#ahhh so romantic!

[sunsestart]

I'm so normal about them

[nipuni]

We just came back from filming some scenes for a period documentary in a museum and last saturday we were invited to the anniversary celebration of an historical train where we had first class wagons to ourselves and got to ride and visit the palaces and were on TV too, what is even happening I feel like I'm in a coma or something, how did we go from dressing up for fun to whatever is going on now lmao ��

[jancysmixtape]

I don’t understand how anyone can say Wednesday didn’t like Tyler. She chose to go to the dance with him, she INITIATED their first kiss and SMILED at him. Then even after finding out he was the Hyde, she still said he was her type. It’s canon that she liked him. 😭

[drbtinglecannon]

The thing driving me so insane about Loid and Yor communicating so openly is that this is how a couple in an actual relationship would address the problems they're having

She's asking him to rely on her, saying that he doesn't need to put up appearances all the time, that she knows he's capable but she's here to help and wants to, that he doesn't need to be perfect.

They're in a fake marriage. Loid has repeatedly told her she doesn't have to do anything but be around for specific events, but Yor still genuinely took up the role of Anya's mom and has been actively working to be a good mother to her fake husband's daughter this entire time, and now she's gently pushing back on Loid about not helping him either.

They aren't in love yet, or at least aren't aware of any developing feelings, but Yor is still reaching out to Loid in a way that someone in a real committed relationship would to their partner. She doesn't need to!! She's completely in her right to not help him, to not care!! He has given her the explicit permission of it multiple times!! But she cares about him, Anya, and Bond, this little family they've created. She wants him to lean on her like she does on him

[shellsweet]

Can we become we?

Two hearts connected by one beat

Your hand in mine and

I could never choose to love another

Maybe one day I can learn to love you

too 💜

[lalune9x]

SCTIR Translation - Chapter 472: Letter (3)

The central table was also decorated with flowers. A five-tiered tray was piled with various desserts. The elegant tea set was adorned with flowering vines that spilled over and cascaded down to the floor. Beyond all that stood Sung Hyunje.

Chapter translation under the cut.

---

Chapter 472: Letter (3)

'This is close to what I expected.'

It seemed to be a banquet hall or something of the sort. The overall lighting was dim, with only the center brightly illuminated. Round tables and chairs had been pushed to the edges, leaving just one table in the middle.

The air was perfumed with the scent of flowers and grass. Not only were the tables decorated with fresh flowers, but every corner of the room was adorned with them. I wondered how much all those flowers must have cost.

'Looking at this, it seems he really does like flowers.'

Director Song once mentioned that over the years, he'd received enough flowers from Sung Hyunje to fill several trucks. He also had an indoor garden at his house. Though on the other hand, Yoohyun and Hyuna-ssi had apparently never received any flowers from him. Soyoung had said she'd gotten one or two occasionally, though she'd grimaced while commenting that they felt more like a warning, the way the mafia sends messages.

The central table was also decorated with flowers. A five-tiered tray was piled with various desserts. The elegant tea set was adorned with flowering vines that spilled over and cascaded down to the floor.

Beyond all that stood Sung Hyunje. I'd often wondered before why he went to such lengths for this kind of thing. Though in fairness, he probably just gave orders while his subordinates did all the hard work.

'They must be well-paid.'

Probably something like 100,000 won an hour. Honestly, I was also kind of tempted. Imagine earning a month's salary for a single day's work. And even though those tasks could be done by a regular person, given that an S-rank hunter was involved, they probably got hazard pay too.

As I crossed the plush carpet, I couldn’t resist asking. "How much did you pay for all this labor?"

"…Hmm. I’m not sure."

"But you must have had a budget."

"It's pocket money. I don't set a budget for light hobbies. Surely Han Yoojin-gun is the same."

"No, not really. I even recorded things like the cup of tteokbokki I bought on the street in my expense journal. I set limits for how much I can spend on snacks each month."

I had been the same even after becoming an adult. Even when I bought a cup of coffee on a cold day, I'd think about how much money I had left to spend that month. Now, though, my assets were so vast that keeping track had become difficult, but I never spent money carelessly on personal hobbies. I always checked roughly how much something might cost and how much I'd already spent.

"Well, Sung Hyunje-ssi, I suppose if you went bankrupt, you'd bounce back quickly."

