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sweetestlamb · 4 years ago

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Yoga

Summary: Vincenzo hides his jealousy as well as he hides being part of the mafia.

Author's note: it was supposed to be a cute jealous yoga story I don't know why this ended in angst 😂😂😂 I really need to get my life together. Also Vincenzo rubbed me the wrong way today and some people are trying to convince me that I'm interpreting the show incorrectly and explaining to me why it didn't offend them and why everything was fine and I just need you to know, my opinion isn't changing but listen if you had a great time today watching the episode please don't let me stop you. I don't need anyone to be outraged with me. I'll be mad all by myself I promise! But just to be clear my problem was the creation of yet another gay character who an awful person in a kdrama. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen gay characters not be predators or abusive.

Anywho I give you jealous aerial yoga fun that ends in man pain!

He probably believes that he's being inconspicuous again, hiding this side of him as well as he'd thought he was hiding being a member of the mafia. But he's just as obvious as he always is in her eyes, much like her he's too theatrical to ever really conceal how he's feeling. He talks too much and reveals his cards too easily- especially to her.

He's attracted to her that much is painfully evident, if her father's nosy assistant hadn't interrupted they would have kissed. She would have been laid across the table and taken apart, his eyes promised a great time as he devoured her. She was just as attracted to him, she wouldn't have stopped him from doing whatever he wanted.

It is getting more difficult to ignore the quiet moments though, when she can feel his eyes on her and it's not sexual at all. He's just looking at her and she feels bare, naked.

Those moments scare her in a way she hasn't felt before. Ergo she presses them deep, deep into the dark corners of her brain behind all the different ways that she has concocted to throw off others, she's used to being strange and having men overlook her for it.

She's never been what others would consider "sexy". But then he appears and suddenly men seem to see her in a new light. Or maybe he brings her attention to it.

It all begins at the coffee shop, they've made a habit of starting their mornings together by getting coffee. She doesn't analyze what exactly they're doing but some may consider it a date, she hasn't giving the outings a title there's no need to.

She feels comfortable with him and he hasn't been resistant to her pushing her way into his life. She has always been like this, too much and overbearing. Usually it drives people away and she pretends that it doesn't hurt that she's something that people need in doses, she's heard that so often that it's etched in her brain.

Friends in college, boyfriends and her colleagues to name a few.

But for some reason he keeps coming back for more doses, regularly smiling at her shenanigans even egging on her antics with full body laughs.

So he'd taken her to get coffee grinning once again as she dragged her caffeine deprived body dramatically like a puppet with its strings cut to the counter, plopping herself on the surface before crying out, "If I don't get a large sewage water in five minutes my death will be on your hands!" The barista behind the counter grinned over at her, used to her dramatics. He was young, barely nineteen and he'd tried his hand at flirting with her a few times. She had promptly laughed in his face the first time, spewing coffee everywhere before strutting out of the shop.

Laughing and punching a stranger in the arm, ignoring the loud "Hey! What are you doing," before she danced down the sidewalk, hand on her hip as she flipped her hair before shouting to the sky, "I've still got it, baby!"

That day he had glanced at Vincenzo before walking over to her, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"I didn't realize I had so much power over you. What if I say I won't give it to you unless you let me take you on a date?" She remembered her eyes widening in shock and then disbelief and finally landing on bemusement, he was persistent she would give him that much but she was no cougar so his flirting was futile.

She opened her mouth to let him down easy- laugh in his face again and remind him that he had to be this old to ride her ride but suddenly her Italian was leaning across the counter, all cool lines with a deadly smile on his face.

With a his deep voice he chillingly said, "If you don't give it to her your death will be on my hands."

There was heavy silence.

He continued, "I know how to kill a man with only a coffee cup and a string."

The barista, Heon, stared at Vincenzo with all of the blood draining from his youthful face. She didn't blame him the man did sound unnervingly serious and the look in his eyes was a little too real to be purely acting. Plus there was conveniently a coffee cup and a string right there on the table, it was an oddly specific thing to say.

Then after a pregnant pause, he started laughing loudly filling the entire shop like a mad man and she looked over at him as if he had lost his damn mind but this was her favorite coffee shop, she couldn't be banned so she started laughing with him, guffawing and pushing the idiot on the shoulders.

"He's just joking! HahaHAHAHA, laugh it was a joke! LAUGH!!" She leaned across the counter to pat the scared boy on the back but then Vincenzo leaned into her, draping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her back until she was no longer touching him. His laughter static and too robotic to be anything other than a hoax.

She'd never seen anyone brew coffee that fast before. It was impressive what a person could do when they felt as if their life was in danger she'd thought, she gave him a generous tip before leaving.

Heon mysteriously stopped working when they would normally come to the coffee, another barista informed her that he had switched his hours. A certain Italian was really cheerful upon hearing the news, whistling an unknown tune as he sipped his tiny cup of espresso- double shot, traipsing away with a pep in his step and the wind beneath his suit coat.

His random violent outbursts continued.

Bartenders. Businessmen. Traffic officers. Other lawyers. A librarian who had flirtatiously whispered that she wouldn't need to be quiet when they were alone. Suddenly there were men everywhere and she was the hottest thing on the menu, her lower back probably had an imprint of his hand by now from all the times he would steer her away from her suitors.

Every time his excuses were the same, "I'm just protecting you. Guys like that are scum, you deserve better."

Well the one she wanted had no intention of staying so why was he blocking anyone else from trying?

Thinking about it makes her chest feel tight and she welcomes the weekend, she has booked an aerial yoga class to release some of the stress and tension just being around the Italian causes.

It's a warm day so she dons a small set, a light blue sports bra with matching shorts throwing a light jacket over in case the temperature drops at the end of the day. Looking in the mirror she scoops her hair into a low ponytail, pushing back baby hairs that frame her face.

She swipes a thin layer of chapstick across her dry lips before grabbing her phone, keys, gym membership card and her gym bag with a change of clothes.

The drive to the studio is short, she listens to BlackPink on the radio happily screaming about her dududududu complete with car choreo that consists of arm shakes and a lot of hair whipping. It's another miraculous day where she does not cause a car accident, she gives herself a high five for the small victory.

She parks her car haphazardly driving onto the sidewalk several times before getting it right. With a satisfied sigh she hops out of her car, opening the back door and bending over to grab her gym bag.

"Cha-young ah?"

A familiar voice surprises her and she jumps bumping her head into the roof of her car with a cry, she drops the gym bag and leans out of the car rubbing her throbbing head with a pained grimace.

Vincenzo is standing in front of her, in what is the most casual outfit she has ever seen him wear. A pair of navy blue sweatpants, a plain white t-shirt and expensive looking black sneakers, leave it to him to wear Balenciagas when trying to look casual.

Her mouth becomes very dry as she takes in the unexpected but very much welcome sight.

Shaking herself out of her stupor she raises an eyebrow at him, "What are you doing here?" She asks once again leaning into her car to retrieve her gym bag. When she turns around slamming the door shut she watches Vincenzo peel his eyes away, quickly looking away from her direction.

Had he been checking her out?

She smirks at the thought before openly checking him out. Eyes perusing his body up and down in a slow and thorough examination.

"Are you checking me out?" He asks amused as he folds his arms across his chest, making his already impressive biceps look even bigger and more enticing. She knows exactly what he's doing, he's about as subtle as a bulldozer.

"Yes, I am. Do you need me to turn around again so you can check me out?" She laughs easily as he sputters and tries to deny her claims, once he realizes that she doesn't believe a word he's saying he finally stops, admitting defeat.

"Those are...great shorts." He drawls, gone is the embarrassed act. Now he's freely eying her shorts clad body, eyes hot as they trail up and down her legs.

Shaking her head she smiles at him, "You never answered my question. What are you doing here?" He struts over to her prying her gym bag from her hand and throwing it over his free shoulder. She tries not to get too affected by his sudden closeness, his cologne filling her nostrils with the fresh earthy musk.

"My gym is here. I came to work out. You look like you had the same idea, you should have called me." There he goes again, making space for himself in her life although he has no intention of staying with her. It was cruel and she knows she should cut him off before it's too late.

"I don't think you'll be interested in what I'm doing." She answers walking ahead, holding the gym door open for him. They both show their card to the attendant at the front and the young worker smiles at her before saying, "Your aerial yoga class will be starting in five minutes. It's best to go early and secure a good spot."

She can see Vincenzo's questioning face in her peripheral but she ignores him to nod at the younger woman, tugging her bag off his shoulder and nodding at him in dismissal.

"Enjoy your work out." She climbs the stairs leading to the huge studio where the aerial classes are held. His eyes are like lasers on her back and she already knows that he's going to follow her, he's too intrigued to stay away. That's what she was banking on.

She would get him back for all his jealous tantrums this past week. There were so many places they were probably going to be banned from and all because he didn't know how to play well with others. She's wasn't some toy he could claim. Especially when she couldn't claim him back.

Finding a spot in the corner she puts her bag down on one of the mats that are provided, taking a few moments to do some light stretches. She bends over touching her toes before dipping her head and elongating her neck, then she does a few squats and jumping jacks just to get her blood pumping and her heart racing.

She can feel the exact moment that he comes, it also helps that all the women gasp and she can hear coy giggles about their new guest. She pretends not to notice him, stretching backwards into a perfect handstand holding it for a few minutes before tilting back and planting her feet until she's upright again. She almost loses her composure when she catches his expression in the large windows.

He looks shocked and aroused, neck redder than normal.

All the women settle down when the instructor comes to the front of the room, they have reached the point where he no longer shows them what to do instead he walks around the room correcting their form and giving tips or words of encouragement.

He's a beautiful man, with mocha colored skin and a lean muscled build and the most gorgeous head of coily hair. She has been coming here for months and they've become quite closer as they have a lot in common, most importantly they both love men. When they had run into each other and realized they were staring at the same guy's ass, it was love at first ogle.

When he comes over to greet her she immediately steps into his space with a mischievous grin. Sean grins back looking exasperated already but he still says, "What are you up to? I know that smile Ms. Cha-young." She leans closer certain that Vincenzo is avidly watching her every move. Trailing a finger up his thick bicep she whispers, "Nine o clock, don't look but I need your help to teach him a lesson. Are you up to it?"

Sean starts to turn his head before processing her order and stopping, he stares at her before a devilish look gleams in his bright eyes too.

"You know I'm always up." He replies voice full of innuendos and she fake swoons, bringing her hand to her forehead. "Don't tease me."

He chuckles at her before walking back to the front of the room, none of the other women react to their flirtations used to their antics and everyone already knows that Sean is as gay as the pride flag. Everyone except one fuming Italian.

She can feel his waves of anger crashing across the room and she tugs at the cloth in front of her testing the weight before easily hoisting herself up, letting it cup her bottom as her feet dangle.

She's ready to put on a show.

He hadn't stalked her per se, he'd merely overheard one of the tenants say that they'd seen Cha-young in a nearby studio on weekends so he'd went to see if she really did go there. And then there she was bent over in her car, pert little bottom sticking out the car and he wanted nothing more than to smack the flesh and watch it bounce and jiggle under his hand.

This was why he was so protective, not jealous. Protective. She was too careless with her body and there were salacious men out there ready to take advantage of that, she needed someone like him who had a pure heart to look out for her.

He was allowed to fantasize about spanking her while having a pure heart, it was called having duality.

So he'd followed her into the gym, a little peeved when she abandoned him without a word to attend something called "aerial yoga", he knew regular yoga and if it was anything like that he was very much interested.

In watching her do it.

Turning to the young worker who had been staring a hole in his face, he sent her a charismatic smile before leaning nonchalantly on the counter, he could tell that he had her full attention by the way her mouth fell open.

He almost felt bad, she seemed a bit wet behind the ears. But he wasn't really trying to seduce her so it was fine, he wasn't some old creepy predator.

"Hey, that aerial yoga class am I allowed to watch it? I want to see if it's something I might be interested in." He lies to the younger woman, watching her process his words before answering.

"Well technically that class is restricted for those who signed up..." She trails off looking at him and he smiles brightly, pushing his curly hair off his forehead he had forgo his products today and the way her eyes follow his fingers make him thankful that he did so. "But you won't do any harm by watching, I'm sure it'll be fine. Go on up." She finishes and he throws a mental fist pump, he still had it.

Outwardly he smiles serenely, thanking her before walking up the stairs that Cha-young just disappeared up. It leads to a spacious studio with a wall of gleaming mirrors and huge bay windows overlooking the city. He looks around before his eyes land on her, the reason why he's here.

He swallows a groan as he watches her stretch that slim gently curvy body, she's all smooth lines and feminine appeal. When she starts squatting he can't help but watch those firm cheeks tensing and tightening, he lazily leans back hungrily watching her.

Then he almost swallows his tongue when she bends backwards into a perfect bridge before lifting herself into a handstand, damn she was strong and deliciously flexible. Looking her in the eye was going to be even more difficult now.

His heckles raise when he sees another man approaching her suddenly, a Black man who seems way too familiar with his Cha-young based on the way they both grin and invade the others space. He sneers as he watches them whisper and grin at each other, who was this guy and why were they so close? He releases a sigh of relief when the man finally backs up, going to the front of the room before pressing a button and light soothing music begins to play.

He must be the instructor then. Wonderful. He prays that was the end of the unnecessary touching and standing too close to his lawyer. He doesn't want to have to make a scene.

It isn't the end. Not by a long shot.

The instructor who had introduced himself as Sean easily walked around, stopping every once in a while to correct someone or praise them for having good form. The ladies would preen and thank him and that was it, he would nod before moving on.

Cha-young was the only exception to this rule.

He watches mesmerized as the limber lawyer bends herself into a graceful pose that resembles a swan and he can't fight the images that start flashing in his mind of them in bed, her twisting around him with pieces of cloth. Tying him up and showing him just how flexible she is all night long until they both sore and sated.

When she suddenly releases the cloth and starts tumbling to the ground he finds himself jumping into action shoving the fantasy to the crevice of his mind, legs already moving to catch her before she saves herself with her ankles, her body swinging freely with her face only inches from the floor. His heart skips a beat before it starts chugging along again.

Why was she always worrying him?

"That was perfect Cha-young! You've finally let go of your fear of falling!" Sean praises her walking over and patting her legs, but he doesn't let go after the quick touch. He keeps those grabby hands on her thigh and helps her back up onto the cloth, he thinks that will be the end of it. He's wrong.

He moves her body into a new pose with the cloth wrapped around her shoulder and he glares when a hand runs down her back precariously close to her bottom before rolling back up. He pushes her gently on the cloth harness and she laughs gleefully before she whispers something to the instructor, it's hard to read her lips from this distance but he can make out, "with me."

He understands what she asked for when Sean nods and moves into position.

Sean wraps his arms around the same cloth and suddenly lifts himself off the ground, his face level with her groin and he wants to go over and rip the cloth from the ceiling and strangle the man with it. Then Sean pulls himself up and Cha-young slides out of her seated position, grabbing the cloth too until they're face to face and spinning in lazy hypnotic circles. They both have huge grins on their faces as they move together in perfect harmony, the last straw comes when she wraps her legs around his waist and their bodies are pressed together- he sees blazing red and disconcerting white and then finally pitch black.

He's fleeing before he's even aware of it. Bounding down the stairs, two steps at a time then shoving the entrance door open and letting the surge of cool air ease his anger. If he stayed another second the instructor would be dangling out the window much like that thug before except he wasn't sure if he would be able to pull him back up.

Why was he so anger? She'd looked fine, happy even. She clearly wasn't being taken advantage of. But his rage is bursting at the seams and he jolts when a hand suddenly grips his wrist. Instinctively he turns grabbing the person and slamming them into the nearby wall.

Cha-young looks up at him, face flushed and sweaty.

That will also be burned into his retina.

"You should know better than to sneak up on me." He warns taking deep breaths to suppress some of the frustration he feels looking at her, the memory still fresh in his mind.

"What's wrong with you?" She counters bringing her hands to his shoulders rubbing in a calming motion, "You look pissed. Did something happen?"

He watches her for a second, taking her in seemingly harmless question and recalls her legs wrapped around another man who wasn't him and he wants to punch that fucking handsy instructor right in his smug fac--

Wait.

She was smiling. No, smirking. Right up at him like she knew everything that was racing through his head.

He'd been played.

"Did you have fun?" He asks voice laced with snarkiness and he shoves her harder into the wall, red hot fury brewing in the pit of his stomach. She knew that he was part of the mafia but still acted like this. Did she not have any sense of self preservation?

"Were you jealous?" She asks in a ostentatiously cutesy voice like this is all a hilarious joke and he wants to kiss that damn smug look right off her face. No one has ever dared to treat him like this, acted like he was a joke.

She's playing with fire and he's not opposed to burning her up.

"Do you still think you have the upper hand right now?" He looms over her pushing his pelvis into her and she squeaks at the hardness that pokes into her. To his surprise she eagerly presses back, pulling him in by his waist until they are flushed chest to chest. He doesn't know if an upper hand exists anymore.

"Yes. I do, getting to see you jealous was the highlight of my day. Cute little jealous mafia lawyer."

He snarls at her feeling stupid because of how easily she can play him, and without thinking he wraps his arms around her.

"You looked really cozy with him."

She sniffs before pouting at him, "Yeah and you didn't fight for me at all. Where were the death threats and cold glares? Sean would have pissed his pants." Her giggles only make him angrier because she's seen through him all along.

He stares at her blankly before throwing caution to the wind and leaning down to capture her tempting lips, he runs a hand through her ponytail tugging her head closer to him and she moves easily with him standing on her tiptoes. He closes his eyes ready to put himself out of his misery when he feels a finger in his lips, he blinks his eyes open staring at her perplexed and a bit offended.

"What?"

"Are you staying in Korea?" She talks over him, her finger firm on his mouth.

They both stare at each other and her question spins in his busy mind, thoughts too full of her seductive moves earlier and how badly he wanted to destroy anyone who dared to look at her. He doesn't know why that question is coming up now, at this particular moment when he just wants to kiss her breathless. They can leave the rational thoughts for later, right now there should be more frenzied kissing. But when he tries to push her finger away she grabs his face hard, adamant.

