#im not made for formalities im made for screaming until i pass out if certain guy wear a sports bra

[taenuviel]

guy in hoodie sweatpants vs guy in suit meme for eid ceremonies vs taemin fanmeeting

[wisp-of-thought]

l o v e l a n g u a g e

language: the principal method of human communication or

a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings

~

93% of communication is non-verbal. and i tried to learn a new language for you.

it was not an easy one. there were no textbooks, or online review tests, or vocabulary sheets. there was only my hastily scrawled notes trying to understand. there was only me, practicing my pronunciation in the mirror, watching my mouth form around unfamiliar vowels, my hands trying to learn how to hold the consonants so you might be able to better understand my accent. there was only you, trying to teach me a language that had never been transcribed.

you lend me one of your earbuds on the bus and play a song i cannot understand because there are just chords. just brushstrokes of sound. just melody threading notes together. the music is trying to say something. but you are trying to say something too by giving me this rythem. i cannot understand. but i listen anyways. and these are the ways in which i try to learn. you memorize my coffee order but forget my birthday. you never say you miss me but you look back twice exactly when we part every time. your eyes are always closed when we touch. i do not understand what these things say, or what you are trying to tell me but i listen anyways. and these are the ways in which i try to learn.

once, we don't speak for too long and the first night you spend in my bed again, i ask you, before i turn the light off, what it means. you don't look at me. you say you don't know. so i flick off the light switch and curl around myself under the covers. your hands find my hair, find my waist, find the soft skin of a scar, find the place where the flesh is thinnest between the world and my heart. i ask you what that means. you say it means, "you still have me." and so i kiss every one of your finger tips and in this way i respond, "i am glad." i let my legs tangle with yours under the blankets and in this way i say, "you still have me, too." in this moment you have not learnt my language yet either. but we are both learning. and some things are hard to misinterpret.

you take me to the movies to watch the same film for the second time. i do not understand what this is trying to say or what you are trying to tell me but i listen anyways. on the drive home, we take the leftover silence of the theatre with us, and i ask you what you meant when you did this. you are still picking the quiet out from your teeth with your tounge and so i say, "in my language, this means, 'i would choose the silence over your voice.' in my language this means 'you are only worth the past, over again. there is no moving forward, only backwards. until we fall into the oblivion from which we came'. " you pull off the road. you shake your head. say, "in my language, this means, 'the quiet is hard sometimes but never with you.' in my language, this means 'i think we have time enough to reread stories twice'. this means, 'you are the familar and for this i am grateful'. this means, 'i do not need adventure to stay'. that I am content to sit with you and the dark and devour a peice of the world together."

and so i come to learn that your leg slipping over my hip when i am just on the cusp of sleep means: i forgive you. learn that a sandwich found in the fridge made the night before for me to take to work means: im sorry. learn that the hour long shower means: not now. learn the bitting of the nails means: now. now, please. i learn the sunday morning pancakes mean: i love you. but so do the forehead kisses and the 1:30 am texts about tomorrow and the you telling me about your day. i learn the offer to fix my car means "let me be something for you, please." i learn 2 dirty mugs in the sink mean a bad day unless one of them is the red one and it's thursday, because then that just means working late, and in this way i learn about the context of a phrase.

you learn things too. pick them up slowly. through daily conversation. murmmer things in passing. nonchalant and nervous. i don't correct you. i just smile. because I know what you are trying to say.

i wince sometimes at the misused vocab and poorly built sentences that crumble quickly, but i do not offer to teach you until you ask. because i know for certain what you are saying then. saying:

i want to know how to speak to you in the language you feel most at home in.

i want to be able to know you in the words there are no direct translations for.

i want to be able to find you in the dialect you retreat to when the day has gone on too long.

you are saying:

i want to be able interpt everything you think there are no words in my language to say, and so you don't say them.

i want you to be able to tell me everything

you are telling me:

i want you to know that i want to try and talk to you even when it is hard.

you offer to walk with me in the fall afternoon even though you hate the crunch of the leaves that you say sounds too much like endings and i ask you if this offer means "i love you" or "i don't want to be alone right now" and you are looking away from me when you explain that sometimes things can have more than one meaning.

i tackle you half screaming half laughing when you buy us the concert tickets for my birthday and you ask me if this means "thank you" or "i love you" and i am smiling when i explain sometimes things can have more than one meaning.

