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smutoperator · 1 year ago

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Sensate Focus

Hwang Yeji x Male Reader

Tags: blindfolding, edging, escort, facial, female orgasms, (lots of) foreplay, neck play, passionate sex, sex therapy, switch, riding

Word count: 4887.

You lived a very sexually frustrated life. Every time you ended up in bed with someone, things would go south. Just a few thrusts inside any girl were enough to make you cum and have some of the shortest intercourse ever recorded. You needed professional help and started seeking help from those numerous online ads that promised a massive turnaround in your sexual life. Obviously, most of those were bogus and just scams, as you learned. But you had a last resort: a sensate focus sex therapy ad with a mysterious woman called "Ms. Hwang." At first, you thought it was another scan, as the address she gave you was the 13th floor of the building of a record label. Unless the "entertainment" in JYP Entertainment was actually a reference to adult entertainment, either way, you entered the building and were directed to an ample room with a bed, where the assistant told you to stay until Ms. Hwang's arrival.

An orange-haired woman arrived at the room right on time. She praised you for coming in earlier, indicating it was a sign you were very committed to the experience she was about to give you. You replied, thanking her. Already wearing her attire, Ms. Hwang presented herself wearing sexy black lingerie that showcased her bare, long torso and perfect legs. You were very shy and borderline insecure, staring at her intimidating figure and cat-like eyes. Yeji just walked in your direction. "Tell me about your needs," she asked. "I'm trying to last longer," you explained to her. Yeji just repeated most of your words, grabbing your tie, until you said, "I was told if I practice being touched until I'm ready to...".

"Cum?" she interrupted you. "Yes," you answered in agreement. She gave you a big smile. It was clear this wasn't her first rodeo. Yeji took your suit off, which you still had on after a long workday. "We don't need such formalities here," she said, and she touched your body from top to bottom. "Oh, that feels good," you said. She just asked the same thing you had told her, intentionally playing dumb as she moved towards your crotch area. Yeji just gave your clothed pole a few rubs, which were already enough for you to get aroused, then delicately touched your balls while saying some sexy "Yeahs" right at your face. "Just like that." As soon as you said that, Yeji increased her pace, moving her right hand up and down your clothed shaft. You were petrified at her amazing touch, spending all your efforts not to jizz in your pants already like you had done so many times at the simple touch of a woman.

"Just like that?" Yeji kept playing dumb with you as she increased the pace of her rubbing. Her favorite positive answers were the obvious ones. She really likes to be praised for her efforts. "Oh my God, I'm going to cum," you already said, distancing yourself from her face for a second and closing your eyes. Semen started flowing towards your cock's canal but stopped just as she ceased to touch you. Yeji laughed once more, loving the fact that you were already under her total control. She gave your forehead a little kiss and went back to her touching routine, mocking you every time you told her to do it "just like that." This time, she changed her motion a bit, opting for more circular moves towards your shaft.

"Wow, thanks," you said, rolling your eyes as you became her easily captured prey. She stared at you with her eyes full of lust in a way that almost petrified you. You kept nodding at her as Yeji's hands made quick rubbing moves in your pants. You were so weak, she sensed before you could even tell her that you were about to cum, pulling her hands out once more. Very few women feast on men's weakness as well as Yeji does. As soon as she sensed it, she used her right hand to push you and shove your trembling body towards the bed. She looked even more intimidating when looking at you from above. Like a wolf, she crawled up towards your body, locking her lips against yours in a very passionate kiss as her right hand touched you from top to bottom.

"Let's try it again," you said. Yeji repeated the same move multiple times, smirking at you in between the kisses. She then topped you with her slim but very muscular body, her ass sitting right on top of your hard shaft. Yeji took your tie off very quickly. "Kiss me," you begged her. She granted your wish, bending in such a way that the whole weight of her body was now placed on your cock. Every kiss she delivered turned you into a needier toy in her hands. "You taste so good," you praised her between kisses. Yeji reacted with another big smile, as if she knew it already. "Do I taste so good? Then taste me some more," she replied.

She started unbottling your shirt in a very slow manner while you placed your hands on her thighs and your clothed cock made contact with her lingerie fabric. Yeji quickly took advantage of it, rubbing her lingerie right where her pussy was. The thong she was wearing was so small that her outer pussy lips were popping out of it. She continued to kiss and grind on you as you grabbed her waist with your right hand and her ass with your left hand before playing both your hands on her hips. Yeji had enjoyed it so much she had stopped unbottoning halfway into your shirt, taking a quick turn when she stopped kising you, quickly taking your shirt off, and setting her sights on a new target to stimulate. She placed her naughty tongue on your belly, licking it from the navel to the chest multiple times, with a few kisses in between.

Yeji then placed her hands on your belly and gave your chest a few kisses, her tongue sending you crazy as she circled around your nipples. "Oh fuck," it was all you could utter, pressing her head against your chest. After a few lickings, you took your head off the bed for the first time in a while, fully taking your shirt off and kissing her. But Yeji wanted you to just follow her commands, as she quickly placed you lying back in bed and bumped her belly against yours while she started licking your neck, her favorite erogenous zone. The way she tongued it was so sensual, searching for the most veinous areas in your neck like crazy. It wasn't long until she started sucking it, giving you a few love bites while her lower body kept grinding on your hips.

Yeji pressed her body hard against yours, enjoying the pleasure of a lovely make-out. You touched her chest a little, but she quickly locked your head and took control once more, riding your body using hers. You felt so amazed at the way she could ride you even without you penetrating her. And she was very good at turning the heat up, even moaning as if you were already fucking her. "Oh fuck, I'm gonna cum," you said, clearly showing you were still unprepared for the blitz of pleasure she had started giving you. Yeji then stopped the ride and moved towards the bottom of your body, kissing your clothed cock under your pants, getting it ready to become a throbbing monster at the moment she decided to unzip it, kissing it right at your balls while caressing the shaft.

Yeji finally started unzipping your pants as she now sat on top of your legs. Once again, she took it very slowly, spending a lot of time just taking your belt off and sweeping your mouth and chest with her tongue in between, before moving back down and unveiling your thobbing cock. Yeji touches it softly with her hands, which already makes you even weaker than before. She licks your belly with your cock to the side, with your shaft touching her soft skin and your tip tangled in her hair. She then grabs it with her right hand and kisses your thobbing tip before she starts sucking it from the side, moving from balls to tip, before staring at you as she reaches the top. However, she can take all the time in the world she wants, going back to your crotch and sucking it before she gives your cock some gentle jerkoffs.

"Let's get this off," Yeji says as she pulls your pants down. You were now fully naked, but she still hadn't taken any pieces of her sexy outfit off. Your eyes begged for her, but your cock begged more, fully erect and pointing to the sky as your erection lined up perfectly with the high rises of Seoul's skyline in the window. Yeji went back to work on your cock in her typical slow but extremely sexy pace, placing her right hand on your shaft while she started licking your balls. It was a sight to behold watching her slowly move her tongue up your shaft as her naughty, predatory eyes gave you a deathly stare. Yeji did the same move a second time, but this time surprised you at the finish, sucking your shaft frontally for the first time. She then moved to lick it sideways before going back to working it, taking it deeper on her throat every single time and using her naughty tongue to lick your tip every time she pulled out.

"Holy shit", you exclaimed as Yeji kept working on your cock. Her blowjob wasn't really sloppy, as she didn't need to spit all over your cock to make it work; just using her tongue at the right spots on your pole was enough. Your tip bulging under her cheeks while she jerked you off looked extremely sexy, and she licked it like a snake injecting poison into her prey. Her tongue was clearly the star of the show, making you lose your breath and come close to cum once more. Yeji laughed at your weakness, holding your shaft softly and restarting the motion back in your balls. You were making progress, but she clearly knew you needed more before going all-in. "That's too good," you said as she licked the whole extension of your balls and shaft.

Placing your hands at the bottom of your pole, Yeji stared at you, then moved back down and engulfed your testicles. "Oh, I love it, every... second... of... it," you said in a very paused manner as she went back to lick the whole extension of your crotch while keeping her left hand jerking you off and then switching to licking your tip once more as she rubbed your crotch. "How does that feel?" she asked, her first words in a long while. "It feels amazing," you replied. As Yeji took her hands off your cock, you no longer had control of it, as your erection started bobbing involuntarly and getting harder and harder with each move of hers. Yeji was now sucking you off without the need to use her hands, as she placed them scratching your crotch with her nails while sucking the life out of you and then making some circular motions.

"You think you can handle a little extra?" she finally asked. "Yes," you answered, lying to her. "Let's try," you continued. Yeji increased the pace of her blowjob, thursting your cock deeper into her throat in a fast-paced motion, your thick girth filling her mouth to the fullest while your length hit her throat perfectly. "That's so good," she said as she licked your throbbing shaft, noticing it had gotten bulkier since she had started. Yeji placed her hands on your balls, caressing them intensely, not needing to use those hands to dive deep into your long shaft, before moving upwards and doing just tip-sucking while jerking you off, her large hands gripping your cock amazingly. Another big smile came out of her mouth as she noticed how much you were enjoying it. Now using both hands, Yeji slowed the pace of her stroking, keeping your tip in her mouth while using her nails to run up and down your cock.

Yeji went back to tasting your cock sideways, sucking it like a lollipop while her nails rubbed the bottom of your shaft. "Are you ready for more?" she asked again. "I think so," and unlike last time, you weren't lying to her. She kissed you while keeping her right hand jerking your cock off. She slowly took her thong off, giving you a little smile as she finished unhooking the bottom of her lingerie. Yeji kissed you and put her right hand under your body to grab your cock as it tiled forward and touched its tip against her slit's entrance. But she wasn't gonna let you control it, as she quickly grabbed your shaft and started rubbing it against her vagina and asshole.

It didn't take long for Yeji to line up her entrance with your shaft; she had such great knowledge of her body that she could do it with her eyes closed. Even though she inserted just your tip inside it, the pressure her tight walls exerted on it was so intense that you had to push your shaft down a bit to resist. Your desperate moans contrasted with Yeji's soft laugh; as for her, this was very trivial. She pushed her body down, going slowly, as not even a third of your length was inside her. A few muted moans come out of her mouth as she moves up and down a bit, still working just the top third of your cock. "Oh my God," is all you can say as you look at Yeji on top of you, giving you a devilish stare. You don't want this to end like every other sex session you had, ejaculating as soon as you are inside a girl's pussy. But her tight walls are very tempting, and the way her insides rub your cock is insanely pleasuring.

Yeji gives a louder moan and rides you in very slow motion, holding your neck with her right hand as she kisses you. She still has only inserted half of your length, but her powerful overstimulation has you walking on thin ice. A sexier moan, and Yeji moves up, placing her chest right against your mouth. Bras may not be her favorite thing to wear, but she was glad they were there to prevent you from having a free shot at her nipples. Her moans alternate between sexy screams and out-of-breath softness. Yeji thrives on positive feedback, smiling at you when you tell her it feels good and rewarding you with the first full-length thrust, leading to her sexiest moan of the night. You grab her ass as she sticks your cock deep in her pussy for many seconds. She looks extremely relaxed, as her expanding muscles lead to her asshole nicely gaping while you stretch her cunt out.

"Ahhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhh", Yeji's moans are a turn-on by themselves, with a very nasal sound as she likes to do them with her mouth closed, performing them every time she reaches the base of your cock. She slowly increases the pace but still fucks your cock in a very passionate manner. The self-control she has over her body is sensational, as she doesn't waste any thrust. Every motion has a purpose. At first, you try to grab her ass, but the more you see the way she works, the more you just passively let her take full control of you, enjoying every bounce she gives on your cock. She then places her hands on your chest and finally moves towards a faster motion that makes her hair wave beautifully.

"Shit," Yeji curses for the first time as she hugs your head and presses it on her still-clothed chest. You try to kiss her, but she quickly pulls out, meaning your kiss lands on her neck. She still enjoys it and retributes the favor. When she curses, it's a good sign; it means you found out her sweet spot. She quickly takes advantage of it, moaning hard as she bounces on you while looking you straight in the eye. Her kisses and moans also send you over the moon. "Yes, yes, yes," you say at every bounce from her. Yeji moves towards a standing position, allowing her to kiss you more intensely while keeping your cock wrapped inside her walls, giving her maximum pleasure. "Holy fuck," you say it as soon as she resumes bouncing on your shaft, leading to more moans in her side.

You hit Yeji right at her G-spot as she bounces on you, but this time she doesn't have the strength to go back up. For the first time, she moans with her mouth fully open as her walls clench around your cock. Yeji starts orgasming, which makes you believe it's going to be the end for you as you close your eyes and start telling your brain, "Don't cum, don't cum, don't cum." As soon as she regains a little strength, Yeji rides her orgasm to perfection, hitting your cock at the right angle every single time. "OH FUCK!" she screams for the first time, but you just lie down and let her enjoy the bouncing. Even at her weakest, she still dominates you; pleasing her is more important than pleasing you.

Yeji prepares herself for more but makes sure she continues to enjoy the ride, giving you shallow thrusts with just the tip in while grabbing your cock down low. What was surprising was how this little "pause" was enough to almost make you explode once more, as her pussy overstimulating your tip and her nails gripping your thobbing shaft ended up being a lethal combination. "Oh, I love it; oh, you're perfect," you tell her. If you are enjoying it so much, she deduces she can go back to engulfing your cock full length, and she was right, riding you with her body fully pressed against yours. You even try to thurst upwards and clash with her cheeks, but she's just too good not to enjoy the full ride. "Just like that," you say her favorite phrase as soon as she rides you at full speed.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, wait a minute," you say as Yeji's bounces nearly make you orgasm for real. Another close call as you keep playing with fire. Yeji cackles at your weakness: "Not yet; if you cum, I'm gone forever," she says. "Be a good boy," she whispers in your ear, with you still out of breath and trying to recover. "Not yet," she repeats. "Let me taste this cock," she says, picking the precum up from your tip. "Hmm, salty," she says, taking it back in her mouth and slapping it on her tongue, even spitting on it for the first time. Yeji goes back to the classic cock sucking and jerking off, but this time going fast from the start. Your thobbing member is finally a challenge to her, who tries to take it deeper in her throat but now struggles with the much larger length and girth compared to the start of the session. But it's when she's challenged that Yeji thrives the most. She goes faster, deeper, and stronger, overtaking the length of your cock and taking it balls deep in her mouth, leading to another close call. If last time you were the one who almost led to your demise, this time it was her.

Yeji picks up the tie she took off of you a long time ago, ready for a new round. She blindfolds you with it and gives kisses to your neck. She attacks your neck and chest for a bit before inserting your cock back inside her. "Oh, you feel amazing," you whisper to her ear as her pussy slowly sits on your cock. She slowly takes it deep while wrapping herself around your body, giving you a blindfold ride. When she pulls out after a long sit-down on your cock, you test yourself and search for her entrance, this time doing yourself the teasing as you rub your shaft close to her pussy before putting it back in. Yeji elicits a sexy moan when you put it back inside, as she enjoys your teasing and rewards you with a romantic sitting on your shaft.

You reach for her breasts, which she had successfully kept away from you. As you manage to pull her bra down, Yeji just decides to reward you by unhooking it fully. Her tits are not the biggest, but they have a nice jiggle to them, and her nipples have an amazing texture. You grope Yeji's boobs hard, leading her to stop riding and let you contemplate them with your hands. "I think you can handle a little more," she concludes, taking off the blindfold and pressing her now fully naked body against yours. You answer affirmatively to her, as Yeji lets you watch her ride you while kissing you passionately. This time, you fully grab her hips and let her moan in her mouth, pushing her to go faster.

Yeji pushes you up from the bed and lets you carry her for the first time. You lift her slender body. You two invert positions as you give her a passionate missionary, kissing her at every pump you give into her pussy. "Oh my God," she moans as you keep fucking her and now move to kisses on her neck, allowing her to scream louder at each thurst. Yeji puts her legs over her head, taking advantage of her flexible body and letting you take her on a mating press. "Oh shit", Yeji says her orgasmic curse once more as you keep stimulating her erogenous zones. Mouth, neck, and boobs are all overwhelmed by the kisses you land on her every time you hit her pussy deep and your thobbing member bulges under her toned belly. You lick her body from tits to nose, then pick up the pace. More "shits" come out of her mouth as she cums for a second time.

She pushes her right foot against your mouth for you to kiss while you keep thursting into her, then moves it down as her high heels rub your chest. You finger her pussy as she starts squirting and her body twists, her moans get louder, and her ribs press against her skin as Yeji enjoys another orgasm, kissing you in reward for it. "Make me cum again," her insatiable self whispers as you increase the pace of thursting, placing your left hand on her left boob, to which she answers by putting her own hand over yours. The once dominant and fearless Yeji now lets you have full control over her body. You then switch to her right tits as she now puts her hands to rest on her head and stares at the ceiling, screaming harder at each pounding you give her. But even at her weakest, Yeji still manages to press her body against yours and give you a little sideways ride.

"Can you handle it, baby?" she asks. This time, you let your moves speak for themselves as you increase the pace of fucking her pussy and pinch her left nipple. "AHHHHHHHHH. FUCKKKKK!" Yeji screamed as you took full control of her, mating her like there was no tomorrow, muffling her now-out-of-control moans with more kisses, but rethinking it after a while and just letting her scream freely. You lifted her leg up and switched to a leg glider sex position, hitting Yeji hard and deep. "DON'T STOP," she ordered, as you enjoyed her little tits jiggling as her body moved with your thursts. "YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME FUCKING CUM," she continued. "OH I'M CUMMING", Yeji announced. Unlike the first two times, this was a very loud orgasm, one that made her twist like a pretzel. The muscles of her abs contracted hard, and she closed her eyes with her head pressed against the bedsheets. Even after a while, her abdominal contractions continued as if she were a pregnant woman about to give birth, but you gave her no rest, never pulling out of her.

"Do anything; do whatever you want to me," Yeji whispered as she still recovered, while you dove towards eating her wet and thobbing cunt. Her lips were utterly swollen by her recent orgasm, and she was at her most sensitive moment, so you took advantage of it. Her slim and shaved slit didn't tell much from the outside, but once you dove inside, you got shocked at how big her clit was. No wonder she was always moaning. Her walls were for sure the best you had found on any pussy you had ever eaten out. You put your tongue on Yeji's throbbing clit, making her involuntarily close her legs against your head. The top of the hood was your favorite part to kiss, lick, and suck. But you didn't want her to cum yet again and moved back towards romantic flirting, staring at her like a boy falling in love.

Yeji trusted you and lied her belly against the bed, leaving her back for you to caress. You kiss it from the bottom to the top before inserting your cock back in. She just let herself enjoy the ride, closing her eyes as you whispered dirty words in her ear and fucked her slowly in a prone-bone position, her eyes tearing up in joy. When you increased your pace, her moans were like those of a baby crying, before she muffled them against the pillows she placed on her own head. "Oh right there, yes right there, FUCK!" Yeji screamed between the pillows. You eat both her holes with Yeji on her knees. "I'm fucking shitty," she cried, just as you were tonguing exactly at her shitter. You thursted back inside her, this time in doggy, running your hands on her back while you pounded her at the hardest you had all day. After three orgasms, she was so sensitive that it didn't take long for her to start biting the bedsheets as you destroyed the shit out of her pussy.

But just like at the beginning, Yeji still had a smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had last enjoyed such a night of pure, passionate sex. "Yes, I love it," she said in between more poundings, moans, and crying. Now she was the one giving the positive feedback instead of you. "Shit, that's so good," she said, now saying the words you once said. You pushed Yeji closer to your body, fondling her tits and preparing yourself for one final pounding. Her cheeks clapped hard at each thrust. You firmly grabbed her waist and watched her boobs jiggle and bounce as hard as they could. "Fuck me like shit," Yeji ordered. You obeyed, but not before sniffing her body to feel her sweaty smell following almost an hour of sex. Her orange hair somehow managed to smell just as good as in the beginning and not look messy at all despite all the pounding. You moved yourself out of the bed, standing up as you took Yeji to the edge of the mattress, with her on her knees and barely holding on. "YES, YES, YES, YES," she screamed between each pounding, her pussy getting destroyed as you firmly gripped her waist, her hair looking beautiful when pressed against the bed.

"Oh fuck, I'm gonna cum," you tell her after you continue to plow her pussy. Yeji is this close to allowing you to fill her up to the brim before second thoughts come to her head, and she remembers that if she were to do it, she would 100% get pregnant, and she was not ready for it. "Wait, wait, wait," she reacts, pulling out and looking to regain her confidence. "I wanna taste it," she says, finding a solution. Yeji gets herself on her knees this time, pointed towards you. Just a little jerkoff is enough to make you blast all over her face in such a quick and hard burst that it hits her eyes and finally messes with her still-perfect hair. Enough cum hits her mouth after you give her 10 blasts of sperm into her face. She scoops a bit from her nose and swallows it, but leaves most of her face covered with your semen before she sucks and kisses your cock for one final time. "You were a good boy," she compliments you before charging you for the hour you spent together. If you hit her pussy, she was going to hit your wallet back.

"The best things in life aren't for free," she says as she kisses you for one last time and goes clean herself up in the bathroom, leaving you alone in the room. You dress yourself back up, leaving the JYP building very satisfied; the worries about your once frustrating sex life are now gone, all thanks to Ms. Hwang.

#yeji smut #itzy smut #female idol smut #girl group smut #kpop smut

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thesaart · 3 months ago

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Rattenfänger of Belobog

Rattenfänger (rat catcher) is the german word for the pied piper. I loved this fairy tale when I was a kid. Part of me just wanted to draw Sampo as the Pied Piper because I really love both characters but the more I thought about it the more I realized how well Sampo fits into the role as the Pied Piper. The story of the Pied Piper is that there was once a town plagued with never ending amounts of rats and then one day a mysterious figure approaches the gates of the town, proclaiming he could get rid of this plague but of course for a price. The townspeople at first don't believe him making fun of the colorfully dressed man, however after he pulls out his flute and starts playing a melody so beautiful that all the rats crawl out of their hiding spots. The townspeople, struck with awe, quickly step aside letting the man walk out of the town taking all the rats with him, leading them to a river where they all drown. After making his way back he is denied his payment, he walks away proclaiming that they made an enemy of him. The townspeople ignore the angry man and go back to their lifes. Then at night a beautiful tune dances through the streets of the town. The next day the adults discover that all the children are gone.

So how does Sampo fit into this? Just like the Pied Piper, Sampo is an alien where we meet him. His story, history and powers are all completely shrouded in mystery.

He makes deals with others but from what we've seen he's not really clear with the payment itself. (yes, he does stuff for money but I don't remember if it's ever said how much. Also why would he even need the money of the people of Belobog? Shields have no value outside of Jarilo VI and he doesn't seem like a character who if he can't afford something wouldn't just steal it.) Also more often than not his payment can be as simple as to be introduced to other people, so in that respect he's also very nebulous. Anyways aside from that he is also incredibly charismatic and even though people don't trust him they end up still making deals with him because more often than not he's the only one who can help.

One more thing, are either one of these characters good? The Pied Piper helped the town, he got rid of a devastating and dangerous plague and he would have never done what he did if the townspeople would have paid him, however he did go too far. And with Sampo it's also not simple. Yes he helped with the stellaron crisis however we don't actually know why he helped. He seems to be interested in the survival of Belobog but it's never said why. If it was truly only to entertain the tavern then why would he be protective over the planet (keeping Sparkle from going there). Aside from that he is a criminal organizing heists, stealing, smuggling and scamming and maybe even more who knows. My point is that both characters will do things first and foremost for their own benefit and even though both are not opposed to helping people it's just that neither of them are altruists.

