#it‘s the way lines are being delivered that feels off to me

[the-travelling-witch]

i just got wuwa too and im too lazy to change my language so i just play with the sound off lol.. why are the english voices so unlistenable??? especially yangyang?????

oh i wasn’t complaining about the eng voice acting actually, but about the game defaulting to the german translation jshsh

that being said, i did switch to the jp voice acting while changing the text settings, just bc i play genshin and honkai in japanese too and i want to try that first; though i didn’t notice anything too wrong with eng (i also didn’t pay too much attention though so i‘ll have to switch back and compare if i keep playing it)

also it’s important to not direct any dislike of a game’s voice acting at the actors directly, we never know what kind of directions they got

[i-stan-nct-and-satan]

Not Broken (Jaehyun Mafia AU) Part 14

Not Broken Masterlist

Jaehyun X Reader

Y/N is a burlesque dancer living in Seoul. Jaehyun is one of the most powerful mafia men in Seoul. How will Y/N survive when Jaehyun suspects that she is involved with a rival gang?

Reasons to read this story: Ten’s a cross-dressing madam so….. yeah read it ya freaks.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.  

His presence sent shivers down my spine. Every fiber of my being urged me to run but I couldn’t. A much stronger force locked my body in place. The gym filled with an oppressive energy that immediately became too suffocating to bear.  

The corners of his lips upturned into a slight smile, a motion that contradicted the mood of the room. Letting out a soft chuckle, he ran his fingers through his faded pink hair, only for it to fall back into place seemingly untouched.  

“Is that any way to speak to your new trainer, Y/N?”  

Although he terrified me more than anything I had ever encountered, I refused to let Jaehyun think that he had any more power over me than he already did.  

“New trainer? What are you talking about? Where’s Jeno? He’s my trainer, not you.”  

Jaehun slowly shook his head and began to tsk at me. His smug features mocked me as he began to step closer towards me. He knew of the effect he had on me and was surely using his influence to further disrupt any tranquility I had left. There was no way he’d be ignorant enough to think that his existence was anything less than a means for my suffering, right?

“I must say, it‘s almost disconcerting to hear my fiancé sound so concerned about another man, especially after I forwent my morning responsibilities just to be with her. You wouldn’t be trying to make me jealous would you, kitten?” He taunted, his eyes feigning hurt.  

His words were coated in an artificial sweetness that could lead someone unbeknownst to his character to believe they were filled with genuine hurt but to me, they left me with a headache and a bad taste in my mouth. Not only that, but the way his eyes traveled their ways over my figure as he spoke was... anxiety inducing.

“Where’s Jeno?” I repeated, my strong facade beginning to waver.

Jaehyun stared at me in amusement and I wondered how I was going to keep his mood from turning sour without giving in to his games.

“Jeno has some duties he needs to take care of, you know with planning our wedding and all. Planning a proper ceremony is such a taxing responsibility and even without the deadline already enclosing on us. Although I trust Jeno’s abilities, I figured that relieving him of his other responsibilities would allow him to have everything ready for the end of the month.”

I couldn’t help but gasp.

“The end of the m-m-month? That’s only 3 weeks away!”

“In our line of business, that isn’t particularly out of the ordinary given the nature of most arrangements. A lot can happen in the months leading up to the official ceremony after an engagement is announced. Enemy plans can emerge, alliances could break, not to mention the very real possibility of either party’s death. Most find it best to officialize marriages as soon as possible, for the safety and benefit of all those involved, which is why we’re only announcing our engagement two weeks prior to the ceremony itself.”

Jaehyun’s words reached my ears but they sounded foreign to me and not because Korean wasn’t my first language. Everything he was saying sounded completely and utterly insane. Announcing an engagement two weeks before a wedding, the fact that we were having a wedding? It was straight out of a Kdrama and a cheesy one at that. I didn’t know how to respond to it as I had barely been given enough time to process our engagement in the first place.  

“If Jeno isn’t coming, I’m leaving,” I declared, turning towards the exit door.

“Not so fast, kitten. Didn’t you hear what I said? I’ll be taken over as your trainer.”

I hesitated slightly but began to walk away.

“Then I guess I won’t be training anytime soon,” I announced.

I held my breath, not knowing what to expect. I braced myself for any backlash my blatant disrespect might have earned me when a startling sound entered the room.  

He was laughing.  

I had just made it to the door, but I didn’t dare reach towards the handle. I thought I had fully prepared myself for any reaction he could have to my words whether they be verbal or even physical in nature, but Jaehyun always found a way to rebel against my expectations. His unnerving laughter incited a fear in me so vast, every hair on my body stood straight as though it would abandon its follicle.

I tried to swallow but my mouth was unbearable dry. Gathering up my courage, I raised my arm from my side and reached towards the door handle.

“Don’t you want to hear the other reason for delaying the announcement of our wedding?”  

I paused but continued to grip the handle with whitening knuckles.

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say to me.”

Jaehyun chuckled at my audaciousness.  

It’s cute how she acts fearless despite how she literally trembles whenever I speak. I want to tease her even more.  

“Don’t you know it hurts my feelings when you say things like that? Or are you just trying to get a rise out of me?” He taunted.

I began to turn the knob, disgusted by his playful tone.  

“Ah. Ah Ah. Believe me when I say that this is something you won’t want to miss out on,” He urged.

“At least... not unless you suddenly want to go through with the wedding.”

I instinctively looked back at Jaehyun, completely taking my hand off of the doorknob.  

“What? What do you mean?” I asked in a tone more sincere than I had intended.

A glimmer of disappointment seemed to wash over his features before he spoke.

“Now don’t look too excited,” He frowned.  

Ah, he’s mocking me again, isn’t he?

“I have a proposition for you. A deal of sorts.”

I stared at him.

“What kind of proposition?”

Jaehyun smiled a devilish smile before walking away.

I stood there confused as to whether he was intending for me to follow or stay put. After a moment’s hesitation, I resolved that it was the former.  

I trailed behind him as we wandered through the myriad of rooms that made up the massive home gym until Jaehyun settled upon one with a considerable about of floor mats. The room was far from new to me, seeing as it was the room Jeno most commonly used during combat training.  

“I’ve been watching you and Jeno train for some time now,” He began, taking notice of my shock.

“You’ve gotten quite good considering you’ve only been working together for  a week. I’d like to assess your progress and continue your training.”

“Why would you want to train me?” I asked. Glancing around the room in search of any cameras he might have used to monitor Jeno and my gym sessions.  

“Because you are to be my bride,” He answered, catching me off guard.  

Jaehyun’s eyes lingered on mine. They were softer than I had ever seen them before, but matching his gaze still proved to be too much to do comfortable. I shifted my stare to a nearby stack of floormats.  

“Although that status will grant you protection in of itself, there are certain dangers that come with taking the Jung family name. I must prepare you for that.”

“Oh...” I responded.

I hadn’t expected his answer to be so impassioned and sensible. I didn’t know what I was thinking, but I was sure his reasoning would have had more extemporaneous origins.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any alternative motives to this decision,” He confessed prompting, me to match his gaze once more.  

