you a side eye that quickly had your lips pursing shut. “You’re gonna tell me I’m not a bad dad, that I’d never be a bad dad for doing my job. I know you, Y/N…” He was right, and he usually was. “That doesn’t change the fact that I’ll feel like one though.”

Chewing on your bottom lip, you thought of what to say. It was so hard to ease his mind right now, and you completely understood. You’d hate to be in his position, to have to choose between your job and being able to be with your daughter and him. The choice was beyond difficult, and you were thankful that you weren’t the one having to make it, but your heart broke for him knowing just how hard it was. “But I know you’ll do everything you can to see her, to see us whenever you can. Remember when we first got together, and I was so scared that I’d lose you…” His head nodded slowly, and you reached over your daughter to comb your fingers through his hair, trying your best to not only soothe him, but to reassure him. “You said that everything would be okay, that everything would work out. You just have to believe in those words, even now… I still believe them… I know this will work.”

When he had gotten back to work, the fans had gone crazy with support for him, and while many of them questioned his hiatus, a majority were respectful of his privacy. The both of you knew how crazy some fans could get, so you both worked to keep not only your relationship, but your daughter a secret from the public. It was better for the three of you, especially when he was so far away. Even with the distance, he was an active part in your daughter's life, sometimes staying up until 3 in the morning just to facetime you and her, making sure to call at a good hour for you, not wanting to wake her up in the middle of the night.

There were nights when he’d cry over the phone, choked up just at the sight of the daughter that he adored so much, but he couldn’t be with her, he couldn’t hold her or tell her that he loved her while she was in his arms. It was a lot on him emotionally, but he did his best, turning those emotions into works of lyrical art, songs that were written while looking at photos or videos of his little girl that you’d send him throughout the day. He wrote songs for you, filled with love and devotion, songs for his family that he missed so dearly.

Whenever he and the guys would go on tour, he’d make sure that management would set up dates, asking them to schedule at least 2 concerts in your city so he could spend more time with you. The most heart tugging times were when the tours were over though. He loved his career, that was undoubtable. He’d miss the energy in the venues while performing for ATINY, he’d miss the love that he could feel just radiating from the fans in front of him, he’d miss it a lot, but he knew that at the end of each tour came a small break, and those breaks were spent with you and his daughter. He’d spend weeks leading up to the break planning out what he could do with his girls, places he could take the both of you, trying to make the most of the short amount of time that he had. It was becoming harder though, the more famous that his group became, the more difficult it was to take you out, to try to get through the airport unnoticed.

Yeosang loved you, he loved being a father to his daughter, he cherished every single moment that he got to spend with the two of you. That’s why he had to make the choice, and it was hard, it was stressful. There was a lot on the line no matter what the decision was, but there was only 1 right choice in the matter, and he made sure to talk to you about it first, making sure that you were okay with it first. It was hard on him to have to watch his daughter grow up through a phone screen, and while you always managed to catch important milestones in her life with your camera, it just wasn’t the same as being there to see them himself. He needed to be with you always, he needed to have his family with him, close to him, and there was only one way to do that safely for all of you.

“It’s alright, love…” He whispered, rubbing small circles against your back as you sat beside him. You were breathing quite heavily, holding your now 1 year old daughter on your lap, bouncing her on your knee to keep her from trying to wiggle out of your arms. “You don’t have to do this right now if you don’t want to.” He assured you, and it’s not like he was completely calm about this either. His heart was racing, banging against his ribs so hard he felt like it’d break through. This was the first live that he’d do without one of the staff members sitting with him, although he knew that they’d be monitoring it from back at home.

You shook your head, trying to calm your heavy breaths as you smiled at him. “I’m fine… We need to do this…” And by this, you meant showing the world, introducing both yourself and your daughter to the fans that still had no idea that the two of you existed. There had been a lot of speculation recently about why he was constantly away, the meaning behind all of the songs that he had written, and you both just wanted to finally come clean with the fans. It would be better than being caught, and while you both knew that there came risks with coming out, the amount of stress that would be removed from the two of you completely outweighed whatever came next. There was nothing that the two of you couldn’t handle together.

“They’re going to love her, they’ll love you. She might even get her own fan base.” He teased, and you snorted softly as you looked down at your daughter who had been keeping herself occupied with one of the many toys that Yeosang had gotten her. “The live is ready to start as soon as you are, love. Just let me know…”

You swallowed thickly, closing your eyes for a moment and giving yourself one final second to think about this, to really think things through. “I’m ready…” You whispered, and then with the click of a button, the light on the webcam lit up. You saw yourself on the screen, but it was hard to really pay attention to the image of yourself sitting beside him when you saw just how quickly the viewers came in.

Comments rolled up the screen, your eyes unable to even keep up with whatever was being said, and while you saw Yeosang attempt to read them all, you were too scared to try. “Hey!” He greeted them enthusiastically, keeping one hand on your lap, giving light squeezes when he felt you tense up a little too much. “I’m trying to read all the comments, I really am, but… I’m sure most of them are questioning these two beautiful girls beside me…” At this point you were focusing on only him on the screen, the way his cheeks turned a light shade of pink after he had said that. “This is Y/N, my girlfriend of a year and a half now… And this little girl…” He reached over to grab your daughter from off your lap, placing her on his own with a proud smile. “This is my daughter, Yeori.”

Your heart seemed to stop as the comment section exploded, moving faster than any of you even bothered to try to read, you could only hope that whatever they were saying wasn’t anything awful or hateful. “Should I… Should I say something?” You whispered, leaning as close to Yeosang as possible, not wanting the mic to pick up what you were saying. He nodded his head swiftly, smiling to you, his eyes twinkling with the pride that he felt being able to not only sit next to his family during this, but to finally be able to introduce you both to the fans that he loved. “Hi, everyone…” You voiced shakily, eyes wavering between the image of Yeosang playing with your daughter to the comment section. “I’m really happy to be here… To be able to… Talk to you all…”

Yeosang nodded along with your words, your biggest supporter right now. What you didn’t know at the moment was how immensely proud of you he was, how strong he thought you were. It was no secret that fans were ruthlessly mean sometimes, especially when it came to the idol that they loved being in a relationship. He knew that you were worried, but you believed in him, you trusted him to protect not only you, but Yeori too, and he always would protect you. His job was important, but his family was his top priority, and it always would be.

After the live was over, it felt like you could finally breathe properly again. Your mind was filled with thoughts of what could happen, if people would be able to trace the location of the live, what the fans would do now. The both of you avoided getting online for the rest of the day, opting to remove yourself from the rest of the stress by just spending time together and being with your daughter. When the 3 of you were together like that, it was easier to forget that there was now a bunch of people that knew about you, that knew about Yeori.

“I was right…” Yeosang said over the breakfast table the next day, his phone in his hand and a wide smile spread across his face as he scrolled through whatever he was looking at. You hummed questioningly, grabbing yourself a cup of water before sitting next to him to see that he was looking through Twitter. “Everyone loves her, they love you. They think you’re both adorable…” Of course, you knew that he was only picking out the good comments, and you weren’t foolish enough to believe that every single fan had taken a liking to you. You had practically stolen away someone that they thought they owned or had a chance with. “Yeori has a bunch of fans already, they want to see her more…”

He chuckled softly, laying his phone down on the table before pulling you closer to him, pressing a kiss to your temple. “She won’t be there for all of your streams… You have to go back to Korea soon.” It was always the saddest thing that you had to admit to both yourself and to him. It was hard not to cry when he left, and it was even harder to try to explain to your daughter why she could only talk to her father on the phone for a vast majority of the year. “And I can’t do the streams by myself… I don’t want to… Not without you.”

Another kiss landed on your cheek now, and then his finger slipped under your chin to turn your head to look at him as his lips pressed against your own. “I know…” He mused, but usually there would be a sadness in his voice once that realization set in, this time there was a hint of giddiness, playfulness. “That’s why I just have to take you both with me.” You almost choked on the water that you had been sipping on.

It’s not like the idea hadn’t come up multiple times. It would be easier for the both of you if you just lived together, but at the time you were worried about the fans or reporters that might see the 3 of you walking through the airport together. Not just that, but Yeori had been too young to handle a plane ride of that duration, and you didn’t want to have to deal with the looks of annoyed fliers around you. “Yeosang…” You whispered his name, and while it sounded so amazing, being able to just be with him, to not have to wait for him to get time off to see you, it was hard for you to fathom how it would be possible. “There’s nothing ready for us to be there with you… She doesn’t have a room there… Not in the dorms, I don’t want the guys to feel intruded on or-”

He pressed his lips against yours once more to put a halt to your pessimistic talk. “That’s why everything is already set up. It’s been set up for a while now, I’ve just been waiting for the right time, and it’s the right time now.” Your eyes widened as his lit up. This was everything that he had wanted, everything that he had been waiting for. He’d no longer have to count down the days before finally being able to be with his family once more, he’d simply get to wake up every morning and you’d both be there. “She has a room in my own apartment. I’ve even been learning how to drive so that we don’t have to depend on the staff or anyone else to get us around. I hate leaving you, I hate leaving her… I can’t keep doing it to the both of you… I need my family with me, I want us to be together, always.” His hands cupped your cheeks as he looked you in the eyes, a hopeful smile on his face. There was a lot that you’d be leaving behind if you agreed to go with him, but he loved you, he loved his daughter, and he didn’t want to have to leave the both of you behind anymore. “I already have the tickets for all of us to go… I love you, I love you more than anything in the world… I need you and Yeori with me, close to me… I can’t leave you anymore. I’m not walking out that door and hopping on another plane unless the 2 of you are coming with me.”

4 Years Later

You sat on the floor, your back pressed against the wall as you watched your daughter run around the room. “Yeori, don’t run honey…” You called out, about to get up from your seat on the floor until you watched a set of arms scoop her up. “Sorry… She wanted to come today and-”

Yeosang walked over to you, Yeori playfully dangling over his shoulder as she giggled lightly, poking against his back to try to get him to start walking once he had stopped in front of you. “Don’t apologize, I love having you both here, you know that.” He reassured you, gently setting her down next to you. “How are you feeling? Hungry? Thirsty? Does your back hurt?” He questioned, kneeling down to check you over. “You feeling sick again?” He quizzed, and you quickly shook your head, leaning into his hand that had been pressed against your cheek.

“I’m alright…” You hummed, turning to kiss his palm before letting out a small giggle. “Just don’t want her to get in the way of you and the guys while you’re practicing. I can’t chase her around like I used to.” You sighed softly, and as if on queue, you both simultaneously looked down at your stomach that had just started to swell once again.

“You don’t have to chase her, that’s why I’m here.” He teased, kissing his hand before pressing it against your stomach. “I want you to be comfortable. You could have stayed home and rested, I would have brought her in with me.” You rolled your eyes, not because you doubted him, you just knew that him and the others had a comeback to prepare for and you didn’t want her to mess them up. Even if she did though, none of them would admit it. The guys adored her and spoiled her, sometimes more than Yeosang did. “Please let me know if you need anything, I’ll have Jongho get it for you.”

You scoffed loudly, lightly pushing against his shoulder as your scoff turned to laughter. “Go practice, I can wait until your lunch break. Plus, she’s finally sitting still, now’s your time to actually practice.” You both glanced over at your daughter who had occupied herself for the time being on your phone. “Plus, you know I love watching you dance…”

He hummed softly as he got to his feet, taking a moment to look between his daughter and you, who was now in the process of growing his second daughter, another addition to the family that he loved and cherished with his entire being. “You can stop me if you need to… I love you…” He cooed the last words, earning himself a bunch of teasingly disgusted groans from the guys behind him.

It had been scary to leave your home, the only home that you had ever known to come with him to Korea, but it had been the greatest choice you could have ever made. Yeosang didn’t have to choose between his family or his career, and you didn’t have to sadden yourself with thoughts of when you’d get to see him again. You were always together, and you would always be together, he promised that to you every single day. The 3, soon to be 4 of you were finally able to be a real family, and while it was tough at times, seeing the smile on Yeosangs face, the pride in his eyes whenever he looked at you or Yeori, whenever he talked about the little family that he had created… It had made all of it, the wait, the stress, the heartache, the tears… All of it had been worth it because it all led to this moment, sitting against the wall of the practice room with your daughter beside you, and your husband in front of you, doing what he loved while surrounded with the people that he loved.

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stayteezdreams · 2 years ago

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First Dates with Ateez (Hyung Line)

Headcanons: First dates with Ateez (Hyung Line)

(Maknae Line Version)

Pairings: Kim Hongjoong x Reader; Park Seonghwa x Reader; Jeong Yunho x Reader; Kang Yeosang x Reader - all Gn!Reader

Warnings: Brief mentions of a kiss (in Hongjoong's and Yunhos)

A/n: Yeosangs came out a lot longer than I intended but whatever lol.

Hongjoong (day at the beach)

Hongjoong wanted to take you somewhere you hadn't been before.

So after he kidnapped you picked you up for your date (you didn't know this was happening, he just decided the wanted to take you on a date)

You drove for a while, you weren't quite sure how long, as the conversation (and karaoke) kept you preoccupied.

Finally, you saw the ocean come into view and you beamed in excitement.

This made Hongjoong even more glad he decided to do this, and it was hard for him to keep his eyes on the road when you looked so happy.

