#atbo x y/n

[acaiasahi]

✶ make it thirty ; oh junseok.

synopsis. waking up junseok was no easy task, especially when he already knew of the errands you had to run. but that doesn't stop your lover from begging you for more time to sleep, and who are you to say 'no'?

info. fluff ; oh junseok x gn!reader ; 623 words

warnings: established relationship, sleeping in the same bed, cuddling, mentions of kissing and physical touch. grammatical errors, semi-proofread! :3

[ now playing . . . ] sunny day by beabadoobee.

a soft sigh tumbles from your lips as you slip off your sleeping mask. giving up on opening your eyes fully and allowing yourself to feel the sun's warmth, the prickly feeling on your skin causing you to hum groggily.

all you can hear is junseok's soft snores bounce off the white walls within your room. his arms unconsciously wrap around your torso, pulling you into him, the sun almost jealous of the warmth that washes over you with ease.

as you finally muster up the courage to actually wake up, your eyes can't help but peer over to the snoring boy next to you.

his long lashes fan out against his cheeks, dimple popping up out the of blue as a pout settles upon his very kissable lips. hm... i wonder what he's dreaming of, you ask yourself.

his chest rises up and down, up and down. the repetition of his breathing almost luring you back to sleep but your blaring alarm quickly reminds you of all the errands and plans today.

another sigh leaves your lips, only this time it's one of pure annoyance. grabbing your phone haphazardly, you switch off all your alarms before chucking it somewhere and facing your lover who's sleep was, surprisingly, left undisturbed.

a smile replaces the soft frown that adorns your face, bringing your index finger up and onto the bridge of his nose. you trace the slope downwards, shuffling closer to him to leave a fleeting kiss to the tip of his nose before bringing your index finger to his cupid's bow.

his nose twitches like a bunny once you get to the corner of his lips, eyes moving left to right under his eyelids. you can't help yourself as you run your hands through his hair, leaving feather-light kisses all around his face.

you inwardly coo at how his brows knit together in confusion before quickly dissipating as you continue to leave soft pecks upon his cheeks. he mumbles something incoherent before his eyes begin fluttering open.

you stupidly grin at him, "hi," you whisper. nimble fingers still gently scratching his scalp as he slowly regains consciousness, "hi," he mumbles back. he practically purs like a cat when your nimble fingers scratch his scalp, the palm of your hand nuzzling his fluffy hair.

his eyes are still closed as he enjoys your soft touch, groggy hums emitted deep within his chest. "hate to be the bearer of bad news, my love, but we have errands to run today." his face twists into one of discontent, deep frown replacing the once faint smile.

"can we sleep in for another thirty?" he inquires, not bothering to open his eyes because he already knows that you'll agree. much to his surprise though, you mutter a quiet "we can't, honey. 'm sorry."

this gets him to peek up at you in surprise, frown deepening further. he silently pleads as you look at one another in silence. junseok quickly discards his plan though, opting to glaze over your features.

another hum, "so pretty," he states with a gravely morning voice. shoving his face in the crook of your neck, he leaves the softest of kisses from right below your ear to your collarbone. you laugh lightheartedly, leaving a kiss atop his chestnut-hue hair, "okay fine..." you trail off, "make it thirty-five instead."

you feel junseok's smile against your sensitive skin, burying his head further before taking in your scent. choosing to ignore the slight embarrassing feeling of how quickly you folded at his request, your cheeks feel warm upon the thought entering your mind.

he had you wrapped around his finger.

★ atbo taglist. @kflixnet / @k-labels

jaydi's notes. had this lil fella sittin in my drafts for MONTHS... how humiliating dawg 🙁

© acaiasahi 2023 all rights reserved. copying, translating, and reposting is prohibited.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

"Let me be the water that embraces you, a beautiful flower. A water lily. So that no storm can ever hurt you as it isn’t my heart’s choice."

───── ❝ summary ❞ ─────

‘ It's still me… but different. ‘

As everybody says, grief is the price we pay for love… and Y/N L/N could surely see herself believing it. After losing her best friend on his birthday, the poor girl knew to herself that his death was her wrongdoing. A mistake she could never forget.

But the moment she attempts to start over, she sees him again.

Junseok Oh. Resurrected from the dead.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ chapters ⋅.} ────── ⊰

act i: mia nea apxh | ΕΠΙΣΤΡΟΦΗ. | ΕΝΑΣ ΞΕΝΟΣ | ΚΟΡΟΪΔΙΑ | ΤΟ ΑΠΡΟΣΜΕΝΟ. | ΞΕΡΑΜΕΝΑ ΦΥΛΛΑ. | ΜΑΥΡΟ ΦΟΡΕΜΑ. | ΣΚΙΩΜΕΝΑ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΑ. | Η ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ. act ii: ΝΥΚΤΕΡΙΝΟΣ. | ΜΙΑ ΠΑΡΩΔΙΑ. | ΠΑΡΕΞΗΓΩ. | ΤΟ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟ. | ΤΟ ΨΕΜΑ. | ΑΝΕΣΗ. | ΣΠΙΘΗΤΕΣ. | ΤΟ ΦΩΣ. act iii:

⊱ ─────────────────────── ⊰

genre/s: angst, fluff, action, supernatural, adventure

main theme/s: enemies to lovers, best friends to lovers, heroism

status: ongoing

idols & group/s included: atbo members, seok rakwon (written prior his departure), jay b of got7/soloist, majority of the boyz (lee juyeon, kim younghoon, lee sangyeon, kim sunwoo, choi chanhee, kim sunwoo)

⊱ ─────────────────────── ⊰

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— support me on ko-fi! ☕ — request form! 📝

[kpopmultifan]

Scheduled New Releases: October 2022 - Week 4

This list will continually be updated when MVs, iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, & YouTube Music links & additional new release information becomes available.

ABLUE - Color_the Start (Debut Single Album) Title Track: Carnival [MV] Title Track: October 23rd [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

KIHYUN (of MONSTA X) - Youth (1st Mini-Album) Title Track: Youth [MV] [highlight medley] Release Date: October 24th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

PinkFantasy - Bizarre Story (Single Album) Title Track: Get Out [MV] Track: The Game [Dance Video] Release Date: October 24th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Jo Yuri - Op.22 Y-Waltz: in Minor (2nd Single Album) Title Track: Loveable [MV] [highlight medley] Release Date: October 24th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

lol - Amber (4th Album) Title Track: Fate [MV] Track: Magic of a Laugh [MV] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

ENHYPEN - En Sadame (1st Japanese Album) Title Track: Future Perfect (Pass the MIC) (Japanese Version) [MV] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Hinatazaka46 - Tsuki to Hoshi ga Odoru Midnight (8th Single) [MV] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Lucky² - Aikotoba (2nd Single) [MV] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

A.B.C-Z - #IMA (13th Single) [MV] Track: Koigokoro [Lyric Video] Release Date: October 26th [yesasia] [cdjapan]

EPEX - Prelude of Love Chapter 1. ‘Puppy Love’ (4th Mini-Album) Title Track: Hymn to Love [MV] [highlight medley] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

TEN (of NCT) - Birthday (Digital Single) [MV] SM STATION NCT LAB Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

ATBO : The Beginning: 始作 (2nd Mini-Album) Title Track: Attitude [MV] [highlight medley] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

CLASS:y - Day & Night (2nd Mini-Album) Title Track: Tick Tick Boom [MV] Title Track: Zealous [MV] [highlight medley] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Rie (of OnlyOneOf) - because (Single) [MV] undergrOund idOl vol.4 Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

ONE N’ ONLY - Good Day (Digital Single) [MV] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

TFN - Before Sunrise Part.4 (1st Mini-Album) [MV Teaser] Title Track: Amazon [MV] Release Date: October 26th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

ALICE - Dance On (1st Single Album) [MV] Release Date: October 27th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

THE BIGDIPPER - Shining Star (Pre-Debut Single Album) Title Track: wherever you are [MV] Release Date: October 27th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

VIVIZ - Rum Pum Pum (UNIVERSE Digital Single) [MV Preview] Release Date: October 27th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Travis Japan - Just Dance! (Debut Digital Single) [MV] Release Date: October 28th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Jin (from BTS) - The Astronaut (Digital Single) [MV] Release Date: October 28th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

Acid Angel from Asia (tripleS Sub-Unit) - ACCESS (Unit Debut Mini-Album) Title Track: Generation [MV] Release Date: October 28th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]  

EXID - Fire (Chinese Version) (Digital Single) Release Date: October 28th [Apple Music/iTunes] [Spotify] [YouTube Music]

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.10 - "ΝΥΚΤΕΡΙΝΟΣ." Word Count: 2,191

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───── ❝ nocturnal. ❞ ─────

My eyes shifted from side to side, constantly checking if there was someone still awake – well, more specifically, someone I knew. 

It was four in the morning and I had just woken up from my three-hour nap, which made the other two believe that I had already fallen asleep. Was I smart for doing that? Maybe but god, that painful headache was a horrible aftermath. But was it my fault that I couldn't stop myself from feeling tempted to know more? Okay, maybe but that's not the point.

The feeling was uncontrollable. It was like a rope was tightened around my waist, dragging me into a cave of untold stories. A room of forgotten memories. 

And I just can't bear standing here, doing nothing even if I already knew that he was… not alright.

My hand was balled into a fist as it hovered above the door of his room, resulting in me gulping as I braced myself before letting my knuckles lightly hit the door's surface. For a while, I stood there, wondering if my choices were even worth doing as the door soon opened, revealing him in another all-black outfit. 

This time, he actually looked like he was about to take a rest and not on a runway.

“Hm? Hey, there.” Junseok was acting weirdly relaxed as if nothing had happened earlier, causing me to slightly frown, which made him a bit ashamed of it. The door was quickly opened wider, allowing me to come in as I saw how organized his room was.

Something far from mine.

Well, it wasn't just the organization of his belongings that I was impressed at but also the extra furniture he had; like porcelain figures and such.

All of it looked amazing.

Turning around to look back at him, Junseok made his way to pull the chair next to his desk forward as he later sat on the edge of his bed. 

“You know why I'm here,” I told him, gaining a nod from him as I sat on the chair he pulled out, resting my arms over the desk as I leaned my chin over my knuckles. It was quiet and the two of us were equally awkward around each other. 

Well, who wouldn't? The topic was too surreal for me to understand in one day. 

But then, it was real. “How were you… found?” I asked, nervous about how he'd answer me as he took a deep breath, probably feeling the same way as I did. 

“All I remember was I was laying down on the shore and the council was looking down at me… Well, the representatives of the Nocturnal realm.” He gave a name for the place he's stayed at and I nod, letting out a hum as a sign for him to continue. “It happened in Crete... in Greece. I think it was cold that night because of the storm.”

Oh, I should've been a lot more prepared to hear that from him. “And listen, I don't have any memories except for what I told the council that night.” He emphasized, which made my brows furrow as I leaned in forward in curiosity. Well, isn't it like going back to school all over again? Thankfully, he's now in a more calmed position.

"What was it?” I questioned, pursing my lips shut.

“That I wanted to protect you,” Junseok answered in a tone as if it was obvious to him. “That I wanted to keep a girl named Y/N safe.”

I was out of words, shoulders slouched as if I wanted to hide from everything. I was hurt to know that it was the last thing Junseok said. 

That it was the last thing he said when he was still my best friend. “I didn't even know who you are but now, I know why my past self would want to do that,” Junseok said right after, having a small yet noticeable smile on his face.

Maybe I left a bizarre impression on him. That's for sure.

“Well, what happened next?” I asked a question quickly, shoulders rising up as I felt a bit shy to listen to him say that. 

Well, maybe not just a bit since I changed the topic. “No, wait. Do you feel good about yourself?” Junseok was still on that topic, shifting himself closer to me as his eyes glistened under the dimmed light of his room, his dimples showing again in a matter of seconds. 

“Not that much,” I muttered back, causing him to chuckle.

“I know you do but sure, let's not talk about that.” He teased, leaning back as he even took the pillow next to him, hugging it close to himself. “What happened next was that I was brought to the realm and training started soon,” he answered, still relaxed as if it was not a big deal for him to tell me almost everything about the past he kept from me.

Not for long, though. “Was I really an athlete in the past?” Junseok asked, scrunching his nose and furrowing his brows, not having a single clue about what he really was like in the past. 

And there was a glimpse of one of his competitions, where he successfully took down someone from a different academy. 

A time when everything's not too complicated.

“Yeah, you were… and you were great,” I told him with full honesty as he looked into my eyes as if he could see how I felt. 

I don't know exactly how I am feeling while talking to someone who died and was brought back to life for a new purpose but I could say that I was holding back a lot of my emotions. “That's what they said about me too,” Junseok said, breathing deeply before looking somewhere else as he probably wondered how his life was before that trip. 

“They said I was physically fit for the thing I have to do.” He continued, having a blunt smile across his face as I did the same to him. For some reason, it was upsetting yet comforting to talk to him like this. 

Where we were both honest with each other. “And every day, I kept on thinking about meeting you and I didn't know it was going to happen so soon,” Junseok revealed, breathing out in relief as he probably felt free.

For the first time, maybe?

Junseok then rests his chin on top of the pillow he's been hugging tightly, still breathing deeply. “Why did you say those things, then? You know, those words hurt.” I joked, which half of it wasn't as the boy had a gloomy look on his face. The experience of someone I once loved suddenly acting as a rude stranger to me was so painful that I didn't know whether to give up or not. 

I even had to talk it out with Seunghwan to collect myself.

“Because I didn't want you to be involved… My life- This mission... It's dangerous for you,” he said, truthfully as he couldn't even look at me anymore. I didn't know what he felt but now that I understood why he had to do it, I just hope he didn't feel so bad about himself. He did it for a reason that I never expected.

I actually thought he only did it for fun. 

“But now, I am involved and you can’t just not include me here, you know?” I shrugged, giving him a smile as he sighed, shaking his head right after. “If you could do things like that, then is it possible for you to teach me your ways? How can I protect myself?”

The moment I asked him that question, his face was full of nothing but terror as he pointed his finger at me. “No, you are not learning anything. Leave that thing to me. That’s my mission. That’s partially why I’m here.” He warned, his brows arched and his teeth gritted tightly as I felt my back lower down, underwhelmed. 

“But I don't want you to worry about my safety all the time!” I fought back.

Junseok shushed me, reminding me that it was already almost five in the morning as he didn't want to get any complaints from the students sleeping in the rooms next to his.

“Come on, wouldn't it be better for me? I mean, you do want to keep me safe…” I wasn't planning to give up easily on him as he took in a deep breath, his eyes slightly closed and his jaw tensed up. 

He was probably trying to control his temper, slowly opening his eyes afterward as he rolled them at me. “Well, aren't you right about that?” His sarcasm never failed to gloss over his words, resulting in me winking at him in satisfaction.

Junseok lets out another sigh as he gets up from the edge of his bed, making his way behind me as he takes both of my wrists in his hands carefully. “I want you to close your eyes,” He whispers softly, sending shivers down my spine yet I choose to ignore it, closing my eyes shut as quickly as possible. 

It was an odd experience. “Think of a weapon. Any weapon of your choice.”

And I thought of a weapon that was something simpler. Well, I don't know a thing about guns or knives so I wouldn't know how to think of those. 

So, I ended up with a bow and an arrow.

“Then, visualize the darkest place you've ever been in.”

When he told me that, I had no idea what he meant as I fought the urge to ask him to clear it all up for me. No, of course, I haven't been in any dark places except for Rakwon's party but if he was talking about it metaphorically, I could name a few.

But there was one situation that I thought was the darkest place I've ever been in.

It was the day after the ship sank and I was completely clueless over what had happened the night before. I remembered how I went outside of my bedroom, expecting my parents to be working as usual. 

I thought that I'd see my father go inside the living room with a white towel on his shoulder and his favorite red cap on top of his head – to keep away from the heat outside, where he always repaired the car engines of the neighbors. That day, I thought I'd see my mother in the kitchen, waiting for another batch of cookies to bake as she'd normally check her ten-year-old wristwatch, which was given to her by Dad.

But it was far from that.

They were seated in the living room, both of their heads bowed down as the younger me even asked if Junseok had sent me a text because every night, my parents would take my phone from me so that I could just sleep.

One text was all I needed just to know if he was safe. 

“Sweetheart, we need to tell you something.” My mother was quick to stop me from asking any more questions as she wanted me to sit between the two of them. 

“What’s going on?” I asked, still not catching up on the sorrow they've felt.

“We were contacted by the school and they told us that… Junseok and his family drowned from the trip.”

I was broken. So numb and bitter over it that there were no tears falling down my face. 

I felt angry. Disgusted at myself for doing nothing at all. As far as I could tell, that was the darkest place I've ever been in as Junseok might've noticed how I breathed silently like I was the ghost in his room.