“You and I haven’t met under the most favorable of circumstances, which is admittedly my fault. I don’t expect you to forgive me anytime soon and I am prepared for much of the harshness I delivered onto you to be returned onto me possibly for the next several years succeeding our wedding day.”

This time he was the one to break our stare though his eyes only seemed to lower innocently.

“But I want for our marriage to be a mutually beneficial one. I hope that over this next week, you and I will have the chance to get to know each other. I think that that is what would be best.”

“You’re damn right this is your fault,” I said. “Why on earth would you think I’d ever agree to working with you on anything?” 

Jaehyun’s expression hardened, but it didn’t show any signs of anger.

“Because if you think there’s any chance of you getting out of this wedding without my explicit consent, then our little kitten is dumber than I thought. Now do you want to hear my proposition or what?”

I kept my mouth shut.

“Good, now, where was I? Oh yeah. You and Jeno use this room for combat training, right? So, you’ve already experienced several scenarios simulating fights with an opponent who’s much stronger than you.”

Jaehyun stared at me searching for any sign that I was following before going on.

“You’re going to continue hands on training, but with me as your opponent instead. The only rules are that you have to stay within the perimeters of the room and that you cannot use a weapon to attack your opponent. Whoever pins the other on their back for three seconds will win.”

“Oh yeah? And what happens if I somehow win?” I scoffed.

The devilish grin returned to Jaehyun’s face, prompting my confident façade to teeter.  

“If you manage to pin me down for the full 3 seconds within the next 7 days before our engagement is announced to the world, I’ll call off the wedding.”

“What?”

“I said, if you beat me, I’ll call off the wedding.”

“But what about Wayv?”

“That won’t be an issue, I could make the president of Korea disappear without a trace if I wanted. I should have no problem finding a way to keep you safe from Wayv.”

“That’s not what you said before.”

“Well, that’s what I’m saying now!” He boomed.

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from arguing any further. I had more important things to ask.

“What happens if I can’t beat you before the seven days are up?”

“I was wandering if you’d ask that. It’s only fair that after offering you the chance to call our or marriage off entirely, that I should get something of equal value if you were to lose.”

That wasn’t what I had wanted to hear. Of course, he wanted something from me. Why else would he give me the opportunity to dip out on our marriage? There was no chance that he’d do this out of the goodness of his heart, and the idea that he was only doing this to see the hope drain from my being wasn’t too unbelievable. That couldn’t have been the case though. As much of a conniving bastard I knew Jaehyun to be, he was still a man of business. I’d be a sucker to think he’d do anything without it serving to further his agenda. Now the only question was, what was it he wanted and was it something I was willing to risk?

He brought his hand to his face in an exaggerated gesture as he vocally pondered to himself.  

“What is it that you could offer me that I couldn’t just take from you?”

My body tensed upon hearing those last few words.  

Fuck.

He began walking towards me as he spoke.  

“As you can probably tell, there isn’t much in this world that I can’t buy. Diamonds, cars, mansions. I can have it all. I just have to say the word. So, I’m sure you can understand my frustration when that doesn’t turn out to be the case. You, for example. Although I can’t simply buy your obedience, you’ve come to realize how far my power extends such as with the case of your friend, Wendy. If I can ensure your compliance with our wedding with something as simple as that, then imagine what else I can do,” He voiced as he reached a hand towards my face.  

I turned my face to avoid his advances, but his fingers brushed against my cheek as he pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear.  

He leaned in close until his lips hovered mere inches away from my ear.  

“But that isn’t very fun now, is it?”  

I took a step back from him and stared into his eyes practically begging him to stop.  

“W-what are you saying?” I demanded.

Jaehyun responded with a sly smirk which only drew more attention to my now flustered state.  

“What I’m saying, is that I don’t want to have to keep forcing you to behave.”

“So, you just want me to go along with whatever you tell me to? And what, act like your perfect little puppet?”

“Something along those lines,” He chimed, leaning in again.  

The heat in my face was unbearable. I wanted to stand tall, but with how close his face was to mine, I could only retreat into myself further. He laughed before turning away from me to stand in front of the room’s mirror wall.  

He spent several seconds looking at himself before continuing.  

“You will be rewarded, of course. Whether it be material items or vacations, ask for it and it will likely become yours assuming you act in accordance with my standards.”

“What type of things does ‘meeting your standards’ entail?” I asked afraid of what the answer might be.

Jaehyun glanced back at me from the mirror.  The fear on my face must have been apparent as he quickly motioned to ease my mind.  

“I will never demand that you do anything of that nature if that’s what you’re afraid of. Although it will be expected of you to give me a male heir, that won’t be for some time and I already have plans to send you away for nine months as the adoption process is completed to give the illusion that you bore said child yourself.”

I relaxed slightly at the confirmation that his requests wouldn’t be sexual in nature, but I tensed back up when I realized he wasn’t done with his explanation.

“My mother is returning to the estate today.”

“Your mother?” I echoed.

“After my father died, she went to live with her sister. She comes to visit the estate when she can and Jisung and Chenle often go to stay with her for long periods at a time, but upon hearing of our engagement she has decided to return indefinitely. She has yet to learn of the specifics regarding our relationship and I would prefer to keep it that way. She’s somehow diluted herself into thinking that our marriage is based on love despite having never heard of you until yesterday. She’s not opposed to arranged marriages, but I’d like for her to think that Chenle and Jisung will have another mother figure in their lives. She will be assisting in the preparation of our wedding as is her duty. Things like going through dresses and basic preparations will make up most of your time together. I would like for you to get to know her as your future mother-in-law given you are unable to win our little bet. Some details would best be hidden from her such as your career path and how we met but it’ll be easier if you aren’t pretending to be someone you’re not. I’ve already had Haechan prepare a back story for you and how we met. I’ve insisted that he tag along on all your endeavors so that he may assist you in... keeping to the script, shall we say?”

He continued to look himself in the mirror as he spoke. He seemed deep in thought, as though he were still confirming the plan with himself instead of explaining the details to me.  

“I know that the bet won’t end for seven days, but if you agree to the bet, know that you’ll need to agree to this as well. That way I’ll have an idea of whether you’ll stay true to your word or not. Once you agree to the terms of the bet, then you cannot change your mind. You can’t suddenly give up your last three tries because you don’t think you’ll win. If you don’t agree to the bet, then I guess I’ll just have to find other ways of making you obey my orders such as through your friend Jungwoo.”

I flinched at hearing Jungwoo’s name. It seemed as though Jaehyun did more than just find out if Wendy was okay when he researched the Heartbreakers.  

“I strongly suggest that you agree to my terms as I believe that even if you lose, you will still benefit from this agreement. Otherwise, the next several years will likely be filled with many hardships should you continue to challenge me.”

His words, which were provocative in nature, had a slight hiss to them. I was reminded of Lucifer who took the form of a snake before he seduced Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and thus bringing about the fall of man. Yet, instead of trying to corrupt me with sin, my Lucifer was giving me a chance to return to Eden. The cost of losing meant my soul. If I agreed, that meant that I was promising to live out my life, pretending to be what Jaehyun wanted me to be. If I didn’t, then I was sure he’d do everything in his power to make my life as miserable as I wanted to make his. Even if it meant my pride remained intact, I wasn’t sure if such a fight was worth sacrificing my happiness for.