i come home late to find you sobbing on the bathroom floor and i hold you for hours. i show you videos of baby's laughing until the tears subside long enough for you to kiss me with salt sorrow stained lips and i ask against your mouth if this means "thank you" or "i love you" and you whisper of how different things can have the same meaning and in this way i learn of synonyms.

sometimes the learning of a new language is difficult.

is frustrating.

is silences that scream two things in dissonance.

for the hardest things to define are the absences.

for there are a million subtle ways the pronunciation of quiet differs depending on what you are trying to convey.

sometimes learning a new language is

mistakes.

is misunderstandings.

is apologies

for violating customs

and muddling unfamiliar proverbs.

i'm sorry,

this is not my native tounge.

but i am trying.

i am learning.

if you are willing to teach me.

sometimes a new language is something we become fluent it. the bilingualism comes easy. it rolls off our tounge like second nature. you realize now there are new ways to love in this language. but there are also new ways the hurt. and new ways to heal. and new ways to apologize. you realize there are new ways to know someone when they are not afraid to be misheard.

sometimes a new language is a patchwork quilt of simple words and poorly stitched grammer. sometimes i pull out a few words at the restaurant to impress you. you smile less at the phrase, more at the gesture. sometimes i stumble over the words and you help me up, help me along the sentence, because you know it means the world to me to try for you.

sometimes all we can do is learn to understand. the words never come out right so we stop trying. but we listen. we nod. we laugh. we hold them at all the right parts of the story.

sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone is to understand

what they are trying to say.

when she makes paper flowers and sends me photos of them. i know she is trying to tell me: "look. i got out of bed today and created something beautiful. i thought of you in the slow process of the cultivation of this miracle." and i don't know how to reply. not in her language atleast. and so i don't. but i know what she means.

sometimes it is enough to understand someone.

sometimes it isn't.

sometimes a new language is not for us. we tell ourselves we are too old to pick it up. we tell ourselves it is too difficult. too forgien. too complicated. we try for the sake of saying we tried. but we don't.

in the end, we know how to say hello and goodbye and thank you and a handful of curse words. sometimes we know how to say i love you. in the formal tounge. with textbook pronouns and rigid verbs.

sometimes learning a language is

things lost in translation

is

how was I supposed to know what that meant?

is

why didn't you just tell me?

is

i didn't know how.

is

being too tired to roll your r's and remember the right tense.

sometimes learning a language is screaming everything you cannot translate at the language barrier between you. hoping they understand. hoping they don't.

but there is something unmatched about being welcomed home in your mother tounge.

something about being forgiven in words you could never misinterpret.

about being called to bed by the familar.

t h e r e i s s o m e t h i n g u n p a r a l l e l e d a b o u t b e i n g l o v e d i n

y o u r o w n l a n g u a g e.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Showtime (SpicyHoneyMustard, stand alone, lemon)

Summary: Edge and Red are bodyguards for the Queen's Judge, Rus, and they more than happy to watch over him.

In every way possible.

Notes: Forgive me for my sins!!😭😭😭I got this idea into my head and it refused to be banished. 

Naughty, naughty boys, read the tags before you dive in!

Tags: SpicyHoneyMustard, Fontcest, Fellcest, Sibling Incest, Threesome, Established Relationship, Possessive Behavior. LEMONY GOODNESS!!

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

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Read it here!

~~*~~

Edge had always hated meetings and while they’d never said as much, he was certain that the others did as well.

Endless, trite negotiations where Humans and Monsters both spent hours dancing around the subjects they truly wished to discuss, speaking through clenched teeth as they struggled to find a common ground to agree upon.

Coming from a world where agreements came either briskly or at the expense of spilled dust, for Edge it was something of an adjustment.

Edge stood stiffly by the door, hands clasped in front of him as he watched the Human Leaders who were meeting with the Queen and her Judge. The Humans had politely requested a private meeting of only them and as the head of Security, Edge just as politely told them in so many words that he’d sooner gift-wrap his own soul for them to dust at their leisure. No Humans were ever going to be alone with the Queen on his watch and as for Rus…

Humans were often tetchy about Rus once they learned his purpose; their Judge, the one who could weigh the souls of Monsters and Humans alike. If mere magic discomfited them, then knowing someone could see the heaviness of their ugliest sins could send them into a blustering rage. Even some Monsters found it unsettling at times and it was Edge’s duty to keep Rus safe, an ofttimes thankless task that he’d taken on before they’d even met.

These days, Rus’s safety was no duty, but a necessity for Edge’s peace of mind. Nothing was going to hurt him, not Humans, not Monster, no one. It was a promise he swore to himself daily.