He stares at her and finally he sees the chinks in her armor, gone is the overly confident Cha-young that he's so used to seeing and there's something softer in that stead, the vulnerability that always shrouds over her eyes when they have this reoccurring conversation is back and it leaves him feeling cornered as it always does.

He can't answer that question. The answer should be easy and it had been before her. He was going to take his gold and get the fuck out of this God forsaken country.

That had been the plan pre: Cha-young.

Now that plan was muddled and he could admit that he was jealous of other men stealing her away from him, at least to himself. Could admit that he wanted to wreck her completely, have her screaming in his bed those nimble limbs wrapped around him as he thrust into her over and over and over. But he wasn't ready to admit that he might feel something more than just intense attraction to her. That she had changed all his plans and made him consider settling down, with her. It was insane, he barely knew her and they weren't even in a relationship.

"No. I told you, I'm leaving."

He's a coward. He can admit that too.

She sends him a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes before ducking under his arms.

"Then leave and don't confuse me. I'm not yours to get jealous over. I'll see you Monday."

She doesn't look back, walking straight to her car and speeding away without checking any of her mirrors as she's wont to do despite him constantly reprimanding her for it, he's certain she's over the speed limit.

He punches the wall with a yell, the pain in his fist nothing compared to the pain in his chest. It was a huge mistake coming back here.

#vincenzo #vincenzo cassano #hong cha young #aerial yoga #don't try any of things I wrote about #you might die #i made this all up #man pain #emotional constipation

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oh-so-scenarios · 5 years ago

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ᴛʜᴇ sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪɴɢs...♠| 07

⤖ ᴡʜᴏ ʜᴀs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇs? Jᴜɴɢ Hᴏsᴇᴏᴋ ɪs ᴛᴏᴏ ʙᴜsʏ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴍᴀғɪᴀ ɴᴇᴛᴡᴏʀᴋ. Hᴇ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇʀᴇɴᴅɪᴘɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ʜɪs sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ʜɪᴍ…ʀɪɢʜᴛ?

⤖ Mᴀғɪᴀ Lᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ Hᴏsᴇᴏᴋ x ᴅᴏᴄᴛᴏʀ Fᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, Aɴɢsᴛ, sᴍᴜᴛ, sᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ!ᴀᴜ,

A/N: Unedited. Ignore any errors, please! whoa, word count is 8k o.o I surprised myself. I feel like this chapter is pretty okay. Didn’t feel like re-writing it for the 5th time so please enjoy! (Word Count: 8.13K )

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Narrator’s POV:

Y/n sits at a small circular table in the hospital cafeteria. The sun was setting, turning the sky an orange hue. She was given a beautiful view as her table face the huge window. At that moment, Y/n sat with her legs crossed and her lunch sitting in front of her. All she felt was tired. Tired and overwhelmed.

The recent surgeries that have been performed at the hospital were draining. She found herself doing fewer operations but they were growing in length. There weren’t enough hours in the day to recharge and sleep. She felt like she was lacking sleep and the bags making appearances under her eyes was all the proof needed.

The Charity Gala was approaching, making Hoseok grow busy with his schemes. Schemes of which she still didn’t know. It’d been 5 days since she saw Hoseok. Their last conversation being when he scolded her for trying to get information on him. She was also 2 days past the due date for her “assignment” to find another assistant.

She had settled on picking Jennie, but couldn’t muster the courage to ask her. How do approach someone about something like that? Oh yeah! Just join me in this illegal practice for my mafia boss soulmate!

Y/n wouldn’t dare utter such words. Not that she could speak at all. All of the trauma department have been working like crazy. An increase in car accidents has left everyone drained and it seems things have just started to settle. Even Dr. Lee lacked the energy to show his award-winning smile. He didn’t even come on to Y/n like he usually does.

Finding out that Hoseok was her soulmate wasn’t stopping him.

Hoseok hadn’t made any attempt to reach out to Y/n. She was supposed to meet him at the “headquarters” 2 days ago, but she ended up falling asleep the moment she got home. Her eyes snapped open the next morning, expecting a few missed calls or angry text messages. There was nothing.

She was eager to see him again, banter with him or just be near him again. Jungkook wasn’t even replying to her texts, telling her that they were truly busy. She didn’t want to get in their way, so she found that it would be best to not go back to HQ till she was told.

Sleeping with her eyes open at this point, Y/n didn’t notice Jennie take the seat beside her. Her white lab coat hanging loosely off her shoulders. Her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was bare-faced, not even her eyebrows filled in. Her peach top was ruffled and her white dress pants were the same way.

“I got dressed in the dark.” Jennie finally speaks. Y/n’s eyes slowly move to Jennie, who is staring at the table blankly.

“I don’t remember how I got here.” Y/n croaks, her voice coming out a bit rough. The two then sit in another heavy silence.

“How is Hoseok doing?” Jennie attempted to make conversation. Y/n only shrugged in response. She didn’t have the energy to hold a real conversation. She was running on empty, but there is still a stack of paperwork waiting for her. She threw her head back, ready to cry from the stress weighing on her shoulders.

Jennie stood up from her seat. It was a sluggish movement, making the young woman look like she was ready to collapse.

“Well, I’ll see you later tonight,” Jennie muttered.

Y/n was too tired to catch Jennie’s odd words. See you later tonight? Was she supposed to be hanging out with Jennie tonight? Cause y/n planned to go home and sleep as much as she could.

Snapping out her exhaustion trance, Y/n moved forward to take another bite of her fruit salad, thinking of grabbing the piece of apple that laid at the bottom. She remembered reading something about apples helping people stay awake.

She ate away at her fruit salad, little by little. Her phone dinged from her white coat pocket as she took a swig of her water. She took a look at her phone and felt an exciting knock from the heart.

Hoseok: Doc, you know where to be. Tonight. call JK when you’re done with your shift.

She was ready to celebrate being able to see Hoseok, but her exhaustion came to damper that. Ugh, what work would he have for her? She was so tired! He’ll definitely say something about her lack of an assistant.

She rolled her eyes at just the thought of his disapproving and dark eyes.

After finishing her lunch, Y/n sat in her office for a while; typing away at her computer. She wasn’t watching the clock, knowing that this paperwork was what kept her at work. So she did it, typed and typed till she was sure the sounds of the keyboard would haunt her dreams.

The moment she submitted her paperwork, she folded both arms onto her desk, resting her head on her arms.

“I’ll just rest my eyes.” She muttered to herself. Her eyes fluttered closed and a long sigh left her lips.

~!~

“Y/n!” A voice chimed.

Before fully waking up, Y/n internally groaned. Who is bothering her? Who is waking her? How long had she been asleep?

Her eyes opened painfully slow, spotting the clock on her wall first. After the tired blur wore off, she was able to notice the time.

3o minutes. She had only been able to sleep for 30 minutes.

“Noona?” A different person called this time.

Y/n sat up, her eyes scrunched into narrow slits as she came to. It took a moment for her to process the two people in front of her.

Jennie stood to her left, a smirk on her lips. Though she still looked tired in her eyes. To Y/n’s right was Jungkook who stood in an oversized grey hoodie with distress jeans. Her eyes darted between the two figures, trying to collect her thoughts. The room stayed silent for a moment and Y/n wordlessly stood up from her seat.

“Hoseok wants to see me.” She was reminding herself, “I nearly forgot.”

Jungkook snickered, his lips turning into a tight smile, “Boss had a feeling you were going to fall asleep. You did the same thing last time.”

She slipped off her white coat, draping it over her chair and gathering her things. It was till she had her bag on her shoulder that Y/n stopped to look at Jennie. The two stared at each other, Jennie blinked with a friendly smile while Y/n’s brows furrowed.

“Jennie..what’s up?” Y/n asked her voice still raspy from her brief nap.

“I’m also meeting Hoseok.” She answered simply. Jennie looked towards Jungkook innocently.

“She doesn’t know?”

Y/n gawks at Jennie then stiffly turns to Jungkook, “Know what? Why is Jennie meeting Hoseok?”

Jungkook shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, “Boss got impatient waiting for you to find an assistant--”

“--So he hired Jennie?” Y/n cut off Jungkook’s words. She wasn’t surprised that Hoseok took matters into his own hands, but that he picked Jennie to be her assistant. How much did Jennie know? How long had she known?

“Yup!” Jennie pops the ‘p’ and grins.

“You’re okay with the type of work you’ll be doing?” Y/n was almost whispering now.

Jennie looked confused by Y/n’s question. Jennie wasn’t as stuck up as Y/n was thinking. Hoseok knew what he was doing when he approached her. Jennie, despite her loud exterior, is a secretive and observant person. She learned that from her father who was a lawyer.

When you’re friendly and appear ditzy, people let their guards down. Watch closely and take notes for when you need them.

“Black market work.” She answers simply before walking around the desk to stop in front of Y/n. Jennie was now wearing black leggings with a plain red shirt and a cardigan. She had changed out of her work clothes and Y/n wished she had done the same instead of sleeping.

With her hands-on Y/n’s shoulders; Jennie speaks, “I know it all. Mafia soulmate. Mafia doctor, transplant surgeries and the latter. No need to worry, I know what I am stepping into.”

Jennie sounded too casual for Y/n. The innocent and bubbly gaze Jennie held while speaking about the illegal situation left Y/n feeling uncomfortable. Maybe she’s the only one sensitive to these things. She didn’t reply to Jennie, but walking past her and out her office, hearing Jungkook and Jennie trailing behind her.

“She took that better than I expected.” She heard Jennie mutter behind her.

Y/n really wanted to yell, throw a fit and lecture Jennie for so carelessly stepping into this tight situation. Frankly, Y/n was too tired. She didn’t have the energy to. Her mind was throwing angry and distasteful thoughts, but her body was too tired to execute them.

Y/n would just turn to stare at Jennie in the backseat as Jungkook drove the car. She was making sure this wasn’t a fever dream and was trying to process the situation.

They pulled up to the brick building that had become familiar. While ignoring Jennie’s questions about Hoseok, Y/n followed Jungkook into the HQ with Jennie trailing behind.

They came to the lobby area where the circular table was. The black and whiteboards stood in their regular places. Things were written on them. Y/n didn’t try to read them, but her eyes searched for Hoseok who was present. Everyone else sat at the table, papers spread out among them.

“Y/n!” Taehyung chimed as the others noticed her. She gave a weary smile, her eyes darted around the room to at least look every man in the face. Her footsteps stopped as she spotted an unfamiliar face. Well...not unfamiliar.

She’s seen his picture on the whiteboard before. The artist! What’s his name again?

“Jaehyun!” Someone screams. Oh right! His name was-- oh wait.

Y/n spins around just in time to see Jennie stalk past her to the quiet man at the table. She notices Jennie’s wide eyes and her face turning a cherry red. The other men in the room watch intently.

Jaehyun stands up from his seat, also surprised to see Jennie here.

“Is this the kind of work you’ve been doing?” Jennie hisses at her boyfriend.

He glares at her, “Is this the kind of work you’ve been doing?” He shoots back. Y/n walks over to one of the empty seats at the circular table. She plops down and watches the couple as they aggressively argue.

“How do you think I pay for those fancy dates of ours Jennie? I am doing my best to make a living! It’s still painting! I am still doing art! What are you doing? Black market surgeries? You can’t call me out!” Jaehyun argued back.

Yoongi looked at Y/n for an explanation. The action itself was small. He pointed to the two, who was standing to his right. Y/n just shook her head and rolled her eyes. They bickered back and forth and everyone watched silently.

No one noticed Hoseok who stood a few yards behind Y/n. He glanced at the Jennie and Jaehyun, already knowing the connection between the two. He knew it would make things a bit messy...but those two being soulmates would come in handy.

Then his eyes flickered to Y/n. He could only see her back, but the way she clutched in her seat was a dead giveaway. She was tired. The constant sighing, made visible by her shoulders rising and falling.

He hadn’t seen her in a few days. He wasn’t keeping count but...her absence was noticed. He knew he probably had 30 minutes max before she started to nod off. Work has probably been draining for her. His eyes moved back to Jennie, also noticing her tired appearance.

Hoseok quietly takes the empty seat beside Y/n who notices him immediately. She manages a soft but weak smile.

“You look tired,” Hoseok states as a matter of fact.

She chuckles, “Just say you missed me so we can move forward.” His words weren’t malicious and though they were monotone in some aspect, Y/n understood that. She playfully snapped back at him, giggling quietly. Hoseok didn’t want to admit the small satisfaction he got from the small interaction. Despite her fatigue, she still smiled that beaming smile of hers.

He looks away from her quickly and down at the papers on the table.

“Let’s get started. You can have your arguments after this.” Hoseok stated.

This mission was big. A single error could result in failure and jail. Hoseok hasn’t been caught yet and he doesn’t plan to.

“The Charity Gala is in a few days. There will be famous art pieces, valuable art pieces. There will be some for Art Gallery and others for auction. The goal is the art pieces for the Art gallery. There are four pieces we’re going to swap out. Jaehyun is well known for painting replicas, so he has already done so for all four pieces.” Hoseok began. Y/n shifted beside him, and though he noticed, he didn’t miss a beat in speaking. He wasn’t aware of it before, but now he sees how close their chairs really are. He wasn’t going to scoot away, seeing as it would draw attention. Y/n made no attempt either.

He caught a whiff of whatever shampoo she used while she ran her fingers through her hair. Y/n wasn’t surprised by the plan. She should have known Hoseok wouldn’t just volunteer to be in charge of the Charity Gala. She crossed her arms over her chest and listened.

“The night is set in such a manner; there is a viewing of the gallery, then there is the dinner which will be held in a ballroom. The gallery room and ballroom are only 4-minute walk down a long hallway from each other. After the dinner, the auction begins while others are free to roam back to the gallery if they please.” Hoseok went on explaining.

The time frame in which everyone is having dinner will be when the switch is made. Hoseok thought the plan out well, knowing that art professionals will be at the gala, he decided to put the gallery viewing before the dinner. He wanted the professionals to look and confirm that real works were there. So when the fakes are noticed later, only an outside force could be blamed.

Hoseok wanted to make sure there was no way he could be suspected.

That’s where Y/n comes in.

“Y/n,” Hoseok said. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“You will be my date for the evening.” He informed her. He didn’t even give her a chance to react before moving on.

“You will be my date, you will be by my side. You need to make sure everyone sees that you are with me and I am with you. We need to convince everyone that we are a couple.”

“Why is that necessary?”

“Everyone has to believe I was too distracted by you to take part in anything. The boys will be doing all the physical labor. I will be there for face, so work on not stiffening up when I’m close to you.”

Hoseok expected a retort from Y/n but she only sighed, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. Hoseok to lay out how the fakes would be taken and swapped, along with how Jin would have to do some work with the camera footage.

Y/n was tuning in and out. She was falling asleep while also trying to ignore the fast pace of her heart. She’s gonna be Hoseok’s date? They have to fake being a couple? So skinship? Hugging? Holding hands? Loving gazes-- is Hoseok even capable of such things?

Y/n can’t be sure when she really fell asleep, but her thoughts tapered off and she was sound asleep. Little did she know the room around her had grown still.

Seokjin was talking about everyone’s roles in the mission and just how important timing was. Hoseok sat back in his seat, listening to make sure everything would run smoothly when he felt a weight drop onto his shoulder. He looked up from the paper in his hand and to his left.

Y/n’s head was now resting on his shoulder and she was knocked out. All he was smelling now was the shampoo and light traces of her perfume. He sighed and looked back at the paper in his hands when he realized Seokjin stopped speaking.

He looked up with sharp eyes only to find all eyes on him.

“What?” He called out, thinking there was a problem.

He was oblivious. Jungkook beamed, his feature looking bunny-like while he smiled.

“Continue with what you were saying.” Hoseok orders, looking back down at the words printed on the paper. They went on discussing the plan. It wasn’t much longer till Jennie also clocked out. She rested her head on Jaehyun’s shoulder, throwing her arm around his abdomen and snuggling her face into his neck. Jaehyun seemed unphased by it.

However, it wasn’t like Hoseok’s indifference. Hoseok simply didn’t mind it, seeing as Y/n wasn’t restricting him in any way. Jaehyun was used to Jennie’s cuddling and even welcomed it.

The meeting went on and Y/n shifted a bit, mumbling something in her sleep and somehow finding one of her hands on Hoseok’s thigh. He stared at her hand for a moment before turning back into the meeting.

Once the meeting was over, Hoseok watched as everyone went their different ways. He pulled his phone from his pocket, checking emails and text messages. He glanced up once to see Jaehyun scooping Jennie up in his arms like some sort of prince charming.

“Boss, you guys look cute together,” Jungkook said almost coming out of nowhere.

“We better,” Hoseok scoffed, “we really need to sell it at the gala so--”

Jungkook softly cut him off and shook his head, “That’s not what I meant. I mean you and Y/n REALLY look cute together.”

Hoseok gave a disapproving stare at the younger man but just got a wider smile in return.

“Come hold her head so I can go. Whether you want to wake her up or not is up to you.” Hoseok barked. Jungkook made no attempt to move from his spot a foot away.

“Hyung,” Jungkook’s voice grew softer. He swallowed and took a deep breath, knowing he was now entering the sensitive territory.

“I think you should give it a shot, Y/n has shown what kind of person she is. It’s easy to see that she’s nothing like her. She’s nothing like your mother--”

“Kook.” Hoseok’s voice came out hard, and cold. Jungkook stopped, scared to say anymore to his boss.

“Right! Right! Never bringing her up again! Got it! Sorry about that!” The young man rushed out, walking over to get the slumbering Y/n off Hoseok’s shoulder.

~!~

“You’re expecting me to wear that?” Y/n almost snickered. She stared at the dress laid out on her bed, the box it was delivered in tossed aside.

Both she and Jennie stood in silk robes, hair and makeup done. Y/n trusted Jennie to pick out their dresses, so she sat back and focused on work. Now that the dress was here, Y/n could only gawk at it. It was a beautiful gown and looked expensive, but she doubts she could pull it off.