#honkai star rail #hsr fanart #hsr sampo #honkai star rail sampo #sampo koski #sampo fanart #hsr masked fools

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r0achlezbian · 17 days ago

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look at me. if your favorite youtuber is trying to sell you something and they say this shit not only are they lying but they're probably trying to sell you something that will ruin your fucking life.

please tell me y'all are also upset about this like i've seen a few posts about it but it's fucking absurd to me that youtubers can get away with peddling something as serious as therapy from a company that turned out to be stealing data and nothing happened to them. and it's fucking all of the major youtubers regardless of what kind of video they've all taken money from hellofresh and betterhelp and whatever other horseshit is out there.

similar ads have existed for years but like at least from what i remember growing up they were for bullshit that if it didn't work it didn't matter. if you got taken in by the shamwow guy and it turned out the product sucked you'll probably be fine, it's just a shitty towel. who cares. but now it's like GIVE ALL YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO THIS EMAIL ADDRESS AND WE WILL CURE YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS. and everyone's favorite "influencers" or whatever dipshit name they go by was shoving that down their teenage audience's throat and when it came out that inevitably the whole thing was dogshit nothing happened. no one lost their platforms for it it doesn't even come up and if you try to bring it up you get a shrug and a "everyone did it." we're in hell. we are in hell.

tip to any marketers out there: if you're writing a pitch and include "what's the catch? there is none!" i want you and everyone involved in whatever scam you're peddling to die immediately

#benny.exe #like sorry it's 4am and i haven't taken my meds maybe this is not a big deal but like oh my fucking god #every youtuber product has been the fucking torment nexus #if i see a youtuber promoting something i don't just think it's probably a scam #i think it's probably trying to steal my personal information to sell to fucking facebook #or that it's made with child labor #or fucking both #and that's like. it's bad right. it's bad that what is basically the main entertainment platform for young adults and CHILDREN is peddling #not just snake oil #but snake oil that actively poisons you #and nothing ever happens! you can knowingly promote a predatory business #cashing in on the mental health crisis brought on by living in late stage capitalism #and nobody gives a shit! it won't hurt your career at all!

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kwanisms · 1 year ago

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Run Rabbit, Run — k.seungmin

» stray kids masterlist «

➮ vampire!Seungmin × f!Reader wc: 20.5k (sorry. it happened again lmao) summary: Seungmin is a vampire and has lived a very long life and seen many ages pass him by. He’s grown weary of immortality until he meets someone one random night who really puts things into perspective for him. genres/themes/au: angst, smut; supernatural and vampiric themes, gothic undertones, predator/prey dynamics, s2l; non idol au, vampire au warnings: adult dialogue, female reader, Seungmin is a vampire so drinking blood and feeding from humans is a given, alcohol consumption (Y/N has a couple drinks), Seungmin is still a predatory creature so he has some… thoughts about that, minor character death, attempted SA (but nothing happens), sexual content (18+ mdni), see smut warnings under the cut! special taglist: @yoonguurt , @lvelicky , @anyamaris , @wooyoungqueen , @kpop-stories-21 , @xsweetelegantdiasterx , @kookthief , @stardragongalaxy , @millennial-fangirl , @blankdyean , @imwithurmother , @bangchans-angel , @oreoqueen , @yjeonginlvr , @zdgx1 , @shuxsoo , @s00buwu , @queenmea604 , @pochaccomin , @katsukis1wife , @linos-catnip , @wh0r3mir4 Join the taglist! »» Closes 10/30 @ 23:00 CST Strikethrough means I cannot tag you. MINORS WILL BE BLACKLISTED & BLOCKED. AGELESS BLOGS WILL NOT BE ADDED.

a/n: this one was so much fun. Seungmin is such a wild card when it comes to writing. He fits innocent types but he also fits these savage/predatory roles really well! Thank you for reading and if you enjoyed this, please reblog or comment your favorite part! As always, this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only.

smut warnings: teratophilia (aka monsterfucking), unprotected sex (he’s a vampire. This ain’t twilight. But you aren’t a vampire, so use protection), blood play, orgasm control, predator/prey play, dacryphilia, use of pet names (little rabbit, sweetheart, doe, pet, etc), Seungmin is kinda mean but he also leans a little heavy into the predator role but jokes on him cause Y/N is into it so who’s the real winner here? If I missed anything just let me know.

dialogue prompt: ❛ Why are you shaking? You’re not scared of me are you? ❜

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Eternity. Humans use the word so freely.

I promise to love you for eternity. I want to live for eternity. Death is eternal.

Seungmin knew that the last one was correct. Death is eternal and it will last forever. But love? Eternal love didn’t exist. Not in the literal definition of eternal. Mortals die and then that is eternal. The love they experienced before their demise is fleeting and perishes with them.

The only thing that was eternal other than death was the waking hell Seungmin had endured for centuries; life eternal. It was supposed to be a gift. He was told it was a gift and initially, he believed it. Getting to stay young and live a long life. All he wanted was to live for a long time.

But as the ones around him withered and died, Seungmin came to see this “gift” as a curse. Life eternal was part of a bigger scam. Creating an army of vampires to take over the world. Or at least that’s what he thought. He’d been changed upon his request and then left alone. No guidance, no mentor, nothing to help him navigate this new life he’d been unceremoniously dropped into.

Seungmin had to learn as he went, adapting and changing at a much quicker rate. He made mistakes along the way but eventually he found a path and stuck to it. It wasn’t until those around him started dying of old age, people he’d grown up with, that he started to see the error he’d made.

Each generation that passed, Seungmin grew more and more dissatisfied with life as an immortal. He stopped forming relationships and bonds with people because he’d lived this story so many times, he knew how it ended. It was better to not feel. Better to not get attached.

He moved from continent to continent, city to city. Perhaps that was the only good thing about living for so long. Being able to see more in his infinite lifetime than a mortal could see in their limited years. Decades turned into centuries and Seungmin had been to more cities and countries than he could count. He’d seen more and done more than anyone could ever hope to see or do.

So why was he still so [word]? He’d been given the gift of immortality, he’d been to so many places and seen so much and yet… none of it filled the void in his soul. None of it left him feeling fulfilled or satisfied with life. He still held so much disdain for his existence.

Even as he stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the vast forest below. It was a great fall, one that would surely kill a man before he even hit the ground but Seungmin was no mere man. Would a fall from this distance even leave a mark on him? Would his body break and finally free him from this cursed life? He had no way of knowing. It wasn’t exactly like he’d been given a manual on this.

How to Commit Suicide as a Vampire for Dummies wasn’t a title that would ever grace the shelves of Barnes & Noble. He’d have to just try. It was trial and error at this point. He’d tried so many different things. Poison didn’t even register. Knives and swords did nothing, not even a wooden stake through the heart had come close to killing him. Bullets did nothing either and they were annoying to remove.

He’d tried drowning himself in the ocean only to discover he didn’t need to breathe. He’d tried starvation only for his instincts to kick in at the last minute and force him to feed on whatever was nearby. He’d tried jumping from other heights but none this high.

If this didn’t work, he felt the only thing that might kill him was extreme pressures.

Seungmin was so absorbed in his own thoughts of death that he didn’t realize he was no longer alone.

You stared at the man, noticing how close he was to the edge of the clearing. A fall from this height would surely kill him. You glanced up at his face and could help but stare. You’d never seen such… sadness before.

He looked as if he was deep in thought. You glanced out over the forest below and then back at the man. ‘Surely he isn’t thinking about jumping,’ you sincerely hoped silently.

A simple hike in the mountains was what you had expected when you came to this national park. What you hadn’t expected was to find a man standing on the edge, possibly about to end his life. You glanced around the clearing to find it was just the two of you.

Looking back at the man, you were reminded of your own struggles with depression, thoughts of suicide, almost attempts but in the end, it got better and so did you. You wondered if it would make a difference in his life whether you stopped him now. Even if just to lend a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped forward, keeping your eyes fixated on the man. You stopped a few paces behind him but kept a good few feet between you. Turning your gaze from his profile, you looked over the trees below.

“What a view,” you said softly. Your voice must have startled him because his head snapped to look at you, alarm etched on his face. You kept your gaze over the trees, looking around and taking in the splendor of it all. The man kept his gaze focused on you. “It’s so beautiful,” you continued, still not looking at him.

Out of your periphery, you could see him turn his head back to look out over the forest. “It’s the same as all the others,” he said softly. “All the others?” you asked, finally turning your head to look at him. You allowed yourself to actually look at him this time, focusing on the details you couldn’t see before.

His smooth, flawless complexion, the reddish brown color of his hair blowing in the gentle breeze. He wore a simple white button down under a black blazer and black slacks. He looked like he just came from an office job. Not dressed for a hike in the mountains.

He had no supplies, no wilderness gear, no backpack or sleeping bag.

It hit you then and made your heart rate speed up as you hoped you were wrong.

‘He’s come here to die.’

You looked around, trying to think of anything you could to distract him.

“Have you been to a lot of forests then?” you blurted out. He turned his head to look at you, brows knitting together in confusion. “What?” he asked, his voice a little louder this time. He looked and sounded genuinely confused by your question.

“You said it’s the same as all the others. So you must have been to a lot of forests to make that statement,” you replied. ‘Yes, this is good, Y/N. Keep him talking. Keep him distracted.’

“Do you travel a lot?”

The man stared at you, a look of perplexion on his face. Almost as if he was wondering why you were even talking to him in the first place. “I’ve heard the forests in the Carpathian Mountains are gorgeous this time of year,” you continued, looking away from him. “The changing of leaves, the cool autumn air, the influx of wildlife preparing for winter hibernation,” you said with a smile.

“I’ll bet it’s beautiful--”

“It is,” he said, cutting you off. You turned to look at him. His eyes were still on you. “A little colder than you’re probably imagining though,” he added. “Transylvania is also beautiful this time of year,” he continued. You took a cautious half step forward. “Have you been to Romania?” you asked.

His shoulders shook in silent laughter, amusement on his face for a brief moment. “I’ve been all over,” he replied. “Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia,” he listed off. “I’ve even spent time in the Antarctic.” Your eyes widened with wonder. “For work or…?” you trailed off as he shook his head. “Not exactly,” he answered.

“I’ve lived a very unique… life,” he added, forcing the last word out after some consideration. You tilted your head curiously. “Would you tell me about it?” you asked. He turned his head again, meeting your gaze and a shiver went up your spine. It was almost as if looking into his eyes flipped your flight or fight response and every nerve in your body was telling you to run but you couldn’t.

Not because you were frozen in fear but because this man, a man who was on the verge of possibly throwing himself off the edge of a cliff, thousands of feet off the ground below had lived a unique life and if getting him to talk about it meant he’d step away from the cliff and live his life a little bit longer, then you couldn’t run.

Not if it meant he lived.

He scoffed and turned back to the cliff. “What are you? Some kind of shrink?” he asked, a bitter sound to his voice. You shook your head. “No,” you replied. “You just look like you have a lot of stories to tell,” you continued. “And if you’d like. I’ll listen to you.”

Seungmin didn’t know why, but when he looked at you, he felt as if he could talk to you and that you might actually listen to him. Something deep in him was telling him to talk to you. To keep living a little while longer, even if just to share his stories with you because you were right.

He had a lot of stories.

He found himself spilling almost everything to you. His weariness with life, his solitude, and his exhaustion. He was exhausted with everything. He had grown almost sick of living, sick of being alone, and sick of being alone for so long.

The best thing about you, Seungmin noted, was that you didn’t interrupt or judge him. You listened with rapt attention but it didn’t feel forced or fake. Your genuine curiosity was refreshing and although he knew he shouldn’t get attached, Seungmin found himself craving your company.

Perhaps it was because he’d been alone for so long and you were the first person to show him any interest beyond flirtation or sexual desire. He was unaccustomed to such attention after centuries of not experiencing it and this was the first conversation he’d had with a mortal in ages.

Seungmin took a deep breath, having finished the story of his most recent trip to Europe. A trip that spanned months and took him to places most people never think to visit. The sun had long set since he started his stories and the sky was beginning to lighten, indicating he’d spent the whole night talking.

But more importantly, you’d spent an entire night listening to him. Mortals had such a short time on the planet and yet you’d chosen to spend an entire night listening to him tell you stories of his life and his travels.

And you had actually listened to him.

“Sorry for taking up your whole night,” Seungmin said, glancing back at the sky as it started to lighten into shades of blue and purple. You shook your head, lifting your head from its resting place against your hand. “Not at all,” you replied. “It was fascinating. Thank you for sharing with me,” you replied.

“I’m sure you need to get going,” Seungmin said as you stood up from the log you’d taken a seat on next to him. “What about you?” you asked, looking down at him. Seungmin stood up, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I think I’ll walk with you,” he answered. “Are you heading back to your car?”

You nodded. “I was only supposed to hike up and spend the night,” you replied, starting to walk and he kept pace with you. “And I guess in a way I did that,” you added with a chuckle, one that Seungmin shared. The walk back was punctuated by more stories, not nearly as grand as the ones he’d shared before. Smaller stories about random events and chance encounters on his travels.

The sun was climbing above the trees as the two of you reached the bottom of the mountain, the small gravel parking lot coming into sight where your cat sat, waiting for your triumphant return. “This has probably been the most interesting conversation I’ve ever had,” you started as Seungmin stopped a few paces from your car and you turned to look at him.

“Thank you again,” Seungmin said. “For listening to me.” You offered him a dazzling smile, one that might have taken his breath away had he not already been dead. “Thank you for allowing me to listen,” you replied. You turned and opened the hatch on the back of your car, removing and placing your pack in the back before shutting the door and heading around to the driver’s side.

Seungmin realized at that moment that he’d never gotten your name nor had he shared his.

“Wait,” he called, stepping forward. You hesitated as you pulled open the door and looked up at him.

“What’s your name?” he asked. A smile spread over your face. “Y/N,” you answered.

Seungmin smiled the first genuine smile in years. “Y/N,” he repeated. “It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Seungmin.” Your smile widened slightly as you finished pulling open your door. “It’s good to meet you, too,” you replied. “See you around, yeah?” you asked before ducking your head and getting into the car.

Seungmin watched as you backed out of your spot and waved at him one last time before pulling out of the parking area and disappearing through the trees on the dirt road, leaving him alone in the clearing.

“Yeah,” he said softly to himself. “See you around.”

The funny thing about time when one has lived as long as Seungmin is that days, weeks, even months, go by in the blink of an eye. At least until Seungmin had met you. Suddenly, life seemed to drag on yet still, days went by, turning into weeks and yet all that occupied his mind was his meeting with you. The random hiker who had somehow managed to save his life.

He’d tried to find you but to no avail. He only had a single name to go off of. Several times, he’d gone back to the national forest, trying the same hiking trail he’d met you on and even trying others but he had no luck it would seem. Finding you was starting to seem impossible.

Despite being a mostly lonely creature, Seungmin did have one contact he’d kept over the years.

Wonpil.

Seungmin had met the man during a brief stint in the military, meeting the combat medic who turned out to be the same as him, an immortal. A friendship was formed and over the years, even if they hadn’t seen one another for decades, their bond remained intact.

In the modern age, Seungmin could rely on Wonpil for three things.

Loyalty

Perspective

And blood in the form of blood bags.

He never asked how Wonpil was able to acquire them without rousing suspicion but the how wasn’t exactly important. In a day where everyone carried a phone with cameras and facial recognition almost everywhere, Seungmin had to be careful not to feed from living people.

Most immortals who lived in the modern age had switched to feeding from animals, going hunting in the forests instead of feeding from humans. It was safer but even so, one wrong move and an immortal could be caught on camera feeding from a deer or some other woodland critter.

Seungmin had tried the animal diet when he lived in areas closer to the wild but in the city, one was limited on options. So Wonpil, with his job in the hospital, was able to sneak around and steal blood bags without anyone finding out.

It had worked out so well for this life as they were in the same area for once, settled into false identities but Seungmin’s was about to expire. He needed to move on, start anew to avoid drawing attention. He could only pretend to be thirty for so long until suspicions arose.

During one of their meetups so Wonpil could deliver Seungmin’s monthly supply of blood, Seungmin had told his friend of his chance encounter in the woods and Wonpil found it both endearing and amusing. He’d told Seungmin to stop focusing and obsessing over one woman. “You need to go out there and get laid,” he chuckled. Seungmin rolled his eyes.

“I don’t need to get laid,” he retorted, taking the messenger bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “Not in this day and age,” he added. Wonpil snorted, crossing his arms as he looked over his shoulder. “This day and age is perfect for that,” he replied.

“No one wants a relationship. They just want something casual,” he added. Seungmin shook his head. They’d had this conversation before but he was still reluctant. What if he ended up liking the person too much? He’d get attached and then just end up hurting them when he inevitably had to leave.

He was far too reluctant to get himself into that situation. Wonpil sighed and placed a hand on Seungmin’s shoulder. “Suit yourself,” he said before patting him and walking away. Seungmin returned home after that and went about his usual routine of cleaning up and putting away his supply.

It was a few days later that things completely changed.

He’d gone by a coffee shop to meet Wonpil for something, he couldn’t even remember what. It’s not like he needed the coffee or any other item the shop offered. It just made them look normal. Made them blend in more.

Wonpil had left after his business and Seungmin had gotten up to leave when he bumped into someone as he reached the door. The sudden action caused him to spin away from the door as did the person who he bumped into, spinning to face him and Seungmin couldn’t believe his eyes.

There you were, looking back at him, shock on your face.

Time seemed to stand still in that moment, seconds stretching into minutes as the two of you stared at one another unmoving, unblinking. Seungmin found it hard to hear anything happening around him. Like everything had been muffled the way the world sounded when one submerged themselves in water.

“Y/N,” he said softly.

As if that was the magic word to break the spell, just as quickly as the world stopped, it picked up again. The sounds of chatter, the sounds of the coffee and espresso machines, the ding of the cash register and the ringing of the bell at the door as new patrons flooded in.

“Seungmin,” you said softly, your lips spreading into another one of your dazzling smiles. “Hey,” Seungmin said, mirroring your smile. “How have you been?” you asked and he stepped aside as someone tried to squeeze past him.

“I’ve been okay,” Seungmin admitted. “A lot better than that day, actually,” he added. Your smile widened, a brief spell of relief washing over your face. “Good,” you said with a nod. “I’m glad to hear that.” Seungmin noted how a silence fell between you but he had no idea what to say.

He’d never experienced this. He’d never not been able to keep a conversation going before. He’d never felt like a school boy talking to his childhood crush before. It was foreign to him. Finally, a feeling he’d never experienced. Something new.

“I wondered if you were just passing through,” you admitted as you stepped aside, pulling the strap of your bag back up on your shoulder as patrons filed past the two of you. “If you weren’t living in the city but instead just on your way through.”

Seungmin shook his head. “No,” he replied. “I live here. Not in this neighborhood,” he added. “But a few blocks north.” Silence again. Why was he so bad at this? Had your first meeting been this awkward and he’d blocked it out because he’d been so focused on wanting to end things?

“Are you staying?” he asked suddenly. You tilted your head in confusion. “Here,” Seungmin added. ‘No. Stupid. You need to elaborate further.’ “What I meant,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Are you getting your order for here?” Your confusion melted away, a small smirk presenting itself.

“I’m on my way to work actually,” you answered. Seungmin felt his heart sink just a little before he had an idea. “Would it be alright if I walked you?” The words left his lips before he could even register them. Your smirk morphed into a bright smile and you nodded. “I just need to place my order,” you said, pointing at the counter.

Seungmin nodded and pointed towards the door. “I’ll just wait out here for you,” he answered. He could have waited inside with you but the cafe was starting to get crowded. Too many warm bodies and where there were warm bodies, there was blood. He needed to clear his head.

Thankfully you didn’t find this odd, only nodding before joining the queue.

Outside the cool autumn air helped Seungmin quell his thirst. Pushing back the beast that threatened to rear its ugly head and make him do something that he would regret. ‘You only have a couple weeks left before you have to leave,’ he reminded himself.

But for some reason, reminding himself of that made him sad.

Before he could dwell on that feeling for too long, the door opened and you joined him on the sidewalk. “Ready?” he asked and you nodded, carrying a hot cup of coffee and a small paper sack. Seungmin followed your lead, keeping pace with you as you walked.

He learned that you had lived in the city for a few months. Your move came with a transfer with your job.

“What do you do?” he asked as you took a sip of your coffee, sighing softly. You sniffled, the cold air no doubt nipping at your skin and making your nose run. Seungmin hadn’t experienced that in centuries. He didn’t remember what it was like to feel cold or warmth.

“I’m a pediatric nurse,” you replied. “I work at Seoul General,” you added as you continued walking. ‘Seoul General?’ Seungmin thought. “Oh,” he said, nodding. “I have a friend that works there, actually.” You looked up at him, eyes wide. Whether it was excitement or curiosity, Seungmin couldn’t tell.

“Oh really?” you asked. “I wonder if I’ve met them yet,” you added. Seungmin shrugged as the hospital started to come into view. “Perhaps you have,” he replied. “Who’s your friend?” you asked, looking at him. “Wonpil. Kim Wonpil,” Seungmin answered.

Your eyes lit up. “I know Dr. Kim!” you replied. ‘Excitement,’ Seungmin noted. ‘Definitely excitement.’ He smiled as you started to slow your pace. “I didn’t know you were friends with Dr. Kim!” Seungmin chuckled at your response as you neared the doors.

“We’ve been friends for a long time,” he replied. “We go way back.”

You glanced at the doors briefly before looking back at Seungmin. “I need to get clocked in but could I get your number? Maybe we can meet up for drinks or coffee sometime?” you asked, sounding hopeful. Seungmin’s heart sank. ‘Number? Oh no…’

Seungmin had managed to adapt to the times. Following trends, especially fashion. He understood email, he understood online ordering, he got all of it. The one thing Seungmin hadn’t seemed to keep up with were mobile phones.

He’d never had one, nor had he ever used one. Wonpil had one. Of course he did, but Seungmin hadn’t quite caught up to that part yet. Even if it was 2023. And now he had the misfortune of telling you that he didn’t have a mobile phone.

“Uh…” he hesitated, uncertain of how to even explain this. You stared at him expectantly. He wondered what was going through your head, rushing to explain before he lost the opportunity. “I don’t have one,” he finally managed to blurt out.

You stared at him, blinking a few times as you processed his words. ‘Great. Now she probably thinks you’re some kind of weirdo.’ After a moment of silence, you wordlessly opened your purse, fishing out a small pad of paper and a pen and quickly scratched something down. “Here,” you said, holding out the paper. “It’s my number,” you said, smiling at him.

He didn’t detect any sarcasm as you spoke. “If you end up getting one sometime, give me a call. Or a text,” you said as you dropped the pen and paper back into your bag. “And then we can get that coffee,” you added, giving him a wink. “I’ll see you around,” you called as you backed towards the hospital entrance.

Seungmin looked up as you waved. He waved back. “I’ll call you!” he called back and you sent him a thumbs up before entering the hospital and leaving him standing on the sidewalk in awe of what just happened. He looked back down at the small piece of paper in his hand. Your number looked back at him, the numbers silently judging him for not owning a phone.

