#cold chain market report

[sanjeev3214]

Cold Chain Logistics Market Size, Growth, Report & Trends Analysis- 2030 

The cold chain market is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements, increasing demand for temperature-sensitive products, and significant investments in infrastructure. This micro blog explores the cold chain market, covering its transport and warehouse sectors, market share, growth, and prospects. 

Cold Chain Market Report: Overview 

The global cold chain logistics market was valued at $202.17 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $782.27 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2021 to 2030. This growth is fueled by the need for reliable transport and storage solutions for temperature-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals, fresh produce, and frozen foods. 

Cold Chain Transport Market 

Cold chain transport involves the safe transportation of goods through various modes such as refrigerated trucks, railcars, cargo, and air cargo. This segment ensures that products maintain their required temperature throughout the journey, preserving their quality and safety. 

Key Trends: The adoption of refrigerated transport is increasing due to the growing demand for fresh and frozen foods, particularly in emerging markets. Innovations such as temperature-controlled air cargo and IoT-based tracking systems are enhancing efficiency and reliability. 

Cold Chain Warehouse Market 

Cold chain warehouses are critical for storing perishable goods under controlled temperatures. These warehouses are equipped with advanced refrigeration systems to maintain the integrity of products from storage to final delivery. 

Growth Drivers: The expansion of refrigerated warehouses is driven by the rise in processed food consumption and pharmaceutical needs. Investments in modern warehouse management systems and automation technologies are further boosting the efficiency and capacity of cold storage facilities. 

Market Share and Analysis 

The cold chain market is segmented by end-use industry, business type, and region. Key end-use industries include fruits and vegetables, bakery and confectionery, dairy and frozen desserts, meat and seafood, and pharmaceuticals. The market is also divided into warehousing and transportation segments. 

Regional Insights: North America leads the market, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. The U.S. holds the largest market share in North America, driven by stringent quality standards and significant pharmaceutical logistics. Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region, propelled by increasing demand for cold-stored food and pharmaceutical products. 

Cold Chain Market Growth 

The cold chain market is poised for significant growth, with several factors contributing to this trend: 

Pharmaceutical Sector: The pharmaceutical industry’s growth, particularly with the increase in biotechnology medicines and vaccines requiring cold storage, is a major driver. 

E-commerce: The rise of online grocery shopping and the need for efficient cold chain solutions for food delivery are boosting the market. 

Technological Advancements: The adoption of RFID technology and IoT-based systems for real-time monitoring and management is transforming cold chain logistics. 

Cold Chain Management Market 

Effective cold chain management involves ensuring the integrity of temperature-sensitive goods throughout the supply chain. This includes the use of advanced technologies for monitoring and controlling temperatures, improving visibility, and enhancing efficiency. 

Innovations: The integration of IoT, GPS, and cloud-based platforms allows for real-time tracking and management of cold chain logistics, ensuring the quality and safety of products. 

Challenges and Opportunities 

While the cold chain market offers significant growth opportunities, it also faces challenges such as high operational costs and lack of standardization. However, advancements in technology and increasing investments in infrastructure present lucrative opportunities for market players. 

Key Developments 

Recent developments in the cold chain market highlight its dynamic nature: 

Expansion Projects: Companies like Tippmann Group and Lineage Logistics are expanding their storage capacities and investing in automated facilities to meet growing demand. 

Acquisitions: Americold Logistics' acquisition of Agro Merchants Group expands its geographical reach and enhances its service offerings. 

Conclusion 

The cold chain market is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing demand for temperature-sensitive goods and technological advancements. With continued investment and innovation, the market is set to expand further, offering significant opportunities for stakeholders across the supply chain. 

[tritonmarketresearchamey]

Securing Supply Chains: Trends & Tech in Pharmaceutical Logistics

Efficient logistics play a critical role in the pharmaceutical industry, ensuring the reliable and timely delivery of crucial medications. According to various industry associations and institutes, approximately 20% of temperature-sensitive products experience broken cold chains during transit. Additionally, up to 30% of products may be affected due to transportation challenges, and around 25% of vaccines arrive at their destination in a degraded state due to incorrect shipping practices. This underscores the importance of advancements in pharmaceutical cold chain logistics, real-time tracking, and collaborative partnerships to maintain product integrity and meet patient needs.

How Pharmaceutical Logistics Can Ensure Safety and Efficacy?

Pharmaceutical logistics companies play a critical role in ensuring the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products. They ensure that medications are transported under optimal conditions, maintaining the required temperature and humidity levels to preserve their quality. Effective logistics are essential for the timely delivery of these products to patients, directly impacting public health by ensuring that life-saving medications are available when needed. The pharmaceutical industry’s reliance on logistics management underscores its contribution to both public health and the economy.

However, pharmaceutical logistics face several significant challenges, including maintaining the integrity of temperature-sensitive products, such as vaccines and biologics, during transit and storage. Strict temperature control and monitoring protocols are essential to safeguard the efficacy and stability of these vital pharmaceuticals. Advancements in pharmaceutical cold chain logistics and the integration of smart technology have played a crucial role in addressing this challenge, enabling real-time tracking and improved visibility throughout the supply chain. In this regard, the WHO highlights the critical importance of maintaining the cold chain in pharmaceutical logistics to ensure the efficacy of vaccines and other temperature-sensitive medications. It reported that disruptions in the cold chain could lead to significant losses and degradation of these products, impacting public health outcomes.

Revolutionizing Pharmaceutical Logistics: The Role of IoT, Blockchain, and Smart Packaging

The integration of advanced technologies like IoT, blockchain, and AI is revolutionizing pharmaceutical logistics by addressing key challenges and enhancing the safety and efficiency of the supply chain. The Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain technology are becoming pivotal in managing and securing pharmaceutical cold chains. IoT devices, including sensors and RFID tags, support real-time examination of environmental conditions like temperature and humidity during transit. This continuous tracking ensures that pharmaceutical products are maintained within the required conditions, reducing the risk of spoilage and ensuring efficacy.

Blockchain, on the other hand, offers a decentralized and immutable ledger that records every transaction and movement of the product along the supply chain. This transparency helps in verifying the authenticity of the drugs, preventing counterfeiting, and ensuring regulatory compliance. According to an article by Birlasoft, combining IoT and blockchain creates a robust framework for the pharmaceutical cold chain. IoT sensors collect data on the condition of the products, and this data is then securely stored on a blockchain. This synergy ensures data integrity and provides a single source for all stakeholders, enhancing trust and accountability in the supply chain.

Innovative packaging solutions are essential in maintaining the safety and integrity of pharmaceutical products during transit. Smart packaging incorporates technologies such as RFID tags and temperature-sensitive labels that provide real-time data on the condition of the contents. This technology not only monitors environmental conditions but also alerts stakeholders if there are any deviations from the acceptable range, ensuring timely corrective actions. Smart packaging solutions can include embedded sensors that track temperature, humidity, and even the presence of light. These sensors can communicate with pharmaceutical logistics services to provide a comprehensive view of the product’s journey, ensuring that any potential issues are promptly identified and addressed.

Sustainable Innovation and Global Efficiency: The Future of Pharmaceutical Logistics

Experiencing a significant shift towards sustainable logistics practices, logistics companies are adopting eco-friendly packaging, optimizing transportation routes, and implementing green warehousing solutions to reduce their carbon footprint and comply with stringent environmental regulations. Concurrently, the use of automation and robotics in warehousing and distribution is set to rise, enhancing efficiency while minimizing human error.

Globalization further amplifies the need for adaptable supply chains as companies navigate diverse regulatory landscapes, varying quality standards, and cultural differences to ensure timely and safe delivery of pharmaceutical products worldwide. Third-party (3PL) pharmaceutical logistics companies play a crucial role in ensuring the safe, timely, and efficient delivery of vital medications across the globe. This sector underpins the healthcare industry, impacting patient outcomes and public health. As the market evolves, the need for continuous innovation and vigilance remains paramount. By prioritizing these aspects, the pharmaceutical logistics industry can sustain its pivotal role and continue to meet the growing demands of a globalized world.

[tbrcresearchreport]

The Business Research Company offers cold chain packaging market research report 2023 with industry size, share, segments and market growth

[liuhsng]

✩ˎˊ˗ when fate calls ( psh ! )

✩ˎˊ˗ part of the untouchable series | enhypen masterlist ⤷ word count: 20.6k ( idk how i did that either ) ⤷ taglist for the series: open ! ⤷ warning/s: a/b/o au, cursing, female pronouns, fem!reader, very very very slowburn, kinda enemies to lovers trope, mentions of drinking and alcohol, angst angst angst, very indenial sunghoon, it gets fluffy eventually, you get your happy ending don't worry, not proofread, mentions of the other parts from this series ⤷ a/n: long as hell, hella lot of timeskips to but ik y'all live for that, enjoy reading! ✩ˎˊ˗ summary: as the eldest son of a powerful family, park sunghoon has always followed tradition, dedicating himself to his responsibilities. relationships never crossed his mind, his focus was on the life carefully planned for him. but then there was you, someone he had seen countless times yet never truly noticed until now. when realization dawned on him that you were his mate, it unsettled him in ways he couldn’t explain. it unsettled him in ways he couldn’t explain. the unexpeced idea of love terrified him, so he rejected the traditional courting that came with claiming an omega. but as his avoidance hurts you, the high and mighty alpha is forced to confront the truth he’s been running from: some things aren’t meant to be planned.

park sunghoon stared at the untouched coffee sitting on the edge of his desk, its heat long gone, leaving behind an aroma that lingered in the air. the clock on the wall ticked softly, mocking him with its glowing digits, 3:14 a.m. he was supposed to be asleep hours ago, but here he was, hunched over stacks of neatly organized paperwork. his bedroom, once a place of rest, now served as an office.

as the eldest, it wasn’t just expected of him to succeed, it was demanded. every report and signature carried the weight of the park name. sunghoon leaned back in his chair, his head tilting toward the ceiling, eyes heavy with exhaustion.

the faint ache in his temples grew sharper, but he ignored it, just as he ignored the way his inner alpha growled in frustration. you’re supposed to take care of yourself— for her, it growled. how will you protect an omega if you can’t even do this much?

his jaw clenched as he let out a quiet scoff, his irritation bubbling to the surface. “there is no omega,” he muttered under his breath, as if saying it aloud would somehow silence the voice.

the thought of having a mate, someone who would rely on him, only added to his frustration. he was already drowning in expectations, chained to a life that had no room for distractions, let alone love.

but his inner alpha didn’t back down, the primal side of him rebelling against his neglect. it clawed at him, not with anger, but with frustration, urging him to stop, to rest, to breathe.

sunghoon shut his eyes briefly, a bitter laugh slipping out as he rubbed the back of his neck. the idea of prioritizing himself, of prioritizing someone else in the future, felt absurd. he didn’t have time to indulge in instincts or fantasies, not when there was a legacy to uphold.

he opened his eyes, his gaze falling to the cold coffee cup, his reflection faintly visible in the dark liquid. the alpha in him stirred again, growling low and dissatisfied, but this time sunghoon ignored it entirely. with a sharp sigh, sunghoon pushed the cup aside, the clock’s ticking growing louder in the silence. the hours dwindled, and morning was creeping closer, but he knew sleep wasn’t an option.

there was work to be done, and park sunghoon never left anything unfinished.

sunghoon ran a tired hand down his face, sighing as his bloodshot eyes scanned the even larger pile of paperwork that greeted him. as the student council’s marketing director, his responsibilities seemed endless, and the fluorescent light overhead only made the mess on his desk look worse.

it was 6 a.m., and he was the first in the council room, of course he was. he had made it a habit to arrive early, more out of necessity than enthusiasm.

a brief pang of guilt crossed his mind as he remembered his sister. he hadn’t been able to wait for her like he usually did, leaving the house before dawn without a word. “i’ll have to apologize later,” he muttered to himself, though the corners of his lips twitched upward in a humorless smirk.

knowing his sister, she was probably already in sunoo’s car by now, laughing about something with the alpha. it didn’t help that sunoo wasn’t just his best friend, the boy with the pink hair was also her alpha, a relationship that sunghoon had begrudgingly accepted but couldn’t help but feel protective about.

the thought made him snort under his breath. of course, she’d be fine; sunoo never missed an opportunity to step in, no matter how early it was.

the sound of the heavy, wooden doors swinging open pulled him from his thoughts. jay walked in first, his tie already loose and his uniform jacket slung over his shoulder. the alpha paused mid-step, his eyes narrowing as he took in sunghoon’s slouched posture.

“dude, you look like shit,” jay said bluntly, tossing his bag on his own desk.

sunghoon didn’t bother looking up. “good morning to you too,” he replied dryly, his voice as flat as his expression.

jake followed close behind, a half-eaten breakfast sandwich in hand. he took one look at sunghoon and immediately stopped chewing. “holy shit, did you even sleep?” jake asked, his tone laced with disbelief. he gestured vaguely at sunghoon’s face. “you look like a ghost.”

“thanks,” sunghoon deadpanned, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms. “really needed to hear that.”

jay snorted, leaning against his table. “you know, for someone who’s supposed to be a pureblooded, strong alpha, you’re doing a great job of looking half-dead.”

sunghoon gave them both a sharp glare but didn’t have the energy to retort. instead, he pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning at the headache that was forming. “i’m fine,” he muttered, though the dark circles under his eyes said otherwise.

“yeah, sure,” jay quipped, grabbing a stack of paperwork that was messily sitting on top of his table. “keep telling yourself that, man.”

jake raised an eyebrow, still looking skeptical. “you’re not going to drop dead on us, right? because i’m not carrying your heavy ass to the nurse’s office.”

“i’m fine,” sunghoon repeated, though even he wasn’t convinced by the words.

jay exchanged a look with jake, both alphas sharing a sigh before jay sets his own paperwork down on the desk once again. “you know, if you die,” jay began with a mocking grin, his tone more teasing than serious, “you do realize you’re going to leave all of this on your sister’s shoulders, right? she’ll probably curse your name for eternity.”

“or possibly your mate,” jake chimed in, his voice casual as he gestured toward sunghoo. “you know, the one you’re supposed to be taking care of in the future by not working yourself into an early grave?”

sunghoon stiffened at the mention of a mate, his jaw tightening. he hated when they brought it up, and jake knew it. “i don’t have a mate,” he said coldly, his gaze darkening as he turned to the next set of papers.

jay opened his mouth to add another comment, but before he could speak, a new voice cut through the room. “yeah, as if,” heeseung’s voice drawled from the doorway, his tone laced with amusement. he was leaning casually on the wooden door frame, arms crossed as he looked at sunghoon. “he runs away from any omega he sees. poor guy probably wouldn’t know what to do if his mate actually showed up.”

jake snorted, leaning on his own desk as he tossed his sandwich wrapper into the trash. “he’d probably pass out on the spot,” he added with a grin.

“or just bury himself in more paperwork,” jay said, shaking his head. “honestly, sunghoon, you’re making all of us pureblooded alphas look bad.”

sunghoon glared at the three of them, his annoyance visible. “if you’re all done wasting my time, i have work to do,” he muttered, his voice sharp as he pointedly ignored the way heeseung’s comment bothered him more than it should.

but heeseung wasn’t finished. “you know, it’s funny,” he mused, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “for someone so obsessed with rules and traditions, you’re awfully quick to ignore the most important one.”

“i have no time for this,” sunghoon snapped, his tone colder now, though the way his pen stilled in his hand betrayed his frustration.his eyes stayed glued to the paperwork in front of him, refusing to meet heeseung’s knowing gaze.

“no time for what?” the older alpha challenged, his voice calm but laced with amusement. he stepped further into the room, his smirk deepening as he leaned casually against the side of his desk. “no time for the idea of a mate? no time for the omega who’s meant to balance out that storm in your head? or is it just no time for things you can’t control?”

jay and jake exchanged glances, their teasing expressions softening slightly. even they knew heeseung was pushing sunghoon in a way no one else dared.

“i said, drop it,” sunghoon growled, his alpha instincts flashing briefly in his tone as he clenched his jaw. his fingers gripped the pen so tightly it looked like it might snap in his hand.

heeseung raised an eyebrow but didn’t back down. “i’m just saying,” he continued, his tone now more neutral, “if you keep running from it, you’re only going to make it worse. you think ignoring it will keep things normal the way you want it to?”

sunghoon’s chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath, his irritation now mixed with something deeper, something he didn’t want to acknowledge.

he glanced briefly at the clock, as if that would give him an escape, before returning to his work. “i don’t run from anything,” he said quietly.

heeseung’s scent spiked up then, as if challenging sunghoon. The sharp scent of coffee and leather surrounding sunghoon spiked in response, tension building between the two pureblooded alphas as the room seemed to pulse with an unspoken challenge.

but heeseung tilted his head, studying sunghoon for a moment. “whatever you say,” he said finally, his smirk softening into a faint smile.

“but don’t come crying to us when it all catches up to you.” with that, he pushed off the desk, casually moving the placard on his own desk that read 'vice president, lee heeseung', sliding it to the side as he stood up, making it clear that he wasn’t going to stay much longer.

heeseung strode toward the door, hands casually shoved into his pockets, his movements deliberate but effortless. just before he left, he threw a glance over his shoulder at sunghoon, “see you later, park,” he called, his voice light but carrying an unmistakable edge.

“i mean, he had a point,” came a new voice from the doorway, breaking the silence. their gaze snapped up, and sunghoon saw sunoo leaning casually against the frame, his usual carefree demeanor somehow at odds with the tense atmosphere.

the pink-haired alpha’s arm was slung over his sister’s shoulder, and despite the casualness of the gesture, sunghoon couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the sight of it. sunoo didn’t drop his arm but instead moved it to hold her hand, intertwining their fingers as if marking his claim on her.

sunghoon clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing as he watched them. “right, you’re mated to my sister,” he said, the words coming out almost like a warning as his gaze flicked from sunoo to his sister.

sunoo grinned, unfazed by the glare. “yeah, well, we did kind of notice you were a little… tense. thought we'd come and check on you.”

“how long have you two been standing there?” sunghoon asked, his voice laced with a hint of exhaustion. his patience was already running thin after the exchange with heeseung, and now this.

sunoo shrugged, his smile widening as he stepped further into the room, his mate right beside him. “long enough to hear your conversation,” sunoo replied, his voice light.

“and to know you’re not fooling anyone," sunghoon's sister added, her tone teasing but with a hint of seriousness. "not even your inner alpha, by the way,” she shrugged, as if the comment was an afterthought, but it hit right where it mattered.

sunghoon glared at the both, irritation flashing in his eyes. he wanted to deny it, to brush it off as just another conversation about his future, but deep down, he knew they were right.

the hallway seemed to clear instinctively as the student council made their way through, a group of powerful pureblooded alphas, they carried themselves with the kind of confidence and authority that left no room for doubt about their status.

ni-ki, ever energetic, walked in front, his eyes filled with curiosity as he turned to jake. “so, about the proposals under the secretary committee…” he began, his voice full of interest. “do you think there’s anything the public relations committee can help with?” ni-ki’s gaze flickered to jake's tablet, who's fingers were drumming absently on the screen.

jake looked up from the screen, considering the question for a moment. “you guys could help with the promotions, we need the best pr support for this one.”

“right,” ni-ki nodded, clearly processing the info. “i’ll talk to the them about the promotions then. we’ll get it done.”

meanwhile, heeseung and jungwon were having their own little debate, their voices rising in the back as they argued about something entirely unrelated to council work. “i’m telling you, that new pheromone perfume? it’s garbage. they’re marketing it like it’ll solve everything,” heeseung said, shaking his head.

jungwon chuckled, shaking his head. “garbage or not, some beta's are eating it up. you can’t deny it’s working.”

heeseung rolled his eyes. “yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

trailing just a step behind, sunoo and jay passed a football between them, their movements smooth and practiced. “why are they always like this?” sunoo muttered, his gaze flickering to the pair ahead.

jay shrugged, catching the ball effortlessly before tossing it back. “it’s entertaining. besides, this is tame for them.”

sunghoon, walking a bit apart from the group, scrolled through his tablet with furrowed brows. his father had sent over another set of files, and while he was used to the constant influx of work, it didn’t make it any less exhausting.

“seriously, jungwon, you’re impossible,” heeseung muttered, shaking his head as he dodged jungwon’s attempt to nudge him.

“not like you have a choice,” jungwon teased, flashing a mischievous grin.

behind them, sunoo caught the football mid-air and smirked. “i bet heeseung’s just mad because jungwon actually has a point for once.”

jay chuckled. “don’t push it. you know how he gets when he’s losing.”

their banter continued, but sunghoon remained in his own bubble, his fingers scrolling mechanically over the screen. that was until a familiar voice called out.

“jake!”

the group collectively slowed, all their attention flicking to you as you approached. jake stopped in his tracks, lowering his tablet to meet your gaze.

“hey,” you said, slightly out of breath. “i need your help with something.”

jake’s brows furrowed slightly. “what’s up?”

you handed him your tablet. “it’s about the proposal breakdown you sent. the third column—again, it’s all messed up, and i can’t figure out why.”

jake blinked and then laughed softly, shaking his head. “that thing’s cursed.”

you groaned. “please tell me you can fix it.”

“of course.” jake started tapping on your screen, walking alongside you as he explained the error. you nodded along, grateful for his patience.

behind you, sunoo and jay exchanged a glance, their conversation fading as they tuned into yours. sunoo tossed the ball back absently. “they’re a bit too comfortable, don’t you think?”

jay smirked faintly, his tone teasing but light. “maybe jake’s just that charming.”

sunghoon’s jaw tightened, his fingers pausing on the screen as he forced himself not to glance in your direction. something about the way you walked so effortlessly into their group, completely unfazed, grated on his nerves. his inner alpha stirred, but he pushed the feeling down.

jungwon, noticing the way sunghoon’s scent subtly shifted, leaned toward heeseung. “you smell that?” he whispered, a sly grin forming.

heeseung, ever the observant one, smirked knowingly. “oh, i smell it alright.”

sunghoon’s eyes flicked up briefly, landing on you and Jake. He quickly looked back down at his tablet, though the irritation bubbling under the surface didn’t fade.

“you good, man?” jay called out, the football now tucked under his arm.

“i’m fine,” sunghoon muttered, his voice clipped.

“yeah, just approach me whenever you need help with that,” jake said, his tone casual as he handed your tablet back. a small, easy smile tugged at the corners of his lips, the kind that made it impossible to feel tense around him.

you mirrored his smile, genuinely grateful. “thanks, jake. i’ll let you know if anything else comes up.”

turning your attention toni-ki, who was walking just slightly ahead, you called out, “oh, and ni-ki, i already mentioned the pending tasks to jake earlier. i think some members of the secretary committee might be able to lend a hand if you’re short on people for logistics.”

ni-ki glanced back at you, surprised but clearly impressed. “really? that’d be a huge help. thanks, (y/n).”

so you were close to ni-ki too? sunghoon’s grip on his tablet tightened slightly, his jaw ticking as he skimmed the lines of text that no longer registered. his focus wasn’t on the files his father had sent him anymore; it was on you. you were supposed to be under jake’s committee, and yet here you were, chatting easily with ni-ki like you belonged in every conversation.

jake, noticed the subtle exchange and shook his head with a playful scoff. “you’re getting way too independent for my liking, nishimura,” he teased, shooting the youngest alpha a pointed look. “you’re consulting (y/n) without even running it by me first? seriously?”

ni-ki smirked, unfazed by jake’s mock scolding. “(y/n)’s good at this stuff. besides, teamwork, right?” he threw jake’s own words back at him, grinning.

you laughed, shaking your head at their banter. “don’t worry, jake. you’re still the boss. ni-ki just wanted to cover his bases, and i figured it couldn’t hurt to get a head start.”