The conference room for this particular meeting was at the Embassy and as a concession to meeting on less than neutral soil, Edge readily agreed to be the only security in the room. It did not mean he was the only one watching and there was no reason for these Humans to know that Red could be here between one blink and the next. Besides, there were only ten of the Humans, all sweating and nervous in their uncomfortably fitting suits, trying to decide if the offered coffee and pastries were safe to consume. Hardly cause for concern.

Edge wondered with dry amusement if they’d be more willing to choose a muffin if they knew all of it was fresh that morning from the local Tim Horton's.

The stiff conversation held little interest to him and instead, Edge measured their body language, reading their intent. Humans worried so fearfully about being Judged and yet had no idea how much they revealed with a single tapping pencil or the stuttering bounce of a leg beneath the table. They were nervous, unsettled, but not truly afraid and it was enough for Edge to relax, as much as he was able this close to unfamiliar Humans. Nerves were to be expected and much easier to predict than fear.

After a few wary glances, the Humans no longer paid him any mind and that was fine by Edge. He didn’t miss the slight flicker of pale lights in his direction, just as quickly flicking away, nor the slight smile that curved Rus’s mouth. His expression was one of dutiful interest, paying close attention to the rather unpleasant Human who was asking for concessions that they weren’t about to make. The glance that flicked Edge’s way again for the briefest of seconds and then away said that the negotiations weren’t holding his attention as they should.

Edge shifted the weight of his gaze entirely to Rus, calmly watching him so that the next glance he snuck was met with a stare his own. Rus’s sockets widening then quickly returning to the Humans and none of them would have any idea what the faint, flustered orange rising in his cheek bones meant.

Edge knew, very well, indeed.

‘easy, boss,’ drawled through the earpiece in his auditory canal, ‘don’t wanna make a bad impression on all these humies, do ya.’

There was no way to reply to his brother without being overheard and Edge only stood, his gloved hands clasped in front of him, his expression one of bland neutrality.

‘can’t blame ya for drooling, though, he cleans up too fucking nice.’

He did. Rus rarely wore the formal robes of his office, only at the Queen’s request and still reluctantly. Silken, creamy ivory with the delta symbol delicately embroidered on his chest, discreetly hugging the lithe line of his body as they covered his slim, lovely bones from the high collar to where the hem brushed the floor, showing only peeks of the tips of his shoes. It made him look coolly resplendent, untouchable and yet—

‘‘course, that only makes ya want to dirty ‘im up, don’t it.’

Stop, Edge did not, could not say. He shifted his stance, widening it as discreetly as he could. Not at all enough for any bastards watching through the room cameras, who only chuckled, darkly pleased.

‘yeah, ya like that idea, dontcha. think he’d look real good on that table. pull those robes up and show off those pretty bones. bet he don’t have much on under it and ya always look good between his legs, ya know. draggin’ all those sweet sounds outta him, making him cry and moan while your fuckin’ that tight little cunt until he’s begging to cum.’

Control, that was all, he’d spent years working on his control. But his brother’s husky voice was cruelly relentless, worming its way from his hearing and settling into his warming thoughts.

‘course, our sweet thing always has a lot to say when ya give ‘im head, don’t he. don’t always make sense but it do make for a hellava show.’ Edge could hear a soft clacking sound, a fingertip tapping consideringly against teeth. ‘can’t decide what i’d rather see right now. you eating him out or you ramming him until he screams. both’re worth the price of admission.’

A ticklish trickle of sweat fell from Edge’s brow bone and he plucked out a handkerchief, wiping it away discreetly. The Queen noticed, glancing at him with faint concern. He only shook his head ever so slightly and she returned her attention to the Humans, her tight smile a fair indication of how well their negotiations were not going.

‘guess i’ll hafta to let ya choose, don’t think i can. whatcha think, bro, how ya gonna wreck that pussy today?’ Through the earpiece, Edge could hear a chair creaking, a familiar scuffing sound of Red propping his boots up on the desktop despite frequent admonishments to keep his filthy feet on the floor. ‘oh, i got a plan now. ya fuck him good, fuck him up, wear him out for me. think after you’re done i’ll give our boy a good tongue-lashing. see if we can get him to pass out again, yeah?’ There was the faint, obscene sound of his brother licking his teeth. ‘he always tastes better with a little sauce on the side.’