“Open your eyes,” Junseok said as I did, seeing a form of the bow and arrow lying on both my palms. 

I was taken aback by the sight of it. Black mist swaying in different directions like air yet managing to have the image of a bow and an arrow. “Woah.” I was amazed by it, fixated on the arrow's stem that was a little intertwined with the bow's string.

“But don't linger too much in the darkness,” He suddenly spoke with a louder voice, causing me to flinch in shock as the weapon disappeared from my grasp – leaving only his hands wrapped around my wrists. “Use it for safety… Not for the downfall of others.” He reminded me once more, later letting go of my wrists as he sat on the edge of the bed, facing me again but this time, he looked a lot more comfortable around me. 

“So, we're actually friends now, huh?” Junseok casually commented as I snickered at him. 

A whole new world yet still the same person.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.13 - "ΤΟ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟ." Word Count: 2,240

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ oh junseok's perspective: the council. ❞ ─────

It wasn't safe for me anymore.

It just wasn't safe for me to sit around the university, playing pretend.

The cases reported through the news were getting a lot worse. Frequent crimes such as robberies and murders were rampant. The council told me that this place was my destination – that I could hunt down the Vanguard here in Seoul, especially at a place where there were so many people living at once.

The problem with searching for this menace was that his face was never uncovered, even from past shadows like me. All they knew was that this man caused chaos and would choose anyone as his vessel.

Not a lot about that was even detailed and he had been around for centuries, whispering into the ears of provoked civilians who could've done something good for humanity.

Instead, they ruin it. The Vanguard is truly a living false hope. Nothing but a fraud to everyone else. I knew I had to find him and stop him.

And if I fail, I wouldn't know what it's like to have a life out of the shadows.

I wouldn't know what it's like to remember… her.

She sat two rows below mine, tapping the end of her pen repeatedly onto the flat, wooden surface of the desk as I watched her from afar. “Well, someone's busy.” Rakwon pointed out with a loud yet blunt-sounding voice, causing me to shudder in surprise as I turned to look back at him.

“Don't tell me that's actually your type…” Junmin's tone was also blunt but it had some hint of snarkiness in it – something that the other one couldn't do.

Once again, I pretended to laugh with them, continuing to play along even if I was opposed to their opinions of her. I could agree that she wasn't quite the best out of everyone I've met. A little mediocre at first, maybe? But she's got some serious charms. I don't know why I found it simply charming whenever she started using her head over some task.

I do like her.

I meant the way she thinks. I like it.

And I felt completely horrified when I watched her begin forming conclusions over the most meaningless things I told her noisy, happy-go-lucky friend.

What was his name again? Seunghwan Jeong? Ah, he's irritating. I don't like seeing him around her too much. He's overly friendly and I just couldn't stand people like him.

Although, even if I disliked him, I realized that I should've done better.

I could've apologized to her. I knew how she didn't like to hear me speak that way about her – blabbering how much I hated her existence when the truth was far from it. Can too much protectiveness hurt someone? I don't know. I've never experienced having a genuine friend before.

Well, I may have but short descriptions of who I was in the past weren't enough for me to know anything as good as a normal person could. After all, I still wasn't him.

Yet for me to turn back into him again, I have to catch the Vanguard – whoever that asshole is.

Right after classes ended, I sneaked into the deepest corners of the university with no one around as it was time for me to share my reports with the council again. I felt my body collide with one of the shadowed corners of the walls, letting myself sink into the darkest realm as if thick air had pulled me into a welcoming embrace.

To me, it was a home that wasn't so sweet but also it was the only place I've ever known. A sense of familiarity in such darkness can be a little unusual but I'm not normal.

And I both love and hate to be that way.

There was no morning sun in Skia as the moon was its only source of light. Ghostly shadows dressed in cloaks walked around the streets, feet hovering over the grounds as they minded their own business. Despite being known for all things that meant misery, the realm was a great place to stay in, especially if I didn't want to deal with a lot of people.

Sure, sometimes, it felt lonely to be here but I'd rather be alone than to be around the wrong people.

But my perspective changed a bit when I made a friend.

The beauty of friendship is so addictive that I just couldn't get my head out of it.

“Junseok? Well, you're here early.” I heard a familiar voice call me as I turned around, seeing Bin already dressed up for the meeting tonight – or should I say that the meeting was today? Time in Skia was a headache. No mornings, just nights yet you still have to be on time. Honestly, it was worse than having to mingle with the students from IST.

I walked towards him, summoning a cloak at the same time as it covered the upper half of my face. “I thought you'd take a long time talking to her.” Bin teased as I smiled anyway even if it wasn't too funny.

Does he know I messed up? I think he does.

“Well, you also talked to her earlier too, didn't you?” I asked back, the question hinting at both sarcasm and humor as he chuckled in response.

“Not as long as you would apparently,” Bin replied, relaxed but giddy at the same time.

“I guess that's fair,” I admitted, which made us both snicker.

Looking down, I noticed how loose my tie was, leading me to fix it right away, later walking the streets of Skia next to him.

Bin was more of a companion rather than a genuine friend but I'd never say that he wasn't a part of me. Before I came here, he was already in the training grounds right below the temple, where the rest of the council stayed. I learned that he was found injured by a wild bear in a camping site when he was little, almost dead when the council had seen him.

I also learned that he was left for dead too. His parents have left him in the woods, deciding that they didn't want to raise him anymore. The plan was disguised as a fun family gathering but it wasn't.

Practically, he was raised by the head of the council, Sangyeon Lee.

Of course, I remembered how he was levitating from the dusted tiles of the temple, eyes closed as he concentrated on the fine line between inner peace and bitterness. I guess despair was a part of garnering power. Are our weaknesses becoming the source of it, maybe?

But unlike him, I was still hoping to learn more about who I really was and I think that's why the council made that deal with me.

To hand them the Vanguard so that they could hand me my memories back.

It's a simple deal but it's so complicated to find him and bring him to the temple.

“Is there any progress with the mission, Junseok?” The head of the council asked as I kept my head down on the ground, on my knees in front of the rest of them as the other shadows watched me come up with an answer. They had high expectations for me, considering how many times they've mentioned how I was perfect for the job.

But until now, it was almost impossible to succeed.

“Not a lot,” I uttered, which made a few of them gasp. They shouldn't have expected so much from me because I couldn't even see myself failing yet I'm stuck with failed attempts. “It was only a few interactions with him. I've had several suspicions over who he is residing in at the university but I was… left with nothing.”

Even if I was looking down at the ground of the court, I knew that the council had looked down at me too. “Junseok.” The head of the council mentioned me once more, causing me to lift my head up from the ground as I gulped when he got up from his seat, walking towards me with an unreadable gaze.

“... I chose you for a reason,” he stated, the blade of his silver-forged sword resting over my right shoulder as if it were a piece of cloth – as if it wouldn’t bring any danger to me. “But this is just disappointing, to paidí mou.”

I froze, my teeth grinding in shame as he took the blade off of my shoulder, placing it back on the left side of his throne. I was already trembling, feeling humiliated by the glares that I deserved. I knew I should’ve done better but I was too distracted.

“But this is not a sign to stop... So, before you go, do you have any conclusions about the Vanguard’s doings?” The other member of the council, Chanhee Choi, asked, slightly raising his finger up as if he wanted me to stay there.

“For all I know, the Vanguard uses criminals as his pawns but now, they’ve gotten worse,” I rambled nervously, licking my dry lips as the member who sat at the right side of the head chuckled.

“And why is that?” He asked, still chuckling. Maybe he was laughing at me because I ended up with nothing on the table.

I deserved it.

“The Vanguard’s pawns are now using the same magic he uses. I don’t know how he gives them those abilities but it’s been harder for me to fight them off,” I answered truthfully, taking a few short yet deep breaths in trying to prove something to them as he looked satisfied with what I told him.

“White magic, is it? Oh, he is up to no good,” he said, leaving his seat as the head of the council eyed his spontaneous actions.

“Sunwoo Kim, what are you doing?” He questioned, a bit annoyed at him.

“Crafting a new method for his search,” the other one responded vaguely, relaxed.

The scribes were later shown above as the rest of the council watched how Lord Sunwoo began to study my past activities in searching for the Vanguard.

My mouth was left open at the sight of levitating scrolls as I didn’t realize that it was time for me to return back to the seats, where the other shadows glared at me in disappointment too. At least I actually poured my determination into this. They’ll never know what it’s like to be alone on a mission.

“I warned you about her, Junseok. You're not here for her, you're here for the mission.” Bin reminded me as I rolled my eyes at him, later pulling both sides of the cloak’s hood over as I didn’t want to be stared at anymore. “She may be a good person but she’s also a distraction.”

“She isn’t one. Don’t forget, it’s part of my duty to keep her safe too,” I said back right away, causing him to let out a sigh as he didn’t believe in every single word that came out of my mouth.

Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why I only saw him as a companion. “But don’t pretend that it’s not affecting the way you work either. The council has high expectations for you, including me and the rest of Skia.” He fought back, not backing down one bit as I breathed out, irritated at him.

I’m not mad that he’s reminding me of my mission but I don’t like the way he talks about her. No one should talk about her that way.

“How would you understand? You’ve barely lived a life on Earth with others and by the looks of it, I’m sure I lived a happy one with Y/N.”

And Bin never liked what I said. Before he could even respond, the scribes above moved sideways as if Lord Sunwoo had already finished coming up with a new plan. In the middle, there was a view of real-world events as I witnessed how a certain thief had pushed the tip of a gun against someone’s head. The world is getting more dangerous than ever.

But as I looked closely, I realized that it wasn’t just a random person getting ambushed.

It was her.

“No… That’s Y/N,” I uttered almost unconsciously as the boy she was with protecting her from the criminal.

I should’ve been there. I should’ve protected her. “Isn’t she–,” Bin couldn’t finish his question as I was already on my way out of the temple, frustrated and ready to hunt that man down again.

Of course, the Vanguard found another toy to play with.

“Junseok, where are you going?!” The younger one finally managed to get his question out of his head, stopping him from following me as he stood behind me. I turned around to face him, tilting my head as I wanted to leave Skia and search for that menace.

“Home!” I sounded more agitated than before. “... I’m going home, Bin, and you can't stop me.”

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.12 - "ΠΑΡΕΞΗΓΩ." Word Count: 2,430

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ misunderstand. ❞ ─────

The class today was quite silent as we were told to read and rewrite an excerpt from a movie script, teaching us how to convey better emotion through writing. 

Well, it turns out that Mr. Juyeon didn't finish reading the film reviews we passed yesterday so he decided that it'd be better for us to just experiment with the ways we write. 

It wasn't that easy to change and rearrange words within a story, especially because it wasn't mine to begin with. 

I scribbled ideas down half of the page of my notebook, the other one reserved for the actual rewrite. I couldn't really find the right words for the scene I was rewriting and to be honest, I was kind of stuck. 

“Pssst!” I heard someone call from behind as I turned around, seeing a completely different person who seemed to be approaching… me. 

Huh?

Who is this again?

“... Yeah?” I didn't know how to respond to him, my eyes later panning to Junseok first before moving on to Seunghwan. 

They both seemed to be busy with the activity too. “You're Y/N, right? Seunghwan's friend?” The stranger asked politely, which made me space out for a bit, thinking of whoever he was. Maybe I've already seen him around this class but I never really caught up with his name.

Letting go of my pen, I turned to face him, shifting my shoulders almost completely so I could take a better look at his face. 

The boy had bright eyes, and a cleft chin, and his hair was in the shade of bronze as if he was somehow part of some monarchy. “And you are?” I asked back, which made him let out a small gasp, probably remembering that he hadn't even introduced his name yet. 

“Bin!” he said with a faint voice, lending me his arm. “First name, Bin. Last name, Won.”

I smiled back at him, taking his hand in mine as I shook it. “Anyways, I wanted to ask you for a tip… Just a small tip,” Bin explained, raising his hand not too high for a bit as his fingers made a pinching gesture in the air. 

Hmm, I wonder what he'll ask me about. This was the first time I talked to someone in my class. 

“What would you say to someone you loved in the past?” He proceeded to ask me the question as I sat there, staying silent for a while. Well, I did have a boyfriend two years ago but I couldn't say I loved him. But if the “love” he's talking about doesn't have to be defined by romantic love, I think I've got something to say.

“I'd say that I'm sorry for not loving that certain someone enough.”

Bin's lips carefully curled into a smile, later jotting it down in his own notebook as he gave me a thumbs-up. “Thanks!” He then gave me an excited nod, soon focusing on the activity. 

Well, that was quick. Shouldn't I be unfazed about it? Sometimes, I'm just so distracted with questions like that.

Thanks to Bin's question, I finally ended up finding the right words for my own work as the bell later rang, which alarmed our lecturer, who peacefully checked the rest of the film reviews we submitted. 

Oh, and today's also another Friday. The university decided that there shouldn't be a lot of heavy duties whenever the last day of the week came. 

Getting up from our seats, we passed all of our work to Mr. Juyeon, later heading our way out of the room as it was time for another break. 

Well, not really.

“Hey, Junseok!” Seunghwan's voice was so loud that I knew it was him immediately, causing me to turn around and see the two of them speaking to each other. "Is it okay if we borrow your girlfriend for now?” he continued to ask as I rubbed my thumbs against both sides of my forehead. 

He could've told him something else instead.

Was he there to piss Junseok off? I didn't know.

I decided to walk up to them, wanting to drag Seunghwan out of the conversation he started. “Oh, she isn't my girlfriend. How could I date someone like that? She's basically lacking everything,” Junseok responded with a strong, stern tone, which made the other one look a bit offended by what he said.

Yet it wasn't only him who felt like that.

All of us stayed quiet, especially after they noticed that I was already there. I didn't know how I should respond to what he said about me. “Um…” Junseok tried to say something to let the tension die down but it was no use because he couldn't even think of something. 

“You know, what? We're leaving now.” I faked a laugh, grabbing the cuff of Seunghwan's sweater as I led him out of the conversation. 

Maybe that was just him trying to not seem as if we were close… But we weren't close in the first place, were we?

As I left the hall with Seunghwan, we both thought that it was best for us not to talk about that little encounter. And of course, Hyunjun noticed the sudden silence, considering that the other boy was extroverted and quite jolly for him to be so solemn at the mall. 

“Is everything okay with you two?” He asked, holding up two pairs of clothing in both his hands as the two of us nodded at the same time, which was a sign that we were bothered…

Oh, how do we explain this to him?

“Yeah, everything's fine!” Seunghwan and I responded at once, causing the two of us to exchange surprised looks. 

“Don't go Tornado Twins at me. What's wrong?” Once he got what was up between us, Hyunjun placed down the clothes he held with both his eyebrows raised in doubt. It was probably frustrating for him since he belonged to a different course. 

Also, he doesn't share a lot of classes with me and Seunghwan. “It's just Junseok.” The other boy couldn't hold the truth in anymore as I sighed, not liking the fact that he still told Hyunjun what really was the issue. 

Or should I say, who?

Hyunjun tilted his head to the side, still in doubt of what Seunghwan was telling him. “Junseok? Again? You know, Y/N, you should leave that dude to himself!” He suggested, mixed with a bit of sarcasm but I understood why he sounded tired of the issue with that boy. 

I mean, how many times did Junseok treat me like garbage? 

Apparently, more than once.

“But I can't…” I retaliated, disagreeing with him as Hyunjun chuckled sarcastically, probably finding me ridiculous for thinking that way. 

“You can't? That's all in your head. If you keep thinking like that, then nothing will happen,” He replied, still with a stern tone yet calmer this time. He was furious about it and it seemed like this wasn't going to end well for both me and Junseok.

So I'll keep hiding basically. “Also, stop thinking about him for a sec and go find yourself something you like!” Hyunjun later tried to uplift the mood as I smiled at him, appreciating his efforts in quickly changing the topic. 

But I still thought of it.

I'll admit it. Those words he said were just as bad as the things he said before.

Then, I felt a weight over my shoulders once more as I lifted my head up to see Seunghwan, who also tried to cheer me up. “Just ignore Junseok. He'll come to his senses,” He said, trying to brush the problem off as I nodded, reminding myself to just not mind what he said about me. 

I mean, it's obvious that his intention was a lot more different than anyone could expect. 

But if that's what he really thought of me, then maybe I'll try meeting his expectations of the girl he used to be friends with.

“Oh! Pretty!” Seunghwan was suddenly fixated on the jewelry aisle, getting his hands on a delicate necklace in gold that had a tiny, white crystal-like flower placed right in the middle. “How much is this?” He later asked the seller, who stood behind the glass-covered table of the jewelry shop nearby as she couldn’t help but smile at his cheery reactions towards the necklace he held. 

“That’d be twelve,” The seller responded, resulting in the boy searching for his wallet in both of his pockets. 