It was a sleek and sexy dress, form-fitting, with spaghetti straps and that draping neckline that’s been in trend. A slit up the dress looks like it stopped just a bit above her knee and the slight sparkle to the dress was alluring.

It was a rich and deep green, but the slight sparkle only complimented the satin material in which the gown was made of. It went perfectly with the earrings she had on and the simple pearl necklace.

“You don’t like it?” Jennie questioned, looking back and forth between Y/n and the dress. Y/n lets out a deep breath and shakes her head.

“No, it’s a beautiful gown. I’ve just never worn anything like it before.” Y/n answers honestly.

Jennie can’t help the small chuckle that leaves her lips. Since taking the job offer from Hoseok, she’s seen first hand what Y/n meant when she called Hoseok indifferent. The relationship between the two was ...complicated. Y/n often attempted to meet Hoseok halfway. The few meetings they had in the last few days really showed that.

It was either Hoseok couldn’t see Y/n’s attempts or he really didn’t care. But what was easy to see was the heart eyes Y/n had every time Hoseok was around. Even in their arguments, Y/n found herself smiling after.

Hoseok had a charm about him. He was quiet, intriguing and mysterious.

“Well, you’ll be wearing it tonight.” Jennie replied. She moves towards Y/n’s closet where her navy blue gown hung. It was a bit bigger. Not a ballgown, but not form-fitting like Y/n’s. It was a strapless number with lace detailing. She absolutely loved the gown from the moment she laid eyes on it.

Her heels were just as high as Y/n’s. Both dresses would have a small train and seeing how extravagant these gowns were really drilled into Y/n’s head that this event was a big deal. She was too distracted thinking about how she’d have to play ‘couple of the year’ with Hoseok. In front of co-workers and important people. All that while pretending she doesn’t know 1.2 million dollars worth of artwork is being stolen and replaced.

Stopping by HQ just yesterday was shocking for Y/n. She saw the replicas of the artwork and she nearly applauded Jaehyun. They were excellent. Now, Y/n was no art expert but to the untrained eye, the images were perfect reflections of each other. They even made sure the frames were mimicking the ones to be used in the gala.

I am assisting in a theft mission. Was all that Y/n could think. If she thought she was deep in the hole before, she’s practically digging it now.

She grabbed the gown and began slipping it on. It felt even more expensive once the material was rubbing against her skin. Jennie zipped her up, and she did the same for Jennie. Just as the two were finished putting their heels on, Y/n’s phone dinged. Jennie’s phone did the same not even 5 seconds later.

Hoseok: Here.

There was a slight jump in Y/n’s heart as she read the words. When she looked up from the phone, Jennie was already staring back at her.

“Welp, let’s get this night over with.” Jennie almost groaned.

The hammering of her heart was all Y/n could hear. Even as she stood in the elevator, Jennie’s small talk was hard to hear. She nervously played with the thin velvet strap of her purse, staring at her foggy reflection in the elevator doors. Her dark red lipstick was one thing that could easily be made out.

She looked good. She looked great. Amazing even. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Picking up her dress with both hands, Y/n walked out first, already spotting two black SUV’s parked right in front of the apartment building.

You could imagine Y/n’s disbelief when she saw Jaehyun and Hoseok both stepping out of the SUVs. Hoseok’s suit was dark grey, he wore nice black dress shoes and his brown hair had slight blonde highlights in it. His hair was parted to the side and slicked back, putting his forehead on display. His white dress shirt had no tie or bowtie, but it was unbuttoned. Only two or three buttons but it gave him an edge.

As he adjusted his suit coat, his dark green cufflinks shined. They were matching. Jaehyun walked to open the door that led out of the apartment complex. Y/n thanked him briefly before walking right up to Hoseok. Wow, he looked good. She couldn’t help but take in how he looked in that nicely tailored suit. The coat opened with his hands in his pockets. A stance that held confidence and freedom. He looked like he was on top of the world and owned it.

The green cufflinks held her attention for a moment. She probably looked like she was drooling over him. She looked up from his outfit only to catch his eyes still trailing over her body. He seemed to take a second to really look at every part of her. She didn’t miss his eyes lingering on her draping neckline, so basically her chest.

When his eyes reached her face, she tried to figure out what he was thinking. His facial expression wasn’t giving anything away but he looked into his deep brown eyes and thought for a second she saw something new. The noise of cars zooming by and the other noises of a buzzing city was all that could be heard.

What is this tension? The dense and heavy cloud was looming over them. There were so many unspoken words floating around, while one waited for the other to speak.

Say something! Say something you fool! Y/n directed herself.

“We’re matching!” A smile pulls at Y/n lips.

Looking back at her Hoseok is glad to see that overcast of exhaustion gone from her eyes.

“Of course we’re matching, I picked the dress.” He says, moving back to open the door to the car.

Y/n raises her eyebrows, “You picked the dress? I thought--”

“Jennie only delivered the dress to you. I picked and paid for it.” He explains. Y/n gets into the car, and Hoseok follows in, shutting the door.

The car ride was mostly quiet, with Hoseok speaking on the phone to Namjoon, reviewing plans and times. Y/n twiddles her thumb, and was left alone with her thoughts. She was oblivious to the glances from Hoseok.

“Green must be your favorite color.” She said as Hoseok ended his phone call.

He narrowed his eyes at her, “What makes you say that?”

Y/n scoffs playfully, “Come on. I’ve seen you wear green suits. My dress is green, your cufflinks and your phone case are green.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“You’re right,” Y/n adds, “Green is also associated with the grinch so it matches you perfectly.” She giggles while Hoseok uncharacteristically rolls his eyes.

“Y/n, I really need to sell your role tonight. But if I do anything you don’t like, tell me.”

Y/n nods, “Understood.”

The gala was definitely a big deal. It was held at the banquet hall not too far from the hospital. There were cameras, media outlets, and big names all there in the name of art and charity. Hoseok jumped out the car and the cameras began to flash like crazy. Oh right...Hoseok is like an actual company owner.

How much work does Hoseok really do? It’s okay for him to be photographed? As Y/n was helped out of the car, she looked down at the ground, the camera flashes being a bit too much for her eyes.

Hoseok is right beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back and pulling her close to him. They stroll past all the cameras and light and into the building. Y/n tries her best to seem natural with Hoseok’s hand on her back.

But it felt like the spot he was touching grew hotter and hotter. Her shoulder was pressed into his side and the warmth coming off him was comforting. He wore that same cologne she’s smelt many times.

“Hey, look at me for a second,” Hoseok whispered. Y/n did as he said, meeting a small smile on his lips. She almost gasped. Not a smirk, not a snicker before he messes with her. A real smile, or a real-looking smile.

“Look like you’re happy to be with me,” He said while beaming.

Y/n almost said I am. Almost. The corner of her lips turned up in a smile that didn’t feel so fake. The close proximity of their faces didn’t feel forced. This didn’t feel forced. None of it did.

“So we’re heading to the gala.” She said, adjusting the purse strap that was on her other shoulder. It wasn’t a question, but as if she had to remind herself. The two walked along, Hoseok removing his hand from the warm spot on her back to hanging by his side.

Y/n didn’t need any instruction, seamlessly holding onto his bicep. She liked this. She liked this a little too much.

The gallery hall was buzzing. There were celebrities, influencers, and company executives. It’s a different world for sure. They were able to walk around the gallery for all of 3 minutes before Hoseok was approached. It was some company executives talking about possible investments Hoseok’s company could make.

Hoseok chatted with them a bit, noticed that Y/n was also listening intently. She wanted to know more about Hoseok’s non-illegal work, as well as just how much he works.

“Excuse our rudeness, who is this beautiful lady on your arm?” The Lotte executive said, running his eyes up and down Y/n’s frame.

“This,” Hoseok brushed off Y/n hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, making Y/n face heat up. She grinned at the two men, sticking a hand out to shake their hands.

“This is Y/n L/n, my girlfriend. She is a surgeon for the trauma department at Seoul Sky.” Ugh, his words just roll off his tongue so smoothly.

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Y/n said. The two older men chuckled.

“We never see Mr. Jung with a woman at these types of things. I just knew you had to be someone special.” The loan company CEO pointed out.

Y/n jokingly pouted and looked at Hoseok, “Not the smooth ladies’ man I thought you to be huh?” I teasing reached up to mess with the collar of his shirt. She narrowed her eyes at Hoseok, and he noticed the taunting gleam in her eyes. She was having fun.

He chuckled, not at her words up at the realization he’d made.

“Every man has to hype himself up to his women, it’s only natural.” The Lotte executive joked.

“If I had a beautiful woman like Y/n, I wouldn’t have tried my best to seem cool!”

Everyone laughed, chatted some more before moving onto other things. This happened a lot. They’d be alone for a few minutes before more businessmen and women approached. The wanting gazes from the women around were annoying, leading Y/n facial expressions to have a mind of their own.

“It’s no surprise you have a girlfriend just as intimidating as you are Mr. Jung.” One woman had said. Tha told Y/n about her facial expression right there and she worked a smile back onto her face. Now with a glass of champagne in hand, Y/n’s eyes darted around the gallery. She caught a few glimpses of Jennie and Jaehyun, who were seriously looking at the art.

Jaehyun was thrilled, clearly going on about the works. At one point Y/n noticed Jimin who was dressed as a waiter. He must have had a wig on because his black hair was now a honey blonde. He wore glasses and kept his eyes down for the most part.

The sigh that left her lips was a mistake, but it was enough to stop the flow of conversation Hoseok was having with some woman who said to be from an Energy Drink company. They all stopped to look at Y/n, and she was unaware, her eyes focused on the further away painting.

Hoseok’s hand, placed securely on her waist, tighten, and his thumb started to caress her comfortingly.

“Are you tired already, baby?” He whispered in her ear. Y/n’s head snapped around to look up at Hoseok, trying not to come off as surprised when she noticed just how close their faces were. All she could imagine was kissing him. His breath fanned her face and his eyes bore into her.

The nickname had been the head turner but the closeness and intimacy were causing her heart to leap. He was too good at this.

“N-no, I’m just interested in that painting over there.” Y/n answered softly. She gave a pointed look towards one of the artworks. Hoseok was going to say something, clearly about to excuse himself from the women around him.

“Darling,” She said quickly, making Hoseok look back to her.

“Don’t stop your conversation for me,” Y/n flashed a small smile, “I will be right over there if you need me.”

Hoseok leans in close and whispers in Y/n’s ear, “Trying to run away from me?” He was teasing her. Y/n smiled, and though others would see it as a couple in love flirting, Y/n was almost snickering at him.

“For my own sanity, yes.” She says quietly. She breaks away from Hoseok, ignoring the cold that surrounded her once his warmth was gone. She walked towards one of the artworks, stopping right in front of it.

Her eyes were on the painting. It showed a woman staring at herself in the mirror of her bathroom, while the sun outside was black, still shining yellow despite the color.

“Jaehyun says the picture is about how good can still come from bad.” Y/n jumps slightly as Jennie comes to stand beside her.

“Oh really?” Y/n takes a sip of her champagne, looking over at her friend’s smiling face. Jennie is looking at the painting still while Y/n stares at her profile.

“The black sun that’s shining yellow is the bad thing bringing out something good. The woman is staring at herself in the mirror but there is no reflection. She’s blind to all things good things, and to herself.”

Y/n looks back at the painting, “I didn’t know you to be so deep.”

She shrugs, “It’s Jaehyun. I don’t find this art stuff too interesting but I could listen to him go on about it forever.” Her smile becomes softer, a fondness twinkling in her eyes.

Both of them didn’t speak for a while before Jennie looked at Y/n. She was hesitant to say what was on her mind. She didn’t want to deject her friend even more. But it was on everyone’s minds. Everyone in the room, even the strangers were thinking the same thing.

“You and Hoseok look really good together.” Jennie voiced. Y/n sighed. There it was. She knew it was coming.

“Of course we do. We’re both dressed up nicely, matching and all that.” She retorted.

“No,” Jennie now holds her champagne glass with two hands, “You two go together. You had me fooled for a moment and I knew you were supposed to be faking it.” Jennie paused again, not sure if Y/n wanted to interject. When she didn’t Jennie continued.

“And you looked really happy.”

“It’s fake.” Y/n deadpanned, making sure to keep her voice low.

“But you’re still happy. Hoseok looked...happy.”

Y/n scoffed at Jennie’s words and took another sip of her champagne.

“Jennie, please stop. Just let me enjoy it for tonight. I’ll be met with the harsh reality tomorrow. I won’t let you trick me into believing there is anything else here.”

“I think you need to stop waiting for Hoseok to make the first move. You go for it. Something small to relay to him how you’re really feeling.” Jennie suggested, glancing behind them in time to notice Hoseok’s brief glance at Y/n.

Y/n downed the rest of her champagne when she noticed a waiter coming by. She placed the empty glass on the waiters’ tray and caught her breath.

“Don’t make it so you’re some girl crushing on him, make him see you,” Jennie added.

Y/n decides not to respond, blankly staring at the artwork again.

The slight jump from her when an arm wraps around her waist was accompanied by a small yelp. She looked up at Hoseok, who was also looking at the artwork now.

“You scared me,” She says quietly.

Jennie wordlessly walks off, going to find Jaehyun.

“I can’t believe you left me with those annoying women,” Hoseok said, his thumb rubbing circles on Y/n hip.

Y/n laughed, “You weren’t enjoying the conversation?”

“Not at all. Those ladies don’t want investments from the company--”

“They want you.” Y/n looks up at Hoseok with narrow eyes.

He changes the subject, “What an interesting painting.” He sounds really intrigued. Y/n went on to repeat what Jennie had said about the painting, explaining the meaning of the black sun and the woman looking in the mirror.

Hoseok stares on in silence, perhaps taking in Y/n words.

“Sounds like something my father would say.” Hoseok huffs a laugh, “Stop looking at the bad! Look beyond it.”

Y/n didn’t want to say anything, excited to hear something about Hoseok’s family. But she didn’t want to be unresponsive.

“Your father sounds like an optimistic man.” Y/n peers into Hoseok’s face.

“Optimistic and trusting.” He added.

Taking a deep breath Hoseok spoke again, “His optimism and trusting character is what killed him.”

Y/n couldn’t stop her mouth from hanging open at Hoseok’s harsh words. She stared at his profile, waiting for him to say something else.

When he didn’t speak again, she looked back at the painting. Why did the painting suddenly look so sad?

~!~

The gala was pretty boring to Y/n. They sat, they ate and wore their fake smiles for all the people who approached them. Hoseok’s eyes were drawn to his phone every few minutes. Oh right, that’s when they were swapping the artwork.

Hoseok didn’t look worried or stressed. Y/n knows if she was in his position, she’d be freaking out. What if something went wrong? What if they are caught? Her blood pressure was rising just at the thought. She sat a large round table with Hoseok beside her. His chair scooted close to hers. They had finished eating and watched as others danced about.

Hoseok took one more glance at his phone, a satisfied look taking over his face.

“Everything went well?” Y/n already knew the answer.

“Yes, everything is finished.”

Y/n nodded, reaching forward for a glass of wine that sat on the table. She had been drinking just a bit. Not to the point of being drunk, but the buzz was there. Hoseok noticed but didn’t say anything.

“I’m going to get some air.” Y/n said quietly and rose up from her seat. The auction had already begun in a smaller room down the hallway. The night was coming to a close. It was a lovely evening and she was thankful that a lot of money would be raised for charity.

But there was a bitter after taste to this happy night. Y/n stood at the large balcony of the venue, staring at the stars that twinkled beautifully. At that moment, she almost felt like crying.

The violins that were sounding from inside made her feel a bit like she was in a drama. A sad one-sided love story that was taking too long to turn around. His touch still lingered all over her. It didn’t feel weird, uncomfortable or strange. It was so familiar and welcoming.

She was desperate to break past that stone-cold wall Hoseok had up. Everyone says be aggressive! Make the first move! But the thought of harsh rejection from Hoseok was enough to leave her unmoving in her spot. The buzz from her wine was really catching up with her now, making her head feel a bit light.

“Aren’t you cold?” Hoseok asked. Y/n jumped, placing her hand over her chest.

“You need to stop sneaking up on me like that!” She exclaimed. Hoseok stood there with his hands in his pockets, his eyes focused on Y/n. She felt a bit insecure under his gaze.

“You did really well tonight,” He said walking closer to her. Y/n leaned on the ledge of the balcony, suppressing the scoff playing on her lips.

“Did I really?” She muttered to herself, just loud enough for Hoseok to hear.

He stands beside her, leaning on the ledge. His whole body faces her while she faces out towards the beautiful garden below them. Maybe it’s the wine, but out of the corner of her eyes, it seems like Hoseok is smiling.

Her heart hummed at his closeness, and just how effortless the conversation was feeling. It’s the wine for sure. They could barely hold a conversation without bickering, now the silence between them was so relaxing.

“Everyone’s eyes were on us tonight. No one will ever suspect me once the fakes are realized.”

“Was everyone looking at us?” She sounded far away as if she hadn’t heard much of what Hoseok said.

“You couldn’t tell? There were eyes on us everywhere we went. People aren’t used to seeing me with someone.”

Y/n looked over at Hoseok, taking in every feature of his face for a short second before speaking.

“I guess my attention was elsewhere, cause I didn’t feel a single eye on us.” The soft tone of her voice was enough to figure out what she was saying. Y/n was too wrapped up in Hoseok to notice a judgmental look or a gossiping whisper. He knew that.

In fact. He’s a liar. He’s lying. Were there eyes on them? Probably? Hoseok doesn’t fucking know cause he wasn’t paying attention either. He was too distracted by...the mission. Right. The mission.

“Hoseok, I have a question.” The wine was giving Y/n confidence, so she was going to go for it.

The look in Hoseok’s eyes was it pity? Curiosity?

“Despite your underground job...you don’t seem to mind having your face in pictures and stuff. Is that safe?” Y/n set her elbow on the ledge and place her cheek on her hand. She started blinking her eyes slowly and gazing up at him.

‘Heart eyes.’ Y/n’s heart eyes every time he is around. At first, he didn’t understand. But now, Hoseok gets it, he sees it now.