The queen abruptly standing startled Edge so much he actually twitched, only barely catching himself from flinching. She towered over the Humans, who gaped at her as she said coolly. “Gentleman, I believe we’re finished for the day.”

None of them seemed ready to question her commanding authority, all of them standing, blustering and scrambling for briefcases and paperwork. When they were ready, Edge stepped silently aside, opening the door and gesturing curtly to the rest of the security team. They would lead the Humans out of the Embassy and if they found Edge’s appearance to be unsettling, a pack of fierce Dogs didn’t seem to instill any additional confidence.

He closed the door and the moment it shut, the Queen sagged, pulling off her crown to toss it uncaringly to the tabletop and her head falling into her hands. “Why must they be so aggravating!” she burst out, all the frustration that she refused to show the Humans overflowing, spilling out into the air between them.

“hey, it’ll be okay, tori,” Rus soothed, even as Edge struggled not to show his distaste at the familiarity in that nickname. He moved to stand behind her, rubbing her stiff shoulders until she began to relax, some of her tension flowing away. “we’ll work through it. look, why don’t you head out for the day? go on home, get a glass of wine, spend some time with that kid of yours and we’ll give it another shot tomorrow, yeah?”

A heavy sigh and the Queen nodded, twisting her head to smile up at him, “You’re right, of course. You always know what to say.”

“of course i do,” Rus said loftily, “i’m your advisor, so listen to my sound advice. hit the bricks, head home.”

She laughed, tiredly amused, "I should have chosen the corn muffin with my coffee, then I could have been all ears."

Edge chose that moment to interrupt, offering quietly, “The Humans have left the building.”

“Thank you, Edge,” the Queen nodded and stood. “I believe I will go home.”

“Your car will be brought around in ten minutes,” Edge told her. She nodded again, her smile less personal than the one she offered Rus but no less sincere.

The second she was gone, Rus slumped back in his own chair. Gone was the posed, coolly competent Judge, regal and distant, and left behind was only Rus, his knees sprawled as far apart as his robes allowed, long arms dangling on either side of the chair almost to the floor.

“well, that was a waste of an afternoon,” Rus sighed out. Staring up glumly at the ceiling, he didn’t noticed Edge discreetly twisting the lock on the door. “why do they have to make everything so diffi—hey!”

Rus flailed in his arms as Edge scooped him easily up, carrying his light weight over to sit him on the table. For once, the position made Rus slightly shorter than him and there was nothing in those pale eye lights but startled confusion. It seemed his formal decorum was not completely abandoned yet.

“what are you do-oooing!” It rose into a high-pitched yelp as Edge pushed him to lay back before roughly yanked those robes up to his femurs without a care for the delicacy of the material. Red was correct, there was nothing beneath them but bones, glossy and slim, begging for a rough hand to slide over them until the delicate joints glowed brightly with desire.

“I’m giving you a way to be productive,” Edge murmured. He bit the fingertip of one of his gloves, pulling it off and spitting it to the floor, already forgotten as he ran his bared hand up Rus’s silken femur to thumb at the place where the joint met his pelvis. Rus arched into the touch, husking out a moan as Edge kept up the journey, fondling his pubic symphysis with deliberate intent.

A flood of bright magic filled Rus’s pelvic cradle, his pussy snapping into place. Even as he squirmed and moaned, Rus’s hands fluttered shyly down as if to cover it from Edge’s avid gaze, his cheek bones flushing brilliantly. “do i even want to ask what’s gotten into you?”

“should be more worried about what’s gettin’ into you.” Came from behind them. Edge did not look; he could picture his brother’s lasciviously eager grin as easily as a photograph. Rus’s blush only deepened, honey-golden and lovely. “c’mon, bro, hurry it up. i’ve been waiting all day for a show and i’m gonna play judge and jury for once and say he’s ready to give one.”

It was easy to simply ignore that careless command. Trailing a single fingertip along the soft, tempting folds found Rus already slippery, easily taking that finger inside. Another finger joined the first and if Red was hoping for a show, the way Rus arched, crying out as his femurs slid even further apart in generous offering already made for a lovely performance. Already he was debauched, his teeth parting to allow those lovely cries to escape, sweat beading prettily on his skull and his robes crumpled and bunched up around his waist.

“Beautiful,” Edge murmured, and despite the heat bulging at his own crotch, he would have been content to simply watch this. The slippery slide of his pale cracked phalanges into the golden petal softness of Rus’s pussy was delicious enough, no matter what his brother thought of it. A demonstration that fingers were quite nice things on their own.