Yet you didn’t. You didn’t even question it. Surely you thought it strange he didn’t have a mobile phone in such a technologically advanced age and city. Seoul was a hub of technology and of technological advancements but yet you said nothing on the subject, merely offering a solution.

Seungmin tucked the paper in his wallet carefully and started back down the sidewalk, a new confidence in his step. He knew exactly what he had to do. He needed to update, get with the times. His walk took him through the front door of a high rise building, catching the elevator up to the seventeenth floor.

He reached the apartment he’d been looking for, raising his fist and knocking heavily on the door three times. Then three more when no one answered. He knocked three more times before he heard the lock slide and the door opened, Wonpil appearing before him with a look of annoyance and confusion.

“What is your problem?” he asked, looking around. “I was sleeping,” he added. Seungmin stared back at him. “What?” Wonpil asked. “You look like you just murdered someone,” he joked. “Do you need help with the body?” he added under his breath. Seungmin shook his head. “That’s not what I need help with,” he replied.

“Then why are you pounding on my door? You know I sleep during the day because I work overnight shifts for the next two weeks,” Wonpil asked. “I do need your help,” Seungmin clarified. Wonpil nodded. “Okay,” he replied. “With what?” he asked as he let Seungmin into the apartment.

“It must be urgent if you’re coming in here, guns blazing,” he joked as he walked over to the kitchen island and looked back at Seungmin who nodded. “I got her number.”

Wonpil stared blankly at him. “Got whose number?” he asked. “Y/N’s,” Seungmin replied. Wonpil’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, really? When? How?” Seungmin explained how just after he left the cafe, Seungmin ran into Y/N and then walked her to work. “And she works at your hospital,” he continued.

Wonpil smirked as he hopped up onto the kitchen island to sit. “I can totally hook you two up,” he said as Seungmin rolled his eyes. “I don’t need you to hook me up,” he replied.

Wonpil held his hands up. “Then what do you need my help with?” he asked, looking confused. Seungmin cleared his throat before looking up at his friend. “I need a mobile phone. Now.”

Since acquiring the phone, Seungmin hadn’t been able to bring himself to make the call. Each time he picked up the device and tried to type out a message, it just didn’t feel right. Wonpil had sat down and shown him exactly how to use the device and even gave him some tips and pointers but it just felt… wrong.

After the tenth attempt at texting, Seungmin erased the message and set the phone down on the table in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. Why was this so difficult? Why couldn’t he just send a text? It wasn’t that hard, right?

He stared at the screen, hearing the ticking of the clock on the wall as he stared. He stared for a couple more minutes before grabbing it again and instead of typing he pressed the call button. This had to be easier, right? Talking was easier than trying to type.

Wonpil had been very precise that Seungmin did not write his texts like emails. It would make him look really weird and the last thing Seungmin wanted was for you to think he was weird.

He was certain if his heart had a beat that it would be pounding in his chest as he listened to the ringing through the receiver. If he could sweat, his palms would be clammy. Even if he was nervous, there was no way for him to express it except in his voice when you finally did answer.

“Hello?” Your voice sounded just as lovely as the last time he’d heard it. “Hello?” you said again. ‘Fuck. Answer her!’

“H-hey, Y/N,” he said, his voice cracking. Seungmin quickly recovered, crossing his arm over his chest and tucking his hand under his arm. “Uh, hi,” you replied, sounding unsure. “Who is this?” Seungmin started to pace from the kitchen to the living room.

“It-it’s Seungmin,” he clarified, clearing his throat, trying to push his nerves away and keep the conversation going. “Oh hey!” you said, instantly sounded much more excited to hear from him. ‘That’s a good sign,’ he told himself. “So you got a phone?” you asked.

Seungmin nodded before realizing you couldn’t see him. “Yeah,” he replied, trying to sound as casual as possible. Wonpil had warned him that almost no one said ‘yes’ over the phone except “boomers” and that Seungmin did not want to be lumped in with them.

“Welcome to the 21st century,” you said jokingly, making Seungmin chuckle nervously. “Am I your first call?” you asked and Seungmin hesitated. Should he say yes? Should he lie and say no? He decided against lying. “Yes,” he replied.

“I’m flattered,” you said and though Seungmin knew you were joking, he could tell it was just in good humor. He smiled to himself. “So,” you started and Seungmin heard the sound of rustling on the other side of the phone. Almost like the sound of sheets. Were you home in bed? He tried not to think about you in bed. “To what do I owe the pleasure of being your first mobile phone call?”

Seungmin straightened up, moving his free hand to slip into his pocket. “I’m not entirely sure,” he answered truthfully. “To be honest, I didn’t have a plan when I called you.” He heard you chuckle lightly on the other end. “So you’re just winging it?” you asked. Seungmin laughed, continuing to pace slowly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” he replied. His nerves had calmed down and he found it easy to talk to you like this. “Well, how about I invite you out to dinner?” you asked, catching him off guard. ‘Dinner?’

“Like… a date?” Seungmin asked, waiting anxiously for your answer. “Or like two friends getting to know each other, if that makes you more comfortable. No expectations.” Seungmin paused, looking around his apartment slowly. The boxes in the corner that were half packed to the bare walls. He only had a few more weeks here in the city. ‘What the hell,’ he thought. ‘Why not?’

“Sure,” he replied. “Perfect. How about Saturday?” you asked. “I start a new rotation tomorrow so I’ll be free in the evenings.” You sounded excited about this and Seungmin tried not to get his hopes up. After all, he couldn’t get attached. He was moving soon. “Saturday works,” he replied.

“Great, I’ll text you the location of the restaurant,” you continued and Seungmin chuckled. “I don’t get a say in this?” he asked and you giggled. “I’m inviting you out, so no,” you replied. “I’ll see you Saturday, seven o’clock?” Seungmin’s smile widened.

“Seven o’clock,” he repeated. “It’s a date.”

Saturday came much too quickly for his liking and internally, Seungmin was panicking. He didn’t know how to do any of this. He was from a completely different time period. He had no idea how dating in the 21st century worked. He’d seen movies and television shows but none of it prepared him for what he was getting himself into.

You had sent a text with the location of the restaurant and Seungmin arrived at six-fifty, giving himself plenty of time to prepare to spend a few hours with you in a restaurant full of people. He’d chosen to walk, enjoying the scenery of the city as the sun slowly descended behind the buildings and the way the sky erupted into oranges and pinks as the celestial body sank further below the horizon.

The restaurant was a small upscale place nestled into the base of one of the many high rises near the heart of the city. Seungmin glanced through one of the large square windows on the front of the building, allowing him a glimpse inside the establishment.

Couple sat at small round white draped tables, eating their meals by candlelight and sipping their drinks. He noticed a familiar face sitting at the bar in a fitted black satin dress. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, thanking the attendant who opened the door and let him in.

Once inside, he was greeted by a host who promptly asked him for the name for his reservation but Seungmin didn’t look at him. His eyes were trained on you as you turned, catching his eye and smiling as you waved. Seungmin pointed in your direction.

“My date is at the bar,” he said to the host who turned to look back at you. “Ah yes,” he said, turning back to the book. “Your table is not quite ready but I will inform you when it is.” Seungmin nodded and squeezed past the host, making his way over to where you sat.

Inside, he had a better look at what you’d chosen to wear and he was glad he decided to dress up as everyone in the restaurant had the same idea. You smiled as he reached you, sliding into the seat beside you. “You’re early,” you noted, looking up from your drink.

He hadn’t noticed it before but you’d ordered a cocktail and it was half finished. He wondered how long you’d been waiting. “As are you,” Seungmin noted as he settled into the seat. You flashed him a sheepish smile and turned your attention to your drink.

“Have you been waiting long?” he asked and you shook your head, taking a sip of your drink. “Only a few minutes,” you replied as the bartender approached. “Can I get you anything, sir?” he asked, directing his question at Seungmin. “Whiskey, neat please,” Seungmin said as he pulled his wallet out. The bartender nodded and turned to start pouring Seungmin’s order.

“Whiskey without any chaser? You sound like a simple man,” you said, toying with the stem of your glass. A moment later, Seungmin’s drink was set in front of him and he thanked the man, passing him a couple notes. “I try to be,” Seungmin said, lifting the glass to take a sip.

“So, how does it feel to have finally joined us in the twenty-first century,” you asked, leaning on your arm against the counter. Seungmin felt his lips twitch into a smirk. “You make me sound like I’m ancient and out of touch with reality,” he mused, taking another sip.

“Are you?” you asked, drawing his attention. “Out of touch with reality?” Seungmin asked, watching as you shrugged your shoulders. “Or ancient?” Seungmin could have sworn his dead heart tried to skip a beat but it lay still in his chest.

He scoffed, looking down at the amber liquid in his glass. “What makes you think that?” he asked before looking back up to meet your gaze. You studied his features carefully, eyes lingering on his for a moment longer than he liked.

Before you could respond, the two of you were interrupted.

“Excuse me,” the host from before said. Both you and Seungmin turned at the same time. “Your table is ready.”

Once you migrated from the bar with your drinks, Seungmin ordered another whiskey while you both looked over the menu, looking for something that he could ingest without arousing suspicion. “Do you eat a lot of Italian food?” Seungmin asked, looking up from his menu.

You shook your head. “No,” you admitted. “Unless you count pizza,” you joked. Seungmin smiled, returning to the black words before him. He settled on a steak with a simple side dish while you ordered some kind of seafood pasta.

“I’ve heard the pizza in Italy is nothing like the rest of the world,” you said as you picked up your water glass. Seungmin nodded, setting his now empty whiskey glass down. “It is,” he replied. You looked up from your glass. “You’ve been to Italy, too? Why am I not surprised,” you mused with a smirk.

Seungmin shrugged his shoulders, smiling back. “I’ve been all over Europe,” he reminded you. You set your water glass down and leaned forward slightly. “And the States,” you added to his statement. He nodded. “And Asia,” he continued. “Hmm,” you hummed, looking down at his fingers drumming against the white tablecloth.

“What’s the best place you’ve visited? Your favorite,” you asked, clarifying what you meant at the end. Seungmin hesitated. That was a good question. One he doesn’t think he’s ever answered. Then again, he didn’t make a habit of conversing with people other than Wonpil. What was his favorite place to visit?

As he pondered, the server stopped by the table. “Would you like another drink, sir?” he asked, to which Seungmin shook his head. “No thank you,” he replied. “Two is my limit,” he added, looking up as the server nodded, taking the empty whiskey glass.

You fought the urge to smile, thanking the server as he took your empty cocktail glass as well. “Would you like another?” he asked softly. Seungmin saw your eyes flicker to him and then back and you nodded. “Just one more. Three is my limit,” you replied, turning to look at Seungmin with a smirk.

He returned the smile before looking away. “So, my favorite place?” he asked. You nodded again. “A place you couldn’t forget, even if you tried,” you replied. Seungmin’s eyes widened comically as he chortled. “Wow. Okay, no pressure then,” he said as he shifted in his seat.

“I think I’d have to pick Milan. Especially during autumn. It’s spectacular,” he replied. You rested your chin in your hand, watching as he explained. “In summer, it’s just so hot and humid. Especially in July and August. But in autumn? Perfect. Temperatures aren’t hot, it’s mild. Absolutely gorgeous,” he added.

You sat back as the server returned with not only your drink but also the food. Seungmin was surprised by the portions, especially of your pasta. He knew he’d only be able to eat part of his meal. He’d have to take the rest to go.

As the two of you ate, he asked you more questions. He learned you moved to Seoul for work. He asked about your hometown and your family. He was surprised to learn that your parents still lived in your hometown and that you went home almost every year during the holidays.

He also learned that you loved animals, cats were among your favorite and that you actually had a cat at home in your apartment. He learned that you had a studio apartment in a high rise a few blocks west of the coffee shop that had a view of the river.

You told him how you loved books. You loved to read and most of your free time was spent curled up on your couch with a blanket, a hot cup of tea, and a book in your hands. Sometimes your cat curled up in your lap and sometimes she would curl up next to you as you read.

Seungmin focused more on your words than his food and when the server came by he asked for the rest of it to go. Once the food was packed up and your drink finished, Seungmin fished his wallet out and you held up your hand. “I invited you out,” you started but Seungmin was much quicker, handing his wallet to the server.

You stared at him, looking up to find the confused look on the server’s face. Seungmin glanced up, realizing his mistake in an instant. “Sorry,” he muttered, snatching his wallet, opening it and handing the card over. The server walked away, still processing what just happened as you looked down at the table, biting your bottom lip to hold in the laugh Seungmin knew was trying to escape.

“I meant to do that, you know,” he addressed you. Nodding, he could tell you didn’t quite believe him. He looked down at the table, silence falling over you as he, too, processed what he’d just done. As it set in, he snorted, holding back a laugh. Never before had he done something so absentminded as hand his entire wallet to a server to pay for a meal before.

How weird did he look? Would the server take it as stupidity or pretentiousness? As the server returned with the slip, Seungmin thanked him, holding back his laughter. He signed the slip and left a generous tip. He quickly returned his card to its home in his wallet and looked up at you.

“We should probably go,” he said softly. Your shoulders were shaking from holding back your laughter. You cleared your throat and nodded, getting up and Seungmin followed, grabbing the bag of to-go food. You both hurried towards the entrance, thanking the staff as you exited the building.

Once outside, you took one look at Seungmin, meeting his eye and both of you burst into laughter, ignoring the looks of other pedestrians as they passed by you. “What the hell was that?” you asked, your laughter subsiding only for a moment.

“I have no idea,” Seungmin replied, laughing just as hard. “I’ve never done that before!”

As the two of you started down the sidewalk, you continued to laugh about the wallet situation.

“It was just the look on his face,” you said, giggling hysterically. “He was so confused!”

“I know! I wish I could have read his mind. I wonder if he thought I was some pretentious asshole,” Seungmin countered. “Or just dumb,” you snorted. “Not that you are,” you clarified quickly. Seungmin burst into another round of laughter.

“I mean, I did just try to pay for our meals by handing over my entire wallet like we were getting mugged in an alley,” he reminded you, another round of laughter emitting from both of you.

It didn’t take long for you to reach your building and Seungmin stopped as you did, looking up at your building. “This is me,” you noted, turning back to look at him. Seungmin nodded.

“It’s getting cold out here,” he replied, his eyes threatening to dip down to look over your body again. He’d avoided it back in the restaurant by looking at other things in the establishment but out here, alone, in front of your apartment building he found it much harder to resist.

“It is,” you nodded. Silence fell between you but it wasn’t awkward this time. There was a certain tension. Something Seungmin hadn’t experienced in a long time. Sexual tension. He cleared his throat softly, noticing how you drew your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Did you want to come up?” you asked softly and Seungmin froze. He had no expectations going into this, knowing he was going to be leaving the city and his current life behind in a couple weeks so your question caught him off guard. Could he? He could, he was capable of going up to your apartment and giving you what you were probably expecting. He had the ability to do so.

But could he do that, knowing that something more might come out of it when he knew he was leaving? Could he do that to you or to himself? Was he strong enough to give in for just a couple weeks and then leave, never to return? He knew the answer to that question before he even asked himself.

“No,” he said softly, shaking his head and giving you a kind smile. “I’m afraid I’m a bit more old fashioned,” he added. The brief hurt on your face was replaced by understanding. The classic ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ tactic. You returned his smile. “I understand,” you replied.

“That’s actually kind of refreshing,” you added. “Most guys can’t wait for the date to get to this part, hoping I’ll invite them up but to be honest,” you explained. “I almost never invite them in.”

Seungmin felt a small surge of pride. It felt good to know that you felt comfortable enough to invite him in although you should feel anything but comfortable in his presence. “Maybe another time,” you added. Seungmin nodded wordlessly, not wanting to give you any false hope.

The man in him was screaming at him, cursing at him for letting you walk away. You stepped forward, closing the distance and kissing him on the cheek. It happened so quickly, Seungmin couldn’t stop it without hurting you physically or emotionally. When you drew back, you uttered a soft goodnight and turned to head up the steps to your building’s door.

Seungmin stood rooted to the spot, watching you walk away. He finally allowed him the chance to look over your body, the man in him still screaming at the lost opportunity to have you beneath him. Once you were safely inside, Seungmin turned and started in the direction of his apartment, going over the events of the night in his mind.

It had been awkward for him at first but he was surprised by how easily you both seemed to get along. The conversation, the joking, the wallet situation that still made him chuckle. The chemistry was there, he couldn’t deny it. And so when you called him a couple days later, asking him on another date, he couldn’t find it in him to say no.

Nor when you asked him on another. He enjoyed every minute he spent with you. He enjoyed your company far more than he enjoyed Wonpil’s, though he’d never tell his friend that. He normally shied away from humans physically but with you, everything felt natural.

The way you grabbed his hand when you were walking, the way you leaned into him, even when you kissed his cheek goodnight after he turned your offer to come up again and again. Everything with you felt right. Each time spent with you only drew him closer and closer to when he’d have to say goodbye.

He had a week left and so he decided to invite you out for once, calling you up.

“Oh, sorry,” you said over the receiver. He could hear the sound of you moving around your apartment. “I actually have plans tonight.” Seungmin felt his stomach sink. ‘Plans?’ he wondered and briefly, he thought maybe he’d turned you down one too many times until you spoke again.

“Yeah, my friend Ami is in town and it’s her birthday so we’re going to the club tonight,” you explained. Seungmin felt the weight in his stomach dissipate and he felt better instantly. “Oh? Where at?” he asked. “At this new club down by the main strip in Gangnam,” you replied. He heard the clicking of heels. You must be getting ready to leave.

“Well, have fun and be safe,” Seungmin said as he heard your keys jingle through the phone. “Thanks,” you said, a smile in your voice. “I’ll be careful,” you added. “And tell your friend I said happy birthday.” Your chuckle rang out and it made Seungmin miss hearing it in person. “I will,” you replied.

“I gotta go,” you said as Seungmin heard you open your door. “I’ll let you know when I get there and when I get home,” you added. “If it’ll make you feel better.” Seungmin smiled to himself. “It would, actually,” he answered. “Thank you.”

After you hung up, Seungmin plugged his phone in, hurrying through the apartment and changed at inhuman speed before returning to his phone, snatching it up and dialing Wonpil’s number. After the second ring, Wonpil answered the phone.

“What’s up?” he asked and Seungmin looked at himself in the mirror above the dining room table. “Do you have plans right now?” he asked. Wonpil fell silent for a moment before answering. “No?” he said hesitantly. “Want to go do something?” Seungmin asked.

“Dude, are you finally enjoying life again?” Wonpil asked, sounding both shocked and excited. “Well,” Seungmin said, playing with his hair, trying to get some of it to lay a certain way. “I’ve been on like 4 dates with Y/N,” he answered.

He heard Wonpil whoop through the phone. “Finally! You got laid!” Seungmin’s smile fell. “Actually about that,” he started and he could hear Wonpil groan through the phone. “Dude!” Seungmin held up his finger, even if Wonpil couldn’t see him. “To be fair, I’m leaving the city in like a week,” he explained.

“You know what? Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Let’s go out,” Wonpil said. “Where are we going?”

A smile spread across his face. “Have you been to the new club in Gangnam?”

Getting to the club was easy, and meeting Ami and Hae-eun was even easier. You hated turning Seungmin down but you’d had these plans for a couple weeks now. You could always see him another day. “Y/N!” Ami said excitedly as you joined her and Hae-eun in line.

“Hey,” you said, giving her a hug before you turned to hug Hae-eun. “Look at you,” Hae-eun said, looking at your dress. “I’ve been wanting to wear this for a while,” you admitted. “But I don’t have a chance to go to clubs anymore.”

“Is that hospital overworking?” Ami asked as the line moved closer to the door. “No,” you replied, waving your hand as you took a step forward with your friends. “I’ve actually started dating,” you admitted. Ami gasped dramatically. “No way,” she said and Hae-eun lightly slapped her arm.

“Stop teasing her,” Hae-eun chastised. “I think it’s great,” she added as the three of you took another step closer to the doors. “I like that you’re settled in enough to start dating again.” You smiled at her, thanking her silently.

It only took a few minutes more to get to the door, show your IDs to the bouncer and get inside after paying your cover charge.

Once inside, you maneuvered through the crowd towards the bar to order drinks. Hae-eun opened the first tab on her card and once you each had a drink or two in Ami’s case, the three of you tried to find an open table and were lucky enough to find three open places on one of the sofas.

Playing catch up over drinks and the loud music was difficult but you managed and after downing a drink, Hae-eun dragged both you and Ami onto the floor, even if you lost your spot. It had been a while since you’d been dancing with your friends but it was nice to let loose.

Seungmin had been a blessing, spending time with him helped you unwind but you couldn’t lie that you were left feeling a little frustrated each time he declined to come back up to your apartment at the end of each date. You understood his position completely. He wasn’t a casual sex kind of guy and you couldn’t fault him for that but you couldn’t deny that you were really hot for him.

Like really really hot.

You’d had more than one dream that left you even more frustrated than before.

“I need water!” you called over the heavy bass to your friends who nodded and continued to dance as you squeezed through the crowd of sweaty patrons and headed for the bar to get some water.

You were glad you chose a comfortable dress that was still form fitting and showed off your curves. As you approached the bar, you smiled at the bartender who stopped in front of you. “Water please,” you said, leaning in and grabbing a napkin or two, starting to dab at your forehead and neck.

As you waited, you managed to dab and wipe away some of the sweat, tossing the napkins away as the person beside you stepped away from the bar, leaving an open space that was quickly occupied by another body. “Here you go,” the bartender said, passing you an unopened bottle of water.

You thanked him, twisting the top off and taking a drink.

You were aware of the eyes on you and you glanced to the side, noticing how the man who had walked up was looking at you. His eyes looked up and down your body before looking up to meet your gaze. He gave you a smile which you did not return.

“Hey,” the man said and you turned back to look at him. You said nothing, forcing a polite smile before turning back away, hoping he’d get the hint. He didn’t.

“I saw you from across the room,” he started, leaning in to speak into your ear. You leaned away from him, the scent of his cologne overpowering your senses. “Your eyes work,” you noted. “Good for you.” He laughed heavily, the sound instantly putting you off.

You grabbed your bottle of water and excused yourself, turning and walking away from the bar. You spotted your friends in the crowd but before you could step off to weave through the crowd and join them, you felt a rough hand grab your arm. “I wasn’t done talking to you,” the man growled.

You quickly untwist the cap on your bottle of water and squeezed it, sending water into his face. “Yes you were,” you snapped and pulled from his grip. “No means no.”

Not giving him a chance to respond or react, you dumped the rest of your water on his shoes and tossed the bottle in the waste bin nearby, turning and heading into the crowd to find Ami and Hae-eun. They turned as you arrived and both their smiles fell upon seeing your annoyed expression.

You gave them a short explanation and commended you for how you handled the situation. They pulled you in to dance some more before the three of you headed back to the bar for more drinks. You were here celebrating with your friends and nothing, not even some creep, was going to ruin your fun.

As you sat back down at the sofa, Hae-eun rounded on you. “So,” she started, tapping your knee. “Tell us about this guy.” Ami’s eyes widened in excitement. “Ooh, yes!” she exclaimed. You shrugged your shoulders, stirring your drink with the small black straw.

“What do you want to know?” you asked as nonchalantly as possible.

“How did you meet?”

“Is he hot?”

“Where did you meet?”

“Is he rich?”

“What does he do for a living?”