When you got to the beach, you watched Hongjoong pull out a blanket, umbrella, and bag of food from the car.

He grinned at you and you felt yourself swoon, and beam with excitement.

As you walked to find a spot on the beach, he pulled you along by your arm, and you had butterflies.

He seemed so proud of his surprise date, you couldn't feel angry that he had sidelined your day even if you tried.

After finding a nice spot to sit, Hongjoong set up the umbrella and blanket before patting the spot beside him.

Between eating, talking, playing card games and a surprisingly competitive game of catch, you and Honjoong had spent the whole day on the beach.

As the sun began to set, you and Hongjoong took a walk along the beach after packing everything up.

You took photos together, and a cute older couple asked if they could take some of the two of you.

When they made a comment about how cute of a couple you two made, you and Honjoong gave each other shy smiles and he couldn't stop giggling.

When continuing on your walk, Hongjoong was walking close enough that your arms were touching. Eventually his hand slipped into yours.

You glanced at him and saw a cute smile on his face, which caused you to break out into your own.

He brought up the older couple, and asked how you would feel about actually being a couple with him.

You were of course very accepting of the idea, which only made Honjoong more giddy.

After the drive home, he walked you to your door, and asked if he could kiss you goodnight.

You said yes, and he kissed you softly, yet quickly, with a promise of taking you on another planned date soon.

Seonghwa (garden cafe date)

Seonghwa knew you loved cafes, and wanted to take you to one for your first date.

But he didn't want to take you to any ordinary cafe.

So, after doing some research, he found a garden cafe, and decided it was perfect.

When you arrived, you were shocked you had never known it existed.

After exploring briefly and checking out the beautiful scenery, and taking some photos, you sat down and went over the menu.

Neither of you could decide what to get, and one of the servers, seeing this, told you that you can take unfinished food home with you.

So you and Seonghwa then decided to order probably way too much food. (The others were happy though as they had their own tasting party after Seonghwa brought back the left overs.)

The cafe was surprisingly not crowded, so you and Seonghwa had your own private little corner. It felt much more romantic than Seonghwa expected, but he had no complaints about this.

Seonghwa couldn't keep his eyes off you the whole date. Every time you got excited about a new drink, food or dessert he couldn't help but stare at you with his adoring sparkly eyes.

Slowly he inched closer to you, wanting to be right beside. You noticed this, and smiled, butterflies heavy in your stomach.

You can't tell me wouldn't try to feed you either. He'd think it was cute how you'd get kind of embarrassed by it, but that would only want to make him do it more.

Then you'd retaliate by doing it to him and he'd crumble into giggles.

When you finally left the cafe, Seonghwa rested his hand on your back, and kept you close to him.

This was not the last time you came to the cafe, and you ended up being regulars to the point where you befriended the staff.

Yunho (Exploring)

Yunho couldn't decide where to take you on your first date, so he decided why not everywhere?

You were relatively new to the city so he took you around, showing you a bunch of unique places

You walked around a shopping center and markets, you even stopped and did karaoke for a while, before going to a nearby arcade.

At the arcade, Yunho won you a giant teddy bear.

Afterwards he dragged you into a photo-booth, and the two of you ended up with half a dozen sets of pictures.

After walking around a bit more, the two of you found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where you got some of the best food you'd ever had.

Eventually the two of you ended up in a park after the sun had begun to set.

Seeing Yunho, the giant golden retriever trying to slide down a children's slide, definitely became a core memory for you.

And yes you got a photo of the exact moment when he got stuck.

You swung on the swings, with Yunho pushing you, up until he pushed you too hard you thought you were going to fly off.

Once the sun had set, the two of you laid on a nearby picnic table and looked up at the sky.

Looking over at Yunho at one point, your breath hitch when you found him already staring at you.

You smiled bashfully and looked away, only making him grin.

Suddenly, he took your hand and sat up "Wanna go get ice cream?"

You giggled and nodded, before yelping as he dragged you off the table, as you quickly made your way own the road.

Yunho didn't let go of your hand the rest of the date, until he finally had to when he walked you to your door.

You thanked him for the amazing date and kissed him on the cheek. He pouted and teased you.

"Was it only worth a kiss on the cheek?"

"What were you expecting?" You asked back, your heart pounding.

He smirked before he suddenly kissed you on the lips.

When he pulled away, your eyes were wide in shock and he chuckled, a smile broke out on your face as you smacked him playfully.

Going out on these little adventure dates became a regular thing for you two.

Yeosang (Nami Island)

Yeosang didn't want your first date to be just an ordinary date.

So when he recalled that you had talked about wanting to visit Nami island, he thought this might be the perfect opportunity.

He kept what you were doing to himself, but told you it required a journey.

You were nervous yet excited, you trusted Yeosang, so you went along for the ride.

You tried to guess a few times, but he simply put his finger against his lips and smiled.

You soon figured it out soon enough when you heard the train announcement about your destination being Nami Island.

When you heard this you looked over at Yeosang with wide eyes and he chuckled.

You got so excited you did a little dace, and he smiled adoringly at you, already knowing this was the best idea.

You had left fairly early in the morning, so you had all day to explore the island, which is exactly what you did.

You took photos in the famous maple lane, you had lunch together after exploring the riverside, you walked along the glass sequoia bridge.

Yeosang's favorite moment was the face you made when he said he was taking you to zip-line.

You were nervous, yet determined to do it. Yeosang was proud of you, and your anxiety made him feel a bit braver about his own.

Even if you did yell out in surprise at the beginning of the zipline, you quickly got used to the feeling as you soared through the air.

Looking to your left, you spotted Yeosang who had a wide smile on his face.

You made eye contact as you both laughed.

As fun as the zip-line turned out to be, your favorite moment though was when you explored Dodamsambong Garden.

As you made your way through the garden, Yeosang took the moment to slip his hand into yours.

When you looked over at him, he avoided eye contact, trying to act casual, but you saw a shy smile tug at his lips.

You smiled to yourself as you continued down the path, your heart beating heavily.

Yeosang loved the way your face lit up as you admired all of the beautiful flowers and plants.

Pointing at one, you grinned "It's so beautiful!"

"You're more beautiful"

You looked over at Yeosang whose face had gone blank as you realized he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

You giggled and wrapped your arm through his as you tugged him along, allowing him to suffer through the embarrassment without adding more on top of it.

After you ate once more, you made the long train journey back.

During the ride you talked about all the things you had done, before you relaxed in silence, resting your head on Yeosang's shoulder.

At one point, you felt Yeosang rest his chin gently on your head and you smiled.

When you finally got home, you parted ways with Yeosang after giving him a kiss on the cheek, and leaving him grinning at you as you said goodbye.

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fxckteez · 1 year ago

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・❥・ YEOSANG AS BOYFRIEND

° Appreciates a good sense of humor. Sarcastic and inside jokes would be a thing between you two.

° Enjoys watching movies with you, but nothing scary ok? He's an angel.

° And talking about being an angel, he always would ask you how are you, if you need something... always making sure he's there for you if you need him.

° He's a very curious person, so he's always asking you about everything.

° He's like your best friend! You feel comfortable enough to always telling him the deepest secrets about you.

° Gets shy easily when you're saying lovely words to him.

° A patience baby :( if you're late or something, he would never complain. He can get upset, but you would never know.

° He's so gentle. The kind of son-in-law your parents asked for in their prayers.

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

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yeosbbm · 1 year ago

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Preview of my next smut fic ^^🤭

hey guys thanks for the luvv on my first wooyoung smut I posted yesterday <3. I was sure it would only get like 10 notes LMFAOO,, but guys despite the enjoyment you possibly gotten im very unhappy with it there were too many inconsistencies and it was very rushed. and that’s why I’m very keen on doing my best with this yeosang fic and I’m releasing it tomorrow WAAAAAAA hope you guys enjoy when I do post it

Update: It’s officially POSTED !!

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joongsmassiveship · 1 year ago

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Ateez Headcanons

Yeosang and physical affection with his s/o

With Yeosang, all forms of affection are about respect above all else

Especially the physical ones

He respects your boundaries and he expects his to be respected as well

Which is why I have no doubt in my mind that when things are getting serious enough between you two that he feels comfortable, he will want to sit down with you and discuss boundaries

He will leave no room for lack of communication about this because he has very specific boundaries and he knows they can make affection a bit difficult

He is willing to push those boundaries a little if you need him to

But he won't let you disregard them all together

First, there will always be a prompt for consent before any closer, intimate touching

This is ranging from cuddling all the way to sex

Even just to hold on to his arm, he'd like to be asked first

And he of course will show you the same respect

Smaller things like hand holding and quick kisses are different though

He doesn't mind a little spontaneity there

But the ways he initiates physical affection are sweet and cute

Small grazes of his fingers along the small of your back as he passes behind you

Quick cheek kisses when he knows you're busy but he wants to remind you he's there with you

The ocassional gentle butt slap, because let's be real all the boys smack asses

Of course all of this is in the comfort and privacy of your own home

When you're out with him it's completely different

If the setting is a personal outing just the two of you like a date or shopping, he's content with you holding his arm while to two walk and giving him quick, sweet kisses if he's in a good enough mood

Hand holding is definitely encouraged

But if it's a more professional setting, like backstage or behind the scenes of a photo shoot or something, he's way more reserved

This is definitely when he's the most reserved, in fact

Especially if there are cameras on him

No kisses, no clinging

He might let you hold his hand if your relationship is known publicly

But honestly there's a pretty decent chance he specifically tells you he'd prefer not to be touched at all in these settings

Because those things are personal to him and he'd like to keep them away from his idol life as much as possible

Both for his comfort but also for his career and your safety's sake

But if you were with him for support at any of these, which would be often because he'd ask you to be a lot, and you were aching too badly for his touch and you tell him

He will take a few minutes to whisk you off somewhere more private so he can give you some of the attention you need

Kisses and closer intimacy while hiding in a dressing room or even a closet if he must

Nothing too intense

He's not about to get down and dirty with you in the closet on set

But he won't leave you wanting for affection if the lack of it is having an emotional affect on you

He cares about you far too much for that

#kang yeosang #yeosang #ateez yeosang #Ateez #ateez headcanons #yeosang headcanons #ateez fluff #yeosang fluff

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lxvemaze · 2 months ago

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i got ateez tix ehehehhe :3 so how abouttttt yeosang x reader where she like airdrops him her number with a selca or smth during the show and he actually texts her? and then texts of their relationship growing etc yk?

basically I GOT ATEEZ TIX AND NOW I WANT A CONCERT INSO SMAU OKOKOK

ily

- batsie🦇🦇🦇🦇

GRRRR IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU, BATSY!!! HERE YOU GO!!!!

彡dreaming

pairing' kang yeosang x reader

genre' fluff, smau

warnings' none, i don't think!!

#yeosang headcanons #yeosang fanfic #yeosang imagines #yeosang fic #yeosang x reader #ateez texts #ateez x reader #ateez imagines #ateez headcanons #ateez smau #ateez fanfic #ateez fic #ateez fake texts #yeosang fake texts

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seonghwaddict · 1 year ago

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stupefied — kang yeosang

in which a small accident leads to something more.

prince!kang yeosang x fem!reader. genre. fluff, domestic fluff, slight crack. warnings. they're super awkward, description and mentions of wounds, a tiny bit of blood, they're super cute. wc. 5.8k.

lilo's notes. hi i'm back :3

　　　　　　　　　main masterlist

There was nothing that could explain why Prince Kang Yeosang was roaming the woods, other than the fact that he desired a break. He told his servants not to go looking for him because he was on a personal mission, but in reality, he wanted to mindlessly wander around in a disguise that would not attract attention. He set off in his worst garments and a hood above his head. The brief vacation was only supposed to last for a day, but it did not go as he had anticipated.

After winding his way through snow and wood for so long, he fell into a rhythm. His defences were down and his thoughts were building themselves into other things until he heard singing. It was an enchanting melody, but that did not keep him from being wary. Once he brought more focus to his path, he realised that the part of the forest he was in felt unfamiliar. He told himself he was too competent to fall into such a generic trap, so he got off his horse and secured him to a tree. After asking his companion not to make a sound—as if the animal would understand him—he moved further with much caution and hands raised. His fingers twitched as the voice grew louder and his boots pushed quietly onto the earth.

Up ahead, you hummed a sweet melody. However, you faltered for a second when you heard the snap of a twig. It was easy to believe that it was likely one of the many harmless animals that liked to roam about the area in the afternoon, so you continued. Your confidence began to diminish once the sounds of birds twittering faded into silence. It did not look like a storm was coming, so the safest conclusion was already thrown aside along with your composure. By all accounts, if you were so nervous, why did you continue singing?

As Yeosang passed a shrub, he saw you by several bushes filled with various berries. His first thought was not him questioning why a young woman would be by herself in this secluded part of the forest. Instead, he thought of how carefully your fingers skimmed across each fruit to study them. He was close enough to see the way the sun caused a glimmer that beamed off your shoulders and brought a shine to the locks of your hair. If he was closer, he would have seen that your rosy lips were the result of you biting them to strengthen your concentration on berry picking. To his hidden delight, those same lips did not stop singing as minutes passed. The sight before him eased his suspicions significantly, but he was still hesitant about making his presence known. The Prince had planned to turn on his heels and try to forget what he saw, but once he put his guard down, his vigilance followed suit. A larger branch whimpered as it cracked from the weight of his body, and the next thing he could properly process was the girl’s frightened eyes meeting him.