Even if all the Awakened and dungeons disappeared tomorrow. Maybe he could go into show business. These days, high-rank hunters were considered the new nobility, but before that, celebrities had held that status. He was Korean by nationality, but I bet if you dropped him in Hollywood, he'd fit right in, as if he'd been a child actor there who'd been successful since a young age.

It was late autumn, almost winter, but the table that I stood resolutely in front of smelled like spring.

"I was too agitated yesterday," I said, meeting his golden eyes squarely. "Because I like you, Sung Hyunje-ssi. That's why I got so angry, disappointed, and frustrated."

If I hadn't been fond of him, I would've just thought, 'Oh well, this is a hassle,' and left it at that. If I had never stepped inside the marked boundary, I wouldn't have felt suddenly pushed out. If a close friend said out of the blue, 'I'm moving away today,' of course, I'd be confused. I'd be hurt they didn't tell me sooner, and I'd worry about why. But if it were just a stranger from the neighborhood moving, I'd just think, 'Ah, those people are moving,' and end it there.

"I also like you very much, Han Yoojin-gun," Sung Hyunje said as he lifted the teapot.

"If you're sincere, then you could show me the letter. And you could also tell me exactly what you're planning."

He poured the tea into a cup.

"You said you received a proposal, but you didn't tell me any of the details."

Given that the people involved were those who had dragged me to China, I was naturally sensitive about it, but maybe the proposal was something trivial. It could just be a dinner invitation. Maybe Park Hayul's noonim even had a thing for Sung Hyunje. He did seem to be popular with older women. If you thought about it, even the Crescent Moon was older than him.

"This letter, you mean?"

Sung Hyunje put down the teapot and took out the letter. I immediately held out my hand, but of course, he didn't give it to me.

"There are restrictions, naturally," he said.

"A contract, huh? Well, there's no way someone would deliver such an important letter without any precautions. It's probably something like 'don't show or share the contents with others,' right? Come here."

It was just a contract. Surely it couldn't be SSS-rank or higher. I opened my arms as if to hug him, but he just placed the letter down on the table.

"If the contract is broken, Chloe will leave too."

Ah… Of course. Even if they locked down the airports, an S-rank hunter could easily cross borders. She could swim to China or Japan if she had to.

"Then will you help us catch Hunter Chloe?"

"What should I do?" Sung Hyunje said, the corners of his lips curling in a mischievous way. "The contract terms aren't that straightforward. Naturally, there are exception clauses."

He tapped the table lightly with his index finger, right next to the letter.

"I don't have the loyalty to be willing to risk my life," he continued. "If I can't protect the letter with my own abilities, and it gets taken from me, it won't count as breaking the contract."

"Hey, Sung Hyunje. If you don't want to die, hand over that letter."

Obviously, he didn't give it to me. That so-called exception clause was basically meaningless. How was I supposed to take the letter from him? Maybe I should butter him up and take him to meet the Elder.

"If you have time, would you like to go on a date with me? I know a nice dungeon nearby," I said. I'll treat you well.

"As much as it's a shame to turn down a rare date invitation from you, we haven't even visited the aquarium yet, so I'll have to decline."

"I think we could make do at your house for that."

Sung Hyunje put on a disappointed face, as if he was going to cry. He really could make it big in Hollywood. Just look at that detestable expression.

"Ah fine, let's go to the aquarium," I said. "How about we take everyone along?"

"If even one S-rank hunter accompanies us, taking the letter out of my inventory could result in a breach of contract."

"…That's annoying. So you can only bring out the letter when you don't feel threatened?"

"That's right. Right now, I can even place it on the table with no problem because Sung-Han Gyeol didn't come along."

"It's Han Gyeol. Maybe it'd just be easier to check the letter after we've caught Hunter Chloe."

How could I possibly take the letter from him by myself? Even if he took a few steps back after putting it down, I wouldn't even be able to touch the table before he restrained me.

"She might not come in person to get the reply," he commented.

"Then could you just... Ah, that would be a waste."

If Sung Hyunje stayed on our side, it would be better to keep the contract intact, regardless of whether Chloe came in person or not. We could dig up more information that way. So, the best course of action would be to check the letter's contents without breaking the contract.

'...But there's really no way, is there?'

F-rank stats, no attack skills, and even though I had various gear, my opponent was a disgustingly strong natural born S-rank with combat foresight. There was no way I could take anything from Sung Hyunje with my abilities. That was why he was so relaxed, knowing the contract would remain intact.