When he paid for the necklace, he tore off the price tag straight away as he wore it around his neck, later looking in the small mirror on the top of the desk. “Hey, Y/N, they match, right?” Seunghwan asked me to take a closer look at both his golden compass necklace and his brand new one as I raised both of my hands midway, both of my thumbs going upwards as he giggled, satisfied with what he bought.

Honestly, that compass necklace he owned was still prettier than the new one.

“By the way, where did you get this one?” I asked, curious about the necklace Seunghwan always wore. When my hand reached for it, he raised both of his eyebrows for a moment and later nodded to himself in realization. 

“Oh, this? Somebody lost it during a high school field trip. None of my classmates owned it so I kept it instead.” He shrugged as I fiddled with its chain for a while, letting go of it right after.

It was so mesmerizing. 

Maybe I should borrow it someday.

Not long after, Hyunjun comes back from the check-out with two paper bags in his hands. “I see, you’re finally proud of what you got,” Seunghwan said with a fake British accent rolling off his tongue, causing the two of us to cackle at his joke. 

“Well, Sir, I must not hide these visuals I own from the many people around.” The cloudy boy played along as I shook my head, suppressing myself from laughing way too loud at the mall. “By the way, you should totally take pictures of me tomorrow because I need to post something at least!” He later added, pointing his finger at me as I was a bit surprised to find out that I took good pictures of him. 

I still wasn’t that good with other activities since I most likely enjoyed writing… and maybe learning about the weirdest things that exist around the internet in general. 

I guess that’s the reason why I couldn’t sleep right on time.

When the three of us made our way to the food court on the third floor, my eyes immediately noticed Junseok’s group of friends at the right side of the room, causing me to turn the other way, leaving the two boys to themselves. 

“... Huh? Hey, Y/N!” Seunghwan loudly called my name in the middle of the busy room. I widened my eyes, pausing from my fast pace as I began regretting what I had just done.

Why did he have to yell my name out in front of so many people?

Well, apparently, who’s stupid enough to leave her friends out? Yeah, that’s me.

Turning around, I faced Seunghwan with an awkward smile that was so full of shame. There, we all heard how Junseok’s friends snickered in their seats, whispering things that I couldn’t hear yet it was obvious enough for me to know that they were talking about us again. 

But taking a closer look at them, I realized something that was supposed to be not shocking to me anymore.

Junseok wasn’t there with them and that’s because he’s either busy at the realm he used to stay at or he’s doing something else – like beating up a bunch of criminals pretty much. 

“Hey, just ignore them,” Seunghwan repeated what he said earlier, walking towards me before linking his arm with mine as he grimaced at the rest of them, scowling at them right after as Hyunjun did the same no matter how easygoing he actually was.

Because of that, we all thought that maybe it would be best for us to just order a take-out rather than eat here alongside those people. 

God, it’s not that I hate them but if they weren’t so annoying, I wouldn’t have to care about them.

But of course, Junseok’s privacy has to come first. 

Later on, the three of us were finally outside the mall, walking our way back to the university’s dorm when loud sounds of tires scratching the cemented roads pierced my ears, causing me to look around what was happening. “Give me all of that or I’ll fucking shoot!” A man with a black mask growled angrily, pointing a gun toward us as Hyunjun threw the paper bags back at him, backing down.

For a while, I was tempted to do something but I figured that maybe Junseok would arrive soon, which made me stay still instead. 

Yet the opposite happened. “Let me go!”, I shouted, trying to escape the man’s grasp around me as the end of the gun was pointed against my head. 

“Don’t hurt her!” Seunghwan yelled at the masked man but it was no use, his gloved finger pointing at both of his necklaces. The boy took a pause, knitting his brows intensely as he ran towards the man who had taken me hostage, wrapping his hand around the trunk of the gun, pushing it backward until it was pointing towards the sky, leaving Hyunjun a chance to take me away from the criminal’s arms. 

Once I was free from him, I started concentrating in the shadows, trying to manifest a bow and arrow in my hands only to be disrupted by how Seunghwan took down the mugger singlehandedly without putting a lot of effort.

The mugger was on the floor, hands pinned behind his back by the once bubbly boy, who now looked more fueled than ever. 

“How did he just do that?” Hyunjun asked, the police sirens from the roads getting louder and nearer to the crime scene as I was fixated on Seunghwan, who put his weight over the thief’s back. 

I breathed out, “I… I have no idea.”

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.11 - "ΜΙΑ ΠΑΡΩΔΙΑ." Word Count: 2,279

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ a parody. ❞ ─────

“Junseok Oh and Y/N L/N.”

I lifted my head up from my desk, still drowsy from the lack of sleep I've had ever since last week as I looked over to the far right corner of the classroom, seeing the way Junseok stared at me in surprise. “Here we go again…” I trailed off, letting out a sigh as I listened to the short giggles that came from his group of friends.

Of course, they knew about it.

Well, not all of it, though. They still think we weren't friends.

“I expect all of you to submit the film analysis on Wednesday, okay?” Mr. Juyeon Lee was said to be a new lecturer as he had a bit of a chill take on teaching us. Apparently, he graduated from the university two years ago and I just think it's cool to have an old student teaching us about analyzing films.

The class finally came to an end and I purposely avoided the boy who sat far behind.

Why? Because no one should know about his purpose here and for sure, I'd get tied up in more complicated strings if this backfires. “I'm sure someone loves to be partners with you.” I heard the short, pearl-eyed one comment loudly, wanting me to hear all about their conversation as I rolled my eyes at them, making sure they got a different message instead.

What message? That I still hated him even if I never did. “Hey, Y/N!” A boy with a jolly voice called as I quickly hid my false annoyance with a smile, watching Seunghwan make his way upstairs with an even brighter grin. “Wanna eat lunch with me? I'm starving…” He took a pause, his hand on top of his stomach as his attention seemed to have been caught by someone from behind.

Please.

Don't let it be Junseok.

“He's looking at you. Don't turn around.” Seunghwan warned as I sighed once more, already feeling the pressure over me.

I mean, could I really ignore him? There's just no way I could do that. “You know, what? I think we should go,” I rambled out spontaneously, excusing myself as I headed all the way downstairs, not even waiting for the bright boy to follow me.

As soon as he caught up, he placed his arm over both of my shoulders like usual, causing me to walk slower than before. “Okay, why are you avoiding him again? I thought you guys were friends?” He asked with a mix of cluelessness and confusion as I hummed in response, unsure of what I'd tell him.

Should I say it was all complicated? Maybe that would work.

“It's complicated.” I breathed out dramatically, keeping my focus on the path in front of me as it didn't take long for the other group of boys to laugh loudly from behind.

“Look, it's just complicated! I don't like talking about her.” Junseok complained from the back, lying at the same time as I could feel how Seunghwan even turned around to face them.

“Ah, he's really an asshole.” The boy grumbled innocently.

“Indeed,” I said back, nodding.

As the two of us made our way to the left hall, we both saw Hyunjun standing next to the classroom he was in, resting his head against the wall as he seemed to be occupied with music. “Hyunjun!” Seunghwan called him without any hint of shyness as the boy took off his earphones and shoved them down to his pocket, heading towards us with a smile on his face.

“Oh, man! I thought classes were easy today but no, the timeline decided to hate me,” the personified cloud told us, groaning out of exhaustion as I tilted my head to the side, intrigued.

This was one of the first times when Hyunjun seemed to be frustrated.

“Why? What happened?” I questioned, having the sudden urge to solve a problem that wasn't even mine.

“Well, I'm partners with Junmin Ryu in the laboratory for Botany- Ugh, he's just really annoying to work with.”

I guess I wasn't the only one having a pretty bad day, huh?

And when the moon finally took the place of the sun, I was sitting alone at my desk inside my room. I figured that if I started the homework early, then the two of us wouldn't get stuck on one part.

Well, he had a valid reason to not participate but he insisted on doing the homework with me over texts.

At exactly eight o'clock, I heard several knocks on the door, causing me to leave my desk and answer it. There stood Junseok, who gave me a wide smile yet I was even more distracted by the cut on his cheek.

“What happened to you?” I asked, not even greeting him with a plain “hey” as I immediately let him walk into my room.

The boy quickly headed towards the seat next to my desk, already scrolling through the unfinished document on my laptop as he tried to avoid the issue.

How could he avoid the issue? It's literally on his face. “Hey! Answer me.” I was persistent, crossing my arms as he only stared back at the laptop's screen, not even planning to turn around.

It wasn't just the cut on his cheek that was telling me something might've gone wrong as his hair was even a little damp than usual, unkempt.

He never looked this way before. Not even after the fight with Yeonjun.

“It's not that much, you know? It'll heal overnight,” Junseok said back blankly, not taking his eyes off of the screen as I made my way to the edge of the bed, facing him. Of course, he had no chance of escaping me unless he chose to travel in the shadows, which is honestly quite rude if he did.

“Okay but who did you fight tonight?” I thought that he was the type of person who wanted to get things straight and clear.

So, I’m just complying.

“The Vanguard,” Junseok answered, his tone serious and his attention away from the laptop. I don’t even know what that is.

“Excuse me? The… What now?” I squinted my eyes at him, grimacing at the many layers of his identity. Well, what can I expect? He’s not even his old self anymore.

“The Vanguard of False Truths, a criminal from Fotos Vasileo… The Light Realm.”

I uncrossed my arms and leaned forward, my elbows pressing against my knees as I needed to know more about the criminal he was talking about. “Basically, he’s been around for centuries and no one in Skia has caught him yet.” The boy continued as I nodded, furrowing my brows as I tried to put the pieces together.

None. I formed nothing since I didn’t even know that criminals existed.

“And you’re trained to catch him?” I guessed, gaining a single nod.

“Well, duh? What else could be the reason?” He shrugged, almost rolling his eyes.

I spaced out at a random corner of the room, particularly the framed picture of the two of us as I began thinking of what it’s like to meet this criminal of the Light Realm or whatever that is called. “Since I was brought back to life by the shadows, I am part shadow too and that’s why I have this.” He pointed his finger towards the glowing cut on his cheek as the wound was still shining, still fresh.

Also, he looked pretty much agitated by it, probably not used to feeling pain at all. “How many times have you met this Vanguard?” I asked one question from all of the other questions that I came up with in just a few moments of silence.

“Well, a lot of times actually but I never saw his face,” he answered, looking up at the ceiling as he probably thought of more things to say about this criminal. “... He’s just this glowing, white orb to me.”

Well, that’s a decent description. No one could see who this Vanguard was despite his presence being felt.

It’s a weird concept but it definitely adds to the mystery.

Junseok later lowered down the laptop’s screen, resting over the desk’s surface as he turned his head to the side, raising an eyebrow at the framed picture. “I never knew you kept something like that.” He pointed out, his tone a mix of being laid-back and fascination. He was probably feeling all sorts of things when he saw himself in an old picture, which he had no memory of.

“Does it hurt when you look at it?” He questioned, both in wonder and in pity as I took in a very deep breath, knowing that maybe it’d be better if I just said it.

“Sometimes but right now, it just gives me a sign of hope, you know? To keep going.” I let the truth flow out of me, seeing the way Junseok’s gaze softened when he listened to me.

Maybe it shocked him. Maybe he wondered how he was before.

The boy later breathed out a quiet giggle, lifting himself off of the desk as we both sat there in silence. The two of us didn’t know each other’s stories and struggles because, to me, it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who kept struggling over the matter.

He never remembered a single thing about our friendship.

And I still had no clue about who he was now.

“I didn’t know I mattered that much to you,” Junseok admitted his thoughts once more, not holding back his true feelings as he used to as I chuckled. It may be odd but I enjoyed talks like this since I’m not that used to talking that much.

“You still do actually,” I said back, which made him smile cheekily again.

But that smile only made the cut on his cheek worsen. “You know? Let’s at least clean that up.” I blurted out rapidly, bothered at how the fresh wound was leaking oil with a bit of black smoke emitting from it. In a matter of seconds, I got off of the bed and rummaged through the cabinets, where I placed the first-aid kit that was all the way from Jeju.

Later on, I dipped a cotton ball in both water and soap as I headed out of the bathroom, seeing how Junseok didn’t even think of refusing this time. “Stay still, okay?” I told him beforehand, and he nodded quickly as if he was hurrying me to just dab the cotton ball into the broken skin. Carefully, the damp cotton ball touched the cut, causing his eyes to close for a quick moment as he probably felt it stinging.

“Are you okay?” I asked him, looking away from the cut as I stared into his gaze. I could tell that he wasn’t afraid of it but the way he looked back at me with a sense of uncertainty, I assumed he didn’t experience this at all.

What experience? He never experienced getting help from anyone.

And to think that he’s been like this for three years already; it’s a little tragic.

“... Now, you’ve got me thinking about something,” Junseok suddenly spoke, which didn’t really stop me from rubbing the cotton ball over his wound gently yet it did catch my attention.

“Well, what is it?” I asked back, watching how the redness of the cut had toned down as the black smoke that used to come out of it had also disappeared.

“Why do you still care about me? I think we both know that I’m not the same... I’m different now. I don't think I'm anything like him.”

I was a bit startled at the question because I knew he was right and I had no other reason to help him out. “Maybe because you remind me of the person you once were… The friend I used to have.” I was honest and the feeling of saying that with a blank face was more bitter than round coffee as I put down the red-tinted cotton ball on the side of the desk.

Junseok was obviously not ready to hear that from me, which was new but not surprising for me anymore. “Do you think I’ll be just like him again? Just like who I was before?” He asked, the atmosphere in the room turning even more overwhelming – but also, it was silent as if the heart had stopped beating. I’ve never thought he’d ask questions like this but maybe he’s just as desperate as I was with remembering the past.

My lips parted away, ready to answer when the door suddenly creaked open as I might’ve forgotten to lock it.

Great job, Y/N.

“Oh, you guys… you guys seem busy,” Seunghwan stuttered, holding a bag of popcorn in one hand as Hyunjun stood stiffly next to him, a bit fazed to see me in an awkward, unexplainable position with the boy who sat on the chair next to my desk.

“... Yeah, we’re about to do the homework.” I managed to utter a decent sentence, turning on the laptop once more as the screen shone in the dimly lit room.

Well, the scenery did not help in making any of this look appropriate enough.

“Hey, quick question: can you guys leave?” Junseok asked snarkily.

“Adios,” the two said at once, shutting the door closed; well, that was one hell of a headache.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.9 - "Η ΑΛΗΘΕΙΑ." Word Count: 2,129

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───── ❝ the truth. ❞ ─────

That night, I was unable to sleep.

Why? Because I could still hear the way he told me those words.

That it was his duty to stand up for me. That he wanted me to be safe. That he wanted to call me when I needed his help. In the first few weeks, I thought he hated me but now, it doesn’t seem like that anymore.

What is he hiding from me? Why is he so goddamn confusing? All I could do was stare at the ceiling that hovered above me, empty and doubting that he didn’t have second thoughts. He acts as if he knows me but he looks at me as if it’s the first time he’s ever seen me.

Like I was both a stranger and a friend to him if that made sense.

Shifting towards the other side of my bed, I turned my phone on, letting light basically almost blind me as I squinted my eyes, feeling pain from the brightness of it as I saw a few texts from the two people I made friends with.

It was the first time they'd flooded me with texts, probably afraid of what could've happened at the party, considering the fact that Junseok left even if he was part of those who planned it. But even if they were concerned, I wasn't sure whether to respond or not.

It's probably because they'll think I'm crazy if I ever told them what I witnessed during that fight. Not a lot of action happened yet Yeonjun was mysteriously lying down on the murky dance floor, his nose bleeding from the bridge as he seemed to be almost knocked out… Well, almost.

God, it scares me to think of what I'll go through in the next few days since I was the reason why Junseok acted that way. "... Am I going crazy?" I asked myself, turning off my phone as I decided that it would be better for me to keep my mouth shut for now. They shouldn't know what happened back there or they might as well go crazy as I am now.

A reason for that is the fact that it's the mayor's son that Junseok dealt with and the other reason is that it was too impossible for the fight to end that way.

As if he wasn't even human after all.

Days soon passed and it was time for me to attend classes again, which also meant that I had to pretend like everything was normal. Everyone had also come back from their homes, the party fever finally coming off of them as they seemed to be busy working on their leftover assignments.

Yet it seemed as if not all of them had already moved forward from the party as Seunghwan and Hyunjun had been giving me glares ever since the morning started.

"What?" I pretended to not know what they were thinking as they rolled their eyes in unison like they were some kind of twins at this point.

"You know what we both know,” Seunghwan whined while Hyunjun nodded without any sign of hesitation.

There's just no way I could escape this, right?

Ah, fine.

"It's about the fight, isn't it?" I asked them both as Hyunjun was the first one to nod while the other one was left spacing out, probably thinking deeply if it really was about the fight. "Look, Yeonjun started it and Junseok just won! End of story!" I blurted out, both of my hands going to places as if they were jets as the two of them still didn't seem convinced.