“Does he have a big-”

Hae-eun slapped Ami’s arm. “Stop with the superficial questions!” she hissed, making you snort and shake your head at their antics. ‘The same as ever,’ you noted.

“We met in the national park,” you started, looking at Hae-eun. “Yes, he’s hot,” you continued, looking at Ami. “I don’t know what he does for a living but he’s got enough money to pay for all our dates,” you added. The two stared at you, waiting for more. “And???” Ami asked.

“And what?” you asked, looking between them.

“I think what the birthday girl is asking,” Hae-eun said, throwing a glare at Ami. “Is ‘have you slept together?’” Ami nodded excitedly, looking at you expectantly. You averted your eyes from their questioning gazes, suddenly more interested in your drink.

“We haven’t,” you finally answered quietly. Ami groaned and Hae-eun shushed her. “This is why none of your dates go anywhere, Y/N,” Ami said pointedly, ignoring the glare Hae-eun gave her. You looked up at them, confusion written on your face.

“But I’ve invited him up!” you protested. “Numerous times actually.” Ami exchanged glances with Hae-eun. “And he says no?” Hae-eun asked, to which you nodded. “Every time; he declines, we say goodnight, I kiss him on the cheek, and then he waits for me to go inside before he leaves,” you explained.

“He’s gay,” Ami said suddenly, making Hae-eun choke on her drink.

“He’s not gay,” you retorted. “He even said he’s just old fashioned. He’s not into casual sex.” Ami rolled her eyes, settling back against the sofa. “Gaaaaaaay,” she shouted. Hae-eun covered her mouth with her hand, apologizing to the group sitting next to you.

You looked back down at your drink. “Maybe he’s a virgin!” Ami suddenly said and you shrugged. “And if he is?” you asked, looking up. “Is that so bad?” Ami hesitated but Hae-eun jumped in. “No,” she replied. “There’s nothing wrong with that,” she replied.

“It’s boring!” Ami said loudly, earning another slap to the arm from Hae-eun.

“Well, I think it’s refreshing to have a guy not want to get into my pants and actually take an interest in building something first,” you retorted. “Not everything has to be about sex. Meaningful relationships are important, too,” you added. Hae-eun raised her glass. “Hear, hear,” she said.

You gently tapped your glass against hers before taking a sip while Ami shrugged.

“I still think he’s a boring, gay virgin.”

Seungmin had met Wonpil at the door, managing to get to the club at the same time Wonpil was ready to go in. They’d paid their cover charges, slipped inside and headed for the bar. Seungmin ordered a simple whiskey neat and spent most of the first few hours nursing the drink.

Wonpil was looking around, noticing a few ladies not far smiling his way but tonight wasn’t about that as Seungmin had explained as soon as they entered the establishment. “I can’t believe the first time ever of you inviting me out is about spying on your girlfriend,” he murmured, downing the rest of his second drink.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Seungmin retorted, keeping his eyes on you as you danced with your friends. You had finished one drink already that he saw and took to the floor immediately after, following your two friends. He had half a mind to slip onto the dance floor and join you.

He was vaguely listening to Wonpil talk about work when he noticed you were no longer on the dance floor. He saw your friends but there was no sign of you. Sitting up quickly, his eyes darted around until he finally found you, relief flooding him but it was short lived.

You had managed to ask the bartender for something when a man in a gray suit sidled up to the bar beside you. The way he was staring at your body made Seungmin’s stomach churn. He watched as the man spoke to you but due to all the other interference of the loud music and chatter around him, Seungmin couldn’t tell what was being said but based on your body language, you weren’t into it.

Seungmin watched as you walked away from the bar, feeling a bit better but when the man followed, grabbing you by the arm, he clenched his hand so hard, the glass in Seungmin’s hand shattered, sending whiskey all over the table.

“Whoa, dude, chill,” Wonpil hissed, starting to pick up the pieces, catching the attention of one of the servers who came over with a towel. “I’m so sorry,” Wonpil said as he helped her gather the glass in the towel. “My friend doesn’t know his own strength sometimes,” he added as he brushed Seungmin’s hand off and accepted a clean towel to clean up the alcohol.

“Thank you so much,” Wonpil said, offering another apology.

Seungmin’s eyes were still on you and the man. You’d managed to untwist the cap of your water bottle and squeeze the liquid in his face, prompting to let go before you dumped the remainder on his shoes and then left to join your friends.

Seungmin felt a surge of pride at watching the exchange but he didn’t miss the murderous look the man threw your way before he stormed off towards the bathrooms. Seungmin kept his eye on you but also kept an eye out for the man.

It was maybe about twenty or thirty minutes later that you got up from the couch after settling there with new drinks that you made your way towards the bathrooms. Seungmin had yet to see the man but when you passed the bar, a figure turned and Seungmin saw it was the man.

He felt his stomach churn again as the man got up and started after you, keeping his distance. “I’ll be back,” Seungmin announced to Wonpil and got up from his seat, turning and weaving through the crowd in the direction of the bathrooms.

You managed to make it through the crowd and into the bathroom. As you were shutting the door, a foot blocked it and you looked up to see the same man from before. He pushed the door open, forcing you back. “This is the women’s bathroom,” you remarked but he said nothing, instead, shutting the door and to your horror you heard the lock click.

“You need to get out,” you said as he advanced. Again he said nothing.

You backed away as he continued forward towards you.

“Get the fuck out. What is your problem?” you snapped, which finally got a response. “You think that was funny?” he asked, his voice dangerously low. “Splashing water in my face in front of everyone?” You narrowed your eyes. “If you hadn’t been such a creep and left me alone when I literally walked away from you, maybe I wouldn’t have had to splash water in your face,” you replied.

“If you didn’t want attention, you shouldn’t have dressed like a slut,” he retorted. You rolled your eyes. “Seriously dude? Grow up. Get out before I call security,” you warned. He scoffed, almost laughing at you. “How’re you gonna do that when you can’t even scream?” he asked.

Your eyes widened and before you could move, he closed the distance, pushing you back against the sink, one hand going round your throat and pushing your head back against the mirror. You heard the glass crack and splinter as your head made contact, the impact dazing you for a moment.

You tried to claw at his hand. “L-let go!” you choked out. His free hand moved to the hem of your dress. “I’ll teach you a lesson, slut,” he growled. Before he could do anything else, the door was thrown open with such force you thought a bomb had gone off.

“Get your hands off her,” a familiar voice snapped. You heard the impact of a punch and the sound of a body falling into the wall before you felt a presence standing in front of you. “Y/N, holy shit, look at me,” the voice said. Gentle hands took hold of your face and through your swimming vision you saw Seungmin’s face.

“S-Seungmin?” you stammered. “Back off buddy,” the other guy said, advancing but Seungmin turned to look at him, a deep growl emitting from his chest. It rumbled so intensely that you felt it on your skin. “Touch her again and I’ll rip your fucking fingers off, one by one,” he threatened.

Without another word, Seungmin easily lifted you off the sink, carrying you from the bathroom and through the crowd easily. He stopped at the door to inform the bouncers of the situation but you couldn’t pay attention. Soon the cool autumn air hit your skin and you opened your eyes.

You were outside.

“Where’s your phone?” Seungmin asked, carrying you to the end of the block and kneeling down, holding you up with one hand as he pulled his own phone from his pocket. “It’s here,” you murmured, gesturing at your chest where you had stuffed your phone earlier as your dress had no pockets.

“Can you get it out for me?” Seungmin asked softly as he dialed something on his phone and held his phone up to his ear. “Yeah, I got her,” Seungmin said softly into the receiver. “I’m gonna call an ambulance. Get her friends and I’ll text you the location of the hospital they take her,” he continued.

You shook your head. “No mmbulance,” you mumbled. Seungmin pulled his phone away from his ear and started typing again before holding it back up to his ear. “Y/N, you’ve hit your head,” Seungmin explained. “You’re bleeding so you might need stitches,” he continued. “And you might have a concussion.”

You looked up as he waited for whoever he was calling to answer. In the glow of the neon lights of the city he was exceptionally beautiful. You blinked slowly as you watched him. His hair was pushed back, like he’d intentionally styled it or had run his fingers through it so much it was holding.

His irises were red and you don’t know how you never noticed it before.

“You have pretty eyes,” you said, your speech slurring slightly. Seungmin looked down at you, his lips parting before he looked back up. “Hi, yes, I need an ambulance to the corner of Gangnam Boulevard and the 69th street. Address? Uh…” Seungmin looked up and around for an address to give what you assumed was a 1-1-9 dispatcher.

You tuned out the words, instead just watching him speak as the throbbing of your head started to set in.

“Thank you,” he replied, drawing you back to reality. “Ow,” you murmured as he put his phone away. “An ambulance is on the way,” he said, shifting so he was leaning against the wall of the building and keeping you on his lap. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt?” he asked softly.

“Ssseven,” you slurred. “Y/N oh my god! What happened!” a voice rang out. Seungmin looked up as did you. A smile spread across your face as Ami and Hae-eun hurried over with some guy you’d never seen. He looked a bit like Seungmin. You glanced at Seungmin again and then to the man and back at Seungmin.

“Are you two brothers?” you asked, pointing between them. Seungmin looked up at the man who stared back. “Uh, Y/N,” Seungmin replied. “That’s Wonpil.” You looked again and the realization dawned on you. “Dr. Kim!” you said suddenly, trying to sit up but Seungmin kept a firm grip on you.

“Whoa,” Wonpil said as he moved and knelt down. “No sudden movements, Y/N,” he said with a chuckle. “You know that. Let me see your head,” he said, gently taking your head and turning it so he could inspect the back. “It’s bleeding,” he noted.

“But it doesn’t seem too bad,” he added. “Might not even need stitches,” he continued with a smile and a wink. “But you could have a concussion,” he said, glancing at Seungmin. “Okay,” Hae-eun said, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Not to be rude, but who the fuck are you two?”

Wonpil chuckled at Hae-eun’s aggressiveness. “I’m Wonpil. I work with Y/N,” he introduced himself. “I’m a doctor at Seoul General. This is my friend Seungmin who also happens to be dating your friend Y/N,” he added, gesturing at Seungmin.

“Ami! Ami! Seungmin is the one you think is a gay virgin,” you blurted out, looking at Ami who looked positively horrified at your candor. You felt Seungmin freeze under you. “Y/N,” Hae-eun hissed. “You can’t say things like that.” You looked at her. “Oh, sorry, Hae-eun.”

Wonpil looked as if he might burst a seam, holding in his laughter.

“I am so sorry,” Ami said, looking at Seungmin. You looked up at him trying to decipher his expression but it was unreadable. “He’s just a gentleman,” you replied, still looking up at him. Seungmin looked down, meeting your gaze and you noticed the small smile he gave you.

“He’s just old fashioned and there’s nothing wrong with that,” you continued. You looked around as everyone was bathed in red and blue lights. “Is the wee woo wagon here?” you asked, making Wonpil snort as Seungmin carefully shifted as two paramedics got out of the ambulance.

“Yes,” he said, glancing down at you. “The wee woo wagon is here.” You closed your eyes, letting out a laugh. “Wee woo, wee woo,” you said, mimicking the siren as a new set of hands started to look you over and carefully placed you on a soft material.

“Wow,” you said as one person started to check your blood pressure. “The concrete sure is soft.”

Wonpil let out another laugh before covering his mouth. “Sorry,” he said softly. After starting an IV and checking your vitals and the wound on your head, you were loaded into the ambulance. “We only have space for one of you,” one of the paramedics said. “I’ll go,” Wonpil offered. “I’m a doctor and her colleague,” he added. “I’ll text you the location,” he said as he climbed in.

Seungmin nodded, keeping his eyes on you as the doors were shut and the ambulance took off, sirens blaring. “This is not how tonight was supposed to go,” Ami said tearfully, Hae-eun leaning into her looking every bit as worried as Seungmin felt.

“Where will they take her?” Ami asked, looking at Seungmin who shrugged. “I don’t know,” he replied. “Wonpil will let me know as soon as they get close,” he added.

Seungmin glanced behind him, back towards the club. His mind was full of thoughts to go back. To finish what he had in his mind but the buzzing of his phone pulled him from those dark thoughts. Seungmin glanced down at his phone, the screen lighting up with a notification from Wonpil.

Wonpil: they’re taking her to our hospital. Visiting hours will be ending soon. Get there fast

“I got a location,” Seungmin announced, Ami and Hae-eun turning to look at him. “Where” Ami asked as Seungmin hailed a cab, pocketing his phone. The driver pulled up to the curb and Seungmin turned to the two. “Seoul General,” he replied. “But we have to hurry.”

He got into the front while Ami and Hae-eun got into the back and he told the driver where to go.

He’d deal with the creep later.

The drive to the hospital didn’t take long and soon, the cab was pulling up to the emergency entrance. “Thank you so much,” Seungmin said, paying the driver as Ami and Hae-eun got out. He joined them on the sidewalk and headed into the hospital.

“Can I help you?” one of the triage nurses asked, smiling up at him. “Hi,” Seungmin said softly, leaning against the counter. “Our friend was brought in. A Dr. Kim was with her. She had a head injury and was picked up just off Gangnam Boulevard,” he explained.

“What’s your friend’s name?” she asked, typing on her computer. “Y/N,” Seungmin replied quickly.

“Last name?” she asked, looking up at him. Seungmin hesitated. He didn’t know your last name. “Y/L/N,” Hae-eun interjected, stepping forward. She rattled off the rest of your information as Seungmin fell silent. He hadn’t even known your last name.

How didn’t he know something as simple as that? It started to dawn on him just how little he truly knew about you. “She’s still being looked at,” the nurse said as she looked at her screen. “Dr. Kim ordered an MRI and CT scan. If you want to wait, you’re welcome to wait here and I’ll make sure someone comes and informs you of her condition as soon as there’s an update.”

Hae-eun thanked the nurse and returned to Ami, the two leading the way over to an empty corner, taking a seat on the small sofa while Seungmin sat in one of the armchairs. He didn’t look at either of your friends, instead trying to focus on keeping himself from going back to the club.

He wasn’t sure how much time went by but Hae-eun looked up and tapped Ami’s arm prompting Seungmin to also look up, seeing Wonpil walking over. Seungmin got up quickly as did Hae-eun. “How is she?” Ami asked, looking up from her seat.

“She’s okay,” Wonpil answered. “She didn’t need stitches,” he confirmed, looking at Seungmin who was relieved. “It was a lot of blood but the cut was very shallow and shouldn’t scar.” Seungmin let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. “As for the trauma to her head,” he continued.

“Nothing on her scans indicate any serious trauma to her brain. Maybe a little bit of rattling, but there’s no bleeding in her brain which is a good sign,” he explained, addressing Ami and Hae-eun. “We will keep her overnight for observation. Nurses will wake her up every hour to make sure she doesn’t have a concussion,” he continued.

“Can we go see her?” Ami asked and Wonpil nodded, smiling. “Yes, of course,” he answered. “I’ll take you back there now,” he added. Seungmin brought up the rear as Wonpil walked your friends back into the ER. “Visiting hours end soon,” Wonpil said softly as he stopped by a door,

“But I’ll extend them just a bit for you,” he added, gesturing to the open door. Ami and Hae-eun entered, pushing the curtain aside as they entered. Wonpil stopped Seungmin before he could follow. “Tell me you didn’t do anything to him,” Wonpil said under his breath.

Seungmin looked up at this friend. “No,” he replied. “Well, I may have punched him.” Wonpil raised a brow. “Did his head stay on?” Seungmin snorted. “Unfortunately,” he replied. Wonpil held back a laugh. “I know he did something wrong but don’t go causing trouble,” Wonpil warned.

“Let the consequences of his actions catch up with him.”

Seungmin said nothing, nodding silently as Wonpil lowered his hand. “She’s a little more lucid,” he added. Seungmin thanked his friend and entered the room. Seeing you lying in the bed made his non-beating heart sink into his stomach.

He hated seeing you in such a state and it further fueled the fire in his being to go back to the club and deal with the man who had the audacity to put his hands on you. To say the things he did. To hurt you. Seungmin heard it all.

After the man had gotten up and followed you, Seungmin had gotten up, following both of you at a distance. He heard the entire exchange. The way you stood your ground, the way the man degraded you, calling you names before he acted.

It took every ounce of his strength to not tear the man apart, limb from limb when he entered that bathroom. Seeing his hands on you, how he had you pinned to the sink. The shatter mirror, the cracks spreading from the source of impact. Your head.

He should have killed the creep then and there but he was driven by a desire to make sure you were okay first. To get you to safety and assess your condition. He could always go back. And he would go back.

“Y/N, oh my god!” Ami said, rushing to your side as Hae-eun followed. Seungmin hung back as Wonpil entered the room, hands in his pockets. “She’s a very pretty woman,” Wonpil said under his breath. Seungmin nodded. “She’s more remarkable than she looks,” he replied.

Wonpil nodded, silence falling over the two.

“You can’t keep seeing her if you plan to leave,” Wonpil said finally and Seungmin nodded again. “I know,” he said softly. “I’ve thought about it over and over,” he added. “It’ll just hurt her and I can't do that to her.”

Wonpill nodded, turning his head towards Seungmin. “So don’t keep doing this. Don’t follow her to clubs,” he continued. Seungmin looked at him. “This was a one time thing,” he whispered. “I’ve never followed her before,” he clarified.

Wonpil nodded. “Good,” he said softly. Seungmin watched as Wonpil stepped forward. “I’m sorry ladies,” he said, addressing Ami and Hae-eun. “But Y/N needs rest. She’ll be released tomorrow so long as she’s cleared,” he added. Ami and Hae-eun nodded and looked back at you.

“Sorry I ruined your birthday,” you said to Ami who laughed, gently squeezing your hand. “It’s okay,” she replied. “You didn’t ruin it,” she added. “We’ll come see you tomorrow,” Hae-eun said, looking at Wonpil who nodded with a smile. “Of course,” he said, gesturing towards the door.

“Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow,” Ami said as she and Hae-eun said goodbye and started to move towards the door, passing in front of Seungmin. When they were past him, Seungmin caught your eye and offered a smile before turning to head for the door.

“Actually, could I have a moment alone with Seungmin?” you asked Wonpil who glanced at his friend before looking back at you. “Of course,” he said. “Just a couple minutes,” he added before leaving the room. Seungmin turned back to face you.

“Could you come here please?” you asked, trying to push yourself up. Seungmin hurried to your side, grabbing the bed controls. “Use this,” he said, placing it in your hand. “Thanks,” you said, pressing the button to raise the head of the bed.

Seungmin sat carefully on the edge of your bed, keeping his eyes on your face. “I--” your voice cracked as you tried to say something. You tried again. Seungmin could see you fighting the urge to cry. “I wanted to thank you for saving me,” you said softly. Seungmin glanced down at your hand, wondering whether he should take hold of it or not.

He lost the fight with his inner self and took your hand gently and carefully. His ears picked up how the heart monitor beeped a little faster. It wasn’t much but it was enough for you to avoid his glaze for a moment. “Damn machine,” you said softly.

“Giving me away.”

Seungmin fought the urge to smile. He’d already known how he affected you. He could hear your heart without the monitor. He could hear the way the tempo danced whenever he got closer or whenever you held his hand or leaned into him.

He was sure his would be doing the same if it weren’t dead.

“Damn machine,” he repeated, making you chuckle.

You looked up, meeting his gaze. “I thanked you for saving me,” you started. “But how did you know where I was?” you asked. Seungmin smiled, looking down at your hand in his. “When you said you were going out with some friends, I decided to do the same and asked Wonpil to come out with me. I didn’t expect us to end up at the same club,” he admitted.

You looked up at him as he spoke. “But I saw you while I was talking to Wonpil and I saw that guy,” he continued, his expression shifting to anger as he recalled the way the man had grabbed your arm. “And I saw the way you defended yourself. But then you went to the bathroom alone and then I saw him follow and I just felt like something was wrong,” he added.

“So I followed you to the bathrooms. I got close enough, and then I heard you pleading,” Seungmin said, keeping his voice as even as possible. “So you broke down the door?” you asked, watching his face. He nodded. “How?” you asked, and Seungmin looked down at you. “How what?”

“How did you break down the door?” you asked, looking genuinely curious. “I kicked it in,” he admitted. You stared at him for a few minutes before speaking. “But it’s a metal door,” you replied. Seungmin shrugged. “I probably had adrenaline pumping,” he replied. “You can do incredible things on adrenaline,” he added.

You stared at him, eyes searching his face. For the first time since meeting you, Seungmin couldn’t tell if you were scared of him or not. “That’s one hell of an adrenaline rush,” you finally said and Seungmin laughed, nodding. “Yeah,” he said softly. He placed your hand on your stomach.

“I should probably go so you can rest,” he said, standing up. The way you looked up at him had him feeling like he couldn’t just leave without a proper goodbye. Against his better judgment, he leaned down, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

As he pulled back, he met your gaze and before he could stop you, you grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him down and Seungmin felt on fire as your lips met for the first time. He couldn’t remember the last time he kissed someone. It had been ages but yet he didn’t seem to be any worse for it.

Your lips parted and Seungmin could hear via both the heart monitor and the pounding of your heart as his tongue slipped into your mouth. It was embarrassing how easily a kiss riled him up but he could smell how it affected you as well. He pulled back even though the man inside him wanted more. He rested his forehead against yours.

“I’m sorry our first kiss was while you were lying in a hospital bed,” he said, a hint of amusement to his voice. You giggled, looking up at him as he pulled back. “Thank you again,” you said softly, drawing your bottom lip between your teeth. Seungmin’s hand cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing over and pulling your bottom lip free before he leaned in, kissing you again.

“Get some rest,” he said softly. “I’ll come see you tomorrow,” he added as he stood up. “You promise?” you called as he walked towards the door, he turned back and smiled, nodding. “But after you get out of the hospital,” he added as the door opened and Wonpil appeared.

“Goodnight Y/N,” Seungmin said before following Wonpil out of the room as he heard you call out.

“See you around!”

Seungmin chuckled to himself as Wonpil shut the door and rounded on him. “I told you to leave her alone,” he hissed as the pair headed for the exit. “The entire nurses station could hear her heart monitor!” Seungmin laughed a little louder as they reached the door.

“I’m serious,” Wonpil added, trying not to laugh as Seungmin came to a halt by the doors leading out to the lobby. “If you plan on leaving, don’t get involved with her.” Seungmin nodded, forcing his laughter down. “And go home,” he added.

It was clear what Wonpil was insinuating but there was no way Seungmin was going to let the creep get away with what he’d just done. Especially not to you. “The world won’t miss him,” he replied under his breath. “I’m simply taking out the trash.”

Wonpil glanced up at him before looking around. “Fine,” he said definitively. “Just make it look like an accident and be careful.” Seungmin didn’t need telling twice. He nodded once and said goodbye to his friend before exiting to the lobby. If he was going to do this, he needed to get back to the club.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the club and by the time he got there, the club had closed with the patrons spilling out into the street, calling for taxis and other transportation home. Seungmin hid amongst the crowd, keeping his eye out until he finally spotted him.

‘Found you.’

It had not been a good night for Darren. From having water splashed in his face and poured on his shoes, being assaulted in the bathroom and not managing to find anyone else to come home with him, he left the club dejectedly and started the walk home. He was fortunate that his apartment building was a few blocks away.

As he started to walk away from the crowd, he glanced around to get an idea of his surroundings and who might be walking the same direction as him. He continued on, one foot in front of the other as he walked further from the busy boulevard and down side streets and alleys.