But that wasn’t what I needed to focus on.

Jaehyun posed our bet as though it were a guarantee that I would lose, but that wasn’t the case. Jeno had spent hours upon hours teaching me moves with the specific intention that they would help me out if I were to ever find myself in danger of fighting someone much stronger than me.  

Was there any chance that I could actually beat Jaehyun? Maybe not but thinking like that wasn’t an option. If this was the only chance I’d have to get Jaehyun out of my life once and for all, then I was going to take it.  

“Deal,” I said.

The surprised look on Jaehyun’s face disappeared as soon as it came, soon morphing into one of satisfaction.  

“Then shall we begin?”

<><><><>

“Consider today a break from training. Once we’re done with the match you can return to your room and prepare for my mother’s arrival. Starting tomorrow, we’ll only have matches after we finish our training sessions. That way you’ll actually be motivated to come to our training sessions,” Jaehyun told me.

“But that’ll be after I’m already worn out from training! That’s not fair!”

Jaehyun paused for a moment as if he were debating my words.  

“As your trainer, it will be in my best interest to help you improve and that includes showing you where you went wrong and how to counter my moves. I can’t do that unless we fight first. This way, I’ll be able to see your fighting style and have time to plan a lesson teaching you how to counter my moves.”

“How can I trust that you’ll actually teach me the most effective way to counter?” I challenged.

“I understand why you’d doubt me but believe me when I say that I know more than just one trick. Teaching you how to counterattacks to one move doesn’t guarantee that I’ll use it again or that you’ll be a good enough student to actually execute them.”  

Jaehyun ignored the dirty look I gave him.  

A knock came from the doorway. I turned to see Taeyong holding a stopwatch.  

“Ah. Now that our ref is here, Are you ready to begin?” Jaehyun asked.  

I stared him up and down, aware that there was no way I’d be able to take a man of his stature down, at least not today. I had to come up with a strategy.

During one of our first matches, Jeno taught me that the best thing to do when fighting a new opponent is to let them attack first. That way, you can analyze their fighting style and act accordingly.  

“You can tell a lot about a man from their first move. Not just whether they’re fighting style is more defensive or offensive, but about their inner workings as well. A man who attacks without hesitance is rash and likely uses their appearance of strength as a coverup for their faults. A man who hesitates and overanalyzes his opponent is filled with doubt and anxieties. A man who employs weapons to distance himself from his opponent is the same man who would order his underlings to do his dirty work for him. A man who is able to use his opponent's strength against them is disciplined and goal oriented. This kind of fighter knows how to save his strength for more pressing matters. Attacking first will only inform your opponent of your weaknesses so it is best to let them reveal themselves to you first. This will benefit you as you’ll learn to gauge your opponent’s abilities. Never jump headfirst into a pool you can’t see the bottom of. You never know what dangers lurch underneath the surface.”

Jeno’s words eclipsed my thoughts.  

What type of fighter would Jaehyun prove to be? You can learn a lot about a man from his first move, so what if the reverse was true? Would it possible to predict Jaehyun’s moves based on what I already knew about him? With what little information I had, Jaehyun didn’t seem like the type to act without a plan, but given that he was fighting against someone much less inexperienced, maybe that wouldn’t be the case with me.  

I looked at Jaehyun. I took notice of his smug features.

I was right. He expects to win quickly and easily and it’s likely that will be the case.  

This might be our first fight, but it would be stupid of me to take it any less seriously, but what if I could use that to my advantage.

It’s our first fight so probably already anticipating what my first action will be. Perhaps he expects me to act rashly. No, that couldn’t be the case. Jaehyun knows that Jeno and I have been working together and I know that he’s already seen glimpses of my fighting style. He probably knows that I plan to let him strike first.  

I continued to stare back at Jaehyun as I went back and forth with myself. He let out a small chuckle that further revealed his confidence in himself.  

Go ahead and smile, Jaehyun. That confidence of yours is going to serve as a tool for my victory.  

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Good.”

Jaehyun shot a glance towards Taeyong who nodded in response.  

“To reiterate the rules. Whoever manages to pin the other down for three seconds wins. The pinned person must be laying on their back and both of their shoulders must be touching the mat for the full three seconds. No weapons may be used to attack your opponent and both parties must stay within the confines of the room. There is no time limit. The match ends either with one party successfully pinning the other or with one party tapping out which will result in their opponent’s victory. Is everyone aware of what tapping out means?” Taeyong asked.

Both Jaehyun and I nodded.  

“Great, now get into position,” Taeyong instructed.

I watched Jaehyun as he walked up to a mark that was engraved into the mat with tape. I quickly located a similar mark and approached it.  

“You may start when I blow the whistle. Ready? Whistle!”

Taeyong quickly blew the whistle catching me off guard as I thought there would be more warning beforehand. I launched myself at Jaehyun. A spark of surprise crossed his expression as I quickly advanced towards him.

That was my plan, to catch him off guard by acting in juxtaposition with what he expected of me.  

Slam!

The air that peacefully occupied my lungs was violently expunged as my back made harsh contact with the floor. The pure shock of the moment was enough to have me fixed to the floor. There was no need for the hands that held me in place except to mock me for my misguided attempts against the man they belonged to.  

Whistle!

“Jaehyun is the winner,” Taeyong announced, his voice clear and void of any noticeable disappointment or excitement.  

The match was over, and I was right where I had started. Actually, I was lower than where I had started, both figuratively and literally. Having no recollection of what had happened, I was still hopelessly ignorant as to the kind of fighter Jaehyun was, now with only had six attempts remaining instead of seven.  

As I struggled to regain any pattern of breathing even remotely similar to my normal, Jaehyun simply stared down at me. His body, which showed no intention of withdrawing from mine, began to move closer to my stunned physique. His face hovering only inches away from mine.  

I kept my eyes closed as tightly as I could to find some sort of grounding as I recovered from the impact. I only opened my eyes after hearing a soft chuckle.  

“Cute,” Jaehyun thought to himself.  

I stared back at him shocked by how close he was. I instinctively tried to pull away from him but there was nowhere to go. I was already pressed against the mat. With nowhere to go and nowhere else to look, my eyes met his.  

I prepared myself for the humiliation that would come with looking at whatever amused look might be staring back. After hearing his laughter, I was sure that he was going to tease me, and I was going to chew him out for it. Yet when my eyes met his, the expression that stared back at me wasn’t the self-satisfied grin I had become so familiar with.  

This look was one I hadn’t seen before, at least not from Jaehyun. It wasn’t the cocky look he often adorned while teasing me nor was it the coldhearted disposition I had been intimidated by time and time again. His rose gold bangs fell past his eyes in a vain attempt to hide them, but the intensity they held was desperate to be noticed. That intensity seemed to be the only thing desperate about them. Despite having just finished a fight, as brief as it might have been, Jaehyun looked more sedate than one would expect. His calm and collected state did little to ease my quickening heart as a glimmer of playfulness seemed to linger across his features. This mischievousness garnered especially in his upturned lips which I momentarily glimpsed at in a foolish attempt to alleviate the frenzy of nervousness I felt from holding his gaze.  