I had to take the letter in a situation where Sung Hyunje was absolutely certain he wouldn't lose it. It was like being told to go through a closed door without opening it, breaking it down, or using teleportation.

His golden eyes curved in a relaxed smile.

"Shall I add a condition that if you successfully take the letter, I'll obediently cooperate?" he offered.

Was he making fun of me now—wait a minute.

"You're annoyingly confident," I said.

I frowned deeply and tensed my legs. I glanced to the side, pretending not to look at the letter, and—

Crash!

I lunged towards the table. The letter that had seemed to be within reach vanished in an instant, and the table tilted sharply. The flowers and dessert tray came crashing down to the floor alongside me. I ended up sprawled on the carpet, covered with the tablecloth and flower vines. My thigh, which had hit the table hard from my forceful lunge, was throbbing.

"That wasn't a very commendable attempt," he chided.

I raised my head from the pile of flowers. Golden chains that had appeared out of nowhere were holding up the teapot and teacups. Not a single drop of tea had spilled. Forks and knives jingled as they dangled in midair.

"Well, I thought I'd at least give it a try," I muttered, sitting up among the heap of flowers.

Sung Hyunje lightly flicked the fallen table up with the tip of his foot. As if pulled by invisible strings, it righted itself neatly. The teapot and teacups settled smoothly back on top.

"As you can see, there's no way I can take the letter from you by force," I said. "So how about a wager? Judging by the conditions, it seems it might work."

"If there's even the slightest chance I could lose, then it's impossible."

"We'll make it something where you have no chance of losing. If I win, you hand over the letter, completely intact, with the contents readable. If I lose, I'll do one thing you want, Sung Hyunje-ssi, whatever it is. But it has to be something related only to me—nothing like handing over the Rearing Facility, or asking Myungwoo to make you a weapon, or forcing Han Gyeol to change his family name."

If Sung Hyunje lost a bet that he was absolutely certain he wouldn't lose, it would be like losing the letter by a force of nature. That level of loophole should work, and was probably why he was taking out the letter and putting it down in front of me.

"That's quite tempting."

"You can ask me to side with you, if you want. Or you could even take me with you when you leave Korea."

At my words, Sung Hyunje's eyes narrowed momentarily. Did he interpret it as me asking to be taken along if he was going to join Park Hayul's side or wherever else?

"The condition will be one I want, not one Han Yoojin-gun wants."

"In any case—what do you say?"

"And the wager is?"

"Hmm, let's play tag. It won't be for long—let's say just ten minutes. I absolutely won't go through the door, or break the walls, ceiling, or floor."

"You have teleportation items, don't you?"

"With the points I have left, I can't afford any. And teleportation can't pass through barriers. Besides, it's only ten minutes—do you really think you couldn't catch me if I jumped outside? If I receive help from anyone else, I'll automatically lose. That includes monsters."

Sung Hyunje tilted his head slightly. He knew that, on my own, I couldn't possibly escape him for ten minutes.

"Since I'm at such a disadvantage, how about you give me three tries instead of one? What do you think?" I suggested.

"I could still win even if it were just five minutes, however…" He looked at me carefully. Of course, he'd be suspicious. "You said you spent almost all your points in the Nightmare Dungeon, didn't you?"

"Before that, I blew through them buying Yoohyun a sword. I can't afford anything like an SSS-rank item, even if they're one-time use."

"You had been serious about trying to kill Director Song Taewon, too," he said thoughtfully. He seemed to be recalling the items I had used back then. The most useful one I had left was probably the Mini Mini Cookie.

"And the dungeon rewards this time wouldn't be for yourself either," he said.

"You're unnecessarily well-informed."

Sung Hyunje took out a pocket watch from his inventory and placed it on the table. A contract appeared beside it.

"If I happen to win, you can't break the contract or withhold the letter," I added.

"I don't have the loyalty to suffer a penalty. If it's taken away because my abilities fell short, I'll accept it gracefully."

Just in case, if I won, I would deactivate my Curse Resistance immediately. We each signed the contract. Right after that—

Clink! 

"Ugh, wait a moment!"

In an instant, chains wrapped around my body. I was lifted lightly into the air, flower petals falling in a flurry.

"That's try one."

"Shouldn't you give me time to equip my gear?!"