From your perspective, it was after you had noticed that the birds were completely silent that you heard the branch break. You glanced at your surroundings briefly, picking up the largest rock you spotted. Just in case. You were on edge more than usual, so you whipped around to see why the sound was coming from behind you, and what had been causing it. Any other creature was what you expected, but when you saw a man crouched behind a shrub, you instinctively screamed and threw the rock right at him, hitting his head. The basket of freshly picked berries was knocked over as you tried to gather the fabric of your dress. Your shoes carried you to the nearest tree and you hid behind it and held your breath. The anticipation grew up your spine as the silence persisted. Minutes passed without any response from the mysterious man so she peeked. You could see the man’s wavy black hair still peeking out of what he previously hid behind.

You had concluded that ten minutes was not the normal amount of time that someone would pretend to be unconscious, so you approached his still body with your hands stretched out, ready to defend your own life. His face was the first thing she noticed about him. His features were so striking that you felt that if you reached out with your hands, your fingers would have bled. His physical appearance did not match the frayed clothing that he was wearing. Every strand of his hair fell into perfect position even though he had been knocked down on the ground. He was well-groomed in every sense of the word. It was odd. From your speed search, there did not seem to be any weapons on him, which made the situation even stranger.

“Oh, no.” You sank to the ground in shame.

Your fingers warily made their way to his wrist to check for a pulse, then his neck. He was so cold that without the hammering beating of his heart, she would have assumed that he was already dead. The growing red colour on his arm and the thin cut on his temple made the situation even more critical. You needed to get him to your home, but you did not know how to. You scrambled to pick up the man, but the weight you felt when you attempted to lift him by his shoulders was enough to convince you that dragging him back home would not work. Everything seemed pointless until you heard the heavy breaths and cries of a horse not too far from where you were. You thought that if it was not this strange man’s horse, then who else would be around to tie a horse to a tree? After practically begging the horse to lie down, you were finally able to drag the man onto it. That’s when you definitely knew you made the right decision. The majestic, pitch-black creature seemed so comfortable with the heavy man thrown over it like a towel.

“Come along now, sweetie.” You took the horse’s reins and walked it to your cottage.

When Prince Yeosang woke up, the first thing he saw was a cat. It was perched on his chest with no thought about the consent of the stranger. Its mismatched green and blue eyes almost distracted Yeosang from the fact that he was in a room that he was unfamiliar with. Not only that, but he felt something wrapped tightly around his arm and something else sticking against his temple. Before he could panic, he heard someone coming into the room.

“Laura!” You came rushing in. The cat was quickly removed from the prince’s chest, and he felt like he was left completely thoughtless. You tried to cradle Laura, but the cat leapt from your hands and out of the room. “I’m so sorry,” oyu said. The man stayed completely still, as the emotion on his face still remained ambiguous. You took that as your cue to introduce yourself with your first name. You waited to see if he would introduce himself too. When he didn’t, you continued. “You fell on a rock and were out cold when I checked you. Um,” you quickly pointed to the window on your right, “your horse is outside. I fed him… he’s really pretty.”

“Thank you,” he said. At any other time, the prince would be ready to fight his way out of a situation, but he was more focused on the light from the candles in the room gently contouring your face. Your beauty was painfully enchanting. It was a surprise how your features stupefied him the moment you stumbled through the door.

“Your food.” You dashed out of the small room as quickly as you came in. Your dress moved like billowing clouds as you made haste to retrieve his food, your quick footsteps giving the illusion that you were floating. Yeosang felt like he was looking at a person from the very fairy tales he heard as a child.

You came back in carrying a tray with a bowl and utensils in the centre. “Would you like it?”

“Like what?”

“Some food,” you nervously stated. Your idea of bringing the man back to your cabin was as awkward as you expected it to be, you were starting to regret your plan.

“Oh…” he nodded, “yes, please.” It should not have been that easy for a stranger to convince him to ingest anything, but he already had the silverware in his mouth before he was mentally chastising himself for being so easily charmed.

“I’m sorry for the confusion. I think you got cut on a sharp rock because your arm was bleeding really bad,” you said. That is when Yeosang finally stopped eating and looked at his left arm. It was utterly embarrassing that he did not notice it was entirely bandaged until now. He did not want to admit how bad it looked from the few discoloured parts of flesh peeking through. “And… you must’ve hit your head on something. I put some plasters on the little bit, but I think it should be fine by now.”

“Still, I would hate for you to continue your journey with an injured arm,” you added. You kept your attention on his wounded limb, it was jarring to see how dark his eyes were. They intimidated you into looking anywhere but at him and attempting bad conversation. “You can stay here until you feel well enough to return to what you were doing if that’s what she would like.”

“Thank you so much for your kindness.” Yeosang was no longer going to lie to himself. He knew he would rather spend days with the bewitching woman who saved his life than return to his very own prison. He would just hope that you didn’t have any ill intentions because it would be a shame if he would have to take you out himself.

“So,” you got up to mindlessly shuffle some stuff in the room. “What’s your name?” you grinned.

“Yeosang,” he replied without much thought. He wanted to take it back, but it was too late. No one really called him that anymore—but if you didn’t recognise him as the prince of this nation, he would try his best to keep it that way even if he could only experience a form of normality for a few days.

“That’s a lovely name… May I ask where you’re from? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around the nearest town…” You trailed off at the end in hesitation.

He thought for a moment before he said, “Gyeongju.”

“Oh, my—What’s it like? I’ve never been to the capital.” You could not stop your true reaction from escaping.

“It’s…” he let out a sigh, “pleasant.” The conversation died for a moment so you focused on Laura making it to the top of your dresser. It was your excuse for still not looking at him. “Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I was raised here” you replied as you stroked Laura. He nodded. The conservation did not go any further until you chimed in again, “Well, it’s late. It’s such a shame that you just woke up.”

“I’m sure I’ll sleep,” he voiced politely.

“Okay.” You smiled and began to snuff out the candles around the room. “The door’ll be open so if you have any problems, you can just ask.”

The prince mindlessly nodded to your instruction. It would have been easy to ask where you would be if he was not so uncharacteristically timid. Yeosang refused to try to sleep. There was still some hesitance that made him cautious of sinking into the bed with a weak arm. It grew stiffer as the night continued, so he distracted himself with a book that was left on the wooden dresser.

The feeling of a weight on the Prince’s chest woke him up. When his eyes snapped open, they were looking at the sharp eyes of a feline which brought back memories of the afternoon before. His consciousness did not scare away the cat—as he had desired—but he knew picking up Laura would surely bring unpredictable pain. So, he stayed in an undisclosed staring match with her even as he heard small movements outside the room. After a short period, his focus broke once he heard distant calls for the cat. The young Prince looked back at the cat, which was now preparing to fall asleep on his lap until it met his eyes again. Laura stood right back up—he almost expected her to groan—and hopped off of the bed and out of the room. He followed suit, careful not to strain his injuries, and got out of bed. His body ached more than he was used to. It hurt all over, but there was a more pronounced pain in his forehead. Unfortunately, there was not much to do but follow the path Laura had shown to the kitchen.

“Laura—” The cat quickly interrupted you by hopping into your arms as you crouched. “Where did you go?” you petted her. Yeosang walked into the kitchen, but his steps in his shoes were very quiet. You didn’t notice him until Laura turned from staring at absolutely nothing to the towering wounded man. “Did you wake him?” You whispered to her. Laura continued to stare at the towering, pale man. “I apologise,” you muttered. He nodded with the faintest, courteous smile. You took the trace of emotion that you were given and pulled out a dining chair as you gestured him over. His long legs took him over to the dining table without much effort.

“Thank you.” He completed a small bow, and he sat. Instead of going into his meal, he looked around as you were occupied with trying to get Laura to eat. His brief scanning of the house had him see his horse through the window to the right of him.

“He was fed this morning,” you reassured him.

“Thank you.” He felt like an echo in a cave. He still had not said anything besides constantly thanking you for your hospitality. “He appears to be doing much better than I am.” He was satisfied to see how easily you let out a small chuckle.

After making sure Laura had finished eating, you rose and grabbed the handles of a woven picnic basket. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” you told him as you looked at his nose instead of his eyes because it was easier that way. You turned to Laura and whispered to her ears, “Please, behave, and don’t embarrass me.” As if she would listen if she could. As you went through the door, you looked back for a brief moment. You saw the man’s head whip back to attentively look at the cat on the dining chair. You closed the door and sent a small prayer that if the man tried to take anything or cause any trouble, then your cat would at least try to put up a fight.

Once the door had completely closed and your gentle footsteps grew quieter, he waited three minutes while eating and carrying on the staring match he had with the tabby cat, then got up and let his legs lead him throughout the house. Different varieties of dried flowers spun into circles were gently laid into a bowl. Next to it was the basket of berries he believed he saw yesterday. Plates were lazily leaning against the wall on a shelf while mugs were hanging from hooks. A sweet smell lingered in the kitchen, even though it looked recently cleaned. He couldn’t exactly name the scent but it resembled a mixture of vanilla and something fruity. He did not lose interest in the kitchen but knew his nosy lingering may take longer if he stayed. Yeosang walked to the living room to see two small armchairs next to a well-maintained fireplace. The abundance of shelves on the wall were filled with many books of varying sizes and colours. There was a knitted blanket haphazardly tossed over the chair facing his room.

He continued scanning the room and saw a closed door he never noticed; he had no time to think about the chairs any further. Had he been a guest anywhere else, he would have honoured privacy, but he considered this a unique circumstance. His fingers enveloped the handle and the door whined as he slowly pushed it open. All he did was poke his head in and was met with a clean and very simple room. It was a lot like the one he slept in, except there were different items decorating the tiny dresser.

Ultimately, Yeosang felt pleased enough with what he glimpsed that he took his snooping to the front door. He held the door latch, peered through the window next to it, and opened the door.

The sun hit his cheeks in small ruptures as its rays tried to twist through the thick trees that blanketed and guarded the cottage. His horse stood without any sign of distress. Yeosang petted the horse while simultaneously giving him some of the berries that Yeosang took off of his plate.

The Prince looked around the exterior of the cottage as his companion leisurely absorbed the sun. The house almost appeared swallowed by bushes, shrubs, flowers, and a few potted plants. His slightly tattered shoes led him around the house. There was a small garden of salad leaves in their pots. With one of his hands brought behind his back, he leaned in to look further at the vegetation.

“You found dinner.”

Your small voice only tapped his ears, but it startled him into losing his balance. He would have caught himself if she had not assumed he would crush the leaves and attempt to catch him. Your hasty moves caused your steps to be misplaced and she crashed into his hard, warm back. You expected to take him down with you, but he did not budge. Once you realized your face was not meeting the dirt, but rather remained on his back, you erected your spine back up and tried to ignore the wave of embarrassment.

“I’m sorry!” You frantically tried to smoothen the wrinkles on his clothes while avoiding his eyes.

You thought you heard a chuckle come from him. It would have been hard to miss it if his shoulders did not shake when he laughed. “I should be apologizing,” he briefly looks at the plants before switching to look you in the eyes, “I’ve been exploring.”

“That’s fine,” you assured. As he watched you pick up your basket, Yeosang wondered how he got so occupied that he did not notice your return. You walked back to the front of the cottage and inside without checking to see if he was following you. Laura poked her head up upon the opening of the door and right back down when she saw it was you.

“May I?” you heard him say. You turned and saw him, gesturing toward the rows of books you had on display.

“Go ahead,” you said, “there’s not a lot for you to do around here, unfortunately.”

“It’s quite alright, this is enough entertainment.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.” You went back to rummaging through a cabinet for the items you needed to tend to the plants outside.

For Yeosang, the morning went by as quickly as the last chapter of the book had arrived. He noticed that you had gone outside, but not that the sun had already made it to its highest point by the time he closed the story and set it aside. He made an effort to inconspicuously look outside the window leading outside to the front of the house to see if he could spot you and not just a tall black horse. His effort was a failure, but his pride found another alternative. The Prince rose from the chair and walked outside.

As he pretended to walk closer to his companion, he got a much better view of you. Your hands were occupied with tending to the pieces of each plant as your eyes followed them with deep concentration. He saw strands of your hair spilling out of a patterned headscarf you used to protect yourself from the sun. From those same strands came a single bead of sweat that started from your head, down the side of your face, and past your jaw. It continued down your neck and that’s when he refused to keep looking further.

“How was the book?” You looked at him for a moment to see him looking at his horse with too much focus.

He looked over and tried to pretend to have just noticed you. “Good,” he replied. He watched you get up from the ground.

You removed your gloves and walked closer to him. “Could I– um–” She pointed to his bandaged arm.

“Of course,” he replied.

As soon as you were given permission, you took his hand with one hand and lifted his arm with the other. You inched closer in hopes of seeing more without having to move the arm any more than needed. During your inspection, from his height, he was able to see the natural curl of your lashes. The fragments of the sun made the warm glow of your skin more apparent. When you took his hands, it was a moment of cold clarity. He could not remember the last time he was so aware that he was touching another person as it was happening.