Jaehyun noticed my wandering eyes, completely aware of where they had drifted off to.  

My eyes returned to his only to see that they were looking lower than they had before.  

I didn’t have time to question where he was looking before he began to lessen the space between us, his lips slowly enclosing on mine. Unable to do much else, I closed my eyes and turned my head to the side frantically trying to escape his advances which only drew closer and closer until...

“If that’s all you needed me for, then I’ll be off.”

My already tense body jolted slightly at the unexpected voice and my eyes opened just enough to see that Jaehyun’s face had retreated from mine.  

“Ah. Yes. Very well.” Jaehyun coughed, making sure not to stutter as he dismissed his second in command.  

As soon as Taeyong left the room, Jaehyun rolled off of me and stood up.  

I quickly followed, but not before mouthing a silent thank you to Taeyong. Despite him having already left, I felt the need to express my gratitude, even if my thanks only fell upon deaf ears.  

“Well, we both should be heading back. My mother will arrive soon, and you need to be ready to greet her. I’ll send Haechan over to fill you in on your backstory,” Jaehyun advised as his eyes hovered on everything in the room except me.  

“I’m confident that you won’t purposely cause any trouble, that is if you don’t want to forfeit any of your six remaining chances.”

“I won’t.”

Jaehyun finally turned towards me surprised by my sudden willingness to obey.

“I’ll stay true to my end of the deal as long as you stay true to yours, including what you said about teaching me how to counter your attacks,” I promised.

Jaehyun nodded before making his exit from the training room.  

<><><><><>

“Thank God he didn’t leave me with anymore bruises. Imagine having to explain that to his mother,” I sighed.

“Damn. That’s crazy.”

“I’m amazed he didn’t tell any of you about the deal he offered me.”

“He wouldn’t bother telling us about a bet he had no chance of losing, even if the stakes were this high.”

“Wow, thanks, Donghy- fuck, Haechan.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll take some time to get used to. I keep forgetting that I don’t have to censor myself around you anymore.”

“Yeah right, like you ever censored yourself around me.”

“I meant with hiding the fact that I’m a gangster, you idiot,” Haechan scolded, hitting me on the side of the arm.

“Ouch!” I howled exaggerating the pain before Haechan playfully tackled me, the both of us erupted in a fit of giggles as we fell on the bed.

“Come on, you need to get ready and I need to catch you up on your cover story. Mrs. Lee isn’t the type to be easily fooled,” Haechan explained.

Before I had returned, Haechan had already laid out a set of clothes for me to wear. I had just gotten out of the shower and put on a towel before deciding to catch my old friend up on what had occurred at my latest training session. I had wanted to catch him up on everything that had occurred since he and I talked that fateful night, but there never seemed to be enough time and I was sure that he already knew the basics.  

“I know this isn’t your usual style, but you’ll like it I promise.”

“Haechan... It’s frilly.”

“No, it’s not, it’s... okay yeah it’s frilly, but this will leave a good impression on Mrs. Lee so just think of it as one of your burlesque costumes or somethings.  

“You want me to pretend that wearing this dress to impress a woman whose son I’m being forced to marry is anything like wearing a costume for burlesque?”

“Yes... and sure it is. Think of it like this. You wear burlesque costumes to seduce your audience. Well, isn’t making a good impression on someone a bit like seducing them?”

I paused weighing his words.  

“I hate how much sense that makes in a twisted way.”

An accomplished smile took over Haechan’s face.

“Now, hurry up and put it on.”

Over the past years of Haechan and my friendship, we had become thicker than thieves. We both felt comfortable changing in front of each other, especially since Haechan had as much interest in women as I had in gauging my eyes out with a rusty spoon.  

“How do I look?” I asked.

It was a simple baby blue dress with a conservative cut to it. The neck allowed for only my clavicle to be exposed. The puffy tulle sleeves extended over the entirety of my arms, yet the see-through material didn’t leave anything from the eye. The bottom of the dress resembled an a-line skirt stopping right above my knees. The shoes Haechan picked out were simple white strappy sandals with subtle daisy decals where the buckles were. Although it wasn’t exactly an outfit, I‘d never choose for myself, even I had to admit that I looked like the perfect daughter-in-law.  

Haechan gave the outfit a once over before speaking.  

“Like you’re in desperate need of a hairbrush.”

“I know I don’t say this often, but I love how hesitant you are to say anything that might be considered unkind,” I joked sarcastically.

Haechan rolled his eyes before motioning for me to sit in vanity chair.

Once I was settled, Haechan began to brush my hair.

“It’ll be better if we keep as close to the truth as possible. If I’m being honest, I think that you and Mrs. Lee will get along almost perfectly something I don’t necessarily think is a good thing.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, when I think about it, you and Mrs. Lee have a lot of similarities, which is a good thing because that means that she’ll like you, but on the other hand, if she likes you too much, it’ll be harder for you to hide things from her.”

“Ah,” I responded.  

I wanted to asked what similarities I could possibly have with a former mob wife but couldn’t as Haechan quickly began discussing the details of my backstory.  

“So, you have two stories you have to commit to memory. The first one being the story we present to the public, aka the story that claims that you were working with NCT to take down Lucas. We haven’t worked out all the details yet as we need to come up with a reason for keeping Lucas’ death a secret, so you won’t have to worry about that for a while. Since Mrs. Lee is still a prominent figure with close ties to NCT and its leader, she knows that Lucas’ death was not NCT’s doing. Basically, the only thing that we are going to keep from her is how you and Jaehyun met along with your career as a dancer. Mothers aren’t exactly the types to squeal with joy at the thought of their sons marrying strippers,” he teased, causing me to roll my eyes.  

Haechan pulled the hair out of my face and began braiding it.

“You’re a barista at John and J’s, a small shop in Itaewon. Jaehyun happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to try the place out. He noticed a man at the counter was blatantly harassing you, so he decided to step in. After the man finally left, you thanked Jaehyun and that’s when he noticed your necklace. He asked where you got it and you told him it was a family heirloom. Aware that this was not the case, Jaehyun started going to the coffee shop every day, making pleasant conversation in order to earn your trust. One day as you were closing, that man from before showed up and made another scene. Seeing that you were visibly spooked from the encounter, Jaehyun offered to walk you home. You accepted. Once you were at the door to your building, Jaehyun brought up Lucas. At first you were terrified that he was a member of Wayv, but he quickly eased your worries and told him about that night. After hearing your story, Jaehyun offered you protection from Wayv along with financial rewards in exchange for your cooperation. You two began dating shortly after and when Jaehyun suggested that you two get married for the sake of NCT’s image, you were extremely hesitant. Once it became clear to you that the council wanted to force Jaehyun into an arranged marriage, you agreed out of fear of losing him to someone else.”

I stared at Haechan’s reflection, mouth agape.  

“What?” Haechan sighed, already aware of how ridiculous it all was.