But that was it! The two of them had a weirdly quick fight and it's over!

Well… Maybe not for me.

"Yeah, but what was the fight even about?" Seunghwan questioned, furrowing his brows as he probably began to think of possibilities as to why it all resulted in Yeonjun being a crumpled mess on the floor. I froze for a while, trying to choose between telling them the truth or not. God, I don't even know where to begin.

I don't even know how to tell them that Junseok's aims were trippy.

I just couldn't move on from the fact that he wasn't even visible.

Just a shadowy blur spinning around Yeonjun.

"It was about me- Well, not completely since Yeonjun was the one who…" I stopped in the middle of the sentence, catching my breath as I could feel the way he forcefully pushed me against the wall that night.

I never thought of it as something so awful until I remembered how it all felt again. Even if he hadn't done it further, the fear of having no choice but to give up was still there.

Still breathing heavily in my head, pounding on my chest every once in a while.

There was a gust of wind that was right next to me and I completely stopped dead in my tracks. "Y/N?” I heard one of them call my name and I couldn't even recognize who tried to wake me up from my thoughts.

"Hey!" The owner of the voice soon became clearer for me as I saw Seunghwan right in front of me, his hands both grasping my arms tightly as if he was about to shake me off of the sudden quietness.

I didn't know what was happening to me or my head but god, I knew I wasn't quite right. "What's going on?" The boy questioned once more, the concern showing in his eyes as I wasn't even able to come up with a decent answer.

What's going on with me? I don't know.

Why don't I always know?

"I knew it." Hyunjun later chuckled deeply, rolling his eyes as his arms were soon crossed. He had a bitter look on his face, which was something that I wasn't used to seeing.

"Yeonjun did something to you, didn't he?" He was obviously pissed off, causing me to just nod in response, shuddering. Even Seunghwan wasn't used to how irritated his friend was, out of words to say and puzzled.

The boy who studied Ecology seemed to have been hiding his feelings that expressed this. Disappointed but not surprised. "... I don't think I can imagine how scared you were." Hyunjun didn't just sound like he was completely bothered by it, he also looked that way. Seunghwan, on the other hand, didn't say a word but instead, he placed one arm over my shoulders, not putting too much weight either as it was all for comfort.

"Then, you could've witnessed everything that happened, right?" Hyunjun asked all of a sudden.

"... Well, not everything," I answered hesitantly.

And so, events from the venue came flashing back as if I was alone in a cinema, watching the tape roll. "The fight… It was weird to me." I started to tell my point of view, something that wasn't seen by those who posted about the fight on the internet. "Well, nothing was weird at that party but the fight was abrupt… I mean, you guys saw the videos. What do you think?" I still found a way to distract myself from those lingering thoughts that at any moment, I could be treated as an object to play with.

What way? Obsess over the fight.

I know the fight happened in the dark and there were a lot of people cheering for both sides but mostly Yeonjun since he's the privileged mayor's son obviously – but it was weirdly too quick. And when we returned to the dorms that night, Junseok didn't have a single bruise on his face or at least a cut on his cheek, maybe?

As if he wasn't affected at all. "I think that the fight happened way too fast. I've seen some fights in high school and both people didn't end well.” Seunghwan tried to lighten things up as Hyunjun and I finally both smiled after the long talk about whatever Yeonjun did.

"All of the videos were glitchy, to be honest like what is this? The 2010's?" Hyunjun joked as the other boy laughed in response, only resulting in me sinking deeper in my questions. If the videos were glitchy to them, then it wasn't just my perspective that the fight must've ended in a flicker.

Oh, god.

Great. More things to think about.

And when I was about to say one more thing about it, that familiar gust of wind came back again, causing me to forget everything I had in mind.

There, Junseok walked straight to the other hall, determined and ignoring every single thing that happened in his surroundings. I found myself drawn to him again. Was this the right time for me to ask him what was going on? Maybe not.

But I was tempted to know the truth. "Hey, Y/N? Where are you going?" Seunghwan asked, confused as to why I was already heading in the other direction without saying anything, focused on nothing but the boy who kept so many things hidden from me. There was the urge to ask him all of the questions I could think of.

To learn the reason why he's here, coincidentally attending the same school as I did.

Not much of a coincidence if he's all the way from Crete, right?

"Junseok Oh!" I called his name, raising my voice as it sounded as angry as a storm's growl would be. Everyone from both sides of the hall turned to look at me except for Junseok himself, speeding up his pace as I sighed. Looking at each of them, I decided to just ignore them as I marched all the way to where he was headed.

But then, I lost track of him, looking from left to right in panic. "Shit."

And an open palm was slammed onto my mouth, the other arm dragging me into… the restroom?

How did I even get in here?

"Jun… Junseok?" I stuttered, backing away when I saw how both of his eyes glowed in white. God, I felt so terrified but my legs felt as if they were stuck on the floor, shaking yet still.

"I won't hurt you… Just listen to me for a bit." He breathed out heavily as he turned to look at the mirror at the side, his eyes soon turning back to normal before he chose to face me once more.

I couldn't understand the way he looked into my eyes but he knew deeply that this wasn't supposed to happen. "A- Are you real?" I sniffled, tears forming at the corners of my eyes as he walked closer to me, which made me let out a yelp in fear, covering my face with my arms. "Get away from me!" I cried out as he shushed me right away, scared of getting caught by other people as well and he locked the door behind me shut.

I don't understand. How can someone like him exist?

"I'm not going to hurt you,” he said, his face full of guilt as he even took a few steps away. I uncovered my face, putting both of my arms down as I looked back at him, his stare gloomy and hopeless.

"What are you?- Who even are you?" I didn't even know what to ask him first, letting out a nervous chuckle right after.

I didn't know what to do anymore.

"It's still me… but different,” He hesitantly replied.

"Do you even remember me?" I asked, already desperate as he shook his head.

I scoffed, later laughing at myself for even hoping that he would.

Everything that's been happening recently is just laughable. I can't even take it all seriously because I don't have the power to change it. I'll always live in an abnormal reality no matter how much I want to escape it.

"There's a reason for it."

Junseok came closer to me and looked down at his hand. I noticed how it didn't even cast a shadow on the blue tiles of the restroom. "The night I died, I was brought back to life by the shadows for a specific mission,” The boy said, later panning his gaze to me as I only stayed silent.

I needed to hear more.

"And if I fulfill my duty, then in return, they'll give me my life back."

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.6 - "ΞΕΡΑΜΕΝΑ ΦΥΛΛΑ." Word Count: 2,338 note: i took a bit of a break because i just started my job !! enjoy reading ^^

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ dried leaves. ❞ ─────

As soon as classes ended, I headed back to my room with no thoughts of hanging out with anyone, not even Seunghwan or Hyunjun. 

There were already a lot of assignments and I just thought that it'd be better for me to start early rather than having to work on it late, especially since I'm now invited to Rakwon's party. Even though hours have passed already, I still have no idea why Junseok would want me to be there. 

He literally didn't like just seeing me and would always talk about how stupid I was. Why would he want to be with someone he didn't like?

I leaned my back against the chair's rails, taking a deep breath as I noticed how lovely the sight was. On most days, my last class would end late as I'd be sitting here at my desk, facing the night skies. Yet today, the skies were still in a shade of periwinkle, the clouds white and fluffy, and lastly, the bronzed scenery glowing under the sunlight. Of course, I was distracted from doing my homework but should I really take my eyes off of that?

It was perfect. 

And it felt like everything was perfect.

Trying to search for my phone on my desk without looking away from the view, my palm came across a flat surface with four corners and I remembered that the picture was still facing down 'til now. 

"Oh…" I furrowed my brows, squinting my eyes as my head turned away. I didn't know if I had enough bravery to even lift it up from the desk. 

I'm not even sure if I could look at the picture the same way again.

As usual, I lifted the framed picture upright anyway even if I knew it'd be painful for me. And there he was, smiling at me again while the past version of me stood next to him with the same proud smile. 

It reminded me of his smile earlier when he was asking me to be his plus-one with the same head tilt and eye smile. It was impossible for me to forget about him.

Especially his past.

And so I thought that maybe he wasn't aware of it or maybe he was doing something to cope with what happened. I'm not really sure but there has to be something he did. 

His parents died on the same ship, there was no way he could've forgotten them... He loved them so much. They were his motivation to pursue his dreams.

But now, he's acting as if he's never even met them. Was it amnesia? I really hope it is. Pretending to forget everything with the intention of hurting those who failed to save him is a bitter move but at the same time, he has every right to feel that way. 

But he needs to know that I tried. I really tried to know more about what happened but the police wouldn't tell me anything.

Because they said I was too young to know more. I could've done better but I keep on letting him down.

I sighed, my fingertips touching the surface of the glass as the day we first talked to each other came back to me again like I was watching a movie scene over and over. Like it was a complete Groundhog Day. 

A loop I made myself.

"You think so?" Younger me questioned, still fixated on the paper Junseok once had in his hands as he puckered his lips for a while, later both nodding and humming in response. 

"I think I have to apologize personally to you,” He said without hesitating, getting closer to my side as he read what I wrote on the piece of paper once again but this time, in silence. 

At that moment, I didn't know why he should feel like that since he never treated me badly but I was intrigued enough to let him speak.

"I was… I didn't want to sit next to you because of what they were saying." Junseok bit his bottom lip afterward, looking away as he paid attention to every single thing that happened in the classroom. One student was cleaning her own desk while others were either talking about how annoying our adviser was or how they wanted our reading break to come earlier. "But now, I understand why you're into writing so much…"

"What do you mean?" I asked once again.

"Because you do it well,” Junseok answered encouragingly, stating it as if it was obvious.

He later faced towards the whiteboard in front of the classroom’s seats as I did the same. I don’t usually get comments like that from fellow classmates but at least I heard them from teachers, right? 

That’s how I knew I wasn’t technically a normal person despite everyone having a unique color in them yet when he told me those words, I thought that maybe I wasn’t alone.

“Do you want to eat lunch with me tomorrow?” Junseok broke the silence between us; I was shocked to hear that from him.

“... With you?” I asked back, feeling ashamed from the many questions I’d already asked as the boy only nodded, his perfect bunny teeth shining as well as his gaze did. 

“If you only want to, you know? I noticed that you’ve been all by yourself most of the time so why not try being around someone, right?” His words felt like big pillows and a thick blanket on a cold, winter’s night – something that provided a bit of warmth within me. I didn’t even realize that I was already smiling back at him, which made him snicker. 

“You should smile more. It suits you,” He suggested, winking at me right after as I laughed.

That was one of the few moments I’ve laughed loudly.

“Hey, Junseok!” One of his friends, Junho Jeong, called his name, causing him to get up from his seat as he skipped his way to the group of boys who waited for him. Meanwhile, I decided to get myself ready to return back home since I was a few streets away from the school and I was scared of coming home late again. As I carried the string bag over my back, I made my way outside of the classroom when I felt someone approach me, lightly poking the side of my arm.

And when I turned around, it was him again. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow lunch, okay? Don’t forget that!” He reminded me as he clearly couldn’t hide his excitement, which caused me to repeatedly nod, fooling along with him. 

“I won’t!” I gladly responded as I waved my hand at him before heading my way out of the school’s halls. 

Surely, a lot of them started mumbling to each other about my conversation with him but for the first time, I didn’t even care about it.

It felt like an achievement for me.

To not feel too lonely yet not too crowded.

That afternoon, I came home with a rather joyful look on my face and my parents completely caught on it. “What’s that smile? Are you dating someone?” My mother asked, her tone sharp yet the look on her face said otherwise, excited if I ever thought of seeing anyone. They never told me about it but I could always feel that they had expectations for me ever since they realized how I was stuck to my desk most of the time, coming up with something to write instead of making friends with other people. 

And maybe this was one of the rare times they’ve caught me smile.

“Oh, me? I’m not dating anyone,” I replied, still forgetting to let go of the smile on my face as she chuckled, shaking her head afterward. My father, however, seemed to be curious enough to ask follow-up another question. 

“Are you sure? ‘Cause I haven’t seen you smile like that yet.” He brushed my hair to the other side of my face, taking a closer look at me as he smiled, later heading his way back to the kitchen, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a towel. 

“I just… I think I made a new friend.” 

With only those words, they were fascinated enough to leave the kitchen to ask me all about it. 

I guess they wanted me to live a less peculiar life.

“What’s his name?” My father questioned once more as we were all seated at the table as if dinner had come earlier. When I was about to answer, the light from above suddenly flickered, which meant that I had to replace it tomorrow. 

We weren’t really well off. 

“... Oh! Don’t mind that now. Just tell us all about him until the light goes out.” My mother reassured, quickly taking my attention away from the blinking light as it felt uplifting for me to just continue. 

“His name is Junseok,” I said, finally revealing his name, seeing how the excitement filled the looks of their faces as their anticipation came along right after, which made me flinch as I waved both of my hands as fast as I could. I didn’t want them to expect anything from it. “Oh, but I don’t know him that well! He just asked me to eat lunch with him tomorrow!” I immediately took it all back with a higher tone as they both let out a groan.

Well, I had no idea how to tell them not to set their expectations high with my social skills so I was left with no choice but to clear up things as early as possible. 

Two married extroverts with an introverted kid… And until now, people still don’t get the reason why I’m awkward as hell.

Now, I’m sitting alone in my dorm room, only finding out that the skies turned into a navy shade after looking away from the picture frame. I wonder how my parents are feeling right now. 

My life has never been the same since Junseok passed away… Well, at first, I thought that was the truth but I guess that never happened at all. 

And it turns out that it wasn’t just my life that got affected. My parents have met him before and it’s probably because whenever he had free time, he’d be at the garage with my father to repair the damaged cars of the neighbors who’d ask him for help or he’d be around the kitchen with my mother to help her with baking cakes. Unlike the past friends I’ve had before, he’s really the only one who was willing to be around my parents.

He’s a nice kid and always has been that way until that trip. 

As I closed my windows, I came up with the idea of walking outside for a little while. I already had spent the entire afternoon thinking about my past friendship with him and I thought that maybe this was a chance for me to think more about what’s happening now between us. 

Is Junseok ever going to be the same person he was before? I don’t know how to feel about it.

I mean, I don’t want him to feel forced to do it. If this is the type of person he is right now, then I have to just accept it. 

It’s not like he’s the only friend I should have in this world. I still have Seunghwan and Hyunjun around and having one friend is already something special, what more if I have two of them, right?

But despite thinking of it that way, I couldn’t help but miss those days, when everything was simpler – less complicated.

As I wore my headphones, I made my way outside of the room, locking it shut as I shoved my keys into the pocket of my pajamas. I’m not even going to lie about it but walking down these halls alongside a few students was awkward. I mean, it actually could’ve been better if there were more people around instead of just one or two. 

Obviously, I walked faster than ever in response to it because I didn’t think I could bear the awkward silence as one of them was even answering a very angry phone call with probably their parents.

But the experience of that awkwardness was the one that made me figure out that maybe going to the party with Junseok wouldn’t be such a bad idea! I’m sure if I stayed quiet enough, no one would notice me or would come up to me to form some small talk… Well, that’s what I hope I’ll be feeling on Friday night. It’d be a bummer if it wasn’t.

When I stepped out of the dormitory’s floors, I was met with a cool, feather-like breeze that swept my hair away from my sight. It felt as if my mind was refreshed by the scenery – lights that dangled around the sidewalks of the university made me feel as if I was finally set free from the cold memories that held me back inside. Too much freedom on my own yet I was satisfied to know that it was my choice to be out here, enjoying the music that played into my ears for only me to hear.

“In love, in love… I used to be so in love.”

I swayed subtly while I walked down the cemented sidewalk, letting myself be enchanted by the singer’s husky tone like there wasn’t anyone around. It was my first time to walk the university without anyone next to me and it seemed as if no one was caring about my actions. 

That’s how I knew that tonight was perfect.

That’s how I found out that I should let myself out of the dark, thundering clouds of the storm. This was already a new chapter after all.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.1 - "MIA NEA APXH." Word Count: 2,050

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───── ❝ a new start. ❞ ─────

The sun shone nicely within the blue skies as I breathed deeply, knowing that today would be a lot different than before. I hugged my backpack closer to my chest while I watched how the tall buildings of the city passed by.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” My uncle asked from the front seat of the car, snapping me out of my attention as I nodded quickly even if it wasn’t the way I felt. Every single day felt as if nothing was new even if I knew to myself that I would be having a new start here.

Here in Seoul.

“You know, you seem a bit timid for someone who got accepted in IST,” he added, resulting in me chuckling. Well, I don’t know either why I still felt this way but I knew the exact reason why I never smiled that much anymore. Nonetheless, my uncle was right. How could I not be excited? Scholarship at IST University is everything I’ve wanted, right? I guess that wasn’t the case for me anymore.