“please!” Rus suddenly burst out, panting as he scrambled to grab at Edge’s wrist, stilling his thrusting fingers. He gulped loudly, his pleading look darting from Edge to someplace behind him where surely Red was watching them with scarlet-bright intensity. “oh, please, want you, need you, please!”

That decided him and Edge ignored the tremor in his hand as he pulled his fingers free with a wet, obscene sound and went for his belt. His fingers were still too slick and he cursed as he fumbled at his zipper, the tiny tab stubbornly refusing to be lowered.

Smaller hands settled over his own, the fingers as cracked and damaged as his own, and arms wrapping around him from behind. “hang on, i got you, bro.”

Edge sighed in relief as Red nimbly opened his pants, reaching inside to take hold of his cock, drawing him out. He gave the shaft a brisk, unnecessary stroke. Edge was already achingly hard, crimson wetness beading at the tip and spread by Red’s careless touch. A light push at the small of his back urged him to step forward and Edge did, bracing his hands on the table as he settled in between Rus’s spread femurs.

They both groaned at the first touch of his cockhead against Rus’s slit as Red lined Edge up, pressing him firmly to Rus’s entrance.

“there ya go,” Red crooned, even as he stepped back, eye lights glittering as he took in the scene before him, the two of them hovering at the cusp of being joined, “c’mon now, give him what he wants.”

It was a command Edge was more than willing to obey. This time.

Rus threw his head back at the first slow thrust, hands scrabbling desperately at Edge’s shoulders as broken cries welled from his throat, thoroughly lost to the sensation of being penetrated, and that was where Edge’s patience broke.

With a low growl, he thrust deep inside, hips snapping forward, and he could only be dimly grateful for the room’s soundproofing as Rus choked on a scream. The gloriously tight heat of his cunt rippled and clenched around him as if trying to suck him in even deeper. Edge groaned deeply, rolling his hips in a desperate rhythm, slamming their bodies together even as Rus clawed at his scapulas, blunted fingertips scratching chalkily as bone met bone.

Red clambered up on the table, sneakers squeaking against mahogany as he knelt at Rus’s head. He managed to lift Rus’s thrashing skull into his lap, then took hold of his wrists, forcing his hands down to the tabletop. Freeing Edge from his hold only let him thrust deeper, both hands gripping Rus’s iliac crests as he drove into him with aching force, glorying in the hot clench of the pseudoflesh around him.

“that’s it, baby,” Red crooned out, barely audible over the clatter of bones against each other. “fuck yes, you’re beautiful. take it, take him, you gorgeous bastard.”

“oh, oh, i…i need…” Rus stammered out, “oh, oh, please, ohhh!” He strained against Red’s hold, unable to break his unyielding grip even as he shuddered and whined, caught between them, struggling uselessly against Edge’s weight as he tried to arch up even as orgasm struck him with the force of a velvet-wrapped blow. His eye lights blew wide, flooding with deep orange before his sockets scrunched closed and he came with a warbling cry, writhing and whimpering in a gorgeous display of desperate pleasure.

Edge leaned down to cover his pleading mouth with his own, managing a degree of tenderness even now with Rus’s sweet cunt pulsing and spasming around him, still thrusting erratically as he groaned through his teeth, gloriously engulfed by the orgasm rippling up his spine.

It took a while for Edge to return to his senses, gulping in deep gasps of air that were thick with the rich tang of their sex. The clammy feel of his own sweat beneath his clothing was uncomfortably acute, but there was no attention to spare for that now. Not with Rus clinging to him, his own breathing closer to sobs as he buried his face into the front of Edge’s once pristine shirt, smearing it with sweat and tears, all the fluids sex brought with it staining it.

Edge couldn’t have possibly cared less. He rested the bulk of his weight on one trembling arm, wrapping the other around Rus and pulling him close to murmur gentle reassurance against the side of his skull.

His need for closeness after sex was endlessly endearing and Edge always indulged it, wishing for Rus to always be so, greedily unashamed to cuddle in close and steal kisses and soft touches even as he shivered with pleasurable little aftershocks.

A cleared throat had them both looking up at Red, who waggled his fingers in a mocking wave. “thanks, you two, good to be remembered.”

Edge scowled even as Rus made a sound of distress, reaching out for Red who took that feebly groping hand in his own, twining their fingers together. As always, their Rus acting as a conduit between them, tying them together past the bond of brotherhood. Their Rus.

Theirs.