“You’re really interested?” Hoseok’s lips turned up into a smirk.

“Yes.” She nods eagerly.

Hoseok bit his lip, a bit hesitant to say anything.

“I work under the name ‘Seok’. The mafia leader is known as ‘Seok’ but there is no face to Seok.” He leans closer to her, his eyes looking around to make sure no one was close.

“Ah! I see!” Y/n chimes a bit too loudly, “That’s smart!” Y/n grows quiet and her eyes widened. So knowing who Hoseok really is...is a big deal!

“And...and that alias was started by you?”

“By my father.” Hoseok’s voice grew a bit cold and Y/n worried that she was digging too deep. She watched Hoseok’s brows furrow and decided to keep digging until he shut her down. The support of some wine glasses made her brave.

“So you took over after your father passed?” Hoseok was a bit annoyed. Not by Y/n but the pity that was dripping off her voice. He hated people feeling sorry for him. His life is his life. He doesn’t hate it, he doesn’t wish he did anything else. He’s fine where he is.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry about your father passing.” Y/n picked her cheek off her hand and removed her arm from the ledge. She faced the garden and sky once more.

“He died when I was 16, I’m okay now doc.” That nickname again. The wall was being put up again.

Y/n nodded slowly, processing what Hoseok had just said. She realized a little too late that Hoseok’s father dying when he was 16 meant that Hoseok took his father’s position of mafia head at that young age.

“And your mother?” Y/n asked softly, her eyes staying on the twinkling stars. Hoseok’s jaw clenched the thought of his mother. Y/n was too distracted by the beautiful night sky and the shining full moon to notice Hoseok’s lack of a response.

“Tonight was fun,” Y/n starts again, sighing dreamingly, “I’m just waiting for the clock to hit midnight and for the magic to disappear.”

Hoseok raised an eyebrow, wondering if the wine had really gotten to her. Was she just talking nonsense?

“Magic?” He scratches his head in confusion.

“For once...it felt like you didn’t hate me.” She says truthfully. Hoseok stares at her profile, a little caught off guard by how fragile her voice was. Genuine hurt.

“I don’t hate anyone.” He sounded offended. And well that was a lie. He hated two people, but only those two. Hate takes too much energy. Hate? She thinks he hates her?

Hoseok’s face scrunched up in angst, “Doc, I don’t hate you.”

“But you hate soulmates and doctors.” She accused. Hoseok’s face fell into a frown.

“Who told you that?” He snapped.

Y/n rolls her eyes, “What does it matter? I got the message.”

Hoseok was getting angry. She spoke like she had him figured out. He knows he can be cold but...hate?

“What about you doc?” His voice was venomous, “Do you really like me?”

“Yes.” She says strongly.

“You really like me? Or do you like the image of a soulmate? The idea of a soulmate is what you like. I am not the picture-perfect guy you dreamed of, stop trying to put me in that box.”

She looks at him, scrutinizing his face. Hoseok watched her eyes move all across his face, taking in every facial feature of his. Her eyes were big and honest. He couldn’t doubt anything she’d say with a look like that.

“I do admit, I liked the idea of a soulmate. I liked the idea of meeting someone and just connecting instantly and understanding each other.” She said sternly.

“My point is proven.” Hoseok’s harsh tone and disapproving gaze weren’t scaring her. She didn’t back down, still gazing up at his face.

“But I understand now that soulmates aren’t a guaranteed thing. There aren’t fireworks the moment you lock eyes.” She looks down at her pinky, gazing at Hoseok’s initials tattoed onto her skin.

“You were not what I expected. Your lifestyle is frightening and dangerous. You are cold, calculating, hard to read and sometimes scary. You’ve probably killed people and I’m sure committed many crimes. Hell, I sat here and played ‘couple of the year’ while the others robbed artwork.”

“Oh--” A voice said from the entryway. Both Hoseok and Y/n turn their attention to Jungkook who stared on with wide eyes. He wasn’t sure what he had walked in on, but he was hesitant to speak. The atmosphere was heavy and uncomfortable.

“Noona, I’ll be taking you home.” He announced, “Just let me know when you’re ready to go.” Jungkook’s eyes flickered between the two adults, wondering what conversation had happened before he walked in.

“Thank you Jungkook,” Y/n’s voice wavered, “I’ll be right there.” She dismissed him. Jungkook gave his boss a pointed look before turning around to go where he came from.

Y/n sighed, pushing her body off the ledge and standing straight. She smoothed her dress and brushed off any possible dirt.

She looked back up at Hoseok and flashed a sad smile, “Despite all those things. Your lifestyle, your crimes, and your cold attitude ...I still like you.”

Hoseok scoff, “Really?” He was nearly laughing. Not because he found her confession funny, but he didn’t know what else to do. He was rendered speechless.

“Truly.” She confirmed, not daring to look away from him. The smile remaining from his laughing fell slightly. Y/n stepped closer to Hoseok. He watched closely, looking down as one of her hands found his. She held his hand, stretched her head up and put her lips to his cheek. She kissed his cheek briefly.

There were traces of wine on her lips, but she certainly wasn’t drunk. She had her balance. Her eyes were shown to doubt or uncertainty. The same and now familiar shampoo tickled his nose. Her hand held his tightly, it was warm and soft.

Her lips were only on his cheek for all of 3 seconds before she pulled back and let go of his stiff hand. He felt like the side of his whole face was on fire. The skin where she touched had grown hot.

“Tonight was fun. Thank you Hoseok.” With that, she spun around and made her way back inside. Probably going to find Jungkook so she could go home.

Hoseok stood in his spot, trying to collect his thoughts. His incoherent thoughts were being drowned out by the playing of the violins and drums from inside.

...wait. Drums? There weren’t any drums playing.

It was the loud and fast pounding of his heart, overshadowing his scattered thoughts and the violins.

-------

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

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startwithbrooklyn · 3 years ago

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THE GREAT ND REWATCH OF 2021 / SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 // larkspur lane/the whisper box

this post is a double whammy cause they have 2 eps happen in the same day if u can believe it (thats how awful judging timelines in this show is!!)

-"hi josh..." LMAOOOOOOO

-BESS just breaking in lmaooo how many god damn times does bess just shit the bed in this show

-LOVE her frowny face at nancys closet ("my expectations are low" lmfaoooo but this would totally be me)

-"bet she meant it metaphorically" okayyy but then why did lucy say that at all? i feel like theres defo more to this story, combined with josh's cagey behavior (part of which is to get nancy to stop looking into shit d/t him and karen but still)

-"they dont accept visitors unless they're family" .....🙂

-ace "youre really good at that" to bess i fuckin love this friendship with all my heart (also love their talk at the claw mirroring nick & nancys talk in the last ep)

-also PINK AND ORANGE BESS ARE U BLIND (also 1) why tf would nancy own this and 2) where would she wear it??)

-okay wtf is vampire dip

-"boss??" see this is what i meant yesterday about nancy ruining everything for nick/george

-god DAMN she sucks at dealing with this news lmaooo that emotional competency babey + love george literally agrees to help bc she feels bad (AND nicks immediate look of "you just reprimanded me for helping her last ep and i know why youre doing this rn" lmaoooo)

-LOVE george noticing nick "shout out to jean valjean" lmaooo once again nancy would never have noticed/commented on something like that

-"get the hell out of here" was this foreshadowing for an epic dad joke for these two eps? "how do you make holy water? you boil the hell out of it" 😂😂😂😂

-so what i dont get about the whole haunting is the ball + kids' laughter but its all the emphasis on "mr roper" the adult? wtf like what kind of entity is this

-"how did you ever have a solo career??" 😂

-okay amaya's hair is gorgeous here (also "you feel like a snack" ....👀) *ahhh so the reason bess feels so off balance is bc its like a top vs a top scenario

-has anyone who's ever been to prison confirmed this is what it looks like?

-love how ace is the only employee there when they all leave so he had to fucking close the place when he goes

-why does she take the whole file? time constraints? it'd be smarter to take pics + replace it (better sleuthing) but this place is clearly not well run anyway 😂

-so this is a pretty decent cover she invents but theres no way she would get away with it so easily for a real guard

-love how ace recognizes ryan's car (+ is able to find it by driving around)

-"my father wouldnt do anything like that" LMFAOOOOOO SIS WHY ARE U DEFENDING HIM ironically, ace is actually the best person suited to engage w ryan here d/t the car accident + connection with laura being ryans SIL. its a unique set up

-i am fascinated by the concept of priests + holy water being so effective here combined with mcginnis' beliefs and basically nondenominational ghosts/seances etc after that. the show is very clearly big on diversity but definitely steers clear from too much WASP stuff yk? wonder if other stuff from christianity works against the ghosts/demons like taking refuge in a church "holy ground" or using silver etc

-"did this start after the night of sept 10?" *this is where you get the time line for the seance if you didnt know

-this is so fucking funny when u realize that patient sal talks to is actually a ghost so sal really is psycho i guess 😂

-bitchsplain/tall jar of mayonnaise 🙏🏻😌 2gether 4ever

-how did ace get this van? also heart attack when he yells at carson (but then grins at him like a goofball lmaooo)

-"for nancys sake and yours" damn she owes ace big time for all this shit

-"what do we do for 7 minutes?" ...ummm play 7 minutes in heaven lmaooo 👀🥵

-was not expecting ace to look this sexy holding an axe but okay (*ah, its his short sleeve shirt showing his arms. usually hes a sleeves guy)

-"desperate for attention" nancy (from gomber) vs "bc she's starved for attention" patrice --> lucy (and candace also...) we know nancys detective work makes her seem like an attention seeker, but what was lucy doing to make them all think that? she was trying to hide her relationship with ryan, not expose it. unless they just mean the rumors about her?

-so is patrice hiding lucy's "truth" talking about lucy being a whore or lucy being a ghost? what is lucy's secret? did patrice guess she was pregnant or did patrice's somehow garbled mind remember tiffany trying to show patrice the video with lucy on it?

-wonder what captain thom thinks of this stand off w ace lmaooo

-"like you do?" top v top shenanigans

-how awko for carson to talk to karen again like this

-"oh no" ACE 😂

-love how amaya says "be a human" like shes kind of admitting people in rich circles typically arent (^this is an interesting focus in s2 when bess's rich family rejects her, thus making her human again, but nancy embraces her rich fam and experiences subsequent moral struggle which is predicted with the wraith)

-wonder what ryan thinks he could get from the marvins (which he cant get now lmaooo)

-this damn whisper box. so many questions. who named it the whisper box? why are the ropers' old possessions still there? who decided to build a mental hospital on top of it? and patrice! she "hid lucy's secrets" hannah gruen thinks tiffany tried to show patrice video w lucy on it, which patrice then specifically says she hid in the thin mans book. so patrice knows of the thin man? can she see him? does she know he was a ghost/supernatural? she must have a supernatural sense to know about him (unless sal told or some shit) so then when tiffany shows up w/ lucy being supernatural in it patrice hides it to protect her? is this why she is "crazy" kinda like victoria? supernatural elements or ability to sense ghosts makes her unstable? this is why lucy being a ghost/nursery rhyme that she repeats makes patrice worse/"stroke"? how did patrice even get into the whisper box to put the key in the bible and get out without getting trapped? also, her dementia --> lucidity is really fucking off, some people mildly switch like that but usually with dementia they cant even register new shit anymore

-...so did bess take the ride? 👀

-interesting how celia says "your father will be disappointed" but nothing of her own opinion. wonder how much celia truly puts up with to keep everett calm and nonhomicidal

-like george asking nick follow up questions that nancy never really would have asked

🥞🥞🥞(ep13)🥞🥞🥞

-is this bitch just eating a plain pancake with her bare hand?

-"extra case load and excessive volunteering" ugh. nancy's family here are like, gross in how "good" of people they are // unrealistic, trying to paint carson in the best light/ no way ryan could ever compare (but the reality is theyre not that good of people for lying about nancy) **and shes arrogant to think shes better than everyone else ie the only one who truly lives virtuously, thinks she can do no wrong sometimes even tho using sex to cope, breaking and entering, etc is not morally "good" stuff she still thinks she is the only one who doesnt lie and plays fair (like in the pilot she lists everyone else as a suspect but herself- obviously we know she isnt guilty but no one else does. (i mean in theory we really dont, what if nancy was an unreliable narrator and was actually guilty, that would be a hella cool show)its reactions like that where she cant understand why others like the chief suspect her

-ooooh ironic that in the Good Place carson readily agrees to pay her for helping with cases as opposed to s2 in reality

-nick's house has "problems" so why does he need a lawyer? as opposed to an interior designer, plumber, or realtor?

-in the Good Place nick and george realize they are not going to work out after one date. does this failure in the Good Place predict failure in reality, or merely an easier way of figuring out the truth? does this mean that the "opposite" of the Good Place is reality, or only an opinion of what is better? (nancy says "you all like me" as her opinion of them liking her is skewed; does this then only reflect nancys version for what is the "perfect life"?)

-why is bess a hippie??? and love how george curls her hair and wears pink lipstick here

-if this dream is so realistic then why is the one thing it cant conjure smoke? like how random

-love the locket being a key realization bc with things like jewelry you dont notice the weight of them until theyre gone

-"you all like me" in her perfect life nancy means they "like" her objectively/regardless of circumstance even though liking her is still an objective choice (like they "like" her because of other reasons instead of her working at the claw? (like how you make friends with coworkers/people at school every day but after you leave the job/graduate you never speak to them again) and her "thanks for showing up!" as if theyre not doing exactly that in reality 😐like where is she getting this shit? she sort of acknowledges in earlier eps she is hard to like/that she puts mysteries before friends, but also pushing them away to avoid danger like the previous ep "why do u show up" etc

-is it just me or does the inside of nicks "house" look like the drews'?

-nick has a dick scar lmaooooo (or more likely was hit in the balls or smth)

-love how nick + george match their anger in confronting sal 100% on the same level

-so when did ace go back to work after having such a busy day earlier?? lmaooo

-damn father shane is a creep (casting defo hired him for his voice) and how tf did he just poof + escape? and what did he request???

-love bess's white hair bow here 😌+ her jacket, whole outfit on point as usual

-like how bess is right that nancy has to find her way out but thats kind of a nonstarter for a room full of panicked people wanting to help

-in the Good Place theres no bad blood between drews + hudsons bc nancy is really theirs

-"the only one who has the key is you" in the Good Place nancy has the key (smaller picture, to finding out what happened to lucy but bigger picture, post-reveal) but ryan has the clues nancy needs- following the Good Place's mirroring, this just means that in reality ryan will either be completely useless or an active hindrance (but you KNOW this is a dream bc in what universe would ryan remember clues like that 😂)

-so in a perfect universe ryan acknowledges his family's "criminal empire" as opposed to reality where he only makes under cover jabs about disengaging with being an "entitled corrupt legacy criminal" ie finding the bonny scot relics but does nothing about them, etc

-"strippers" 😂

-okay what is nancys obsession w her beanie?? bc her mom made it? "wear beanies do crimes?" idk

-making the call: nancy -unable to make up for lost time/both her mothers had to find out/suffer alone / in the Good Place nancy was able to be with kate while she called, and in reality she had carson; somethig about seeing the mother looking to the daughter for strength in the Good Place instead of the reverse (which is what reality sounded like, kate being strong for nancy through the illness despite the struggle)

-concept: nancy & nick "let's wait out the storm"

-"i believe that you believe it" nick in the Good Place + owen in reality both trust nancy when she says she's seen things (owen's is the teeth) but nick in reality (and not really knowing details) doesnt think much of their "moment" bc it wasnt real (so she had to leave the Good Place to save carson- but if she had known then he wasnt her real dad, would she have stayed to be w nick?)

-stranger - suede james 💙👌🏻

-"really anxious as a kid" v telling bc of her desire to know everything to remain in control of situations like she always does now

-"the medicine or the metaphysics?"/"you cannot beat supernatural with science"

-i love nancy playing with her pinky while saying goodbye 🥺

-"always seek out the truth even if it hurts" this is straight irony bc kate never told nancy anything. like does that include the truth about nancys parentage? they taught her to seek out the truth, but who taught her that the truth is the only thing to live by? ie things dont count anymore like carson and kate straight up raising her is tossed out bc she finds out its not "the truth" like all that work/stress to protect carson + she just drops him? with kate maybe shes just upset thst she spent all that time mourning for someone who lied. and would she do the same to ryan if needed? probably

-bess and ace head tilt 💙

-like how for all the time she spent there nancy only has a subconscious memory of blue curtains

-YESSSSS i LOVEthese beautiful overhead shots of hannah's hands. so out of character for the show lmao but so gorgeous

-i feel like future eps/grand future will be nancy going through the lock boxes to help people who asked hannah for help

-the video is officially dated Aug 22, 2019

-soooooo in the first ep nancy breaks into the hudsons house and finds tiffanys secret drawer w the nail polish and finds the amulet with a note that says "for your protection HG" yet on this video tiffany says she talked to a medium who gave her the amulet sooooo am i just confused? HG is hannah gruen obvi so is the address for the medium what hannah gave her? or was the address on the amulet which nancy dissolved in salt water to see? so how would tiffany know where to go? its chicken and the egg which came first hannah or the medium?

and lastly:

i close these two eps with a thought that everything in this show is sealed in death. all the lies, the imagery, the fake constructs people put up to get by all crumple the second someone dies- all the secrets come clean just like these doors have been unsealed.

#brooklyn's ND primer #nancy drew cw #the Great Rewatch of 2021 #you best start believing in ghost stories miss drew - you're in one

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marvincooperlawfirm · 6 years ago

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amillioninprizes · 5 years ago

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An entirely too long post on how to fix Veronica Mars

So, anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows: 1) What a massive Veronica Mars fan I was and 2) how distraught I’ve been over the most recent season that debuted on Hulu in July. I’ve been pretty angry about it since it dropped, but the first month after I was pretty occupied with real life stuff. Now that I’m more settled, I’ve found myself getting sadder and angrier over time with just how terrible S4 was and what an obvious fuck you to longtime fans it was. It feels dumb to be so upset over a tv show, but this show got me through a lot over the past 8 years, and I feel like it’s been taken away from me.

