#jongdae au

[marshmallow-phd]

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won't let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

**

Lightning lit up the thin curtains covering the two small windows on either side of the carriage. Thunder rumbled and you felt it deep within your chest. Tugging your silk cloak closer, you closed your eyes and prayed that the driver would get you through the storm. There was no one to comfort you, to reassure you that a little rain and noisy sky wouldn't delay your journey.

Your father had insisted you take your sister or even a friend, but the two day’s journey didn’t  seem consequential enough to need a companion. Besides, what would they have done once you arrived? Your elderly aunt had only asked for you. From what you could decipher from her letter, she needed you to be a companion as she traveled to the southernmost coastal town. Apparently, it was now the ultimate fashion to travel to for the summer. Just the idea of rolling waves made your stomach churn. But what was worse was who else would be there–

The carriage jolted to the right. You spread out your arms, only barely catching yourself from falling to the floor. No sane person would have endured such dangerous weather. This storm had come from nowhere. Skies blue and cloudless as you had ever seen bid you farewell in the late morning. Most of the day's journey had been uneventful. Then the joyful light faded. Thunder shook the walls of the carriage. Rain pounded on the roof. When would you reach the inn? Bile rose up in your throat, burning the sensitive tissue as the carriage continued to rock violently. The horses neighed over the sounds of the storm. 

The carriage shifted hard to the left. And kept falling. You slammed into the door, nearly opening it with the force. You didn't know what was happening. The floor was now the wall and the wall the floor. A downward momentum made it impossible to stand. Screams ripped at your throat.

Then it stopped. 

The rain continued to pour and the thunder roared on but the carriage was still. Your legs wobbled as you slowly stood. With your palms, you pushed open the door. The thin wooden panel clapped against the outside of the carriage. Immediately you were pounded by the storm. Large drops pelted your face, obscuring your vision. It was dark. You could tell that much. And there were trees. In every direction. 

You climbed out of the carriage, calling for the driver. Your feet slipped in the mud, but you managed to keep your balance–for now. The mud was thick and sticky as you trudged to the front of the carriage.

 No. No, no, no. Both of the horses were gone. And so was the driver. Somehow, the carriage had fallen down a hill or ravine. With a storm this terrible, you needed to get to higher ground or risk possibly being carried away–or drowning. Clawing and digging your hands and feet into the soaked dirt, you climbed the hard incline back to the road. 

Once you could make out the road, you called for the driver again. No answer. He was nowhere to be found. You needed to find shelter. The storm gave no promise of letting up. You wouldn't survive the night in this forest, even if you went back into the carriage. The only choice was to find sanctuary. You stared in the direction you believed you came from. Nothing but trees and darkness. You turned to the other choice. All the same–wait. 

There was something... when lightning brightened up the sky. Your heart began banging in your ears. Spires, towers. Not trees. It was some distance away, but it was shelter nonetheless. 

With near tears in your eyes, you picked up your skirts–your fingers numb from the cold–and hurried towards the castle that could be your saving grace. 

*****

The manor was calm tonight. Odd, considering the amount of bodies roaming around these haunted halls. Only the beautiful storm outside and Chanyeol's sorrowful melody from the piano broke the silence. Jongin had draped himself over one of the arm chairs as he inspected the wine mixture within his goblet. The taste was… adequate. The cellar would need replenishing soon.

In the corner, a rather lax game of cards covered the small, round table. Minseok smirked at his winning hand. The faded wooden chips with bits of white painted around the edges were piling up in front of Yixing, who leaned back carelessly, sure of his next win. Little did either of them know that the youngest among them had a little... trick his sleeve. As the quickest, Sehun had perfected sleight of hand long ago. None had caught him yet.

A fire roared, coaling the usually gray and brown room in flickering orange. With how close he stood near the fireplace, Kyungsoo's silhouette was visible through his loose shirt. He leaned his palms on the mantel and let the warmth of the flames engulf him. Warmth was all they could feel after all these years. It could be an addiction so strong it was tempting to throw himself into the fire. 

Junmyeon joined him at the fireplace, leaning his shoulders against the brick. The bite of the edge hardly registered in his mind. Pain of that measure... it was only a ghost that had nearly crossed over. 

“Such strong thoughts for a night like this.”

Kyungsoo didn’t look from the fire, but raised a questioning eyebrow in response. 

Junmyeon shrugged a single shoulder. “I can’t read minds, but it's obvious you're turning something over more times than a praying rock.”

“It's the same thoughts,” Kyungsoo murmured in his strange, monotone voice. “Always the same thoughts.”

“One day you will have to let it go,” Junmyeon sighed. “This is our existence now. And forever will be.”

“Acceptance of the present doesn’t erase the past.”

“But it does make the present more enjoyable.” The red liquid sloshed against the rim of the goblet as Jongin draped an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulders. He wore a mischievous smile. A clear indicator of his true intention. 