“Yeosang?” you looked up at him and were surprised by the lack of space you were giving him. It was easier to pretend that you did not notice.

He hummed in response

“I asked you ‘how much does it hurt?’”

“It aches, not as painful as yesterday, though.”

You nodded, gently placing his hand back down. “And your head?” You gestured at your temple.

“Feels fine to me.”

“Wonderful.”

The rest of the afternoon flew by thanks to the chores she tended to outside and inside, with Yeosang lingering behind you every step of the way. He offered help many times, but you denied his offers and told him not to put stress on his arm. Not wanting to be completely useless, he held a short conversation. It was when dinner was ready and Laura was eating out her plate that you both fell back onto the topic of where he was from.

“Forgive me for asking, but what’s the Palace like?” you asked. He mentioned working there during one of your short conversations.

“Um,” he thought for a moment as he chewed, “clean, I suppose?” You finally heard the sound of laughter not just from yourself, but from him as well as he shrugged. It was nice, and it filled up the house with warmth. “I’ve never had the chance to observe it all,” he said.

“Were you busy?”

“Many duties,” he claimed.

His responses were as short as the time you had known him, but they were getting longer, much to your delight. You wanted to ask him what his job was, but you were not sure if you would be poking too much into his personal business. However, your curiosity about the outside world fueled you to keep going. “Are those duties being neglected right now?”

“Possibly.”

“I’ll try my best to help speed up your recovery,” you pushed around a piece of asparagus on your plate.

“Much appreciated, but I’m sure they don’t miss me too much.” He quietly appreciated your questions, because as he answered them, the excitement in your eyes never dimmed.

You nodded in response and continued to eat. You pretended not to look at him as he ate, but even in the evening, the dim lighting of the candles scattered around the house made his face look even more enticing. You saw him glance over to check on his horse outside.

“Your horse should be fine outside. Nothing ever comes by here,” you assured.

“It is quite an isolated home,” he realised.

“Yes,” you agreed.

It was quiet for a few more moments until he asked a question of his own. “Have you always lived here?”

“Yes. Can’t really remember living anywhere else.” You tried to pet Laura as she wrapped herself around your foot, but she then began avoiding your hand before skittering under the table to settle at his feet.

“Really? I’ve never come across here,” he said as his brows furrowed, but he nodded before going back to his meal.

The rest of the evening was spent cleaning up the events of the day that passed. The current occupants of the house finished the day with reading. Once it was time to retreat into sleep, you were already fast asleep on the chair with your quilt and a book trapped under it with you.

Yeosang saw how shallow your breaths became and how supple your cheeks were when they were pressed against your shoulder that you used as a pillow. He took it as his cue to go to the bed he was given. He went around and snuffed out each flame in every candle with the tips of his fingers. He pretended to ignore the cat as she followed him into the room and slept beside him. He made the effort to try to rest by telling himself that this would probably be the only real rest he would get for the next decade.

The sun brought in the next day and he never remembered falling asleep or waking up. The stiffness in his back made it clear that he did both of those things. He wished that he was not a little disappointed that Laura did not greet him with her morning stare, but he did not take it personally. He simply put on the same shoes and hoped that he would find someone in the kitchen even though there was no noise coming from any part of the house. He made it into the living room and was met with complete stillness and silence. From the window, he could see his horse grazing. Once he made it outside, the sun was shining much brighter than he expected. He had slept longer than he had intended.

It was relieving to see Laura preoccupied with attacking insects, but one more person was missing. Amid his deep thoughts, he petted his horse and scanned around the house for any sign of you getting a task done.

“I suppose you don’t know where she is,” the Prince playfully said to the cat.

Later, a certain beauty walked back to her cottage with a picnic basket of her clothes in one hand and a large bucket of water in the other. You bid good morning to your cat and his horse on your path back inside the house. It was almost as quiet as you left it, but you did hear some movement coming from inside your old room.

He could already tell it was you who came back just by the gentleness of the sound of the footsteps that came inside. The prince already had a book in his hand, trying not to look flush when he saw your head poke into the room.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hello,” he made the effort to remember to smile instead of just staring.

“I’m here to change your bandage.” You came in with a new set of clothes in your hand and the other necessary items to clean up a wound. The various plasters you stuck onto his right temple were already removed the day before, nothing but a faint bruise was left behind. His arm, however, would take a bit longer to heal. As you took off his bandage, you forced your hands to not tremble, repeatedly reminding yourself to only touch where it was necessary despite how tempting the muscles of his arm looked. Once the fabric was completely off, he got to see the injury that was his excuse to extend his vacation. The deep cut started halfway up his forearm and to his upper arm. It was like a dark red serpent permanently etched on his skin. I suppose that does seem pretty bad…

“I think it might scar,” you said as you gently tried to wipe off areas of dried blood.

“I wouldn’t worry,” you heard him say, “… a scar isn’t too hard to get rid of.”

You nodded in hesitation and pretended you could not feel his deep brown eyes staring at you as you worked. “I brought you some water from the stream so you can bathe. You can wear that shirt over there while I clean this one.”

“Thank you, but I’ll heal just the same without you inconveniencing yourself.” His comment was genuine but had a mixture of disappointment.

“Well, it is my responsibility.” You tried not to seem entranced by his starless eyes as you both stopped for a moment to look at each other.

“Why?” he asked. You shrugged your shoulders in response, ignoring the unspoken truth marinating on your tongue. It’s my fault you got hurt.

The afternoon with him in the cottage was slightly more talkative than the days before. He attempted to play with Laura as he pretended to read, skimming the same line over and over and over again. In the moments when he was not too distracted, he watched you complete some more chores around the property with the occasional insistence to help. You begged him to remain rested and even threatened him to sell his horse if he tried to help, but in exchange he let you continue to ask about the capital. His description of the palace brought shame to the books describing the same place. He was surprised at how willing he was to recount the layout of the place he had come to know well. By then, speaking more openly to you was much less difficult than he had expected it to be.

By the time the sunlight took over the country, he was intrigued by how quickly the days were being eaten by the cooperation of the moon and the sun. On his way to return the books that he took, he watched you begin to blow out each candle until the darkness flooded the cottage. Yeosang took the opportunity to retreat into his temporary room, in which Laura was already sleeping at the foot of the bed.

“Yeosang,” you spoke into the darkness. He turned around. You noticed how well his figure fit into the darkness. His ink hair almost blended into the surrounding shadows. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” he smiled.

It was a good night. He allowed his bed to swallow him much easier than the nights before, but you took longer to fall asleep.

The very late afternoon the next day was the perfect time to go searching for food in the forest. It was initially meant to be a solo trip, but the not-so-unfamiliar stranger refused to hear your request to rest his arm, tagged along, and promised to only watch. The walk throughout the woods was filled with the sound of shoes crushing leaves and branches accompanied by a pleasant chat. It was a few minutes into your search that she found what they were looking for.

“They’re beautiful!” You smiled and looked back at the tall man to see if he was just as happy as you were. He returned your smile with his own since he was amused by your child-like giddiness.

Without paying caution, she enthusiastically reached for the berries. He reached for your wrist to stop you from hurting yourself, but it was too late. A particular thorn right above the fruit sliced through your flesh much deeper than it would have if she had noticed it. As the thorn ran through your hand, parting skin from one another like a boulder spilling crashing waves in the ocean, blood began rushing out of her open wound. She knew better than to pull back her hand recklessly, knowing it might make the situation worse. He did it for her instead. He carefully took her hand and tried to cover the wound.

The wound wasn’t terrible or serious in any way, but neither of you acknowledged that as he cradled your hands a mere five minutes later, the two of you sat on the sofa. His hands, though large and masculine, felt surprisingly soft. He wiped the spilt blood clean and carefully placed a plaster over it. Even after successfully treating your small wound, he kept your hand in both of his, looking down at them and absentmindedly brushing his thumb over your knuckles. You didn’t mind one bit. In fact, you’d been yearning to feel his touch more and more as the days passed.

A comfortable silence passed over the two of you, but minutes later a conversation came by naturally. If someone asked you what this conversation was about, you wouldn’t have been able to answer, for you were so comfortable speaking to him that you let down your guard, words flowing freely without a second thought. At some point, the two of you had moved closer. So close that you had lain down while he stayed sat, your legs thrown over his at some point as his hands tapped and caressed your knees.

You talked well into the night. Naturally, you grew tired, your eyelids drooping as you looked up at him, trying your best not to fall asleep. He caught on quickly, a chuckle escaping him as he gave your knee a brief squeeze.

“You’re tired,” he pointed out, “you should sleep.”

In response, you pouted and shook your head. “No, no. I’m fine. Keep talking to me, please.”

His smile softened at your words and did as you asked. The low baritone of his voice did nothing to keep you awake, soothing you further asleep. Minutes later, he thought you’d agree to go to your bed and sleep, but you only whined in your half-asleep state and pulled him down with you, clutching onto his sleeve but still careful not to hurt him.

And so he found himself laying with you on the couch, the two of you squished together on the narrow furniture yet it was still comfortable. You fell asleep much quicker than he did, already prancing around in dreamland by the time he finished manoeuvring the two of you to lay comfortably. Eventually, your gentle breaths against his neck and soft hand on his arm lulled him into a deep sleep.

networks. @cromernet @blankjournal

taglist. @ad0rechuu @sankatchu @mlink64 @yeosangsbb

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i-luvsang · 1 year ago

Text

like a dream — kang yeosang

pairing : dryad!yeosang x gn!reader ➖⟢ genres : fluff, angst, fantasy, strangers to lovers ➖⟢ cw : mythological inaccuracies, food mentions, borderline controlling parents, scary encounter with dark fae, kissing, pet names ➖⟢ wc : 13.3K ➖⟢ for : the stuck in summer collab held by @a1sh1teruu ➖⟢ special thanks : to @yuyusuyu for beta reading !! <33

bonus : inspo pinterest board & playlist

about dryads : in this fic, dryads retain their core attribute of being nymphs/spirits of trees, their life force being connected to the tree they reside in. they differ from traditional greek mythology here, in that they can be in the image of any gender (not just women), and are considered to be a type of fae.

it all felt like a dream, like magic. the summer haze that fell over the quiet countryside, the trees rustling softly with the gentle wind as twilight fell. the cool water of the lake in your hair, fresh strawberries from the farm just a short walk away, and more than anything at all, him. his smile, the twinkle in his eyes, and, like a miracle, his hand in yours.

admittedly, it didn’t feel that way in the beginning. to be whisked away to your practically estranged grandmother’s home in the middle of nowhere was never what you imagined for the summer between high school and the start of your college journey. you left the day after graduation, still vividly angry with your parents as they shooed you onto the train.

“i swear i’ll be fine on my own! mingi’s parents offered to help if i need anything while you’re gone,” you protested, trying not to let them hand you your already packed bags.

“your grandmother has already prepared to have you. you are getting on that train. we paid for the ticket, you’re all packed, and we are not letting you stay home alone for two and a half months,” they refuted. you had wanted to argue more, maybe bring up a new point, but by then, you had said it all, and despite your recent entry into legal adulthood, your parents still held far too much sway over you.

the train ride is long, dreadfully so. despite the glory of the city fading and gradually being replaced by tumbling hills, trees, and fields, you cannot help but curse it all in your head, too wrapped up in self-pity to love the sights in the way that you normally would.

a woman that you barely recognize from your childhood greets you at the bus stop as the sun begins to dip low in the sky. she’s sweet to you, but not overbearingly so. during the ride from the station to her home in her small, run down car, you do your best not to act coldy to her, trying to remind yourself it’s not her fault that your parents dumped you into her care for two and a half months.

by the time you arrive, the sun has set, and she has grown on you more than you would like to admit for how adamant you’ve been in hating everything about your current situation. she understands that spending the summer with her is not your ideal by any stretch, and she promises she’ll do her best to make you comfortable in any way she can. the way she says it all is kind and genuine, and you’re grateful to see that she’s far more understanding than your parents have been all month leading up to this.

she allows you to settle in for the first few days, showing you around the need-to-know basics of the sweet cottage she lives in. she’s seemingly unbothered by the way you spend most of your time in your room on your phone, bemoaning your unfortunate state to your friends over text or the phone.

but it only takes her five days to have you falling in love with the place around you. the first two are for your sulking, the third for getting you to come out of the house and take a look at her gardens. the fourth day is for a walk to a nearby farm to purchase fresh produce (the strawberries being your favorite), and the fifth is for the sunset.

it’s glorious, and you have no choice but to admit it. after a freshly cooked meal, eaten on her porch as the heat of the day finally begins to subside, she asks you to stay and watch the sunset with her. you agree, even if the sun won’t set for another hour, now aware that you don’t mind spending time with her at all. you talk as you have been for the past few days, the conversation easy and never forced. when a breeze cool enough to feel like an early manifestation of the night rustles the leaves on the trees and the clothes on your body alike, you wonder why your parents ever distanced you from her at all.

she doesn’t let the conversation die out even as the sun truly begins to set, and you like it that way. it feels natural and gentle to have the colors become brilliant in the sky as you learn to accept and love the place you have been plopped into for the summer.

it’s not half as bad as you imagined. though you still feel bouts of jealousy for the adventures your friends are having without you and bitterness aimed at your parents for not allowing you to experience this summer the way you wanted, you try to heed the silent advice from your grandmother to make the best of your situation. she never says that out loud, of course, knowing you’d hate to hear it, but she gives you ways to do so each time she shows you a new beautiful thing.

in the second week, you muster up the courage to ask her over dinner if you’re allowed to go into the forest behind her house by yourself. the day before you went on a short walk into it together, and you felt as though you’d fallen in love with it. she does nothing to hide her smile at the question.