It’s anyone’s guess as to whether there will be a new season. Ideally it would end here with maybe an alternate ending filmed to avoid alienating fans further. On the one hand, the botched release, overwhelmingly negative response, and silence from the creators after initial interviews don’t look good for renewal chances. On the other hand, Hulu doesn’t have a lot of streaming hits, it probably did relatively decent numbers, and there are rumors floating around that its pickup chances look good. On a personal level, I hate the idea that this is where the legacy of Veronica Mars ends, while at the same time being extremely wary of what the creators have planned. I think a big part of the disappointment with S4 was that the movie and books set up what could have been some really interesting storylines and situations, all of which RT and co. squandered for cheap drama and to apparently turn the show into an entirely new vehicle; additionally I had hope that S4 would be a chance to rectify some problems the show has long had, but again, S4 exacerbated them. At this point I don’t expect anyone higher up in the creative process or at Hulu to give a fuck about the fans or making the show better as long as they hit streaming targets, but here are some suggestions:

Fire Rob Thomas

While he created the show, it’s become clear that not only has he lost touch with the audience and the original spirit of the character, he doesn’t seem too keen on putting much effort into writing the show (as I will discuss below). Then you have his clear misogyny: his views that women in relationships can’t be interesting, that what makes Veronica interesting as a character is her trauma and how much she can endure, and the fact that basically every female character in the history of the show has a history of sexual victimization. He thought that making the Mexican cartel hitmen “philosophical” was subverting expectations (which says a lot of what his expectations of Latinx characters are). Then this is the way he essentially exploited his long term fan base to earn a new season of the show, only to turn around and tell us that we don’t matter. From a business perspective alone keeping him doesn’t make sense; selling a streaming platform on your loyal fanbase and then proceeding to purposefully piss ~80% of them off would be pretty questionable to me as someone in charge. The sheer cruelty with which he treated not only the fans who have supported him for 15 years (I fucking used to liveblog iZombie y’all. iZombie!), as well as how he callously dismissed long time cast members in favor of celebrity guest stars should not be rewarded. He’s admitted in interviews that he would be ok with younger writers doing a reboot many years in the future; why not just let him have a producer credit and then hand the show over to someone who’s invested in making it good?

Put a woman in charge and diversify the writing staff

A big problem with a) Veronica’s characterization in S4 b) RT’s ideas about what makes female characters interesting c) the show’s long history of problematic treatment of sexual assault is that it comes from a man’s conception of the female experience. The Veronica showcased in S4 and that RT wants to write in the future is very much a male fantasy: hates marriage and children, traumatized, DTF, and is too cool for other women. RT stated in interviews that he wanted to show Veronica at a “crossroads” this season in a way he claimed had been shown for men but not women; many female viewers found this depiction to ring false (few women are spending their time fretting about how committing to marriage after five years in an established relationship will bar us from strange sex going forward). In addition to having RT at the helm, most of the show’s writing staff for the majority of its run has been white dudes, which doesn’t bode well for telling the story of a female PI in a diverse community in today’s political climate. Putting a woman in charge would hopefully help rectify these issues to make the character feel more true to life and put a damper on the misogynistic storytelling. The show has a natural candidate in RT’s second-in-command Diane Ruggiero-Wright (despite her problematic history, never forget #KeisterEggGate), who has admitted to not being able to watch the last episode. Jennifer Graham, who wrote both of the books, would also be a worthy addition to the writing staff; while the books had a mixed reception, most fans agree that she got Veronica’s character right. And with the show’s problematic historical treatment of minority characters, adding more POC writers going forward is also necessary.

Bring back Logan (alive)

You don’t have to be a LoVe shipper to recognize just how integral Logan has been since the inception of the show, not just as Veronica’s partner but as a character is his own right. Logan’s journey in many ways parallels Veronica’s, and shows a contrast in how different characters respond to similar trauma. The most critical plot line in the show’s history, the mystery of who killed Lilly Kane, simply doesn’t work without Logan’s importance to Veronica. RT and his defenders like to claim that Logan was holding her back from true growth, which is frankly bizarre as he is the only character to consistently challenge her, like when he tells her that she obviously isn’t happy this season. Additionally, Logan’s scenes this season were the lone highlight of what was otherwise a painful slog of a season. Of the people who have said they would watch a potential S5, a good portion are only interested because they believe that the ambiguity of the last 10 minutes of the season means he’s not really dead (despite what RT has said in interviews). Then there’s what Logan’s death does to Veronica’s character, effectively cutting off what would have been an interesting character arc and stagnating her forever. No matter how much they try to shove Leo the pedo creep and other milquetoast RT self-insert love interests on us, no one else can possible measure up to Logan’s level in terms of being able to match Veronica as a character, intellectually or as a result of shared history.

Plus, the fact that we haven’t had a Weevil/Logan interaction since S3 is a goddamn travesty and should be rectified immediately.

Bring back Veronica

As sad as I am about Logan’s death, for me the most upsetting aspect of S4 was the assassination of Veronica’s character. For many viewers (including myself), the character we saw Kristen Bell portray in S4 wasn’t Veronica Mars but a different character with the same name. Between her abusive behavior towards Logan, her general indifference to her father’s medical condition, her dismissal of Wallace, and her racism towards Latinx characters (using a kid’s lawyer to threaten deportation: not a good look!), she was lacking the marshmallow-y center that always balanced out the pricklier aspects of her character and made her compelling. This change in characterization was especially jarring given that she was not this way when we last saw her in the books, where she mused about having children and sent her half-brother Hunter to summer camp (side note, but does he even exist anymore?). Many of us who had grown up with Veronica were hoping to see her grow with us as a character; instead we got an extreme regression lower than we’ve ever seen her. It would be one thing if they were trying to depict a PTSD storyline, which would make sense given her background, but since her change in behavior is never addressed by the narrative, it just makes her look like a cruel asshole and makes it impossible to root for her. This is exacerbated by the fact that RT has made it clear he has no interest in portraying her inner life, as shown by his wanting to avoid showing her grief over Logan’s death because it would be a real downer compared to the entertaining but ultimately hollow banter and quips he wants to focus on. Veronica this season was also just plain dumb: you mean to tell me that the girl who nearly got killed by Aaron Echolls in her back seat wouldn’t think to check her backseat every time she gets in a car? (And let’s not even start with RT’s bizarre assertion in an interview that she apparently votes Republican). Not helping matters was Kristen Bell’s performance, which felt very flat for me this season compared to S1-3 and the movie; I don’t know if this was due to personal limitations or a reflection of the bad writing. Writers of future installments and KB herself would be wise to revisit S1, the movie, and the books to figure out what makes sense for Veronica’s character, leading me to my next point:

Get reacquainted with canon, develop a show bible, and hire a continuity director

This show has long had a problem with dropped plots, timelines, and continuity issues. Shelly Pomroy’s party has two happened either in the summer, or the fall. Then we have the movie paradox: Veronica graduated high school in 2006, which means her 10 year reunion should have taken place in 2016. The movie was released in 2014 and the books seem to keep to 2014 dates. Then S4 states that Keith’s movie accident took place in 2013, and mysteriously ages Veronica up to 35 when she should be 32 in 2019. Logan mentions an Aunt Naomi in S4--why didn’t she take care of him after Aaron was arrested (and what happened to Trina)? How the hell is Leo working as an FBI agent when he presided over the disappearance of the Lilly/Aaron tapes? Veronica is shown to be tentatively forgiving of Weevil taking the settlement from the sheriff’s department in Mr. Kiss and Tell, but is then shown to be extremely angry towards him for it in S4. This is just a small selection of the inconsistencies within the show. Plus there is the problem of repeated plot lines: Veronica rejects Leo in favor of Logan in S1, then rejects Leo in favor of Logan in Mr. Kiss and Tell, only for her to...reject Leo in favor of Logan in S4 (and RT says he wants to leave the high school plots behind). This sloppiness doesn’t bode well for a series that is supposed to be about mysteries, which require tight plotting. It would behove TPTB going forward to once and for all determine a timeline of Veronica’s life, keep a detailed record of past plot and character points, and have at least one person on staff who thinks to remember this stuff (RT notoriously has only a “solid, not spectacular” memory of the show, no matter what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says).

Make an effort (and do your fucking research)

Moving on from continuity issues to more general problems with the laziness of RT’s writing. He has basically admitted that he doesn’t care much about facts or characterization when writing plots--he shoehorns details to fit the plot rather than have it evolve organically from the characters and prior canon. I know that when writing it’s often impossible to make every story detail 100% accurate, but the extent of RT’s sloppiness is alarming. This excellent Reddit thread details a lot of the problems with S4 in particular, but this has been a problem since S2. Did anyone ever understand exactly why the Fitzpatricks were invested in framing Logan for Felix’s death? In the movie, it makes no sense that if Cobb and co. wanted Carrie silenced, they would add the complication of framing Logan for her murder--given her history, it would have been a lot easier just to make it look like she had accidentally overdosed. Given his previous patterns of villain writing fans were able to guess the identity of the S4 bomber based on casting alone. The mysteries in both Mr. Kiss and Tell and S4 are both ripped from the headlines, which indicates that RT wants to turn VM into the next Law and Order. Meanwhile, he complained about how hard including Logan in the story in S4 was, while Logan arguably had the best lines and most interesting scenes this season--apparently when you put an effort into things, they work out! This laziness extends past storyline issues and into factual problems that detract from the quality of the plot. Longtime fandom pals are probably tired about hearing me go on and on about how there’s no way Aaron’s lawyers could have gotten Veronica’s medical records due to HIPAA laws. Logan’s career change from naval aviator to intelligence is highly unlikely (and unnecessary, given that they changed it only to fridge him at the end of the season). Meanwhile, I know fanfic writers who have spent hours on the phone with strangers in order to research what type of firearm would cause a specific type of bullet injury. It’s very puzzling to me that RT wants to take the show in the direction of being mystery-only when apart from that one time he is piss poor at writing mysteries and puts no effort into them. I shouldn’t have to tell television writers to, you know, do their job but this is what we’ve come to in 2019.

Know your audience

A majorly annoying thing about the promo for this season is how in every single interview Rob Thomas did he was always talking about how he wanted VM to be like other shows and movies: Fargo, True Detective, Game of Thrones, Chinatown (which is apparently the only noir movie he’s ever seen). The thing is, if I wanted to watch those shows, I would; I watched Veronica Mars specifically because I enjoyed its unique qualities, and I would say most fans agree. The general perception within the fandom is that with this season Rob Thomas seems to have been aiming to dump the old, majority female, CW fanbase in order to achieve what he perceives as a cooler prestigious male fanbase; the issue is, new people aren’t going to take up a show in its fourth season if they didn’t watch or didn’t like earlier seasons. Also, trying to write a prestigious show doesn’t make your show prestigious. Considering that based on anecdotal evidence most of the people who like S4 seem to be male, he may have succeeded in the first part of his aim. However, this majority female fanbase he was so willing to cast aside are the ones who have run fansites and rewatches during fallow times (i.e. between S3 and the movie and then between the books and S4), so drumming up interest among fans (and therefore streaming views) in the future may be a challenge. Plus, women are a better advertising demographic since they are more likely to be in charge of household purchasing decisions, so maintaining us as a fanbase makes business sense as well. He may have tricked enough people into watching S4 that S5 is given a go, but I wouldn’t be surprised if streams are weak beyond that. If the show is to succeed as a commercial endeavor, better to go with appealing to a known quantity than trying to make a generic show that very few people have expressed interest in watching.

Bring back the mystery of the week

This is a more minor thing I felt was missing from S4. I think after the criticism of S3 not having a season-long arc RT overcorrected in focusing on one mystery. However, the mystery of the week had the following benefits: 1) giving chances for the characters to interact and telling us more about them 2) helping to modulate the pace of the season-long arc. With better writing a season-long standalone mystery could maybe work, but in the case of S4 specifically the mystery was kind of dull and repetitive and could have stood to include a couple of diversions in the form of a smaller case here and there.

Re-evaluate the creators’ interpretation of the word “adult”

Much of the promo and reviews for this season noted the more “adult” content to be expected this season now that Veronica’s grown. Many fans hoped that meant seeing Veronica act like, you know, an adult with adult problems rather than a teenager less mature than the actual teenager she was. Unfortunately, the show’s interpretation of the word seems to be more in keeping with a television rating sense of the word--meaning sex, drugs, and gratuitous violence (But apparently not the word “fuck.”). Look, it was expected that as the show moved to a streaming service and given the overall dramatic scope that there would be an upgrade in some of this sort of content (and I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t looking forward to steamier LoVe moments, which were sorely overpromised), but the way it was included this season felt like RT and co. included this stuff just because they could and not to serve the storyline. For me, personally, the biggest example of this was Veronica’s drug use, which I know didn’t necessarily bother everyone. Given her history as the daughter of an alcoholic as well as someone who had been the victim of two roofie attacks, not to mention the fact that her character never seemed to be into partying, I found it very out of character (and book writer Jennifer Graham agrees). It felt like RT included this just bc they thought it would be funny to see Veronica on drugs without considering whether it made sense for her character. Also, were the beheadings strictly necessary? Plus there’s RT’s little temper tantrum over not being able to use curse words this season--they weren’t present in the original show, no one was going to miss them now, and the “cuss” thing was just annoying and reminiscent of The Good Place.

Dealing with a parent who maybe has dementia--that’s an adult storyline. Too bad RT ended it with a dumb excuse about “mixing meds” (another factual error! Pharmacy software would have caught it!) rather than actually exploring what it would mean for Veronica to see her father in decline and take over the family business (and give Rico Colantoni the exit he appears to want). This is the kind of adult content I would hope to see in future seasons.

Adult is not a synonym for “unrelentingly bleak” either. The original show, while dark, always had an element of hope that was completely removed from S4 (no matter what KB might claim). And would it have killed the writers to show Veronica wearing disguises and going undercover like she used to? There was nothing fun about this season (and no, I don’t count the multiple partying scenes as fun, more like sad).

Kill your darlings

It’s cliche, but it’s true. Another issue the show has long had is the writers keeping around characters or inserting jokes and references for their own personal amusement rather than for the story. The most notable example of this is the continued presence of Dick, a highly problematic character considering he pushed Beaver into the room with Veronica the night of Shelly Pomroy’s party, among a whole host of other racist, sexist, and generally obnoxious actions over the years. But because Ryan Hansen is so widely beloved among the cast and crew, so he stays. Then there’s the matter of the infamous Keister egg in 3x08, which the writers and KB have all expressed love for, despite the fact that said Keister egg is an example of sexual assault--which, even if the victim is a douchey fraternity president, is never funny.

Also the constant Big Lebowski references are tiring. Watch a new movie.

Improve Neptune’s gender ratio

Veronica Mars, despite having a female lead, has always been a male-dominated show; other than Veronica herself, the only consistent female character over the original show was Mac (and she didn’t even come back this season). This is unacceptable in 2019, for any show. The books introduced promising female characters in the form of Marcia Langdon and Petra Landros, but Marcia’s character was was watered down for S4 and Petra was nowhere to be found. Additionally, Veronica and Mac have always been written as “cool girls” who looked down on other women for their femininity, which isn’t a great message. Almost every other female character, even the innocuous Parker, is portrayed as somehow bad or incompetent. I would love nothing more than a season centered on the women of Neptune and their interactions with each other. While we’re at it, stop giving every woman on this show a background of sexual victimization.

Treat VM as an ensemble show, not a Kristen Bell vanity project

A major complaint from Burnt Marshmallows and S4 defenders alike was how little time was given over to the original core cast this season. While Veronica may be the protagonist, a large part of how the show became so beloved was her relationships with the other characters. Yet RT has decided that going forward VM will be a KB solo project, with her traveling town to town quipping and sleeping with strangers. This seems strange, given Kristen’s recent interviews talking about how difficult it is to shoot VM and how she never wants to be first on a call sheet ever again, not to mention how she asked for less screen time all the way back in S2, which resulted in the Weevil-Logan storyline, which was way more interesting than Veronica’s storylines during the first half of that season. (The traveling detective thing also seems weird considering that KB is pretty insistent on shooting in LA to be near her family.) Additionally, if this is truly the last season of VM with all the original characters, then no one got a proper sendoff.

I’m not sure how willing much of the cast will be to return for future iterations, given how uncomfortable many of them seemed during promo as well RT and KB’s treatment of them (insensitive at best, deliberately mean at worst) this season (shout out to Tina Majorino for recognizing what a shit show this was going to be), but bringing back all the original characters into the fold and giving them significant storylines would go a long way to mending fences with fans, improving the show from a character arc perspective, and would also give KB the break she apparently wants.

Recourt the fanbase

What has VM always been renowned for above all else? It’s incredibly loyal fandom which not only got it renewed twice during its original run but also put up their own money to get the movie made--I know many people who donated when they really couldn’t afford to. RT basically owes the last 6 years of his career to VM fans--the success of the Kickstarter arguably got him the iZombie show running gig, and the fourth season likely wouldn’t have even happened if not for it. Thus, the blatant cruelty and disregard with which RT and KB have treated fans during the promotion of S4 has been incredibly insulting and hurtful; I still can’t fathom what in the world possessed RT to think that throwing away this 15-year relationship was a good idea. It’s not a good sign when the 2 fansites most active during the post-movie period (VMHQ and VM Confessions) cease operations in the wake of S4, and when at least 3 out of 8 board members of the oldest running fan group, Neptune Rising (who were dormant during the post-movie period but played a critical role during earlier fan campaigns and in the S4 promo) resign. A fandom this loyal that was betrayed will not stand idly by if the S5 RT wants to make goes ahead; given the number of tweets the official Hulu VM account has had to delete in the wake of S4 due to the overwhelmingly negative response as well as the controversy over editing out Logan from S4 promos, I imagine that S5 will be a PR nightmare. Even if future seasons are amazing the trust can probably never be fully repaired, but it would be helpful for RT (or fingers crossed, a new show runner) and KB (as star and EP) to go overboard in reaching out to fans and at least admitting they made a misstep with the entirety of S4. Back in the day, the old Mars Investigation fansite was invited to set to conduct interviews; maybe do that again. Also someone should get KB some sort of VM fandom-fluent media trainer because I don’t think she has conducted a single interview during her entire stint on the show that didn’t anger fans (it might help if she actually bothered to watch the show).