Maybe soon it’ll sink into me deeper and I just hope that maybe I could smile about it, too. I was one of the few students who passed both exams for IST University. Well, one test was for the general audience who would also pay their way in but the other test was what I’m focused on. It’s not more of a want but it’s more of a need for me to be qualified for the scholarship program.

Why? Because my parents wouldn’t have to pay for my tuition. I always knew that I was made for something that wasn’t in Jeju.

Often, I was criticized for my passion in literature and I don’t know why they acted that way towards me. Maybe they were uneducated? I think that wouldn’t be that much of a possibility.

And within the top half of the takers, I managed to be at a bit of a higher rank, which was shocking. I wasn’t an honor student but somehow, I happened to be there and not even my parents expected that. But even after I saw the exam results, I remained kept together – maybe a bit more blunt than I should’ve reacted.

But why? What could be the reason behind that melancholic expression?

“I’m not. I’m just tired.” I quickly formed an excuse, which made him let out a scoff. Despite not being around him for a few years since he moved from Jeju to Seoul, he always knew whenever something was up with me.

“... Still thinking about him?”, he asked as I cleared my throat, gulping as I rested my back against the cushion of the car seat.

Never did I skip one day not thinking about him.

But before I could even give him an answer, we finally reached the university’s dormitory and he first got out of the car to take my luggage with him. I never really brought most of my belongings because not a lot of them were necessary enough.

But maybe I’ve bought something that would remind me of home and the reason why I’m here now. Who knew Jeju could be such a pain in my chest?

As I made my way out of the car, I tightened the straps of my backpack to lessen the uncomfortable feeling of carrying something heavy over my back. It seemed as if everything around me was bronzed in a way. From the leaves to the exterior design of IST’s dormitory, it never failed to tell me that autumn had just arrived. It was beautiful.

I wonder how he would’ve reacted if he'd seen this.

Grasping the straps of my backpack tighter, my uncle gave me a single nod as the two of us made our way in. First, we were greeted by the dormitory’s guards; I even smiled at them, later scanning my I.D. card over to confirm if I was indeed a student. As my face was shown on the screen, my uncle and I were finally able to walk the halls.

“Well, Room 333 is your stop, right?” he asked as I nodded, still thinking about how I was supposed to move here without struggling too much. “I’d have to go, then. You take care of yourself, okay?”

I nodded yet again, waving my hand at him as I watched him walk away. Yet before I could even twist the doorknob of my room, I heard someone from across the hall breathing heavily, causing me to turn to the right.

There, two rooms away from mine was a boy who wore a blue sweatshirt and a pair of black slacks, struggling with his heavy luggage, which made me feel concerned for him.

“Hey!” I called him, failing to fight the urge to stay quiet as he looked over to my side, his eyes widening as he grinned right after.

“Do you need help?” I questioned, which caused him to nod and wipe his sweat off of his face as I walked towards him, carrying my backpack and strolling my luggage across the tiles at once. This is the reason why I didn’t want to bring too much.

“Can you help me get these inside? I’m sorry for bothering you,” he apologized as I shook my head, reassuring him that it was alright as I opened the door, later helping him push what seemed like an extra desk for him inside the room. It’s one of the heaviest things I’ve ever pushed in my entire life.

“Ah! That was too heavy!” The boy kept catching his breath as I took a look around the room. Well, even if it wasn’t mine, every room in the dormitory probably looked like this.

“Hey,” He uttered as I turned around to look at him, smiling as I didn’t want him to think that I was just a dull student overall. “... Your name?” He asked, his shoulder raising at the same time before crossing his arms, still having a bright smile on his face.

“Oh? I’m Y/N L/N. I’m from Jeju,” I answered, snickering in awkwardness.

“I’m Seunghwan Jeong! From Busan,” he said back, maintaining his cheeky smile.

Well, to be honest, I’d think he’s the complete opposite of me for today. His eyes were glimmering under the sunlight that passed through the windows while he rambled about how far Jeju was from Seoul.

“Actually, I just came here from a really chaotic flight and… I guess I’m supposed to live here for the rest of the year.” Seunghwan breathed out with an overwhelmed look on his face, later looking around the room while I took note of how enthusiastic he was. “Oh, by the way! What course are you?” He quickly came up with a question, causing me to let out a few giggles.

He’s so bubbly. I wish to be like that someday.

“Literature, you?” I asked back as his eyes widened even more.

“Me, too! Oh, we definitely need to hang out more,” he commented, winking an eye at me as I was a bit taken aback.

At the same time, he didn’t seem like he was flirting with me either. Of course, everything fell silent. I just didn’t know how to make the conversation longer. I was just used to how it was back in Jeju, where I enjoyed spending my time alone. Sure, there were a few people who watched me scribble through my notepad as I let my emotions and the atmosphere create something out of it but I wasn’t close to anyone… Well, anyone except for one person.

“Um… Do you want me to help you out in your room?” Seunghwan came up with yet another question to lessen the tension as I was snapped out of my trance once more.

“Sure!” I smiled, later heading out of the room along with him as he volunteered to carry my backpack.

Once I pushed the door open, I was met with a different scenery. Everything was just like Seunghwan’s room from the cupboards to the small bed at the side yet something still sparked within me.

I guess this was what Seunghwan felt earlier.

I’d be living here all by myself for the whole year.

Taking my backpack from his arms, I pulled out the framed picture that I once placed in my bedroom back in Jeju. The frame was wooden and the glass was a bit dusty due to how it was from three years ago but the picture that lies beneath its wooden base and the glass still felt new.

My uncle was right. I still thought of him.

“I think I’m fine. You can go now,” I told the boy, which made him form a confused look on his face as I could see how my blank face reflected on the glass over his necklace that seemed like a chained compass.

“Call me if you need anything!” He cheerfully reminded, later waving his hand as he made his way out of the room, closing the door shut.

And I found myself still staring back at the picture, later deciding that maybe it would be best for me to just place it over my desk. The only one who ever understood the person behind the writings couldn’t even be here for me because of that one night.

Oh, how I miss you, Junseok.

Obviously, I couldn’t get my mind off of what happened. When I was still in eighth grade, everyone looked up to him. Why? He was never the type to start fights yet he was also the best in the sports team, mainly Taekwondo. Whenever things would go wrong, he’d always find a way to fix it and maybe laugh at the situation once it’s done.

He was my best friend.

I didn’t know if he counted me as the same but it felt like he did.

The moment he read one of the things I’ve written before, his curiosity grew and he would always take the chance to sit right next to me, even if we were already seatmates in class. I didn’t know what part of what I wrote made him feel so interested in getting to know me but I remembered how nice it felt to be around someone so… awesome, maybe?

“Let me be the water that embraces you, a beautiful flower. A water lily. So that no storm can ever hurt you as it isn’t my heart’s choice.”

I remembered how he was standing still, reading the written words over the lost page of my notebook aloud as I immediately turned around, attempting to take it away from his hand but he refused.

“You wrote this, right?” Junseok had a teasing grin, which made me expect that he’d make fun of how I loved to write such things that I still haven’t experienced.

“... Um, yeah. Why?” I stayed still as he handed the sheet willingly to me.

“It’s beautiful… I don’t understand why my friends think you’re weird,” He mumbled, sitting down on the chair next to mine as I kept my head down, not knowing what I should say back.

“They do?” I pretended not to know just to keep the conversation going as he nodded, his lips forming into a pout as he knitted his brows in confusion.

“Yeah? Honestly, I just think they just want to be as creative as you." Junseok's eyes acted as windows to his emotions, his head tilting quickly as if he never liked the things his friends said about me.

And that small interest he had was the beginning of everything I never thought I'd lose.

I couldn't take my eyes off of the picture, knowing that it was taken during the time I won a poem writing contest at school as I was holding the certificate with a bright smile on my face – something that I wasn't that able to do anymore. Next to me stood Junseok, who still wore his Taekwondo uniform as he had also smiled widely just like I did. And I thought that maybe if I had just come with him on that trip, then I wouldn't be left with nothing but pain right now.

He died alone on that ship.

Because I wasn’t there.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.16 - "ΣΠΙΘΗΤΕΣ." Word Count: 2,084

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───── ❝ sparks. ❞ ─────

I opened my eyes to the sound of scratching.

Not just scratching but it was similar to sandpaper rubbing against another piece of it. "... Huh?" I uttered, my eyes still barely open as I stretched my arms up.

But then, I jolted my eyes wide open when I realized that Junseok wasn't there next to me.

The scratching sounds got louder and more defined with each second that passed as it slowly sank in me that it was some kind of static. "Good morning!" I heard someone greet me with a certain jolly melody, which made me turn my head to the side, seeing how Junseok watched me from the desk.

Huh? His wounds are apparently gone now.

Oh.

Now, I get why he told me that his wounds heal overnight. "I cooked something back in my room and I was wondering if you enjoyed this." Junseok's excitement was fun to see but god, the radio static that's been playing from my laptop was so irritating that I couldn't help but frown. "Oh? You don't like ramen with eggs?" He questioned, his gaze filled with regret as his lower lip was puckered out, pouting at the food he made as my hands began to wave rapidly.

"No! I didn't mean that. Just turn off the static, please?" I panicked, not wanting him to feel bad about himself as he quickly turned it off, looking back at me once more.

Well, he's right. He's definitely doing a lot better now than before. "Wanna eat breakfast with me? It's still a weekend, you know?" He was surprisingly uplifted today unlike his usual sarcastic self, which made me remember what happened last night.

No, of course. Nothing happened but something about his smile is telling me that something has changed within him.

But then, I snapped out of my thoughts when Junseok carefully placed the bowl on the other side of the desk.

God, the ramen smelled so good. I didn't know he liked cooking... Oh, but he did love baking before.

Focus, Y/N.

Today should be a great morning.

I decided to eat from the bowl of ramen in front of me as I watched him mind his own business at the other side of the table. The sun's blurry flare reflected on him perfectly, defining his pretty features.

Did I just call him pretty? No, I didn't. "I'm starting to think that you like me a little too much." He pointed out, munching on the noodles as I scoffed, attempting to look offended.

"Ugh, I don't. I just care about you. That's all." I denied it, resulting in him snickering as I began to munch harshly on the noodles on purpose. He suppressed a laugh, keeping a cheeky smile on his face as his hand reached out for my hair, tucking it behind my ear with so little strength.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable eating with your hair down?" He asked, both curious and a little annoyed at the lock of hair that used to block my face.

Well, do I look like I have the energy to do that? I literally woke up with radio static ringing in my ears.

"Junseok, I just woke up," I said back bluntly, later yawning as I opened my eyes to see him get up from the other side. He then gently stroked my hair from the side, his knee pressing against the edge of the mattress as he took the brown scrunchie I always wore. Later on, he decided to gently tie my hair into a low ponytail, loose yet tight enough for me to eat more comfortably.

I don't know why he felt the need to do that but it was nice, I guess?

Ah, it's confusing and I think I shouldn't think about that... for now. "... There." He smiled at me, his eyes glistening under the fading sunlight as he made his way back to where he was seated, continuing to finish his breakfast.

For a minute, I was blankly staring at the food because all that I could think about was him... No, I'm probably just confused. It's just impossible for me to feel that way for someone that I barely knew.

But I guess this doesn't apply to him either.

As soon as the two of us were finished with our bowls of ramen, it was time for us to push through with what we'd left last night.

Listen, I don't know anything about the Vanguard and what his purpose is but if he's causing all of this chaos happening around us, then he's definitely on the bad side here. "So, where do we start?" I asked Junseok, turning around to look back at him as he squinted his eyes at the built-in corkboard I hadn't used once until now.

Taking the pad of sticky notes on top of my desk, he scribbled a simple drawing of a pillar of a Greek structure on a single piece, later pinning it against the board. "We start from where I've been these past few years," he said with the pen in between his lips, later using the pen again to draw the Eiffel Tower in one piece and a matryoshka doll on a different sheet. As he pinned both the other drawings on the board, he took a deep breath, taking a long moment to stare at it.

"A year after I was revived, I was sent to France," Junseok told me, starting to patch the pieces up together as the tip of his finger was pressed against the drawing of the Eiffel Tower. "To be specific, I was told to act like a young mime in Paris to disguise myself." He continued, causing me to raise an eyebrow as all he could do in return was shrug, probably finding it a bit weird too.

Then, he took an even deeper breath – one that was louder and somewhat regretful at the same time. "Yeah, I fought him in a mime costume."

Even if we both chose to look away from each other, what he said was still pretty funny, especially in a situation like this. "Anyways, I'll get to the point!- Oh, come on, just listen to me." Junseok scrunched his nose, trying to be serious for once as I kept myself silent, lips pursed tightly as my mind later focused on the issue instead, crossing my arms as I gave him a single nod.

"And when the crime rate in Moscow suddenly surged higher, I was told to leave Paris and be there." He changed the topic quickly, refusing to talk about how he once pretended to be a mime as I listened closely to every word that he spoke. "But the issue with all of this is that before I could even find him, he always finds me first." Junseok walked closer to me, staring deeply into my eyes as if he were looking for an answer, which was why I chose to avoid his gaze, heading towards the board.

If the council of the Shadow Realm is more powerful than Junseok, then why can't they catch the Vanguard themselves? Well, one thing is possible about him and I don't know why this is the idea that came into my head but it makes sense.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You're the council's only chance of catching this guy, right?" I asked, turning around to face him as his eyes widened, nodding eagerly in response as I took a closer look at the board once more. "If they can't catch him, then maybe this guy's more powerful than any of you..." I paused for a bit, my eyes leaving the board as I made my way to the desk, taking three more sticky notes with me as I placed them at the left corner of the board.

Standing on my tippy toes, I wrote the possible reasons on each of the sticky notes, later walking a few steps backward as Junseok did the opposite, tilting his head at the side as he read every single word I wrote.

"Exhibit A," I uttered from behind as he turned his head to the side, silently letting me know he was listening. "The Vanguard has always been this powerful since he never got caught centuries ago." I continued, breathing deeply as I furrowed my brows, putting my gaze on the other possibility written on that board.

The Vanguard never got caught but if the council wouldn't make a move, then doesn't that mean he's not considered a big threat? I mean, he may be more powerful than the shadows who were like Junseok but still not powerful enough for the council to take action.

It doesn't add up.

"Exhibit B makes sense." When I heard him say that, I froze, dumbfounded as we both thought of it differently. "I know that this may not be the exact reason but maybe it's close to it," Junseok explained his reasons further as he didn't even bother to read the third possibility, which meant that the Vanguard has some type of navigator that finds him.

For now, the shadow boy's focus is on the criminal's status.

Is he really that powerful? Or do his powers have limitations? Whatever the answer is, I'm sure Junseok will find it soon. "For three years, I've been stuck with the council and I can say that they are more powerful than... this dude," he muttered the last two words under his breath as he paused for a while, later scratching the back of his head. Well, isn't it so frustrating to not know shit about this Vanguard guy?

"But even if they're more powerful, they serve as moderators of the temple and this world's morals. Not as gods."

What Junseok said about the council made me realize that there were different social statuses in the world his second life lived.

From the council to shadow soldiers like him, it's not really fitting for the modern era today but the world also used to be like that before. God, it's like I'm reviewing history with him. "Nocturnal Walkers like me are assigned to follow the orders of the council." He added, finally revealing what he's called as I was fascinated by the depth of that world.

I guess in that world, whatever you're assigned with, that's all you need to do. "The Vanguard has a weakness and that is excessive darkness, which can't really happen here because of the sun." He later snatched the third sticky note away from the board with big eyes as if he realized something from his own words.

"Maybe that's why he can't find me in Skia but can find me here," Junseok said, later huffing out as he probably felt overwhelmed by the many realizations he made.

"So, is it possible for him to have something that finds you?" I questioned, causing him to nod as we both felt the need to high-five each other simultaneously as if it were natural.

I mean, I like that he's getting more comfortable around me. "I shouldn't have ended up in Crete." He joked while I felt the smile on my face fade away, retreating back into a blank look as the guilt washed over me again.

And he noticed that apparently.

"... Is something bothering you?" He asked a few moments later, the tone in his voice getting smaller as I tried to hide it with another smile.

For some reason, it became a habit for me to just smile whenever I get stuck in a moment like this. "Nothing!" I shrugged, still putting a smile on my face as Junseok frowned.

"You tell me it's nothing but your eyes say otherwise." He walked towards me, looking closer into my eyes as I couldn't move under his gaze. "Whatever it is, just think of the reason why you still choose to be here."

And as much as I wanted to tell him that he was the reason, I just kept myself silent; maybe there was something I needed to think about other than what I found out.

Him.

I need to know why I feel like this.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.14 - "ΤΟ ΨΕΜΑ." Word Count: 2,166

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ your perspective: the lie. ❞ ─────

As my alarm clock went off, I decided to get out of bed straight away as I checked my messages if there were any from Junseok. 