“of course!” she delights. “it’s very safe, it’s quite hard to get lost so long as you don’t stray too far and stay on the paths. almost all of them lead back here or to the main road. i’ll show you tomorrow.”

she sticks to her word, as always, and takes the whole day to show you around the closest areas of the woods. from that day forward, the forest becomes yours. while your grandmother loves it, some stretches are more difficult for her to navigate in her older age, so most days you explore it on your own.

when you’re in the forest, the adventurous side of you comes out. of course, you’re still full of caution, but you are not immune to the allure of a bit of well-calculated risk taking for the sake of tree climbing and wandering off the path just a little bit.

the things that pull you off the path are simple; flowers, mushrooms, long stretches of moss, and the likes. usually it’s something you’d like to capture with the digital camera your grandma has lent you for the summer.

this time, it’s where the furthest navigable path begins to change direction to lead you back home. right where your grandmother told you it’s best not to stray any further. but it’s not far from the path at all, just a small patch of mushrooms that you’ve missed up until now. you make your way over without a second thought, pulling out your camera and snapping a quick picture.

when you stand back up and look out over the small downward slope just a few feet away from you, something else far more special catches your eye. you hesitate this time, knowing that you won’t be able to see the path if you climb your way below it to examine the white flower that you see on the edge of your vision. but you can’t resist the allure, too curious about the single, out of place bloom. so, taking note of your spot at the top of the slope to make your way back to it easily, you carefully make your way down and across the stretch of your vision to confirm your suspicions about the flower. up close, you take in its appearance, and while you’re not an expert, you know enough to tell that it’s a dahlia.

it’s curious, to say the least, to see the white flower fully blossomed when your grandmother had shown you the short dahlia stems in her garden, telling you that you’d be lucky to see them bloom before you left. in response to the phenomenon, you take your time to snap a few photos to show your grandma the early bloom.

once satisfied, you stand from your bent over position and grin when you see a butterfly fluttering deeper into the forest. you take a few steps towards it, trying to get close enough to identify it, when a deep voice interrupts you.

“i wouldn’t recommend going much further from the trail.” the voice is gentle, but it still startles you into whipping around in surprise. you take in the figure standing a few feet away from you. the first thing you notice is that he’s absolutely gorgeous, features soft and beautiful enough to rival the looks of the fairies in the set of paintings hung up in your grandma’s hallway. but that does nothing to aid your surprise. he is, after all, a stranger in the middle of the forest who has somehow approached you in complete silence.

“who–,” you choke the word out, nervous and not even sure what you want to say.

the soft smile on his face shifts into a look of light regret. “sorry. i didn’t mean to startle you. i live close by,” he explains.

“oh.” this doesn’t explain why you couldn’t hear him approach, but you let it slide by chalking it up to the fact that you weren’t paying much attention to anything but the flower and the butterfly. “my grandmother never mentioned you.”

“was she supposed to have mentioned me?” he asks, the hint of a teasing lilt in his voice.

you clear your throat a bit awkwardly. “well, no? i mean, maybe. she told me about everyone else who lives in the area,” you tell him. you’re a bit offended she never mentioned a boy so strikingly handsome.

he hums in acknowledgment. “i don’t go out much,” is all he offers in information. you look him up and down, growing a little suspicious under his gaze with all of these vague answers. he looks perfectly normal, dark brown, almost black hair that falls down to his cheeks in the front and wearing simple clothes. he sports a mossy green t-shirt and dark wash jeans that make him look like he belongs in the forest. he looks confident and comfortable where he stands, as if he knows every inch of this place. maybe he does, granted his claim that he lives close by.

“i mean it, though,” he interrupts your train of thought. “it can be hard to find your way back to the trail if you go any further than this.”

“ah. right,” you nod. “i was just looking at this flower. i thought dahlia’s didn’t bloom until august.”

his reaction to your words is odd when it looks like an expression of nervousness flashes across his face. but it disappears so fast you take the time to wonder if you’d just imagined it.

“usually,” he confirms, “but sometimes they bloom early here.”

“interesting,” you muse, curious again what could be the difference between the forest and your grandmother’s garden. a moment of silence passes between the two of you, and it seems there’s nothing left to say. plus, you’ve got to get home sooner than later to be in time for dinner.

“i guess i’ll get going then.” you point vaguely in the direction you came from.

“right.” there’s silence only interrupted by the sounds of your foot falls as you begin walking away, already thinking of the many things you’ll have to tell your grandma over dinner. the early blooming flower, the somewhat strange boy. he pulls you right out of your thoughts once again with his melodic voice. “i’m yeosang, by the way.”

you turn around to face him, surprised when you’re met with what you could only describe as a bashful expression on his face.

“oh!” you give him your name, not even having realized the two of you never really introduced yourselves to one another. “i’m staying with my grandma for the summer.”

“well,” he echoes your name, and the way it rolls off his tongue in that deep voice of his has your heart jumping in a way you hadn’t expected at all, “see you around.”

“mhmm,” you agree, suddenly eager to meet this stranger again. “see you!”

with that, you turn and make your way back up to the trail, and when you glance back around to seek out his pretty face one more time, he’s nowhere to be seen.

—

when you arrive back at the cottage, it’s just in time for you to help your grandmother set the table for dinner. the food is aromatic and fresh as always, but even the watering in your mouth at the sight of it isn’t enough to distract you fully from your odd encounter in the woods. it’s hard to hold back from telling her all about it the second you got home.

but, you don’t have to wait for long. once you’re both settled at the table with food served and a few bites eaten she asks you how your outing went today.

“actually,” you begin eagerly, “it was quite eventful. and before i say anything else, i promise i stayed within sight of the trail.” she raises an eyebrow at that, but you can see the smile tugging at her lips that tells you to go on. “i saw a dahlia off the path. it was white and in full bloom. i have pictures to show you after dinner! do you think there’s a difference between your garden and the forest?”

“really? that’s fascinating,” she ponders, “i’m not sure if there’s any difference besides maybe the soil, but that’s still unusually early for wild dahlias.”

“that’s what i thought,” you agree. “but grandma! i met some guy while i was looking at it. do you know someone named yeosang who lives around here? he didn’t seem much older than me.”

“ah!” she claps her hands in recognition. “i’m surprised you met him. i’ve never met him myself. i’ve heard he lives in a small cottage in the forest. according to anyone who’s seen him, he's quite a recluse, but still kind.”

“he was a little bit odd. but nice, he seemed to mean well,” you pause a moment before deciding to go on, “but grandma!” you let out a light laugh, “he was… he was really cute.” you’re downplaying the extent of his beauty, but you’re not really one to call a man you just met “gorgeous” in front of your grandma, no matter how fitting the word truly is.

“well, well, well,” she laughs, “have we found you a summer crush?” she teases.

“that’s not what i’m saying,” you refute. “i’m just saying he’s good-looking. maybe he comes across nice but has a rotten personality!”

“i hope that’s not the case!” she lets out another laugh. “maybe you can get him to get out of his shell and get to know the people he lives around. he’s so young, it must be hard for him to live alone.”

“he’s alone?” suddenly a new wave of curiosity and even concern crashes over you.

“well, as far as we all know. i feel so sorry to say it, but he’s so rarely sighted and even less talked to that i think many of us forget about him. i’m sure he’s a kind boy and could use a friend like you.”

you hum absentmindedly at that, already wondering if you’ll run into him again.

but it’s not until the next morning, once again making your way to the deepest point in the forest you’re allowed, that you realize you’re starting to hope to see him again. you find yourself far too curious about him, wanting to know more, looking for his fairy-like features every corner you round.

you reach the spot where you stepped off the trail yesterday, pausing to wonder if he’s more likely to show up here since it’s where you saw him first. it feels a bit silly when you shuffle to the edge and bring your foot over into the vegetation right off the path.

“you don’t have to leave the path for me to show up.”

you can barely process that the tone of his voice is genuine, not teasing like the words themselves might suggest, as you nearly trip over nothing when you’re startled into spinning around too quickly.

his smile is sheepish and apologetic when you lay your eyes on his face. “sorry.” the boy—yeosang, you remind yourself—doesn’t have to explain what for; you recall his apology last time for surprising you like this.

“how are you so quiet?” you wonder aloud, voice curious and void of any accusatory tones, not bothering to keep the question silent this time. you hope it’s not rude to ask, but he just shrugs.

“i’m just used to moving like that, living out here.”

it’s not a very clear or enlightening explanation, but you brush it off regardless. there’s a moment of silence as the two of you just peer upon the other, a hint of curiosity in his eyes that mirrors your own features.

“so…,” you begin, hoping he doesn’t mind if you ask more questions, “you seem to be quite at home here … how long have you been living here?”

“my whole life,” yeosang must sense your surprise at that answer, so he continues speaking to explain, “my parents were, well, recluses, and since they moved out a few years ago, i seem to be following in their footsteps. that’s why most people around here—like your grandmother—don’t know much about me.”

suddenly, you decide you don’t want this to be a short lived conversation. as you ask a new question, you take just a few short steps to sit on a flat rock at the edge of the trail. he follows in suit, taking his place right on the forest floor, leaning his back against a tree directly across from you.

“do you prefer it that way, then?”

he pauses, as if he doesn’t have an answer prepared for that. “i guess,” he shrugs. “i’m used to it.”

“so you don’t get lonely? yknow, living alone now?” you’re surprised by the questions that spill out of your mouth as if without permission. they’re not the kind of thing you normally ask pretty boys you’ve just met. but, more than that, you’re curious about the way the features of his face reflect the internal debate he must be having as he tries to come up with an answer to your question. it’s either as if no one’s ever asked these sorts of questions, nor has he thought about the subject at hand at all. or maybe there’s an answer he could give, but would rather not. you suppose it’s the former option, if he’s really been so secluded from all the people around him for his whole life.

“sometimes,” is the cryptic, too-simple answer yeosang decides to give. but, as seems normal with him, his voice and the look in his eyes are laden with much more. you feel crazy for thinking it, but it feels like he’s saying, “sometimes i’m lonely, but most of the time i’m alright. either way, it’d certainly be nice to have someone else around. you, maybe.” you hope that’s what his eyes are telling you, but you could just be pushing your own feelings onto him because you don’t want to be the only one who feels that way. you love your grandmother’s company, but these days you’ve been missing in-person interaction with friends your age.

“sometimes,” you nod, mumbling the word under your breath. for a moment, you let the air fill with bird calls and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. “so, mr. yeosang,” you speak louder, weaving a bit of playfulness into your voice, “since you’ve been living here your whole life, is there any chance you’d be able to show me around the forest. you know, off the trails.” you watch as a soft, almost hesitant smile makes its way onto his lips.

“sure,” he replies, his answer short as always and turned into something meaningful by the borderline innocent, and certainly sweet look on his face. yeosang’s glad you asked, he just doesn’t say it out loud.

“cool,” you grin. eyes drifting down to examine the plants beside your feet, you wonder what you’re supposed to say next. but that’s no longer a worry when he speaks up first.

“we can start tomorrow,” he proposes. he rushes to follow up, with a kind, “if that’s alright with you, of course.”

your smile grows at his consideration, the light worry in his voice that he hasn’t been perfectly kind to you. in your eyes, he certainly has.

“that’s perfect,” you assure him, “i’ve got practically nothing to do all summer long, anyways.”

“great.” he sends you a smile that catches you completely off guard. or rather, it’s your own reaction that surprises you. the way the curve of his lips and the sparkle in his eyes sends your heart racing. on second thought, maybe hanging out with the prettiest person you’ve ever laid eyes upon isn’t the best idea you’ve had. of course, that thought is completely wiped from your mind when his melodic voice meets your eager ears again. “you know the giant rock at the fork between painter’s path and luna moth trail?” you nod quickly at his question. “we can meet there, then.”

“sounds good!” you chirp, then glance up to the sky between the treetops to check if the afternoon sun has begun dipping low enough to force you back on the trail homewards. sighing, because you’re just a little bit disappointed your time with him can’t last any longer today, you tell him it’s about time for you to head back and bid him goodbye.

“see you tomorrow,” he calls softly after you. his words send a rush of excitement in the form of flitting butterflies to your stomach, so you rush off, wondering what’s gotten into you. butterflies? already?