Map out an endgame

Look, this can’t go on forever. As long as RT keeps leaving every installment open ended with the hopes of maybe getting renewed again five years down the line, the story is going to keep running into the issues the movie and S4 faced with having to shoehorn the characters into nonsensical plot lines to reconcile those endings and deal with actor availability issues. Either plot another 2-3 seasons to wrap the show up with a satisfying conclusion, or map out a greater timeline of Veronica’s life with spots where a mini series or movie here and there could fit in.

#Veronica Mars #still angry #mainly written for personal catharsis #need to stop being angry about this and focus more on studying synaptic transmission #Burnt Marshmallow #we use to be fans

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kenthazzardfreeman8 · 6 months ago

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smytimagine · 5 years ago

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Soundtrack to my life: Chapter 1- Those Summer Nights

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: Welcome to my new series! Every chapter will be named after a song. Why? Because I felt like it. Enjoy! Also Kate is inspired by Kate from 50 shades of Grey. Think of Y/N as Ana's style in the beginning of that movie (NO this is not a 50 shades knock off 😆)

______________________________

“Come on Y/N! Last one in the water has to buy the other one a drink!” he yelled running towards the ocean laughing as I chased him stripping my shirt off as I ran.

He splashed into the water turning to flop backwards into the waves. I ran in and jumped on top of him, his arms wrapping around me as we fell into the waves again.

“I can’t believe this summer is almost over” I pouted as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I know, but things don’t have to change” he pulled me into his chest wrapping me in a wet embrace, lips inching for mine

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP* I was shaken from my dream by the brutal screaming of my alarm clock, reminding me I had to get up for class.

It was the first day of my fourth year of law school at USC. I guess my intentions were to become a lawyer, or maybe those were my parents intentions... but either way here I was about to start another year towards a degree I wasn’t sure I was crazy about anymore.

My door swung open as a half dressed bed headed blonde stumbled into the door way “Can you shut that fucking thing off?! Some of us don’t have class until 12 today.”

That’s my roommate Kate. We’ve been roommates and best friends since our freshman year. She’s a total party girl, a social butterfly if you will, and the yin to my yang. She’s everything I’m not, and in some ways who I wish I could be. She’s a journalism major with hopes to break into the PR scene. What better place to be than L.A with a dream like that.

“Sorry K, I’m getting up don’t worry.” I groaned as I rolled over and punched the off button on my alarm clock.

“I know, I know. Now get your pretty ass in the shower. When you get back from class you can fill me in on that dream man you hooked up with over the summer.” She blew air kisses in my direction as she was closing the door behind her.

“Oh, and we are going to a party tonight.” She yelled down the hall as she headed back to her bedroom

Of course we are, I thought. Kate was always “in the know”, she always knew where the parties would be at, who was going to be there that meant anything to anyone, and what socialite she would schmooze while we were there.

I, on the other hand, was the study all night, roll out of bed for class, end my day with a bubble bath kind of girl. Although I didn’t always get away with that. Kate dragged me to way too many parties and events mostly because she didn’t want to show up alone, and then she would disappear with some C list celebrity or YouTube star that I didn’t know, leaving me to catch an Uber home alone.

I quickly showered and got dressed and headed out the door towards my first class.

______________________________

Later that evening Kate and I were sitting on her bedroom floor. She was painting my face with all kinds of makeup she considered necessary for me to go to this party with her.

“K, is all this necessary? No one ever notices me at these things anyways” I hunched my shoulders, less than enthused about the amount of foundation she was layering on my face.

“Yes it is Y/N, you’re gorgeous and it’s about time you gave yourself credit. None of this is a bad thing. Makeup is to accentuate what you already have girl. Now freaking tell me about this guy”

This guy... this “guy” she was referring to was the guy I had a fling with over our summer break. I had spent my summers at the Jersey Shore since I was a kid. My grandparents owned a house there, and as I got older I spent more and more time there. It was always calming for me. A place I could escape from all of the noise. But this past summer was different, this past summer was when I met him

“Ugh Kate what do you want to know?” I grumbled

“I want to know what is so special about this guy that he was able to soften you. You’re not an easy person to get close to, in case you haven’t noticed” she teased “is he big?!” she winked

“Oh my God Kate!” I blushed “Now that’s not a secret I’m willing to share, but I guess I’ll tell you a little bit about him”

“Hold that thought, let’s go take a shot. We need to pre-game for this party.” She laughed leading us to the kitchen towards the liquor cabinet

“Cheers!” we clinked shot glasses and drank. One after another. Three shots in I finally spoke again

“So, he’s tall. Much taller than me. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Shredded. So, easy on the eyes obviously. His smile is what melted me. He’s unbelievably sweet, intelligent, handy. Whenever I was with him I wondered if he was an old soul. He just gave off that vibe.” I didn’t realize how much I had gone on about him until Kate interrupted

“Well damn, does this guy have a brother?”

“He does actually, a twin.” I winked at her downing my last shot.

“Well holy shit, hook a girl up. What does he do for work?” She asked downing her last shot and slamming her glass down

“You know what? I don’t actually know. I think he said something with social media, but I didn’t really pry. We were just trying to enjoy our summer, no one wants to talk about work at the beach.” I shrugged as I headed towards my closet, Kate in tow.

“Huh, okay well... are you guys still talking?” She asked as she raided my closet trying to find something for me to wear. Kate never let me dress myself when we went to parties. I would be happy in skinny jeans, a plain t shirt and chucks, but Kate always had other plans.

“No not really. He texts me from time to time, just to say hi and check in, but we kind of ended things at the end of the summer. I'm not sure I’ll even ever see him again” I replied as I stripped off my shirt and shorts to slip into the dress Kate had pulled from the back of my closet

“Kate this dress is not me” I said smoothing it down as I looked at myself in the mirror

“It is tonight babe, and fuck you look hot” She was standing behind me fluffing my long hair down my back. “So what is mystery man’s name?”

“Grayson” I replied simply, pulling my heels out from the closet

“Gr...Grayson?” Kate repeated his name back to me as his details ran back through her memory

“Yeah, why?” I looked back over my shoulder to see her smirking with raised eyebrows

“No reason, not a single one, hurry up and finish up, we have a party to go to." She said as she hurried out of the room to grab her own shoes.

__________

An hour or so later we pulled up in our Uber to a mid century modern home, cars lined the driveway and you could hear the music from where we were dropped off, lights flickering inside.

Kate grabbed my hand leading us towards the door, "Y/N you know how much I love you right?" She asked

"Uh... yes, why?" I replied confused

"Just try to enjoy your night and thank me later" she smiled pushing the front door open

We made our way through the crowd towards the drink table where Kate grabbed us each a mango white claw. She handed me one and we both cracked them open.

"Cheers" I said as we clinked cans

"Cheers babe" she had a shit eating grin on her face and she moved the can to her lips.

A few minutes later Kate had found her first target and had left me standing at the drink station by myself. I looked around and noticed there was a back patio with a pool and some loungers. It looked pretty quiet out there so I decided to make my way outside.

As I was making my way through the swarms of people and half naked girls (although tonight I was unfortunately one of them), I accidentally bumped into a blonde girl.

"Ugh oh my God watch where you're going" she turned around and nearly shouted in my face

"Well fuck, it was an accident I'm sorry" I replied trying my best not to tell her to fuck off

She went to reply when a deep voice came up from somewhere behind her

"There you are babe, I’ve been looking all over for you" The voice said, wrapping his arms around the blondes waist

"Grayson?" The name sort of fell out of my mouth. It felt so natural to say but this situation was so foreign. What was he doing in L.A? Who was this blonde?

"Holy shit" was all he could muster

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davidbleverandassociatespllc · 7 years ago

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jimlingss · 6 years ago

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Jungle Park [11]

Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 11.5 OR Chapter 12

➜ Words: 7.7k

➜ Genres: Fluff, Light Humour (?), Slice of Life, Workplace Romance!AU

➜ Summary: The equation is simple. Hoseok needs to hire someone. You need a job. Except like any actual equation, it’s not fucking simple at all! Not when you have to add the fact that he was forced to hire someone he doesn’t want in his office, he has little respect for your job in general, and oh yeah...once upon a time you might have—*CENSORED*.