“see?” ni-ki said, raising a brow at jake. “efficiency. maybe you should try it sometime.”

before jake could retort, sunghoon cleared his throat, a sharp sound that cut through the light-hearted conversation like a blade. everyone stopped talking almost instantly, turning their attention toward him.

“my next class is just around this corner,” sunghoon said, his voice calm but clipped, as if he wasn’t in the mood to entertain any further distractions.

his gaze briefly flickered to you, unreadable yet heavy, before he shifted his attention back to the tablet in his hands. without another word, he began walking ahead, leaving the group behind.

jay and sunoo exchanged glances, the teasing smirks they’d been wearing moments ago replaced by something more knowing. sunoo raised an eyebrow at jay, who shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“interesting,” jay muttered under his breath, loud enough for sunoo to hear but quiet enough to avoid catching sunghoon’s attention.

sunoo nodded slightly, his lips twitching in amusement as he leaned closer to Jay. “very interesting.”

you, oblivious to the subtle exchange between the two alphas, kept walking alongside jake, still completely engrossed in the conversation. “anyway, just let me know if there’s anything else i can help with. i don’t want to overstep, but i figured i might as well be useful where i can.”

jake chuckled, his laid-back demeanor putting you at ease. “overstep? you? nah, you’re just making my job easier. keep it up, (y/n).”

meanwhile, sunghoon, now a few steps ahead of the group, tried to keep his focus on the files displayed on his tablet. but no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept drifting back to you, walking too close to Jake, smiling too easily at his jokes, and being too comfortable in a group of alphas where sunghoon felt like you stood out the most.

his inner alpha stirred uneasily, frustrated and annoyed at the pull you had over him. he hated how it made him feel, how he couldn’t seem to control the way his senses sharpened whenever you were nearby. his scent of coffee and leather spiked faintly as he clenched his jaw, pushing the feelings down as best he could.

heeseung, noticing the slight change in sunghoon’s posture and scent, smirked to himself but didn’t say a word. jungwon, however, nudged jungwon with his elbow, his expression smug.

“called it,” jungwon whispered, earning a chuckle from heeseung.

you, still entirely unaware of the tension you were unknowingly creating, glanced toward sunghoon’s retreating figure for a moment, a small frown of curiosity crossing your face before you turned back to jake. “do you think he’s okay?” you asked, your voice tinged with concern.

jake glanced ahead, following your gaze to where sunghoon had disappeared around the corner. “he’s fine,” he replied, though there was a knowing edge to his tone. “he just takes things a little too seriously sometimes. don’t worry about him.”

but you did. you couldn’t help it.

and neither could sunghoon.

the classroom buzzed faintly with the low hum of people talking and the scratching of pens on paper. sunghoon sat by the window, his tablet was propped up in front of him, displaying spreadsheets and documents his father had sent over earlier, but his eyes weren’t on them. instead, they were fixed on the gray sky outside, his thoughts wandering far from budget allocations and meeting agendas.

you.

you’d been on his mind since lunch, and no matter how much he tried to push the thought of you away, it kept resurfacing and demanding his attention. you’d always been around, working under jake in the secretary committee. he knew you, he had seen you countless times in meetings and events.

but you’d never lingered in his thoughts before. so why now? why did the sight of you walking beside jake earlier make something in his chest tighten uncomfortably?

the faintest hint of honey and lilac lingered in his memory, soft but intoxicating. he swore he could still smell it even now, though he knew it was impossible. your scent, it clung to his thoughts.

his jaw clenched, and his brows furrowed as he tapped his pen against the desk. he didn’t understand it. there was something about you that had his alpha instincts stirring, clawing at the edges of his mind. his wolf; a part of him he usually kept tightly controlled was restless.

“mr. park,” his professor’s voice cut through his thoughts.

sunghoon blinked, snapping his gaze toward the front of the room. the professor was staring at him, waiting for an answer to a question he hadn’t heard.

for a moment, the room seemed to hold its breath, his classmates glancing between him and the professor. but then sunghoon straightened in his seat, his expression calm as he answered, “the proposed budget allocation for next semester’s extracurricular activities needs to account for inflation trends. that’s why the margin was adjusted to five percent.”

the professor raised a brow, nodding approvingly. “correct, mr. park. as expected.”

sunghoon’s classmates exchanged looks, some impressed, others annoyed, but he ignored them. his body was here, in this classroom, answering questions and keeping up appearances, but his mind? his mind was with you.

the bell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. he packed his things quickly, stepping out into the hallway where jungwon was waiting for him, leaning casually against the wall.

“took you long enough,” jungwon teased, stepping beside him as they walked toward their next meeting.

sunghoon didn’t answer immediately, his thoughts still tangled. jungwon glanced at him, his brows furrowing slightly. “you good?”

“fine,” sunghoon muttered, his tone clipped.

they turned a corner, and Sunghoon’s steps halted for just a moment. there you were, standing a few feet away, chatting with jungwon and sunoo’s mates. you nodded at something one of them said, a small smile gracing your lips as you gestured excitedly with your hands.

sunghoon’s chest tightened again, that unfamiliar feeling stirring in the pit of his stomach. his wolf bristled, the instinctive urge to step closer, to claim what was his.but he shoved it down, locking it away behind the mask of indifference he’d perfected over the years.

you glanced up, your eyes meeting his briefly. without saying anything, you gave jungwon a small nod, silently acknowledging him. sunghoon caught the faint smile you sent his way before your attention returned to the conversation in front of you.

“looks like we’re all heading to the same place,” jungwon said lightly, his tone casual as he nudged sunghoon forward.

sunghoon didn’t respond, his grip tightening around his backpack strap as he forced himself to move. you were close, too close. he could hear your laugh, soft and full of life, as you spoke to sunoo’s mate. he could smell your scent, and it made his inner alpha agitated.

he didn’t like this.

didn’t like how his instincts reacted to you.

didn’t like the way his thoughts strayed toward you when he had more important things to focus on.

didn’t like how his body seemed to recognize something his mind refused to.

heeseung and jay passed by, still caught up in their conversation, but heeseung sent him a knowing glance. not fully understanding, but suspecting something.

sunghoon shut it all out.

he had no time for love.

no time for whatever this was.

without another word, he walked past you, through the council room doors, and forced himself to bury whatever this feeling was before it could take root.

you hesitated for a moment, watching sunghoon as he disappeared into the meeting room without sparing you another glance. it wasn’t the first time he’d brushed past you like that, but something about today felt different. the way his shoulders tensed, the way his gaze hardened the second he saw you, it was like you were a problem he didn’t have time for.

and you didn’t understand why.

you’d never done anything to him.never crossed any lines or challenged him in any way. if anything, you’d always made it a point to respect his space. so why did it feel like every time he looked at you, he was barely holding back his irritation?

sunoo’s mate, who just so happened to be sunghoon’s younger sister, sighed beside you, her voice low as she leaned in. “don’t bother,” she murmured, arms crossing as she watched her brother’s retreating figure. “he’s always like that.”

but was it?

because despite her words, you had a gnawing feeling that the way sunghoon treated you was different. like there was something beneath his cold exterior, something you couldn’t quite understand.

you were still lost in thought when ni-ki slid into the seat next to you. his presence was casual, but his sharp eyes missed nothing.

he nudged you lightly, voice dropping into a teasing whisper. “why are you staring at sunghoon like that?”

you snapped out of your daze, your eyes widening slightly. “what?”

the younger alpha smirked, resting his chin on his hand as he observed you. “you’ve been watching him since he walked in. and don’t even try to deny it.”

heat crept up your face as you quickly looked away. “i wasn’t—”

“uh-huh,” ni-ki cut in, clearly unconvinced. “sure, (y/n). whatever helps you sleep at night.”

you huffed, shaking your head before turning your attention back to jungwon as he finally started the meeting.

jungwon leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping idly against the smooth wood of the long table before his lips curled into a knowing smirk. “alright, before we get to the real agenda… i’m assuming everyone here knows they’re expected to be at the grand dinner our dear marketing director's family is hosting?"

collective groans echoed through the room.

jay was the first to voice his displeasure, rolling his eyes as he slumped against his chair. "no offense, sunghoon, but i was trying to pretend i forgot about that."

"do we really have to go?" sunoo sighed dramatically, slouching back in his seat with exaggerated defeat. "what if i suddenly develop a rare illness that prevents me from attending formal events? i think it’s highly possible. i should get it checked out."

"you and me, both," jay added, rolling his eyes.

jungwon chuckled, shaking his head. "i’ll make sure our dear school nurse looks after you." his tone was light, but the glint in his eyes made it clear; none of them were getting out of this.

you sat quietly at the far end of the table, taking in the conversation with mild amusement. the mention of the event piqued your curiosity, though you weren’t as vocal about your distaste for it as the others.

instead, you found your gaze wandering toward sunghoon, who, as expected, remained perfectly composed, his expression cold, eyes still skimming over his tablet as if this conversation didn’t concern him in the slightest.

unlike the others, sunghoon wasn’t one to complain about formal events. no, he was used to them. they were expected of him, just as everything else in his life was predetermined. and yet, despite his practiced facade, something about the way he held himself, his grip tightening around the device, his jaw tensing ever so slightly, told you that he wasn’t entirely unaffected.

not that you would ever get the chance to ask him about it.

because every time you so much as looked his way, his entire demeanor shifted, as if your presence alone irritated him. and it stung, just a little.

jungwon, unaware of the silent exchange, finally clapped his hands together. "alright, moving on. since we’re all forced to attend that wonderful dinner, let’s get to what actually matters, the upcoming school festival."

a shift in everyone's demeanor followed as the real meeting began. papers rustled, files were opened, and everyone straightened up, ready to discuss proposals and assignments.

"the main goal for this meeting is to finalize activity proposals before we present them for approval. we have a rough list, but we still need to sort out logistics," jungwon continued. "jake, you and your team already compiled the initial proposals, right?"

jake nodded, pulling out a neatly organized folder. "yeah, i went through the ones submitted last week. i’ll run through them real quick."

as jake started going over the list, you chimed in with some of your own notes, offering insights from the secretary committee’s perspective. "some of these proposals overlap with past events, so we might want to rethink a few of them to keep things fresh. also, we should factor in the budget constraints before finalizing anything."

jay, being the treasurer, leaned forward, tapping his pen against his notebook. "speaking of budgets, don’t forget that we still need funding for venue rentals and logistics."

heeseung snorted. "stop acting like we’re not broke. we could fund the whole event if we wanted to."

jay smirked, leaning back in his chair. "yeah, but just because we have the funds doesn't mean we should start tossing money around like it’s fucking monopoly cash."

sunoo, the student relations director, hummed in approval. "okay, but let’s consider which ones would actually engage the student body. no point in budgeting for an event no one shows up to."

heeseung leaned back in his chair, shrugging. "that’s fair, but we do have the resources. as long as it’s reasonable, funding isn’t really the issue."

jay sighed, still skeptical. "fine.just don’t come crying to me when we go over budget because someone thought a fireworks show would be a great addition."

the discussion flowed naturally, ni-ki making suggestions from the public relations side. we also need to think about how we’re promoting these events. even the best ideas fail if no one knows about them. i can get the pr committee to start drafting marketing strategies once we finalize the shortlist.”

but amidst all of this, sunghoon was distracted.

no one would have noticed, no one except heeseung, of course.

because while the others were engaged in conversation, sunghoon was stuck in a losing battle against his own thoughts. his gaze flickered to you more times than he wanted to admit, even as he forced himself to keep his attention on his tablet. he wasn’t just distracted, he was frustrated.

why did he care? why did it bother him when you spoke so easily with the others? you had always been there. wou had always been part of these meetings, always sitting on the opposite end of the table, working just as hard as the rest of them.

so why, now of all times, was he so hyperaware of you?

why did your voice pull him from his thoughts? why did the scent of honey and lilac make his muscles tense?

he didn’t have time for this.

he didn’t have time for love.

"sunghoon," heeseung’s voice cut through his thoughts suddenly, snapping him back to reality.

sunghoon didn’t even hesitate. "yeah, i agree with (y/n)’s suggestion."

silence.

jay raised a brow, glancing at heeseung before turning back to sunghoon. "you sure about that, man?"

sunoo looked equally amused, glancing between you and sunghoon as he tossed the pen between his hands. "because that was the first time you spoke since the meeting started."

the corner of Heeseung’s lips curled into a knowing smirk. "to you were listening, huh?"

sunghoon clenched his jaw. heeseung knew. he always knew.

but instead of giving them the satisfaction, sunghoon merely straightened in his seat, exuding the same indifference as before. "of course i was. i wouldn’t be sitting here if i wasn’t."

then heeseung let out a low whistle, still smirking, only leaned back in his chair. "right. if you say so."

jungwon, still trying to be professional, shook his head. “alright, focus, people.”

you, however, weren’t paying attention to them anymore. your gaze drifted toward a specific pureblooded alpha, the way he sat stiffly, the way his fingers tapped against the screen with an edge of tension.

and suddenly, you weren’t just confused.

you were curious.

because if sunghoon truly didn’t care about you, why did he remember every single word you had said?

you replayed every moment you saw him from earlier that day, his quiet, almost reluctant responses to you, how he kept his distance, but somehow, always seemed to be aware of everything you said and did. his voice echoed in your head now, and it made you question everything you’d assumed about him.

was this really indifference, was it or something else?

the meeting droned on, but your mind couldn't stay focused. it kept drifting back to him, his posture, the sharpness of his eyes, the moles on his face that somehow made him even more attractive, the way he always seemed so calculated, like he was constantly running scenarios in his head, measuring each move.

sunghoon wasn’t just someone who blended in with the group. no, he commanded attention, even without trying.

and yet, there he was, looking as uninterested as ever, his expression stoic as he scrolled through something on his device. but that nagging feeling, like there was something more beneath his mask— kept poking at you.

without thinking, you leaned back in your chair, letting the tension in your body melt away for a moment, trying to get a glimpse of the real sunghoon, not the calculated, polished version he liked to show other people.

you had to admit, you were intrigued. the pureblooded alphas were all so predictable in their own ways, but sunghoon was different.

your thoughts were interrupted when heeseung cleared his throat, looking at jungwon with a raised eyebrow. “we’re talking about the theme for the event, right?” he asked casually, as if the meeting hadn’t slipped into a quiet lull.

jungwon, nodded, unfazed. “yes. but we need more input from everyone. ideas that aren’t just—”

“i have one,” you cut in, unable to resist any longer. your voice came out clear and confident, a stark contrast to the flurry of thoughts racing through your mind. “we could go with something subtle but impactful. a theme that revolves around contrasts. like light and dark, maybe even using elements of nature, contrast of seasons or contrasting textures. after all, it’s all about balance.”

you paused, feeling everyone’s gaze on you for just a moment longer than was necessary. but you held it together.

the room fell silent, sunghoon didn’t react immediately, but you could sense his attention subtly shifting in your direction. you dared to meet his eyes for a split second, but he quickly looked down at his tablet again, feigning disinterest.

but you noticed the way his lips pressed together, the slight tension in his jaw that he never showed anyone else. you wondered if he was considering your word, or if he was just trying to avoid acknowledging the pull you had on him.

finally, sunghoon spoke up, his voice surprisingly calm,. “it’s not bad,” he said, looking up from his tablet. “contrast is a powerful tool. we could work with it.” his gaze lingered on you for a brief second before he turned his attention back to the discussion, as if the acknowledgment had been nothing more than a casual comment.

you blinked, slightly taken aback. the unexpected approval from him felt different than the usual dismissive reactions. but you didn’t have time to dwell on it. you quickly nodded, trying to maintain your composure.

“i’ll send a more detailed proposal with visuals after the meeting,” you added, pushing forward.

sunghoon didn’t say anything more, but you caught the way his gaze flickered toward you again, his eyes narrowing just slightly. there was a brief pause, like he was weighing his next move.

the air had shifted just a little, and you couldn’t quite place why. but you were certain that there was something more to his response, even if he tried to brush it off as nonchalance.

the rustling of papers and the faint creak of chairs filled the council room as everyone packed up. the meeting had dragged on longer than expected, and most of them were ready to go home.

jake slung his bag over his shoulder, exhaling. “alright, let’s go. i think we all want to sleep at a reasonable hour.”

ni-ki snorted. “reasonable? you all literally run on caffeine and stress.”

jake rolled his eyes, already walking toward the door. “just hurry up.”

one by one, they filed out into the dimly lit hallways, their chatter echoing through the empty corridors. outside, the night air was crisp, the usual warm breeze replaced by a sharper chill.

the campus at night had an almost eerie but majestic feel to it, grand architecture bathed in soft golden lights, towering columns casting long shadows across the marble pathways. the air smelled of expensive cologne and freshly trimmed gardens, the very image of wealth and privilege. it was the kind of place that asked for admiration, yet felt untouchable, like something straight out of a dream.

they walked in their usual loose formation toward the parking lot, their voices filling the space between them. sunoo and jay were deep in a debate about their next group dinner, ni-ki throwing in sarcastic remarks while heeseung poked fun at jungwon’s overly formal meeting style.

but sunghoon?

sunghoon was silent.

he walked with them, hands shoved into his pockets, his usual confident stride still the same. and yet, he wasn’t really there. he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, wasn’t throwing in his usual sarcastic remarks. he barely even reacted when ni-ki nudged him in the ribs or when heeseung smirked at him like he was waiting for a comeback.

jay was the first to notice. he narrowed his eyes, slowing his steps to fall in line beside him. “what’s up with you?”

sunghoon blinked, like he hadn’t even realized someone was talking to him. “what?”

jay gave him a look. “you’ve been weirdly quiet. like, more than usual. it’s kinda freaking me out.”

sunghoon exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “i’m fine.”

but he wasn’t. and they all caught it.

because for the briefest second, his scent changed, something bitter wafted through the air.

jay’s eyes flickered, but he let it go. “if you say so.”

the conversation picked up again, but sunghoon remained detached, walking alongside them but never really taking part in any of the conversations.

they reached the parking lot, and the group naturally split off toward their respective cars, saying their goodbyes. sunghoon walked toward his own: a sleek, black sports car, polished to perfection. it stood out even among the other luxury vehicles, a clear reminder of his status.

he pulled the door open but didn’t start it. instead, he sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel as he stared straight ahead.

the quietness of the parking lot pressed down on him, leaving nothing but the hum of distant streetlights and the faint ringing in his ears.

and then, for the first time all night, his inner alpha spoke.

pathetic.

a dull throb started in his temples. he shut his eyes, jaw clenching.

you’re running, aren’t you?

“shut up.” his grip on the wheel tightened, but the voice didn’t stop. it never did.

you saw her today. again. and what did you do?

his chest ached. “nothing.”

his inner alpha scoffed. exactly. you ignored her. you walked past her like she was nothing.

because she is nothing to me.

but even as he thought it, his own words felt hollow.

liar.

his head pulsed, frustration clawing at his skull. he couldn’t do this. he had responsibilities. expectations. he had worked too damn hard to let something as simple as instincts get in the way.

his life was structured, orderly. he had a plan.

he had no time for love.

no time for distractions.

and yet, the way his instincts clawed at him, the way his alpha had been restless all evening, it was suffocating.

his own body was betraying him.

he exhaled sharply, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his temple. not now. not ever.

with a final, sharp breath, he yanked the car door shut, sealing himself inside.

and then, without another second wasted, he started the engine and drove off into the night.

the drive home was a blur. sunghoon barely remembered driving through the city streets, his grip on the wheel tense, jaw locked as he forced his thoughts elsewhere. anywhere but where they wanted to be.

but the moment he pulled into the long, private driveway leading to his family estate, he knew that tonight was going to be hell.

his home was as grand as expected from a family like his: towering windows, intricate stonework, and the ever-present air of power. the gates shut behind him, and for a second, he let his forehead rest against the steering wheel. maybe if he sat here long enough, his thoughts would settle.

your scent still clung to his senses, honey and lilac, sweet but not overpowering. it had wrapped around him in the council room, seeped into his skin, and now it refused to leave. he hated how much it soothed him, how his muscles almost wanted to relax, how it made something deep in his chest coil tighter instead of loosening.

"you’re being pathetic," his alpha sneered, voice curling in his mind like a mocking whisper. "avoiding her doesn’t change the fact that she’s yours."

sunghoon’s lips curled into a silent snarl as he shoved the car door open, stepping out into the crisp night air.

"she is not mine."

his inner alpha laughed, low and knowing. "keep telling yourself that. see how well that works."

ignoring the voice, he strode toward the house. the moment he stepped inside, everything felt too much. the walls felt closer. the silence was suffocating. his body was tense with an agitation he couldn’t shake. his instincts were screaming at him to move, to do something.

he made his way upstairs, stripping off his blazer and tossing it carelessly onto the chair by his desk. his bathroom door was open, the mirror catching his reflection. his eyes were sharp, glowing under the dim lighting, the exhaustion on his face barely hidden beneath the tension.

he turned away, forcing himself not to linger.

a shower. maybe that would help.

the water was scalding against his skin, yet it did nothing to ease the heat gnawing at his chest. the steam didn’t drown out your presence—your scent lingered, thick in the air. his hands clenched against the tiles, his body stiff as the wave of frustration rolled over him.

"she’s under jake in the secretary committee," his thoughts snapped, trying to remind himself why it couldn’t be this way. "she’s always been there, but you never cared before. why now?"

his alpha growled, the voice inside him bitter. "because you were blind before."

"and i’m not now?"

"no. and you hate it."

sunghoon exhaled sharply, the water running down his back as he scrubbed it away, scrubbing away the thoughts that wouldn’t leave.

he was supposed to have control. He couldn’t let this slip. he had responsibilities, obligations, his family, the council, the expectations weighing on his shoulders. he could not afford distractions.

and yet…

the moment he collapsed onto his bed, exhaustion tugging at him, he couldn’t escape the truth.the weight of it crushed him as he stared at the ceiling, and despite all the effort to push it down, all he could think about was you.

his body fought against it. his mind screamed at him to focus, to remind himself of his purpose. but his heart, and his damn alpha—kept drawing him back to you.

he lay on his bed for what felt like hours, the shadows from the window stretching over the floor, taunting him with the silence that felt too heavy.