—

the next morning, you wake with yeosang already on your mind. the first thing that you realize is that you never set an actual time to meet with him. it was just “tomorrow.” you let that slip up worry you for a measly thirty seconds as you pull the cream colored sheets away from your body. but the way that the morning sunlight sneaks into your room through the white curtains and illuminates the framed artworks above your dresser steals that prick of worry away, replacing it with something akin to whimsy. somehow, you’re sure he’ll know when to meet you. and if not, by some chance, you wouldn’t mind waiting for him one bit.

after a quick breakfast and a hasty goodbye to your grandma, you grab your bag, already packed with your usual supplies of water, lunch, and your camera, and rush out the back door. by now, most paths are familiar, and you easily make your way to your designated meeting spot. that boulder is clear in your memory, as well as the pictures of it captured by your camera. you adore the way that the moss grows on the intimidatingly large stone and the view of the forest floor from the top when you managed to climb it last week.

it’s a delight to find him already there, perched up high at the exact spot you ate your lunch last thursday. it takes up all of your willpower to keep from pulling out your camera and capturing the image of his practically divine figure, soaking up both the sunlight that filters in through the leaves and the dappled shade that the trees provide. once again, you’re struck with just how much he appears to belong in this forest, as if you couldn’t imagine him anywhere else but here.

he’s already looking in your direction when he comes into your line of sight, and you’re reminded of how you don’t have his talent of traveling through the brush in complete silence. the subtle wave and soft smile that he gives you sends a rush through your body. you return the wave, now more eager than ever to explore the forest with him as your guide. he tells you to wait at the path for him, disappearing for only a moment before reemerging from the side of the boulder in mere seconds. you’re not sure you’ll ever be able to look at him without his beauty throwing you off momentarily like a breeze that rustles your clothing out of place just enough that you have to stop a second to collect yourself.

“you ready?” he asks, the tone of his voice not helping you to respond normally. you clear your throat unnecessarily before answering.

“mhmm!” you nod your head enthusiastically. “where to?”

the light smile on his face quirks up so that it’s almost mischievous. “a surprise?” he says the words like a question, both to sound extra teasing but to also leave you room to protest if you really want.

your grin grows. “if you insist.”

he smiles wider too. you get the inclination that his smile will be the death of you someday.

it surprises you just how easy it is to talk with yeosang considering how flustered his presence makes you sometimes. but you don’t complain at all; instead, you soak it all up the same way you do with the new scenery that comes when you part from the path. he’s a wonderful listener, clearly content to hear anything and everything about you with the way he asks actually interesting questions and retains every detail that you provide him. of course, you hate to be the only one talking, and you hate not to hear more of his voice, so you’re sure to engage him to talk about himself. he’s intelligent with his words, reserved with how much he says, but speaking volumes in just a sentence or two. the simple things are nice too. you get to learn the way he pronounces words like lychee, syrup, and caramel and he gets to learn how much you love fresh fruits for dessert and that you hate frosting unless it’s homemade and not too sweet.

you’re about to ask him if he likes rainy weather when he tells you to wait for just a moment. you nod, and he pulls himself up to the top of the shallow ravine you’ve been walking through. it’s taller than the both of you, and the grace in which he climbs to the top is impressive. he crouches at the edge and extends his hand out to you. you flush when you realize you’re supposed to hold his hand. trying not to think too much about it, you reach up to place your hand in his. it’s alright for a split second, but when his deep voice meets your ears as you keep your eyes level with the vegetation in front of you, your heart begins to hammer in your chest. you almost don’t catch what he says.

“if you put your left foot on that rock by your knee, i can pull you the rest of the way up,” he advises. you hope he doesn’t notice the slight buffer in between his words and when you actually follow his instruction. but he’s right, it’s easier that way and you’re standing at the edge of the small cliff seconds later, just far too close to him for your heart to come back to its normal resting rate.

“thanks,” you breathe out, voice quieter than you expected it to be. but he hears you easily with your body pressed against his and only the rustle of leaves sounding through the forest.

“of course.” you feel a bit better knowing that his voice has come out almost as hushed as yours, as if there’s something special about being this close to one another. as if this is something you both would rather not brush off as nothing. instead, being close to him is something, it means something. what it means, you’re not sure, but you do know that despite the nervous fluttering of your heart, being near him is safe and filled with peace.

you try not to hate it when he pulls away because you feel strange that you’re so attracted to him barely three days into having met him. yet, you question the harm of it. who’s to say you can’t have a summer love under the leaves, with a quiet, gorgeous boy who seems to have taken a liking to you too? certainly not you.

when you turn to face the direction he’s looking in, a different type of excitement takes over your mind. there’s still a bit of a ways left, but there’s no doubt that what you see in the distance is the sight of sunlight catching on water.

you spin your head to face him again. “there’s a lake?”

he lets out a light laugh at the clear excitement in your voice. “i think i’d classify it as a pond, but yes. we’re close to my favorite part on the shore.”

“perfect,” you grin. you let him continue to lead the way, reminding yourself not to get ahead of yourself in the case of unexpected landmarks like the kind he’s been steering you clear of the whole way here. he seems to know every little thing about the forest, easily guiding you away from roots, rocks, and the likes that you would probably trip over were you alone. that’s just a small reason you’re so glad to be with him.

when the trees break and you’re met with a small patch of land between the trees and water, you pull in a gasp of awe. the following breath comes out as a contented sigh. he’s right; the body of water isn’t nearly big enough to be classified as a lake. but that doesn’t take away any of its glory. the lily pads are blooming and the trees lining the edge are beautiful in contrast to the water. and you could fall in love with sunlight reflecting off of any water every time you see it, and this time is no exception. it’s just that maybe you’ve fallen in love a bit more than you normally do, knowing that this place is tucked away, almost a secret. knowing that you’re discovering this place with him, and knowing that there’s more. suddenly you’re curious.

“have you ever shown this place to anyone else?”

the question seems to catch him off guard, and you instantly wish you’d bitten your tongue before letting it slip from your mouth. you wish you’d just told him that it’s beautiful, that you love it, that you’re grateful he’s shown it to you regardless if you’re the only one or not. but then there’s a light smile on his face.

“no,” he answers, “there are people that know about it, of course, but i’ve never shown it to someone.”

you nod, thankful he’s not upset that you asked, but instead seemingly glad to answer instead. as if he’d like you to know you’re the only one, but he’s too shy to bring it up himself. as if he’s glad that you’re asking because it means that you want to be the only one.

“well, thank you for showing me. i love it.” you let that hang in the air and hold back the questions that you still have because you want him to know that you mean it.

“i’m glad you love it,” he says, voice sincere as always. and the silence isn’t the kind that you hate, it’s the kind where you both know that the quiet is right because you’re both basking in the beauty of what’s before you, you’re basking in the fact that it feels like the person beside you is willing to understand you and if feels like they’ll continue to do so. you’re basking in the silence because all of it feels right, feels like a fairytale, like a dream. because how the hell do you meet someone twice for so short of a time and then talk for hours when you see them next? how could silence already be comfortable? turns out it just is.

for you, it turns out the quiet boy is always kind, is always willing to listen, and always willing to answer. it turns out that he never tires of showing you new places like the bubbling creek and he doesn’t mind that you love catching frogs and salamanders just to hold them for a moment. he must think it’s cute that you find them cute every single time. he tells you about the types of moss and lichen that cover the boulder over twice the size of the one you meet at nearly every morning. he obliges when you want to go back to the pond to wade in the water and look for tadpoles in the shallows. he knows that you’ll love that one clearing in the middle of the deep trees that always filters in the rays of the sun just right so that it always appears to be straight out of a fantasy movie. and he loves to take you to the willow tree.

the moment you told him it was your favorite spot, yeosang thought he’d kiss you right then and there. but he knew it was too soon. before then, you’d only held hands, first as you ran through the forest to his small, bare cabin to escape the rain, then shyly a few times more just because it felt nice.

you’re holding hands now as you near the willow for the millionth time in the last month since you’d met. it’s a normal occasion by now, as you claim to only be grabbing his hand because it can get cold in the forest, but the two of you know it’s because neither of you can get enough of it. you’re just too shy to admit anything like that.

it doesn’t take long for you to settle at the trunk of the tree; the routine of sitting side by side in the grass with lunch splayed out in front of you is easy and natural now. once the food’s all gone, you’ll sit and talk for hours until you have no choice but to head home. today is no different, the same motions are there, along with the butterflies in your stomach that always come from sitting so close to him, his voice practically right in your ear as he goes on about something that you love to hear. but today he seems quiet, pensive. it’s almost as if you can feel the way that thoughts swirl around in his mind, like you can see it in his eyes as he silently eats the sandwich in his hand. he’s a bit far away, in a way that’s not quite bad, but not good either. you wish he’d tell you what’s on his mind.

you let it sit for a while, understanding of the want to just be. to let oneself be quiet without the pressure to hold a conversation. but you also want to help. you don’t want him to feel like he has to hold in whatever he’s thinking of if he doesn’t want to.

“what’s up?” you ask, voice light and airy as if to show him that you’re giving him space to do as he wishes.

“do you believe in magic?” the question slips out of his mouth as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. yeosang’s gaze avoids yours, staring straight forward as you peer at him. you take in his features the same you that you always love to. the lines of his profile perfectly catch the light of the sun that streams through the delicate leaves of the willow. your gaze drifts from his ridiculously dainty eyelashes to the unique curve of his nose and finally to the lips you haven’t been able to get out of your mind since the time you named this place as your favorite.

when you said that two weeks ago, you’d been sitting like you were now, shoulders and thighs brushing together. he didn’t say a word, but he turned his head to meet your eyes and suddenly he was leaning close, closer than he’d ever been. but a far away look flashed through his eyes, one that mirrored his gaze now, and he let his lips curve into a sad smile that you still don’t understand. then he moved away, and said, “i’m glad,” and you knew he meant it.

suddenly, you realize you’ve let his question hang in the air for too long, lost like always in thoughts of him. you pause a moment longer, wanting to answer truthfully and thoughtfully.

“i want to believe in magic,” you admit. “though i guess it could depend on how you define magic. like actual fairies and spells and storybook tales that aren’t real—or that we don’t know if they’re real—or things like this. to me, this is magic. the sun lighting up the leaves and the side of your face, and the beauty of this tree. to me, magic can be the way someone makes you feel. but if we’re talking about the other kind … i want to believe in it. i wish it were real but it’s kind of hard to believe in it when i’ve never seen that kind of magic. i’m a hopeless romantic in some ways. i’ll still imagine that fairytales could be real, that if i hope hard enough i’d see a fairy living in a toadstool fairyhouse. but i still like proof, so i settle with that hope.” once you let out your long-winded answer, you realize you’d probably never say that to anyone else. that happens a lot when he asks you questions.

something in yeosang’s gaze changes and he’s not so far away anymore. if anything, there’s that last word you spoke reflected in his expression. hope. like that’s the perfect answer for you to have given him.

“i like that way of thinking,” he says, voice soft and honest. you want to ask him if he believes in magic, but for once the question stays stuck in the back of your throat. it doesn’t feel like he’s ready to give his answer and you’re a bit bewildered as to why, but you let him be. you always let him be when that far away look interrupts his smile.

exhaling lightly, you let your head tilt to the side until it’s fallen onto yeosang’s broad shoulder.

“it’s nice to hope,” you say, wondering if his heart could be beating as fast as yours is.

“it is.” then his head is resting on yours and you wish that summer would never end. you don’t know it, but he wishes the same in a far more desperate and bittersweet way.

—

today, you’re meeting him at the willow rather than the normal spot at the boulder. you readily agreed when he asked if that would be alright with you, confident in finding the way on your own. the confidence was warranted, as you’ve walked there many times and the journey has been smooth from the beginning. you know you’re almost there when you pass the bend in the creek with the young maple tree hanging its branches over the water. it’s only a few steps later that something catches your eye.

instantly you’re reminded of the first time that you met yeosang, a fully bloomed dahlia coming into view. this time it’s dark in color, the deep red-ish undertones of the petals visible even from your vantage point. without a second thought, you pull out your camera and clamber your way over to the regal flower, surprised you’ve never noticed it before. now that august is right around the corner, it’s far less odd to see a dahlia bloom, but now that they remind you of yeosang you can’t help but want to capture the pretty sight in your camera.

as you focus your gaze into the viewing piece of the camera, you frown at the dark lighting that you can tell will be reflected into the image. there was plenty of sunlight filtering through the leaves just moments ago. you pull the camera away from your face to reevaluate your surroundings, confused.

without warning, everything begins to grow dark, like the once artful shadows of the forest are multiplying and expanding right in front of your eyes. it’s like when a storm approaches and the sun is swallowed up by thick clouds, but it’s not a darkening of the sky that swallows you up, but rather the shadows themselves.

fear hits you like a truck, and your heart hammers in your chest because you know instinctively that none of this is right. i need to get to the willow, is all you can think, and yet the moment you resolve to run, it’s as if you can’t tear your eyes away from the flower in front you.

you wonder if this is what it feels like to be under a spell, a real one, a dark one. nothing like the spell of falling in love, nothing like the feeling of being stunned into silence from one glance at those glorious eyes of his.

“you’re a lovely little creature, aren’t you?” a horrified chill runs up your spine when the dark, thin voice permeates through the air just like the unnatural shadows. you dare not look up to where the voice came from, though you’re not even sure you could look away from the dahlia. sharp, shallow breaths escape your mouth as you panic. it feels like you’ve been thrown straight into a nightmare. you shut your eyes tight and beg in your head to please wake up, please wake up, i have to wake up.

your eyes almost snap open when the voice speaks again, sinister and demanding. “don’t be so afraid. look at me.” but you realize that with your eyes closed, you’re no longer being pulled towards the flower by your transfixed gaze.

so you turn and run.

opening your eyes doesn’t do much to help you, the darkness that’s wrapped around the trees is not too different from the dead of night. you trip over roots and get whacked in the face by low hanging branches, stumbling along in the direction you can only pray is back to the safety of the willow. you’re not even sure why you’re so convinced that the tree can save you, but you have to run somewhere.

it feels like a miracle when you see the shadows begin to thin in the near distance. the promise of daylight prompts you to push yourself to run faster. and you think it’s working because you haven’t heard anything but your own rapid footfalls and heavy breathing. the light is getting closer.

but something as firm as metal shackles latches itself around your upper arm and you can’t control the scream that rips from your throat as you’re yanked into darkness again. this time the darkness is solid, wrapped around you like spindly, immovable arms. then the darkness speaks and you realize you really are being held by something.