The sound of wheels rolling over the ridges of tile follow with the parade of steps. You grip onto the handle of your luggage, dragging it behind you as you follow the signs to the gate. It’s bustling, crowds shuffling together, trying to get to their destinations whether it’s a vacation spot or to home. There are children chasing after parents or running off, couples holding hands to their honeymoons, businessmen and women adjusting their ties as they go off to their business trips. But never once is it suffocating. It’s spacious with modern architecture, plenty of light coming through the large windows that allows you to see white aircrafts parked right outside and those descending onto the runway. The intercom blares above you every so often, giving last calls for boarding flights. Thankfully, you don’t hear any calls for your own flight and you make it to the gate right on time. “Was everything alright?” Sunyi asks as you appear, joining the group. “Security took a while for you.” “Yeah, it was nothing.” You look around to see if you missed anything, but Yoongi is texting on his phone, Seulgi is at the gift shop, and Hoseok is preoccupied on his laptop, typing away. There’s nothing out of the ordinary. “Jungkook’s in the washroom and Jimin went to get coffee or something. We’re boarding in about fifteen minutes.” “Sounds good.” You sit down with her, settling in your seats and preparing for a three hour long flight. “Is there anything I should know?” “Not really. It’s just a conference on child welfare. So just sit and listen to presenters, and eat free food and mingle and network.” The lawyer softly smiles and sighs. “It’s actually kind of boring.” You nod, still unable to dispel your anxiousness away, curious as to what will happen and worried that you’re not prepared. “I’ve never been to anything like this before.” “There’s nothing too difficult, don’t worry.” She leans closer, dropping the volume of her voice. “If there was, I wouldn’t go. Neither would Seulgi.” Sunyi’s not wrong, especially considering that Seulgi isn’t a lawyer and is a paralegal, but personally volunteered to help take notes and be everyone’s assistant. You weren’t supposed to come either. It was only a three day conference business trip, but Naul couldn’t make it because her son was in town and Taehyung had to stay back since he had already booked appointments with his client, so you took the invitation. And here you are, sitting at the gate before lining up to get onto your flight. Jimin sips on his coffee, staring at the ticket in his hand before he leans over to glance at yours. Slowly, the line was shuffling forward, all those in business class coming after first. “I think our seats are switched,” he tells you. “They must’ve had an issue with printing. You’re sitting with Hoseok now. Do you wanna switch back?” “I..uhh…” Right as you’re about to speak, you notice Hoseok glancing up from his phone screen, giving you the briefest of peeks. You don’t want to give the wrong impression and you respond with, “It’s fine.” The lawyer nods and chimes out, “Then I get to sit next to Jungkookie~” Said student lawyer appears disappointed, doe eyes becoming puppy-like, mouth drawing downwards and you plop a hand on his shoulder to appease him while promising, “I’ll sit with you on the way back.” His cute smile returns instantly. “Okay!” Sunyi lifts her hand next to her head like she’s waiting to be called on. “Can we switch too? I don’t want to sit next to him.” Her thumb hitches towards Yoongi who seems even more exhausted, eye bags going to his knees. “Can I get some aspirin? She’s giving me a migraine.” “No,” Jimin shoots down the plea. “That’s too much of a hassle. Just keep things the way they are. You guys need to learn how to cooperate with each other anyway.” “But—” “Don’t argue with each other,” you step in to reprimand and then you turn to Sunyi, reminding her of the technique that you both established many complaint sessions ago. “Deep breaths.” She doesn’t seem amused. The line up doesn’t take long and by the next few minutes, your ticket is scanned, passport glanced at, and you’re on your way inside the plane. The two pilots greet you, the pretty head stewardess that seems to glare at the female pilot for some unknown reason, and you make your way down the narrow aisle towards business class. Your seat and Hoseok’s are the first ones, extra leg room when there are no seats in front and just a plain wall with tiny televisions. Hoseok helps lift your luggage into the overhead bin without you needing to ask and he offers the window seat which you take to spare the debate and argument. “Are you still working?” you ask him in disbelief and awe when he pulls his laptop out. “Just getting as much done as possible,” he mutters, eyes trained on the document and you don’t bother him further. Instead, you watch the other passengers shuffle their way through the aircraft, energetic children and cooing babies to the elderly holding onto seats as they pass. Jimin and Jungkook a few seats down appear like they’re getting along, but Yoongi and Sunyi who are behind them not so much. They have enough dignity to not rip each other’s heads apart in public, so you’re not too concerned. From across the aisle, Seulgi has her own seat next to a handsome stranger and she shoots you a wink before returning to the conversation with her new friend. You also look out the window, watching as air traffic control brings luggage on the plane and checks around the craft. With the white noise and low stimulation, you become increasingly drowsy. Your lids become heavy, vision hazing over, mind blank, and you’re about to fall asleep, except your lull is interrupted when Hoseok finally shuts the lid of his laptop and stuffs it into his bag. He glances at you. “Comfortable?” “Very.” You inhale a deep breath, body relaxing even more. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in business class before.” He hums. “It’s better than economy, that’s for sure.” Hoseok moves to push the buttons on the monitor in front of him while you keep one eye open, leaning back in your comfortable seat, watching him browse the entertainment selection. “Are you going to watch a movie?” “Maybe. I’ll probably do more work after take-off, but I want to see what they have.” “Why are you on the thriller and horror section?” A sleepy smile pulls into your cheeks and you know that looking at the movie poster and reading the title is enough to make him scared. “Comedy’s to your left. Right there.” He presses on it and shifts in the seat. “How did you know I like comedy?” You shrug, too drowsy to find some kind of explanation. “I know a lot of things about you.” A snort of air leaves his nose. “Is this a confession from a stalker?” You laugh as he returns to browsing and your lids become heavier and heavier against your will, even when you’re fighting to stay conscious. “You wish….” “Hmm, this looks good.” He’s chosen a romantic comedy that’s at the top of the selection and skims the description. It’s an older one called ‘When Spring Meets Autumn’ and he recognizes a person on the cast list, a fairly famous actress that also happens to be his secret celebrity crush. “Has decent ratings.” “We already watched that,” you mumble, recognizing the movie. His brow lifts and his neck cranes towards you, expression incredulous. “We did?” “Yeah, in theater,” you hum underneath your breath and if he wasn’t right next to you, he wouldn’t be able to hear. “It was really bad.” It’s quiet. The white noise drowns into the back. For an extended moment, his breath hitches in his throat and he doesn’t make a single sound. Eventually, the intercom flares to life above him, the pilot greeting the passengers and the flight attendants make their rounds to check trays and overhead bins. As they do the safety demonstration, Hoseok finally returns to his senses and turns back to you in a gentle whisper— “Y/N?” But then your head slumps on his shoulder and you don’t make a single movement. He can’t help but stare down at you, how peaceful your features have become, without the frown or the expressions of fear or surprise. From the proximity, he can see each of your lashes, the dip of your cupid’s bow, the rise and fall of your chest. He traces his eyes against the slope of your nose and he lets you sleep. You seemed tired these days and he didn’t want to stir you awake. “Excuse me.” He lifts his free hand slightly when an attendant brushes past. “Can I get a blanket?” “Certainly.” Hoseok adjusts the arm rest, putting it up so the metal isn’t digging into your ribs. Thankfully, you’re both already seat belted in and he just has to take the blanket the attendant gives him and drape it over your body. He secures the warm wool up to your shoulders and carefully reaches up, turning off the air conditioning above him and pulling down the cover of the window. Takeoff is smooth and when it’s over, he reclines both your seats back. You still use his shoulder as a pillow, cheek smushed on top of his sweater — though Hoseok doesn’t mind too much, even smiling after a second of staring. He doesn’t pull out his laptop or phone to work, fearing that too much movement would wake you up. Instead, his arm extends, finger pressing on the movie that you watched with him….. The movie he doesn’t remember. You’re right. It’s bad. The actress that he likes gets killed off in the first ten minutes in some stupid car accident. Jung Hoseok can’t even finish the darn thing as his lids become heavier and heavier. Against his will, he dozes off too, head resting on top of yours. Your hands nearly brush one another. // The landing of the plane, getting your baggage from the overhead bin, bidding the pilots goodbye, cutting straight through baggage claim to grab a cab is all a blur. The world seems to be moving faster than you and you’re left dazed, dragging your body along as your mind is left behind. The seduction of sleep is still lingering and you’re not sure if you’re dreaming or not. It isn’t a surprise considering how you were completely knocked out during the entire flight. Hoseok is in a similar sleepy state, being oddly quiet and rubbing his eyes every so often as if he can dispel the drowsiness away. You wonder if he fell asleep too. In the meanwhile, Seulgi is super excited about arriving, as is Jimin who insists a sight seeing event is crucial. Yoongi and Sunyi are busy bickering about who took up more space on the plane and how they couldn’t even get a wink of sleep while Jungkook discusses the movie he watched and how great it was. Once you’ve arrived at the hotel, everyone makes their way to the front desk to grab their key cards. There were three rooms booked in total, Hoseok and Yoongi rooming together, Jimin sharing with Jungkook while you, Sunyi, and Seulgi shared another. You’re more than happy with the arrangement considering that you’ve always liked the two girls and your desire to get closer to them was flaming. “Did you end up getting that stranger’s phone number?” you ask Seulgi and her hand goes into her pocket, two fingers taking out a slip of folded paper. She throws her hair behind her shoulder and gives a cocky smirk. “Right here.” “Wait.” Sunyi swipes the card at the door and takes off her shoes as she enters. “Who?” “Seulgi sat next to one hell of a handsome stranger on the plane.” The lawyer groans in jealousy and sets down her luggage while you also slip off your boots. “You’re so lucky. I had to sit next to Min the entire time. Wanted to blow my brains out.” “He isn’t so bad,” the paralegal comforts her. “He’s an ass,” she counters. Seulgi shrugs. “Still better than sitting next to Hoseok.” “Right.” The lawyer remembers and as if to share her sympathies, she turns to you with a sorrowful expression. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” “Did he nag you the entire trip?” “No. He’s actually not that bad, you guys,” you murmur in discomfort, trying to keep it positive. They’re entirely mistaken about their boss and you don’t know how to explain yourself or defend him. “Hoseok’s nice.” Sunyi hangs her head and the corners of her lips quirk. “He’s not here right now, you don’t have to pretend.” Before your mouth can even part and you can say something in return, Seulgi pushes her way out of the foyer of the hotel room and enters with a gasp. “Oh my god, this is so beautiful.” The two of you follow after her, eyes scanning the modern aesthetics of the room, the small kitchen, the open living room, and the bedroom with two impressive queen beds side by side. “I’m sharing with Y/N.” Seulgi grabs your arm, hugging it, and she tells Sunyi, “You can have that one bed to yourself.” “What?” The woman narrows her eyes, having thought that they’d be fighting for the empty bed. It’s suspicious for her to offer like that. “Why?” She shrugs with a pout. “I sleep in my own bed every night. It gets lonely. While I have the chance, I’d like to fill the empty side with cute Y/N.” Sunyi’s brows raise and you wonder if this is reverse psychology or if she’s being genuine. Either way, she’s either a genius or super sweet. It’s a win-win situation. And the lawyer takes the bait with her hands on her hips. “Okay, no. I call sharing the bed with Y/N.” You laugh, having never been fought over before. “Who said I want to share with any of you?” In the end, you get the empty bed and they get to share. // It doesn’t take long to get settled in, change clothes and get comfortable. Everyone washes up before getting back to the internet after being absent for so long and you also take the opportunity to stare at the city view for a while until your eyes are satisfied. But it’s not long before there’s three rapid knocks on the front door and the bell ringing throughout the room. You open it, finding Yoongi on the other side in a plaid flannel and wearing a reserved smile that you return. “Hey, where’s Sunyi?” “I think she’s in the bathroom.” You lean back, shouting her name and telling her there’s someone at the door. “Oh no, it’s fine,” he says a bit too late while scratching the back of his neck. His voice remains low and raspy. “Just wanted to let you girls know we’re thinking of going out to dinner.” “What.” Sunyi leaves the bathroom and stops in her tracks when she sees who’s standing by the doorway. Her expression falls and her eyes become dead. “Oh. It’s you.” Yoongi grins. “It’s me. Get dressed.” His eyes skim down her frame, obviously judging at her choice in attire, oversized hoodie and sweatpants. “We’re all going out for dinner.” “I thought we were getting room service,” Seulgi comments as she pops her head from the other room. “Nah. Hoseok and Jimin changed their minds,” he says and Sunyi nods, grabbing her flats to slip into. His brow lifts. “Wait. Are you really going to go out wearing that?” “Okay, fuck off. Is there a dress code for this too?” The lawyer lifts up his hands, palms facing out like he’s being arrested. “Hey, I never said it was bad. Just looks like your pajamas.” “Yoongi, eat a—” You clear your throat and the hostile environment is brought down at once. Sunyi’s choice of comfortable attire causes a train reaction and everyone ends up in clothes that reminds them of a time when they were in university preparing for finals. And while walking on the sidewalks of the unfamiliar city with the rest of them, you really are brought back to the carefree years of uni. “Where are we eating?” Jimin asks, twirling around to address the group. Seulgi pipes up in surprise, “I thought you guys decided.” “No.” He matches her frown. “We didn’t.” “Okay.” Yoongi takes a deep breath. “So where are we walking off to?” Everyone looks at each other. There’s a long silence. Sunyi whirls her head over. “I was following Jungkook.” The boy’s shoulders are tense and he looks like a toddler who got into the cookie jar. “I was following Yoongi.” “I was following Jimin.” “I was sightseeing,” he responds with a shrug. “Oh my god.” It’s a bit humorous when a swarm of intellectuals with fancy degrees on their belts and years of working experiences on their shoulders find themselves completely and utterly lost. It’s a bit of a pathetic sight when all of you pull out your phones, pulling up GPS and doing google searches to find out where you are and the nearest place to get food in your systems. Indeed, it was reminding you more and more of your university years...especially when you end up in a McDonald’s. There’s a sea of complaints, but everyone’s too tired to keep walking and too hungry to waste time filing in a taxi, navigating the streets, and waiting for food. Plus, everybody is in their sweats and going into a proper restaurant would garner nothing but odd glares and odd looks. Jungkook and Jimin make a ginormous order for the entire group and Hoseok says it’s his treat since it’s not that expensive anyways. You grab a long table in the corner, finding it funny how a high end law firm has swarmed into an empty McDonald's at nine at night. It’s not high end or modern, but cozy and intimate, and you like it that way. “They didn’t have it.” Jimin sets down the tray and everyone begins dividing the food up. Hoseok glances up at him. “Didn’t have what?” “Hulk.” He plops down into the booth seat with a long sigh. But Jungkook looks worse for wear, pouting with his bottom lips slightly jutted out, doe eyes glossed over like a child sulking. As if trying to explain why he looks that way, Jimin continues, “Didn’t have Iron Man either.” “Do you guys seriously collect those superhero toys?” Sunyi asks and Jimin gasps while Jungkook makes the most offended expression of all. It’s amusing to see the usually timid boy act so passionately in anger towards his senior. “Hey! I’m not judging, I think it’s cute.” “Didn’t you collect rocks as a kid?” Yoongi’s brow shoots up, clearing his throat. “Yeah. So what?” “Isn’t it kind of pathetic to have a pet rock? Couldn’t get any real friends, Lee?” Her eyes narrow onto his smirking face. “At least I have friends now, you son of a bi—” “Can we have one meal in peace?!” Jimin interrupts their argument and they immediately shut up while everyone around the table releases a snort through their nose, continuing to eat. Instead of stepping in like usual, Jimin takes control of the situation this time around to give you a break and he scolds the two lawyers for always making it about themselves. He nags their ears off, and in the midst of the chaos, you turn to Hoseok who’s sitting beside you in curiosity. “Do you still collect those bear figurines?” The lawyer blinks at you. He’s in a simple black hoodie and white tee, dark jeans that are ripped at the knees, and if you didn’t think too much, you’d get whiplash from the nostalgia of a decade ago. “Y-yeah...I do.” “What?” Yoongi from across the table intervenes in your private conversation, doing anything it takes to shut Jimin’s mouth. “I collect those bear figurines,” he explains while the group listens. “The brick ones?” “Oh, those.” His friend nods. “I have a few of them too.” “I’m surprised,” Sunyi comments and swallows down her mouthful of food before speaking again towards her boss. “I thought you would collect books or something like that.” Hoseok frowns, finding such an idea strange. “No, I don’t really collect books. I think Namjoon does.” As you sit quietly and observe the interaction, you muse how sad it is that his employees don’t know a single thing about him. It’s especially heartbreaking since they’re pretty much the only people he interacts with and you know how much he cares for them. “I would’ve thought you collected spiders,” Jungkook mutters out of nowhere and you can sort of trace his thought process since Hoseok does come across as intimidating. But the mere idea of it has you bursting out laughing. Jimin’s also smiling, but everyone turns to look at you like you’ve gone crazy. “God, he would never collect spiders. Hoseok’s scared of anything with more than four legs. He’s scared of anything with wings. He’s scared of all bugs and tarantulas and—” “That’s enough.” His lips are sealed, though the corners are pulling and he pushes french fries in front of your face, stuffing your mouth with them as you giggle and he laughs. The two of you don’t notice how everyone’s staring with slight frowns, surprised at how close you both seem. “I never knew that,” Sunyi murmurs in slight astonishment. “I thought Jin was the only one in the office scared of bugs.” “I scared him once with a ladybug.” Jungkook has a shit eating grin and he laughs cheekily. “He was screaming so much.” “Yeah, and it accidentally made him spill coffee all over me.” Seulgi dips a french fry into ketchup, grimacing at the memory before a thought passes through her mind and a feeling akin to missing her chaotic coworkers nudges her. “What do you think the others are doing?” Jimin bites into his burger. “Others?” “At the firm,” she clarifies. “Probably home by now,” Yoongi says after glancing at the time. Jimin laughs and nudges his partner. “I wonder if Taehyung and Seokjin stole our offices.” At the reminder of her two colleagues, Sunyi leans back in her seat. She takes a sip of her soft drink and hums. “Thank god they didn’t come. They’d be a headache.” “They don’t act their age,” Seulgi further disses them and the lawyer agrees. “Sometimes I wonder how Taehyung made it through law school.” Jungkook giggles, bunny teeth exposed in his cute grin. There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes as he talks trash about his mentor, a once in a lifetime opportunity. “It’s a miracle.” “But whether we like to admit it or not, they’re entertaining,” you add mid-chew, trying to chase away the gossiping behaviour. You know it’s in all good fun, no one meaning any harm, and the insults are more playful banters. But you’re still striving to create a more friendly environment. That and you know you’re right. “They’re fun.” A few of them agree, but then Hoseok scoffs. “We can have fun too.” “I don’t know,” you tease with an expanding smile. Your pupils glance at each person around the table who was just nagging how the others don’t act their age and they’re too loud. “We sound pretty old, don’t we?” And that’s how the entire group ends up at some hip club. The music is blaring, strobe lights flashing, burning the back of your eyeballs and nearly making you go into a seizure. All of you are dressed in rags compared to everyone else in tight shirts or sparkling dresses. You only managed to get in after the guys had pushed you, Sunyi, and Seulgi in front of them. Apparently increasing the female count was the only important thing to the bouncer, regardless of your shabby attire. But even when all of you fork over a hefty amount for some stale drink, you lean against the bar and stare out at the dance floor in distaste. “Why did we think this was a good idea?” Seulgi asks and no one has an answer. Yoongi sighs and takes another sip of his whiskey. “I feel too old for this.” Jungkook’s eyes stray off and he catches a couple in the corner, a male younger than he is slipping his hand up the girl’s skirt while her head is thrown back. His face scrunches in disgust and he looks as if he ate an entire lemon. “This is kind of gross….” “The drinks are overpriced,” Hoseok comments after doing a few calculations in his head, knowing full well he could get more bang for his buck if bought an entire bottle himself. “They’re all a bunch of babies grinding on each other.” Sunyi shudders, unable to imagine joining the dance floor to be pushed up against children who have barely become legal. She’s a professional for god sakes, not some rebellious young adult. The music was also horrendous with a beat that she can’t find the rhythm to. The music was bad, the drinks were bad…. “Maybe we really are old,” you admit with a smile, trying to uplift them a bit more. “Don’t be such party poopers, guys!” Jimin spins around in his stool, lifting his arm to call the bartender towards him. “Times like these I miss Jin and Taehyung. Come on, I’ll pay for all your drinks, let’s enjoy ourselves!” Park Jimin is the only one who’s lost his sensibility and tries to retain onto his lost youth, and act like he isn’t already a stable businessman who owns his own divorce law firm in the sea of struggling students and wasted young adults. Still, no one minds the place or the time when it’s free drinks. Jimin orders a round of shots and there’s some kind of drinking game that takes place before everyone just downs the little glass they were given. In between working at the office and driving a cab at night, there’s not many opportunities to drink, so your drinking tolerance is naturally lower than the others. But when you turn beside you, you burst into another fit of giggles. “What?” Hoseok stares at you, his lips parting into a heart shaped grin when he watches you laugh. “I forgot you can’t drink at all.” You point. One shot in and he already looks like this. “Your entire face is already red!” “I can drink fine!” he defends himself to no avail, voice moving up a higher pitch that you can hear over the deafening music. The blue back light of the bar casts its shade onto his visage, painting his sun kissed skin in a cooler shade. Jung Hoseok should look excellent here — hot shot lawyer in a sleek suit, dark locks neatly styled in a comma hairstyle, silver watch on his wrist and one leg thrown over the other, holding a drink in hand while wearing a cocky expression. But here he is instead, casual hoodie and jeans, tuft of hair ruffled like a cloud, cute cheeks puffed out and skin flushed pink, pouting at you like a baby. You wonder if the others see what you do. Maybe they wouldn’t be so afraid or mistaken of him if they got a close look or paid any attention. Or maybe the real problem is that you pay too much attention to him. “No one’s going to carry you back when you fall asleep!” “Who says I’m going to fall asleep?!” You can’t resist the laughter that bubbles up your throat. “I know you’re a sleepy drunk!” Hoseok’s mouth downturns, though he’s being nothing but cute towards you. “Says who?” “Me!” He scoffs, noticing another drink held in your hands. “And what kind of drunk are you?” Your smile becomes more playful and you lean closer towards him, everyone else preoccupied in their conversations and no one noticing your private little bubble created in the chaotic nightclub in some unfamiliar city. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” // After that, everything becomes a blur. The rest of the night melts together until all you hear is the music throbbing in your ears and skin vibrating from the drinks. The details become a mess inside your head. There are snapshots and handfuls of seconds that you recall — laughing, dancing, drinking, being brought to the cab, swaying in the hallway, collapsing on the bed. It’s only when the bright sunshine pierces past the glass windows and stabs you through the slits of your eyes that you throw your body upwards, experiencing the worst of headaches and falling back onto the mattress. It takes one second, one deep breath before your eyes are shooting open immediately. Right away, you turn beside you. No one. Your hands touch your torso. Clothes still on. And when you look to your left, the two ladies you’re rooming with are snoring side-by-side. Thank god. You’ve watched enough rom coms and chick flicks to be afraid of drunkenly sleeping with someone you’re not supposed to. Even if you feel like absolute shit, at least you still have your dignity. Mostly. You don’t recall saying or doing anything inappropriate, never doing anything that would have the HR representatives of the world crying out in agony. And on the brighter side, you’re not the only one who’s suffering under a massive hangover. “Oh god, I feel horrible,” Seulgi wails out while she hugs the toilet bowl in the bathroom, having just expelled her stomach. Sunyi looks downright awful even if she didn’t need to throw up, and she’s mentally preparing herself to jump into a cold shower. “Well, we have a conference to go to in two hours.” Everybody gathers in the lobby of the hotel in business attire. They’re dressed crisply, dress pants and shirts, pencil skirts and ironed blouses, leather shoes and kitten heels. It would look like a really cool advertisement if your faces were cut out. Each person is suffering in their own way, your dark circles that makeup can’t save, Jungkook who keeps yawning every other second, and Jimin who appears to be having it the hardest. The usual chirpy male stays quiet and you all grab breakfast to feel better. “I remember why I don’t drink anymore,” Yoongi muses and runs a hand through his untamed hair that sticks up in all directions despite watering it down earlier. It’s even more amusing that Hoseok is the only one who seems completely fine. Even when he was bright pink last night and the biggest lightweight of the group, he’s made a fine recovery. Compared to the rest of you, he’s trotting along like the ultimate happy ball of sunshine. “I hate him even more,” Seulgi mutters in jealousy, glaring at him from afar and you hold back a laugh. // The conference hall is a fancy large room, a ceiling that would require three ladders to reach. There are rounded tables and chairs, placements already assigned through name tags, an open stage that’s currently playing music to fill the background. There aren’t just lawyers around, but also social workers and counselors as well. Despite the differences of occupations, people still shake hands and mingle with each other, networking and expanding their contacts. You meet a few people here and there yourself, but for the most part, you hang at the back near the table of refreshments. There’s a cup of water permanently glued to your hand as you force yourself to keep hydrated and dispel the hangover away. “These events can be so boring,” a raspy voice pipes up beside you, causing your body to turn. A man has a reserved smile, blonde hair pushed back, skin glowing and arms muscular even in a dark dress shirt. He’s familiar, but you’re not sure from where. “Really? I don’t think it’s so bad.” “It’s the people who make it better.” He smiles. “People like you.” You shake his hand, mirroring the way his lips quirk upwards. “You don’t even know who I am.” “But I can learn.” He’s smooth, flirting openly with you, and you’re absolutely flattered. You can’t remember the last time someone expressed interest in you — Seulgi’s teenage brother doesn’t count. “My name is Jackson.” It rings a slight bell in the back of your mind, but you still can’t put your finger on it. “Y/N.” “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. What do you say? Would you like to grab dinner with me so we can learn about each other?” “I….don’t know.” It’s been too long since you’ve been approached like this and you’ve forgotten protocol. Though you give a more mischievous smile, deciding to skirt around the idea. “How can I trust you?” “Because I wouldn’t waste your precious time,” he states confidently, but still hesitates, not wanting to pressure you into anything. The man digs into his suit pocket. “Then at least take my phone number. In case you change your mind—” “What’s going on here?” An arm is slung around your shoulder and you jolt in surprise before easing when you see who it is. The close gesture doesn’t mean anything. You already know that Hoseok is naturally affectionate. “Jung?” The man’s eyes flicker to you and then back to the lawyer. His jaw drops until a fly could accidentally wander into his mouth. “You two know each other?” Hoseok scoffs, eyes slightly rolling. You remember now. You’ve met Jackson on the mountain, his entire firm actually, BTS. They’re the top competitors with Jung and Park. “Do we know each other? She’s my employee.” Jackson points to the person beside you who still has his arm around your shoulder, eyes wide and ogling at your features. “You work for him?” You offer a sheepish smile. “I’m in HR.” Jackson’s hand removes from his pocket, digging into his pants pocket instead. He stands back, somehow becoming repulsed and uninterested in the split of a second when you revealed your workplace. He eyes you both carefully. “Are you guys...together?” Your blood runs cold at the implication. Yet, Hoseok remains impassive, except for the cocky smirk gracing his visage, recalling your exact words from last night to mock the man, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” The two males are absolutely childish to each other, and Jackson is the first to back down, scoffing and turning away. “I’ll see you later, Jung.” “Was he bothering you?” Hoseok asks once the other man has disappeared from sight. The lawyer turns his head and when he realizes your face is a mere inch away, he lets go and puts more distance between you both. “No. He asked me to dinner,” you admit quietly. “He was about to give me his number.” “Trust me, you don’t want to go to dinner with that jerk. It would be a waste of your time.” “I don’t know…” You shrug, letting the opportunity go with strange ease. Your shoulders lose their tension and you decide to tease him, “He’s the son of a rich mongol, right? Maybe you just made me lose my only chance of being the trophy wife to a business tycoon.” “You deserve better than to be some asshole’s trophy wife.” It’s things like this. Little things like this that have you smiling too widely. And it doesn’t help when he also smiles and tells you, “If you want to live luxuriously, stick by me.” You’re all too painfully aware that it means nothing, but it doesn’t fail to send a lump in your throat. Hoseok continues, “Jung and Park will let you retire early and then you can go take vacations at any resort or villa you want.” Your voice cracks slightly against your will and you mask it with a scoff. “Be careful what you say, I might take you up on that offer.” “I might have to negotiate with Jimin, but don’t worry.” He pats his chest, standing straight with the sweetest of smiles. “Rely on me. Your pension plan will be beautiful.” It’s hard to imagine what the next thirty years of working together would be like. Is it possible to last that long? The question remains unanswered inside the hollows of your mind. // The conference proceeds without much delay. There are a variety of presenters and inspirational speakers, from social workers to retired lawyers and judges, all speaking about how to help kids when they’re put in difficult family situations. There are also people who speak from first-hand experiences and they explain how to minimize trauma to general welfare issues of children. It’s fairly interesting and you enjoy yourself, listening, clapping, eating food, mingling and networking. “That wasn’t too bad,” Yoongi comments outside the hall. The lawyer had thought it would be boring, like that time he went to a conference about social development and it turned out to be entirely about the environment and had little to do with him. He knows going to these things looks good for the firm since it shows that they care, but good god, he wanted to cut down a tree that day and let it topple down on him. “I’m stuffed.” Sunyi pats her stomach in appreciation. “Food was great.” Seulgi stretches out her arms, feeling the knot in her neck. “One more conference tomorrow and then it’s home.” “What did you think?” Hoseok asks you privately, curious since you had an outsider’s perspective, the least engaged with the law out of all of them. You tip your head to the side, not taking long to come up with an honest answer. “I liked it. It was touching and informative. It was good. I’m glad I went.” He smiles and nods in satisfaction, turning forward again. At the same time, Jimin spins around to address the group. “Should we go back to the hotel? Or do you guys want to do something?” “Let’s not go drinking.” Seulgi casts her opinion and the rest agree that they’ve done enough of that for the rest of the month. In the meanwhile, Jungkook is distracted by flashing lights, doe eyes glazed over, and he lifts his arm, pointing a little beyond the horizon. “What’s that?” “Over there?” Jimin squints. “Looks like an amusement park.” Sunyi gasps. “Let’s go!” Jungkook is as equally excited as the female and while the rest of them are rather apathetic to it, Hoseok has gone visible pale and strangely quiet. The flashing lights, children running past, screams echoing in the night sky, and overall cheerful atmosphere doesn’t seem to improve his mood. Sunyi points and goes running off with Jungkook to buy tickets as Yoongi slowly follows behind. Seulgi and Jimin try out a carnival game, shooting down bottles on a shelf and the female wins a toy monkey with three bullets. Jimin fails every shot and begins sulking until the paralegal ends up giving her prize to him, placating him immediately. You eat cotton candy, offering some to Hoseok and he pulls out a tuft before letting it melt on his tongue. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine. Why?” “I know you don’t like rides. I won’t tell the others if it bothers you that much. And you don’t have to go on any if you don’t want to,” you tell him and he remains quiet for an extended second. Hoseok’s mouth parts to say something, but then the group gathers again. “We got enough tickets for everyone to ride three rides!” Jungkook cheers, holding the long tickets in his hand, and you’ve never seen him happier. At this rate, he’s jumping up and down like a jackrabbit and his adorable grin might cause his rosy cheeks to burst. “They were going to get enough for ten rides, but I stopped them,” Yoongi declares like he wants praise. “What should we go on first?” Seulgi asks and Jimin points. “Let’s go on that roller coaster!” The ride in question goes up at a height that causes your neck to knock back in order to see the top. There are screams as it loops around, a drop that seems steep, and while Jungkook replies to his boss with an enthusiastic ‘yeah!’, you have other plans. “I...I might sit this one out, guys.” Hoseok looks at you, knowing that you’ve given him an opportunity to opt out. But then Jungkook’s doe eyes sadden and Sunyi pouts. The two of them have been reduced to being kids. “Aw, I thought we could all go. We could get that photo. The one they take half-way? Rub it in Taehyung’s face when we get back.” “If she doesn’t feel well, then she doesn’t need to go,” Yoongi chides and lightly karate chops the top of her head. He looks at his friend. “Are you going, Hoseok?�� “I….I’ll go.” The man builds up courage and shifts to you with a tiny smile. “Wanna come, Y/N?” “Are you sure?” you ask him when he should be asking you. But your concerns are lessened when he nods and smiles. “Yeah. It’ll be a good memory.” “O-Okay, I’ll come too then.” The man forces a calm facade, channeling bravery for the sake of his employees. Jungkook cheers and a bunch of them go running off, but despite what Hoseok says, you can still tell that he’s scared. He remains deadly silent at the lineup, face falling, hands shaking. Jimin comforts him, only for him to brush his partner off. Still, Hoseok manages to shuffle his feet forward, stepping and sitting down in his seat when the time has come. Jungkook and Sunyi are sitting all the way up at the front, screaming their lungs off already in excitement. Seulgi and Jimin are behind them, getting hyped up. Yoongi is sitting by himself behind you, staring out at the scenery and grumbling every so often, while you are beside Hoseok. “Are you alright?” you inquire for the millionth time, gazing at his profile and how he’s grabbing onto the hard lap bar that’s strapped over his shoulders and across his torso. “Hhmph...mmh…” “It’s not that bad. Just scream and close your eyes and it’ll be over.” “Yeah…” The entire ride jolts. The cart begins to move ahead and the attendant wishes you all a fun experience, something you’re certain Hoseok won’t have. Everyone’s cheering and hollering, being loud and rambunctious. Hoseok screams a few times himself like he’s trying to release the tension in his muscles and no one hears except for you in the sea of noises. You’re leaning back as the roller coaster begins to climb up the steep incline at practically ninety degrees. In the next blinks, you’re high up. The wind cards though your hair. The entire amusement park is beneath your feet. The lights of the carousel and rotating ferris wheel twinkle with the stars glittering above. It would be quiet if not for the music of the ride and the screams of the surrounding people. The coaster stops right on the edge after climbing its hill, moments from teetering and plunging downwards. “I’m scared,” Hoseok admits in cute squeals and he’s trembling. “I’m scared, Y/N.” You lift your hand, not wasting one second to latch onto his. Instantaneously, Hoseok laces his fingers tight through yours, twining his hands to hold on for dear life, like his existence depends on it. And you squeeze your palm with his to tell him that you’re here. “It’s okay! Just scream!” “Y/N!” Hoseok shuts his eyes tight and you keep yours wide open. The roller coaster teeters and then dives straight to the ground. There are a hundred screams of happiness and fear. Hoseok screams too, bloodcurdling, while you shout at the top of your lungs. The ride goes in for quick turns before looping around and the lawyer becomes absolutely hysterical. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” He sounds like he’s giving birth. You can’t help but laugh and giggle the entire time in between your own screams. For the entirety of the ride, Hoseok holds your hand, simply frightened for his life, intimidation all lost. He shouts your name somewhere in the symphony of shrieks and no one hears except for you. When it’s over, Hoseok slumps in his chair, defeated and drained, like a computer logged out. You’re more giddy than ever, still giggling and laughing while Hoseok never lets go of your hand. It’s there that he decides not to go on anymore rides and you join him in eating candy apples for the rest of the night. Jimin orders the picture and you do as well for your own personal keepsake. The image is snapped right when the coaster began to fall, when you took his hand. While sitting on the bench, hearing Jimin’s screams on the swinging pirate ship, Hoseok is pouting and childishly sulking at your teasing. You can’t stop looking at the picture, no one else noticing that your hands are wrapped around each other’s, and Hoseok chews on his candy apple before leaning his head on your shoulder. He tells you that he wasn’t scared at all. You turn your head, unimpressed, though you’re reduced to speechlessness at how cute he’s acting towards you, trying to gain your favour so you don’t tell others what happened. The intimidating, strict lawyer is nowhere in sight. There’s only a bright young man with hope glittering in his brown irises, the epitome of sunshine, making you realize that you don’t need to see the stars in a light-polluted city like this one when he’s beside you. And that’s when you decide— You’re going to make the people in the office see what you see in Hoseok.