“love you,” Rus slurred out. “love you both.” Red pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles with the uncommon tenderness that belonged to Rus alone. Then he let go, crawling over to the side of the table.

“love you, too, honey, but ya ain’t done yet.” Red gave Edge’s shoulder a rough shove and he went without protest, grimacing as he withdrew and even as he tried to be gentle, Rus let out a little noise of discomfort, knees drawing up slightly as he winced. Edge staggered back, nearly falling into one of the chairs, legs akimbo and his trousers sagging as he took in the view.

Rus, his once immaculate robes stained and rumpled where they were rucked up around his pelvis, cloth and bone contrasting against the dark wood of the table. He lay bared and trembling, his bent legs dangling, femurs still spread to show his lovely cunt painted with thick crimson fluid, marked by Edge’s release. A gorgeous, glorious ruin, beautifully tempting and Edge's magic gave a hopeful throb at his crotch, gamely willing.

Edge pushed it sternly down. After all, he’d had his turn.

His brother hopped back down to the floor and the height of the table nearly put Rus’s pelvis at a level with his mouth. His hands settling on Rus’s knees made him lift his skull, watching blearily as Red ran his thumbs up the insides of Rus’s femurs, smearing those heavy spatters of crimson.

Red gave Rus a wink as he ran his tongue lightly over his jagged teeth, the shade a deeper scarlet and no less eager.

“had my show, now it’s time for dinner,” Red leered.

“wha—ahh!!” Confusion jolted into disbelief as Rus’s skull fell back on the table with a painful sounding thunk. He convulsed, choking out a wail as Red buried his face between his femurs, wet, sloppy sounds spilling into the air to tangle with Rus’s newly desperate cries.

Edge only propped his chin on a hand to watch avidly. It was his turn for a show, and he planned to enjoy it.

-finis-

Read the next chapter

[def-initely-soul]

Blood Relations Part 10 - Extra

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10 - Extra, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

A/N: okay so this is like an extra chapter about part 10, and it happens right after the events of part 10. It’s small but not that small to put it in the next part, so I’m making it as an extra! Anyways that’s it! Enjoy!

Gif’s not mine

Words: 2365

Pairing: Jaebum/Reader

Summary: No summary ehehehehehe

Previous Part: Part 10

You are walking down a hallway. People seem to pass you by, no one really noticing you. You look around astonished, as you try to figure out where you are. The boisterous sounds around you, fill the air and inform you of the great number of people in the house. It’s buzzing with life. Vivid smells engulf your senses, in the wake of tonight’s feast. Confusion and bewilderment absorb you, in the images in front of you. The long gray dresses, the too formal attires, the way the house is decorated. All are messing with your mind. Until the sound of a well-known laugh, floats in the air, making you search for it, in the midst of your confusion. It sounds alive and vibrant. You follow the sound, out of curiosity and you end up in a big, familiar, spacious room with a large dining table as its centerpiece. Your eyes spot three girls in long gray uniforms, preparing the table, lighting candles, placing silverware and plates, the sounds they make filling the silence. But the owner of the laugh is nowhere to be seen. Before you wonder about where they might be, the laugh rings through the walls, once more, coming from the left side of the room. You quicken your pace, in your attempt to locate the owner, excitement surging through your limbs. You open the door in front of you, and you are suddenly in the middle of an empty hallway. Well, empty except from you and other two men. You can’t recognize them, your vision is blurry. You blink your eyes over and over again, but the picture refuses to clear. Until you hear the laughter once more and while your vision clears, you have recognized the owner of the voice, before you get to see him. It’s Jaebum. His pair of familiar eyes are gleaming, as he stands close to Youngjae, hearing him talk. They looked polished and extravagant, with their hair brushed back and their attires in blue and black, in pure perfection. Your heart flutters at the sight, a quick reaction you’re used to having every time you see him. By now, it’s common for you, even though he stills manages to electrify you.

“...And I swear he fell right off the horse, after we just informed him about its condition” Youngjae says, his voice sounding distant at the beginning, but it slowly becomes clearer.

“Unbelievable. And how did he manage to recover after that? My pride would have been wounded” Jaebum replies with a soft, teaseful smile and you observe him. He looks stunning. The way his suit fits him so well, highlighting his well-built figure, has you trapped. You cough to gain their attention. But none of them seem to notice you, as they carry on with their conversation. Until another cough echoes in the air, making them stop talking and look over at you. They both smile at your direction, and Jaebum’s smile is nothing short of magnificent.