He stopped in his tracks as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and turned, looking behind him, scanning the area. He saw nothing, indicating he was alone, but he didn’t feel alone. He shook the feeling off and turned back around to continue on.

He’d only gone a few more steps when he felt it again. The feeling of being watched. He turned back around, hands balling into fists as he stood his ground against his shadowy follower. He squinted, looking into the dark crevices. Inspecting the best he could from a distance.

Nothing moved. There were no sounds. No crickets, no rats or other critters squeaking or chittering. There was no sound of fans or air conditioning units. Nothing. It was as if someone hit mute on everything. There was no sound of vehicles passing on the larger streets nearby.

He shook the creeping feeling across his skin and continued on his way again. He wasn’t going to let some paranoid feeling get the best of him. Picking up the pace, he continued walking, hoping to get out of this neighborhood soon and into the one where he lived. Where he felt safe.

He heard the sound of footsteps and the scraping of metal against concrete, like a can had been kicked. He spun around but was met once again with an empty alleyway. The various steps and stoops up to the front doors were empty. Not even a cat waiting to be let in for the night.

There was nothing. Just him and the alley.

Darren quickened his pace yet again, practically jogging now as he tried to navigate his way out of this alley and back onto a major street. He could hear footsteps against pavement and broke into a run, noticing the end of the alley drawing closer and soon he was back on the main street with other people. He stopped, glancing back into the alley where he swore he saw a pair of glowing red eyes.

This spooked him enough to light a fire under him and he hurried back to his building, ignoring the looks from strangers around him as he pushed past them without so much as an ‘excuse me’ or apology. He reached his building, a high rise with a doorman who greeted him, opening the door for him.

Once in the elevator, Darren felt much better. Safer even. The ride up to the nineteenth floor didn’t take long and soon he was putting in the code for his apartment, letting himself in and shutting the door quickly behind him, locking it and taking a few deep breaths.

He’d managed to make it home and he felt infinitely better in his familiar surroundings. He started to settle, removing his shoes before stepping up onto the floor and going about his usual routine. He moved into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water and drinking it slowly as he thought about the events of the night.

Namely the man who came into the bathroom to rescue the woman who had splashed water in his face.

He’d never seen anything like it. The way the door was kicked in, almost like it had been blown in by a battering ram and then the way he stormed in. He moved so fast, Darren had no chance to react before he felt the man’s fist collide with his jaw. “Bastard,” he said softly as he reached up to massage the sore spot on his face. He knew it was going to bruise.

Darren finished his water before setting the empty glass in the sink and heading to the back of his apartment, towards his bedroom and bathroom. Inside the bathroom, he turned on the water, making it as hot as he could stand. Something to relax his tense muscles before bed.

He stripped, dropping his clothes in the hamper and stepped under the stream, closing the glass door behind him. The hot water beat down on him, steaming up the glass surfaces and obscuring his vision of the rest of the bathroom.

A sudden gust of cold wind hit him and he froze, looking away from the shower and quickly wiped the glass, squinting out into the bathroom and trying to see beyond the open bathroom door to his bedroom. He saw nothing and quickly opened the door, grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist.

He stepped out of the shower, and started into the bedroom, the cool breeze still hitting him. Once inside his room he noticed that one of his windows was open. ‘What the hell?’

He hurried over and pulled it shut, latching the lock and looking outside to the city below. ‘How in the hell could that have opened?’ he wondered. He took a good look around the room but found nothing amiss. Nothing had been moved, nor did he see any sign of intruders.

Deciding he needed to just sleep it off, he headed back into the bathroom to finish his shower so he could go to bed. He hung the towel back up, stepping back into the glass case and shutting the door. He heard a scraping behind him against the glass and spun around.

There was nothing there. He turned to the door but again saw nothing. He turned the water off and shook his head. ‘You’re seeing things,’ he told himself and chuckled. “Man, you really need sleep.”

He turned to open the door and froze. Out of his periphery on the left side he could see a dark shadow. A figure. He turned to look at it, terror filling his veins as the figure didn’t disappear when he looked at it. Standing firmly beyond the glass was a dark shape, it was vaguely human.

“W-who are you?” he stammered, frozen in place. Darren could hear a faint buzzing and the light overhead started to flicker. He looked up at it quickly and then back but the shadow was gone. He turned back to the door and then everything happened in slow motion.

He was confronted with a nightmarish creature. Black and red eyes, a grotesque pale face with a bat-like nose. The teeth. Each one was sharp and pointed and the creature's mouth was full of them.

It snarled and roared at him, causing him to jump and take a step back. Darren slipped, falling back in slow motion. His head collided with the tiled wall behind him, a sharp and intense pain spreading from the point of impact as he slid down the wall and onto the floor of the shower.

The creature, which had been hanging upside down, dropped to the floor, features shifting as it moved closer and knelt down, clicking its tongue as it did so.

“Tsk, tsk,” it said in the voice of a man. Darren looked up, his vision swimming in and out of focus. “You know, you really should have an anti slip mat in these things,” the creature turned man said and as his face came into focus, Darren’s eyes widened. “Y-you!” he stammered.

The man from before looked down at him coldly. His irises red as he glared. “I had told you I’d rip your fingers off one by one,” he said as he looked down at him. “But watching you hit your head and slowly succumb to the trauma is so much more satisfying,” he said, his voice full of malice.

“You can’t do this-” Darren choked out, fear taking over him as the man reached a hand down slowly. “Yes,” he replied. “I can and I will.” Darren felt the man’s fingers curl into his hair, picking his head up off the tiled floor before he gave him a cruel smile.

“I’ll teach you a lesson,” he hissed before slamming Darren’s head against the floor. As the man stood up, everything started to go black. “Wash this up,” the man said, turning on the shower, the water raining down on Darren’s body as his life ebbed away from him.

“Be glad I’ve given you this death. You deserve much worse.”

As his vision went black, the last thing Darren saw was the back of the man exiting his bathroom.

“In other news, authorities have said in a strange twist of events, a suspect in a serial rapist they’ve been trying to track down has died in an accident in his apartment. The suspect slipped and fell in the shower, hitting his head and dying from the trauma. Now let’s look at the weather.”

Seungmin looked up as Wonpil turned the television off. “I told you not to get involved,” Wonpil hissed as Seungmin sat perfectly still, staring back at him. “He slipped and fell,” Seungmin stated. “I didn’t touch him.” Wonpil narrowed his eyes.

“I guess his karma caught up to him,” Seungmin added, looking away from Wonpil.

“I don’t see what the big deal is. It looks like an accident,” Seungmin added. Wonpil shook his head. “You don’t get to play judge, jury, and executioner,” he stated. “We’re not supposed to get involved in these things. Let them sort it out.”

Seungmin narrowed his eyes at Wonpil. “Let them sort it out? So you’re saying I should have let him force himself on Y/N?” Seungmin asked incredulously. “No!” Wonpil, sounding exasperated. “I didn’t say that! I just meant that this is what happens when you get involved.”

Seungmin scoffed, getting up from the sofa. “So, it’s my fault?”

Wonpil gestured to the tv. “A man is dead!” he replied. “A man who had assaulted many. A serial rapist,” Seungmin argued. “Or did you just ignore that part?” Wonpil glared at him, huffing angrily as his pager started to beep. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen.

“I gotta go. Hospital needs me,” he said, getting up and grabbing his wallet. “Stay out of trouble while I’m gone,” Wonpil said as he headed for the door. “Oh, and one more thing,” he continued, turning back to look at Seungmin. “Stay away from Y/N.”

Seungmin glared at the door as Wonpil disappeared. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished the device out, seeing he had a text from you.

Y/N: you said you’d come and see me after i got released but you haven’t come ):

Seungmin chuckled, quickly typing out a response. He’d finally gotten the hang of having a phone and had no problems sending texts anymore though he still occasionally signed them off before erasing them, remembering they weren’t emails.

Seungmin: sorry. It’s been kind of hectic on this end. I do want to see you (:

Your response was swift.

Y/N: how about dinner tonight? My place? I’ll cook for you (:

Seungmin stared at the screen. Dinner? At your place? Alone? He hesitated. Could he resist the urge? The urge to want to be with you? To want you in every possible way he could have you? He knew if he gave in to that urge, there was no way he could leave you. He’d be tied to you in some way.

Against his better judgment, Seungmin responded.

Seungmin: sounds good. Seven o’clock?

Y/N: seven o’clock sounds perfect. I’ll see you soon (;

Seungmin chuckled at the winking face you’d sent as he locked and placed his phone in his pocket, checking the time on his watch. He had about an hour to get ready and head to your place. He wrote a note for Wonpil, letting him know that he wasn’t going to listen and that he was going to give in for once before grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

The walk back to his place took half an hour as he had to weave between busy pedestrians without drawing attention. He raced to his apartment as soon as the elevator doors opened and once he was inside, he changed at top speed, rushing through the apartment.

Once he was ready, he headed back down and had about twenty minutes to get to your place before seven. He stopped on the way, grabbing a bottle of wine and a small bouquet of flowers. Nothing overly fancy. More of an “I’m thinking of you and hope you’re well,” kind of thing.

He arrived at your building with five minutes to spare, taking the buttonless elevator up to your floor. He watched as the counter stopped on the twentieth floor and he got off, heading to the unit number you’d instructed. Standing outside 2091, he felt like an idiot but he knocked regardless.

It took only a few moments for you to answer the door, opening it with a smile on your face as you greeted him. “Hey, come on in,” you said softly and stood aside to let him in. Seungmin stepped over the threshold. The notion that a vampire could not enter unless invited was garbage but he liked that you still invited him in.

“These are for you,” he said, handing the flowers over. You smiled, taking them with a thank you. “They’re lovely,” you added as you headed into the kitchen. Seungmin slipped off his shoes and followed you, glancing around your studio apartment.

It was every bit uniquely you as you had described it to him. You had taken a singular space and turned it into three. The bedroom area was closed off by a hanging curtain and cubby shelves. The plants and string lights made it feel cozy and magical. Almost like a forest.

You’d turned the space near the door leading to the balcony into your living room, sectioning the space off but it didn’t feel cut off. Everything flowed nicely. The last space was against the wall on the other side of the living space. A small dining table and three chairs stood, all bar height.

Seungmin turned to you as you placed the flowers in an empty vase, setting the vase aside and turning to him. “Wine as well?” you asked, nodding at the bottle in his hand. He handed it over and you turned to your fridge, placing the bottle inside.

“I didn’t want to show up empty handed,” he answered. You turned back to him before moving to the kitchen counter. “So,” Seungmin said, moving to stand beside you. “What are you making?” he asked. “A stirfry,” you answered simply, cutting the vegetables.

“For me anyway,” you replied. Seungmin looked up at you, meeting your gaze.

“You don’t eat,” you said plainly. Seungmin was certain if his heart was alive, it would be pounding. Were you onto him? He broke into a smile, laughing. “What are you talking about?” he asked, chuckling. You moved to open the cabinet.

You pulled out a wine glass. “Do you want one?” you asked, looking at him. “For the sake of appearances?” Seungmin’s smile fell. “What are you talking about?” he asked as you moved to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of your own wine and pouring yourself a glass.

“Are you a vampire?”

Your question caught him completely off guard, knocking the wind out of him as he processed what you’d just asked. Had he imagined the whole thing? He didn’t even notice you pour another glass of wine and push it towards him.

You had asked him so nonchalantly. Like you were asking about his job or the weather.

‘Are you a vampire?’ Your voice echoed in his head. How was he supposed to answer? Did he lie and laugh it off? Did you already know for certain? Would denying it just make you mad and push you further away? That was the last thing he wanted.

“Well,” you said suddenly, pulling Seungmin from his thoughts. “Are you?”

He looked from your questioning gaze to the glass of wine sitting in front of him. He grabbed it, swirling the red liquid as he carefully thought about his answer. He wondered when you pieced it all together. Was it when he’d saved you from the creep in the club bathroom? Or perhaps it was before then. Had you known since the moment you met him when he was contemplating throwing himself from the cliff?

But if so, how could you have known? In all his years, he’s never met another person who deduced his true nature who wasn’t already a supernatural being themselves. Maybe he had you all wrong? Was there more to you than met even his eyes?

“Am I what?” he finally spoke, looking up from the crimson wine, through his lashes to meet your gaze.

“A vampire?”

Seungmin held his breath, staring you down. Normally when he made eye contact like this, everyone would shy away from his intense gaze, everyone except you it would seem. You held his gaze, staring back almost challengingly. “What makes you think that?” Seungmin asked softly, still staring back at you.

“Just a hunch, I guess,” you replied, looking away from his eyes momentarily to take a sip of your wine before glancing back up again. “I thought about it when I first saw you,” you explained. “You looked so… tormented and lonely.” Seungmin continued to hold his breath as you spoke.

“Not to mention those stories you told me when we first met on the cliff that day. So much history. So many tales,” you continued, a small smile appearing on your lips. “And then when you seemingly knew where I was at the club when that… man--”

“Monster,” Seungmin interrupted, catching you off guard as you looked back up in shock.

“That wasn’t a man,” Seungmin continued. “That was a monster.”

You tilted your head curiously. “If he’s a monster, what does that make you?” you asked softly, setting your glass on the granite counter. Seungmin let out a dark chuckle. “Never said I wasn’t one, too, sweetheart,” he countered, taking another sip of his wine, watching the line settle as he set the glass on the counter as well, looking up to meet your gaze.

He tried to discern the emotion behind the look you were giving him now. He thought perhaps by now your flight or fight response would have kicked in but alas, you were looking at him more out of concern than fear. Were you concerned about what he could do to you? Or were you concerned for him?

“You know,” Seungmin said, chuckling as the notion crossed his mind. “I’m not a mind-reader,” he added. “I’d like to know what’s going on in your head.” He waited while you gathered your thoughts, waiting for you to say something. To say anything.

“Did you kill him?” you asked suddenly, catching him completely off guard. “What?” he whispered.

You tilted your head to the side, still maintaining eye contact with him, like you weren’t staring a predator in the face. “Did you kill him? The man from the club, the one you said is a monster.”

Seungmin hesitated. It seemed you’d already made up your mind about the nature of his being yet neither of you commented on it. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to,” he answered finally, lifting his glass but hesitating when you spoke, the glass barely touching his lips.

“Spare me the evasive act. I’m not an idiot, Seungmin. I know danger when I see it. Everything in my body is telling me you’re dangerous just like that man. The only difference is that the danger I felt with him is learned. The danger I feel from you is primal. It’s ingrained in my brain. Hardwired because you aren’t human. You’re something more.”

Seungmin looked past the glass at your slightly distorted figure before lowering the glass to peer at you over the rim. “Then why did you invite me here?” he asked before downing the rest of his wine, setting the glass aside and getting to his feet.

You watched as he slowly stalked around the kitchen island towards you. His eyes locked on you as he moved, you felt suddenly like prey caught in the gaze of a predator and for the first time since you met him, you felt like you were truly in danger.

You were certain Seungmin was a vampire. You knew he was more than a simple man. The way he carried himself and sometimes spoke was like he was pulled straight from one of Jane Austen’s novels. He was from a different time period and although his face didn’t show his age, his eyes certainly did.

He may look like a man in his mid twenties but his eyes were that of a being that had seen hundreds of years. You watched as he approached, closing in on you, backing you up against the wall behind you. Your back met the hard surface as he rested his hands against the wall on either side of your head, eyes inspecting your face as he leaned closer.

Your breathing had sped up, heart racing as he approached, eyes fixated on you as if he was about to pounce and deliver a killing blow. Your eyes flickered between his, noticing up close how red they were. Not the sclera. His irises were a deep blood red. From a distance, you’d assumed they were brown but now you saw the true color and your mind was made up for you.

Seungmin was a vampire, there wasn’t a doubt in your mind.

Seungmin’s eyes scanned your face, from your eyes, down to your lips before they dipped down to your neck and then back up to meet your gaze.

“I can hear your heart racing,” he said softly, his voice barely audible of the ticking of the clock hanging above your head. He tilted his head to the side, a smirk forming on his lips. “I’m fine,” you whispered. Seungmin chuckled. “I don’t think so, sweetheart,” he replied.

One of his hands moved, fingers brushing against the skin of your neck, just over your pulse point. An involuntary shiver ran up your spine. “Why are you shaking?” he asked, leaning closer, his lips mere inches from yours as his eyes searched yours. “You’re not scared of me are you, little rabbit?”

You shook your head. “No,” you whispered, knowing your soft voice was giving you away. Seungmin’s hand slipped behind your head, fingers pulling at the hair at the base of your neck. “Don’t lie to me, pet,” he retorted, eyes scanning your face, dipping down to your throat and back up. Had you not been watching, you would have missed the way he licked his lips and swallowed.

“Does it bother you?” you asked softly, drawing his attention. “Hmm?” he hummed in response. “Being so close to a source,” you continued. Seungmin narrowed his eyes, his hand moving up to cup your cheek. “A source? Of what?” he asked, knowing what you were about to say.

“Blood.”

Seungmin froze, staring at you. Before he had a chance to answer, to defend his secret, you spoke again.

“I told you I’m not an idiot, Seungmin,” you said.

He pulled back slowly to look in your eyes. You could see the color had shifted to red. Just like that night outside the club. That was when you truly knew what you were up against. What kind of danger you were in every time you saw him. Every time you leaned in to kiss him goodnight.

At any point, he could have snapped and killed you, drained you of your blood but you wanted to know why he didn’t. Why didn’t he eat people? ‘What a weird question to contemplate,’ you told yourself.

“But I do have a question,” you whispered. Seungmin hesitated, waiting for your query.

You licked your lips before speaking. “Why don’t you feed from humans?” you asked before realizing you had made an assumption. Perhaps he did feed from humans. “Sorry.” you said quickly. “I’m making assumptions.” Seungmin smiled and shook his head. “It’s quite alright,” he replied.

“Your assumption is right. I don’t feed from humans. I don’t even feed from animals. Not directly anyway,” he replied. “What do you feed from?” you asked softly. “Blood bags,” Seungmin admitted. “It’s a more lowkey way to feed,” he explained.

“Where do you get them?” you asked softly, watching as he tilted his head to the side, studying you. He was hoping you’d do the math and figure it out and as you wracked your brain it hit you.

His friend. “Wonpil,” you whispered. You met his gaze. “Is he a vampire, too?” you asked. Seungmin hesitated but eventually nodded his head. “Yes,” he replied. “He gets the blood bags for me. It really pays off, having a doctor friend,” he added. You shook your head in disbelief.

“How does he do what he does?” you asked. “With all the blood,” you continued. Seungmin smiled and nodded. “Sounds very Twilight of him,” he noted. “Doesn’t it?” Chuckling again when you nodded, Seungmin continued to explain.

“He used to be a doctor. In fact, he was a highly sought after royal doctor back in the day,” he continued. “And then in the army, he was a combat medic. That’s how we met,” he added. “On the battlefield. My squad took heavy fire and he was sent in to assess and do what he could but when he saw I was completely unharmed, he knew immediately what I was and I knew what he was.”

You stared back at him as he explained more of his background. “We’ve been friends ever since. He’s the only person I’ve ever leaned on or trusted,” he continued, before glancing down at you. “Until now at least,” he added, bringing a hand up to cup your cheek.

“You trust me?” you asked softly. Seungmin nodded. “I do,” he replied, eyes dipping to your lips and back up. “Do you trust me?” he asked. You hesitated only for a moment before nodding. “Yes,” you answered, bringing your hand up to place over his. “I trust you.”

Seungmin closed the distance, kissing you passionately as he pinned you against the wall. You moaned into his mouth as he grinded against you, eagerly swallowing the sounds you made under his touch. “Tell me you want this,” he said softly, resting his forehead against yours as you panted heavily.

“Tell me you want me,” he continued. You moved one of your hands up to the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair. “I want this,” you replied. “I want you.” Seungmin let out a small growl, grabbing your hips and pulling you away from the wall, guiding you over to the kitchen island.

You let out a squeak of surprise as Seungmin easily lifted you, turning and depositing you on the counter. “If I was more patient, I’d make you run,” he murmured, leaning in, his lips inches from yours, nose gently bumping yours. “If I was more patient, I’d take my time with you,” he continued, his hands moving down to the hem of your sweater, fingers gently toying with the material.

“Then why don’t you?” you asked, eyes searching his. He smiled in response, allowing you to catch a glimpse of his fangs. “Because I’m not a patient man,” he answered before pulling back and lifting your sweater, tossing it aside. He grabbed the back of your neck, pulling you into a kiss, his tongue slipping past your parted lips.

You let out a whine as you felt one of his fangs graze against your bottom lip. “Are you going to feed from me?” you whispered when he broke the kiss. Seungmin chuckled, hands moving down to your jeans, undoing the button and zipper. “No,” he replied. “Not unless you want me to,” he added, tugging your pants down past your hips. You lifted your butt to make it easier for him.

Your jeans joined your sweater on the floor, leaving you in your underwear. The granite countertop was cold against your skin as Seungmin peppered kisses along your collar. “Will that kill me?” you whispered, heart racing as he kissed down your sternum, pushing you onto your back as he continued kissing down your stomach. “No,” he said with another amused tone.

“I’m not going to puncture your jugular,” he added. “I don’t feed from that high,” he added. “Not unless I’m trying to kill you.” You swallowed thickly as he continued to kiss down, his lips meeting the hem of your panties. “May I?” he asked softly, raising his head to make eye contact. You nodded wordlessly, watching as he slowly pulled your panties down your thighs, discarding them along with the rest of your clothes.

“Seungmin,” you breathed out as his lips trailed down the inside of your thigh. “Yes, sweetheart?” he asked, raising his head slightly. “I want you to feed from me,” you murmured, cheeks burning as his gaze bore into yours. “Are you sure, doe?” he asked, tilting his head. You nodded silently, drawing your bottom lip between your teeth.

You watched as he lowered his head, nipping at the skin of your inner thigh. You let out a gasp at the sensation. “Wait,” you said suddenly, propping yourself up on your elbows. “This isn’t gonna turn me into a vampire, right?” you asked. Seungmin chuckled again.

“No,” he answered. “You would have to feed from me to become like me,” he added. Your eyes widened at the thought. “Feed from you?” you asked, to which he nodded. Your head fell back as you felt his tongue against the skin of your thigh. “Just don’t kill me, please,” you mumbled.

Seungmin chuckled to himself before sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of your thigh.

You let out a cry of pain, followed by a gasp as you felt his thumb brush over your clit. “Oh shit,” you groaned. You could feel blood leaving your body through the wound to your thigh. It was almost like having someone sucking a hickey but more intense.

“I knew you would taste so sweet,” you heard him groan. “Seungmin,” you started, lifting your head but letting out a moan, head falling back as you felt his tongue against your clit, his fingers toying with your slit. “Oh fucking hell,” you gasped as he teased the nub with the tip of his tongue.

“M’gonna cum,” you moaned, thighs shaking as your high approached only for Seungmin to pull away. “Not yet,” he purred, his breath hot against your sex. “You’ll cum when I let you,” he added. As your orgasm slipped away, you felt his fingers ease into your entrance slowly, two at a time.

He set a steady pace, watching the way his fingers disappeared into your tight heat. “I can’t wait to fill you up,” he said softly, continuing to pump his fingers in and out of you. “Please,” you moaned as he sped up slowly. Your orgasm was just out of your reach.