None. 

Huh? Maybe he really was busy last night. So busy that he didn't know what happened after we visited the mall. 

“... Or is he asleep? Does he sleep?” I asked myself a few times, later realizing that I didn't know a lot about him but it wasn't that surprising to me. Junseok was a mysterious person – shadow-man-thing – so there wasn't any reason for me to not wonder about him or his whereabouts.

Wherever he is right now.

Rubbing the blur off of my eyes, I started to plan what I should do today. Well, to mention, my uncle grew a bit worried over the situation as I was even staying at the police station last night alongside the two. It turned out that the thief was hiding from them for a month, making his move again when he got the chance. But that wasn't the only thing that we were worried about.

The thief seemed and sounded completely lost when the officers talked to him as if he'd never done a crime. 

Was it because he's acting innocent to not be arrested? I don't know but the clueless stare he had… It lingers in my head and it was the oddest thing I've seen for this week.

Honestly, may be one of the oddest things. Nothing can just beat that shadow-traveling man.

And in the end, I planned to visit my uncle today. It was a weekend anyway and I didn't want to worry him more or worse, my parents. Closing my planner, I finally got up from my seat and later headed my way to the bathroom, taking a quick shower so that I'd be there in a few minutes already.

Once I was ready to go, I made my way out of my room as I looked towards the left side. For a minute, I had the urge to talk to Seunghwan. 

Last night, the anger he had in his glare was almost haunting. He was distressed and his actions towards that thief were uncontrollable as if he wasn't this bright ray of sunshine earlier. But then, I thought that he may need some personal space after all of that. 

So I went the other way and left the dormitory.

Thankfully, it was only a ten-minute ride from here to my uncle's house since it was an early weekend. Usually, it takes around thirty minutes when it's a busy weekday so I'm glad that I wouldn't have to be seated uncomfortably on the bus. 

Well, what can I say? This is the city of Seoul. A place that I never thought of living in.

“Y/N! Come in!”

And not long after, my uncle and I were sitting in his living room, watching the news on his TV screen. 

I was happy to know that he's doing well these days. His house was tidier and he even had enough time to make two cups of coffee for both of us. “Well, I'm glad you have time for this. Your father wouldn't stop texting me all night, asking if you're okay,” he shared, which made me nod.

That's new. 

I never got texts from them last night.

“Oh, but you know? I'm fine,” I said back, smiling proudly at him as if I hadn't experienced one of the scariest things ever. God, he doesn't even know what happened between me and Yeonjun. 

“... And I guess you look a lot happier these days too,” he commented, looking back at the screen as his mind settled down with the daily news. 

Well, the crime rate here in Seoul wasn't doing great.

Apparently, two more robberies took place yesterday. That's nuts. “Have you met anyone yet?” He sounded as if he was expecting an honest answer from me, causing me to stay silent. 

I can't tell him anything about Junseok. Not now. “Yeah? Remember Seunghwan and Hyunjun? They're pretty cool.” I gave him a different answer instead as he nodded, still blank and deep in some kind of a trance.

“... I need to tell you something serious, Y/N, and you might not take this well,” he muttered in a low voice but it was clear enough for me to understand that it was serious.

I held my breath in, avoiding his glare as I preferred to listen to his words instead. For some reason, I was so scared of hearing anything bad from him. I don’t know who it is about but surely, it’s not going to be about Junseok.

He’s dead to their eyes so maybe it’s about someone else. I just hope nothing bad happened to my parents back in Jeju.

I was tense, frozen as I couldn’t even move my body like I was stuck in sleep paralysis. But instead of facing my own demons, I’m facing reality where something bad could’ve happened to anyone I cared about. 

“... The night the ship sank, they told me that your phone buzzed so many times.” He started to tell me about that night again but it was something I’d never heard of before, which made me turn my head to face him. 

“What do you mean?” I questioned, slowly knitting my brows down as I was left confused. But then, I felt them rise again after realizing what he meant. 

“He called?”

There was a long moment of silence as the two of us only stayed seated, discouraged from talking about it again. Soon, there was a fire sparking in the center of my mind, resulting in a tear gliding down the side of my face. “I’m so sorry but I can’t stay here– I have to go.” I snapped, shaking my head as I got up from the couch, and took the strap of my backpack as I held it on the way out. 

“Y/N, wait,” my uncle uttered from behind, going after me as I kept my head down, breaking down in tears. "I'm sorry..."

Junseok called me and I never got to answer at least one call. “Your father wanted to keep it from you. I had to do it,” he carefully explained further, holding onto my hand gently as I quickly wriggled it away from him. 

“Well, that’s not an excuse!” I screamed back at him, scratching my voice in anger. “You left me broken! Why didn’t you tell me he called?!” I couldn’t hold it all back anymore, taking a few more steps away as I wanted to leave his house. Yet he can’t even say anything in return, knowing that there was no point in defending his reasons anymore. 

I guess that’s what I get from being in a family of liars. “Now, you’re quiet, huh? I can’t believe you… I didn’t know shit about what happened and you act like you’ve cried for him for years.” I laughed, both at the situation and at myself. 

I was dumbfounded. How could I live knowing that the chance of talking to him before sinking down below was taken away from me? Everything just makes sense now. Everyone hides things from me because maybe they think I’m not too important. Maybe they think I don’t make much of an importance to anyone but god, it just hurts me to find out that he called. 

That he called me so many times, searching for hope in that ship.

And so, I found myself back in the university’s dorms, curled up into my seat as I stared at the blank page of a document with bloodshot eyes. 

Thinking about the possibilities of the conversations we could’ve shared had left me crying for hours. I just wished I could’ve said something before he forgot all of it. God, I couldn’t even find the courage to deal with his death, and learning about the things that happened that night just didn’t help. 

How can a broken person shatter again?

When I thought that I had all the silence left for me, there was someone knocking on my door but before I could even ask who was the one behind, I already knew who it was just by hearing the way he cleared his throat. I opened the door willingly, letting the boy come in with a box of donuts in his hands. “You’re not okay, are you?” He questioned as I nodded, faking a smile right after as I sat on the edge of my bed, still puzzled over everything.

“Did something happen?” Seunghwan asked once more, sitting on the chair next to my desk as he leaned his chin over both of his palms, puffing his cheeks afterward. 

I blandly grinned at him, wiping my tears away as I looked up at the ceiling. No matter how much he showed his care towards me, I knew I still had to keep a secret from both him and Hyunjun. 

I don’t want them to be involved with danger either. “It’s nothing… I just found out that my parents forgot to tell me about something.” I sniffled, taking short breaths with every word I said as the boy tilted his head to the side, later opening the box of donuts he placed at the side of my desk.

“Well, what did they forget about?” He asked, offering me a chocolate donut.

“It’s personal,” I replied, taking the donut from his hand as I took a bite off of it.

At that moment, I realized that keeping secrets is so hard to do, especially when you’re the only one who has to deal with it. I mean, just thinking about Seunghwan finding out about Junseok’s purpose here is already overwhelming enough. How would he react if he found out that he and I used to be close friends? God, I don’t think I can let the two of them know about everything, considering that Hyunjun never liked Junseok in the first place.

I don’t think I can bear living without Junseok ever again. “Whatever it is, I know you can handle it.” He tried cheering me up, his other fist raised up in the air as if he was a cheerleader hyping out a varsity team. 

“You think so?” I asked back, still grasping on that little string of hope even if Seunghwan didn’t know the context behind what I’d been thinking of. 

“Well, yeah! I know that most of the time, you ask for help whenever you don’t know what to do already but you still find a way to carry on,” he responded, maintaining his nonchalant yet cheerful tone as he made his way to sit next to me. “And that’s because you simply can do it.” He added, looking down at me as his stare softened, his lips curling into a small smile as he later pulled me into a tight embrace, causing me to widen my eyes.

Oh? I never realized I needed one.

“But, sadly, I have to go now. I still need to finish my film review since I couldn’t finish it last time.” Seunghwan excused himself as he got out of the bed, his back facing me while he walked towards the door. But then, he took a pause, his head turning to the side as he breathed deeply. 

“Take care,” he uttered, later turning around to wave his hand at me, saying goodbye.

The boy then went out of my room, closing the door shut as I only sat there, keeping a smile to myself. 

Well, that was quick but it was enough for me to know that I’ll get through this soon. 

And that maybe one day, the clouds will stop pouring rain and thunder.

That maybe the sun will shine again.

Yet as soon as I thought that I was finally in peace for now, the shadows from the far right corner of my room darkened even more as I backed away until I was leaning against the curtain-covered window next to my bed. 

It didn’t take long for a man to emerge from the shadows and I was relieved to see that it was Junseok.

But then, that relief disappeared when I saw how his black clothes were torn as if something had attacked him, the cut on his lower lip bleeding. His exposed, pale arms were even tinted with a scorching shade of maroon as if he was burned by whoever he faced. 

“Junseok?” I uttered in fear, running towards him as I put his arm over my shoulders, helping him lay himself down on the soft covers of my bed. 

“Don’t let me die again, please?” He begged, causing me to freeze in place. “Don’t leave me again.”

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.2 - "ΕΠΙΣΤΡΟΦΗ." Word Count: 2,288

(prev. | next.)

───── ❝ return. ❞ ─────

The birds chirped loudly outside, causing me to sit up from my bed as I stretched my arms out, letting out a yawn. Thankfully, I had enough motivation to organize my room last night. I thought that there was no chance for me to keep up with living here normally. Today was yet another new day for me to spend but I wasn’t sure if I’d feel something different today. 

But hey, if I felt something different yesterday, then it might as well happen again.

As the windows were next to where I slept, I later pushed the curtains aside as I saw how most of IST’s students were still in their pajamas, sitting at a few spots outside as they seemed to have been tapping their fingers across the keyboards of their laptops. Some of them even had headphones on, an efficient way to not let anyone bother them as they seemed to have been enjoying their cups of coffee, too. 

Were the literature students supposed to live around the same side of the dormitory? I’m not sure but they looked as if they were just like me, which was honestly something I’ve never thought of the whole time I was in Jeju.

Ah, Jeju. Sometimes, I want to forget that place but then, I still find myself thinking about that place. 

Turning around, my eyes immediately panned over toward the built-in desk near the bed as I saw my reflection over the glass of the frame, stunned by the view of the life I once lived. 

I wonder, how would I live if he was still here? I may never know. Everything is just a possibility at this point because this is the real world. 

And in the real world, I have to focus on what’s happening now. Yet how could I do that if it’s the past that made me into the person that I am today? No matter how much I loved to express my thoughts in words on paper, written or printed, I just couldn’t express every single thing I felt ever since that day I found out that he was… no longer here anymore.

I rubbed the blur off of my eyes, shaking my head right after as I thought that I wasn’t meant to feel upset today. Shouldn’t I feel excited today just like the others? Shouldn’t I be thinking about how good my first impression must be? 

God, even if I loved writing these little sentences, I just couldn’t speak well.

It was probably one of the reasons why everyone thought of me as someone odd but for some reason, one boy knew how to deal with that oddness. 

“Hi! My name’s Y/N L/N,” I say with a straightened, confident posture as I cheekily smile over the mirror, later letting out a sigh as my shoulders lower down in exhaustion. To be someone who used to live miles away from Seoul was not easy, especially since everyone here seemed to be well off while I somehow had gotten lucky with the whole test-taking. Staring at the mirror for a long time didn’t help either as it only led me to realize that I wasn’t normal… And I hated it so much.

To take my mind off of that, I decided that it would be best for me to wear my hair in a low bun, securing it with a fluffy scrunchie. I wasn’t the type to have a fashion sense either. I was never good at making myself look beautiful and I always felt some jealousy towards those who could do it so effortlessly.

I don’t hate them for it, though. I just wished I was like them.

And lastly, I finally had eaten some breakfast, which only consisted of a cereal bar and a bottle of water. I figured out that I still had time to explore the cafeteria and maybe learn how to eat some breakfast meals there later on. But since I had no idea of how I was supposed to live here, I thought that maybe I should just pay attention to what was happening around me. 

“Another day, a different experience, maybe?” I muttered under my breath, raising an eyebrow quickly as I finally left the room, locking the door before shoving my keys into the pockets of my beige slacks. Turning to look at the side, there was Seunghwan Jeong once more with a taller friend next to him, who also had a bright smile. 

“Oh? Hey, Y/N!” The boy greeted me, causing me to turn away in embarrassment, not wanting to attract any attention from the other one who stood next to him.

But of course, that wasn’t going to happen.

“This is Hyunjun, by the way. He lives in the room next to mine.” Seunghwan introduced, pointing towards his friend as the other one smiled shyly, waving his hand at me as all I could do was let out a chuckle. 

Maybe Seunghwan was so enthusiastic that he didn’t remember how awkward I was yesterday. For some reason, I’m still glad he chose not to remember any of it.

My lack of social skills was too painful to remember. “Hey, there! I guess you’re the Y/N he keeps on talking about.” Hyunjun’s eyes glimmered the same way the other one did, resulting in me taking a deep breath before smiling back at him. Maybe this day wouldn’t be as bad as I thought it would be. 

“Oh, he does?” I questioned, letting out a chuckle as they both did the same. I just wonder what did the other one tell him about me. I mean, both of us don’t know each other that well and the fact that I made him leave me alone wasn’t that much of a good impression. 

But I’ll still try working on that. What could I do? I’m so used to living my life in Jeju, where my mind would explore the world rather than me.

This is a straight-up challenge for me. 

“Yeah! He told me that you helped him move into his room.” Seunghwan’s friend apparently can maintain his bright smile as if Seunghwan himself isn’t smiling all the time. I know I’ve read something about your surroundings contributing to your personality and if I’m surrounded by these two all the time, then maybe one day my smile wouldn’t be like a dance step on cue or a dialogue in a script.

One day, maybe it would be genuine and unplanned just like how I hoped for it to be. “Also, do you guys mind if we stick around each other for today? I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” Seunghwan whispered, causing the two of us to snicker in return as I shrugged right after, later nodding. 

“Sure, why not? No one’s busy with anything after all,” I replied with a rather laid-back tone, which made the other two raise an eyebrow with looks of agreement on their faces. Unexpectedly, I wasn’t that odd anymore as the three of us headed our way out of the dormitory’s halls later on.

Oh, and everything outside looked amazing. 

Unlike yesterday, it was already afternoon and I didn’t enjoy the calming scenery outside since I even unpacked a lot of my stuff. Of course, my memories from Jeju were still circling my head like porcelain horses on the carousel, which sparked joy for kids mostly but I wasn’t in that place anymore. 

I can never go back in time and spend my life as a kid again as much as I wanted to.

Aside from remembering most of what happened, I never also had the time to explore the city since my uncle was always at work and I was stuck in his house. I wasn’t the type to roam around the city on my own either because I was afraid of the idea of not knowing where to go. Imagine crowds of unknown people marching around the streets as you attempt to find a way back home. It’s horrifying if you think it that way, isn’t it?

That’s exactly the way I thought when I came here yesterday but with these two, I don’t think I’ll be lost in my ways. 

Seunghwan even has a compass for a necklace. 

Stylish.

“Hey, can you take a picture of me here?” Hyunjun requested, already handing me his phone as he headed towards the fountain that lay in the middle of the campus. How would I know that it’s in the middle? We had a map because IST is probably bigger than any museum I’ve ever been in. 

“Wait, wait! Me too!” Seunghwan butted in and I was startled for a bit, later giving him a single nod as he walked up to the taller boy.

There next to the fountain, the two of them posed as if there was no tomorrow as my lips curled up into a smile, snapping a few photos on Hyunjun’s phone. The water of the fountain was clear, glistening under the rays of the sun as the blue skies above also reflected on it despite its quick motion. The fountain’s classical design somehow gave me an idea of what I’d write but it still wasn’t solid. 

I think I need to explore the university a little more. 

As they both came back to check how the pictures turned out, Seunghwan was quick to look back at me. "I'll take a picture of you!" He offered, taking the phone away from my hands as Hyunjun slightly pushed me towards the fountain, which made me stumble for a bit. I stood stiff in front of them, shoulders awkwardly raised midway as the owner of the phone began to mimic a smile – telling me to smile wider. In return, I did as he said, which made their grins turn wider. 

And right after taking a few photos, Seunghwan was excited enough to run towards me as I took a closer look at each picture he took. 

"I'll post it on my Instagram!" It was obvious that Hyunjun was the most active social media user compared to both me and Seunghwan as he was even the one who started this whole picture-taking-with-IST's-fountain event. 

To be honest, it was pretty fun to try it out since I wasn't used to having a lot of people next to me… Wow, am I that much of a loner? I guess so. I mean, is there any explanation besides this? I don't think so.

Just as the bell rang, the three of us were finally headed to our first class – well, this applies to only me and Seunghwan. Why? It turns out Hyunjun isn't a Literature student. I never expected him to be a student from the Ecology course… or whatever that was called. 