For a moment you think the smile is meant for you, but as you take a step towards them, you feel something strange coursing through your body, as a girl, literally, walks through you. You stare at her in shock and then back to your body, safe and sound. How did she do that?

“What does my dear brother bother you with, this time?” she asks playfully, as she nears the two men, who stare at her with smiles in their faces. She gives a quick peck at Youngjae’s cheek and then she turns her attention at Jaebum. Her face shines with glee as she looks at him, her eyes wide with adoration.

Jaebum smiles at her, joining his hand behind his back, and you feel yourself getting uneasy.

“We all know that I bother him much more about my affairs. Consider it as an eye for an eye” he replies, teasefully while Youngjae laughs.

“Actually, dear brother, I think Lady Im requires your help about something. You should go and assist her” the girl says to Youngjae, but he looks at her, his face betraying his confusion. Then he gets the hint and your uneasiness grows as you get it too.

“Ah, yes of course, I should go” he replies as he moves away from the duo, and you notice Jaebum’s eyes growing, looking at his friend in close panic. Youngjae looks at him, with a gaze that only tells Jaebum, he can’t avoid this. Then his stare moves to his sister, as he observes the close attention she’s giving to Jaebum. Then he leaves them alone. You return your eyes to them, feeling panic rising through your chest. You can see the affection in her eyes, when she looks at him.

“So, how have your studies been, Sujin? Youngjae informed me you seem to be doing well” Jaebum’s voice fills the awkward silence, clearly uncomfortable with being alone with her.

“I am… What about you? Is everything alright with the business? Being a merchant must be very consuming over time and energy” she replies, calmly.

Jaebum gives her a chuckle. “It’s alright, I can’t complain… Should we head back to the dining room? Dinner is about to be served…” he tries to walk to the door, when her voice stops him. Your heart stops for that moment, but then it starts beating fast. You are sure it’s gonna beat out of your chest and you wish she won’t say what you think she will.

“Could you wait? ... I… Actually, I have been meaning to talk to you, alone. You see, I-”

“Sujin, don’t say something you’ll regret”

She stops and looks at him stunned, as you do. “What do you mean?”

Jaebum sighs. “People might hear. And I don’t wish for you to be ridiculed” he explains, with a soft, honest voice, looking at her. She doesn’t respond. Jaebum moves to leave again, until her words stop him, once more.

“Why would I be ridiculed?” she asks slowly, as if she is afraid to hear the answer. As if she already knows it. Jaebum stands still, his face scrunched up in concentration.

He turns to face her, while taking a breath. “Because my feelings for you can never advance into something else, besides brotherly love” he says carefully, waiting for her reaction. Your chest falls slowly, as you exhale in relief. She continues to look at him, wide-eyed, but then she lowers her head to the ground.

“Oh, I see…” she whispers, and you feel guilty, being relieved by her misfortune. You can almost hear her heart, breaking.

Jaebum moves close to her, with an exhale as he takes her hands into his.

“I am certain you will find someone to love you and cherish you, as much as you’re worth to. But I am not that person. And if our union wouldn’t succeed, I would despise myself for being the cause of your unhappiness. You deserve to be happy”

She raises her head to look at him and a bittersweet smile graces her lips. “Thank you…” she exhales. Jaebum smiles once more, hooking his arm around hers. “Shall we go now? I am sure Hakyeon will be dying to see us again”. She smiles again and nods. The duo slowly begins to move towards the dining room, with light steps.

But as soon as they leave the scenery changes….

You are in front of the mansion. It’s bright and warm. Too warm.

And that’s when you realize it’s because the mansion is being devoured by flames.

There is chaos everywhere.

The fire is slowly licking the house, destroying and consuming everything in its path. People are running around, trying to flee an image out of their worst nightmares. But none manages to escape. They’re either prayed on by the fire or by something even sinister.

A few of them that succeed to escape, run towards the open fields but before they can get away from this pit of hell, they’re being attacked. Formless shadows hunt them down, one by one. They move quickly, with precision. Ghost-like things that disappear into the night and appear again, before the sickening sound of skin tearing and bone breaking, fill the gaps the sounds of the fire allow. Along with the agonizing screams of the people that lose their lives.

You stare in horror as you try to go to their aid, when you realize you can’t. Cause every time you try to touch something, your hand moves through it. As if you’re made purely of air. Then the sound of wood breaking makes you look away. Your eyes are held captive by the image the fire bestows. The alluring picture lulls you to step closer to the entrance of the house, completely forgetting the danger you might put yourself into.