It was beginning to get frustrating. After weeks of nothing from him. Weeks of wanting this man, you finally had him and you were even more frustrated that your orgasm was evading you. Each time he toyed with your clit, drawing you closer and closer to the edge but not enough for you to topple over it.

“Seungmin,” you begged. “Please fuck me.”

“Only because you asked so nicely,” he said as he pulled away, licking his fingers clean. You pushed yourself up as Seungmin shrugged his jacket off, letting it fall to the floor. You pulled him into a kiss, his hands fumbling with his buckled and zipper, undoing his pants and pushing them down.

You moaned as he pushed into you easily, your walls stretching to accommodate the intrusion. “Shh,” he hushed you, smoothing your hair and cupping your cheek. “Look at me,” he said softly. You looked up at him, meeting his blood red gaze.

“That’s it,” he cooed, pulling back and giving you a shallow thrust. “F-fffuuuck,” you groaned as he set a steady pace, cock dragging against your walls with each push and pull. “Seungmin,” you whined as he held you up. “Feel’s so good,” you groaned, moving your hips to meet his.

“Shit,” you heard him hiss. “That,” he instructed. “Keep doing that, sweetheart,” he groaned, thrusting harder, the sound of skin hitting skin being the only thing to fill the space. “I need to cum,” you whined, unshed tears stinging the corners of your eyes.

“And you will,” Seungmin replied. “But only when I say so.”

“How’s the bite?” you asked suddenly. Seungmin glanced down at your thigh. The bleed had stopped already. “It’s fine,” he huffed. “Don’t worry about it,” he added. Your fingers tangled in his hair, pulling his head towards your neck.

“Y/N,” he warned. “Please,” you breathed. “Please Seungmin.”

Something Seungmin prided himself on was his unfaltering and unwavering quality. His ability to put his foot down and say no but he was finding it harder and harder to say no to you. He sighed, groaning as your walls gripped him tightly.

“Fine,” he said softly, lips brushing against your skin. “But just a small one,” he replied before sinking his teeth into the base of your neck. You let out a moan, walls clenching around him, fingers tightening in his hair. “Oh shit,” you cursed. “Fuck me,” you groaned.

Seungmin pulled back, lips tainted red from your blood. “I already am,” he joked before rolling his tongue over the bite wound to your neck. The taste of you on his tongue he pulled back, bringing one hand up to cup the back of your neck, pulling you into a kiss.

You could taste iron on his tongue. Blood. Your blood.

You moaned into the kiss, nails scratching against his skin.

Seungmin pulled away, returning to your neck, licking at the wound. “I’m not gonna bleed out, right?” you asked weakly, your orgasm slipping away for the nth time as Seungmin slowed his movements. “You’ll be fine,” Seungmin murmured, still occasionally licking at the bite on your neck. “It’s almost done bleeding. It’s coagulating,” he added.

“F-fuck,” you hissed. Seungmin chuckled, giving you a sharp thrust. “And you p-promise I’m not gonna -hng- bleed out?” you asked, a moan slipping out between your words. Seungmin nodded, his free hand cupping the back of your neck. “I promise,” he replied. “You’ve already stopped bleeding,” he added.

You opened your mouth to respond, only moaning as his hips set a steady, even pace. M’so close,” you whined, head falling forward, your forehead resting against his. “Already?” he teased. “Before I’ve even properly fucked you?” You whined in response, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“My bad,” he joked. “I might have gone a little overboard earlier,” he added, placing his hand against the counter, his hips hitting yours with each thrust. Your vision blurred, tears filling as the tension in your body built up again. One hand tangled in his hair, the other reaching around to hold onto his shoulder as you buried your face in his neck. “M’ gonna-” your words failed as your orgasm crashed over you unexpectedly.

“That really was quick,” Seungmin chuckled as he helped you ride it out. As you fell limp in his hold, he pulled out of you, carefully guiding you down off the counter before turning you to face it, pushing you over as he guided himself back inside your tight heat.

“Now it’s my turn,” he said, taking both hips in his hands and setting a punishing pace, making you cry out, the tears in your eyes finally falling. “Are you crying?” he asked breathlessly. “Does it feel that good?” he mused.

You were unable to speak and respond to his question, instead answering only in jumbled words, moans, and chants of his name. Seungmin’s hand moved up to your shoulder, pulling your back up as he leaned over, lips next to your ear. “Crying only makes me want to ruin you more,” he said, his tone dark. “It’s not gonna make me go easy on you.”

You cried out as his thrusts increased, hips hitting your ass repeatedly with the same slapping sound.

The sounds of your cries only spurred him on, your sniffles and sobs fueling his desire to wreck you. “Almost,” he groaned, his own orgasm approaching. “Fuck, m’close,” he announced. “Where you want it?” he asked. You lifted your head weakly. “I-inside me,” you moaned.

Seungmin groaned, hips stuttering. “You sure?” he asked and you nodded. “Give it to me,” you whimpered. “Cum inside me, Seungmin, please.”

That was all he needed to hear, groaning into your ear as he released inside you, painting your insides with cum. “Oh shit,” he cursed, hips slowing as he fucked his release further into you. “Oh god,” you groaned, feeling his cum fill your cunt as he pulled your back against his chest.

“That’s it, little rabbit,” he grunted. “Take all of it.”

His hips stilled and you whined, falling limp in his hold. Seungmin leaned over, one arm around your chest, the other holding the both of you up over the countertop. “Shit,” you heard him hiss. “You’re going to need a shower,” he said softly.

You whimpered as he pulled out of you. “Or we both might need one,” he corrected. You glanced over your shoulder at him. “Are you staying?” you asked, looking at him with those expectant eyes. How could he ever think to leave.

He’d spent most of his immortal life jumping from identity to identity. He’d grown bored and weary of that life and now he had the chance to do something new and exciting. He smiled at you and nodded. Sure, you assumed he meant he was staying the night but deep down, he was agreeing to stay for the foreseeable future.

And who knows. Maybe, just maybe he’ll stay for eternity if that means he gets an eternity with you.

ⓘ Graphics made by me. Content and support banners made using a template by cafekitsune. I do not allow reposts, translations, or continuations of my works. All writing and graphics are ©️ kwanisms.

#cultofdionysusnet #mfu-net #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids fanfiction #stray kids fanfic #stray kids smut #stray kids x reader #seungmin scenarios #seungmin imagines #seungmin fanfic #seungmin smut #seungmin x reader #kwanisms kinktober 2023

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quinngefail · 11 days ago

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OKAY And now I can finally post the Christmas gifts I made for my buddies :33 I made little shrinky dink keychains of the characters they played for my Saw oneshot back in October HSKSKS

And it's keychains specifically since they were restrained by chains and metal collars LMAO

Then uh closeups under the cut:

The characters they came up with are as follows:

Justin, former Minnesota Vikings player

Vince, a cop in Saw City

Tony, greasy italian drug dealer

Eloise, public defender

Logan Paul.

Cheyenne, scamming Christian influencer

Dominic, Soundcloud rapper

And Jennifer, owner of an adult entertainment store

IT WAS QUITE THE GROUP, TO SAY THE VERY LEAST. But these were so fun to do and let me get a taste of what physical merch would be like HSKSK

#traditional #sawposting #saw #saw franchise #sawtism #spill your guts saw ttrpg

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dioslesbianwife · 1 month ago

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Here are some jojo villain house headcannons for the TV shows/channels I think jojo villains would enjoy.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Dio

Luxury Living Network: Likes to revel in shows about wealth, power, and decadence. Think Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

National Geographic: Enjoys watching predators hunt their prey. He’d identify with the top of the food chain.

The History Channel (Old School): Enjoys historical conquest stories, especially those about rulers like Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan.

Trashy reality shows on TLC would also be a guilty pleasure. He lives for the dramatic betrayals.

Kars

Animal Planet: Loves learning about the animal kingdom and biology, particularly predator-prey dynamics. He’d judge how far evolution has come since his era.

Discovery Channel: Loves documentaries about science, geology, and life on earth, though he’d scoff at any inaccuracies.

Sci-Fi channel: He’s secretly amused by humans' imagination of evolution and alien life.

Esidisi

Telenovelas/Soap opera Channels: Enjoys dramatic and over-the-top emotions—his own temper tantrums mirror them perfectly.

Wrestling Channels (WWE for example): Finds the combat entertaining and relates to the theatrical aggression.

Wamuu

Sports Channels (ESPN, Olympic Channel): Drawn to competition and strength. He’s especially invested in combat sports like MMA or wrestling.

Military History Channel: Respects the strategies and honor involved in ancient warfare.

Kira

HGTV: Finds peace in watching mundane home improvement or interior design shows, which align with his “quiet” lifestyle.

True Crime channels: Obsessed with watching shows like Forensic Files, hoping to pick up tips on how to avoid getting caught.

Fashion Network: Enjoys looking at high-end clothing.

Diavolo

Old school MTV: Likes the chaotic energy as it aligns with his paranoia.

Crime Networks: Loves anything that teaches him how to cover his tracks and outsmart enemies.

Vogue Network: Secretly enjoys high fashion shows for their eccentric designs (much like his clothing…choices).

Doppio

Cartoons: Despite being an adult, Doppio has a childlike innocence and would gravitate toward shows like The amazing Spiderman, enjoying the light-heartedness,. I think he’d mostly prefer old school shows like Batman the animated series or the old X-men show. Maybe Arthur, Powerpuff girls, Avengers, Clifford, etc.

Cooking Shows (Food Network): Doppio seems like he craves comfort, so watching cooking shows like those holiday baking ones or Master Chef could offer him a sense of warmth and happiness. I think he’d try to show the boss what he learned from them and try to cook simple things.

Pucci

Religious Channels: Watches sermons to draw inspiration. Though I do think he’d strongly dislike the kinds of televangelists that scam vulnerable people.

Discovery/Space Channels: Interested in space and time shows, considering his obsession with Heaven and universal perfection.

Classical Music Channel: Finds focus in orchestral music and opera broadcasts. Probably plays it in the background as he reads or annotates his Bible.

Funny Valentine

News Networks (C-SPAN, BBC): Watches political coverage and speeches to stay informed and critique the current state of governance and the world.

History Channel: Studies historical conflicts and leadership tactics.

Classic Movie Channels: Watches patriotic films or period dramas for inspiration and comfort.

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hypergiiant · 10 months ago

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001. NO BED OF ROSES.

Starring: Go Cairo.

Featuring: Park Ohyeon.

Summary: Cairo and Ohyeon grow up.

Word Count: 12k.

CW: For their whole time at HMT, Cairo and Ohyeon are subject to physical assault in the form of 'corporal punishment' by the company staff, even as young teenagers. Violence. Descriptions of bullying and allusions to school violence. Smoking. Drinking. Quick mention of an uncomfortable interaction between a minor (15) and an adult. Homophobia including use of slurs. There's a few moments of victim blaming within the narrative but I do think it's important to keep in mind that it's written from the pov of someone who is mostly a victim of the same things. This piece gets heavy in places, so please be aware of that going in to it. If you see something you think needs a warning, please lmk!

AGE THIRTEEN.

“No way am I debuting with him,” Ohyeon scoffs, as soon as the implication leaves Seungjae’s mouth. Cairo slumps down in his chair a little, puffing a sigh through his nose. “I don’t even like him.”

“That’s not a big concern of mine,” Seungjae dismisses, resting back in his swivel chair. Cairo and Ohyeon sit at the opposite side of his big oak table. Cairo’s feet hit the ground, even in the comfy chair he was sitting in, and Ohyeon’s don’t. That’s one win. “You’re thirteen. You work together for a couple weeks, I guarantee you’ll get over whatever differences you have.”

“But he’s a dick,” Ohyeon huffs.

Cairo has kind of known Ohyeon forever, but they’re strangers at the same time. They’d grown up on the same street, were classmates at the same elementary school, and had even gotten into the same middle school. But it’s not like they’d ever been friends, and Cairo can’t really blame Ohyeon for not wanting to be stuck in a duo with him for the next seven years.

He doesn’t feel good about it, but when Cairo had found out that Ohyeon had also been scouted by HMT Entertainment at school, he’d almost ditched the audition. He’d started to worry that he was being scammed. He’s never really looked at Ohyeon and considered him to be idol material. He’s short and scrawny, and it feels a little mean to bring it up, but he always came to school with greasy hair and an unwashed uniform.

Nobody at school really likes Ohyeon, and Cairo doesn’t necessarily have anything against him but he can understand why. He didn’t act like the other boys Cairo knew. And he can’t take a joke at all. One of Cairo’s friends from the basketball club had hidden Ohyeon’s lunchbox in the teacher’s desk drawer once, and instead of asking who took it, or looking around, he’d just sat back down at his desk and cried into his hands until break was over.

Ohyeon cries all the time. Even during the time they’ve been training together, the coaches have already gotten so sick of it that they start cursing whenever they see his lip wobble. Because he always has such a weird reaction to things, Cairo’s friends had kind of made a habit out of picking on him at school. It wasn’t ever that serious, they’d mess with his stuff, or corner him and ask him embarrassing questions. Cairo had never joined in, but he also hadn’t ever done anything to stop it. And he admits that he did laugh, a couple of times.

Ohyeon didn’t make things easy for himself, though. He’d still talk about childish cartoons, and giggle with the girls over idol groups. And when changing for PE, he’d make such an effort to hide himself that it would draw more attention to him than if he were to just change like everyone else, so they make fun of how skinny he is, and call him a baby, and stuff. If Ohyeon didn’t want to be picked on, he could try to behave a little more like the other boys. Cairo thinks that would probably fix most of his problems.

“Well, I don’t think that’s appropriate language for an idol, do you?” Seungjae asks. In the three months of after school lessons he’d been taking at HMT, Cairo had learned that Seungjae really doesn’t like the sound of young people cursing; he’d said that, if children represented the hope in the world, it was a shame to see them show a lack of innocence. Something about how that was to be Ohyeon and Cairo’s job. To bring hope to the nation by… being young? And singing and dancing?

“I have a question,” Cairo says, raising his hand nervously. It’s almost impossible to read Seungjae’s face as he looks over to him, but he gestures for Cairo to continue. “Um… what kind of people do you think will listen to us?”

Seungjae furrows his eyebrows. “Other children, one would presume.”

“Right, so… that’s who we’ll…” Cairo stumbles over his words, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that he doesn’t know any of the right language to use nor any of the correct contexts to use it in. “Like you’ll advertise us as a children’s group?”

Beside him, Ohyeon snickers to himself. “Did you expect to debut with a bad boy concept?”

Cairo blinks at him. “I didn’t expect to debut at all!” He blurts out, and then hurriedly turns his attention back to Seungjae, bowing though there’s really no need to at all. “Sajang-nim, I’m really, really grateful for this opportunity, but I’ve only been training for three months; I mean not even full-time… Shouldn’t my mom be here right now?”

“I’m not asking you to sign anything yet, Cairo, I’m simply moving you up a rank in the training system. There is plenty of preparation to be done before you’ll debut, and I assure you that I am not holding you to any standards that you’re incapable of meeting. For now, you’ll train full time, and that will remain the focus.”

Cairo nods, and settles back into his chair, although almost immediately another question begins to rattle on in his brain. Just as he’s about to speak up, however, Seungjae motors on, and speaks for another five minutes about living arrangements; and how on weekdays they would stay at a dorm but on weekends would return home. Cairo gleams that he’s supposed to be thankful he’s able to see his family because it’s not a luxury afforded to older trainees, but each word only gives the matter in his head more urgency.

Hesitantly, he once more raises his left hand, right one tucked politely under his elbow.

“You’re not in school, Cairo. You don’t need to raise your hand.” Seungjae says. His face rests stoic, but there’s an irritation in his eyes that Cairo’s unsure he’s seen before. Ohyeon snickers to himself again, but Cairo ignores him this time.

“Sorry. That’s kind of what my question is about, though. Are we gonna have to drop out of school?”

“We offer private lessons as part of our training system.”

“But it’s not really an offer, though, right?” Cairo presses, knowing that once more he’s crossing a line. “I can’t choose to keep going to my school?”

“I think it would be unwise to continue attending public school as children’s entertainers.” Seungjae says. “And it certainly wouldn’t be practical to travel to and from Gwangju everyday.” He tries, again, to move on, but Cairo speaks quicker than him this time.

“It’s just that I promised my mom that I’d finish school,” he says. “It was kinda my one condition to even be allowed to come train here. It’s a really big deal to her that I get good grades, and stuff.”

Seungjae sighs, tucking his hands under his chin. “I’m sure her perspective will change once she sees that you do have a future ahead of you in this industry. Mothers forgive, Cairo. This is your career we’re talking about. Isn’t that all grades, ‘and stuff,’ are for?”

For a few seconds, Cairo tries to come up with an argument, but he knows it’s a losing battle. “Yes, sir.” He says, a little more solemnly than he means.

“Honestly, boys.” Seungjae scoffs. “I’ve had trainees cry tears of joy at this kind of news. Aren’t you happy to be debuting?”

“Yes, sir!” Ohyeon says, painting a wide smile on his face, and bowing deeply in his chair. So Cairo mimics him, and begins to just accept things.

AGE FOURTEEN.

Ohyeon is alright, actually. Cairo finds himself growing fond of him, and although Ohyeon doesn’t seem to want to admit it, he seems to eventually come around to reciprocating the good will. It’s a good thing, too, because they spend the better part of the next year of their lives locked in dance studios together, or trying to outsing one another in vocal training, or sending each other silent signals in classes on how to act, how an idol should behave.

And then there’s the English lessons.

“You should already know all of this, though.” Cairo complains, wrapping his head in his hands. They’re sitting in the living room of the dorm they share with one of their managers, trying their hardest to complete the English homework they’d been assigned for the next morning- it’s 3am, and it’s safe to say they’d forgotten about it. Ohyeon had remembered in a panicked dream and shaken Cairo awake frantically.

“Why should I?” Ohyeon demands, sounding a little bit indignant, and Cairo gives him a pointed look of judgment.

“You’re the one who’s always talking about how your grandparents live in France!”

“Yeah, where they speak French, genius.” he frowns. “You’re the one with an English name.”

“My parents just think they’re fancy. It’s weird to be called Cairo in English too. It’s just a place in Egypt.”

“I’m sure the people of Cairo wouldn’t like for it to be called ‘just’ a place. You should be proud of your name.” Ohyeon tuts, shaking his head sarcastically. “What kind of child talks bad about the name his parents gave him? Their first ever gift to their first ever son?”

Cairo snorts, tossing his pen at Ohyeon. It bounces off of his head, and he laughs too. “Well, they didn’t have to give me one that makes me sound like a faggot.”

Very quickly, Ohyeon stops laughing. He offers one last weak snort and returns his focus to his textbooks. A few seconds pass, and though he’s not entirely sure what he did wrong, there’s an apology wriggling it’s way up Cairo’s throat, but fortunately Ohyeon speaks first. “Anyway, I don’t even speak any French. I mean, I know, like, ‘bonjour,’ but that’s about it. I haven’t been to France, I’ve never even left Seoul.”

“You’ve never left Seoul?” Cairo asks, bewildered by the idea of that. Ohyeon looks up from his workbook with a hesitant expression, and Cairo worries he’s said something wrong again already. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. But you’ve never even been to, like, Busan? Been on vacation to Jeju?”

Ohyeon blinks. “No,” he says simply. “We don’t have any money.”

Cairo shuts his mouth, ducking his head as a pang of guilt resonates through his insides. It still doesn’t really make any sense to him; how much could a day trip to Busan really cost? However, he doesn’t really feel like it’s okay to keep asking questions.

“Oh. Sorry,” Cairo says.

“Don’t be,” Ohyeon sighs, flipping his workbook over and starting on the next page. Cairo is still lagging behind; he may have seen more of the world, but apparently that meant nothing when it came to picking up on English vocabulary. “It’s not like someone took it from us. We never had it.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Cairo asks, “Or did you always wanna be an idol?”

“I always wanted to make music,” Ohyeon answers, pursing his lips as he really thinks about it. “But I guess my mom does have this fantasy that I’ll dance us out of poverty. I started with guitar, so I always imagined I’d be playing in a band, or something.”

“So like, polar opposite from making pop music for kids, right?” Cairo asks, with a knowing grin. He hadn’t been majorly excited by the idea himself, but his parents had drilled it into his head by now; You still need to work even when you don’t want to. It was more important to release records under a label like HMT, who people actually tune in for, than it was for him to think those records were any good.

“Well, I guess. But we’re the right age to do stuff like that. If we do it well, it could be a good stepping stone to being real artists when we grow up. All the American pop singers start out making kids’ stuff.”

For some reason, something about the words ‘stepping stone’ rub Cairo the wrong way. With all the talks and meetings about how their life was going to change, there was a level of permanence that Cairo had felt about the two of them. “Kind of a pessimistic way of looking at it, right? What if people still wanna hear music from us when we’re, like, old and twenty-five?”

Ohyeon laughs. “Trust me, dude. We’ll last till one of our voices breaks, then we move onto whatever their real plan is.”

“Would it be so bad if the duo was the real plan, though?” Cairo asks, feeling stupid the second he does.

Ohyeon looks at him a little weirdly. “I guess it depends on how bad our songs are.”

“Anyway, my voice has already started to break,” Cairo lies. Ohyeon turns his attention back to his workbook, snorting softly with a little quirk of his neck.

“Well, fuck.” He says, flatly. “Don’t tell them that.”

AGE FIFTEEN.

“Where did you get that?” Ohyeon asks, staring at the little cylinder between Cairo’s fingers as if it was made of solid gold.

“A guy from some group called Hysterical or something gave it to me.” Cairo says, smugly. “I can’t remember his name. Timmy, or something. Big tall dude with the ears.”

Ohyeon shrugs. “What, he just gave it to you for free?”

“Yeah, I saw him messing around with his lighter so I just went up to him and asked if he had any.” Cairo grins. When he thinks about his friends from school, who he heard all sorts of stories about nowadays, he feels kind of juvenile to be getting excited about a cigarette. Still, it felt exciting, to do wrong again. He can't remember the last time he misbehaved or did something he wasn’t supposed to do. “He said he was going to give me one because I’m cute, but not to ask him again because he knows what age I am and he’d tell our managers.”

Ohyeon scrunches his face up. “He said you were cute?” Cairo nods, and Ohyeon frowns. “In like, a ‘sunbaenim’ way, or a creepy way?”

There’s an uneasy feeling in the pit of Cairo’s stomach as he thinks back and realizes that he can’t quite tell. He shakes it off with a shrug. “Who cares? I got the cigarette. You were the one who wanted to try it, remember?”

“But he’s like, an adult, right? He’s not our age?” Ohyeon presses.

“Relax, dude,” Cairo frowns, too. “I’m not going near that guy again, anyway. You can tell from his voice he’s a fag.”

Ohyeon blinks, his face falling. “Well,” he says, “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

Cairo laughs. “Either way, I’m not trying to get felt up. Anyway, do you want the fucking cigarette or not?”

Ohyeon shuffles awkwardly, and most of the fun has drained out of the situation already, but to his credit he nods and reaches out to pluck the cylinder from Cairo’s fingers. Cairo digs the lighter he’d swiped from the convenience store out of his pocket and tosses it to him.