Junmyeon shook his head. “We’re not going out tonight. There’s nothing out and about in this storm.” Hunting in these conditions would wield no trophies. Tomorrow would be a better night. 

“Jun’s no fun tonight,” Jongdae teased as he and Baekhyun emerged from the hallway. 

“If you want to go out in this mess,” Junmyeon waved towards the front door. “Be my guest. Just don’t you dare get mud on the rug–”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Help! Please! Help!”

Nine pairs of eyes snapped to the echoing sound. None moved. 

Bang! Bang! 

BANG!

One of the double doors burst open and a figure fell to the floor, landing on its knees and palms. It looked up. A flash of lightning illuminated the face.

The face of a beautiful young girl. 

*****

Your knees vibrated when they hit the wooden floor. Water fell from your loose hair that clung to your cheeks. The chances of  the door opening when you pushed on the handle had been low–yet the barrier that kept you victim to the storm fell open and you crashed downward with it. 

Greeting you in this strange hall were several men, their jaws hanging open in a mirror of your own surprise. More men appeared from a side parlor, curious as to who dared intrude on their evening. One, two, three–you counted nine total. Nine men. This was not ideal–a bit terrifying, really–but you didn't have a choice. The storm raged outside.

"P-please," you stammered past chattering teeth "The st-storm overturn-overturned the carriage.” 

The men stayed silent as they exchanged unreadable glances. One raised a questionable brow. 

"Jongdae, go run a bath," ordered the man closest to you. One of the shorter residents nodded and disappeared into the darkness that led into the rest of the manor. 

That's what this place was. A grand old manor, not a castle. Isolated. When you'd first run through the rusted iron gate, you'd feared it abandoned. A long dormant instinct whispered that you might have been better off if it had been. 

The first man approached, each motion slow, deliberate, and hauntingly graceful. He crouched down in front of you and captured your frightened stare. The fear in you began to melt away. He was… beautiful. Obsidian fell over his forehead in gentle waves. His tunic was of a fashion your grandfather would have worn. There was something strange about this man–all of these men. Something... different. 

"Let's get you warmed up." He held his hand out and you were up on your feet before you even realized your fingers were resting on his. "Don't worry," he murmured. "You're safe here. My name is Junmyeon." 

You nodded, somehow believing him, but unsure if you should. Through your violent chattering, you managed to stammer out your name in response. 

Bang! 

You jumped at the sudden noise. One of the other men had somehow appeared behind you to shut the door you'd fallen through. 

"Thank you, Yixing," the man beside you said. The one named Yixing nodded and then shifted his eyes to you. “Come.” A hand pressed into the space between your shoulder blades and guided you down the hall, leaving a trail of mud in your wake.

The man led you down several halls until you reached an unoccupied bedroom. Red blankets draped the oversized bed. Matching curtains hung limply from the canopy. All of the wood was a dark sort, rich in color but not quite welcoming like other, brighter woods. 

Jongdae emerged from another door on the other side of the bedroom. Steam rolled out after him as if it were following him for its next set of orders. “Anything else?” he asked drily. 

“No, thank you.”

Jongdae strolled the from the room without a glance either of you and closed the door behind him. Your breath hitched in your throat. The two of you were… alone. It wasn’t appropriate. It was…

You looked to the man still with you, fear causing your heart to pound painful against your chest. You tugged your cloak closer to you, but it was soaked from the rain. Shivers violently raced down your arms and spine. The man didn’t seem to notice as he walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a long white cloth. 

“These should suffice for tonight.” He held up the cloth for you to see. A nightgown. An old one by the cut of it, though thankfully it hadn’t been devoured by moths or mice. “If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”

You nodded. “Thank you.” 

He visibly suppressed a laugh at your small voice and waved you into the adjoining bathroom. Taking the nightgown, you tried your best to avoid his gaze. You scurried inside and shut the door. 

*****

Junmyeon smirked at your mousy state. It was understandable why you were so frightened. The women of this period were warned of being alone with a man. And now you were alone with nine. 

Nine very dangerous men. 

The proper action for him to take was to leave your room now that you were safe inside the bathroom, but his feet didn’t move. Somehow, the storm had stranded you in their forest. What had happened to the driver, he wondered. Surely a gentlewoman such as yourself was not controlling the carriage. And yet, you were all alone. Circumstances were… ideal.

A small hiss echoed in the bathroom. It stretched out, along with the sound of sloshing water. Junmyeon frowned. 

Hm.

He stood there for a few minutes more, listening to you sigh as your skin grew used to the scalding water. The sound of soap scraping against skin reached his ears, followed by more sloshing water. Soon, you would be getting out of the tub. Time to leave. 

He emerged from the bedroom, careful to close the door as quietly as possible. Everyone had gathered out in the hallway since they were too curious about their visitor to go about their night. Junmyeon found Jongdae blending in with the cluster. He glared at him as he hissed, "The water was too hot." 