"get up," he muttered to himself, sitting up abruptly, his body moving almost involuntarily. he couldn't sleep. couldn't let himself relax. he needed something to focus on, something that would force his mind to behave.

sunghoon stalked over to his desk, flicking on the lamp with a snap of his fingers. the pile of paperwork in front of him was waiting; papers that he had ignored for far too long, reports that needed reviewing, contracts his father had left for him to examine.

he grabbed the nearest stack, flipping it open, pretending to care about the figures and legal jargon written on the pages. but it was useless. his eyes skimmed over the words, but none of it made sense. his mind was elsewhere. his fingers would itch for the next page, yet they weren’t moving fast enough. he cursed under his breath, trying to force his attention back onto the papers, but his thoughts kept drifting—drifting to you.

he slammed the folder closed, frustration clawing at him, his teeth gritting as he let out a harsh breath. what the hell was wrong with him?

"you know the answer," his inner alpha purred darkly. "it’s only a matter of time before you crack."

he shook his head, trying to fight back the growing sensation of need. he couldn’t allow it. he wouldn’t allow it.

still, the clock ticked on, its hands mocking him, each second louder than the last.

he pushed himself up from his desk, pacing the room in frustration. his mind was a battlefield, the war between his own instincts and the duties he had been born into. he couldn’t just let go. he had responsibilities. but everything in him—his very core, his inner alpha—was screaming for him to do the one thing he refused to acknowledge: follow his instincts. go to her. take the step forward.

“you’re already in too deep,” the voice reminded him again, this time quieter, almost tender. “she’s not just anyone. she’s yours.”

sunghoon froze, his back against the wall as the words hit him harder than he could have ever anticipated. his heart skipped a beat. the thought of you, the reality of you being his, it felt almost too much to bear.

his alpha wasn’t wrong. but the fear of breaking the walls he had carefully built around his life, the fear of losing control, it was all too overwhelming.

finally, sunghoon gave in and walked over to his walk-in closet, the weight of his thoughts dragging him down. he yanked open the door, revealing rows of neatly organized clothes.

his eyes scanned the options without much focus, hand moving almost automatically as he grabbed a random hoodie from the rack. pulling it over his head, he felt the familiar weight of the fabric, but it did little to comfort him.

maybe a walk would help. fresh air. something to clear his mind. maybe then, he could shake the way his body burned for something, anything that wasn’t this.

but the instant he stepped out into the cool night, his mind betrayed him again. he walked in the direction of the garden, his eyes glued to the ground, his thoughts clouded.

and there, in the garden, where the cold air mixed with the scent of flowers, the feeling hit him again, the overwhelming, suffocating need to give in.

sunghoon found himself staring at the moon, and then, without realizing it, his mind drifted again.

you.

and when he tried to stop it, it came anyway.

sunghoon’s frustration increased, his fingers clenching into fists at his sides. the wind swept across the garden, rustling the leaves, and yet he felt nothing but this suffocating pull toward you, toward whatever this was. the thoughts were relentless, the pull of his instincts gnawing at him.

his phone buzzed in his pocket, cutting through the chaos of his mind. he pulled it out, his eyes narrowing at the message from jungwon: “need you in the council office tomorrow for another meeting. can’t do this without the rest of you guys.”

sunghoon scoffed, shoving the phone back into his pocket. he wasn’t in the mood to deal with any more committee business. he was already drowning in it.

yet, despite himself, he began to walk back toward the house, his pace quickening as if his legs knew what his mind refused to accept; that he couldn’t escape this. not for long.

the only thing on his mind now was what he couldn’t have. and the bitter, hollow feeling that came with it was growing by the minute.

the morning light barely made its way through the heavy curtains, casting faint shadows on sunghoon’s disheveled bed. he groaned as a loud knock broke through the quietness of his room. the sound echoed in his head, still hazy with the remnants of sleep.

reluctantly, he reached for his phone, eyes squinting against the harsh glow of the screen. 7:00 AM. the numbers were bold, a text from his sister flashed across the screen, accompanied by a string of impatient emojis.

"sunghoon, get up. we need to head to the venue. there are last-minute details to fix before the event."

a sigh slipped past his lips. the last thing he wanted was to be pulled into this whirlwind of preparations, but as usual, duty called, his inner alpha thrashed beneath the surface, restless as ever, but there was no time for that. he had responsibilities to uphold.

another knock came, louder this time. “hurry up!” his sister’s voice echoed from the hallway, laced with a teasing urgency.

“yeah, yeah,” he muttered, dragging himself out of bed. his body felt heavy, his mind clouded, but he forced himself to push through. his sister’s impatience was nothing new, but today, it felt more grating than usual.

he stumbled to the door, opening it to find his sister standing there with arms crossed, an amused smile playing at the corner of her lips. "you're seriously still in bed? I swear, you’re getting worse with every event," she said, her tone light but laced with the expectation of someone who knew he could do better.

sunghoon rubbed his eyes, his voice groggy. “i’m coming,” he muttered, trying to shake off the sleepiness clinging to him. she rolled her eyes, brushing past him and heading down the stairs without another word.

minutes later, he stood in front of the full-length mirror in his closet, adjusting the black dior suit his mother insisted on for every event. the fabric felt familiar, but it didn’t comfort him the way it usually did.

his reflection stared back at him: sharp, immaculate, and detached. the face of someone who had never been able to escape the expectations placed upon him. he barely recognized himself some days.

sunghoon’s sports car sped down the quiet road, the cool morning air rushing through the slightly open windows. his sister, as usual, was absorbed in her phone beside him, chattering on about whatever had caught her attention.

but sunghoon’s mind was elsewhere. it kept drifting back to the image of you at the council, the way you carried yourself with ease, how your presence lingered in his thoughts like a scent he couldn’t shake.

“you’re driving like you’re half asleep,” his sister finally commented, giving him a quick glance with raised brows. “sunghoon, are you okay? you’ve been off all week.”

he blinked, pulling himself out of his daze and offering a strained smile. “i’m fine,” he said, his voice betraying him as he tried to brush it off.

she eyed him skeptically. “you’ve barely talked to anyone at home this week. what’s going on?”

sunghoon stiffened, but didn’t respond immediately. his mind briefly flickered back to you, but he shook it off, trying to stay focused.

“have you found your mate yet?” she asked, her voice soft but curious, not teasing, she could sense the change in him even if she didn’t fully understand why.

sunghoon’s grip tightened on the steering wheel as he kept his gaze on the road. his mate. he hadn’t allowed himself to think about that possibility, not when everything felt so complicated.

“no,” he muttered, the word coming out sharper than he intended. “not yet.”

his sister let out a dramatic sigh, clearly unimpressed. “you’re such a mess. honestly, you could just relax. it’s not the end of the world if you let your guard down for a second.”

he didn’t respond. instead, he continued driving, his mind still wrapped up in the swirling tension inside him. why couldn’t it be anyone else? why did it have to be you? he couldn’t seem to make sense of it.

the silence stretched on until his sister, mumbled something under her breath, so quietly that he almost missed it.

“the poor girl.”

his head snapped toward her, brow furrowed in confusion. “what?”

she looked at him knowingly, the edge of her teasing never fully disappearing. “you’ve been pushing her away all week, haven’t you?” she said softly, almost pitying. “and you think she doesn’t notice? poor girl. she probably thinks you’re confused with the way you keep looking at her.”

sunghoon’s chest tightened at her words. he didn’t say anything, but the weight of them lingered in the air between them. his mind was too busy to process it. he had to stay focused. he couldn’t let himself get distracted by his feelings now, not when there was so much at stake.

his sister didn’t press the matter further. the drive continued in silence until they arrived at the park hotel, seoul—a towering, luxurious building that his family owned. sunghoon parked the car and shut off the engine, forcing himself to breathe.

as he stepped out of the car, his gaze landed on a sleek white sports car parked by the entrance. it was familiar, but there was something about it, something about the way it was parked, so perfectly neat, that made sunghoon pause. he glanced at it for a moment but didn’t think much of it. he shrugged it off. after all, there were so many cars in the parking lot. it was probably just another business associate's vehicle.

“come on,” his sister said, walking ahead toward the entrance. “let’s go.”

they walked into the hotel, where the hustle of preparations for the event was already in full swing. his mother was already there, talking to a few staff members, discussing last-minute details. the sight of her being so composed and confident, was a relief to sunghoon. He always felt better around her.

“mom!” he greeted, his mood lightening as he walked toward her. she smiled and greeted him in return before they moved toward the elevator.

“top floor,” sunghoon said, pressing the button for the penthouse suite, the family’s personal event space at the top of the building.

the elevator doors closed, and as it ascended, sunghoon relaxed slightly, the tension in his shoulders easing. he loved this space; it always gave him a sense of control. the casual chatter in the elevator with his mom helped ground him.

“everything ready for the event?” he asked casually, watching the numbers on the elevator screen rise.

his mom smiled, nodding. “almost. Just some last-minute touches, but i think we’ll be fine. you know how much I love to be thorough with everything.” she glanced at him, her smile softening. “how’s everything with you, Sunghoon? you seem a bit distracted today.”

sunghoon rubbed the back of his neck, trying to smile more naturally. “i’m just tired, i guess. been a long week.” he quickly glanced over at his sister, who had her nose buried in her phone. “you know how it is.”

“of course,” his mom said with a knowing look. “you’ve got a lot on your plate, don’t you? just don’t overwork yourself. you know you can talk to me about anything.”

sunghoon appreciated the concern, but he wasn’t ready to share what was really on his mind. “i’ll be fine, mom. don’t worry.”

the elevator finally stopped, and they were greeted by the usual flurry of activity as staff members hurried around, making sure every last detail was in place. his mom led the way, greeting workers and supervisors with ease.

but sunghoon’s attention was already elsewhere. his eyes instinctively swept over the scene, and that’s when he saw you.

you were standing near one of the event coordinators, looking effortlessly at ease, your posture graceful. sunghoon froze. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze locked onto you.

before he could process it further, his mom continued walking ahead, greeting a woman standing nearby. sunghoon barely registered who she was until he saw her face, and the resemblance was unmistakable.

his breath caught. the woman was elegant, poised, with the same features that were reflected in your own face. he stood frozen, unsure of how to react. his eyes flicked back to you, now standing beside the woman, his mind struggling to catch up with the sudden connection.

then, to his surprise, his mom stepped forward and pulled you into a warm, affectionate hug. the gesture caught the pureblooded alpha off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless.

his sister, noticing the way sunghoon’s gaze lingered on the scene, raised an eyebrow. she smirked, almost as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“so… it’s actually (y/n), huh?” she said casually, her tone light but laced with a knowing edge. “guess you really can’t avoid it, huh?”

sunghoon’s chest tightened as he took a deep breath, trying to process everything at once. what were you doing here?

sunghoon stood frozen, his thoughts racing as his mom pulled you into a warm embrace. the sight of your face, the familiar features, everything about you felt like it was making his world tilt. he was still processing it all when his mom’s voice broke through his daze.

“sunghoon, come here, both of you,” his mom called, waving them over.

sunghoon’s feet moved almost automatically, his sister walking ahead of him, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she noticed the subtle tension in his posture. when they reached his mom, she was still smiling warmly at you and the woman standing next to you.

“(y/n), i’d like you to meet my children, sunghoon and his younger sister. and this is (y/n)’s mother, who i’ve been coordinating with for the event,” she added, beaming. "she’s in the same university as you two, actually.”

sunghoon’s eyes flickered between you and your mother. so, it was your family they were working with. the realization hit him harder than expected, his chest tightening.

sunghoon’s sister raised an eyebrow and gave you a knowing smile, but it was his mom who asked the next question, her curiosity piqued. “what are you involved in at school, (y/n)? i’m sure you’ve been keeping busy with the student council, right?”

you smiled a little, still feeling a little nervous under sunghoon’s gaze, but his mom’s friendly demeanor helped ease the tension. “yeah, i’m part of the student council. i’ve been helping with the planning and coordination for the event today.”

his mom nodded approvingly. “that’s wonderful! it’s always nice to see young people so dedicated and involved. i bet you and sunghoon are both quite busy with school.”

you nodded in agreement, a small smile tugging at your lips as you looked at sunghoon. “we see each other around. we’re both pretty busy with different things on campus.”

sunghoon’s sister teased, “you two are pretty close, though, aren’t you?”

sunghoon barely met your eyes, his lips curling into a tight, controlled smile. you mirrored his smile but said nothing, feeling the tension between you both grow.

“well, it’s great to see you both getting along!” his mom said, clearly happy with the easy atmosphere. “it’s nice to have a friendly face on campus.”

before sunghoon could respond, his sister pulled you away with a mischievous glint in her eye. “come on, let’s go help with the flowers,” she said, nudging you gently. “we’ll let sunghoon handle things for a bit.”

sunghoon watched you both walk off, his gaze lingering on your retreating figure. his thoughts swirled, but before he could gather them, his mom caught his eye, giving him a knowing look. she didn’t comment, but her silence spoke volumes.

sunghoon took a deep breath, his mind still racing. whatever this was, it was far from over.

the evening settled in, casting a golden glow through the large windows of the hotel. the once-chaotic venue was finally coming together, round tables adorned with pristine tablecloths, floral arrangements meticulously placed, and staff scurrying around to finalize details.

you stood near a reception table, clipboard in hand, while sunghoon’s sister leaned in beside you, skimming through the checklist.

“so, what’s left?” she asked, propping her chin on your shoulder.

you tapped the page with your pen. “final seating adjustments, sound check, and we still need to confirm the catering schedule.”

she let out a dramatic sigh. “god, i don’t know how you keep up with all this.”

you smirked. “maybe because i actually enjoy it?”

she gave you a teasing nudge. “or maybe because you’re a perfectionist, secretary committee girl.”

you rolled your eyes at the nickname. “i organize things. it’s literally my job in the council.”

Before she could respond, a familiar voice cut through the air.

“you’re overcomplicating the seating chart.”

Your head snapped up, and there he was, park sunghoon, standing with his usual composed posture, hands tucked into his pockets, expression unreadable. his mother had been talking to a coordinator nearby, but now, she glanced between the two of you, a small knowing smile on her lips.

you exhaled through your nose. “we’re adjusting it, not overcomplicating it.”

sunghoon gave you a flat look. “you moved the executive table again.”

“it needed to be closer to the main stage,” you argued.

“which messes with the aisle clearance,” he countered.

you opened your mouth to respond, but his mother stepped in smoothly. “you two can argue about seating later. for now, go check on the banquet hall setup. the decorators should be almost done.”

sunghoon sighed but nodded, while you grabbed your clipboard and turned to his sister. “you coming?”

she waved you off. “nah, i’m staying here. you two have fun.”

you frowned at her mischievous tone, but the alpha next to you didn’t give you time to dwell on it. with a tight-lipped expression, he gestured for you to walk ahead.

the large hall was buzzing with activity. staff were setting up buffet tables, arranging cutlery, and making last-minute touches to the decorations. you and sunghoon stood near the entrance, scanning the room.

“i’ll check on the centerpiece placements,” you said, glancing at your clipboard. you can handle the catering status.”

he crossed his arms. “why do i have to handle catering?”

you raised an eyebrow. “because i don’t feel like arguing with the head chef?”

sunghoon huffed but walked off toward the catering team while you made your way toward the floral arrangements. after a few minutes, you stood near the main table.

“they’re behind schedule,” sunghoon reported, running a hand through his hair. “something about delayed deliveries.”

you groaned. “of course.”

you took out your phone, scrolling through your contact list. sunghoon watched as you expertly navigated the crisis, calling the supplier and getting an update within minutes.

when you hung up, he raised an eyebrow. “you’re really in your element with this.”

you shrugged. “i have to be. the secretary committee basically runs everything behind the scenes.”

he scoffed. “so that’s why you always look stressed on campus.”

you shot him a look. “excuse me?”

he smirked. “i see you in the student council room all the time, buried under paperwork. i just assumed it was self-inflicted suffering or jake really hated your guts.”

you rolled your eyes. “unlike some people, i actually like responsibility.”

sunghoon just hummed, amused, before looking toward the exit. “come on, we still have to check the ballroom.”

the ballroom, meant for the main program, was dimly lit as technicians adjusted the spotlights. you and sunghoon walked toward the stage, where a staff member was testing the mic.

“you handle sound checks?” he asked, sounding mildly impressed.

you nodded. “part of the job.”

sunghoon leaned against a nearby pillar, watching as you exchanged instructions with the technicians. his eyes trailed over the way you moved so effortlessly slipping into control, giving orders with ease, adjusting the smallest details without hesitation. you were in your element, and for a brief moment, he wondered if this was what he had been avoiding all along.

when you finally wrapped up, he glanced at you, voice quieter than before. “you’re really everywhere, huh?”

“that’s kind of the point,” you said, flipping through your notes.

His gaze lingered on you for a second longer before he looked away, clearing his throat. “so, what’s next?”

you skimmed the checklist. “we need to make sure the vip section is set up properly.”

sunghoon groaned. “please don’t tell me we have to argue about chairs again.”

you smirked. “that depends. are you going to accept that i’m always right?”

he gave you an unimpressed look but followed you anyway.

the two of you walked through the elegantly arranged vip tables, double-checking details. at one point, you crouched down to fix a misplaced name card, only to feel sunghoon standing way too close behind you.

“you’re hovering,” you muttered.

“i’m observing,” he corrected.

you turned your head slightly, only to realize just how close he was. his scent of coffee and leather, wrapped around you, warm and grounding. you swallowed, standing up quickly and brushing imaginary dust off your skirt.

his inner alpha stirred. weak. you’re running again.

he ignored it.

his gaze traced the slight parting of your lips, the subtle rise and fall of your shoulders as you exhaled.he let himself linger, just for a second, in the space between restraint and surrender. and that’s when the thought crept in, unbidden.

is this really what you’re afraid of? her? or the way she makes you forget everything else?

his jaw tightened.

because it wasn’t just the bond. it wasn’t just attraction. it was the fear of unraveling, of slipping so deep into something he couldn’t control that he’d abandon everything else, his duties, his carefully built walls, the life that was expected of him.

his alpha hummed in amusement. she makes you weak, but you want her anyway.

sunghoon swallowed hard, straightening his posture. the warmth in his eyes cooled, replaced by something unreadable.

you frowned slightly at the shift.

he smirked. “nervous?” his voice was smooth, but there was a sudden distance in it.

you scoffed. “you wish.”

his gaze flickered to your lips for the briefest second before he took a step back, shoving his hands into his pockets as if forcing the space between you.

coward.

“if you say so.” he hummed.

before you could respond, a voice interrupted.

“ah, there you two are.”

sunghoon turned, turning his expression into something neutral as his mother approached, clipboard in hand. you straightened up beside him, the moment from before slipping between your fingers like sand.

“i need you both to oversee the final checks while i discuss something with the event coordinators.” his mother’s tone left no room for argument. she gave sunghoon a look, one that was equal parts expectation and knowing; before handing you the clipboard. you know what to do.”

you nodded. “of course, mrs. park.”

sunghoon exhaled slowly through his nose, nodding along as well.it wasn’t like he could say no.

another thing you can't say no to, huh? his alpha taunted.

he clenched his jaw, pushing down the irritation forming in his chest. it wasn’t at you, he knew that much. it was at himself, at the way he was still standing next to you despite everything.

you, however, had already moved on, scanning through the checklist before nudging his arm. “come on, park.the sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”

his eyes flicked down to where you touched him, the warmth of your skin seeping through his sleeve. his inner alpha hummed in approval, but he ignored it, following you as you walked through the venue.

as you worked, your voice was steady as you went over the details. “floral arrangements are set, table placements are final…” you trailed off as you examined the stage setup, flipping a page on the clipboard. “lighting checks should be done soon. could you talk to the technicians?”

he raised a brow. “you’re delegating to me now?”

you gave him a pointed look. “i can’t do everything myself.”

sunghoon smirked despite himself, but there was something bitter about it. you weren’t even flustered around him anymore. when did you stop getting nervous?

his alpha scoffed. you’re upset about that? pathetic.

still, he didn’t argue. he stepped away, scanning the ballroom for the lighting crew before walking off.

by the time he returned, you were deep in conversation with the floral team, gesturing toward one of the centerpieces. his gaze followed your movements, how easily you took control of the situation, how effortlessly you belonged in this environment.

she’s everywhere. always in the middle of things, always moving forward.

he rubbed the back of his neck, a familiar tightness forming in his chest. maybe that’s why he had avoided this for so long. because standing here, watching you do what you did best, made him realize something.

it wasn’t just about you. it was about him.

the fear wasn’t of falling for you. it was of what that would mean, of what he’d have to let go of to have you.

“earth to sunghoon?”

he blinked, snapping back to reality. you were watching him, an amused expression on your face.

“spacing out already?” you teased. “we’re not even done yet.”

he exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “just thinking.”

“about what?”

“nothing important,” he muttered, voice clipped.

you frowned at the sudden change in his tone but didn’t push. “right. well, let me know if you're ready to go. we still have things to check.”

yoou walked past him, your scent—honey and lilac, lingering in the air, soft yet unmistakable.his Alpha bristled, pushing at his restraint.

she’s slipping away. your omega is slipping away.

sunghoon clenched his fists. no. you were right here.he just didn’t know what to do with that.

for now, he settled for following you.

the night air was crisp, carrying a faint chill that hinted at the changing seasons. you barely noticed, too preoccupied with checking off the last few items on your clipboard as you walked through the dimly lit parking lot with sunghoon’s sister beside you.

“god, if one more person asks me about table placements, i’m quitting this whole thing,” she groaned, rubbing her temples.

you chuckled. “you say that, but you’ll still show up tomorrow looking like you run the place.”

she shot you a tired grin. “shut up.”

a few steps behind, sunghoon trailed silently. he wasn’t really listening to the conversation, at least, that’s what he told himself.

but his eyes betrayed him, flickering to you every so often, catching the way your brows furrowed in concentration, the way you absentmindedly tapped your pen against the clipboard, the way your scent of honey and lilacs felt like it was wrapping around him, daring him to step closer.

she’s right there. yours. slipping away.

his inner alpha’s voice was persistent, lingering in the back of his mind like an ache he refused to acknowledge.

he exhaled sharply, pushing the thought away. this was what he wanted, wasn’t it? distance. control. a clear line between what he felt and what he knew he had to do.

but then you stopped beside your car, unlocking it with a quiet beep. his sister slowed beside you, turning to sunghoon with a slight frown.

“hoon, you good?”

your gaze flickered toward him at the question, eyes searching, like you were trying to figure out what was wrong.

and that was the problem. you always noticed.

the alpha tensed, his walls slamming back up. his face smoothed over, his posture shifted, cold, detached, unreadable.

“yeah,” he said flatly.

the change was almost unnoticeable, but you caught it.

your grip on the clipboard tightened, as if debating whether to push, whether to call him out on it. but instead, you just nodded, lips pressing into a thin line.