“Really? I thought you said the closer we stuck to the truth, the better, not that we were gonna write a cheesy romance novel. I mean, seriously! What was that? After freaking out and locking me up, you want me to tell Momma-Mob-Boss that not only did her son reacted calmly to seeing the necklace, but that he fucking came to my rescue? Who wrote this? Dong- ah, Haechan, please tell me you weren’t the one who came up with this BS,“ I scoffed.

Haechan let out a sigh.  

“It doesn’t matter who wrote it, it’s the most believable story we have that presents this marriage as something you would willingly agree to. We even had to fudge the timeline a bit, making it so that you and he met at the coffee shop a month ago instead of just a few days ago.”

“Yeah like a month would really make much of a difference. Sure, this man almost beat me to death, but that’s not the reason I’m so hesitant to marry him. I’m only concerned with us having only met a few days ago. Oh wait,” I spat.

“Well then, what are you gonna do?”

I huffed before turning in my chair to face him.  

“What do you mean?” I demanded.

“What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell her the truth and lose your opportunity to get out of here? And after that, what then? Are you gonna keep rebelling and pushing back against Jaehyun until he has to chain you up? Are you going to make your life a living hell all for the sake of your pride? You’re right. This is bullshit, but it’s the bullshit that’s gonna get you through the next week. And if you don’t win against Jaehyun, then get ready for even more bullshit, because that’s what you can expect to deal with if you want things to get better. Stop mourning your old life! Just accept that your problems aren’t gonna go away just because you fight against them!”  

My body had tensed up as Haechan seemed to lose his cool for a second. I didn’t know what to say but I felt like I had to say something. As soon as I opened my mouth to respond, a knock fell on the door.

“Guys, Mrs. Lee’s car just arrived at the gates. We have around 5 minutes before she’ll arrive at the door,” The voice called out.  

It was Taeyong.

“Shit,” Haechan cussed as he looked at me in the mirror. He quickly tucked a few loose strands behind my ears before motioning for me to get up.

“We didn’t have much time to prepare. Are you confident that you can remember everything? Actually, it doesn’t matter. Just try not to say anything stupid.”

[jmeddows2]

Guaranteed to blow your mind  (Roger Taylor smut)

Notes: Bear with me, this is my first ever smut. I’m sorry for mistakes and bad writing. English is not my first languages. Inaccuracies can occur concerning the band. (including Deaky joining Queen).  I’m also planning on making more parts of this including sub!Roger. Let’s see how this goes :) Feedback is always appreciated, so I know how to improve my writing.. ALRIGHT let’s do it  Summary: Felicity is a well known and experienced groupie. Roger a rock star on the rise.    Words: 3.7k+ 

Warnings: cursing, sub!Roger  smut: a tiny bit of edging, blowjob, unprotected sex

Felicity, also known as 'fizz Fliss' in the Rock N‘Roll scene always knew what she wanted. She knew it since the day she moved out from her parent’s home at the tender age of only 16 years old. School had never been one of her interests, instead she loved getting in trouble and the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Fliss had a big dream, as well as many fantasies. Being a groupie.

Chasing rockstars from city to city, spending the whole night in clubs, drinking, doing hard drugs and having the time of her life with the musician of the night afterwards. She followed bands and artists such as Led Zeppelin, The Who, David Bowie, Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones, just to name a few.

At only 20 years old, she had already made a name for herself. Everyone knew her. Women/ girls wanted to be like her, and men longed to spend a night with her. The 'groupie chasing rockstar scenario soon changed to the opposite. It was the most famous men in rock that all wanted a piece of her and they somehow always gave her a piece of themselves in the form of presents. There would not pass a day without a few parcels delivered to her doorstep, containing the latest fashion, lingerie, makeup, booze, sometimes just money. Most of the parcels had a long journey behind them, many hadmade its way all the way from America and Australia to her flat in London. Besides the adoration and money that was spent on her, Felicity was the muse of many songs that later went on to become classics. When you asked her about how she attracted the attention of all the musicians, she simply claimed that it was all about the glam rock inspired clothes she wore. Beside her well known reputation as groupie, she wasn’t just a typical groupie you’d fuck and chuck. Felicity was often photographed alongside other rock musicians for magazines and ads.

Summer of 1971

 It was very hot day when Fliss stepped into the De Lane Lea Studios in London, to meet up with a band she’d been following since the beginning, which happened to be ‘The Who’.  They’d been there to record their fifth studio album titled ‘Who’s Next’.

 The room where the mixing board was situated was already filled with clouds of smoke, as she emerged and was quickly greeted with a hug.

“Ahh finally. Glad you could come. Missed you, love, how have you been?” Roger Daltrey, the lead singer greeted her with a quick peck on the cheek, while bassist John Entwistle beside them was just about to snort a line of cocaine from the tabletop, that was else covered in bottles of heavy alcohol. Glyn Johns, the producer had already been fiddling with some of the buttons on the mixing board, adding finishing touches to a record from a different band. It surprised her, knowing that Roger (D), John (E), Keith and Pete never liked sharing their studio time. They always used it to full extend, no matter what.

 “you really thought I would miss the opportunity to watch you guys record, huh? I wouldn’t even think about it. besides, I wanted to personally thank Keith here” she was pointed her finger into the drummer’s direction “ for the beautiful necklace. It must have cost you a fortune.” she laughed, clasping the little diamond that graced her decollete and she approached the drummer to place herself in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“yeah it actually did, honey.. but you‘re totally fucking worth it” he replied with a smug smile on his face, caressing her cheek with one hand.

“now come on, baby” Keith fiddled with the pocket of his jacket, only to pull out a pack filled to the brim with white powder. Fliss was quick to realize his intentions, so she pulled her top over her head and tossed it to the floor, leaving her in a red lace bra, another precious present.

 “fuck, see that‘s what I‘m talking about, baby” bringing his hand to lightly grope her breast

“I‘ll buy you 10 of those necklaces. No, I‘ll buy you anything you want, honey” he mumbled and managed to pour a line of the white gold onto the space between her breasts and rolled a 5-pound note to snort it from there. Keith didn‘t manage to catch all of the white powder at once, so he leant his head forward to lick the rest off and rub it on his gums. Their little get together was soon cut off by a loud thump as the door opened and 4 men stood there, totally caught off guard. 4 rather shocked faces. Newbies.  

 “seriously guys? Have you switched to male groupies now? “Fliss laughed sitting herself up in Keith’s lap, to get a better look of them.

 The men at the door seemed really embarrassed, with their heads turning as red as a tomato, except for one guy with long, dark brown hair and high cheekbones. He managed to step forward: “sorry are we interrupting something here? We can come back later?!”

“no, no, come in it‘s alright. Suit yourself” Roger (D) invited the men in with a gesture towards the little table with booze, cigarettes, pills and cocaine.

“Fliss, baby, may I present to you, her majesty: Queen, they‘re new, have some potential AND they are here to record some stuff today” Pete chuckled and winked at her.

 “oh really? And why haven‘t I heard of them yet?” she laughed while studying the men who were still stood by the door having not moved in the slightest. They seemed intimidated. It felt like a game for Felicity and hell, she loved to play. It was true, the band had only started to rehears songs for their first album a few months prior and received a little bit of recognition by playing rather small gigs. They were young, on the rise, seeking attention and where else could you get that from if not from one of London’s most iconic and definitely loudest rock bands of all time?