When I walked into the classroom, it was filled with so many people that I had to stop and rethink my decisions. Was attending IST University a sin? God, everyone looked like they were part of some council that would accuse me of fraud or something. I'm way too overwhelmed to proceed.

"Hey, you okay?"

I heard Seunghwan ask as I just stared back at him silently, watching him slowly smile at me in a way that he thought I was acting weirdly. Since when did I not appear weird? Almost everyone in Jeju thinks I'm weird.

After a few moments, I nodded, which made the slightly concerned look on his face fade away. Then, he took my wrist in his hand, leading me to one of the middle rows of the classroom's desks as he took the seat behind mine. 

Everyone was chatting with each other and Seunghwan even formed some small talk with the student who sat next to him. It wasn't shocking to know that I was left alone in my tiny, little world again just like usual. Do I fit in here? I'm not so sure.

Not long after, the lecturer finally made his way into the classroom with a welcoming smile on his face until he noticed one unattended seat next to me. 

I honestly thought I was the one he frowned at but thankfully, I wasn't. "... Everyone?" He called our attention, causing every single thing in the classroom to fall silent as our eyes were on him. 

"Is somebody late?" He added, raising an eyebrow as his sharp gaze was even more prominent than earlier. Yet everyone responded so casually, shrugging as they somehow dared to set the lecturer's question aside, carrying on with their conversations as the man in front of the room sighed. 

And so, I turned my head to the side, puffing my cheeks out as I thought that my expectations would come true. That everything would be just like Jeju – mundane yet familiar enough for me to be comfortable with.

But then, several knocks on the door echoed loudly around the classroom, causing everyone to look over to the entrance while I rested my chin over my palm, spacing out at the window view. 

"Sorry, I'm late." The voice wasn't owned by the same lecturer as it sounded younger yet his voice was even deeper than the older man. 

"It's your first day, Mister… What's your name again?" The man with the sharp gaze asked right after, realizing halfway that he didn't know the student's name. "Junseok Oh? Is that right?”

And I was disturbed, turning to take a look at the opened door to know... that it was him.

How could it be him?

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.17 - "ΤΟ ΦΩΣ." Word Count: 2,226

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───── ❝ the light. ❞ ─────

Sadly, there came Monday – and I had to be as sly as I could be.

Junseok locked himself inside the bathroom, keeping himself as quiet as possible while I waited for Hyunjun to arrive, leaving my door unlocked as the rest of my body was covered in blankets – except for my head, of course. Just as I forced my eyes to look exhausted, the door creaked open as the cloudy-looking boy came in with a bottle of water and the medicine in his hands. 

“Ah, this isn’t looking good on you, Y/N.” He shared his concerns, sitting at the edge of my bed as he placed the bottle of water and the medicine on top of my desk, later caressing my forehead with his soft palm. “I can’t believe you got sick after that night! Can you promise me that you’ll be okay soon?” Hyunjun asked with the saddest gaze ever, trying to find some hope in my eyes as I only nodded once, later smiling at him. 

Of course, I’ll be fine.

And obviously, I couldn’t tell him anything about that. “Don’t worry,” I said back, faking a hoarse voice as the boy stared back at me, still having a doubtful look on his face. “I’ll be fine.” I continued, still smiling at him weakly as he nodded in response, letting out a sigh. I knew that Hyunjun was the type to endure every problem until it affected anyone around him. 

That night, he took me away from that thief even if he was the first to give up all his belongings. 

That’s courageous, you know? Not a lot of people are like that.

“Also, how’s Junseok, by the way? I haven’t seen him yet since earlier and usually, he’s pretty early,” Hyunjun suddenly questioned, which made me widen my eyes for a short second as I started to think of an excuse. 

“... Why are you asking me about him? We’re not friends, you know?” I denied sternly, letting out a weak scoff as the boy gave me a disapproving look. 

I guess he’s being genuine about him.

Oh, right. He isn’t Seunghwan.

“Seriously, I have no idea. We’re not friends, duh?”

He laughed at how I reacted with a lighthearted – maybe a bit offensive – joke as he checked the time on his wristwatch, his bright smile fading away when he realized that it was time for him to go. “I’ll tell Seunghwan to check on you after school… You take care of yourself, okay?” He reminded me as I hummed, watching him walk away from me as he turned around once more before leaving the room. Hyunjun waved his hand at me, slowly closing the door as I lay down flatly on the soft mattress of the bed.

For a while, it was quiet as the other one was probably trying to sense if there was still a person coming. 

And the bathroom door was opened widely, freeing Junseok from having to be trapped there for a few moments. “Out of all the places I could’ve hidden, I really had to choose the bathroom.” He complained, not at me but towards his own thoughts as he breathed deeply in regret.

Ever since we came up with the “fake-sickness” plan, Junseok had to be in that bathroom. I didn’t know why that was his first choice but I definitely get why he regretted picking that choice in the first place. “Well, you chose to be there so…” I later shrugged, playing around with him as I took off the blankets that surrounded the rest of me.

God, it was so hot to be under those.

“Oh, come on. It was still a quick and clever choice.” He smirked, standing still as he watched me fix the rest of my blankets and a few of the pillows into an odd shape – one that looked like a person was sleeping. To be honest, I’ve never lied that much in my entire life unless I prefer to not say anything about what I feel. 

Personally, I just think that it’ll be a worry for someone and I don’t want to bother anyone else anymore. “... You didn’t mean to say any of those words, right?” He suddenly asked, which caused me to slowly turn around, hesitating yet also intrigued by the question. 

Huh? Didn’t he treat me the same way?

“I’m just doing what you do best,” I snarkily replied.

“Oh, you’re good.” He snickered, amused rather than disappointed.

Taking my backpack from the back rails of the chair, I took out all of the books, folders, and binders inside, stacking them on my desk while Junseok stared at the board, probably trying to think of a plan. “So, how do we start?” I asked, making my way to the cabinets to prepare my backpack. 

First-aid kit? Check. That bottle of water and the medicine from Hyunjun? That wasn’t planned but it would help either way.

“First, let’s head to the latest crime scene… Well, I know robbery’s not as serious as murder but it’s still the Vanguard’s doing.” He discussed, later pulling his phone out of his pocket as he began to type something into it. Then, the boy showed me what he found on the internet. 

It was the alleyway near the mall.

God, I just hope I won’t come across Seunghwan or Hyunjun because that’d look bad.

“One thing to take note of the Vanguard? He’s all about chaos no matter how big or small the effect it has on anyone.” Junseok gave another piece of description about him as he later placed his phone into my backpack. 

What are we supposed to do today? Figure out the Vanguard’s patterns.

I guess he works in unpredictable patterns but that night, if the Vanguard purposely caused chaos, then that meant he also avoided Junseok. I mean, what else could be the reason? Junseok even told me that he only faced the pawns, who were getting more powerful rather than the Vanguard himself. 

But of course, I can keep my own assumptions to myself instead. “For today, we have to search the areas and take note of anything suspicious. If we feel the need to talk to someone about this weird radiance, I think we should do it.” He suggested, which caused me to make an unmotivated face from behind as I continued to shove clothes into the backpack.

Obviously, he could do it better because he’s extroverted.

“If he ever shows himself, stay back… I can’t let him hurt you.” Junseok’s voice gradually gets louder as I only zipped up the backpack shut, later taking a deep breath before nodding in response. 

The way he combed his hair up, scratching the side of his head made me realize that he was anxious too.

Well, who wouldn’t feel anxious over this? He’s literally facing a non-human entity that he couldn’t catch. If I was him, I would’ve backed out. “Don’t worry, I will,” I said, giving him a smile as I wanted him to know that he’d find no trouble with my cooperation. “I’ll stay back,” I repeated myself, making sure that he understood it clearly as the overly worried look on his face faded away. 

More tender as if he felt comforted by what I told him.

“... Thank you.”

It was the first time he ever said those words to me and it didn’t seem like a small matter to him. 

To be honest, even if he was more outgoing than I was, I could tell that he was struggling with showing the gentler version of himself. Yet I knew that he wasn’t complete himself. I mean, how could you show who you are when you can’t remember anything?

To break the silence between us, Junseok looked down at his wristwatch, raising an eyebrow at the time. “It’s already nine… I think we should get going,” he suggested as I wore the straps of the backpack over my shoulders, later tightening it as I gave him a thumbs-up. 

But then, the Night Walker took me into his arms, dragging the two of us into the shadowed corners of the room as I let out an embarrassing squeal, completely overwhelmed. 

He didn’t even warn me about what he was about to do. My hair was right in front of my face as both of my arms grasped onto something so tightly…

Or should I say someone?

“... You okay, Y/N?” Junseok asked, carefully brushing my hair off of my face. 

“What do you think?” Later on, I realized that I was still all over Junseok – literally – as I lightly pushed him away, resulting in me stumbling down for a bit as I patted off the dust over my shoulders. 

So, we’re here again and I have no idea how we should start “searching.” I looked around the dusted walls of the alleyway as I listened to how my shoes squelched disgustingly on the puddle of water that came in from pipes.

I didn’t know this was the back of a warehouse as most people would focus on the mall instead. “This is where it happened, right?” Junseok asked for clarification, causing me to hum in response as I turned around to see his eyes glowing in the dark. 

Honestly, it scares me when he does that. “... What are the eyes for?”

From how his focused gaze turned into a blank one, he seemed confused over what I asked. “Pardon?”

“Your eyes… They’re glowing.” I hesitated to point it out but I didn’t know the reason behind the use of it, whatever that was and it was chilling to see something like that during the day. 

“Oh, this? It’s like a blue light to find any traces of the offenders in the Light Realm,” He answered, both of his fingers pointing toward his darkened yet glimmering set of eyes.

Haunting, to be honest.

And despite clearing my confusion up, it only made me shudder even more. “There.” Junseok later pointed towards the wall behind me as I turned around to see nothing over it, which made me scratch the back of my head. 

“What is it for?” I questioned, clueless over what he’d seen as he walked towards that wall, placing his palm on the dusty bricks flatly as darkness surrounded the maroon surface.

In the middle of that darkness, there was silver-like dust splattered over messily as I furrowed my brows, understanding that this must be the mark of the Vanguard. “I knew it. He did attract that thief,” Junseok grumbled, rolling his eyes as the black flame faded from his glare, turning normal. 

“Looking for me?”

My entire body stood still as if time had stopped, chills running down my spine as Junseok widened his eyes in realization. 

The distorted voice was behind him as I looked behind me, seeing how the traffic lights began to blink as the cafe barista from the other side of the street spilled hot brewed coffee over the customer. 

There was chaos. 

So much chaos.

I turned to look back at Junseok who was now standing in jet-black flames, eyes glowing yet one with the dark. “Stay back,” he whispered as there was light from behind, which was the signal for me to run for my life just like how he asked me to. 

I ran across the street, not caring if the rest of the drivers were pissed off at me for disrupting their pace as once I ended up at the other side, I looked back at the alleyway.

There was a cloaked creature, floating over the grounds as he faced the light… that seemed more like a man.

“Mama, what is that?” I heard a little kid ask his mother as I watched closely to see what was happening. 

The other man, who was exceptionally bright, had laughed menacingly, blending within the clouds of the skies. “... Let’s go back to the shop, Monkey.” The mother was concerned, afraid of what was going on above as she dragged her child back into the cafe.

And the bright man took hold of the dark one by his throat as light erupted from him, the radiance blazing over the roads. 

The light was so powerful that several windows from the coffee shop shattered, resulting in me crouching down on the ground, both of my arms covering my face as I felt the cemented sidewalk shake.

When the glass had fallen on the ground, I uncovered my head and I saw how the shadow boy had ended up lying next to me, his face bruised as I could hear the rest of the people run away, leaving only him, me, and the Vanguard. 

“I will always find you.”

A porcelain mask covered the face of the criminal as he made his way towards me, causing me to crawl backward as my breath hitched. The man raised his staff above the ground, planning to push it deep into my chest but the boy caught him from behind, who closed his eyes shut as he gripped over the menace’s bright, white cape.

Junseok pulled the criminal closer to him as he kicked him off of the sight, setting me free yet he dropped down on the floor, unconscious.

Not again.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.15 - "ΑΝΕΣΗ." Word Count: 2,478

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───── ❝ comfort. ❞ ─────

He was lying down on the soft mattress of the bed, his breaths slowed down as he finally seemed to have been already feeling a lot better.

And from the desk, I watched his every move – every breath he took as I tried to find any more damage within him. His exposed skin was full of every bandage I had in my first-aid kit. I even used the ones that I didn’t know how to use, desperate to see him heal from his wounds. 

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled under my breath, taking a deep breath as I attempted to take those thoughts away for a minute. What thoughts? Oh, nothing. Just the fear of him dying in front of me, of course. I don’t think it’s something I can experience all over again. 

I pulled the covers closer to myself, wrapping myself in my own blankets. “... I’m sorry too.” I heard him say as I opened my eyes, seeing that his own pair were still closed like he was asleep. But then, he slowly tried sitting upright as I left my seat in order to help him, sitting at the edge of the bed as he had a drowsy state. 

“How are you feeling?” I asked him as he only stared at me, still blank and probably fresh out of his deep slumber.

It’s been a few hours since I was ever awake. Honestly, it felt like I was a nurse of some sort but I wouldn’t complain about it. 

Even if he doesn’t remember me, he’s still my friend and I’m sure that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

He clutches the blankets towards him, covering himself as he looks around at every wall of my room. “I feel… I feel cold,” Junseok stammers, rubbing the blur off of his sight as I make my way to the cabinets, searching for anything loose enough for him to wear. Earlier, I took his clothes from his room when he was still asleep just in case he felt the need to wear something over his wounds.

“Is this fine?” I turned around, holding up an oversized, long-sleeved button-up shirt in my hands as he stared at it for a while before nodding afterward. Making my way back to him, I was willing to help him wear it when he shook his head at me. 

“I can do it myself. Don’t worry,” he told me as I was left out of words, later handing him the shirt as he gently took it from my hands.

However, he was in so much pain that he wasn’t even able to do it, wincing whenever he moved his shoulders. “I’ll do it… I’ll do it for you.”

For a while, he sat there with a blank stare, breathing heavily as he puffed his cheeks out, letting the piece of clothing fall behind his back as I got up to take it. As the shirt lay flatly over his back, I glanced at him in a short second, trying to check if he was doing better as he only looked down at the blankets that used to cover him. 

“You’re not used to this, are you?” I asked as I wanted to at least break a little part of that awkward tension we had, causing him to chuckle. 

“Nope, not at all… but I don’t mind,” Junseok responded, later breathing out in relief as his arms finally slid inside the sleeves of the shirt. 

Maybe I was so focused on helping him out that seeing him like this never bothered me.

Well, not everything but his upper half was definitely exposed, which caused me to gulp in nervousness as I continued to fasten the buttons quickly. 

It’s not like I didn’t want to see him shirtless but it was just something new to me. “There… All better.” My voice trembled, pursing my lips together as I got out of bed to head back to my desk instead.

“Have you ever slept yet?” Junseok asked, both curious and worried

“Hm. Not really,” I replied as I chuckled at the thought of it.

Huh? I never realized that I spent so much time already with my eyes wide open, constantly thinking if he was feeling better than before. “Oh, sorry. Do you want me to make space for you?” He questioned straightforwardly, willing enough to let me sleep next to him as I found myself spacing out at that thought. 

Okay, I know I’m friends with him and all but let’s just say that it’s a bit unusual.

But if I keep on reminding myself that there’s nothing more to it, then it shouldn’t be such a bad thing. I mean, friends help their other friends out, right? I don’t need to think about it!

Yet here I am.

Overthinking about it.

“If that’s what you want, then sure,” I said back, resulting in him shifting himself closer to the curtain-covered windows as I hesitated to get up from my seat, heading towards the space as I faced one of the flat panels of the desk while my heart raced faster. 

I felt things that I shouldn’t have been feeling and I still had no idea what those feelings were but it felt like I was crashing down like a plane on fire. “Did the Vanguard do this to you?” A single question was enough for the silence to not be so unbearable as it was ironically the only thing I wanted to break. 

Every time I talk to him, I get reminded of what I learned earlier. 

I never had the chance to answer his calls and left him for dead.

“No, but his pawns did,” he said, his voice sounding muffled as he was probably hugging either a pillow or the thickness of the covers closer to him. Of course, I’d never know what it was since he and I were facing opposite sides of the room but I knew that he probably felt just as uncomfortable as I was. 

Well, it’s not because he’s next to me but knowing that I could’ve heard him talk to me that night the ship sank, it just hurts to know that I couldn’t do it.

That I was stopped from talking to him by my own family who knew how much I cared about him and now, he’s still not here. “I know what happened to you and your friends,” Junseok said as the sheets ruffled against each other loudly, causing me to turn around and look over at what he was doing. 