#bts fanfic #hoseok fanfic #hoseok fluff #jhope fanfic #bts scenario #BTS JUNG HOSEOK is rrly not that scary??? /pikachu shocked meme/#also OC who looks like she finally has friends in the office! let's get some high fives!!

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personalinjurywhiteplains-blog · 5 years ago

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White Plains Personal Injury Lawyer

Banville Law is a White Plains Personal Injury Law Firm in New York. Our goal is to help individuals and families who have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident that was caused by the negligence of another person or entity. Our local office in White Plains handles cases caused by car accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice claims, slip and falls, work injuries, workers' compensation claims, sexual abuse cases, birth injury cases, and construction accidents. Banville Law serves residents from surrounding cities such as West Harrison, Highlands, Hartsdale, Fairview, Valhalla, Irvington, Worthington, Elmsford, Greenville, Ardsley, Rye, Purchase, and Tarrytown White Plains Personal Injury Lawyer

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alitheamateur · 5 years ago

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A Taste of Home-Chapter 6

Warnings: Language. Fluff.

You dizzied barefoot around the torn apart suitcase in the floor of your hotel room. It seemed as you’d packed every essential for your time in Malibu, except the perfect ensemble for a date with Chris ‘full of surprises’ Evans. Were jeans to casual? Would heels be over the top? Did you need to wear matching undergarments….?

Assumption isn’t a good look, although maybe better than downright desperation.

Your body wanted him down to the very lowest layer of your flesh. It was needy, and maybe drastic. Careless even. But, your every thought was sickeningly consumed by the daydreams of you in his bed. Whether it be due to his righteous kindness, his charming wit, or those damn fitted t-shirts would be an eternal unsolved mystery. But, you knew he was well aware of his plethora of desirous traits, and more pathetically you were alright with the way he purposely highlighted them.

A: I need something to go on here, Evans. Where are you taking me?

You spritzed rosy perfume over the naked span of your body, and into the stretched line of your neck under your loosely fallen hair. You’d rather look impatient and ruin the surprise rather than dress inappropriately for the occasion, so you texted him.

C: Casual. No heels. Bring a sweater. And Amelia?

A: Chris?

C: Stop worrying.

C: See you in an hour. Smile, gorgeous. Today was a good day.

Your lips obeyed his command and you felt a lax smile creep onto your cheeks.

Choosing the most practical outfit in your suitcase, you pulled the thin straps of a loose, blue cotton dress up, it’s hem dragging to the middle of your thigh. It seemed your hair, once perfectly plain and straight from the earlier photo shoot, had disagreed with the humidity of the hot afternoon. Your blonde, swirling curls were raging at full attention, wild around your pink-stained cheeks.

The dip of its neckline sagged tastefully low, but enough to display your most confident feature. You truly never felt even the slightest bit comfortable in your own skin, which is why clothes sang to you. If your own skin wouldn’t do the job, you’d make it a hobby to find the most perfect piece of fabric to boost where you lacked in self-confidence.

Swiping a melon, lip-plumping balm over your mouth at the bathroom vanity, your phone buzzed.

Shithead: I’m in Boston on business. I’ve got the papers with me, so let’s meet around lunch tomorrow to discuss. You may bring a lawyer, but good luck paying for one.

So many replies that still wouldn’t do his most undesirable actions justice cluttered around your thoughts, but you composed yourself, prepping to defend his unacceptable demands as an adult. Sort of.

A: With your very prompt notice of one day, it seems I’m out of town until day after next. You can either wait, or leave them with my parents. I sincerely hope you choose the latter.

He read instantly your answer, and a reply was in hot pursuit.

Shithead: Out of town? Why?

A: Business. Mine, not yours.

Your thumbs patted against the screen, waiting for the awful reaction your vague explanation would undoubtably ensue, just as a knock patted on the locked door of your suit. Rather than let the sour taste of Ben ruin your evening furthermore, you shifted the off switch and marched towards the man waiting in the hall.

You picked up a small clutch on the way, but it fell to the floor, probably in slow motion like your jaw, when you answered his knock.

Instantly, you elected once back in your bed tonight, you would make yourself decide whether you liked suited, James Bond-like Chris, or this Chris more. The easy jeans, half-torn at the collar t-shirt, dirty sneakers Chris standing in your doorway, smiling behind midnight black sunglasses.

You could smell him with the wind of the opening door, and you hoped he got a warm dose of your scent, too, knowing what the sweet scent of a woman could do to the male species.

“I was going to call, but I thought I’d come up to get you instead. You know, manners and all.” He rolled his eyes, his shoulders danced in a nonchalant shrug.

“Manners are nice, yes. Manners are always good, right?” You wondered if he noticed how you seemed to always get a case of these weird hiccups when he was around.

“Sometimes I like a little impoliteness. It has its place on occasion, wouldn’t you say?” Chris greeted you with a kiss to the feverish curve of your cheekbone, his words humming into your ear not by accident.

You disregarded his already unfair advantage for the evening, and boldly counteracted.

“Oh, definitely. I couldn’t agree more! I may have thrown my manners out the window a time or two, and been downright bad mannered.”

Chris chuckled, and I watched him gulp down his Adams apple. He may have been better at hiding his attractions than you, but you noticed the little hitch in the pattern of his breaths.

You whipped of the switch of your light on that note, double checking your keycard for the room was tucked away in your wallet, and strolled next to him down the abnormally quite hall.

“I see the hair is back,” he commented, staring at the lit-up buttons on the wall of the elevator. “I like this Millie much better. Not that the other version isn’t…. well, it isn’t… you look beautiful. I’m trying to say that you look fucking beautiful, Amelia.”

The way his words stammered on his tongue like a confused drunk pleased you.

Nervous. You, make him, nervous.

“ I don’t think you need little old me telling you how handsome you are, Evans.”

The drop to each floor ticked by like an infinite second, and with every moment your pull the him itched stronger. He seemed to possess his own magnetic forcefield that your body’s every molecule responded to, which made the resistance inexplicably painful. Alone. Trapped in the silent solitude of the elevator, you locked stares. The icy glimmer in his eye played from dangerously calm, to shuddering sensuality when he looked at you. His emotions battling to behave, or otherwise. And, God, his smell. The divine smell of him alone made you think of sex.

When we dinged to the lobby, you gasped in relief at the fresh, open air as you stepped outside the elevator car, needing a momentary escape from his irresistible, palatable force. You felt in control of your senses for a moment, until Chris moved his veined hand to the exposed skin between the blades of your shoulders, close to your sweating nape.

“My car is out back waiting. This way.” He pulled.

The two of you escaped the treacherous clutches of the frenzied paps snapping photos, and tucked yourselves safely into the back seat of an SUV that seemed to follow him around. You buckled yourself into the seatbelt, squirming a bit with the strange feeling of unusual silence.

“Tess was raving about you after you left today. She was beyond impressed.” He caught your attention from gazing out the window at the swaying palm trees.

“I had an amazing day, Chris. That is exactly how I pictured my life when I started up the blog, and it came to pass, finally. All thanks to you.”

He groaned, but with a smile. “If you thank me one more time, I’m dropping you off on the side of the road. Its what friends do, Millie. Help each other.” He swallowed your hand into his. “And besides, seeing you so smiley the entire afternoon was well worth it.”

He pulled his lip between his teeth, as if he was the one suffering from his salacious thoughts. Your self-control, however much longer it may last, was admirably unwavering.

The car slowed, and somehow you managed to shake yourself back to some form of reality to make note of where you had ended up. Pulling into the emptying parking lot next to a sandy beach, Chris leaned to do the service of unbuckling your belt.

“Don’t touch that door.” He commanded as he dropped to the ground, leaving you alone in the second row of the vehicle.

Confused, you followed his jog around the car through the hazy tint of the black windows until he landed directly outside your door, where he pulled it open, offering you his hand.

The sun was still hanging droopily over the endless span of blue, fluffy caps of white waves rolling to the shore. You internally hoped whatever he had planned, you’d at least get to watch the orange-y glow of the sunset fall over the Malibu beach.

“Come with me. It’s just around those rocks there.” Chris tucked your hand into his palm, and you wished he had given you a moment to dry the nervy sweat between your fingers.

The tepid wind whipped your dress to and fro, along with the wave of your hair as he guided you down the sandy hill of a rocky, secluded cove.

“I hope this is alright for a celebration? I wasn’t sure if you’d feel up to a big crowd after your busy day.

The hinge of your jaw broke open, and a gasp fell from your lips. A blanket, what looked to be made of expensive chenille was laid into the sand, a basket holding it back from escaping with the gusts of welcomed ocean breeze. There were 2 fluted glasses turned upward onto the lid of the picnic basket, next to a chilling tin of some sort of bottle sealed with gold foil.

“You did all this? How did you manage to pull all of this together in what, 3 hours?!”

“I can’t take all the credit, no. As badly as I want to claim entire responsibility for the look on your face right this second.” Chris brushed back a curl of your hair away from your face, the tips of his fingers lingering heated at the corner of your mouth.

You turned into his touch, happily abandoning your better judgment. Hoping to see that mischievous, roused glaze paint over his eye, you barely popped your lips into the curve of a kiss to the pad of his finger. The stir of his usually sure demeanor crumbled, and you relished that it had been at your hand.

“Behave, Chris.” You heard him mistakenly whisper to himself.

*If you’d like to be added, or removed to the tag-list, let me know*

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#Chris Evans #chrisevans #chris evans x ofc #chris evans fanfiction #fanfiction

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