 “hey hey, I know you. Fuck dear, no I adore you... you are Felicity? Living the dream, right? damn... I bet this was also a present” he winked pointing at her bra. “I‘m Freddie by the way” he took a few steps forward to shake her hand, then heading back to his band mates who still haven’t moved in the slightest..

 “this is her Rog, the girl I told you about the other day” Freddie whispered to the blond-haired boy, gently nudging his side, he just nodded with flushed cheeks. His wavy, dirty blonde hair barely touched his shoulder and his bright blue eyes didn‘t quite know what to focus on, trying to play off the embarrassment. An awkward silence filled the room, until Freddie decided to plunge himself down next to Pete on one of the leather couches trying to lighten the mood. 

“and the others? Do you also have any names? “Felicity stood up from Keith’s lap and made her way towards the men as they introduced themselves to her as Brian, Roger and Mike. Mike was Queen’s bass player at the time and was very soon after replaced by our precious Deaky.

 As the tension and embarrassment settled, the "new boys" managed to get comfortable with a little booze. A magic recipe that always seemed to help loosen everyone up. Roger Daltrey was like the dad of the group, he didn’t take any hard drugs, just sleeping pills, but who didn’t? He also occasionally did a little pot. Roger Daltrey always felt the need to be the tough one, to look out for everyone. He had to, dealing with his bandmates which basically consisted of three addicts. Pete was an alcoholic, John (E) was an alcoholic. All three of them were doing speed and every other kind of drug you could imagine. Roger (D) never touched any cocaine, never had a try of it. He always felt responsible, as singing was his ‘instrument’ in the band and he felt like he would have never been able to master his skills while intoxicated. He tried to lead Fliss into another direction many times, away from her lifestyle, stating points that she would not have a future continuing like this, if she ever got out alive. He just wanted the best for all them, treating them like children of his own somehow.

 “what’s it like, darling?” Freddie asked curiously, he took a sip from his vodka-soda. “I want to know the details, any weird sex habits out there in the world of Rock ‘N’Roll? Any new kinks to know about “he asked flashing his unique, bright teeth at her with a smile. 

“Fred” Brian warned by shooting him a glare.

“Oh, come on Bri, stop acting as if you’re not interested in what this hot little thing here might have to spill” Freddie turned his attention back to Fliss.  “besides I think my good friend Rog here also might be interested” Freddie pointed in his direction, but his blond friend was too occupied having a chat with Keith.  It was obvious that one of his ears was always curiously listening to what she might have had to say. Roger’s eyes also betrayed him by stealing little glances, when he thought that she wasn’t looking.

“ok well... so sorry to disappoint you, but a lady never tells, but” she winked at Freddie and his eyes widened for more gossip as she continued.

“there’s loads of traveling, fine booze, the best cigarettes, expensive clothes and meals, you know the drill” she made a gesture at her body signaling great sex. “a real killer queen” Freddie smiled at her while pouring yet another glass for both of them and they clinked them together, getting lost in another conversation about antiques and all things expensive and glamorous. All of which Freddie admired. “Splendid! I already know we are going to get along perfectly, darling.”

 Freddie moved on to talk to his own band mate Brian again, but the spot beside her on the couch was soon filled by Roger. He clutched his whiskey on the rocks in his hand and was quickly caught off guard.

 -Aren’t you a little too young to drink, Roger? I mean how old are you? 16? 17??? - Fliss asked loud enough for the others to hear as she placed her feet onto his lap, resting them there, while the others started to laugh once they overheard her assumption.

 “no...no I.. I‘m actually 22”  he nervously stuttered.

“Hah I never thought to see the day that Rog can‘t get a word out to impress a girl” Freddie laughed, taking another sip from his alcoholic beverage.

 “no wonder. He‘s probably starstruck, keeps all your pics from the newspapers in his bedside drawer, ever since Fred told him about you” Mike laughed loudly while Roger was getting slightly embarrassed and his cheeks turned pink. No, not embarrassed, he felt humiliated.

 “oh, is that so Roger?”  Fliss said as she got up with a G&T in her hand.

“don‘t mind, do ya Rog?” batting her eyelashes at him, he shook his head and she placed herself onto his lap. Once she was situated comfortably, she smiled at him.

“hi” threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “hi” he smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. Her touch burned into his skin and within seconds his semi could be slightly felt on her thigh. The effect she had on him made her want to play this game even more.

 “oioioi, someone‘s gonna get lucky, huh?” Pete teased, making her playfully shake her head and roll her eyes. “And he might be the only one tonight” she replied, making all of them go quiet. Felicity felt kind of bad for all the teasing Roger had to bear. It was meant to be her job. Hers only.

“I’m not making you feel uncomfortable, am I?” she asked the blond boy with a hint of concern in her voice, brushing his soft hair over his shoulder.

“nnn no, not at all. I’m fine, perfectly fine” Perfect.

 Roger was quiet and frozen as Felicity constantly shifted in his lap. It made him even harder, painfully hard. Of course, she knew exactly what she was doing, as teasing was her specialty. But this boy was different, quiet, nervous, a perfect prey.

 Roger’s eyes nervously scanned the room, silently praying that no one would notice his now throbbing bulge in his pants. Felicity saw it all and felt him violently throb against his pants as her core was pressed up against him. So, she decided to fuel the fire even more. Another specialty of hers.

 She scanned Roger‘s face with her eyes, then slightly started nibbling his ear, which earned a light moan from him.  She continued kissing along his jawline, making his eyes tightly shut. He was trying his best, not to buck into her. “you’re almost too pretty to be rockstar” Roger opened his eyes as she caressed his right cheek, while her other hand was playing with his hair.

Roger swallowed hard, trying not to moan any louder. He was frustrated that he couldn’t do anything about his miserable situation, the fear of getting caught any second creeping up on him. His only goal at this point was trying not to come in his pants right then there.

- Oh I.. I.. thank you.. you‘re p..pretty- he stuttered.

She continued lightly bouncing in his lap, purposely grinding her ass against Roger‘s clothed length, while the most innocent look on her face. A smirk was plastered on her face as she earned another groan from him.

"What‘s wrong, Roger?" she asked innocently.

"You alright, mate?" John (E) asked from the sofa on the opposite side, he answered with a little nod, trying to keep it together.

Leaning closer to Roger she whispered in his ear: "you‘re so hard down there, huh? Do I really have such an effect on you? I didn‘t even do anything."

Felicity kept tracing patterns into the skin of his neck and chest, which was exposed due to his unbuttoned shirt. It was cute how every little touch and pattern traced along his sensitive skin made him shiver.

 - let‘s go out to eat something, guys, we‘ve got the studio all day long, you can record later- Roger (D) clapped his hands together and jumped up from his seat.

 “Roger are you coming or you glued to that couch? “Freddie joked as Roger glared back at him. Roger knew that he couldn‘t get up, not like that, not with a massive hardon. That would be too embarrassing, and the boys would forever pick on him.