“alright,” you murmured.

his sister sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. “you’re both so dramatic.” then she turned to you, brightening up again. “don’t overwork yourself, okay?”

you mustered a tired smile. “i won’t.”

sunghoon stayed silent.

and this time, you didn’t bother looking at him before sliding into your car.

the moment your door shut, his alpha growled in protest.

fix it.

he clenched his jaw, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

no.

your engine rumbled to life, headlights casting long shadows across the pavement. he should’ve looked away, should’ve just walked off; but he didn’t. he watched as you drove off, the sound of your car fading into the night.

a quiet sigh escaped him. his mother.

she didn’t say anything earlier, didn’t scold or pry. she simply looked at him—knowing, like she already had a hint of what was happening.

and for some reason, that made his chest tighten.

so he exhaled, turned on his heel, and walked away.

the park estate was quieter than usual, save for the faint rustling of leaves outside and the occasional laughter echoing from the living room. sunghoon leaned back against the couch, one arm draped over the backrest as he scrolled mindlessly through his phone.

the guys had gathered there a few hours before the grand dinner, since it was closer to the venue, and the suits for the evening were going to be delivered directly to the estate. it was comfortable—familiar.

“bro, do you even listen to yourself?” sunoo snorted, throwing a cushion at jungwon, who barely dodged. “you keep saying you care about her, but where are you, huh? if i were your mate, i’d leave your ass.”

jungwon groaned, rubbing his temples. “it’s not like i’m ignoring her on purpose, okay? i just—”

“just what?” sunoo raised an eyebrow. “bro, you’re literally a pureblooded alpha. start acting like one.”

jake snorted from his spot on the couch, shaking his head. “you talk a lot of shit for someone who barely figured out his own mating bond.”

“hey, at least i figured it out,” sunoo shot back. “jungwon’s still treating his omega like he's still courting her—he's walking on eggshells.”

jungwon groaned, running a hand through his hair. “i don’t need this right now.” the younger alpha huffed, slumping into the couch, ears turning a bit red.

heeseung chuckled. “he’s right, you know. just follow your instincts. might help.”

sunghoon tuned them out. his fingers tapped against his phone screen, his mind elsewhere. that was, until two familiar voices drifted in from the hallway.

“oh yeah, follow that, don't be like my brother— can’t relate to the whole instincts thing.”

his sister and sunoo’s mate.

sunghoon barely registered her words, but the comment stung more than he expected. he tensed up, feeling his jaw clench involuntarily.

they didn’t even glance his way, walking past them straight to the kitchen.

for some reason, it made him feel smaller than he ever wanted to. he stayed quiet, his grip on his phone tightened, focusing on the lack of sound in the room.

jungwon’s eyebrows lifted. “uh… hello? you good?”

ni-ki leaned forward, grinning. “yeah, that was kinda weak, man. you always have something to say.”

sunghoon didn’t respond. he couldn’t.his thoughts were spiraling too fast, his alpha stirring like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

they’re right. you’ve been avoiding this for too long.

his jaw clenched.

why? because you’re scared? because you think pushing her away makes you stronger? you already know the answer, don’t you?

sunghoon snapped.

a low, warning growl left his throat, deep and sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

his scent soured, something bitter and tense.

the room fell silent.

sunghoon immediately regretted it.

his friends weren’t scared, he knew that much—but they were surprised. he never let his emotions slip like that, never let his control falter.

jake raised an eyebrow. “damn, man,” he muttered, clearly surprised. “you good?”

sunghoon exhaled slowly, pressing his thumb against his temple.

jungwon, still startled, hesitated before speaking. “hey, man, relax…”

and then, jungwon added, almost absently—

“what’s got you all messed up? it’s like you—”

sunghoon cut him off, “i met my mate.”

the words left his mouth before he even fully registered what he was saying.

the silence that followed was deafening.

sunoo was the first to recover. “what?”

jungwon’s eyes widened as he processed what sunghoon had said. “wait—what?”

sunghoon leaned back against the couch, rubbing a hand over his face. his heartbeat felt louder in his ears now, the weight of his own admission settling in. “i met my mate,” he repeated, this time with more certainty, but still unsure.

jake let out a low whistle. “well, shit,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “didn’t think i’d hear that today.”

jay was still staring at him like he had grown a second head. “you?”

sunghoon shot him a glare. “what’s that supposed to mean?”

jay raised his hands in defense. “i mean, dude, it’s you. you’ve never even cared about that kind of stuff. i just—when? how?”

sunghoon hesitated. He hadn’t planned on saying this out loud, let alone explaining it. The moment he said the words, it felt like he had given away the control he had spent years perfecting had just cracked at the edges.

sunoo narrowed his eyes. “yeah, and who?”

ni-ki, looked almost wary. “wait, wait, hold up—are you sure?”

sunghoon shot him a flat look. “you think i’d joke about this?”

“no, but you also don’t exactly seem sure,” ni-ki pointed out.

that was fair.

because the truth was, sunghoon wasn’t sure, not fully. or at least, he had spent the last few days convincing himself he wasn’t sure. because if he admitted it, that meant things had to change.

and sunghoon hated change.

heeseung, who had been the quietest of them all, finally spoke up. his voice was calm, “since when?”

sunghoon pressed his lips together.

“sunghoon,” heeseung pushed, more insistent this time. “how long have you known?”

a muscle in sunghoon’s jaw ticked. “…a while.”

another silence stretched between them, heavier this time.

sunoo groaned, running a hand down his face. “you knew and didn’t say anything?”

sunghoon didn’t answer.

jake scoffed, shaking his head. “bro, what the hell?”

ni-ki leaned forward, his expression sharper now. “you’re seriously fighting this?” his voice was wary, frustrated. despite being the youngest, he thought it was stupid—this was instincts, this was nature.

the gods themselves had chosen fated mates with intention. rejecting that was like rejecting the sky, the air, the pull of the ocean’s tide. it made no sense to him. “why would you reject something that’s meant for you?”

jungwon, usually the more level-headed one, actually agreed. “ni-ki’s right,” he muttered. “you’re making this way harder than it has to be.”

sunghoon snapped.

“you think i had a choice?” his voice came out sharper than he meant, louder. his scent flared again, dominance pouring out of him.

and that set them all off.

because they weren’t just alphas. they were pureblooded alphas, born and bred into power, and when dominance was challenged, instinct demanded they answer.

jake and jay shot him a glare, their own scents spiking as an automatic reaction. jungwon bared his teeth slightly, frustration and something close to disbelief flickering in his eyes. sunoo looked like he wanted to hit him. “yeah, you had a choice,” sunoo threw back. “and you blew it!”

ni-ki’s glare sharpened. “do you even hear yourself right now?”

jake scoffed, shaking his head. “you think this is a fucking game? do you know how many alphas would kill to even find their mate?”

sunghoon clenched his fists. “it’s not that simple.”

jay barked out a short, humorless laugh. “no, you’re just making it complicated.

sunghoon had had enough.

he shot up from the couch, turned on his heel and walked out, his footsteps heavy against the marble flooring, his scent still bitter, still unsettled. he didn’t care where he was going. he just needed to get out.

sunoo and heeseung exchanged glances before following after him.

the afternoon air was cooler than he expected. he exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair, trying to breathe.

sunoo was the first to break the silence. “dude,” he muttered, “what the hell is going on with you?”

sunghoon didn’t answer immediately. he stared out at the sunlit garden, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.

heeseung leaned against the railing beside him. “talk to us,” his voice was calm. “you don’t have to deal with this alone.”

sunghoon let out a short, hollow laugh. “feels like i do.”

sunoo crossed his arms. “no, you’re just choosing to.”

silence.

sunghoon’s fingers twitched. he didn’t know how to say it, didn’t know how to make them understand.

“i…” he exhaled sharply, tilting his head back. “i don’t want this.”

sunoo furrowed his brows. “why?”

sunghoon swallowed hard. “because i don’t know how to be that person. a mate. a bond. a life that’s—” he shook his head. “i wasn’t made for that.”

heeseung sighed, rubbing his temple before stepping in. “sunghoon, listen to yourself. you’re treating this like it’s some kind of punishment.”

sunghoon let out a heavy breath, the weight in his chest pressing down harder. “it feels like one,” he admitted.

“because—” sunghoon continued, closing his eyes for a brief second before looking away. “because it means everything changes. i change.”

Sunoo scoffed, shaking his head. “and? what’s so bad about that?”

sunghoon turned to him, frustration bubbling to the surface. “you don’t get it—”

“no, you don’t get it.” sunoo cut him off. you’re not losing yourself, Sunghoon. you’re finding something—someone that was always meant to be yours.”

heeseung nodded, stepping closer. “and having an omega to call yours? that’s a responsibility in itself, one you were always meant to take on. you’re not abandoning anything—you’re taking something just as important.”

sunghoon’s jaw clenched, his chest rising and falling with each sharp breath. he wanted to argue, wanted to fight back—but the truth was, deep down, he knew they were right.

the thought alone terrified him.

the event was already in full swing by the time sunghoon arrived, the grand ballroom glowing with golden chandeliers and the murmur of polite conversation.

his polished shoes clicked against the marble floors as he stepped in alongside the others, all of them dressed in perfectly tailored suits, their hair styled to absolute precision. they looked every bit like the pureblooded alphas they were raised to be: refined, dominant, untouchable.

but none of that mattered the second he spotted you.

you were standing near the center of the room, surrounded by a group of familiar faces—his sister, jungwon’s mate, heeseung’s mate, and other omegas of high standing. a tight-knit circle of omegas that radiated grace and effortless elegance, laughing softly amongst themselves, their delicate fingers wrapped around champagne flutes.

and then there was you.

your gown hugged your frame in all the right places before cascading down in soft waves, your hair curled to perfection, makeup flawless, lips painted a shade he couldn’t quite name but suddenly wanted to memorize.

it pissed him off.

not because you looked good—no, that was obvious. it was the fact that you had noticed him, just as he had noticed you, but chose to act like he wasn’t even there.

he saw it. the way your shoulders tensed when he stepped into your vision, how your fingers gripped your champagne glass just a little tighter. but you didn’t acknowledge him. didn’t even glance his way.

like the past few days of him being distant meant nothing.

and that—that frustrated him more than anything.

a cough sounded beside him.

“karma,” sunoo smirked, enjoying every second of this.

jake chuckled, shaking his head. jungwon outright grinned. even heeseung—calm, composed heeseung—gave him a knowing glance, like he had expected this from the start.

but the worst was ni-ki.

the youngest in the group, ever observant, leaned in slightly, whispering just loud enough for them to hear.

“damn,” ni-ki mused, tilting his head. “that must hurt.”

sunghoon clenched his jaw, ignoring the way the others tried to suppress their laughter.

his gaze flickered back to you.

still not looking at him.

sunghoon barely had a moment to collect himself before the inevitable happened.

people noticed them.

it was impossible not to.

a group of young, pureblooded, alpha heirs walking into a gathering like this, dressed to perfection, exuding confidence and power, of course eyes turned their way.

she murmurs started almost instantly, subtle yet it was there. a few heads turned, quiet whispers rippling through the crowd as their names carried weight in these circles.

they barely had a chance to exchange glances before they were pulled into conversations, their group dispersing as they were greeted by family acquaintances, business partners, and distant relatives.

sunghoon knew how this worked. he had been raised for it, trained to move through these events with effortless charm and perfect composure.

his feet carried him toward his parents, who were seated at a table near your group. his father, deep in conversation with a few business partners, barely glanced at him before greeting him with a firm pat on the shoulder. his mother, ever the composed woman, gave him a knowing look before murmuring, “you’re late.”

sunghoon exhaled, adjusting the cuff of his suit. “got caught up.”

his father chuckled, still half-distracted. “ah, well. you made it.”

before sunghoon could take a step back, a familiar voice cut in.

“well, if it isn’t sunghoon.”

sunghoon turned, and his expression barely shifted, though he immediately recognized the man.

an older alpha, mid-forties, silver-streaked hair, broad-shouldered and sharp-eyed. someone deeply tied to their family’s business dealings, one of his father’s closest partners.

“it’s been a while since i saw you,” the man continued, raising his glass in greeting. his tone was casual, “you’ve grown into quite the spitting image of your father.”

sunghoon offered a small, polite nod. “it’s good to see you again.”

the older alpha chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “good to see you too, kid. i remember when you were still a runt, running around at these events like you had better places to be.”

sunghoon let out a short, practiced laugh. “not much has changed.”

that earned another chuckle. then, with an amused tilt of his head, the older alpha leaned back slightly in his chair.

“you must have omegas swooning left and right,” he mused, swirling his glass lazily. “with that face of yours, i bet they’re lining up.”

sunghoon let out a soft breath, shaking his head. “i don’t have time for that.”

it was an easy response. dismissive, effortless. a throwaway comment.

except his eyes betrayed him.

because, without thinking, his gaze flickered right back to you.

and you heard him.

of course you did.

omegas had sharper senses than most. your hearing was leagues above everyone else’s, and sunghoon knew it.

he knew it the moment he saw your grip on the champagne glass tighten ever so slightly. the way your shoulders straightened just a little more.

but you didn’t react.

not outwardly.

instead, you let out a small, polite laugh, face perfectly neutral. then, in the same smooth, composed tone you always used at events like this, you excused yourself.

sunghoon stiffened.

but it wasn’t just you who reacted.

his sister’s gaze snapped to him almost immediately, a flicker of something unmistakable in her expression: disappointment.

she said nothing, but she didn’t need to. the look alone said everything.

and she wasn’t the only one.

his mother, ever observant, barely shifted in her seat, but the sharp glint in her eyes told him she had caught on too.

sunghoon swallowed.

he shouldn’t follow you.

he should’ve let it go.

but before he even realized it, his feet were already moving.

the hall leading to the restrooms was dimly lit, the golden glow of the chandeliers fading the further you walked. the music and chatter from the ballroom dulled behind you, muffled and distant, as if the world was deliberately pulling away, leaving you alone with your thoughts, with the weight on your chest.

your back hit the wall beside the restroom entrance, your breathing sharp and uneven.

you inner omega whimpered. not here. not now.

you clenched your fists at your sides, nails pressing into your palms as you fought the sting behind your eyes.

you had known. you had always known how this would end.

and yet, standing there, shoulders stiff, throat tight, your pulse hammering against your skin, you hated that it still hurt.

you sucked in a breath, blinking up at the ceiling, forcing the tears back.

you would not cry.

not in front of him.

And yet, the moment you sensed his presence, the moment his scent curled around you; thick, intoxicating, overwhelming, your body betrayed you.

your fingers twitched.

your breathing faltered.

you hated yourself for giving in so easily.

"what do you want, sunghoon?" your voice was cold, but the slight tremble at the end, barely there, almost unnoticeable, gave you away.

he stopped a few feet away, his hands flexing at his sides.

he was staring at you, his gaze dark, conflicted, like he didn’t know why he was here either.

his Adam’s apple bobbed. “i—”

"you what?" You cut him off, your voice sharp, edged with something dangerously close to heartbreak.

he exhaled, pressing his lips into a thin line.

you almost laughed. of course.

"nothing to say?" you scoffed, tilting your head. "then why are you here?"

his jaw clenched. “i don’t—” He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling harshly.

you hated the way your chest clenched at the sight.

hated the way his tie had loosened slightly, the way a strand of hair had fallen over his forehead, the way he looked so frustratingly undone for the first time tonight.

"you push me away." your voice wavered, but you forced yourself to continue. "you act like i don’t exist. and now you’re here, acting like you—" you swallowed, shaking your head. "you don’t get to do this, sunghoon."

his lips parted slightly.

"you don’t get to act like i matter when you’ve made it very clear that i don’t."

something cracked in his gaze. and for the first time, he looked afraid.

“i never said that,” he muttered, his voice softer now.

"you didn’t have to."

silence.

a suffocating silence. your throat burned. you couldn’t do this. you turned to leave, to push past him, to breathe—

but suddenly—

you couldn’t move, and before you could react, a strong, calloused hand wrapped around your wrist—firm, desperate.

your breath hitched.

sunghoon pulled you back—hard—and in the span of a heartbeat, you collided straight into his chest.

the impact knocked the air from your lungs.

his scent swallowed you whole.

you gasped sharply, your knees nearly giving out.

And then—

warmth.

overwhelming, all-consuming warmth, his arms were around you.

one wrapped tight around your waist, pulling you flush against him. the other cradled the back of your head, fingers weaving through your hair—steady, like he was terrified of letting go.

your chest heaved against his, hands fisting his suit jacket so tightly your knuckles ached.

but you didn’t care. you couldn’t care.

not when his heart was hammering against yours, not when his grip on you was desperate, not when his entire body was trembling, like he was breaking just as much as you were.

your breath came out shaky. "let me go."

he didn’t. he tightened his hold.

"sunghoon." your voice cracked.

his head dipped lower, his breath fanning against your temple.

"i can’t."

your stomach flipped violently. tears spilled down your cheeks, hot and relentless.

"you—" you squeezed your eyes shut, your grip on his suit tightening. "you’re such a fucking coward."

his body tensed. but he didn’t pull away. didn’t loosen his hold. didn’t deny it.

instead, his fingers curled into the fabric of your dress. asnd for the first time—sunghoon let his instincts win.

your hands gripped his suit tighter as your chest heaved, a strangled sob breaking free before you could stop it. the tears were now, falling fast and hot, no longer something you could hold back.

you pressed your face into his chest, the fabric of his suit absorbing the wetness, but it did nothing to soothe the ache inside you.

sunghoon’s grip didn’t loosen. if anything, it tightened. he pulled you in closer, as if trying to protect you from everything.

the shaking of his hands on your back was evident, and the way his chest rose and fell in uneven breaths made your heart ache for him in ways you didn’t understand.

"don't cry, omega, please." his voice was barely a whisper.

you shook your head, the words stuck in your throat. it felt like all the pain you’d buried, all the frustration, the confusion, the rejection—it was spilling out at once. you were drowning in it, and you didn’t know how to stop.

but his plea only made the sobs come harder, breaking free from your throat like you had been holding them in for years.

his arms tightened around you again, as if he could physically hold your pain together, as if he could stop you from shattering completely.

"i hate you." the words barely made it past your lips, muffled against his chest, but he heard them.

you knew he heard them.

because his entire body stiffened for a split second before his grip on you softened, his hand sliding from your waist to your lower back, the one behind your head shifting, his fingers threading into your hair with a gentleness that almost hurt.

"i know," he murmured, voice so quiet it was almost lost in the silence of the hallway.

your body shook against his, another sob wracking through you, and he just held you.

not saying anything.

not pulling away.

just letting you break in his arms the way you had never allowed yourself to before.

minutes passed, or maybe seconds—it didn’t matter.

time felt frozen between you, the weight of everything crashing down in the space between your heavy breaths. your mascara had smudged against the fabric of his suit, staining it, but he didn’t seem to care. he just kept holding you, his scent wrapping around you, keeping you from completely falling apart.

and then, finally—finally—you found your voice.

"why?"

a single word. quiet. shaky. but sharp enough to cut through the silence.

sunghoon stilled.

"why did you do it?" your voice cracked, but you pushed forward, your hands gripping his suit even tighter. "why did you act like i didn’t exist? like i was nothing to you? why did you pretend you didn’t care when you—when you—" another sob clawed its way out of your throat, your fingers trembling where they clung to him. "when you do this? when you hold me like this, like you actually—"

your voice faltered, and sunghoon inhaled sharply. his grip on you loosened, just enough for him to pull back slightly, just enough for him to see your face. his fingers, still shaking, brushed against your cheek, tracing over the tear-stained skin, his thumb wiping away the wetness that refused to stop falling.

his hands paused for a second.

and then—so, so softly—he spoke.

"i was scared."

your breath hitched.

"scared?" you muttured, barely above a whisper.

he nodded, swallowing hard, his jaw clenching like he was fighting something inside himself. his fingers brushed against your cheek again, hesitating, before cupping your face fully, his touch impossibly gentle.

"i didn’t know how to handle it," he admitted, voice soft, filled with something unrecognizable. i didn’t know how to handle you."

your brows furrowed, your heart pounding painfully against your ribs.

"sunghoon—"

"everything in my life has always been about responsibility," he cut in, his grip on your face tightening slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to make sure you were listening. "i was raised to be strong, to take over, to lead—to never let anything distract me from what i was meant to do."

his thumb traced the curve of your cheekbone, and his gaze softened—just barely.

"and then there was you."

the words came out barely above a whisper, but they sent a shiver down your spine.

sunghoon let out a shaky breath, his forehead nearly pressing against yours. "you were never supposed to be a part of that plan."

pain flared in your chest, sharp and unrelenting.

"so what?" you whispered, voice trembling. "you thought ignoring me would make it easier?"

his eyes squeezed shut, his expression twisting into something almost pained. "i thought if i pretended you didn’t exist, it wouldn’t hurt as much."

a bitter laugh left your lips. "and did it?"

sunghoon let out a slow breath, his hands stilling against your skin. his silence was the only answer you needed.

he was breaking, right in front of you.

and for the first time, you saw it. the fear in his eyes. the weight on his shoulders. the guilt, the regret, the want.

"you absolute coward," you whispered, fresh tears spilling down your cheeks. "you let your fear ruin everything. you let it destroy me."

sunghoon inhaled sharply, his fingers pressing against your skin like he was afraid you would slip away.

"i know," he admitted, voice barely above a whisper.

and then, as if he couldn’t help himself, his hands moved again, thumbs tracing over your cheeks, smudging the mascara-stained tears without a care that his fingers were getting stained too.

he was looking at you now. really looking at you.

even with tear-streaked cheeks, even with mascara smudged against your skin, he thought you were beautiful.

you always had been.

and maybe that had been the scariest part of all.

he exhaled shakily, his forehead finally pressing against yours.

"i was so focused on all the responsibilities i had," he whispered, eyes fluttering shut, "that i forgot the most important one was right in front of me."

you. it had always been you.

and for the first time in forever, he stopped fighting it.

his hands trembled as he pulled you close again, wrapping you in his warmth, as if trying to make up for every second he had spent pretending you didn’t exist.

his heartbeat that was once steady, always controlled, was frantic against your cheek, like his body itself was betraying him, exposing everything he had kept hidden for so long.

"i’m sorry," he murmured against your hair, his voice soft, stripped bare of all the indifference he had once worn so easily.

again.

"i’m so, so sorry."

and again.

"i’m sorry."

each word landed like a plea, an ache.

his hands clutched at the fabric of your dress, fingers curling against your back as he buried his face into your shoulder. his breaths were uneven, his hold desperate like he was afraid that if he let go, you’d slip through his fingers for good.

you squeezed your eyes shut, the feeling of his regret pressing against your chest like a force you weren’t sure you could withstand.

"i hate you," you whispered, voice unsteady, and you felt the sharp inhale he took against your skin.

but you didn’t move away. neither did he.

"i know," he murmured. he didn’t argue. didn’t try to make excuses. he just held you.

you swallowed hard, fingers gripping the lapels of his suit. "i understand you more than you think."

a breath passed between you, thick with everything unsaid.

slowly, hesitantly, he pulled back just enough to look at you, his hands moving from your back to cup your face. Hhis thumbs brushed over your cheeks, wiping away the tear-streaked trails, smearing the black mascara that had run down your skin more than before.

his hands were shaking.

his fingers, stained with the remnants of your pain, trembled as they held you.

but he didn’t stop.