"I'll give you three minutes. And of course, I won't deduct it from your time."

How generous. Just before the chains released me, I used an item. The King of the Mist Sea's 71st Drawer. My surroundings immediately shifted. I could see the bright blue sky, and beneath my feet—

"What—!"

Splash!

The sound of displaced water echoed loudly. Damn it, was it because she was a jellyfish? Why was there water here?! I had Grace activated, of course, but that didn't prevent me from swallowing a mouthful of water. At least it wasn't salty.

"Damn it—ugh—stupid Jellyfish!"

— Tweet! Tweet!

Wasn't it called a 'drawer'! Even Grace seemed startled and popped out. I floundered in the water, trying to swim, but even staying afloat was a challenge. Quickly, I pulled out a wire and threw it toward a tree that I'd caught sight of. The wire wrapped around the tree, and I used it pull myself and crawl onto land.

"Cough—that was close…"

I could just leave this place immediately, but then I'd lose. So, soaking wet, I collapsed onto the grass looking like a drowned rat. Both my shoes were gone... they had been expensive.

"No, but this… Can't I specify where I land?"

Appearing above water might not matter for the Jellyfish, but it did for me. With Grace, I'd honestly prefer a fire pit. Then again, I guess being in a fire pit could still be dangerous if I ran out of oxygen. But seriously, what kind of drawer was this…

"This drawer…"

— Tweet!

As I stood up, a building that looked like a villa came into view. It was a three-story mansion painted in bright colors that reminded me of a resort in the Mediterranean or some kind of vacation spot. It was on a small island surrounded by water, but the lake wasn't very large. The horizon curved like a dome enclosing the area in all directions. It felt like being trapped inside a snow globe.

"...Is this supposed to be small compared to Myungwoo's smithy?"

They had said it was just a simple storage room? And that it wasn't spacious?

"Grace, you'd better head back inside. It might be dangerous."

I couldn't be sure what might pop up. To kill 10 minutes, it would be better to stay put and not wander around unnecessarily.

I felt pleased at the thought of how surprised Sung Hyunje must be right now. He definitely didn't expect me to have an item like this. In terms of grade, it would probably be about L-rank. Especially since I'd gotten it from someone who had been a former enemy and who had no reason to be friendly towards me. Unless he was a fortune-teller, there was no way he could have known.

I decided to leisurely wait out the 10 minutes before going back out.

"If I can keep using this, it could really be used as a vacation home."

The weather was nice, and the water looked clean. I wondered what the inside of the mansion was like. It seemed that it would be quite difficult to replenish the drawer's mana stores, though.

As I slowly walked toward the entrance, casually glancing around, something caught my attention.

'...Huh?'

Something moved. What was that?

[annoyingcat413]

I got a friend who took an interest in me and I became interested in her after she talked to me, she’s shorter than me, writes things really beautifully, is more social than me

Me: omg this is so johnlock coded

[starrynightsxo]

what I wouldn't give to have haymitch abernathy call me sweetheart 😭

[mad-hunts]

[udaasibharikoihaseendaastan]

Bro I just finished watching Hidden Love and adsksdhsksks I CANT I CAN'T STOP SOBBING BRO I MEAN DUAN JIAXU IS SOOO FKING AMAZING- like kaha milte hai aise ladke yaar??! But kaha hi milenge ye to fictional hai na🥲

(ab 3-4 din अत्यंत lonely aur hopeless feel karte aur jiaxu ki yaad mai jaane wale hai)

[chaotic-french-fries]

can someone please explain romantic attraction in a way that makes it different then just a best friend? Because I'm genuinely confused

I'm ace and all the things I've ever seen about romantic love is that you'd wanna do the devil's tango with em, but I don't ever wanna do that with anyone.

But all the posts about how to romanticly love just seem like stuff I'd do with a best friend

if anyone has any answers or are also confused, feel free to say lol

helppppp

[romantically-yours]

I just wanna go on dates with her

[slightlytoastedbagel]

I still don't fucking understand ruikasa

[isaaaa101]

I love my life and romance actually isn’t dead

[faunabel]

ough.... why do i have a crush on this person i think i'm going insane

geez... how did this happen.

my anxiety is all over the place but i'll enjoy the happy feelings while i can ♡

[mrsackermannx]

sharing earphones with somebody for the first time…leaning your head on their shoulder…butterflies, butterflies