 “actually, we‘ll join you later, King‘s pub it is?“ Felicity asked, shooting them a wink.

 Keith nodded, leaning down to her: “alright, honey, take care” the brunette drummer said as he stole a kiss from her. 

 A wave of relief rushed over Roger as there was only him and Fliss left in the room. Well, as much relief as he could possibly get, despite the problem in his pants.

“so, are you a bassist? singer? “Felicity teased as she brought her face close to his, caressing his right cheek, lightly rubbing circles with her thumb.

 “no I‘m m.. 'm the drummer” he stuttered nervously. “you know it‘s not very nice to not look at me when you’re talking to me” she shifted even more back and forth in his lap, feeling his hard cock through his pants. “you’re lucky, I have a thing for drummers” speeding up her movement, adding even more friction.

 “uhh please” Roger groaned looking deep into her eyes. “what Roger, what do you need?” leaning forward, breathing into his ear. “Is this what you need?” she placed a kiss on his left cheek, he violently shook his head in response.

 “what have been doing with those pictures your band member mentioned earlier, huh? Have you been a naughty boy?” she teased, continuing to torture him further, pressing even harder into him.

“y.. yes, been naughty, touching myself to your pictures...want you.... wanted you since the first time I saw you” he whined, eyebrows knitted in frustration.

“oh really?” Felicity definitely had her fun with this. She often adopted the role of the submissive, in fact, a willing sub. But dominating a guy, making him practically melt in her hands, was just another level. Nothing could ever compare to that.

Roger didn‘t manage to get a word out so she grabbed his cock through his pants, palming him that it nearly made him jump out of his skin. He never felt like this before, never this intimidated by any girl, he usually was the one to charm them, tease them, make them squirm.

 “yeah, yeah” he finally admitted “was so bad, wankin’ my cock every time to you mmmm, please, please, want you so bad” Roger cried out, but she brought her face close to his, kissing soon turned into a quick but heated make out session. Her hand made its way between their bodies into his pants, slowly starting to pump his bare length with her hand, brushing her thumb over his tip, making his eyes roll back.

 “alright pretty princess, let‘s see”  

Felicity got off his lap, kneeled down in front of him, he lifted his hips for her to remove his pants and underwear all at once.

Roger’s cock sprung free, hitting his tummy, the red, swollen tip leaking pre cum already. He was slightly bigger than average with a perfect girth, which surprised her, due to his overall tiny frame.

“fucking pretty cock, princess” his cheeks turned pink once more. It was the most vulnerable state, being all exposed in front of her. She ghosted her hand over his length, making him squirm even more and buck his hips. He was frustrated. But she kept on admiring his cock, taking her time. “Please, please I’m begging you! DO something. I- I can’t take it anymore” Roger whined. 

He hissed loudly when her hand was suddenly wrapped around his length, his eyes falling shut.

“ fuck.. fuck feels so good mmm” he moaned in ecstasy.

Roger’s moans were music to her ears “look at me, princess” his eyes fluttered open and she leaned forward to kiss the tip of his cock gently, staring deeply into his eyes. “mmm more please”

She licked the salty pre cum off that was already dribbling off the tip due to his horniness and it spread on her lips. Licking it off, tasting him. Salty and sweet at the same time. Felicity used her tongue to gently lick his frenulum, making Roger cry out her name. She lowered her head once again, taking all of him into her mouth, rubbing his tummy with her right hand.

“oh yess, fuuuuck feels so good, your mouth... you do it so good I’m not gonna last.. mmm” Roger groaned.

Having him beg for her, motivated Fliss to go not even faster, but also deeper, bobbing her head up and down, having him down her throat. Thanks to much practice, her gag reflex was gone, giving him the full experience.

“fuck m’ gonna c..cum m’ gonna cum” she pulled away, earning a disappointing groan. “You didn’t think I was going to let you come that fast, did you?” his eyebrows knotted into a frown. “Please, I was so close” “aww look at you, all red and desperate to finally get off, princess” Rogers hair was sticking to his sweaty forehead as she was undressing herself. “Roger” he flinched,letting his cock fall from his hand as she caught him pumping himself in a fast motion while watching her naked frame.  “I’m so sorry, please, do something. It’s really starting to hurt now. It’s way too much” salty tears started dribbling down his cheeks. He was so desperate for her.  “ok baby” she climbed into his lap, taking his thick cock into her hand rubbing his tip through her folds and the tears kept streaming down his face. She sank all the way down on him, staying there a few seconds to adjust. Roger rested his head on her shoulder as she managed to swipe a few of his tears away with her thumb.  Fliss started bouncing up and down his cock, Roger’s breathing slowly got louder when he was nearing his orgasm for the 2nd time that night. He felt weak, too weak to be able to thrust up into her.  “Fuck Roger, I’m close. You’re filling me up so good” she groaned, speeding up the tempo and circling her hips with one of his hands resting on her hips for support, the other on her breast, toying with her nipple. “mmm coming, you need to get off” “Come for me, princess” tangling her fingers in his blond locks. He started to whimper at the feeling of her still on his cock, one final bounce and she sank all the way down on him, sending both of them over the edge. Roger came with a cry of her name as he released warm, thick ribbons of cum inside of her. His eyes were fluttering, head on her shoulder, as he slowly came down from his high, relishing every wave of pleasure, not wanting the moment to fade away.

 Roger was snapped out of his little trance when she released his cock, making his him squirm at the sudden loss of contact. Being the little tease Felicity was, she reached down between her thighs, capturing some of Roger’s thick, sticky cum and brought the finger to her mouth to taste it. “so good” she hummed against her hand. “Fuck, you look so hot right now” he watched her in awe, mouth slightly open, not believing his eyes, making his cock twitch one final time.

(kind of inspired by this min 3:00) “Marry me” Roger blurted out. She looked at him, expecting him to be joking but his face remained serious. “You’re fucking nuts, Roger” she laughed as they both dressed themselves again, trying to hide every evidence of their previous studio ‘adventure’. He took a seat on the couch and pulled her into his lap again, giving her a passionate kiss. “Will you at least stay with me tonight then?” “Sure, Roger." he held her close, making the throbbing problem in his pants reappear.

[epic-potato-crisp]

The dramatic courtroom scene in Chap 31 or Oh Sangwoo is a tactical genius

It hasn‘t been all that long since Bum broke down, trying to commit suicide, right after Sangwoo pushed him away. But he survived,  Sangwoo vowing to better himself and everything calmed down for a bit.

But last chapter, Seungbae broke the silence, and all hell broke lose.

It caught me a bit off guard, since I was expecting Koogi to spend the next chapters focusing on Yoonbum‘s and Sangwoo‘s relationship development, now that the temporary peace was established. But this was most likely done deliberately- Seungbae appearing as the knight in shining armour, at the same time that he appears as a major disturbance, tearing them apart right when things were starting to get a little better.

The entire plot has been building up to this temporary? climax, since the moment Seungbae started conducting his secret little investigations. And where would it lead us, should Seungbae miraculously survive the encounter?

The courtroom.