There, he made an effort to face me instead of the curtains beside him. “I’m sorry, I could’ve done something to protect you… and your friends.” He was guilty, avoiding me as he looked somewhere else. 

I guess it wasn’t just the right timing since he also had other business to deal with. “But that wasn’t just the only thing that bothered me today,” Junseok added, finally staring back into my eyes as I held my breath.

For a moment, I had a lot of questions in my head but I chose to listen to what he told me instead of jumping to conclusions. “I hurt you with my own words last Friday,” Junseok revealed as I looked up at the ceiling, remembering what he previously said about me. 

Oh. He meant that time Seunghwan was teasing him about me.

And I guess he’s right about what he said.

“They mean nothing, okay? Whenever I say those words about you, I think of a shitty person. A stranger… You’re no stranger to me.” He explained himself as I nodded in response, later sitting upright as I felt a little cornered with how he was lying down next to me. 

It shouldn’t be an issue honestly but I just don’t know why I feel so awkward about these things. “Then, what do you think of me?”

There was a long moment of silence between us as I still had doubts about it. For some reason, I always feel like people are lying to me no matter what the context is. I mean, I never really felt betrayed for all my life back in Jeju but the rumors didn’t help and now, I found out that I was being lied to for three fucking years. 

How do I even deal with this? How do I go on with my life knowing that I never answered a dying friend’s call? 

Junseok wasn’t even just a friend. He was my best friend and apparently, my parents didn’t know the difference between those two.

Or maybe they did but they didn’t think of it as something important.

“Well, my thoughts about you haven’t changed.” The boy admitted, shifting his body to face the ceiling above as he took a moment to think of what he should say next. “You’re worth spending my time on.” He continued, his eyes later panning towards me as he attempted to get up from the bed, his arms trembling weakly as I immediately helped him.

His back leans against both the cold wall and the pillow as he stares into the distance, later deciding to open the curtain, looking at the university’s grounds as he smiles to himself. “Why are you smiling?” I asked, chuckling right after as a way to lighten up the situation. Ever since I found out he was not quite human, the two of us never really made our way out of the seriousness of the situation. 

Also, we’re both kind of awkward around each other so that’s not helping.

“Because I’m thankful that I met you again,” he replied softly, which made me pause to understand what he just said. 

Does he really mean that? Well, that’s a lot to take in. I don’t think I’ll ever get over that. “Remember when I told you that I was trying to figure out who I was before? I always thought about you even if I didn’t even know what you looked like.” Junseok grinned, the tip of his tongue later placed under his bunny teeth, pressing against the other set. 

“Now, I know why the dying version of myself told the council that he wanted to protect you.”

I was stunned, speechless yet again because I didn’t think that he’d come to that conclusion. I mean, I’m just someone who happened to be his old friend that he couldn’t remember and now, it just sounded like he wanted to know me again. “After realizing that I actually care about you, I also realized that I can’t let the Vanguard hurt you.” Junseok's tone turned serious again as I tried to not show how emotional I already was just by listening to him.

And I should’ve known that I wasn’t quite great at hiding my feelings from him. No wonder why Seunghwan always knew whenever something shitty was up. 

“But you were hurt because I…” My voice faltered as I couldn’t even finish the sentence, letting the guilt wash over me again as all I could think about was the fact that I failed to be his friend. “... Because I couldn’t save you the way I wished to do.” I turned away from him as my tears finally began to pour as if it was the storm that I used to blame for what happened. 

I was met by so many emotions that I couldn’t stop rambling apologies to him. I didn’t want him to see me like this. Weak and stupid. “But you did… You did save me differently, you know?” Junseok wanted to convince me that it wasn’t my fault that he couldn’t remember anything now but I thought otherwise. 

Turning around, I wiped my tears away to talk to him properly. More conviction and less stuttering. “How? I mean, I don’t think I’ve done much with just staying around.” I asked back, later letting out a quiet laugh in disbelief. I just found it ridiculous that he’d say that to me to make me feel better. 

“Well, nobody treated me like a friend until I met you,” Junseok answered right away, his competitive side showing as he wanted me to believe in every single thing he said. 

“And I don’t want to lose you to him… Whoever he is.” He grumbled the last few words to himself like he was listing down another goal he wanted to achieve by the end of his mission. A few moments later, Junseok’s arms reached out for me, pulling me close to him as he rested his chin on top of my head. 

God, I was so surprised that I couldn’t stop thinking about how cozy he felt.

Was that something I shouldn’t say out loud? 

Yes, of course. “So, uh… What’s the plan?” I asked, trying to distract myself from the coziness I felt while being in his arms. Because of how sudden my question was, Junseok couldn’t help but laugh at what I asked. 

“Really? Right now?” He asked in between suppressed snickers

“Yeah! Right now!” I responded, still in denial.

Junseok had a mischievous look on his face as if he wasn’t injured, his smile getting cheekier every second that passed. “Did I just make you blush?” He asked, both fascinated at how I almost yelled at him for asking that. 

No, I wasn’t blushing and if I was, then maybe that’s just because of the heat.

But then, I remember that it’s two o’clock in the morning and with every move I make, I shudder. “Look, I don’t! I don’t blush- Can we please just get back to the topic?” I pleaded, scratching the back of my head as he didn’t even budge, only staring down at me with a pout. Honestly, why is he doing this to me right now? He knows that I can’t answer that question. 

“Fine but don’t expect me to not talk about this in the next few hours.” He winked as I scoffed, carefully unwrapping his arms away from me as I hugged my knees closer to my chest. The atmosphere was turned into the middle of being serious and not as I didn’t know how to start the conversation that I was supposed to distract myself with. 

Junseok later cleared his throat, catching my attention as I listened to him. “Let’s just talk about this after you wake up, okay?” He suggested it as I thought about it for a while. Why not right now when we’re both wide awake? I mean, I’m pretty sure I can still understand things. “I hate delaying plans but you’re tired and I want you to get some rest,” he explained, causing me to just nod blankly as I found myself spacing out once more into the distance.

I guess that’ll do for now.

[mgnifiqueyoo]

Book: "Vessel." Pairing: Oh Junseok (ATBO) x Reader 1.8 - "ΣΚΙΩΜΕΝΑ ΜΥΣΤΗΡΙΑ." Word Count: 2,371

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───── ❝ shadowed mysteries. ❞ ─────

In a dark, wide room, the colorful blinking lights were the only ones that made me see through everything as I stumbled across a few people who were dancing to the loud music that played. 

So, this is how parties are.

And even Junseok couldn’t stop himself from grooving naturally to the music. “Come on!” He encouraged me to dance with him as he took my wrist in his hand, pulling me closer as he somehow managed to balance the cup of alcohol in his other hand. Every color reflected on his all-black outfit as it was only his face that I could see clearly. 

“Isn’t this fun?” Junseok asked, still swaying from side to side as he seemed to be enjoying the night.

“It’s… It’s fine with me!” I didn’t want to make him feel bad for me but this party was just so crowded that I was kind of scared at the thought of accidentally bumping into anyone. 

In response, his lips formed into a pout but a playful one, faking pity. “Well, you should try letting your mind run wild for once!” He suggested, sticking the tip of his tongue out as he even winked at me. 

God, I’m stuck with a party boy.

I can’t believe I’m stuck with a party boy.

“Junseok!” Someone called from the second floor of the venue as I looked up to see the mayor’s son, Yeonjun, alongside his other friends. 

“I’ll be back here in a bit, okay?” Junseok told me, his tone slightly sounding a little lazier as he made his way to the crowd, later heading upstairs as he and his friends talked to each other, their smiles casting me out of the zone.

I just never understood why most people wanted to get all sweaty and drunk for a party. “Huh?” I uttered, perplexed as standing still in the middle of a noisy crowd, watching Yeonjun come down the stairs as he started enjoying the music as soon as he stepped onto the ground floor. 

But then, he was suddenly going in my direction, biting his bottom lip as he smirked at me, which made me raise both of my eyebrows. 

“Hey, Y/N! You enjoying the party?” Yeonjun asked with a sultry tone, his voice all husky and deep as all I could do was nod in response, completely setting aside that I was already uncomfortable here. “That’s great! Wanna dance with me?” He asked right after, placing his hand behind my back as I could smell the stench of alcohol from him.

It would've been better if he wasn't... drunk.

And while dancing with him, I stared at the sight behind him, seeing how Junseok leaned his back against the rails of the higher floor as he seemed to not be interested in whatever Rakwon and Junmin were talking about. 

He looked as if he was staring at someone from afar when he suddenly focused his gaze on the cup. “... Wanna take this to the restroom?” Yeonjun questioned, already wasted from the amount of alcohol he was probably drinking as I snapped out of it.

Was I the only one who wasn’t drunk here yet? Well, that’s expected. Everyone was already wilding out as one boy was even spinning his fingers slowly towards both sides of his head as if he was crazy, making faces towards a girl with a vibrant outfit who also had her hair styled in high pigtails. 

Looks aside, she was unimpressed with the guy. 

I mean, it’s weird to do that to someone.

“Huh?” I said back once again, forgetting about the question he asked me as he only snickered, ruffling my hair as he later took the scrunchie off, letting my hair down. 

“You’re so hot… weirdly.” Yeonjun bit his lower lip once more, his eyes drowsy from the alcohol and the huge crowd. He later had a tight grip on my arm, pushing me towards a wall as I gasped in surprise.

“Do you know what girls like you need?” He sounded more like he was threatening me as I took a deep breath, finding myself disgusted at the scent he gave off. His perfume earlier must’ve gone away when he started sweating. 

And honestly, I didn’t want anything like this to happen! 

I want to get out of here. I need to get out. “No… I don’t want to know.” My breath hitched as I felt the panic rush in, causing him to fake a smile as his palms slid down both sides of my waist. 

“You do,” he coldly said back as he was leaning in closer to me, his lips inches away from my jaw as all I could do was stand, bracing myself for something I didn’t wish to happen.

No one could even hear me anyway.

I shouldn’t have been here.

“Hey, Yeonjun.” I heard a familiar voice call his name as he turned around to look at the person who approached him. 

It was Junseok. 

“Yeah, what do you need? I’m in the middle of something here,” the mayor’s son responded without care, probably already impatient as his intentions were clear to me now. 

The moment Junseok took a look at me, the look on his face drastically changed in one bit. “Can you get your hands off her?” His tone was cold and deep, aggressively pushing away both of Yeonjun’s hands from my waist as the taller one only laughed, later having a grim glare. 

“We’re doing just fine! Can you fuck off for a bit?”

Obviously, Yeonjun was bothered by him as Junseok took another look at me once again before turning around to face the taller one. “Okay, but she's my friend and no one gets to touch her like that.” He was fueled, angered at how he had the audacity to tell him off when he was clearly forcing me into doing something I didn’t want. 

And that was the first time I’d ever heard the boy say that I was his friend.

“What? Do you want to be hit?” The other one, however, was still sarcastic, completely ignoring how serious Junseok was as he even pushed him, harshly and strongly, resulting in the boy stumbling across the floor and a few people who danced busily to the music. “Leave us alone, asshole!” Yeonjun’s voice was so loud that the music was only a blur and everyone’s gazes were on the two of them as I backed away into the shadows, not wanting to be hurt by whatever was about to come. 

It didn’t take long for Junseok to fight back when Yeonjun was about to hit him once again and he was moving so fast that I wasn’t even sure of what was happening anymore.

And it all ended up with Yeonjun lying down on the ground, red dripping from the bridge of his nose as he groaned, definitely in pain. 

“Yeonjun-” I felt the need to help him out for some reason but I was interrupted by someone wrapping his hand around my wrist. 

It didn’t even feel like a harsh, painfully tight grip but just a reassuring one, reminding me that I shouldn’t do it. Turning around, I saw Junseok, causing me to shudder in shock. It’s like he’s moving at the speed of light at this point. “We need to go,” Junseok whispered as he still held my wrist, later leading me out of the venue with him. 

As soon as the two of us were at the parking lot outside, he immediately took off his own jacket, placing it over my shoulders as he couldn’t even look me straight in the eye.

Was he humiliated to be around me? I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone here. This was a mistake. 

“Does this make you feel better?” He asked, his voice slightly trembling and it was as faint as Seunghwan’s, which made me see him even more differently than before. 

“It does… Thanks, anyway,” I said back, keeping my head down as I didn’t have the courage to look at him either. 

He was humiliated because of what I refused to do. 

This really was a mistake.

Why did I even agree to this?

I couldn’t help but avoid him, turning the opposite way as I was ready to head back into IST, planning to lock myself in my room for a while. I would’ve done things that felt wrong to me because of him. I guess he expected me to give him special treatment just like how the others did. 

Yeonjun Choi is one hell of a fuckboy.

“... Is it okay if I walk with you home?” Junseok asked, breaking the silence as I closed my eyes shut, taking another deep breath before turning to look at him. I was scared of what he’d think of me because I ruined his night. “It’s late at night and I don’t want you to get into that kind of experience again.” He added, expressing his worries as I nodded, turning away as I waited for him to walk closer to me.

I felt guilty over it.

I should’ve done something.

But I was so afraid of what Yeonjun was capable of doing that I had no choice but to let it all happen. “I wasn’t hurt.” I denied it, causing him to let out a questioning hum, not believing what I told him. Well, it wasn’t me who got into a fight with Yeonjun but instead, it was Junseok.

“You didn’t have to stand up for me.” I continued, which made him scoff, clearly offended.

“I have to. That’s my duty,” Junseok answered, crossing his arms later on.

Duty? I didn’t know he counted that as his duty. “I didn’t know you took me seriously.” I chuckled as he looked at me, the expression on his face gradually getting more offended with every single word that came out of my mouth. 

“Well, duh? I should. You’re not just some kind of... paper clip. You breathe and talk… You have a life,” Junseok rambled, sounding a bit agitated at me for thinking like that as I only sighed.

“Why are you comparing me to paper clips?” I asked out of curiosity, finding the comparison a bit out of place as he had his mouth open for a bit, later closing it before turning his head to look at me. 

“Ah… I don’t know but maybe because paper clips may be small but they don’t break easily. They bend.” He somehow found a meaning under his spontaneous comparison, which gave me a reason to smile even if something like that just happened.

I can’t believe this version of him had a nicer side.

“... But you weren’t holding sheets of paper together earlier. You were in between boulders.” His voice even gets softer, still upset at what had happened to me at the party as he still chose to avoid looking at me. “So, I had to do it.” Junseok ended his explanation, huffing as he hugged himself, feeling cold as I was willing to take his jacket off of me yet he shook his head instantly.

But I was too stubborn, of course. “No, it’s okay. I don’t need it.” Junseok refused, pushing my hands alongside his jacket away from me, probably feeling guilty for bringing me there at the party. 

“But it’s cold.” I insisted, which only made him push it further towards me as he didn’t really want to take his jacket back. 

“But you were hurt.”

When he said those words, I knew that I just had to follow him even if I didn’t want to wear his jacket anymore. Junseok was just as stubborn as I was but for good reasons, maybe? It’s like the younger version of himself came to light. Selfless and protective. Trustworthy and loyal. 

As if nothing had changed after all.

“I just wanted you to be safe,” he said as if I still hadn’t caught up with it ever since we made our way out of the party. Yet I didn’t think it was something negative. 

It’s just surprising that someone had thought of me this way. 

I’m assuming that Yeonjun probably thought of me as a nobody.

As we reached the front of the dormitory, the two of us exchanged unreadable looks before heading our way in. Junseok then takes a pause to let me walk into the halls of the dormitory first, keeping an eye on me from behind. It was only our footsteps that caused sounds in the hallway as most students were probably still at the party, enjoying the time of their lives there after the fight ended.

I thought that it was strange. Everything happened so fast in the dark that when the lights were turned on, all I ended up seeing was Yeonjun groaning on the ground, defeated. How could’ve Junseok done that? It didn’t feel real to me at first but now, it’s starting to sink into my head as well as more questions about it.

And now, I was facing the door to my room as I realized that it was my time to say goodbye to him… again.

But before I could even do that, the door of my bedroom suddenly creaked open as I found out that my two friends, Seunghwan and Hyunjun, stayed there for four and a half hours. “Oh, you guys are early!” The boy with the compass necklace was brushing his teeth, already wearing his pajamas as the other one seemed to be startled at how loud his voice was. 

“The party sucked.” Junseok rolled his eyes, which made both of them give each other a look of disbelief, probably finding it unexpected for him to say something like that. As the two of them simultaneously opened their mouths to ask questions, Junseok held his finger up and stopped them. “Zip it. I’m heading back to bed.” He sharply stated before taking another look at me.

His gaze softened again. “Call me if you need me, okay?”

And he finally walked away, leaving Hyunjun and Seunghwan completely clueless about whatever happened at the party.