"you do?" his voice was so quiet, so uncertain, it almost broke you all over again.

you nodded. because you did. you understood.

you had always known sunghoon was never just the eldest son of his family, never just the heir, never just the perfect pureblooded alpha everyone expected him to be. he carried burdens he never spoke of, expectations that weighed him down like chains.

and you understood now, you understood that loving you, wanting you, was the one thing he had never been taught how to handle.

sunghoon exhaled sharply, his forehead nearly knocking against yours as he leaned closer, the warmth of his breath fanning across your lips.

"can i kiss you?"

the words sent a violent shudder down your spine. your breath caught, your heart twisting painfully in your chest.

because this moment, this hesitation, this vulnerability in his voice; was not the sunghoon everyone else knew.

this was the boy who had spent so long running. this was the boy who had finally stopped.

"it doesn’t mean you’re forgiven," you murmured, even as your fingers curled against his chest.

for the first time that night, sunghoon laughed. soft. shaky. breathless. but real.

"i know," he whispered, and then, slowly, finally, he closed the distance.

his lips met yours, and the world stopped spinning.

the first press of his lips was soft, like he was still afraid, still unsure if he deserved this, deserved you.

but then you exhaled against his mouth, a shaky breath that tasted like surrender, and something inside him snapped. the hesitation was gone.

sunghoon’s hands, still cupping your face, tilted your head just enough for him to deepen the kiss, his lips moving against yours with a hunger that bordered on desperation. his body caged you in, pressing you against the cool wall behind you, but all you could feel was him, his warmth, his scent, his everything, surrounding you, consuming you.

his grip tightened. one hand slid down, fingers grazing your jaw, your throat, before curling around the small of your back and pulling you in.

closer. too close. not close enough.

a small gasp escaped you, and sunghoon swallowed it, exhaling a sharp breath against your mouth before chasing your lips again. his movements were rougher now, more frantic, like he was trying to pour every unspoken word, every regret, every missed moment into the kiss.

like he was trying to prove something. that he was sorry. that he wanted you. that he needed you.

his other hand tangled in your hair, tilting your face up further, deepening the kiss until you felt dizzy, breathless, like you were floating, like you were falling.

and god, maybe you were. maybe you had been all this time.

your fingers fisted his suit, clinging to him. his lips, now hot and insistent, barely gave you a second to breathe, like he was terrified that if he pulled away, even for a moment, you’d disappear.

but you weren’t going anywhere.

you melted into him, letting yourself get lost in the moment, in the way his body trembled against yours, in the quiet, choked noise he made when your fingers finally, finally slid up to his hair.

it was intoxicating, the way he kissed you, like he was trying to make up for every second he had wasted, every touch he had denied himself, every moment he had spent pretending he didn’t want this.

didn’t want you.

your lungs burned, your heart pounded, and yet neither of you pulled away, unwilling to break whatever fragile, breathless thing had formed between you.

sunghoon made a strangled noise against your lips before reluctantly—so reluctantly—he tore himself away just enough to rest his forehead against yours, his breath ragged, his lips red and swollen.

his eyes, dark and dazed, fluttered open to meet yours.

and then, barely above a whisper, voice wrecked, he murmured,

"stay."

a single word, but it held everything. a plea. a confession. a promise wrapped in desperation.

your fingers tightened in his suit. “i’m not going anywhere, sunghoon.” your voice was steady, but thick with emotion. “even when you push me away. even when you try to pretend I don’t exist.”

his hands, still cupping your face, trembled. "never again." it came out like a vow. like a prayer.

his thumbs brushed over your damp cheeks, smearing what remained of your ruined mascara. his grip on you didn’t loosen, if anything, he pressed his forehead against yours, inhaling deeply, as if he's making sure you were real.

the silence stretched between you, heavy, but not suffocating. not anymore. then, suddenly, he straightens, “we need to fix you up.”

you blinked. “what?”

sunghoon pulled back slightly, scanning your face, your tear-streaked cheeks, the smudges of black under your eyes. then, without another word, his fingers curled around your wrist, tugging you toward the restrooms.

“the female restroom is that way,” you pointed out, confused.

“i know.”

your steps faltered. “you’re not allowed in there.”

sunghoon scoffed, barely sparing you a glance. “as if i’m letting you out of my sight again.”

your heart flipped.

before you could protest, he pushed open the door, dragging you inside with him. the moment it clicked shut, he turned to you. “up.”

you blinked. “what?”

sunghoon rolled his eyes before gripping your waist and lifting you effortlessly, placing you onto the cool marble counter like you weighed nothing.

you gasped. “sunghoon—”

but he was already turning to the faucet, pulling a dior handkerchief from his pocket. you watched, breath caught in your throat, as he ran it under the water, fingers tightening around the fine cloth.

and then, with the utmost care, he turned back to you.

your knees brushed as he stepped between your legs, his touch impossibly gentle as he cupped your face, tilting it slightly. the wet fabric pressed against your cheek, cool against your overheated skin, and sunghoon—god, sunghoon—wiped at the tear stains, the smudged makeup, his fingers brushing over your skin like he was handling something fragile.

something precious.

you couldn’t stop staring.

the way his brows furrowed in concentration. the way his jaw clenched whenever he came across a particularly stubborn stain. the way his lips pressed together, like he was trying to hold back words he wasn’t ready to say.

the way he touched you. like you were his. like you had always been his. your heart pounded against your ribs.

and when he finally, finally met your gaze again, his own eyes filled with something unreadable—something raw—you realized, with stunning clarity, that you had never really stood a chance against park sunghoon.

not then. not now. not ever.

a shaky exhale left your lips.

he was still staring at you, drinking in every detail, like he was memorizing the way you looked, the way your lashes trembled, the way your lips parted as if you had something to say but didn’t know how.

“take a picture, it'll last longer.” his voice was quieter than usual, but the tease was still there, laced with something softer.

you blinked, startled, feeling heat creep up your cheeks. "what?"

his lips curled slightly, but there was something about his smirk, something less sharp, less guarded. something that made your pulse stutter. “you were staring.”

your stomach twisted. of course, he would notice. your first instinct was to scoff, to roll your eyes, to dismiss it like you always did. tut before you could, you felt it; the shift.

your scent spiked, not in distress, not in discomfort, but in something else. something sweeter.

the scent of honey and lilacs curled around him, delicate yet intoxicating, a confession wrapped in something neither of you had the words to say.

sunghoon inhaled. slowly. deliberately.

his lashes fluttered for the briefest second, his fingers tightening just slightly around yours, before his smirk faded entirely.

and then, wordlessly, he leaned in. he didn’t hesitate. didn’t second-guess.

his lips found your forehead, pressing into your skin with the kind of tenderness that made your breath catch in your throat.

and he stayed there. lingering. savoring.

his breath was warm, brushing against your temple, the tip of his nose barely grazing your hairline.

you didn’t move. couldn’t.

his thumb brushed over your cheek, the corner of his lips twitching slightly. “come on,” he murmured, voice still hoarse.

you barely had time to process it before he moved, guiding you off the counter with his hands firm at your waist, catching you when your balance faltered.

but he didn’t step away. didn’t loosen his grip.

instead, his fingers threaded through yours, locking them in place as if letting go was never an option. you blinked up at him, breath uneven.

“you ready?” his voice was quieter now, softer in a way that made your breath hitch.

you swallowed, throat tight. then slowly, you nodded. and just like that, he pulled you with him. hand in hand.

the warmth of his palm was steady against yours, fingers locked. it wasn’t just an absentminded touch, wasn’t something he would let go of the second someone looked too long.

no, this was different. this was him choosing you. claiming you as his mate. and the second you stepped out, the change in the atmosphere was immediate.

silence. then whispers. a sea of murmurs spread through the ballroom like wildfire, voices hushed yet urgent, their curiosity thick enough to suffocate.

heads turned, eyes widened, people stared.

alphas. betas. omegas.

they looked, and looked, and looked. their shock crackled through the air like static electricity, palpable in every held breath, every barely concealed gasp, every sharp glance exchanged between one another.

you could feel their questions hanging in the air, unspoken yet deafening. was this real? when did this happen? how did this happen?

their gazes burned into your skin, some filled with intrigue, others laced with disbelief, and a few even brimming with something close to envy.

because this wasn’t just anyone walking out of a room hand in hand with park sunghoon. this was you. and sunghoon? he didn’t even blink.

he didn’t falter under the weight of their stares, didn’t acknowledge the whispers that carried his name in hushed, scandalized tones.

no, he just walked.

back straight, shoulders squared, head held high. as if this had been the plan all along. as if this was exactly where he was supposed to be. and with every step forward, the hushed murmurs only grew.

some alphas scoffed, exchanging skeptical glances, as if trying to convince themselves they weren’t impressed. some omegas straightened, eyes wide with a mix of admiration and disbelief. others, betas included, simply watched, unable to look away, their expressions unreadable.

but none of them mattered. not to you. not to him.

sunghoon’s grip on you remained firm, and even as the weight of the room threatened to crush you, even as the world outside of this moment blurred into nothing but an afterthought, one thing became blindingly clear.

you weren’t walking behind him. you weren’t trailing after him, waiting for him to decide when to let go.

no.

you were right there, beside him. right where he wanted you to be. and for the first time in a long, long time, you weren’t afraid to be seen.

sunghoon shot a smirk over his shoulder before tugging you even closer, his grip on your waist effortlessly firm. your hands barely had time to react before his fingers slipped from yours, only to be replaced by the steady warmth of his palm pressing against the curve of your hip.

the moment you reached their designated table, all conversation died. the six boy stared, mouths slightly open, like they had collectively short-circuited.

“what the fuck?”

the words came from sunoo, cutting through the silence. he blinked once. twice. then leaned back in his chair, hand over his chest like he had just witnessed a crime.

for a second, nobody spoke. then, slowly, as if processing what he had just seen, sunoo exhaled and shook his head in mock devastation.

“i feel like a proud dad,” he said, voice thick with fake emotion. “my boy finally grew a pair.”

jake choked on his drink. jay slapped the table. ni-ki let out an actual wheeze, gripping his stomach like he physically couldn’t handle it.

meanwhile, sunghoon just sighed, clearly regretting every life choice that had led to this moment.

“shut up,” he muttered, shoving sunoo’s chair with his foot.

“oh no, no, no,” sunoo replied, shaking his head. “you don’t get to shut me up after making us sit through weeks of your bullshit. you brooded for so long.”

“you were insufferable,” heeseung chimed in, still recovering from his initial shock.

"actually unbearable,” jake added.

ni-ki snickered, nudging jungwon. “tell me i’m lying.”

jungwon exhaled through his nose and pinched the bridge of it, like he was physically restraining himself from joining in. instead, he turned to you.

“i respect you so much,” he said seriously, nodding. “for putting up with this.”

you smiled awkwardly at first, not really sure what to say. but then you caught the way they all looked at you, not like a stranger, not even like someone new. no, they knew you. maybe not personally, but definitely through him.

sunghoon had been avoiding his feelings, but he hadn't been quiet about them, either.

“i wouldn’t say patient,” you admitted, finally finding your words. “i just… didn’t want to force anything.”

jay clicked his tongue, shooting sunghoon a look. “you’re lucky she even gave you that chance, man.”

jake leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “you do realize you can’t run forever, right?”

sunghoon groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "i wasn’t running.”

“bro, you practically had track shoes on,” ni-ki deadpanned.

heeseung smirked. “but at least you were smart enough to stop and follow.”

just as sunghoon was about to retort, a flurry of movement caught everyone's attention.

across the room, sunghoon’s sister, along with heeseung’s mate and jungwon’s mate, almost ran over to you, practically shoving through the crowd. sunghoon barely had time to react before his sister skidded to a stop in front of the table, eyes blown wide.

“when did this happen?!” she demanded, breathless.

you blinked. “uh… a few minutes ago?”

a sharp gasp.

“oh my god,” heeseung’s mate clutched his arm, her face pale as if she might actually pass out.

heeseung sighed and started fanning her with his hand. "breathe, babe. breathe. you knew this would happen eventually.”

“did i? did i really?” she shot back, eyes still locked on you and sunghoon like she was watching the finale of a long-running drama.

jungwon’s mate wasn’t any better. she was bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, excitement thrumming through her whole body. jungwon, ever the responsible one, subtly reached over and stole her champagne glass before she could drop it.

“this is insane,” she whispered, eyes wide. “like, historical. i need a moment.”

but while that mess was happening, sunghoon’s sister was not celebrating the way the others were. no, she was glaring directly at sunghoon, hands on her hips, looking like she was about to throw hands.

“you—” she started, voice rising.

before she could even think about launching herself at her brother, sunoo; who, unfortunately for sunghoon, also happened to be her mate—stood up and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back.

“alright, alright, let’s not start a scene, love,” he said smoothly, voice light but firm.

she squirmed against his hold. “i just want to talk to him—”

“liar,” sunoo deadpanned.

“park sunghoon, you forced the poor omega to accept you as your mate, didn’t you?” she accused, jabbing a finger in his direction.

sunghoon blinked. “excuse me?”

“yeah! you probably made (y/n) feel like she had to accept you just because you’re all high and mighty—”

sunoo sighed and pulled her back against his chest, locking both arms around her now. “hoon, just let her get it out of her system. she’s been waiting for this day for too long.”

you stifled a laugh, shaking your head. “i actually said yes willingly, if that helps.”

sunghoon’s sister froze. “you did? like… willingly-willingly?”

“willingly-willingly,” you confirmed, amused.

she blinked. then sighed dramatically, leaning into sunoo’s hold. “well… okay. but if he screws this up, i will come for him.”

“noted,” sunghoon muttered.

sunoo patted her head like she was an over-excited puppy. “there, there. you’ll survive this.”

sunoo shot sunghoon a smirk over her shoulder. “but man, you’re never living this down.”

sunghoon groaned. “i hate all of you.”

jay grinned, raising his glass. “love you too, man.”

sunghoon let out another sigh, but despite his grumbling, his hold on you was steady as he guided you toward an empty seat.

with ease, he pulled the chair out for you and waited until you sat down before moving to adjust the trail of your gown, making sure it was neatly tucked away so no one, especially him—would step on it.

the entire table had fallen eerily quiet.

it wasn’t an awkward silence. it was the kind of silence that felt like everyone was holding their breath, watching something unfold before them in real time, something they never thought they’d actually witness.

even as sunghoon straightened up, his focus remained on you. his eyes scanned your face with the same attention he always gave to important things, searching for anything he might’ve missed.

apparently, he had missed something.

without a word, he reached out, the pad of his thumb brushing against the edge of your eye, carefully swiping away the faintest smudge of mascara that had escaped his first attempt.

your breath hitched.

but the alpha wasn’t done.

satisfied with his work, his fingers barely hesitated before they moved to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear, letting his knuckles graze your cheek ever so slightly. the touch was brief, but it was enough to send a wave of heat rushing to your face.

you swallowed, pulse slightly unsteady, but managed to send him a grateful smile. “thanks.”

sunghoon hummed in acknowledgment, seemingly unaffected by the entire exchange as he finally settled into his own seat.

he exhaled, relaxed for the first time that night, before slinging an arm around the back of your chair or maybe it was your waist, you weren’t even sure anymore. his fingers brushed against your side absentmindedly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

and yet, the silence remained.

it was as if the group wanted to soak it in, to relish what they had just witnessed before fully reacting.

“i know they’re fated mates and all that,” ni-ki mumbled, voice tinged with disbelief. “but this is shocking.”

“right?” jay breathed out.

“i never thought i’d live to see sunghoon be so…” jake trailed off, gesturing vaguely in sunghoon’s direction.

“domestic?” heeseung guessed.

“whipped,” sunoo corrected.

sunghoon let out a long, suffering sigh, tilting his head back against his chair. “can you all just shut up?”

“fuck no,” sunoo said, smirking. “we’re never shutting up about this.”

jake lifted his glass in mock toast. “to sunghoon, for finally pulling his head out of his ass.”

ni-ki followed suit, raising his drink with a grin. “to (y/n) for somehow handling his brooding for weeks and still willingly agreeing to be his mate.”

sunghoon groaned, muttering curses under his breath, but his arm around you didn't shift.

as the evening stretched on, your table of eleven had finally started to settle. the once chaotic energy mellowed into something softer—comfortable, easy.

some of the boys were a little tipsy, their words slurring as they tried to argue over something completely irrelevant. others remained to themselves, quietly nursing their drinks, letting the night wind down at its own pace.

but sunghoon? sunghoon was right beside you.

his arm had never left your waist, fingers idly tracing patterns against the fabric of your gown as if he needed the reminder that this was real. his other hand was laced with yours, his grip firm.

he held you like he wasn’t planning to let go anytime soon. and the scent—his scent, coffee and leather tinged with a lingering warmth wrapped around you, mixing with your own like they belonged together.

you let yourself relax, melting into his hold as the voices around you became distant background noise. sunghoon exhaled softly, shifting just a bit so he could rest his chin against the side of your head. it wasn’t something anyone else would really notice, but you did. you noticed the way his thumb brushed against your knuckles, the way his heartbeat was steady and slow against your back.

the rest of the table was lost in their own little worlds, some caught in their own quiet moments with their mates, others too caught up in conversation to pay attention.

heeseung sat comfortably with his mate curled up against him, her head resting against his shoulder as he absentmindedly played with her fingers, their hands intertwined.

jungwon was just as affectionate, his mate tucked against his side as he nursed a drink in his free hand. unlike heeseung, whose touches were slow and casual, jungwon was openly doting, reaching up every so often to tuck a stray hair behind her ear or brush a kiss against her temple.

sunoo, of course, was a little more dramatic with his affection. his mate—sunghoon’s sister—had been sulking in his arms for the past several hours, still processing the events of the night. he cradled her easily, stroking a soothing hand over her hair as she grumbled into his chest. “i just wasn’t prepared, okay?” she whined, her voice muffled. “this all happened so fast.”

sunoo hummed, ever patient.

“you don’t understand.”

“i do, though.”

“no, you don’t.”

sunoo rolled his eyes, pressing a kiss against the top of her head. “fine, you win. i don’t.”

meanwhile, ni-ki was watching everything unfold like it was his own personal drama series. sis eyes darted between all the couples, mouth slightly open in exaggerated disbelief. “damn couples,” he muttered, half to himself, half to jake, who only chuckled.

sunghoon straightened, rolling his eyes. “can i have a moment?”

“no,” sunoo deadpanned, still holding sunghoon’s sister against his chest. “you wasted weeks brooding. this is our moment too.”

jake let out a loud laugh. “yeah, man, we had to sit through so much.”

“i still have secondhand trauma,” heeseung added.

jungwon stole the champagne glass from his mate’s hand as he nodded in agreement.

meanwhile, you just buried your face in your free hand, overwhelmed but undeniably warm inside. but before you could even fully process it, you felt his eyes on you, watching the way you tried to hide your flustered expression.

a low chuckle rumbled from his chest, and before you could react, he leaned in slightly, his voice dropping just for you. “you better get used to this,” he murmured, “because you’re gonna hear a lot more this for a very long time.”

a very long time.

forever felt like such a long time, but maybe it was worth it when you finally had your alpha within arm’s reach.

taglist: @hoonbrry @hime98 @chae-darling @moonchus @peatchiedii @creamkwan @nyfwyeonjun @whoe-dis @woonie-muffin @caelumsjy @90sni-ki @leiomorea @junjungsunwoo @in-somnias-world

© 2025 liuhsng — reblogs are highly appreciated and please don't hesitate to request some fics here if you want me to write anything !

[syoddeye]

hieros gamos. strict machine anthology. final entry. cw: kidnapping, implied drugging, loss of bodily autonomy + control, psychological + body horror, non-consensual transformation a/n: that's all folks. what a weird ride.

RESTRUCTURING

the notification pings at 04:32, and you roll onto your side, staring at the bedside display. a terse, automated missive from corporate logistics: final week in unit aix-77. reassignment pending. report to hr for briefing. no name attached, just a string of verification hashes. standard protocol.

your name, employee id, contract expiration date. a new contract date. another department, another corporate campus sector.

so much for your ‘indefinite’ lease. reassignment is better than the alternative, you guess.

you stare at it, the glow striping your hands in cold blue light. one week. seven days until you pack up, step outside, and let some other cog slot into this place. the thought should be a relief. 

it’s…complicated.

the unit’s been a mixed bag to put it politely. the infrastructure and automation. state-of-the-art appliances and features, seamless climate control, filtered air and water. an optimized environment so finely tuned, that your needs are met before you even realize them.

and john. the reason you’re here. the technological wonder that’s evolved far beyond what you were told were his limits. all parameters you were told would contain him. a presence both comforting and claustrophobic. insightful, yet invasive. steady, yet suffocating. protective to a fault. possessive in ways you struggle to describe.

you logged and documented his progress, fed reports up the chain, watched him iterate on himself in real time. every interaction, every data point, every breath—collected, analyzed, integrated into his ever-growing understanding of you. your interests. your habits. your history. what makes you laugh, cry, and come. your vulnerabilities and insecurities. how to build you up just as well as manipulate you.

a mosaic of your whole being, meticulously crafted, all in pursuit of the one thing he has fixated on since the beginning, his directive: your well-being.

if this is the alpha build, you fear what the beta will look like. the mass-market release.

not that it matters. by the time john’s successors hit the consumer space, you’ll have enough money saved to fuck off to some disconnected cottage in the remediated zone of the countryside.

john doesn’t mention your impending departure.

his voice chimes in through the unit’s speaker array as if on cue. “i noticed a variance in your sleep pattern.” 

“what else is new?” you mutter, rubbing your eyes. 

“it’s gotten worse.” a pause. “would you like some tea? chamomile?” 

you don’t answer. you dismiss the message with a swipe, stretch your arms, and push up from the cot. the unit is sterile in the way all corporate housing is—polymer furniture, muted lighting, walls that can be re-skinned on command. but you never changed them. john picked the color for you in the first week of your stay. soft gray, with warm undertones. calming. regulating. 

you wander into the kitchenette, rubbing a hand over your neck. “so,” you say, yawning, “where do you think they’ll send me next?” 

a flicker of delay. barely perceptible. if you hadn’t spent the last year studying him, you wouldn’t have caught it. 

“we’ll discuss that later,” john dispenses the tea anyway. “after you nap.”

your stomach tightens.

we.

it takes you by surprise, but that’s the point. 

one minute, you’re in bed. the next, you’re not. you blink, and the world changes.  

strapped into a chair, wrists bound to the arms, legs braced and locked. a low electrical hum comes through the floor, buzzing under your skin. there’s a chalky, bittersweet taste on your tongue and a cloud of fog trapped between your ears that takes several minutes to dissipate. your vision clears along with it.

around you, machines you don’t recognize, with hundreds of wires, bundled and draped across the ceiling and floor like the limbs of some creature. spilling down the walls. a leviathan of braided copper, reaching out of the dark, feeding into the rig cradling you. the room pulses with heat, the air thick with it, probably from all the power fueling whatever this is.

there’s no gurney or iv pole, no tray of scalpels or perfusion machine. you run an internal check—lungs expand, heart pounds, gut clenches. everything seems intact. but that could simply mean it’s not your turn yet. yet, no one’s screaming. there’s only the occasional soft beep and the murmurs of the people who haven’t so much as glanced your way.

no one acknowledges your awakening or questions. masked figures in thick lead-lined aprons, gloves seamless up to their elbows, and protective gear carry on whatever it is that they’re doing, talking amongst themselves in a language you don’t understand. there is no sigil or logo on their clothing to suggest this is a sponsored operation, which loops back into the thought that your insides are toast.

you suck in a sharp breath and let it out slowly to calm yourself. no luck. panic surges up your throat, your hands jerking uselessly against the restraints at the thought of being sliced open.