“you’ve wandered too far for me to just let you go like that. humans.” the last word is spit out like something disgusting and covetable all at once. then you realize the last word makes it sound like whatever freakishly tall and strong thing holding you captive is not human. that would make sense if there were other things in this world that could talk but aren’t human. but that’s not real and this has to be a horrifyingly realistic nightmare.

you struggle in the grip he has you in, desperate to get away. “let me go!” you scream. he just clicks his tongue.

but then he does. his arms release you and you almost crumple to the ground with how weak your knees are with fear. you try to run, but suddenly he has his hand on your chin, forcing you to look up at him and you can no longer move of your own free will.

his face is striking, beautiful even. his black eyes are so empty it feels like they’re burning holes straight through your soul. he looks human. almost. but he's at least 7 feet tall and his face is framed with shadows rather than locks of hair. his robes seem to be shifting and swirling like black smoke. he himself seems to be shadow. and those eyes are certainly not human. just like he’s the black dahlia, you can’t look away.

“that little dryad thought he'd scored himself a sweet prize, didn’t he?” he tilts his head as he asks the rhetorical question, one that makes absolutely no sense to you. “a shame you wandered too far from his tree. i can’t believe he let you walk alone so close to the border. getting you to cross it was far too easy,” he croons. the first tree that comes to your mind is the willow and you have to shut out the wild thought that this monster is talking about yeosang. yeosang who loves the willow tree, yeosang who asked you to meet him there, leaving you to walk the whole way on your own. yeosang who you first met at a white dahlia bloom.

thoughts of him crowd your mind, pushing out the darkness bit by bit. so you concentrate on everything here that’s felt opposite to this nightmare; everything dreamlike. in your mind there are rainstorms watched from the safety of your grandmother’s porch, frogs from the creek in your hand, and sunlight dappling the forest floor. there’s the shining pond, fresh strawberries, and priceless sunsets. there’s his hand in yours, his breath on your cheek, and the branches of the willow tree swaying in the breeze. and then there’s nothing tying you to the darkness, so in desperation, you bolt, praying that this time you’ll be fast enough.

the light approaches faster and there are tears on your cheeks. letting out a cry, you see a figure running towards you, backlit from the sunlight that was always supposed to be there, and you know it signals safety before you can see his face.

yeosang gets closer and closer, and suddenly his hand is wrapped around your wrist and he’s tugging you along behind him, towards the light. you hear nothing behind you, but you know the shadowy figure is there, his dark smoke nipping at your feet, trying and succeeding in catching up.

but yeosang runs far faster than you thought he could and at any other time you’d question how you’re able to keep up at all. now you can see it. the blurry border where you can somehow see the light and dark balance perfectly. and you know you need to get past it where the light overpowers dark, where it is natural and shadows only exist because there is sun.

you let out a cry of surprise when you feel a sting at your lower calves and look down to see the smoky shadows climb higher, biting at the back of your legs and climbing up to your knees and lower thighs as your captor comes closer to keeping you in his cold grasp.

“keep going,” yeosang urges, and you resist the urge to let out a loud sob at the sound of his voice. you want to scream at him and ask what the hell is going on. instead, you follow his lead and push yourself even harder than you thought possible, and suddenly you’re sprawling forward, straight into the ground as your hand slips out of yeosang’s grip.

the fear clenching your heart squeezes hard, but nothing else snatches you up, no shadowy, steel-like hands, no cold voice in your ear. just him at your side in milliseconds, voice asking if you’re okay and hands pulling you up from the ground. you don’t say a word as he hoists you to your feet, telling you that you’re safe for now, but should get farther from the border as fast as possible. you just let him hold you close as he guides your tired and wobbly legs away until you’re under the leaves of the most familiar tree in the whole forest. only then do you let your knees buckle and a fresh wave of tears escape from your eyes. he keeps you steady so you don’t fall, gently lowering you to the ground and into his arms.

he holds you like that for god knows how long, rubbing your back in an attempt to sooth your shaking, and whispering a mix of broken apologies and comforting words to calm your crying.

“i’m so, so sorry, sweetheart. i’m sorry,” he calls you by a mix of sweet things and your name said like something holy. “i never meant for anything like this to happen, i’m sorry. please, please tell me you’re alright,” he begs. you hate how sad and guilty he sounds, but you can’t say a word, completely unable to process anything that’s happened. you just lay in his hold like it’ll keep any threat in the world away from you.

eventually you’re still and quiet in his arms save for your shaky breathing. his shirt is wet under your head. he’s mostly quiet now, still whispering out apologies here and there. it takes a moment for you to speak.

“is this a dream?” you whisper, tilting your head up to look at his very real, heartbroken face.

“i’m sorry,” he answers, voice guilt-ridden. that means no. your head drops back down to his shoulder and you sigh.

“i’m… i’m scared to ask, yeosang,” you begin, voice soft and still a little shaky, “i’m scared to ask what the hell that was and why the hell you seem to know exactly what’s going on.” your tone isn’t accusing, just tired and confused. once you start talking, it’s hard for you to stop, even when the words make little sense. “that– that can’t have been real, i swear. how the hell could that be real? he was– there’s no way that he was… human. he didn’t look, well, possible. and it was like i couldn’t move sometimes and god! i must have been hallucinating.” your voice drops off into silence with a thud. he doesn’t say a word. there’s a stretch of silence, and it feels like the only moving thing is his hand on your back, still rubbing back and forth in comfort. your voice is even smaller than before when you speak again. “and he… he said things and i think he was talking about you. why was he talking about you? why… why aren’t you telling me none of this is real?”

the pain in his voice is enough to tell you without looking that his lips are drawn tight in a frown and his eyebrows are furrowed with something almost as intense as sorrow.

“i’m sorry,” when he speaks his voice is small too. “i wish i could tell you it wasn’t real. and i’m sorry because i never meant for anything like this to happen, i never meant for you to find out like this, and i never should have let you walk out here alone. i wanted to tell you that the magic you let yourself hope for is real, it almost slipped out of my mouth a million times… but i didn’t know how. i didn’t know if there was a right time, or if i’d scare you away, and that’s the last thing i could ever want. i didn’t want anything to change. so i’m sorry i kept you in the dark like this and i’m sorry this happened. please, please, please tell me how i can fix it.” the words tumble out of his mouth like a waterfall, unfiltered and uncontrolled and so clearly true. it’s so different from the way he normally talks. he’s always truthful, but he picks and chooses his words both precisely and scarcely. here, it’s clear that he’s let it all come falling out, too guilty and upset for your sake to filter through the mess of his mind right now.

“and that’s why you asked me if i believed in magic a few days ago?” as you say this, you try to understand, finally pushing yourself up. you stay in his hold, still tucked into his wide frame, but now more level with him to better engage in a real conversation. it hurts a little to see the pain on his face, but it’s hard not to look at him either way.

he nods at your question, not even caring for now that you haven’t directly addressed his previous plea. “and so i decided to tell you. for a while i wondered if it would be better if you never knew at all. but i didn’t want to hide things from you and your answer was… it was… i was going to tell you today. i was going to surprise you with something small, right here.” his hand reluctantly leaves you to dig into his pocket. when he opens his fist to show you, it’s a tiny set of clothes, like the kind you’d find for small dolls. “these are my friend’s. he’s a pixie.” your silence makes him realize you must still be completely overwhelmed. quickly, he shoves the clothes back away and looks at you apologetically. “i’m sorry. this is too much, isn’t it?”

“i– so,” you struggle to find your words, “you’re telling me that magic is real? like the storybook kind? and you’re friends with pixies and there are horrifying shadow-men that try to capture you if you stray too far in the forest?” he cringes at that, and you want to apologize because you didn’t mean it like that. it’s just that you can’t seem to wrap your mind around this at all.

“well… yes.”

“oh.” you blink, once, twice, three times over. you try to let it sink in and he doesn’t say a word because he’s afraid of scaring you further. there’s silence for a long moment. “and… you. you’re magic too?”

he lets out a sharp exhale. “yes. i’m a dryad, a type of fae. a light fae. the shadowy man is a dark fae.”

you surprise yourself when you start to feel a hesitant smile try to find a way to your face. “and this is your tree?” you look up at the grand branches of the rustling willow.

he can’t hide the small smile of pride when he answers. “this is my tree.”

“it’s beautiful,” you marvel, as if you haven’t said so a million times before. but this time, the meaning is new, and once again, yeosang is dying to kiss you.

“thank you,” he breathes out, hopeful you’ll be alright, and hopeful that you won’t shut him out for hiding a whole entire world from you. there’s another pause for silence as you take in the tree with a new set of eyes, and he knows he’s in love with you when he sees the sparkle in your eyes. he feels like he’s ruined any chance with you after putting you in so much danger and throwing you into a world of the unknown and utter confusion. and here you are, staring at his tree with a wonder so pure in your eyes, as if he’s shown you the most beautiful thing in the world.

to you, that’s what it feels like, though. your brain may be running a million miles an hour and your heart may still be beating in fear, but magic is real. for you magic is real in so many ways, because to you, his dreamlike smile is a magic of it’s own, and now he’s really, actually magic. he is one with nature, in a way you can only begin to understand now, and even more deeply, he is one with the most majestic tree you have ever laid your eyes upon. everything about him is beautiful in ways you didn’t even know, but that you feel blessed to have been shown now.

and you struggle to even think that he’s to blame for not telling you yet. it’s true, you’d much rather not have found out the way you did, but how could anyone dismiss his hesitance? no one, when you belong to a species so destructive, especially to mother nature. not when it was because he was afraid of scaring you away. not when he didn’t know until just days ago if you would even be willing to believe in anything near fantastical. you’re honored to know he did intend on telling you, because you believe him wholeheartedly in everything he’s told you.

but a sudden series of doubts cross your mind. what if he’s been playing me this entire time? what if he’s not who he claims to be? what if he’s using magic to make me trust him… to love him, even?

but he interrupts those thoughts with his soft, careful voice. “you broke his spells, you know? those moments when you couldn’t move, you were under the influence of his magic. his kind is far stronger than mine. my magic is connected only to nature. i’d have a completely hellish time trying to break that kind of spell with my magic,” he admits before continuing, “and without any magic? well, it’s nearly impossible. but you did it. your mind is incredibly strong and full of light. of course, i’ve known that for a long time now, but you’ve just proven it to one of the strongest faeries in this forest. you’re practically magical too,” he muses, and every doubt is wiped from your mind.

“i thought of you,” you admit quietly, “and other things that i love.” the confession is subtle, but yeosang doesn’t miss it.

his voice is begging and oh so gentle when he asks. “can i kiss you?”

“please,” you breathe out. then he’s tilting his head closer and closer to yours, just like before, but this time he doesn’t get the faraway look, and this time his lips finally meet yours.

—

you thought that the faraway look would be gone forever once you found out about the world of magic. but it’s come back now that your days with him dwindle. it’s not that you’ve even addressed the end of the summer approaching, and therefore, your time with him too. but it isn’t hard to guess that he’s thinking about the fact that you’re leaving, and he’s not. what you can’t understand is the extra layer of sadness and regret. you can’t figure out what it means because somehow you know it’s not just the fact that you’ll be apart—though that part is plenty distressing to you.

you already knew that the end of the summer would bring a difficult goodbye, but now that he tucks his head into your neck when he’s shy and makes white dahlias bloom for you in seconds, you’re not sure how the hell you’ll be able to part with him. now that you see the way he glows when he channels magic from his tree and shows you fairy houses built into toadstools that are no longer lived in, you can’t fathom that you’ll have to go back to a life where he and his magic are practically a entire world away. now that he kisses your knuckles when he thinks you’ve fallen asleep under the willow with your head on his shoulder, you know that you’ll miss him in a way you’ve never missed anyone before. and now that there’s no doubt in your mind that you love him, you wish he’d tell you the things he keeps hidden behind that unreadable look on his face.

you interrupt the sound of the breeze dancing through the leaves. “it’ll be alright,” you say, voice almost hushed since you’re still a bit afraid to talk about it. but the way you catch him looking at you sometimes has you desperate to comfort him.

“i know.” but his smile is anything but convincing.

“i mean it,” your voice comes out strong this time. “i’ll come back during all my school breaks and i’ll get you a phone so that we can talk while we’re apart. we’ll be alright, we’ll make it work.” you believe in your own words wholeheartedly, but you’re begging for him to do the same.

your voice comes out of his mouth almost at a whisper. “i– that’s what i want. i wish you’d never have go at all, but–”

“but what? there doesn’t have to be a ‘but,’ yeosang,” you argue without even hearing what he has to say. he sighs in defeat.