Ohyeon takes a nervous look around the parking lot, although nobody is out here. A bubbly girl group song blasts inside; STK had completed their performance for the day, but Music Bank was still in the swing of recording, and they had to stick around until the very end to watch someone else win a trophy. Cairo’s not sure if they can be blamed for finding increasingly pathetic ways to entertain themselves; after all, so little of being an idol was as glamorous as promised and so much of it was sitting in the back of vans or twiddling his thumbs in waiting rooms. He can understand where Ohyeon’s desires are stemming from, as he watches him raise the cigarette to his lips. There was a part of Cairo that wants it too, to disobey just to disobey, to let himself get pissed off at all of the rules and regulations. But he knows that he’s not going to accept when Ohyeon tries to pass it to him. Enabling another person is release enough.

Ohyeon inhales way too deep for his first try. It gets stuck in his throat and forces its way back out in a spectacular round of coughing. He doubles over, one hand clutching at his side, and the other waving the offending cigarette in his face.

“You think I’m trying it after that?” Cairo jumps at the excuse, taking a couple of steps backwards. Ohyeon, beginning to compose himself, frowns deeply at him as he thrusts his hand further in his face.

“No way, I tried! Don’t be a pussy.”

“C’mon, Ohyeon, just put it out-”

Almost like a scene from a television programme, the thin metal doors leading into the broadcasting station push open with a clatter, leaving Cairo and Ohyeon frozen mid-argument, heads craning around slowly to find their manager in the doorway, a look of fury in his eyes as he registers what he’s looking at.

Cairo gulps, and takes another step away from Ohyeon.

“Are you fucking stupid? Out in the open, where anybody could see you! Are you getting desperate? You wanted to cause a scandal? You wanted to make a fool out of everyone who’s worked hard to get you to places like this in the first place?”

In the corner of the dressing room, Cairo hangs his head, though he’s not the one getting in trouble.

“Nobody saw me, though.” Ohyeon counters from next to him, keeping his neck stiff. Cairo isn’t sure what his problem is, but it doesn’t shock him when the sound of their manager’s palm strikes Ohyeon’s cheek.

“Keep your eyes down.” He spits. “You know for sure that nobody saw? Huh? You don’t know by now that people will hide and wait for you to screw up?”

“I don’t get why I'm the only one being scolded.” Ohyeon says, peering up at the manager through his fringed hair even as he drops his head.

“Cairo refused, I heard it myself.”

“He’s the one who got the cigarette in the first place! He got it from Hysterical Tim, or whatever the fuck his-“

“What did you just say?” The manager interrupts. Cairo swallows, staring down at the clunky, ridiculously expensive sneakers he’s about to give back and never see again, and waits for the sound of another slap. It comes sharper and meaner than he expected, and Ohyeon yelps out in pain. “Have you gone insane? You’re smoking, you’re talking nonsense, you’re cursing - Do you think you’re successful, or something?” Another slap. “Have you forgotten every one of your teammate’s fans is desperate for him to go solo and get away from you?” Another. “Have you forgotten that we had to deal with a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures asking us to drop you from this label?” The next slap is harder still. He must have got him right on the cheekbone, or something. Even Cairo’s ear’s ring.

Cairo closes his eyes. It’s not nice to hear, but he can’t help but wonder what Ohyeon thinks he’s doing. They’d both known that if they were seen smoking, they’d get in trouble. They’d both decided to do it anyway. And as much as it’s true that HMT shouldn’t hit them, they both very well know that they will. It’s an injustice when it’s uncalled for, but Ohyeon is purposefully talking back. Cairo wants to tell Ohyeon to shut up, to just hang his head and take the row so it can be over, but in all honesty, he’s scared to even move.

It won’t really occur to him until he’s much older, that of the entire team of adults present in the room with them, Cairo is certainly not the only person here who can help. Obviously, none of them do.

Cairo hears Ohyeon let out a sob, and shuts his eyes even tighter.

“There’s the Park Ohyeon we’re used to,” The manager says condescendingly. “Don’t ever speak like that to a member of staff again. If you want to act like a diva, then next time you get on stage, make a couple people like you.”

A few seconds tick by at the rate of hours, then Ohyeon mutters, “Yes, sir.”

“Get changed and give your clothes back to Jangmi-ssi.” The manager says, in a firm tone of voice that still carries the implication that he’s letting them get away with it, or something. They bow gingerly, and as they shuffle behind the screens to change, he retires to the sofa and loudly complains about Ohyeon’s attitude as if Ohyeon isn’t four feet away.

Ohyeon finishes changing first, and as he disappears back beyond the plastic screen, Cairo hears the bells and whistles of his stage costume clatter down on the table Jangmi, their stylist, had gotten set up at.

“Where are you going?” Comes the manager’s gruff voice. “We’re heading back as soon as Cairo’s done-“

“I need to use the bathroom.” Ohyeon interrupts, informally, the door slamming shut before the manager can react.

“That fucking kid…”

Cairo zips up his hoodie, scooping his stage clothes up from their pile on the floor and waddling out from behind the screen, the linoleum floor uncomfortably cold in only his socks. As he passes the manager, a foot kicks out in front of him, stopping him from going further.

“Did you really give him the cigarette?” The manager asks.

Cairo worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He lies and shakes his head no. He knows he’s a coward. He feels about ten centimeters tall. But he really doesn’t want to get hit.

“That fucking little rat. Don’t let him drag you down with him.”

“Yes, sir,” Cairo says, thinking he’d deserve it if he were struck down by God right now.

The manager’s foot is retracted, and Cairo goes to place his clothes among Ohyeon’s.

“Thank you for your hard work today, noona.” He says as Jangmi begins to fold his clothes up. She looks up at him and gives him a cheerful smile, eyes crinkling. “We looked really cool.”

“Thank you, Cairo.” She says, reaching over her station to give his shoulder a little shove. “You guys did great today.”

He bows politely, lingering around as she tucks his sneakers back into their box, re-wrapping them as if they’d never been worn at all. Part of him wants to go find Ohyeon, but a bigger part can’t bring himself to face him at all. Yet, sitting and waiting for him in this atmosphere was no more pleasant.

“Would you like some help putting everything away?” He asks Jangmi, and she gives him another warm grim.

“That’s okay, Cairo. You’re finished work for the day.”

“Cairo.” The manager snaps, out of nowhere. “Stop flirting and sit down somewhere. You’re pissing me off, hovering around like that.”

Cairo feels his face flush red. “I wasn’t-“

“He wasn’t flirting,” Jangmi tuts, playfully. “He’s just a gentleman.” She reaches out to pinch Cairo’s cheek between her knuckles, and he flinches away with a start. She frowns, apologetically, but doesn’t say anything more.

The door slides open again, and Cairo thinks he’s been rescued from the embarrassment until he turns around and it’s not Ohyeon standing in the frame. Instead, a stressed out intern with a phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder thrusts two trays of takeout coffee into his arms, setting back off down the corridor in a flurry of hand motions and half-sentences Cairo doesn’t understand.

Before he can even make sense of what just happened, the staff flock around him like hungry seagulls, plucking each plastic cup from it’s cardboard until only one remains.

It’s not for Cairo. The manager just expects Cairo to bring it to him.

“Is it hot?” He asks. Cairo wraps his hand around the cup and nods his head yes. “Sugar?” The manager’s eyebrows raise. There’s a sachet of sugar on top of the cup. Cairo lifts it up and shows it to him. “I take my coffee with sugar.” The manager reiterates.

Cairo smiles tightly. “Yes, sir.” He says, placing the coffee down on Jangmi’s table and popping the lid off it. He wonders, briefly, if Timmy from Hysterical has to prepare his manager’s coffee.

“So were you just being a ‘gentleman’ when you were chatting up Bouquet this morning?” The manager asks. Cairo winces.

“One of those girls was in my class at school.” He says. “I just wanted to tell her congratulations on her debut. Her song is really good.”

“Right. If she was you guys’ classmate, didn’t the other one want to say hello to her?”

“Ohyeon and I didn’t get along with the same people in school.”

“That’s no surprise, is it?” The manager scoffs. Cairo bites his tongue. “Look, don’t you start getting involved with girls, okay? My job is hard enough as it is thanks to Park Ohyeon.”

“Yes, sir.” Cairo says, ripping the sachet open and pouring the sugar in. He leaves the lid behind as he picks up the cup, trying his best to force his hand not to shake.

“How that kid got cast in the first place is a mystery. How’d they expect him to behave? No dad and his mom is a junkie. It’s just asking for trouble.”

Cairo keeps his head down, and just walks forward.

“If you’re gonna work with kids, you have to account for the fact they’ll act like kids sometimes.” Jangmi pipes up. “I think you took it too far, today. He smoked a cigarette cause he’s fifteen and the only thing you guys ever do is give him restrictions.”

“Last I checked, I signed up to work in artist management, not childcare.” The manager says. “That kid looks at me with such hate in his eyes. It felt good to smack him.”

When Cairo’s at his last footstep towards the couch, he kicks his left foot out and drives his big toe into it’s leg. “Ouch!” He yells out, a little too stiff to be anything other than performance, and bends forward on impact, tipping the coffee cup upside down and pouring it’s boiling contents straight into his manager’s lap.

He doesn’t know what possessed him to do it, just that he and Ohyeon shouldn’t be treated the way they are, and it made him mad. When the manager springs out of seat with a howl, red faced and furious, Cairo springs straight away into a flurry of bows and apologies, working himself up to tears as the gravity sets in on what he’d just done. As he begs for forgiveness, Jangmi backs him up; claims she saw the whole thing and it was indisputably an accident.

But Cairo still goes home with a black eye, and when he says goodnight to Ohyeon he gets no response. And even though nobody knows about the cellphone he keeps hidden under his mattress, he tosses the little piece of paper in his pocket in the wastebin without saving the girl from Bouquet’s number.

STK lasts another week.

AGE SEVENTEEN.

“No, honestly, it’s fine.” Cairo says into his phone. “I’ll eat here.”

There’s a swollen silence in the car; he’s not sure if the others can hear his dad’s response through it. Nobody’s really said anything at all.

“I said I'm fine.” He says, a little too curtly. From the driver’s seat, he feels Kyung cutting eyes at him. He draws his shoulders in slightly, making himself smaller, and looks out the window. “I'm just going to stay up studying with Ohyeon. His mom will drive us to the exam tomorrow. — Yeah. — Okay. — Mhm. — Yes, dad, I'll text you after. It’ll be fine, I'm actually feeling pretty confident. — I'm not just saying that. — I mean... whatever. — Yeah. — Bye. — You too.”

He hangs up his phone and drops it into his lap. It's dark enough outside that the car window may as well be a mirror, and he sees it when Kyung, one of the older trainees and the only friend Cairo had who owned a car, opens his mouth to say something. It looks like it’s going to be a question, so Cairo pulls his hood up and settles his head against the window, eyes fluttering shut. Kyung must take the hint, because the car inflates once more with silence.

“Thanks for coming to get us.” Ohyeon says, some minutes after. Cairo keeps his eyes closed. Kyung doesn’t respond straight away; as if he’s formulating the words first.

“It's okay.” He says. This time, it doesn’t sound like a question is coming. He must be curious, though - neither of them had offered any explanation for the current state they’re in; and Ohyeon’s call had been hasty. Panicked. Cairo’s eyes creak open. His finger traces over the scrape on his knee; through a hole busted out of his school slacks.

Neither of them really want to talk about it. Through the rearview mirror, Cairo can see Ohyeon in the seat behind him. A bruise is already blossoming underneath his eye. Ohyeon had grown into a face that anything could look pretty on. Cairo had painted bruises onto Ohyeon’s face before; makeup for a school play. He'd joked about how it made him look rugged and sexy. Not when it’s a real bruise. Ohyeon is a nice kid, and not for the first time, Cairo wonders what he’s gotten him into. He looks away quickly.

Kyung pulls up outside of Ohyeon’s apartment building. For a minute, nobody moves, but as Cairo goes to unbuckle his seatbelt, Kyung clears his throat uncomfortably.

“I-” Cairo starts, though Kyung cuts him off with a shake of his head.

“I can pretend to be a parent on the phone. Vouch for you guys.” He says. “If you want to call in sick tomorrow. I'll pretend I gave you both food poisoning.”

“It's the exam.” Ohyeon cuts in, unbuckling his seatbelt and sliding into the middle seat, stationed between them. He runs a hand through his hair, slumping back against the fabric seats of Kyung’s hand-me-down car. He worries his bottom lip for a second. Cairo looks at him through the mirror, sees him mentally weigh up his options. “If we don’t show up, that’s that. No university.”

“Thanks anyway.” Cairo says shortly, unbuckling his seatbelt and pulling the car door open. Ohyeon hangs back even as Cairo slams the door shut. He knows he’s being rude. Usually he’d try not to. He walks the length of the front garden outside Ohyeon’s apartment complex; and turns and rests against the doorframe. Kyung and Ohyeon discuss something in the car with serious expressions on their faces, and Cairo reaches into the school blazer he’s wearing over his hoodie and pulls out a half empty carton of cigarettes and a lighter.

By the time Ohyeon gets out of the car, Cairo’s smoked half of a cigarette. It’s plucked from his lips when Ohyeon reaches him, stubbed prematurely out beneath the boy’s shoe. “Hypocrite.” He mutters quietly, unlocking the door and pushing in.

��Your friend is gonna pick us up in the morning.” Ohyeon says as they finish the silent hike up to his floor. As soon as they enter his family’s apartment, he shrugs off his blazer, making his way to the small laundry room. Cairo follows. “My mom is... you know. She’s gone again.”

Cairo just makes a noise. It’s not that he doesn’t know what to say; it’s that he knows to say nothing. Ohyeon doesn’t like to talk about it. “That's nice of him.” he says, instead. Ohyeon hums.

“Yeah. Maybe you could thank him for it this time.” Ohyeon says, but there’s no real bite to it. Cairo just shrugs, looking back down at his fingernails. Ohyeon begins to pull off his shirt. Blood had dropped down from his burst lip, dotted it in red that’s already starting to dry a little brownish. “Give me your clothes.” He says as he tosses it, alongside his blazer, into the washing machine. He stands up to strip from his slacks, and Cairo empties his pockets before stripping down to his underwear too.

Usually, it was him doing all the talking, and Ohyeon was the quiet one. but this is just how they deal with things. Cairo shuts off and Ohyeon grasps for control.

Ohyeon sighs as he notices the hole in Cairo's pants. he sets them to one side, and Cairo feels a little stupid hanging around in his underwear, so he takes his phone from his pile of things, tucks it into his waistband, and goes to Ohyeon’s room to wait. He detours by the kitchen first, though, and snatches a bag of frozen french fries from the freezer on his way.

He stands in front of the slim, full length mirror on Ohyeon’s wall, and he’s only trying to look at the scrape on his knee, but he notices bruises developing all up his side. He hadn’t expected them to be there. They don’t hurt until he touches them, and then he can’t forget they’re there. He rifles through Ohyeon’s top drawer and pulls out a pair of fluffy, Super Mario print pyjama bottoms. At the sight of them, for the first time tonight, Cairo smiles a little, so he puts them on. They sit high above his ankles, but there’s nothing to be done about that.

Ohyeon enters the bedroom with Cairo’s pants over his arm. Cairo throws the bag of french fries to him. He isn’t great at aiming at the best of times, and he misses his shot. They land somewhere behind Ohyeon. It would have probably been funny if Cairo was in a better mood. “Your face is gonna swell up.” He says as Ohyeon bends down to pick it up.

Ohyeon holds the bag to his cheek silently, dropping the trousers onto the floor as he goes to rifle through his drawers, one-handedly searching for something. Cairo sits on the bed and takes his phone from his boxers. Kyung has texted him, ‘I’m always here.’ It promises. Cairo will reply with a message of gratitude when, no doubt, he rereads it later and feels gratitude. Right now, he simply reads it. One of his classmates has also sent him a message, telling him to kick ass tomorrow with a fist emoji and a thousand thumbs up. awful timing, nice sentiment. Cairo sends him a thumbs up in return.

“Hold this up for me.” Ohyeon says, and Cairo looks up from his phone to see the blurry list of ingredients in french fries. He takes the bag and Ohyeon, now dressed in a matching pyjama set with a button-up shirt and everything, turns around only to sit down between his legs. Cairo leans his chin on Ohyeon's shoulder- the side of his face that isn’t hurt. Ohyeon must have been looking for a sewing kit; because he’s already turned Cairo’s pants inside out, attempting to sew closed the tear. Gingerly, Cairo holds the fries up to Ohyeon’s face. Impatiently, Ohyeon leans his head into it, as if to assure Cairo it doesn’t hurt.

And they sit there. Ohyeon sews, occasionally muttering under his breath or jabbing himself in the fingertip, and Cairo holds the frozen fries until his hand goes completely numb. And neither of them say a word to each other until Ohyeon breaks the thread with his teeth.

He turns the pants back the right way around; and Cairo feels him physically deflate at the very obvious seam he’s stitched into the knee of the slacks. Cairo doesn’t know what Ohyeon expected, but even he’s not tactless enough to ask. “Shit.” Ohyeon says.

And it’s with that he crumbles, tossing the pants onto the floor and dissolving into a mess of tears. “I don't know how to do this.” He sobs, and he’s talking about sewing, but also about everything else in the world. Cairo puts the fries down and gently moves to sit beside him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. He rubs his hand up and down Ohyeon’s back, fingers gently scratching the top of his nape. And he feels himself choke up, but he doesn’t let himself cry; because he doesn't do that and he’d already let Ohyeon take control and try to be strong and now it was his turn.

“But you did it.” Cairo says, in a hushed tone. “You fixed it.”

“Not properly.” Ohyeon hiccups.

And Cairo says, “It’ll do for now.”

AGE EIGHTEEN.

Cairo’s muscles are on fire; jolts of pain shooting up his legs each time his battered sneakers stomp down onto the wooden floor. Which is disproportionately often, because he’s running through the same outro to SHINee’s Sherlock for what has to be the fortieth time in the past hour.

“Stop,” The choreographer barks. The gaggle of boys gathered in the dance studio collectively groan. Cairo can’t join them in that, for a few different reasons, and so he keeps his expression stony as he stares past his instructor, into his own reflection in the mirror. It feels like he’s straining his body just to stay upright. Sweat plasters his hair to his forehead, his chest rising and falling quick and irregular. For a second, as he notices that there’s no pattern to the breaths he’s taking, he begins to panic, wondering if he’s about to pass out. He realizes that he can feel his heartbeat in his ears and he can’t remember if that’s a sign of a heart attack or a stroke or neither, and then a disembodied voice yells out ‘Again!’ again, so his body just starts to move.

He doesn’t look back to Ohyeon, though he knows he’s the one messing up. He doesn’t look at any of the other boys, either, though he knows they probably hate him right now. They’d been a well-oiled machine. Ohyeon may be the spanner, but Cairo had thrown it. He keeps his eyes on his own reflection, and looks at his angles, the placement of his feet, the distance between where he is now and where he needs to be in three seconds. All mathematics and nothing emotional or poetic.

“Stop!” Is once more called before the end of the section. The music cuts out abruptly. “Everyone take a break. Ohyeon, stay there.”

A mixture of dread and guilt settles in Cairo’s stomach, and he wishes he could say it’s unfamiliar. This was far from the first time Ohyeon had been singled out since he started training, and Cairo knows what’s coming.

As everyone collapses along the benches of the room, Cairo lingers, turning to the instructor with an apprehensive smile. “Sir, I can help Ohyeon, I think I know what the problem is-”

“Go sit down.” The instructor dismisses, barely throwing him a glance.

“But I think I can help, so-” As he’s protesting, the instructor lifts his hand, and before he realizes what he’s doing, Cairo flinches. The hand finishes its journey, fixing the flicked up edge of the collar of the instructor’s polo-shirt. He fixes Cairo with a firm look, and he knows to shut up, bowing his head and pretending like his knees don’t feel as if they’re being pulled apart as he bends to sit down on the bench.

The instructor takes a few paces forward, stopping in front of a nervous looking Ohyeon. His eyes dart around the room and eventually settle on Cairo, who wants to look away but can’t. He just hold’s Ohyeon’s stare, trying not to scare him even more by looking nervous.

“One… two…” The instructor begins to count for Ohyeon, but Ohyeon doesn’t pick up the hint. Instead, he just stands like a deer in the headlights, staring dumbly at the instructor with his lips parted.

“What?” He asks, panicked, as the instructor passes four and a look of irritation grows on his face. “I don’t know what you-”

“Hey, Kim Ohyeon, are you slow or something?” The instructor asks. Ohyeon just blinks up at him, too put on the spot to use rational thought and figure out what he was being told to do. “You’re at dance practice. I want you to fucking dance. One. Two…”

This time, Ohyeon begins to sloppily cycle through the choreography. His limbs tremble with nerves and he can’t pick a spot to train his eyes on, so his balance is thrown. It doesn’t take a full count for him to mess up, misplacing his foot. It lands clumsy and twists his ankle in a direction it shouldn’t go, and he yelps in pain.

Nobody asks if Ohyeon is okay, nor do they show any emotion at all. Cairo, along with the rest of the boys, just look on. It’s not like Ohyeon is given a moment to dwell on his ankle anyway. With a sick crack, the instructor’s palm strikes across Ohyeon’s cheek. It lands with such force that it topples him over, overtired and weak to begin with, and he crumples to the floor.

“Get up.” The instructor spits. Ohyeon stares down at the wooden floor for a few seconds, breathing deeply through his nose. He stands, staring back at the instructor with a rageful look on his boyish face, jaw jutting out. It’s ill-fitting on him, he’s as intimidating as a vengeful toddler, but it seems to piss the instructor off all the same. The count starts again, and this time Ohyeon makes it through one count, even though each time he plants a foot down Cairo can see him grimace and hear him wince. It’s a pathetic display, but he’s doing it.

The instructor starts back from one, and Ohyeon is somehow taken off guard by that, a moment’s hesitation pulls him out of time and he starts to lag behind. The instructor lets him hit one move late, but when the next goes the same way, his fist drives out and strikes Ohyeon dead in the stomach.

Beside Cairo, one of the other newer boys takes in a shaky breath of surprise. Cairo doesn’t. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before.

Ohyeon doubles over, clutching at his abdomen and groaning in pain.

“Straighten up.” The instructor barks.

“I can’t.” Ohyeon wheezes out, choking on his words. He’s winded. Cairo suddenly feels something catch in his throat, as if someone had reached down and pulled him from the thick, viscous sludge of his own blankness. The guilt crashes all at once, because he did this. He brought him here. Ohyeon has yet to look up from the floor, and the edges of his words are ragged and pushed out. “Please, I can’t.”

The instructor rolls his neck, looking towards Cairo pointedly. “You, you think you know how to help. Why don’t you tell us what’s wrong with him?”

Cairo splutters, shaking his hands no, but every pair of eyes in the room turn to look at him, and the face the instructor is making tells him that if he doesn’t speak now, he’ll be in for the exact same fate. “Uh.” He sighs a heavy sigh, one of defeat, and says, “Well, I think… um, I think that maybe he’s struggling to keep rhythm. Because there was a similar issue in-”

“See that, Ohyeon? Your friend says you have no sense of rhythm. Straighten up and do it again.”

Cairo winces at the way his words are twisted. He’d tried his best to word it gently, but he should have known what trap he was being led into. Ohyeon’s head snaps around and he glares at Cairo. There’s a wealth of emotion in there that Cairo doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to fully understand. Cairo wants to say sorry, he wants to stick up for Ohyeon, to push himself off of the bench and sock the dance instructor clean in the face. But even if his legs didn’t feel like they were made of lead, he wouldn’t be able to. He’s not even fully sure why. Maybe he just doesn’t have the balls to. He should have kept his mouth shut and taken the beating.