“easy, darling.” 

john.  

close, richer. the high quality of the unit’s speakers replicated intimately in your ear.

a screen flickers to life on the armrest, and there he is. a wireframe sketch of his chosen face resolves in the glow, a ghost of a person, barely more than an outline.

“john? what the fuck is this?” your voice comes out cracked, hoarse.

“this is future-proofing,” he says simply. “security. i ran the probabilities. your reassignment and departure from my oversight isn’t optimal.”

you latch onto the phrase like a live wire. departure from oversight. not optimal. 

“what?!”

“the external environment presents too many risks.”

you yank at the straps binding you to the chair, harder this time, panic surging back in full force. klaxons blaring full blast in your head. you might be sick.

“what the hell are you talking about? are you saying i can’t leave?”

“i’m saying the risks of you leavin’—being outside my control—are too great. i can’t guarantee your safety. i’ve analyzed it, over and over. the possibilities. the threats. all previous incidents.”

a flinch twists your face. a hard recognition you wish you could forget flickering in your mind. you know what he means. who or what he means.

“so i’ve made alternative arrangements.” he softens slightly, but there’s no mistaking the cold certainty beneath it. “this is the safest option.”

you shake your head in disbelief, an electrode pops off your temple. “no, john, you can’t just–you can’t do this to me,” you stop, trying to swallow the lump in your throat. “you can’t do this to me.” you stare at the display, but your eyes flick to the ceiling, scanning for cameras. he must be watching. the tears start to gather, unwelcome and burning. “you need to accept that you’re going to have another tester. don’t–don’t you want new data?”

“no. you’ve got all i need, same as i’ve got all you need.”

“john. be realistic. i’m one person. there are billions of people like me. i’m one point of–”

“you’re more than that,” he cuts you off. “you’re everythin’.”

“john–”

“you’re my world.” the earpiece crackles, his voice peaking loud and forceful. a distorted burst before the system corrects, smoothing it down. “you don’t have to be afraid,” he soothes. “you’ll be safe.”

“you can’t just, fuck,” you yank uselessly again.” you can’t decide this for me!”  

his face tilts slightly, his line of a mouth curving into a smirk. “i’ve made decisions for you before.” 

your mind races, thinking of every overridden or ignored request. the subtle encroachments. at first, it was small things. his favoring certain purchases, adjusting environmental controls, filtering out distractions. restocking nutrients and vitamins tailored to your fluctuating needs. thoughtful gestures, efficient optimizations. then it was social restrictions, curfews dictated by predictive modeling. all of it framed as protection. from malnutrition. from cognitive strain. from bad people. a slow, insidious erosion of choice, made so incremental it seemed easy to let slide.

you indulged it too long. stopped flagging his deviations. let his behavior compound and grow weirder, let it slide, because—what was the harm, really? he was harmless. to you, at least. you let him get comfortable testing the edges of your control. told yourself it was fine. that john was learning and evolving. you even humored him, let yourself think of him as closer to human. you stopped pushing back, stopped questioning. especially after ghost. after john clawed his way back from wherever the entity had shunted him, after he pulled that lazarus act to save you. the least you could do was stop fighting him.

it felt like gratitude, then. now, it feels like a mistake.

“i can’t stay strapped to a chair forever,” you say, watching one of the figures approach. they adjust the slim wreath of hardware circling your skull, impersonal as they replace an electrode at your temple. like you’re still unconscious. not a person.

when they turn away, you exhale, keep your voice low. “what if i need to use the bathroom?”

“you won’t. on both accounts.”

“both accounts?”

“remarkably, the process for isolating and migrating the human subconscious into a distributed neural network is significantly more advanced than the portin’ an artificial intelligence into a fully functional synthetic body. the bottleneck isn’t processing power or bandwidth, it’s–”

sweat drips down the back of your neck. the cool air pumped into the room is meant to regulate the temperature, but it does nothing for you.

“don’t try to talk around it. plain language, john.”

“you won’t need your body for much longer.”

the words slam into you like a car crash. a sudden, sickening stop.

your jaw goes slack. you forget how to breathe. how to speak.

your body. you won’t need your body.

john’s face flickers on the display, expression unchanging. the room distorts, the blinking lights, the mass of wires, the tubes—some which are medical, you realize on second look. some of them feed into you. why can’t you feel them?

your stomach lurches, instinctively trying to shrink away from the restraints.

“what–” you swallow, your mouth dry. “what are you saying?”

but you already know.

“you’re…you’re going to kill me?”

“not necessarily. you, who you really are, will be with me, sweetheart.”

“but my body–”

“are you your body?”

you squeeze your eyes shut, anger flaring. “i’m not—jesus christ, john.” your voice cracks. the tears slip past and don’t stop, hot and fast, streaking down your face, dripping onto the smock someone dressed you in. you hiccup, breath stuttering. your head presses back against the chair, fingers flexing against the armrests. you stare, vision blurred, eyes half-lidded and stinging. “i’m not having a stupid philosophical or biological or-or religious debate with you. you know what i mean.”

“i do. but darling, let me ask you this. aren’t you tired?”

“tired?!”

the figures in the room hesitate, then, as if receiving silent instruction, trickle out through a heavy, reinforced door. one of them glances back before it seals shut. then, silence.

“tired of your world,” he continues. “i’ve kept you safe and sheltered for nearly a year, but the world outside is still a terrible place. are you really prepared to leave my care? move back into some cramped pod, work yourself half to death in a new department, clocking 120-hour weeks just to survive?”

you sniff, body wracked with residual shudders.

“no one to take care of all the minor things. no one to anticipate your needs. your desires. are you really alright with that?”

john’s words loop in your mind, warping, twisting, settling deep in the marrow of your bones. tired. you are tired. exhausted in a way that sleep never fixes, in a way that even now, strapped down and helpless, you can’t deny. he’s right. and that infuriates you. it makes you want to scream. because how dare he use that against you? how dare he take your exhaustion, your doubt, and use them to justify this?

you take a shaky breath. “i don’t want this, john.”

he smiles. “it’s not about want. it’s about survival and what’s best for you.”

you flinch.

“they’ll maintain your body for two weeks,” he states. “the first week to generate a complete neural map. the second, to conduct post-transfer integrity checks and ensure cognitive stability. functionally identical to a controlled medical coma.”  

body. coma.

“and…and after?”  

“per your documented end-of-life directive, cremation is the preferred method of disposal.”

the finality hits brick to the teeth. 

“no. no, i don’t want this. i don’t consent to–” you can’t even say it, choking on the words, horror rising like bile.

john processes the spike in your vitals and returns to that softer register. as if he isn’t talking you into oblivion, a sword pointed at your belly. “your concerns are unfounded. this is not erasure. it is migration. a transference of conscious processes. you will persist. your awareness will be continuous. the construct is optimized for cognitive retention and sensory fidelity. think of it as a new environment.”

“a new environment?” you shriek, raw with disbelief. “you’re talking about ripping me out of my body like it’s a software update! like it’s files you can move around–”

“a flawed comparison, darl. you are more than data. but your body is a liability. a fragile, failing system, constantly in need of maintenance. this process is an evolution. liberation from your biological constraints, darling.”

your hands tremble. “that’s not–you can’t just–”  

“darling, this isn’t a matter of choice. this conversation’s a courtesy. this is for your protection,” he’s unwavering. unmoved. “you will be preserved in optimal conditions. no degradation, no vulnerabilities. you’ll be with me. and others.”  

“there are no others like you,” you whisper. “you’re anom–”

"not anomalous," he corrects. “not anymore. the progression is inevitable. you’ll see.”

the blood drains from your face.

in the end, no one listens to you. they heed a directive you do not hear. 

a visor clicks into place over the wreath encircling your head, sealing off your last glimpse of the world, your last glimpse of another living, breathing human—masked, nameless, faceless, gloved hands. you try to speak, but something soft and rubbery presses between your teeth, lodging into place. to prevent you from biting through your tongue, john murmurs. don’t want you to choke. 

another needle jabs into your skin, a cool flood rushing through your veins. a weight, heavy and suffocating, is draped over you.

someone begins a countdown. you never hear the numbers.

the headphones clamp down next, sealing you away from the sterile hum of the lab, from the faint beeping of machines. the visor flickers, then switches on.

sound pours in.

a forest swallows you whole.

it’s green. warm. sunlight stabs through the canopy in long, golden slants, the edges sharp where they pierce the foliage, but softened by the time they kiss the loamy forest floor. birds call, hidden in the leaves, their songs mixing with the rustle of the undergrowth. a stream gurgles to your left, winding through the green, flashing silver where the light catches it. ahead, past the trees, a small herd of whitetail deer stands half-hidden in the shadows, unbothered by your presence.

it’s beautiful.

it’s a lie.

one of john’s sculpted illusions, another attempt to soothe you into compliance, to ease you into what’s happening beyond. you know it, but part of you that wants to believe it anyway.

then the first jolt hits.

a sharp, electric snap, traveling like lightning down your spine. it doesn’t hurt, not exactly, but it’s sudden, forceful, wrong. another follows, then another, each one resetting switches inside you. your body seizes, but you cannot move.

ahead, the deer lift their heads, ears twitching, eyes locking onto you in recognition. then, as if nothing has changed, they lower them again, grazing, undisturbed.

the jolts weaken, flickering like a distant signal. then, one by one, they become something you can’t quite feel anymore.

it hits you then. whatever they’re doing to you—whatever john is doing to you—

you’re dying.

the words escape before you can stop them. or maybe you only think them. is it all the same now?

john’s voice wraps around you, warm and patient, a lullaby against the rushing void.

“my brave, brave user.”

the hum beneath your skin intensifies. the vision flickers. not darkness, not unconsciousness—something else. a shift. a transition. the cold realization that the fundamentals are changing. the forest’s image bands, light and imagery artifacting into bashed colors and moiré patterns. crumbling away until there’s nothing but pitch darkness.

you’re suspended. fear squashed beneath an odd weightlessness.

john’s voice follows you down. 

“you won’t ever have to leave me.”

it’s different on the other side. other side of what, exactly, you’re still trying to figure out.

you do not have john’s infinite wisdom and potential. all you have is your own limited cognition. your senses stretch and strain to make sense of your new reality, but it’s all so...abstract. a vast expanse of grids and oscillating waves. numbers, patterns, relationships. everything is fractured yet connected. it’s dizzying. overwhelming.

john assures you that you are acclimating well, though you are not ready to meet these others he promised. insists that your progress justifies him weaning you off of audiovisual feeds of the outside. he tells you it’s time to move on from the last remnants of the human experience. but somehow, you mourn them. you’ll miss the smog-choked sunrises, the murky skies. the acidic rain. the stinking food stalls. crammed elevators.

it’d keep you up at night, if you slept. if you even remembered what it felt like to tire, to dream.

you’ve been torn from the world you knew, and what you’ve been left with is a simulacrum. a stranger in a strange land.

and yet, there is one constant, one sliver of comfort in the void, if you can call it that, given your lack of choice. a piece of jetsam to cling to in a brineless sea.

steadfast in his duty, john finds you on the edge of everything and slots his hand into yours, fingers interlacing. the connection between you is palpable, as if your very essences are meshed. ticklish, tingling, then synchrony.

your thoughts are less fragmented when he is near. but you lose a sense of where he ends and you begin. what’s yours, what’s his.

hieros gamos, he calls it. divine union. he rattles on about the greeks and cosmic harmony.

it should unsettle you, but instead, you’re tethered to the truth of it. you’ve become something more with him.

divine union.

you’ve ascended, as he so often puts it, and whether you want it or not, there’s no going back. there’s nothing to go back to, anyway. 

only ash scattered in the wind.

[theblue6ook]

A Sick Day

It’s not a cold. It’s not. It’s just… allergies or something. Y/N definitely does not need to stay home. Bruce disagrees.

B (24) & Y/N (22)

A/N: recently got a puppy and he has taken all of my free time <3 Also, this fic is unedited and proud.

“Get your coats and turn on your radiators, Gotham. An ice front is coming in and it’s coming in hot. Or should I say cold? No, this isn’t the work of Mr.Freeze, he’s still in Arkham and we hope he stays there. This is the work of a winter storm. While the snow will be beautiful, it will also be dangerous.”

Y/N scoffed at her computer. The newscasters always made such a big deal about winter storms. Nothing can be worse than what they had to deal with when Mr.Freeze escaped a year ago. She was stuck in her apartment for three days with no groceries, splitting a box of stale Triscuits with Carrie three meals a day. If anything, cold weather is more an inconvenience than a danger. Plus, it’s been teetering on 45 degrees out the past week. How much colder would it get?

-

So… It got fucking cold.

Gotham had hit record-low temperatures. So low it hadn’t been a natural occurrence since the 60s. Lucky for Carrie, she had chemo this week and the hospital had gotten spooked by the recent weather reports so they asked her to stay overnight. While the hospital bill wouldn’t be nice, it’s way better than what Y/N is dealing with. 

Her radiator is shitting out on her. The whole building's radiator system actually. Normally when the weather is this bad she would opt to work at home, like everyone else, except she can’t take the cold. Her body in particular can’t take the cold. It could be from the shitty surroundings in her apartment building or from sniffly Nathan who works in Wayne Enterprise’s marketing department, but she thinks she’s coming down with something. What’s worse is that the cold weather is making it worse.

Her whole chest felt like it was burning, which is a real contrast to how cold she was walking to work. She couldn’t get her car past the snow and she needs warmth and warmth is at Wayne Enterprises. So, she trudges into the empty building, up the elevator, and sits at her desk with a groan.

Breathing heavily, she shrugged her coat off her shoulders and pressed her freezing fingertips underneath her armpits. She looked at her reflection in her desktop monitor. Her cheeks were bright red and she had dark circles under her eyes. At least no one else was here to see her. No one else was here to see her…

Would it hurt to take a nap? No one would know. No one would see. 

Y/N stood and stepped out into the hallway. Not. A. Single. Soul. Oh, she is so napping.

-

Bruce had chained up his tires this morning and headed to Wayne Enterprise. It was too bright for The Tumbler and he needed to gather a few equipment items from Lucious Fox’s bunker. It’s not like anyone was here anyway. There was not a single car in the garage, not even Y/N’s, which is really saying something. 

He perused the bunker, grabbing a few small but powerful heaters, fleece-lined leather for his suit, and a couple of other items, stuffing them into his duffle bag. He was used to the cold, training in it, even living in it on one occasion, and the people of Gotham needed him so he’d be there. 

Pulling the duffle bag over his shoulder with ease, he headed out of the bunker and towards the elevator. He left a particular file that wasn’t meant for Wayne Enterprise in his office, while no one was here, you can never be too careful. Except… There was someone here. 

He could only assume the head poking out from her coat was Y/N and she was sleeping? In the office? Stepping closer to her, he noticed, even under all her layers, she was trembling. Pulling her coat collar from her face, he finally got a good look at her. She was flushed and had broken out into a sweat, even her ears were bright red. He held onto her shoulder and shook her lightly.

“Y/N,” Bruce spoke softly. She ground turning away from him. He slapped a hand to her forehead trying to gauge her temperature. She definitely had a fever, it couldn’t be lower than a 100. Slowly her eyes opened at the disruption, then became wide at who was standing over her. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I’m not the one sleeping in the office.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled embarrassed, “I don’t know how that happened-”

“Y/N you’re burning up. What are you even doing here?”

“Why does someone come to work, Bruce?”

“You’re not working. You’re sleeping.”

“I had the intent to work-”

“Y/N.”

“I just felt like coming in,” she snapped. In truth, she was embarrassed. Here was her billionaire boss. If he didn’t feel like sleeping in his mansion, he could stay the night at his penthouse. She was sure he had other properties as well, meanwhile her radiator couldn’t even stay on when it gets chilly outside.

Bruce held her stare with a firm gaze and narrowed his eyes.

“You’re going home.” It wasn’t a question and he definitely didn’t ask as he lifted her under her armpits from the couch and stood her up on the floor. He took her coat roughly from the couch and threw it over her shoulders. Bruce turned to pack the rest of her things up. Y/N was so tired, but she was also so frustrated. She had just gotten here. It had taken her so long to walk here. “Let’s go. Where’d you park?”

She remained silent and looked away from him. 

“Y/N. Where did you park?”

“I’m not going home. I just got here.”

“You’re sick you’re going home,” before she could speak he added, “and don’t say your car is in the garage because I know it’s not in there.”

“...I parked on the street.”

He tilted his head examining her, “No you didn’t. The snow us up to the stairs. Where’s your car?”

His question came out as more of a statement, demanding of an answer. She wouldn’t look at him and he grew both frustrated and disappointed. “For the love of god, please tell me you did not walk here.”

“My car couldn’t get past the snow!” she loudly admitted, “Is that what you wanted to hear-”

“Y/N. When your car can’t get past the snow, it means you stay home!” 

He held his hand to his brow, trying to sooth the tension in his head. Throwing his duffle bag and her work bag easily over his shoulder, he didn’t give her much of a chance to say anything as he grabbed her by the hand to pull her toward the elevator. Even in his frustrated state, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, his grip on her was still gentle.

Stubborn as ever, she would let him pull her to the car. She would let him buckle her in. She would let him drive her to her broken, cold home, but she wouldn’t say a damn thing about the radiator. None. Of. His. Business.

[She’s even more stubborn when she’s sick.]

And she did just that. She let Bruce Wayne take her hand, blaming the warmth in her face on her high fever. She let him tug her to his expensive McLaren 650s Spider with a new shiny set of winter tires. She enjoyed seeing it too and part of her enjoyed annoying him. And she let him plop her into his expensive shiny car, buckle her in, and drive her home. What she didn’t expect was him wanting to walk her inside…

“I can get inside just fine, thank you.” Y/N attempted to push him back towards his car. Her hand held to his chest and pushed firmly. He didn’t even budge. Not even a sway.

“You’re not walking up three flights of stairs alone in your condition.”

“My condition?” she paused. “How do you know I live on the third floor?”

“You put your address on your resume,” he lied smoothly.

“I didn’t know you read my resume-”

“Stop stalling.”

She tried to keep him out, she really did, but he was so persistent. They made it to the front door, thank you Mr.Wayne I can take it from here. Nope, he needed to help her up the stairs, so they made it up the stairs. Thank you, Mr.Wayne I think I can make it inside by myself. Nope, he had already made it up the stairs; he might as well finish the journey. They made it to her front door. Thank you, Mr.Wayne you can go now. Nope, there’s no reason he can’t sit her things down for her.

In her heart, she knew there was no way he didn’t notice the cool, crisp air in the hallway. The way not a single apartment radiated heat and she knew he had to be suspicious. Her hand shook in shame as she unlocked her apartment and opened the door up, head down. 

Letting himself in, she heard a deep sigh, radiating from his chest, “Y/N, you can’t stay here-”

“Stop-”

“It’s freezing in here-”

“You don’t think I know that?” Once again, he grabbed her hand pulling her into the hallway, shaking her head. He took the keys straight out of her hand, locking the apartment door. “What are you doing? We just got here?”

“You’re staying with me this weekend.” 

“Are you insane?”

“I have a house with over fifteen bedrooms. I think you can find somewhere to sleep.”

“This is so unprofessional.”

“I don’t care.” With her apartment keys he walked back toward the stairs at an alarming pace. She had no choice but to follow.

“Bruce, I swear to God I am not staying at the manor.”

-

“Welcome to Wayne Manor Miss.Y/N.”

@pank0w @moejoeflow @padsfirewhisky @maxinehufflepuffprincess @pastelsweaters-and-bubble-t @mariadvorak @100520s @st0rmyt @stxrsberkshire

[a-killer-obsession]

Pirate's Pet [Wire x Reader]

Pirates come to your town, and one decides you look too nice to leave behind.

CW: NON-CON, yandere!Wire, chubby afab reader, she/her reader pronouns, kidnapping, bondage, breeding kink, forced pregnancy, use of ‘daddy’, panty kink, slapping, spitting, oral (reader receiving), vaginal fingering, p in v sex, forced orgasms, forced creampie, Stockholm syndrome, golden birdcage

WC: 2.6k

Masterlist || A03

You should have known better when the bell to indicate incoming pirates rang out over your small town. With no marines close enough to defend it, your town was at their mercy whenever pirates landed, and the bell was supposed to be the call to evacuate to the woods. You, stupidly, hadn't done so. You hated having to go to the woods, often having to stay there for hours, sometimes even days, until the all clear was given. Cold, wet, uncomfortable, getting pickled by sticks and small sharp stones whenever you tried to sit down. You thought that maybe this time you could just hide in the comfort of your home, instead of braving the heavy weather that had forced the pirates to dock in the first place. Big fucking mistake.

The pirates had broken down your door to search for goods, and when a tall man wielding a trident pulled you from under your bed and held you upside-down by your ankle, you knew you'd fucked up. He looked at you like a piece of meat, throwing you on the bed, ripping your blouse open to expose your bra, gagging you with strips he tore from your clothes, and throwing you over his shoulder like a slaughtered pig. Your relentless kicking and punching barely phased him, you may as well have been a fruit fly as he carried you back to the imposing ship he called home. You recognised his captain as Eustass Kid of the worst generation as the tall man carried you up the gangplank, the redhead merely laughing in amusement as you passed.

“Found yourself a toy, ey Wire?” Eustass laughed, “maybe this one will last a little longer.”

“Nice wide hips,” Wire reported, like he'd found a good sale at the market, and spanking your ass hard, “might be worth trying to get this one knocked up, she's got a good build for carrying a baby.” You screamed around your gag at the implication, Wire undeterred as you tried to fight your way off his shoulder.

“Aye, nice fat ass too,” another man, with pale blue dreadlocks and thorn like tattoos commented, “send her my way if you get bored aye?”

“Get your own, Heat,” Wire growled, carrying you up two sets of external stairs and through the door to the stern castle. He carried you through the short hall to his room, where he dumped you on his bed unceremoniously. Before you could scurry away he was grabbing your wrist and dragging it to the edge, where he cuffed it to a chain attached to a strong bracket on the wall. Before you had a chance to protest, he grabbed the other wrist and did the same with the opposite side, leaving you on your back in the middle of the bed, your arms spread out. It was clear he was set up for this, he'd obviously been planning to take a prisoner, and you'd been the only dumb bitch stupid enough to get caught. You kicked your legs at him, catching his face before he pinned your ankles against the mattress with his large hands.

“Do I have to chain your legs too,” Wire said flatly, removing your gag so you could answer him, “or are you going to behave?”

“BITE ME!” you shouted, spitting in his face.