And here we are now. Sangwoo and Yoonbum are both led in by police offers, the jury is assembling, a verdict is about to be spoken. But Oh Sangwoo wouldn‘t be Oh Sangwoo if he would simply accept his sentence being handed to him, and accept his fate ( prison, or worse, considering the death sentence is still legal in South Korea.)

No, Chapter 31 demonstrates us exactly why Sangwoo is the unbelievable tactical genius that he is, and he does so in several steps.

1. Emotional appeal to the judges

Sangwoo knows this: The jury, having been at least briefly been informed about the nature of the case, is expecting a psychopath. Someone capable of murder, capable of imprisoning victims in his house. They are expecting him to be angrily resisting against the police escorting him to court, or perhaps to be smirking viciously. What they are not expecting is a human full of emotion, full of worry and care, and that is exactly what Sangwoo gives them.

Sangwoo, appealing to their emotional side, tries to evoke their and the audience‘s sympathy.

Getting them onto his side, he knows, is the first step of winning their trust. His only chance of turning the situation around for his benefit.

He is raging against the police, but it‘s not their treatment of him that infuriates him, but apparently their treatment of Yoonbum. He yells, trying to rip himself free and get close to Bum, angrily demanding they at least give him shoes.

If you were taken aback while reading this chapter, rest assured you were not the only one: so was I, and so were the judges.

Where is the psychopathic murderer they are supposed to sentence?

This young man, worried not about his own safety, but screaming that his friend be treated right?

And doesn‘t he have a point -aren‘t the police really handling that other, fragile, bruised man too harshly?

Are the police even sure they have the right person?

What if this is all a misunderstanding?

Slowly, but certainly, the first seed of doubts begin to grow, and Sangwoo is already one foot out of jail.

2. Emotional appeal to Yoonbum

In this entire room, there‘s no one Sangwoo knows better than Yoonbum.

The way you know someone after keeping them imprisoned in your basement for weeks.

Sangwoo knows him very well, indeed- it‘s only recently that the two had a long “heart to heart“ and Yoonbum told him about his uncle‘s beatings and sexual abuse. We were told this through flashback moments, but it‘s safe to assume that the verbal story Yoonbum delivered was just as detailed.

Sangwoo is also aware that Yoonbum has had bad experiences with governmental authority, given his record of restraining orders and their failiure to come to his aid when they should – the officials failing to intervene and save Yoonbum from his uncle even when he was attacking the bruised boy right in front of their eyes. Yoonbum, who had wished that someone would come to his aid, would not possibly leave Sangwoo alone if he was in a similar situation, would he?

That‘s what Sangwoo counts on, and makes the situation a little more dramatic, just to be sure. He sheds his last dignity, allowing the official to degrade him as he struggles helplessly, crying for Yoonbum in agony.

Their slowly established emotional bond is his other pillar of support. He is certain Yoonbum “loves“ him or at the very least, has strong feelings of attachment to him. After all they‘ve been through together, after how dependent Yoonbum is on him, he wouldn‘t want to see him hurt, would he?

And it works. Yoonbum‘s initial hesitation dies down, his resolve crumbling. All chances of him ignoring Sangwoo, letting the jury sentence him and even giving his testimony against Sangwoo disappear. To be honest, they were quite slim from the beginning.

Because Yoonbum is attached to and dependent on Sangwoo. He couldn‘t bear it to turn his back on him. And Sangwoo knows, because by now, Yoonbum is an open book to him.

Of course, no matter how unhealthy their relationship is, I do believe Sangwoo‘s emotion to be genuine to a part. He himself is attached to Yoonbum. He vowed to change for the other‘s sake, not become like his own abusive father. He cares for Yoonbum in a way – a very dangerous way, but care nonetheless. His desperate calls for Yoonbum to sit next to him, angry demands for the officials to give him shoes to wear are not all for show. Sangwoo has his own experiences with abuse. Sangwoo is scared, deep down, that someone will take Yoonbum away from him. He won‘t let that happen. He‘s the only one that is ever allowed to touch Yoonbum, and to hurt him in any way.

He won‘t let those people interfere with their relationship.

So, part calculated strategy, part genuine emotion, Sangwoo brings his only ally to his side.

3. The picture of innocence

Next, we are presented with a very Sangwoo-esque move, one he has been constantly presenting throughout the manga: Innocence.

Sangwoo claims to have no idea what crime he‘s being accused of, and in all honesty, there‘s nothing better he could do. It is the only thing that, if going according to plan, could (literally) save his neck.

Admitting to kidnapping and several murders on the other hand? Not a very good strategy.

And Sangwoo is not necessarily going for desperate measures.

So far, with an impressive string of murders, his criminal record to date is zero. I think we can assume that someone who has gotten away with the murder of at least one, and likely both, of his parents, of several unfortunate girls and at least one other unfortunate man, has talent in the area of hiding his crimes.

Who says he cannot wind himself out of the situation this time?

Additionally, his blank display has two further side effects: It once more serves to spread doubt among the jury. And it allows him to play for time, during which he’s likely already perfecting his escape plan in his mind.

4. Framing Seungbae

For this part, there’s a little “fault” with Seungbae, too.

He often acts on his own initiative, which is good, but he often also acts without receiving permission to do so, and this, as courageous as it is, comes in extremely negatively when arresting a person without a warrant.

In pretending it was Detective Lee that did it, Seungbae would’ve almost gotten off with it.

But he underestimated Sangwoo, and how well the latter knows him by now.

Sangwoo can feel the insecurity radiating off Sangwoo, can feel his tension instead of triumphing victory.

Seungbae makes it easy to make him look unbelievable.

Sangwoo will make that a reality.

5. A wild, dramatic tale that would put any K-Drama to shame

Sangwoo apologizes, and from the first word that leaves it mouth it’s apparent that it’s not really an apology for any of his crimes, but for the dramatic tale he is about to spin.

And the story he decides on is this: Sangwoo thought Officer Yang was Bum’s ex-boyfriend, and beat him up because of that.

Despite how he appears on the exterior, Sangwoo is becoming a little desperate.

Before, he would use “homo” as an insult, in general and especially for Yoonbum. Without fail, he’d deny to feel affected by Yoonbum, even when actions that had clearly long passed the realm of the heterosexual occurred between them.

But Sangwoo had his pride and his prejudice to keep.

Not today, however.

Sangwoo invents the crazy story of Yang Seungbae , Yoonbum’s  ex boyfriend. I suppose it will go along the lines of Seungbae being an abuser, that came to their house to look for Yoonbum. To protect the latter and filled with vengeance, Sangwoo beat him up.

It’s amazing that he sticks to this story despite the implications it has.

Those being that he himself is gay, furious at the former treatment of his lover, jealous over the appearance of his ex-boyfriend and willing to go to any lengths to make sure he stays away.

Of course, he could also present himself as an “overly concerned friend”, but alone the fact that Bum was “staying” at his house for such an extended period of time further manifests these implications.

I’m really curious as to whether Sangwoo will, despite everything, deny being gay, whether he will leave it ambiguous, or whether he will admit to it a means to strengthen his testimony.

However it will turn out, we’re in for a wild ride.