And that’s when you hear a high-pitched scream. So dreadful and horrific, it causes shivers down your spine.

You move quickly inside the house and once, inside the dining room, you see everything is consumed by fire. It’s either burned to ashes or still burning. The room is full with smoke, but it doesn’t affect you as you notice Youngjae’s sister coughing uncontrollably. You move closer to her, when a shadow drifts, swiftly around her. At first it doesn’t attack her, it seems like it is observing her. Her scared eyes look frantically around her, following its movements. Then you hear a voice.

“Your beauty exceeds my expectations. It’s such a shame. If you weren’t Jaebum’s, I was going to claim you as my own”. Maliciousness and greed are dripping with every word.

Sujin’s terrified gaze continues to chase after it, now bafflement evident in her eyes. “But I’m not-”

She ceases her words as the shadow stops moving and a male figure materializes in front of her. She is left speechless, her eyes wide with shock.

“Too bad that I’m gonna have to kill you” he says and before Sujin manages to react, you hear the grotesque sound of a neck snapping, and Sujin falls, lifeless, to the floor.

You cover your mouth with your hands, muffling the cry of horror that tries to escape your lips. This can’t be happening. She can’t die like that.

“SUJIN!” an unrestrained cry fills the air, that stops you from moving closer to her. You see N barging in, his clothes burned and teared apart and his eyes frantically looking for Sujin. But as soon as he finds her, he stands still. He walks slowly next to her and he falls to his knees with blank eyes. Shock and heartbreak are covering his features, as his hands reach for her.

“No…” he exhales, almost inaudible, as he holds her close. He places his forehead on top of hers and soon enough, tears run down his face. The image in front of you starts to blur and you realize it’s because you’re crying too.

The man turns to N. “Tell Lord Jaebum he shouldn’t have meddled where it’s not within his limits. This is what he gets for going against us” he says and then he disappears the same way he came; like a shadow.

N doesn’t move his face to acknowledge the man, but his words remain etched to his mind. That’s when Jaebum bursts into the room. His attire is in the same condition as N’s; burned and torn to pieces. His face is full of worry, but it freezes as soon as he sees N cradling Sujin’s body, silent tears of sorrow rolling down his cheeks. Jaebum takes a step towards them, but N’s head snaps towards him. His eyes full of despair.

“This is your fault” his voice dripping with misery and hate, his gaze fiery upon Jaebum. “She died because of you!” he yells, his figure wretched, ready to collapse. And just as Jaebum is about to move closer, another lingering shadow infiltrates the room, going straight for N’s neck. You hear the sound of fangs breaking skin. Then N’s cries of suffering. He writhes in pain and the shadow remains for just a moment before it disappears, letting N fall to the ground. Jaebum’s face turns white, as realization hits him, his face contorting in agony.

“HAKYEON!” he yells, in desperation, rushing to N’s body on the floor, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. Jaebum’s face is already stained by tears, as he cradles his brother’s body close to him, among this chaos and your heart breaks into million pieces. Why is this happening to him? You fall to your knees, opposite of him, next to N’s body, as you stare in terror, at N’s still form. Then Jaebum raises his head and he stands frozen as he sees something behind you.

At this moment, you want to simply erase any pain or sorrow he’s going through. You long to touch him, to feel his skin under your fingertips, to comfort him.

But then you realize he’s not looking at something behind you.

He looks straight into your eyes.

“Get out” he whispers, in urgency. You stare back, motionless, unable to tear your gaze away from him. Is that meant for you?

His eyes stare into you, silently trying to persuade you to escape. But as you fail to move, another shadow invades the room and materializes, in the middle of descending from pure air, as it goes straight for Jaebum’s neck. A shocked, scared yelp escapes your throat as you fall to your hands, in terror.

An anguished scream leaves Jaebum’s lips when he falls down, unable to do anything, as the man feds from him, uncontrollably.

“STOP!!” you yell in desperation, tears, now, continuously flowing from your eyes, but your voice won’t come out, as you stare at the familiar man sucking the life out of Jaebum. You try to push him, but your hands only pass through him, rendering you useless. You can only stare as you watch Jaebum’s life being destroyed.

And when you really see the man, you realize you know him.

It’s him.

You woke up with a loud gasp, as you jumped from the bed, drowning in sweat.

What the hell was that?

Next Part: Part 11

that was it!! confused aren’t you? don’t worry though, more are coming in the next chapter!! xD feedback is always welcome, and please look forward to the next parts!! xoxo