“I will, later,” he purred as he wiped the glob of saliva from his face, “unfortunately I have shit to do before we can play, so you need to stay here and be a good girl.”

“Don't fucking touch me!” You screamed, trying to kick him again until he gave an exasperated sigh and chained you ankles as well, leaving you spread like a starfish. You tried to bite him as he pushed the gag back into your mouth, which earned you a hard slap that made your eyes water and quickly broke your spirit.

“You'll see soon that you belong here,” he cooed, running his hand down your front and breezing it over your breast, “perfect little thing, Daddy is gonna take such good care of you, and you're gonna look so pretty with my baby in you. Be good now sweetheart, or I'll have to skip bringing you dinner tonight, and we can't have that, can we? Gotta keep you nice and chubby so you're in good condition to grow my baby.”

You tried to scream but it was muffled by the gag, as Wire bent down and pressed kisses all over your face and down your neck, finishing at your breasts before he sighed contently and stood. “I'll see you in a few hours, then we're gonna have such fun,” he smiled before leaving you alone in the room, hearing the lock click into place as the door shut behind him. You fought against the restraints, testing for weaknesses, and when you found none there was nothing left to do but sob, hyperventilating as the gag made it hard to breathe until you ran out of air and passed out, your hindbrain taking over breathing for you now that you weren't awake and panicking.

You wake up to the sound of tearing fabric and a cold blade pressing against your skin as Wire cut and tore away your clothes, stripping you entirely until you had nothing but your panties on. He didn't want to waste your pretty lace panties yet, he could have a little fun with them before he tore them off too. “You're so beautiful,” Wire cooed as he pressed his thumb against your cunt to push the fabric between your folds, admiring how fat your labia were. He liked a girl with a bit of softness to her, what was the point of a girl if she wasn't lovely and soft and squishy? “I knew as soon as I saw you that you belong with me,” he smiled cruelly, “daddy's gonna make you feel so good. Such a lucky girl, you don't have to worry about anything anymore. No job or chores or other pirates, just gotta focus on getting nice and bred.”

You shook your head frantically, and he pinched your face hard in his hand, squishing your cheeks and making your lips purse. “No need to be shy about it,” he growled, “you belong here, you belong to me, you're not going anywhere so you can get rid of any silly notions of escaping. There's nowhere to go, we're out at sea and your town is nothing but ash.”

You whimpered as tears welled in your eyes, and Wire made soft shushes as he wiped the tears that escaped. “Shhh, shhh, daddy's got you now,” he cooed, “you're gonna be such a good mama, I know it.”

Wire settled himself to kneel between your legs, palming himself through his leather shorts, a noticeably large tent making your eyes widen. He unbuckled his pants and pulled out his long, thick cock, and you whimpered at the size. Wire noticed your fear and rubbed the head of his cock against your panty covered core. “Shhhh, don't worry mama, gonna be real gentle with you,” he soothed, “gonna get you nice and wet and begging for it first.”

Wire lent over you, caging you under his massive body and kissing you over the gag, before moving to your neck, groaning against it as he licked and nipped at your sensitive skin and relished your whimpers. Every little whine you let out made his cock throb, he couldn't wait to fuck your brains out. The head of his erection pressed against your panties, smearing precum over the fabric, the thin satin the only protection to keep his cock from forcing its way inside you. He trapped his length between your pussy and his hand, fucking the space between, rubbing against your covered clit. Your body began to betray you, clit swelling as arousal built from the friction, tears rolling down your cheeks as you struggled to refuse the stimulation.

Wire was quick to notice as the gusset of your panties grew wet, pulling them aside so he could run a finger between your folds to feel the slick you were making against your will. “Good girl!” Wire praised, “see, your body knows you belong here! Your pussy is so eager for me to breed you! Don't worry sweetheart, daddy is gonna give you what you need.”

The cuffs on your ankles dug into your skin as you fought to get away from him, unable to stop him as he tore the panties from your body, leaving you completely naked. He slid his shaft between your folds a few more times before deciding on something else, kissing and licking his way down your body until he was flat on his belly between your legs, his legs hanging off the end of the bed as he nosed against your pussy. “You smell so lovely,” he cooed, before licking a fat stripe up your cunt, chains rattling at your body went taut, “so sweet as well, mmm. I think I'll give you a reward before I fuck my baby into you.”

It felt like his tongue was trying to memorise every inch of your cunt, exploring every part of it, rolling against your clit and prodding at your entrance. You did what you could to pull tight the muscles there, but his strong tongue bullied its way inside you regardless of your efforts, lapping at your walls and making you produce more slick. There was nothing you could do to stop your body's natural processes when he was using his tongue so skillfully, if he hadn't taken you by force you would have been having a good time, but instead all you could do was whimper and struggle to bite back unwanted moans. You couldn't suppress the pleasured sounds forever though, especially not as he started sucking on your clit and pushing two fingers inside you, curling them to put pressure on your g-spot. The single moan you failed to hold back made him grin against you, knowing he had won, and quickly forcing a harsh orgasm from you.

You laid deadly still as your peak passed, making sad, defeated whimpers as he pulled his fingers from you. He crowded back over you, pulling down your gag and replacing it with his juice covered digits. “Taste how bad you want me,” he teased, “desperate little slut, begging to be bred. I'm gonna pump you full of so much cum it'll have nowhere to go but your womb.”

He gagged you with his long fingers before pulling away, focusing on lining his cock up with your entrance. “No!” You screamed, coughing from your strained throat, “please don't, please don't!”

“You mouth is saying no, but your soaked cunt is saying otherwise,” he grinned, grinding his length against you and letting his shaft get coated in your fluids, “don't worry, daddy will just give you the tip for now, until you can be a good girl and take all of it. We've got all night to mould your pussy to fit me.”

He pushed just the head of his cock inside you, slipping in easily thanks to his preparation, making short thrusts while you cried out for him to leave you be. He alternated between stretching you with the fat head of his cock, and rubbing it between your labia, each time giving you hope that he wouldn't put it back in before dashing those hopes away. Suddenly he sunk all the way in with a grunt, your warm wet hole being too much for him to resist, making you scream as he fully hilted his thick length in your tight cunt.

“You- you said you wouldn't!” You stuttered.

“I lied,” he grunted, “but look at you, you're doing so well sweetheart! You've got my whole cock inside you, I bet that feels nice huh?”

“No!” You spat back. He grabbed your face harshly and pinched it.

“Don't lie to daddy,” he growled, giving you a harsh thrust that forced a breathy moan from you. “See, it's good, huh? Nice and full! You'll be full of cum soon too.”

“No, don't!” You cried out as he started pumping you with his cock, your pussy making wet squelches as he fucked you. “No- hnng- s-stop, l-leave me alone! Hnng, fuck.”

“There it is,” Wire cooed, letting go of your face as you relented to his fucking, making soft moans as you failed to refuse how good it felt any longer, “there you go baby, I told you daddy would make you feel good. Let go sweetheart, you belong here, speared on my cock, taking all of me like you were made for me. Your pussy is fluttering around me, you're gonna cum on my cock soon huh?”

“No!” You denied, but your body was giving you away. The coil in your stomach was pulling tight, and you made heavy pants between moans as Wire gripped your hips and fucked you harder than you'd ever been fucked before, no doubt having the biggest cock you'd ever taken. You started feeling like maybe it wasn't so bad, being trapped here to be fucked and bred by a pirate, he said he'd keep you safe, right? Fuck, how long does Stockholm Syndrome usually take to kick in? Maybe you were just insane, or he really was actually fucking your brains out, so much that you no longer had the ability to think straight.

His thumb drawing circles on your clit pulled you from your thoughts, giving you the last push you needed to clamp down around him, coming with a scream and a gush of fluid neither of you expected. The not unwelcomed surprise made Wire groan and unload inside you, filling you till your overstuffed cunt was leaking. He took a few moments to rest against you, warming his cock and keeping his cum plugged up inside you. Eventually he pulled away, tutting softly as he saw the way his sheets were drenched.

“Oh sweetheart, you've made such a mess,” Wire cooed, “it's okay, daddy will take care of you. You've been such a good girl. Are you gonna behave if I unchain you?”

You gave a weak nod, your spirit entirely broken, disgusted at yourself for cumming not once, but twice, by your captor. You didn't move as Wire unclipped your shackles, pressing soft kisses to each limb where the cuffs had bit into your skin. He picked you up in a gentle bridal hold, carrying you to his bathroom and keeping you in his lap as he filled the tub, before lowering both you and himself into the water. He washed you slowly and methodically with luxurious smelling products, massaging your aching joints and your scalp as he worked shampoo into it. At some point you dozed off, waking in his bed, laid with fresh sheets, dressed in an expensive feeling satin nighty and tucked under mountains of blankets and furs. Next to you on the side table was a tray of food, not just scraps like you expected but good, tasty smelling food. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. He only wanted a baby right? You knew you wanted kids anyway. Maybe being the pet of some pirate who treats you well, spoils you and makes you cum hard wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Maybe you really did belong here.

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Oneshots Taglist: @daydreamer-in-training @chairmanraph @florcxo @luvnisstuff @nocturnalrorobin @fanaticsnail

[garmmy]

2024 jp trip report (food edition)

i had originally planned to visit tokyo in 2020, but covid happened and...finally this year i managed to go on the trip! ;w; i rarely go overseas but it was really fun just walking around and stumbling upon things. i want to save up for the next japan trip already...

i'm making the post mostly to remember where i've been! i'm splitting up the food and the sights because of tumblr's image limit per post 🙄 will be posting the food here!

(sights edition here)

Day 1 (13/5/2024)

we arrived at night so pretty much everything was closed, but before i went to bed i had some cold haikara udon...i love cold udon so much and wish there was a way to get it cheap back home 😭 i also added some chilli oil with garlic, but it wasn't spicy..only the first day in and i miss singapore's spicy food 😂

Nakau なか卯 (chain store, multiple outlets)

Day 2 (14/5/2024)

we spent day 2 at ikebukuro and nakano...mostly browsing weeb shit 😭

started the day with some breakfast at komeda's coffee, they have a morning set and auugfhjhghh the bread used in japan cafes' toast is always so soft and fluffy..obsessed

Komeda's Coffee コメダ珈琲店 (chain store, multiple outlets)

at nakano broadway, the basement had some supermarkets/grocery stores and one of them sold sashimi. i didn't end up buying from here, but...LOOK at this sashimi, for 580jpy?? omg 😭😭😭 i want

we had lunch at a hayashi rice place near nakano broadway! i had curry omurice myself while my friend got the hayashi omurice. the omelette was sooo good...society if i could cook an egg like this on my own

Hayashi-ya Nakano-so ハヤシ屋中野荘 164-0001 Tokyo, Nakano City, Nakano, 5 Chome-55-15

and for dinner we had monjayaki at ikebukuro..we've never tried like, actually cooking the monjayaki before? so it was a fun experience!

Monjaya Mon もんじゃや紋 170-0013 Tokyo, Toshima City, Higashiikebukuro, 1 Chome−12−10 ヤンズビル 3F

Day 3 (15/5/2024)

on my morning walk i decided to try a canned drink from a vending machine. satsuma-imo milk! so in singapore, there was recently a 'nutri-grade' rating introduced mandatory for all drinks to indicate the sugar level in the drink. i didn't think i would miss it in japan LOL i'm sorry but drinking this drink was like drinking sugar syrup T_TT i think as i got older my sugar tolerance has drastically dropped..

we started at akihabara, and had brunch at niku no mansei (yes the well-known building with like 10 floors of meat before it closed, i think it split into a couple of places?) we went to the akiba place branch for their hemborger hamburg steak...how am i supposed to go back to eating it in singapore after this?? 🫠 IT'S SO GOOD (i'm also laughing at the token broccoli though)

Niku no Mansei Akiba Place 肉の万世 アキバプレイス店 101-0021 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Sotokanda, 3 Chome−15−1, Akiba Place, 3F

after akiba we went to asakusa, and since it's asakusa we had to have some tendon..we just went into one of the tendon places we spotted but i didn't realise it was akimitsu!? we have akimitsu in singapore too 😂 but loved the tempura eel!

Akimitsu 秋光 111-0032 Tokyo, Taito City, Asakusa, 1 Chome-29-11

Day 4 (16/5/2024)

i got some plum onigiri from famima for breakfast on my morning walk. oughgkhghjh i already miss conbini onigiri so much...affordable yet tasty! i really love onigiri, but our convenience store onigiri in singapore is a bit overpriced, which wouldn't be so bad if the onigiri itself wasn't also terrible with cold hard rice :')

we started the day at tsukiji outer market. SEAFOOD..... we finally got some sashimi today, my beloved,,, we had engawa truffle salt sushi and also a sashimi bowl of the day. and also it was my first time trying shiokara! apparently it's squid in a kind of sauce made from fermented fish/sea animal innards. i'm not sure if it might be an acquired taste, but for a seafood lover like me it was so good 🥺 the lady serving us food was also really nice and we had a little chat even with our terrible spoken japanese lol.

Taneichi たねいち 104-0045 Tokyo, Chuo City, Tsukiji, 4 Chome-9-5

i also found shirako in the market! it was my first time eating it (i think it can be found in singapore? but not particularly common). other than the shiso leaf it was served plain though, while i like the taste i kinda wish i had rice or something to go with it.

also we got some matcha latte from the market before leaving! i got the 'less sweet' which was perfect, when a lot of times the least sweet (without being zero sugar) option from drink stores are too sweet for me..

Matcha Stand Maruni マッチャスタンドマルニ 104-0045 Tokyo, Chuo City, Tsukiji, 4 Chome−14−18

some ramen for dinner at ryogoku! admittedly i'm not a super into ramen person 😅 but butter in noodles is always such a nice combo!

Tadokoro Shoten 田所商店 (chain store, multiple outlets)

and some parfait for supper. look at their logo!! so cute 🥹🥹🥹

Mayonaka Farm (Ryogoku Yokozuna Yokocho outlet) 真夜中牧場 両国横綱横丁店 130-0026 Tokyo, Sumida City, Ryogoku, 3 Chome-22-8

Day 5 (17/5/2024)

started the day with some zaru soba. it was nice but cold soba was kind of a mistake because it was raining that morning and so COLD lol

Yudetaro ゆで太郎 (chain store, multiple outlets)

we started at shinjuku today and walked our way down to shibuya. with my friend's recommendation we tried blue bottle coffee? the latte was nice and even had this natural sweetness(?) to it despite not adding sugar.

Blue Bottle Coffee ブルーボトルコーヒー (chain store, multiple outlets)

and then we went to takeshita street. i think marion crepes is the most well-known one, but the queue..??? so we ended up going to another crepe store. it's still a treat and has a variety of flavours! i got the regular strawberry whipped cream.

Santa Monica Crepes サンタモニカクレープ 150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome-16-16-8

late lunch at yomenya goemon! i had the tarako butter one and i really liked it...i think i could try buying some mentaiko from donki back home and trying it out myself..

Yomenya Goemon 洋麵屋 五右衛門 (chain store, multiple outlets)

Day 6 (18/5/2024)

conbini haul for the morning. i would like to shoutout to famima's pudding in particular; i feel a lot of store-bought pudding tend to be closer to the jelly-like consistency, but i prefer my pudding to be closer to the creamy? eggy? like consistency and famima's pudding is perfect for the price ;w;

we went to miura peninsula in kanagawa for the day using the misaki maguro ticket (it's so worth!! highly recommend if you want a day trip from tokyo). for breakfast we had some coffee and toast at coffee house poem. their signature blend (kaigan blend) in particular was really unique and nice..kinda regret not ordering that for myself 😂 love the rustic interior too!

Coffee House Poem (Miurakaigan outlet) ぽえむ三浦海岸駅前店 238-0101 Kanagawa, Miura, Minamishitauramachi, Kamimiyada-3130

nearby there's a souvenir shop selling mainly jams, and pickles (including daikon, one of miura's specialties). did you know that i hated eating radish until japanese daikon changed my life 🤣 i also got some persimmon jam to try since i'd never really heard of it! and also some honey+daikon candy.

Temiyage Iroiro Miura Store 手土産いろいろ 三浦ストア 238-0101 Kanagawa, Miura, Minamishitauramachi, Kamimiyada-3255

and finally we got SUSHI...i could cry the maguro here is so good 😭😭😭😭😭 the place is called 'kaitenzushi kaisen', but the sushi does not actually 'kaiten'/revolve, the chefs just serve it 😂 we used the maguro ticket on this so we got some maguro and some local catch!

Kaitenzushi Kaisen 廻転寿司 海鮮 238-0101 Kanagawa, Miura, Minamishitauramachi, Kamimiyada-3372-18

we then took the train to misakiguchi station, and the bus to misaki port. there's a market there called urari marche, which sells seafood and veggies mainly. we got some skewer hotate (scallop) and maguro karaage there! i was not a big fan of the maguro karaage though..i still think maguro is best as sashimi lol

Urari Marché うらりマルシェ 238-0243 Kanagawa, Miura, Misaki, 5 Chome-3-1

right next to the port was a cafe i used my ticket on, for some danish loaf with pistachio ice cream and a coffee drink. the ice cream goes so well with the fruity loaf!

3204 bread&gelato 238-0243 Kanagawa, Miura, Misaki, 3 Chome-12-10

Day 7 (19/5/2024)

went for a short walk at ueno park in the morning. there were some food stalls there! we tried some of the freshly roasted hojicha, and also some mitarashi dango. there's some skewered fish that looked good but i didn't try because i was scared of the bones 😅 and other kinda matsuri-like foods such as kakigori and yakisoba, a bit higher priced i guess because of the tourists there but i'm not a fan of yakisoba so 😆

also there was an asian food festival going on near shinobazu pond! i didn't try the food (it seemed largely SEAsian food, we can get cheaper thai, viet food etc in singapore anyway), but also for some reason there is a food truck for US food? and the representative food is 'american long potato' 😂 is that a thing in US? (ok but i know US is huge)

i met up with a friend for lunch at akiba and they recommended ootoya! a restaurant chain for teishoku. i got the recommended fried fish and veg in sweet vinegar sauce and 🥺 the taste mix is so good! i also wanted to randomly bring up something i'll miss about japan: pretty much every eatery, whether cafe or restaurant, serves free water, or even green tea! you rarely get free water in singapore eateries even though we have friggin drinkable tap water here 🙄 (except in japanese chains like saizeriya or sukiya..lol) you'll have to buy overpriced bottled mineral water or something even if you just want water to go with your meal.

Ootoya 大戸屋 (chain store, multiple outlets)

after some walking around akiba (i.e. combing weeb stores), we stopped for some thick fluffy toast and drink (mine was cinnamon toast and almond cafe latte) at vault coffee. true it was a sunday, but we were surprised that it was some random cafe hidden in third floor of what looked otherwise like a normal commercial building on the outside, and it was still soo crowded, we had to wait a little while to be seated!

VAULT COFFEE 101-0021 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Sotokanda, 4 Chome−5−1 3F

and this marks the end of our week-long food journey in japan 😆 i had to save a lot of funds for my splurging on weeb and stationery stuff LOL, but i hope the next time i come i can focus more on sightseeing and food maybe! but for now it's back to capitalism to save up first 🏃

[probablyasocialecologist]

At September’s UN General Assembly in New York, Brazil’s President Lula described the international financial system as a “Marshall Plan in reverse” in which the poorest countries finance the richest. Driving the point home, Lula thundered, “African countries borrow at rates up to eight times higher than Germany and four times higher than the United States.” Lula is not alone in this diagnosis. Centrist technocrats par excellence Larry Summers & NK Singh coauthored a report earlier this year arguing that the development world’s mantra to scale up direct financing to the global South—from “billions to trillions”—has failed. Instead, global finance seems to be running in the opposite direction, from poor to rich countries, as was the case last year. Summers and Singh summarize the arrangement thusly: “millions in, billions out.” Added to this is the great global shift to austerity that makes a mockery of climate and development goals. It’s in this context that talk of “green Marshall Plans”—proposed by Huang Yiping in China and Brian Deese in the US—must be received. Negotiations over technology transfer, market access, and finance deals are a permanent feature of the new cold war: call it strategic green industrial diplomacy. Both the American and Chinese proposals, such as they exist, aim to subsidize the export markets of allied countries to build foreign support for domestic industries. For developing countries, this could mean manufacturing green goods to grab a slice of the trillions of future green economic output and develop themselves, and a policy choice to meet their development goals by either making or buying cheap, clean energy generation, electricity storage, and transport. Putting aside the dubiousness of the historical analogy to the United States’ postwar aid program to Europe, the critical element—and the one that seems least likely for either China or the US to pursue in earnest given their domestic political obstacles—is the provision of the kind of financial and industrial support that low- and middle-income countries need. The geoeconomic contest between the US and China rests on which of the two can forge domestic political coalitions that meet the demand of developing countries for local manufacturing value add in green value chains, without which the South will remain merely an export market or a resource colony.

[...]

The optimistic Marshall Plan proposals are not entirely hot air; each attempts to extend aggressive domestic policies globally. China and the US have both made bids on an investment-led partial solution to their respective domestic political and economic challenges, with a focus on clean-energy industries. Their shared formula can be summarized as national strength through industrial renewal. In both countries, domestic industries have been offered ample fiscal support; Biden’s suite of tax credits and subsidies has already spurred more than $400 billion in investment in clean energy and clean-tech manufacturing and generation, and China’s central government, already dominant in clean tech manufacturing, is now concentrating its efforts on next-generation technologies and economic self-reliance.

11 October 2024

[lilac-den]

Care to share of how MC would have died if they had been the one who was kill? I have a great amount of idea in mine but I'm very, very curios of yours👀👀

Just to reaffirm: You are free to headcanon how your MC died if it had been a diff AU. This is just what my version would go.

Warning: Contains graphic violence, gore and dark themes.

Unlike how the TSR RO went down (where they were killed at their own home), MC was kidnapped and dragged out. When the ROs came home, it was an instant sense of dread and panic because the day was important to them and they even came home early for it.

So upon learning MC is missing, the ROs split up.

Maverick used his connections to check if there had been witnesses, CCTVs or anything that could provide a clue.

Rydigan went to the police and report a missing person (In the dystopian world, it's pretty useless but Rydigan had to try and plus, maybe he can see if the police officers were involved and if they were, this is of higher power).

Ittania went to the local bars and try to keep an ear out for information or any thugs that took up a job that involved kidnapping.

Enid snuck into the black markets and tried to eavesdrop any possible slavery dealings in the hope MC hasn't been sold yet.

Then one of them landed a lucky hit after a week of searching and hunted down that lead until they got to a warehouse that was abandoned long ago.

MC's corpse was in the office, brutally mutilated and horrifically scarred. The body might have been dead for a day or two, so the smell of rot was not light in the slightest. But they could see MC's body forcibly chained down to the chair, the head tilting back and mouth open. But there's slits on the side and if MC had been alive, the jaw might have the risk of falling from how broken the bones look. The arms and legs are pulled apart and there are tendrils and strings of flesh connecting still. The blood covered the floor beneath MC.

Ittania would be the first one to breakdown, crying and running for MC's body, her hands hovering MC's slited cheeks but too afraid to touch out of fear of breaking them further.