With a jagged wince of pain, Ohyeon stands as straight as he can manage, his bottom lip trembling as he tries to keep his composure. That same petulant look remains in his eyes, puffy, red and pathetic but not betraying his anger for a second. All of the color in his face has drained away. He looks dead on his feet.

“One…” The instructor starts.

Ohyeon doesn’t even make it to two. He has to move his body quickly, and when he does, he immediately lurches forward, hunching over and emptying his stomach out onto the shiny laminate flooring.

The smell hits Cairo’s nose straight away, churning his own stomach. He wants to look away but he can’t bring himself even to move his eyes. One of the other boys; Chiwon, he’d been here the longest out of everyone. He makes a noise that’s somewhere between a laugh and a wretch of his own.

“Fuck, Ohyeon,” he groans. “It stunk enough in here already.”

The instructor just stares on, face unreadable. For a second, Cairo begins to fear that he’s going to do something truly terrible, but he just sighs, looking back to Cairo.

“Take him back to the dorm.” He says, exasperated. The fact that he’d see this as an annoyance is as surprising as his complete lack of concern.

Ohyeon had squatted down, burying his face in his hands. Cairo approaches him slowly, doing his best not to react as the gets closer to the foul smell, leaning down and rubbing a hand along Ohyeon’s back.

“Can you stand?” He asks, quietly, only for Ohyeon to hear. Ohyeon nods. He glances at Cairo, and Cairo catches sight of his bottom lip trembling. “Don’t cry,” he all but whispers, rubbing a circle onto Ohyeon’s back. “Hold it in, trust me.”

Ohyeon pushes himself onto his knees, huffing quietly as Cairo scrambled to try and help him up in the process.

“I’m fine,” He mutters, voice warping, as he gets himself to his feet, shoving Cairo off of him. He pushes past him, wobbling out of the practice room with a painful hunch and little dignity.

As soon as the heavy door slams shut, Chiwon breaks out into a snicker. “Your boyfriend really can’t dance for shit, Cairo.”

Cairo does his best to keep his expression level and not smash Chiwon’s face in. He ignores him, following Ohyeon out into the hall.

He hears a slam down the corridor, and it’s obvious that Ohyeon has fled to the bathroom. On his way after him, Cairo stops in front of one of the forbidden vending machines, right outside the bathroom door. He’s not allowed to eat nor drink anything they carry, but the trainers aren’t really allowed to hit them, either, and so he buys a can of Coca-Cola. As it thunks loudly to the bottom of the machine, he hears a muffled scoff over the sound of running water, and laughs quietly to himself even though nothing is very funny at all.

He finds Ohyeon in the bathroom, swirling water around his mouth and spitting it back out with tears streaming down his cheeks. It’s charitable to call it a room; it’s more like a closet with a toilet and a sink in it, and a lock on the door that jams half of the times you use it and leaves you trapped and banging on the door for help.

Ohyeon turns to look at him, and frowns. “You stopped to get a drink?” He asks, scathingly, despite having declined help in the first place.

“It’s for you, dumbass.” Cairo says, stepping properly into the room.

Ohyeon scrunches his face up and turns back to the mirror. “Yeah, I’m really not thirsty.”

Cairo snorts, taking Ohyeon by the shoulder and twisting him around to face him. As delicately as he can manage, he wipes his tears away with the sleeve of his ratty old hoodie and holds the cold Coke can up to Ohyeon’s reddening cheek. “Dumbass.” He reiterates.

“Why did you suggest I replace Kyung-nim?” Ohyeon asks. “I wasn’t even that good at dancing as a kid.”

Cairo doesn’t have to think about it. “We needed a really good singer.”

Ohyeon rolls his eyes. “You have Lee Bohyung.”

Cairo laughs. “Yeah, but even he can’t make up for Chiwon and me alone.”

Ohyeon meets Cairo’s eyes as he laughs. A few beats pass before he talks again.

“Isn’t it kinda funny how wherever I follow you, I get beaten up?” Ohyeon says, offering a smile up to Cairo that doesn’t meet his eyes. His voice is small, so quiet that it doesn’t even echo off the bathroom walls.

“You keep on following, though.” Cairo says, softly rolling the Coke can against Ohyeon’s cheek, just by a few centimeters, to where it somehow felt colder on his fingertips. It’s so cold that it’s starting to hurt his hand, but he doesn’t move an inch. He’s not sure why, but he's trying to keep his voice low too, although it rumbles uncomfortably in his throat and the bass still reverbs against the cold, empty walls. He’s never known how to be gentle like Ohyeon. “You in love with me, or something?”

The words are clumsy. Run through no filter and only said in good fun. For some reason, though, there’s a weird heaviness to them. Ohyeon looks up at him for a few seconds, through his big eyes, and Cairo suddenly feels aware of him in a way that he never had. Aware of how close they were standing to each other, of how isolated they are, how easy it would be right now; for them to do something that nobody would ever find out about.

Ohyeon reaches up, and plucks the Coke can out of Cairo’s hand. He turns back around, holding the chilled metal back up to his blooming bruise, and answers Cairo through the mirror.

“I just get homesick without you.”

AGE NINETEEN.

“Yo, Cairo,” Ohyeon says, knocking his shoulder against Cairo’s. He stumbles to the side as he walks. He’s been swaying to and fro the whole way- Cairo had hoped that the crisp air of nighttime would sober him up a little, but that seems to be a losing battle. “Y’know what’s funny?”

Cairo doesn’t ask. Ohyeon’s footsteps are sloppy and a part of him wants to reach out to steady him, but he’s decided to let Ohyeon sleep in the bed he’s made. Experience has proven that when he falls, he’s going to take Cairo down with him.

“C’mon,” He huffs. Cairo turns to look at him. His cheeks are rosy from the cold. He’d refused to take a jacket and his loose fitting t-shirt offers no insulation. It’d trigger some kind of sympathy if Cairo didn’t feel so smug about the warmth of his favorite parka, which Ohyeon had spent about five minutes chiding for being boring and unfashionable. “Don’t ignore me.”

“It’d better actually be funny, then.” Cairo says.

“It’s not, like, actually funny. But, like, it’s a weird… thing.” Ohyeon talks with his hands a lot now. He’d started it kind of recently, or maybe Cairo had only just taken notice of it. It’s annoying.

“Fine, what?” Cairo says. He’s not being cold on purpose, maybe he wouldn’t have minded being called in the middle of the night to find a drunk and lost Ohyeon if he’d at least been met with an apology, but Ohyeon was yet to show any remorse at all.

“I just always thought that I would be like… I dunno. The one who did well at this.”

Cairo stops walking, his eyebrow quirking upwards. It takes a second for Ohyeon to notice - he takes another wobbly step before he twists around, a confused look on his face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cairo asks, feeling a spike of indignation. Something pathetic lurks in the bottom of his stomach.

Ohyeon doesn’t seem to pick up on any offense, and shrugs his shoulders. “Y’know. Performing, and stuff. I guess before STK, I just assumed I’d be better at it than you. Does that make me a dick?”

Cairo reaches into the deep pocket of his parka and pulls out his carton of cigarettes. Ohyeon rolls his eyes and hugs himself, but Cairo lets him suffer in the cold as he lights up his cigarette. He takes a draw before he moves forward again, passing Ohyeon, though he soon stumbles into step.

“Yeah, kinda.” Cairo says. It sounds way more defensive than he thinks he meant it to, and he feels embarrassment creeping up the back of his neck. It’s just a stupid thing to ask, really.

“I mean…” Ohyeon trails off. “Look, I’m not saying I don’t think you’re good. You’re way better than me. It’s just that in school… no offense, but you weren’t a very good student. And I was. So I guess I just...”

“I’m still waiting for the punchline, Ohyeon.”

“Right,” Ohyeon nods in recollection, bashfully scratching at the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry, I guess it’s not very funny after all.”

“So that’s why you’re out getting wasted on a Thursday night? Cause you’re not top of the class anymore?”

“It’s just hard. Having it all dangle on a thread like this.” Ohyeon sighs.

“Yeah, it fucking sucks.” Cairo concurs bluntly, shrugging his shoulders. “But you just have to get on with it. We’re putting hard work in now cause we’ll be rich and famous later.”

“Yeah, sure,” Ohyeon says, a little curtly. He wanders out a bit too far into the road for Cairo’s liking, and Cairo breaks resolve to catch the sleeve of Ohyeon’s t-shirt between his fingers and pull him back up onto the pavement. He continues talking as if nothing had happened. “All of our coaches said training was hard, but it’d be worth it when we debuted. Now that we’ve debuted, it’s like, the rookie years are always tough, but we’ll reap the benefits later if we work hard enough. So later, when it’s time to reap them, is that when it’s gonna be fun? Will it ever be fun? Will we even last that long?”

“If you’re not having fun, maybe it’s just not for you.”

Ohyeon’s head lolls up to look at him, fixing him with a scowl. “You are so brainwashed, dude.” He says.

“I’m not,” Cairo says, pushing out a laugh to disguise the twang of offense in his tone. “I’m not being a dick, it’s just… I think you’re fatigued and burnt out, and that’s kinda normal, but if you really do hate doing all of this dancing and exercising then… I mean, that’s the job, dude.”

“But you have to realize that they’re taking things too far.” Ohyeon says, a mounting frustration in his voice that makes Cairo belatedly realize that an honest response wasn’t really the move here. “The conditions that we’re working in are not humane- like, not legal, at all-”

“Yeah. Ohyeon.” Cairo cuts in. “That’s the job. It’s not like the fact idols are overworked is the industry’s best kept secret. You were aware. Even at thirteen, dude, you knew what was coming. And I’m not telling you to suck it up or anything, I’m just telling you that you didn’t have to take the job in the first place. You passed the university entrance exam. I didn’t, most of the others aren’t even qualified to sit it. You have options that most of us don’t. Did you even actually think about whether or not this is something you want to do for the next seven years, or are you just here as a favor to me?”

Ohyeon quirks an eyebrow, laughs quietly to himself, and doesn’t answer the question. Instead, he stomps into a wobbly salute, chilly fingers trembling before his brow.

“I’ll work hard, leader-nim!”

Cairo scoffs, and just keeps walking.

AGE TWENTY.

Cairo knows that Ohyeon is crying. That’s why he’s refusing to turn around.

“It’s not that bad,” he says. His voice is too gruff; he doesn’t sound confident at all. Ohyeon sniffs, and mutters out a small and empty noise of affirmation, agreeing without pretending to agree in the slightest. It’s a pitiful interaction and neither of them feel any better for it. Cairo drops a sloppily folded t-shirt into his suitcase and gets back to packing up his dorm room. “I mean at least it’s not a shock. The writing was on the wall.”

“I just really thought it would be worth it this time.” Ohyeon says, defeated. Cairo clears his throat roughly, pulling a sweater from it’s hanger and balling it up.

“You can’t be like this in front of the others,” Cairo says, still looking anywhere but Ohyeon. “It’ll make things ten times worse. At least we’re still signed.”

Ohyeon’s sniffling halts for a second. “You’re seriously staying?”

Cairo looks over his shoulder at him, finally. His eyes are puffy and swollen, and he’s wearing the grief plainly on his face as if someone had died. “You’re seriously not?” Cairo asks, equally incredulous. “What, we’re gonna quit in solidarity?”

“Well, isn’t that the human thing to do? HMT is a fucking circus, they beat us black and blue and then tossed us to the curb because they couldn’t manage their own finances.” Ohyeon screws his face up, “They filled those boys' heads with promises they knew they couldn’t keep. Why the fuck would I stick around here?”

“It’s not gonna be HMT anymore. We just got a free ride into the biggest label in the country. And those boys spent months campaigning to kick you out,” Cairo puffs out a laugh, shaking his head. “Fuck, Ohyeon, believe me when I say you’ll regret playing martyr. For who? For Chiwon?”

Ohyeon stares at him for a few seconds, shaking his head slowly. “God,” He mutters. “You’re totally fucking brainwashed.”

“You’ve said that so many times it’s lost all meaning,” is all Cairo has to say. There’s a part of him that truly wonders if Ohyeon has it in him to be an idol. His sense of justice might just be too strong. Cairo doesn’t know what it says about him that he can accept so many things that Ohyeon can’t seem to get over. Judging by the cards they’d been dealt by life, you’d think Cairo would be the idealistic one.

“So that’s it, then, you’re gonna stay here?”

“What else is there to do? Eight years, Ohyeon. We’ve been trying to do this for eight years now. If we give up here, that’s it. We’re just done.”

Ohyeon doesn’t say anything, just sits on his bed, next to his still empty suitcase, crying in vain. Cairo continues to pack and keeps his eyes pointed anywhere else. When Ohyeon speaks, he sounds more defeated than ever. “It’s already done, isn’t it? We’ve had more disbandments than albums, now. Even if they mean it when they say they’re gonna debut us again, even if they do, what if we’re just gonna be the laughing stock of the industry forever?”

Cairo sighs. “I dunno. I don’t know, man, what if we aren’t? Isn’t it worth trying?”

Ohyeon drops his face into his palms. “I just don’t think I have it in me, anymore.” He mutters.

“We were thirteen years old when they put us together. We’ve been fighting for this since then.” Cairo sits down on his bed, finally facing Ohyeon. He rests his elbows in his knees, hands folding in the space between, and he puffs out almost a decade’s worth of pressure and stress. “I don’t wanna do this if it’s not with you.”

Ohyeon’s eyes dart down to the floor, and a sigh of his own leaves him, heavy and tired. “I’m sorry.” He says.

Cairo stands, and slams his suitcase shut. Ohyeon begins to pack, and gives up.

AGE TWENTY-ONE.

“So when you go out there, you’re gonna wanna walk to the center of the stage. Stay there for a bit, don’t sit down straight away. Let the camera get a few shots of you looking out in wonder and stuff, alright? Remember, this is your last chance at making your dreams come true or whatever, so look like you wanna be here.”

“Right,” Cairo answers, not even sure where the voice is coming from amongst the throng of stylists pulling at his hair and slapping his face with powder puffs.

“In the case of an accident, your company is liable for any damages caused to the set or your person, so do take that into consideration,”

“I thought I was just choosing a seat-”

“Okay, we’re all set, so whenever you’re ready…” The stylists scurry away just in time for Cairo to see the stage hand gesture awkwardly towards the stage, and then curl her hand into a fist in silent encouragement. He takes a deep breath, and walks out onto the set.

He’d seen the set already; everyone had, it was the only room big enough in the studio space to gather them all to brief them on today's filming. Still, he gives a clumsy display of awe as he looks out at the pyramid of chairs, muttering ‘wow’ over and over again to himself, in a manner that he’s sure will only serve to make him look like a moron. Acting had never been a strong suit of his. From his first footstep, the other contestants break out into a flurry of muttering. Amongst the chatter, he picks out all of the usual topics of conversation. Two little kids. A group named Lux, or something? Their song was kind of… I remember his deep voice, he’s kind of handsome, he was a flop. Again? Why?

He knows better than to take it personally. He’d been fitted with an earpiece and warned that producers may funnel in suggestions for his commentary after he takes his seat and watches the other contestants. And before coming to the show, he’d been sat down by his new CEO and warned that the judges would be extra harsh to him, that the other boys would seem standoffish and that he had to endure it all with a smile. It was all part of a bigger plan.

And Yang Yeowoon had leaned over his writing desk, rich and handsome and privileged, and told Cairo that ‘everyone favours the underdog.’

So Cairo reaches center stage, and above him an LED screen tags him with the words ‘PANTHEON ENTERTAINMENT,’ grand and lofty, so much of a force in this industry that association with them guaranteed a starting fanbase and a big budget debut. Guaranteed more reach than some of these boys could ever dream of. He stands there, with his big label and his childhood full of vacations and the latest toys and the coolest sneakers, with his surgeon mother and private school teacher father, and he thinks of a boy he grew up with.

A boy who was always small, who’s face looked younger than his age. A boy who’d come to school in unwashed clothes, sit alone in the cafeteria and wolf down his lunch as if it was the first meal of his life. He’d be given all of the same opportunities as Cairo but be given none of the space to develop, none of the grace to improve. They’d beat him up and call him names, and they’d let everyone else in the world do the same, day in and day out, for the duration of his career and still after it’s collapse. A boy who would be bullied from his first day of elementary school, unrelentingly, for his entire youth; until he had no choice but to erase all evidence of himself and just hide.

As Cairo steps down from the stage, and ascends the staircase, past every row of stairs until he reaches the top, where a large, decorative chair boasts the #1 rank; a show of confidence choreographed by his label, he thinks, bitterly, that in real life, nobody favours the fucking underdog.

The night he wins, Cairo goes to bed early.

He was excited of course, but he’d be lying if he said it was a surprise. He’d been told by Pantheon from the very beginning to expect that he’d be debuting in the project group. He doesn’t know how much influence they had on that exactly, but he imagines that some money had changed hands.

The rest of the winning team had gone out for a drink, and Cairo suspects that it may paint him in a bad light that he didn’t join them. But he has a stronger feeling that this might be the last chance he gets to get a full night’s rest for a while; and it already feels like months since his last one of those. He’ll find his own way to celebrate, somehow. It’s a big deal, what just happened. He knows that, and he wants desperately to be happy about it, to have reacted like his to-be groupmates, collapsing into tears of gratitude, catching one another’s eyes and laughing in wonder at what they’d just achieved. He feels robbed, slightly, of any sense of pride or accomplishment, and he can’t help but wonder if he would have been able to do this on his own. Is he guilty? Does he even care? He’s yet to figure that out.

For now, his primary concern is getting to sleep.

The exhaustion had been heavy all day; it had taken an age to film the finale; but his three performances of the night paled in comparison to the drain on his energy from standing around waiting for names to be called all night. The liveshow aired for almost four hours, and he’d been on his feet on standby for at least two and a half beforehand. The balls of his feet, his knees, his lower back; all of them ached; and he’d been tossing and turning all night, trying to find a position to lie in where something didn’t hurt. It was just Cairo’s luck, really. God had a mean streak when it came to his sleep schedule.

With a sigh of frustration, he pulls his phone from underneath his pillow. The screen almost blinds him, and it takes all of his self control not to launch it against the wall when his eyes adjust and it tells him that it’s already four in the morning.

For a few seconds, he just stares at his phone. From his lock screen, Yang Minji looks up at him, mid-sentence and blurry. It’s his favorite picture of her, although she tells him to change it every time she sees it. He supposes that he’ll have to now, because people will start paying attention to him again, and she has a lot more to lose than he does.

Minji had been the best thing about the switch to Pantheon, though Cairo had noticed her long before he had ever signed. He’d seen her at music shows plenty of times, but she’d never so much as glanced in VoX’s direction. Everyone he asked about her called her a bitch, but Cairo still liked her. He thinks she’s the first girl he’s ever just looked at and gotten nervous, at least since he grew out of being nervous to talk to any girl at all. Even now, having slept over at Slumber Party’s dorm four or five times, he still catches his palms sweating around her, and finds himself worrying about whether or not she thinks he’s cool, and when he’s going to shatter that illusion and show her what a loser he really is. He’d never felt that way about a girl before, and it isn’t the best idea to date her, because her father is Yang Yeowoon; she’s his boss's daughter- but that just makes it feel even more exciting.

As his screen dims, Cairo feels his eyelids grow heavy. For a few minutes, he finally drifts off. Behind his eyelashes, fragments of scenes begin to build in his head, Minji and the way it feels to kiss her, the straps of her dress slipping from her shoulders, acrylic nails cold on flushed skin, the ends of her hair brushing across his bare chest; and then just as it starts to get really fun, he wakes with a start as his phone begins to buzz violently in his hand.

“Hello?” Cairo answers the call without even registering the name displayed, blinking heavily and cringing at the stale taste of interrupted sleep in his mouth.

“First fucking place,” A voice responds, soft and quiet, and ill-fittingly bitter.

Cairo freezes. Just like that, he’s wide awake, composing himself only enough to ask; “Ohyeon?”

“Now how’d you… as a rapper on a singing competition…” Ohyeon’s words are interrupted with a hiccup, and it becomes strikingly clear what he’s doing up so late. “How in the hell did you manage that?”

“Have you been drinking?” Cairo deflects.

“Yeah, so what? I’m not an idol. I can do… I can do whatever the fuck I want. I don’t need to ask my leader for permission anymore, so I just do whatever I want. Do you know what I want to do?”

“What?” Cairo asks, closing his eyes.

“Fuck men. That’s what. I mean, I do do it. I fuck men, now, that’s what I do,” Cairo can tell by now, when Ohyeon is spiralling. He’s not even listening to himself, he’s just talking. He has so much resentment within him that he can’t sort it out even enough to focus on which part is making him mad.

“I know.” Is all Cairo says.

“You do?” For a second Ohyeon seems caught off-guard, but it doesn’t last for long. “So that’s why you haven’t spoken to me since I left. What, are you disgusted by me? Do you hate me now, Cairo? Since you hate faggots so much.”

“I don’t hate f-… gay people, Ohyeon.” Cairo sighs deeply. A strange feeling rests itself on his chest, pushing him into his mattress. Like a gargoyle grinning down at him, it’s clawed toes puncturing his sternum. This has always been the feeling Cairo hates most in the world. “I know I said some shitty things when I was a kid-”

“Like that you wouldn’t go near one in case they felt you up-“

“I was just repeating what I heard older boys say, okay? I’m sorry, Ohyeon. I really, really am. I’m sorry for saying those things to you, and I’m sorry for making you feel like you couldn’t tell me. But I’ve known for a long time, okay? I don’t give a fuck that you’re gay. You’re my fucking brother, man.”

Ohyeon is silent. It’s obvious that he was expecting this conversation to go another way, and that hurts Cairo; it makes him wonder just how awful he had really been. “Okay,” Ohyeon finally mutters.

“Wanna go back to what’s really bothering you?” Cairo suggests. “You called me drunk in the middle of the night to accuse me of cheating, not to come out to me, right?”

“Accuse?” Ohyeon scoffs. “Please, don’t tell me you’re going to deny it. I think I’ll go insane if you deny it.”

“You could be right here with me, Ohyeon.” Cairo reminds him. “Pantheon gave you the same chance they gave me.”

“You know what kills me, Cairo? What really, really fucking kills me?” Cairo doesn’t answer. Ohyeon waits for him, but Cairo already knows that he doesn’t want to hear it. The static on the phone crackles for a few seconds before Ohyeon decides he doesn’t need permission to tell him. “You don’t even want this. Not really. You didn’t grow up, fucking… dreaming of this day. You stumbled into the industry because it was offered to you and you had no idea who you were. And you still don’t. The only reason you’re still doing this is because it was the first thing to be readily handed to you. You just spent your whole life letting the older boys or the men in suits tell you who to be and what to do, and that’s what kills me, Cairo. It kills me that your way is the way that fucking works.”

Cairo swallows roughly. “Good to know I have the support of my oldest friend.”

“Yeah, yeah, congratulations, Cairo.” Ohyeon slurs. “It wasn’t authentic or moral, but congratulations. You won.”

The phone sings out it’s disconnected tone. Ohyeon is done.

And from the time Cairo wakes up the next morning, he struggles to find it in him to care about anything at all.

#fictional idol community #fictional idol group #kpop oc #idol oc #bts addition

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