“you shouldn’t limit yourself.”

“sangie,” you plead, “don’t say that. i’d be limiting myself if i didn’t let myself have you. i’m coming back to you. just because i’m going to meet new people and have new experiences doesn’t mean i’m going to forget about you. yeosang, you’re unforgettable.”

“i–,” suddenly he looks away, avoiding your earnest gaze. the moment of silence that follows stretches out like an eternity, and you begin to fear if he really means it when he wishes you’d never go. “i’ll be waiting for you.” he says it like it’s a wish placed on a shooting star that you can’t see, like there’s still something being left unsaid. but the look in his eyes tells you that he means it, so you lace your fingers through his and bring his hand up to press a kiss to it like a promise.

you curse the early setting sun of the winter. by the time your parent’s car pulls into your grandmother’s driveway, the sky is as dark as it’ll get. you know that, realistically, you wouldn’t have been able to see him today, regardless of the color of the sky. but you can’t hold back just a bit of disappointment.

you let the feeling fall away, though, when your grandma welcomes you back to her home for winter break with open arms and a hug that’s probably warmer than the fire raging in her hearth. even now, you’re still struggling to understand why your parents never let the two of you get close until this past summer.

settling back into your summer room is easy and satisfying, pine cones and fairy clothes you couldn’t take back, gifted by him, still decorating the dresser. of course, this time it’s colder than you’re used to, but the extra blankets and knowledge that yeosang and his willow are right there lull you to sleep quickly.

when the morning sun chases you awake, you’re up with a grin, more glad than ever to get ready for the day and disappear into the forest. you can’t escape breakfast, but you can’t complain about it either, more than happy to taste your grandmother’s food and speak with her more again. and of course, your parents implore you to stick around to spend some time with family. you slip out the back door within minutes of that suggestion.

the snow coated trees are like a foreign home, undeniably familiar, yet different in a way you’ve never seen before. it excites you to realize that you’ll be able to learn about this version of the forest. the branches hang heavier, adorned with the snow that glitters in the cold winter sun. it seems that no matter what season, the forest sparkles in the light of the sun—and magic—to make it feel more like a dream than anything else.

you’re impressed by yourself when you’re able to still find the way to your summer meeting place, the boulder newly majestic with it’s blanket of whiteness. the whole journey is almost as wondrous as discovering magic; experiencing the forest in its snowy glory distracts you for a moment from the fact that the boulder stands tall … and alone. you’ve never seen the boulder this way. empty. there’s not a single time where he wasn’t there, waiting for you.

you try not to let your heart sink heavily into the pit in your stomach, but you can’t shake the way that it feels all wrong. it’s easy to tell yourself that there’s no way he would know you were here to look for. but you then remember what he told you, sitting up on that rock together, soaking up what sun you could. that he’s always there, waiting for you because he can feel it. he can feel you when you enter the forest. so why isn’t he here now? he promised he’d be waiting for you.

maybe it’s the snow, you consider. somehow even that feels like a silly excuse. but you don’t turn around, back in the direction of home. you search the paths that you can see in the midst of the snow, softly calling his name in hopes that it will be carried to him somehow. through the wind, the leaves, or the word of a fairy that you can’t see. you trudge along until you grow too cold and the hot chocolate in your thermos runs out.

—

two more days of searching through the snow, and your parents are beginning to question your daily outings into the forest that only result in a few pictures on your digital camera and a moody quiet from you.

your grandmother comes to your aid, serving you more soup for dinner and telling your parents about how much you adored the forest all summer long. this is the part where you think she’ll out you, tell them that you fell in love with a boy in the forest even when you made her promise not to say a word about it.

but she says nothing. even worse, does nothing. there’s no teasing smile or subtle wink from your end like you would have expected from her, the kind of reaction she always gave you when you talked to her about him. you tread forward with caution, as if testing new waters.

“so grandma, have you seen yeosang lately at all? how’s he doing?”

her response is strange enough to scare you.

“yeosang? you mean the young man who lives in the forest?” she relays this information back at you as if he’s some distant figure, someone you’ve rarely talked about at all.

“yeah,” you confirm, trying to hide any bewildered questions from rising hot into your throat and out of your mouth.

“why, i haven’t heard about him in a long while. i’d forgotten you met him over the summer. it seems i’m really getting old, aren’t i?” she chuckles, as if this is the most normal thing to say regarding the boy her grandchild gushed to her about for months. “but i do hope he’s holding up alright in this cold. we’ve gotten quite a bit of snow this year!” and with that, she starts going on to tell your parents about the snow from this year and last, and probably the year before that too.

you spend the rest of the meal in silence, quick to disappear to your room once your dishes are cleared from the table and washed. you find it difficult to wrap your mind around what happened at dinner tonight, wondering and wondering why the hell your grandma could seem to remember close to nothing about the boy you told her you love. for a minute you’re afraid that she’s getting sick, and that her age truly is what’s affecting her memory. but you think back to the first time you mentioned him to her and can’t help but feel an unsettling sense of deja vu.

missing him worse by the minute and growing increasingly worried for him and maybe even yourself—because what if you’ve made everything up in your head, what if it really was all the dream that it felt like it was—you resolve to finally attempt to make your way to his willow. the past three days, you’ve avoided the journey, afraid of traveling in that direction alone once again after what happened last time. but you know that if you’re to find him anywhere, it’ll be his home.

—

“sweetheart, you probably should stay inside today,” your grandmother advises over a hot breakfast. “there’s supposed to be a snow storm today, i’d hate for you to get caught up in it!”

“thanks, grandma.” you smile softly, trying to make her feel like you’ll heed her directions to lessen the worried crease of her brow. it makes you feel a little bit guilty when you know that you have no intent whatsoever to skip your outing in the forest today.

the moment you’re given the chance, you slip out the back door like you’ve done every other day, this time leaving a note in the living room for your grandma not to worry too much.

the forest is less glittery today, with the grey clouds stretching out to cover the vastness of the unseen blue sky. you set out in the direction that your heart knows better than your mind, trying to drown out the fear hanging in the back of your mind and the ache in your joints that comes from the hard work of trudging through thick snow.

when the snow begins to fall, you pay it no mind, solely intent on finding yeosang and unworried by the slow drifting down of the tiny flakes. but with each passing minute, the snow in the sky grows thicker and falls with determination rather than passivity. then, when you can barely see a few feet in front of you and it feels like your toes, fingers, and nose will fall off from the cold, you finally begin to wish that you had listened to your grandma.

what scares you even more is that, with the landscape so obscured, you’re not quite sure where you are anymore. a moment of panic overtakes you, and without thinking, you cry out his name into the silent air. it feels almost like that’s the only thing that could save you from the storm; if he finds you.

but that panic subsides into a more manageable pit of anxiety in your stomach when you try to push yourself back to rationality. you seek out your own footprints before they’re completely covered by the new snow and follow their faint outlines until they fade away. you don’t get too far, but you pray it’s enough to point you in the right direction. yet, your hope wanes as your exhaustion grows along with the hot pit in your stomach that you wish could warm your shaking limbs.

“yeosang?” you call out, quieter this time. “why can’t i find you?” you choke out, and suddenly you feel a lump in your throat and a burn in your eyes. but the last thing you want to do out here is cry and have your own tears freeze to your lashes and cheeks. “you said you’d wait for me…”

you hang your head as a feeling of defeat washes over you. you curse under your breath and force yourself to lift your head and keep going, intent on saving yourself. but as your gaze goes back to the white streaked landscape, the image of the dark trees and bright snow is interrupted with something moving towards you, quickly and silently. for a moment, you’re scared, but in the next you’re heaving a sigh of relief that comes out sounding much more like a sob.

you’ve barely taken a step forward before his arms are wrapped around you. his heavy breathing is loud in your ear and the brush of his cheek against yours as he pulls you into him is like a piece of heaven.

“yeosang,” you gasp out as your gloved hands clench the plush of his thick coat. he doesn’t speak for a long moment, just holds you as if he thought he’d never see you again.

“you’re shaking,” he whispers, pulling away from you to properly look at you.

you nod. “it’s cold,” you offer as a lame explanation while taking in the image that you’ve missed so much. “you’re so beautiful.” whether the flush in his cheeks is from the cold or your words, you’re not sure, but god are you happy to see it again.

his face becomes serious in a split second when he remembers that you’re shivering. your face had him distracted for a moment. “it’s far too cold for you to be out here right now, lovely.”

“i just wanted to find you,” you let your reason slip. now he’ll feel sorry about it.

and as you knew it would, his face falls even further, but the love in his eyes still grows. but he doesn’t scold you softly in the way you thought he would. he doesn’t tell you that you shouldn’t have been that reckless for him. not because he doesn’t care, just because he’s so relieved to see you. at least you’re safe now.

“let’s get you warm,” is all he says, pulling you into his side and guiding you to the closest shelter he knows of. he’s glad you wandered in this direction, easily taking you to the cabin he told you he lived in before telling you the truth about his magic. you lean into him heavily, letting him do most of the work in getting you there.

“thank god,” he mumbles to himself when he finds the cabin stocked with wood and matches. he sits you down in a chair by the fireplace and wraps you in the few blankets he can find before starting a fire. he tries to keep you talking as he removes your boots and damp socks, redressing your feet with his own pair. then there’s a pot full of water hanging above the fire that’s already starting to bubble with heat. he’s sitting at your feet on the rug, hands holding yours through a blanket to try and transfer some of his body heat to you.

“i missed you,” you mumble as you finally settle down, comforted by the heat of the fire that burns so bright in the hearth that it’s almost raging.

“i missed you, too.” his voice is hushed. it’s earnest, but he says it like it’s something he’s never supposed to be able to tell you. like he can’t believe he’s got you again.

“i meant it when i promised i’d come back for you,” you whisper, fighting the urge to fall asleep.

“i know,” he assures, “and i meant it when i promised i’d wait. i have waited and there’s not a day that went by where i wasn’t thinking of you.”

“so why didn’t you come to me when i first started looking for you?” you beg for him to answer in truth.

“my love,” he starts, cautious and afraid to say it out loud, as if he’ll jinx himself and unravel it all by admitting it, “you weren’t supposed to be looking for me. you weren’t supposed to remember me, at least not the way that we were. you weren’t supposed to remember loving me.”

you squeeze his hand and furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “what do you mean? how could i ever forget loving you?”

“magic,” he says simply, dropping the word heavily. “it makes humans forget, at least for the most part, about meeting creatures from our world to protect us. sometimes they’ll remember those of us like me, the ones that look like humans, but never more than a vague idea. it’s like a dream. so vivid when it happens, but quick to disappear from your mind once you’re awake and out of that world. so…you’re not supposed to remember anything much about…us.”

it all feels like a tall wave of stinging water, salty like the tears threatening to spill, surging over you and knocking you right off of your feet.

“why–,” your voice cracks, “why didn’t you tell me?”

“i didn’t want to hurt you,” he says, voice pleading. “if you knew, it would have been looming over your head like a ticking clock. i wanted you to be able to just be happy while we were together, i didn’t want you to worry about it. about me.”

“but it was looming over your head,” you cry, “you were hurting all alone, convinced i’d forget that i love you, and what? you’d have to love without me to love you back?”

he nods, and a tear slips down his cheek. “i loved you– still love you so much that i couldn’t push you away. as long as i could love you while you remembered me, i was alright with loving you when you forgot. i’m sorry for hiding more from you, i swear i am, but it was worth it to me. to let you leave me with hope rather than a final goodbye… i wasn’t ready to say goodbye.” the last sentence is whispered, as if it’s something he’s realized just now, that he didn’t say a word just as much for you as for himself. it breaks your heart to see tears flow from his apologetic eyes so freely.

“but i do remember you. and god, do i remember loving you. i’ve remembered you and the way you make me feel every day since i told you that you were unforgettable.” he looks up at you like you’re the most heavenly thing he’s ever set his eyes upon.

“thank you,” yeosang whispers through his tears, voice thick with emotion, “thank you for remembering. i don’t even know how it’s possible, but i thought i’d go crazy without you. i thought it would be fine, but it took everything in me not to go right to you when you got here. i knew i wouldn’t be able to act as if i didn’t love you more than anything else. i’m sorry i’m late.”

“quit apologizing and just kiss me, will you?”

his expression is relieved as he scrambles to his knees and leans in close to you. you lean forward, letting the blankets fall from your hands in favor of placing them on his cheeks and pressing your lips to his. you almost break the kiss when you feel a fresh wave of tears fall from his eyes, but you wipe them away gently with your thumbs, kissing him harder to prove to him that you’re really there. then his hands are on your waist, holding you tight and pulling you closer. the movement of his lips is practically desperate, and he wants to kiss you with all the gentleness that he can muster, but he just can’t help it when you’re right here in front of him.

“i love you,” he mumbles against your lips and cuts off your reply as he goes back to kissing you hard. he’s trying to get so close that he pulls you right off the chair and onto the floor, into his lap. “i need you,” he whispers with the softness he wants you to feel from him. your arms wrap around his neck and you think his kisses must have magic in them too when his lips are on yours again. it’s safe to say that you’ve warmed up by now. to catch your breath, you pull back and brush your nose against his with all the affection in the world. “yeosang, you are like a dream. just the kind that’s so beautiful and loved that i could never, never forget you.”

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