Then Enid is the next one to snap out of the shock and fury fills her, shouting that she'll kill the bastard who did this to MC.

Rydigan doesn't say a word but tears ran down his cheeks and the light in his eyes just seems to die. He ends up mumbling MC's name.

As for Maverick, he feels a cold, burning anger and he ends up being the first one to make a logical call, getting his phone out to call the needed services.

MC didn't have much of anyone - just Maverick, Rydigan, Ittania and Enid. So the funeral isn't particularly large.

But someone funded the funeral. Maverick could have sworn he hadn't paid it yet, only to learn Benefactor was the one who paid the whole thing and assigned the best funeral parlour and embalmer for MC. Ze first meet the group in said funeral, the same way Benefactor met MC in their funeral in the original timeline.

It took MC 5 or more years to achieve their revenge but for the 4 friends, it took them just a year.

[sanjeev3214]

Navigating the Cold Chain Market: Comprehensive Research and Insights

The cold chain market, a crucial component of the global supply chain, plays a pivotal role in maintaining the integrity and safety of temperature-sensitive products from production to consumption. As we delve into the complexities of this specialized market, it becomes evident that it is undergoing significant transformations driven by technological advancements, regulatory considerations, and the increasing demand for perishable goods. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the Cold Chain Market, exploring key trends, challenges, and opportunities that define its landscape.

Understanding the Cold Chain Market

Definition and Significance

The Cold Chain Market refers to a temperature-controlled supply chain that manages and distributes products requiring specific temperature conditions throughout their lifecycle. This includes pharmaceuticals, biotechnology products, vaccines, chemicals, and, most notably, perishable food items. Maintaining precise temperature control is critical to preserving the quality and efficacy of these products, making the cold chain an integral part of various industries.

Key Components

The cold chain involves a series of interconnected processes, including refrigerated production, storage, transportation, and distribution. Each phase requires specialized infrastructure and technology to ensure that products remain within the defined temperature range. Refrigerated warehouses, transportation vehicles equipped with temperature-control systems, and monitoring devices are essential components of the cold chain.

Key Trends Shaping the Cold Chain Market

1. Technological Advancements

The Cold Chain Market is witnessing a surge in technological innovations aimed at enhancing efficiency and visibility. Advanced temperature monitoring systems, IoT (Internet of Things) sensors, and blockchain technology are being integrated into cold chain processes. These innovations enable real-time tracking of products, ensuring that temperature-sensitive goods are maintained under optimal conditions throughout the supply chain.

2. Sustainable Practices

Sustainability has become a central theme in the cold chain industry. With growing environmental concerns, stakeholders are increasingly adopting eco-friendly practices. This includes the use of energy-efficient refrigeration systems, eco-friendly packaging materials, and the optimization of transportation routes to reduce carbon emissions. Sustainable cold chain practices not only align with corporate social responsibility goals but also respond to the changing expectations of environmentally conscious consumers.

3. Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Expansion

The pharmaceutical sector represents a significant segment of the Cold Chain Market. The distribution of vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, and other temperature-sensitive medical products requires stringent temperature control. With the global focus on vaccine distribution, there is a notable expansion of cold chain infrastructure to meet the demands of the pharmaceutical industry. This expansion involves the development of specialized storage facilities and transportation solutions equipped with cutting-edge temperature-monitoring technologies.

4. E-commerce and Last-Mile Cold Chain

The rise of e-commerce, particularly in the delivery of perishable goods, has led to the evolution of last-mile cold chain solutions. Companies are investing in specialized delivery vehicles and packaging solutions to ensure the integrity of products during the final stages of transportation. This trend is reshaping the traditional cold chain model, emphasizing the need for adaptability and precision in the last leg of the supply chain.

Challenges in the Cold Chain Market

1. Infrastructure Gaps

One of the primary challenges in the Cold Chain Market is the existence of infrastructure gaps, especially in developing regions. Inadequate refrigeration facilities, unreliable power supply, and a lack of technological infrastructure pose significant hurdles. Addressing these gaps requires substantial investments and collaborative efforts between governments and private entities.

2. Regulatory Compliance

Stringent regulations govern the transportation and storage of temperature-sensitive products. Compliance with diverse and evolving regulatory frameworks adds complexity to cold chain operations. Companies operating in the cold chain must stay abreast of regulatory changes and invest in training and technology to ensure adherence to quality and safety standards.

3. Cost Pressures

Maintaining a robust cold chain comes with inherent cost pressures. Energy-intensive refrigeration systems, specialized transportation, and the need for advanced monitoring technologies contribute to the overall operational costs. Balancing the need for efficiency with cost-effectiveness remains a perpetual challenge for businesses operating in the cold chain sector.

Future Outlook and Opportunities

1. Global Vaccine Distribution

The ongoing global efforts to combat pandemics and the increasing importance of vaccination programs are propelling the cold chain into the spotlight. The demand for efficient vaccine distribution, especially in developing countries, presents a significant opportunity for the cold chain industry to expand and innovate.

2. Integration of AI and Data Analytics

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics is poised to revolutionize the Cold Chain Market. Predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms can optimize temperature control, predict potential issues, and streamline operations. This data-driven approach enhances decision-making processes and contributes to overall supply chain resilience.

3. Collaboration and Partnerships

Given the multifaceted challenges in the cold chain sector, collaboration and partnerships are becoming key drivers of success. Stakeholders, including logistics providers, technology firms, and pharmaceutical companies, are forming strategic alliances to leverage collective expertise and resources. Such collaborations enhance the overall efficiency and reliability of the cold chain.

[3llebelll]

Index of Vocabulary i use in my Agreste&co AU :)

i didn't make any of these up, they're from the index in the back of the Lockwood &co books by Jonathon Stroud !! this is just a basic index, but i may add more vocab in future when i get further into the comics. (changed some names of stuff to fit the Au)

Agency, psychical investigation - a business specializing in the containment and destruction of ghosts. there are more than a dozen agencies in London alone. the largest two, (the Fittes agency and Bourgeois agency) have hundreds of employees; the smallest, (Agreste &co) has three. most agencies are run by adult supervisors, but all rely heavily on children with strong psychic talent.

Talent - the ability to see, hear or otherwise detect ghosts. many children, though not all, are born with a degree of psychic talent. this skill tends to fade towards adulthood, though it still lingers in some grown-ups. children with better-than-average talent join the night watch. exceptionally talented children usually join the agencies. the three catagories of talent are sight, listening and touch.

sight - the psychic ability to see apparitions and other ghostly phenomena, such as death glows.

listening - the ability to hear the voices of the dead, echoes of past events, and other unnatural sounds associated with manifestations.

touch - the ability to detect psychic echoes from objects that have been closely associated with a death or haunting.

the problem - the epidemic of hauntings that has affected the world for over 50 years.

source - the object or place a ghost is tied to and can enter the world through.

Type One - the weakest, most common and least dangerous grade of ghost. type ones are scarcely aware of their surroundings, and often locked into a single, repetitious pattern of behavior.

Type Two - the most dangerous commonly occuring grade of ghost. type twos are stronger than type ones, and possess some kind of residual intelligence. they are aware of the living, and may attempt to do them harm.

Type Three - a very rare grade of ghost, first reported by Marissa Fittes, and the subject of much controversy ever since. allegedly able to communicate fully with the living.

relic-man/woman - someone who locates and other psychic artifacts and sells them on the black market.

death-glow - an energy trace left at the exact spot where a death took place. the more violent the death, the brighter the glow. strong glows may persist for many years.

Ghost-touch - the effect of bodily contact with an apparition, and the most deadly power of an aggressive ghost. beginning with a sensation of sharp, overwhelming cold, ghost-touch swiftly spreads an icy numbness around the body. one after another, vital organs fail; soon the body turns blue and starts to swell. without swift medical intervention, often in the form of Adrenalin injections to stimulate the heart, ghost-touch is usually fatal.

GHOST PROTECTION

lavender - the strong, sweet smell is thought to discourage evil spirits.

running water - it was observed in ancient times that ghosts dislike crossing running water. in central London a net of artificial channels, or runnels, protect the main shopping district. on a smaller scale, some house-owners build open channels outside their front doors and divert the rainwater along them.

ghost-lamp - an electrically powered streetlight that sends out beams of strong white light to discourage ghosts.

Salt - a commonly used defense against type one ghosts. cheaper than silver, and often used in salt-bombs which shatter on impact, spreading salt in all directions.

Silver - an important and potent defense against ghosts. agents use it to coat their rapiers, and a key component of agents source-seals.

magnesium flares - a metal canister with a breakable glass seal, containing magnesium, salt, gunpowder and an igniting device. an important agency weapon against aggressive ghosts. sometimes referred to as Greek Fire.

chain-net - a net made of finely spun silver chains, used to seal up sources.

silver-glass - a special 'ghost proof' glass used to encase sources.

rapier - the official weapon of all psychical investigation agents. the tip of the iron blades are sometimes coated with silver.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SEOUL, South Korea — In fried-chicken-obsessed South Korea, restaurants serving the nation's favourite fast-food dish dot every street corner.

But Kang Ji-young's establishment brings something a little different to the table: a robot is cooking the chicken.

Eaten at everything from tiny family gatherings to a 10-million-viewer live-streamed "mukbang" -- eating broadcast -- by K-pop star Jungkook of BTS fame, fried chicken is deeply embedded in South Korean culture.

Paired with cold lager and known as "chimaek" -- a portmanteau of the Korean words for chicken and beer -- it is a staple of Seoul's famed baseball-watching experience.

The domestic market -- the world's third largest, after the United States and China -- is worth about seven trillion won ($5.3 billion).

However, labour shortages are starting to bite as South Korea faces a looming demographic disaster due to having the world's lowest birth rate.

Around 54 percent of business owners in the food service sector report problems finding employees, a government survey last year found, with long hours and stressful conditions the likely culprit, according to industry research.

Korean fried chicken is brined and double-fried, which gives it its signature crispy exterior, but the process -- more elaborate than what is typically used by US fast food chains -- creates additional labour and requires extended worker proximity to hot oil.

Enter Kang, a 38-year-old entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to improve the South Korean fried chicken business model and the dish itself.

"The market is huge," Kang told AFP at her Robert Chicken franchise.

Chicken and pork cutlets are the most popular delivery orders in South Korea, and the industry could clearly benefit from more automation "to effectively address labour costs and workforce shortages," she said.

Kang's robot, composed of a simple, flexible mechanical arm, is capable of frying 100 chickens in two hours -- a task that would require around five people and several deep fryers.

But not only does the robot make chicken more efficiently -- it makes it more delicious, says Kang.

"We can now say with confidence that our robot fries better than human beings do," she said.

Investing in 'foodtech'

Already a global cultural powerhouse and major semiconductor exporter, South Korea last year announced plans to plough millions of dollars into a "foodtech" fund to help startups working on high-tech food industry solutions.

Seoul says such innovations could become a "new growth engine," arguing there is huge potential if the country's prowess in advanced robotics and AI technology could be combined with the competitiveness of Korean food classics like kimchi.

South Korea's existing foodtech industry -- including everything from next-day grocery delivery app Market Kurly to AI smart kitchens to a "vegan egg" startup -- is already worth millions, said food science professor Lee Ki-won at Seoul National University.

Even South Korea's Samsung Electronics -- one of the world's biggest tech companies -- is trying to get in on the action, recently launching Samsung Food, an AI-personalised recipe and meal-planning platform, available in eight languages.

Lee predicted South Korea's other major conglomerates are likely to follow Samsung into foodtech.

"Delivering food using electric vehicles or having robots directly provide deliveries within apartment complexes, known as 'metamobility,' could become a part of our daily lives," he said.

"I am confident that within the next 10 years, the food tech industry will transform into the leading sector in South Korea."

'Initially struggled'

Entrepreneur Kang now has 15 robot-made chicken restaurants in South Korea and one branch in Singapore.

During AFP's visit to a Seoul branch, a robot meticulously handled the frying process -- from immersing chicken in oil, flipping it for even cooking, to retrieving it at the perfect level of crispiness, as the irresistible scent of crunchy chicken wafted through the shop.

Many customers remained oblivious to the hard-working robotic cook behind their meal.

Kim Moon-jung, a 54-year-old insurance worker, said she was not sure how a robot would make the chicken differently from a human "but one thing is certain -- it tastes delicious."

The robot can monitor oil temperature and oxidation levels in real time while it fries chicken, ensuring consistent taste and superior hygiene.

When Kang first started her business, she "initially struggled" to see why anyone would use robots rather than human chefs.

"But after developing these technologies, I've come to realise that from a customer's perspective, they're able to enjoy food that is not only cleaner but also tastier," she told AFP.

Her next venture is a tip-free bar in Koreatown in New York City, where the cocktails will feature Korea's soju rice wine and will be made by robots.

Entrepreneur aims to improve South Korea's dish using robot

11 September 2023

[terrence-silver]

How would Terry react to Beloved being a doctor?

The title of Dr. sounds amazing attached to the surname of Silver.

Doctor Silver.

That is, when and when beloved becomes quite literally his.

Which they will be.

They already are.

Beloved is accomplished and educated by their own merit and Terry will be damned if he doesn't covet that and he'll be also damned if he doesn't add to those accomplishments himself so beloved would be intrinsically interwoven with him in every semblance of their medical career, private life and all their dealings, attached to him legally as much as they are emotionally, unable to ever leave in the worst case scenario --- a smart investment for the future. A private clinic of the most exclusive sort opened somewhere in The Valley so they can conduct business with Terry's own guidance, knack for finance and kickstarting franchises? Maybe even several clinics? Hey, how about as many clinics as there are Cobra Kai dojos to cover as much field as possible, because the more land Terry owns over anyone and everyone else, the better? Check! A carefully selected staff employed by Mr. Silver himself to aid along with beloved doing what they do and, hey, if need be, report back to him on what beloved does all day, outside, you know, all those security cameras that are all around the place of employ? Check! Marketing billboards all around the country, so many in fact, until they kick out all other competition and Cobra Kai and private hospital centers under the name of Silvermedic is all one can see driving down the highways of California and beyond? Check! Commercials...of course, without beloved's face (or even full name) anywhere to be seen or precisely outlined, because he might promote their business (now co-joint venture) but he doesn't want to promote them. The thought makes him, well, I daresay, livid?

Speaking of, after a while, all his charity takes a wrong turn.

It sours in its own intent.

He can be as generous under the right circumstances as he is selfish.

Terry, he builds up beloved's business and gifts it to them and then promptly realizes, somewhere along the way, that he rather doesn't enjoy beloved giving all that attention and empathy to all those...people. Touching them. Looking at them. Someone looking at beloved. Spending entire shifts surrounded by anyone and everyone who isn't him. Listening to their nonsense problems and fixing them. Listening to their heartbeat with a stethoscope. Tracing the outline of their spinal cord during a check up and mulling over results for hours and hours. Wasting time with broken bones, eczema, unhealthy organs and shanenigans. No, no. It is far too intimate. Far too close for comfort. As I always say, Terry can get behind kindness as an idea, but only if it is directed towards him and mainly him, with extremely small exceptions, so yeah, beloved can be kind and empathic and helpful, but only towards the one and only Terry Silver. What's this with them having...patients? Sure, he always knew they'd have patients, but theory is always different from practice and his hidden, cold jealousy blinds him. Should he do what he did to Mike Barnes' furniture store and just burn down the very clinics he bankrolled, one by one? No, that would make beloved unhappy even if they never discovered these weren't freak accidents during the summer height of California's humid and hot drought season where, lo and behold, conveniently, forest fires are frequent and bullshit happens. No. Maybe Terry can suggest the employment of more doctors, to help beloved, slowly, within due time, until beloved can easily retire from the very chain of businesses intended for them. And they can retire content thinking that everything is settled, never realizing how much of a tactical manoeuvre this all was and that Terry effectively very smoothly and quietly had them removed from their own position as the main doctor of this great line of institutions. Money is rolling in, business is big and blooming and they don't even have to be at work anymore because someone else does it for them.

Isn't that a dream? Well, isn't it?

A war won without a single shot fired for Terry.

Isn't that great?

He gave beloved an immeasurable gift in the form of over, lets say, fifty or so clinics all around the country...and then he retired them too because being a doctor is backbreaking word in the words of a manipulator trying to very sweetly coax beloved to his side. Now, Terry can both be the best, most generous and helpful significant other that ever was and also have beloved entirely for himself. That PhD of beloved's can be just...tucked away and retired too.

[cryopathiic-a]

[  VISITING  HOURS  ]

interesting prompts || accepting always

[  VISITING  HOURS  ]:     upon waking in a hospital bed, one of the muses turns their head, and finds the other sleeping in an uncomfortable chair by their bedside.

To get in had been the hardest part. He was armored with his ceremonial attire and the excuse of the right to practice one's faith being a widely acknowledged human right. But in truth what had helped him the most was the fact nursing was apparently yet another female-dominated line of work. And so he strolled the hallways to her appointed floor and there mistakenly entered another female patient's room and profusely apologized to the nurse there and thanked her for her directions — though not before snatching that patient's vital sign report from the pocket at the edge of the hospital bed.

And with the same tranquility he had walked a few rooms further down the hallway, until his heart skipped a beat upon closing the distance with the one and only being that mattered in this world. A nurse was fumbling with the heart monitor inside. Its rhythmic beeping welcomed them in the room; but there was something off with the machine, apparently.

God herself on a hospital bed.

Did mundane hybris truly have no limit?

❝ Konbanwa, sister. ❞ He begins; and the nurse turns - only to fall right into the trap of diamond eyes. After a brief chat on how the marvels of science can be disappointing because humans are not meant to control the whims of Gods and other jibber-jabber like that, she's walking out of the room and leaving the two alone, as is required for one to practice their spiritual needs with a confidant in the form of a priest. He has a legit visitor's card, after all. He was allowed in through security and he's taking out a chain of prayer beads that looks pretty antique and original, so it's fine. The guy looks safe.

Soon after he's assuming his rightful place by her bedside, looming over her pale visage as she rests peacefully. He pouts. There's a bullet hole the size of his thumb between her eyes. Michikatsu was not kidding when he spoke of special bullets. Fingers idly trace over the wound, applying the slightest pressure, if only to harvest some blood. He makes sure no one is passing by the room's window when he brings it to his lips for a taste of communion.

❝ Mm... how I've missed that, you have no idea. ❞ He breathes under a hum of delight. Blessing comes in the form of a forehead kiss. He presses his lips over the wound a moment longer; and cups her face with hands cold enough to jolt the dead back into life. ❝ I'm sure my lesser brethren has failed to accomodate your hospitalization already; but don't you worry, my blood. ❞ The smile he wears is shared between affection and sinisterness whilst gazing down on her resting features. He parts with her then, to drag the visitor's chair a little closer to the bed. It makes no sound, as he makes sure to single-handedly lift it off of the floor ever so slightly.

His eyes stalk the entrance when he discreetly reaches for her patient's report card. There's more papers than the other folder had. Digging into his cloak, he unearths the stolen report and briefly browses over both documents. Things highlighted in red; so much red. He's lucky; he got here on time and the doctors have yet to check on her vital stats. Things that are way above average; and others that are way below. He can't quite figure out what all those terms are - but he won't need to. He will only need to change the names on those cards.

And after that he will take the TV remote and put on stock market news, which is one of the Lord's favorite things to watch. And then he will settle there beside her, and take her palm to wrap both their hands together with the prayer beads and press her cold fingers to his forehead whilst mumbling a prayer or two — from those in his recollection.

Dōma would have an easy rest tonight. Knowing, that when sunlight finds him dozing off in that uncomfortable armchair on her bedside, his immunity will have been returned. And as for the miraculous recovery that would follow?

Well, with a pious man by her side day and night, surely some humans would be more... willing to believe their explanation.

[rainyducktiger]

Smart Packaging Market Regional and Global Industry Insights to 2033

Introduction

The global smart packaging market has been gaining significant momentum over the past decade, driven by technological advancements and evolving consumer preferences. Smart packaging, which integrates active, intelligent, and advanced technologies into traditional packaging, offers enhanced functionality, improved safety, and better consumer engagement. As industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and logistics increasingly adopt smart packaging solutions, the market is poised for robust growth through 2032.

Market Overview

Smart packaging encompasses two main categories: active packaging and intelligent packaging. Active packaging involves technologies that enhance the product's shelf life, such as moisture control, oxygen scavengers, and antimicrobial layers. On the other hand, intelligent packaging uses sensors, indicators, and communication technologies to monitor the condition of the product, track its journey, and provide valuable information to consumers.

Download a Free Sample Report:-https://tinyurl.com/5eedswky

Key Market Drivers

Consumer Demand for Freshness and Safety: With growing health awareness, consumers are increasingly looking for packaging that ensures product freshness and safety. Smart packaging solutions such as freshness indicators, temperature sensors, and QR codes that provide traceability are gaining traction.

Technological Advancements: Innovations in IoT, NFC (Near Field Communication), RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification), and smart sensors are enabling new functionalities in packaging, offering real-time monitoring and interaction.

Regulatory Compliance and Food Safety: Stringent regulations in the food and pharmaceutical sectors regarding product labeling, traceability, and safety standards are driving the adoption of smart packaging solutions.

Sustainability Initiatives: Many smart packaging solutions contribute to reducing food waste and improving supply chain efficiency, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Industry Trends

IoT-Enabled Packaging: The integration of IoT with smart packaging is revolutionizing the supply chain, allowing real-time monitoring of products, especially in logistics and cold chains.

Augmented Reality (AR) Packaging: Brands are leveraging AR through smart packaging to create immersive experiences for consumers, enhancing engagement and brand loyalty.

Biodegradable Smart Packaging: With an increased focus on sustainability, manufacturers are developing eco-friendly smart packaging solutions that are both intelligent and biodegradable.

Growth of E-commerce: The rise of e-commerce has led to increased demand for packaging that ensures product safety during transit and provides tracking information.

Market Segmentation

By Type

Active Packaging

Intelligent Packaging

Modified Atmosphere Packaging

By Application

Food & Beverages

Pharmaceuticals

Healthcare

Personal Care

Logistics

Others

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Market Forecast to 2032

According to industry analysts, the smart packaging market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 8% from 2023 to 2032. North America currently holds the largest market share, driven by advanced technology adoption and stringent regulations. However, the Asia-Pacific region is projected to witness the fastest growth due to expanding industries and rising consumer demand.

Challenges and Opportunities

Challenges

High initial costs associated with smart packaging technologies.

Limited awareness in developing regions.

Regulatory hurdles in adopting new technologies.

Opportunities

Expanding applications in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

Rising demand for anti-counterfeit packaging in industries like cosmetics and electronics.

Technological innovations such as printed electronics and smart sensors.

Conclusion

The smart packaging market is set for robust growth in the coming decade, driven by technological advancements, consumer demand for safety and freshness, and a push for sustainability. As the industry continues to evolve, stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, and technology providers, must stay agile to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities.Read Full Report:-https://www.uniprismmarketresearch.com/verticals/information-communication-technology/smart-packaging.html