Jongdae merely shrugged. Why would he care about water possibly being too hot? It would never hurt him. 

On the opposite end of the group, Yixing cleared his throat. "What are we going to do with her?"

Junmyeon glanced at the door behind him. There was only one best option, for all their sakes. "Tomorrow morning, we will send her on her way." 

The eruption was instant. 

“Enough!”

In an instant, the hissing ceased. 

Baekhyun huffed and folded his arms against his chest, collapsing against the wall. Jongin scoffed. "Such a waste." 

“A waste that will keep this household from tearing itself apart,” Junmyeoun countered. It was an outcome none of them wanted. No one wanted to cause a fight, but resisting was difficult. The temptation was great. The quicker you left, the better off they would all be. 

"Do you really think it’ll end so well?" Minseok’s mocking comment hung in the air. Silent agreements rippled through the air. 

Junmyeon looked to Kyungsoo, whose answer was to look away. "No one touches her," he ordered. They all would try, he knew. But their strength would only get them so far. He stared down a few of them especially, so they knew he meant it.

Sehun pushed off the wall with a roll of his eyes. "Just get her out of here so I can get some peace." 

Junmyeon started to call after him but was interrupted by a soft thud from the room behind him. Confused, he opened the door to find you lying on the floor.

[cstlji]

friday nights || byun baekhyun

1:34 AM 250424 

word count: longer than i expected

pairing: byun baekhyun x reader (ft. im changkyun)

description: baekhyun ignores you for an entire week, and you don't know why.

genre: bestfriends to lovers!au, jealous!baekhyun, mutual pining, angst-ish, fluff after lmao

a/n: kinda rushed ending (?) lmk if you guys want a part 2 or a longer version!

You and Baekhyun have been best friends ever since you both got stood up by your dates on prom night. You vividly remember Baekhyun's reaction as your dates began making out in the middle of the dancefloor, leaving you both partnerless — and almost miserable. So, you invited him that exact moment to ditch the night and have some fun of your own, basically and invitation to sit on the gutter as you eat your melting ice cream.

But, that was a story for another time - now you’re in your third year of college. Your friendship’s been that long, and you swore, the last time you checked, the platonic energy between the both of you was almost tangible. Although you had a moments when romantic thoughts about him invaded your mind.

You swore it were mere milliseconds, though – and that you didn't think about how his hands could perfectly fit in yours and, how sweet his lips would've tasted like. Nothing of that sort, really. You knew that the both of you were awfully platonic, and nothing more. You didn't want to entertain thoughts of you and him together romantically, because it would never happen. Plus, you went out on a date last week.

You and Changkyun were totally hitting it off. And you would've told Baekhyun about him, but he's been ignoring you for the past 5 days. No calls, texts, nothing. Everytime you'd visit him on his breaks, he's always be out, or busy, or just not in the mood — which rarely happened.

So, you planned to corner him into telling you what's wrong. You really had no clue, but you've got a feeling that it had something to do with you. It was your break, and you checked your phone for Baekhyun's schedule. You both exchanged schedules the beginning of the semester, which is also probably why he'd been successful in avoiding you.

There was an overlap between your schedules. His class would end at around the same time as yours would start. But you were really determined to know what the hell's wrong you could just be late to class for a couple of minutes. And after a long, painful wait — catch him, you did.

He walked out with two of his friends, who you knew as Minseok and Jongdae. It was Minseok who spotted you first. He called Baekhyun and pointed at your direction.

"Hey, Y/N." Minseok waved at you, and so did Jongdae. You smiled and waved back as Baekhyun's eyes widened.

"Go on first, I'll catch up later." He told his friends, his eyes avoiding your gaze. The two walked off after saying goodbye.

"What are you doing here?" Baekhyun held your arm, gently pulling you to the side.

"You were avoiding me for a week, what's up?" You asked, eyeing him carefully. He reached to the nape of his neck. He removed his cap, fixed his hair, and put it back again.

"I... wasn't avoiding you," he said, still avoiding your eyes. You weren't convinced, so you pulled his face to meet yours.

"There, see!" you exclaimed, "you avoided my eyes again. What's wrong, Baek?"

"Nothing," he muttered. He glanced down his wristwatch, and urged you to move. "You're literally five minutes late to your class, get moving dumbass."

"No, I'm not leaving 'til you tell me what's wrong. Is it something I said? or did? Or, like, did something happen to your family? Come on, talk to me, don't shut me out like this."

You were honestly nervous, you feared that the friendship you had would be gone in a blink if you didn't do this.

Baekhyun sighed, and met your eyes. You heart dropped to your stomach. It felt different from his usual teasing glints, there were hints of longing. His eyes glossed a little, eyes bloodshot red. You immediately reached to his face, and his eyes closed and he leaned to your touch.

"Baek," you sighed softly, "have you not been sleeping?"

"Mmhm," Baekhyun hummed, hand on top of your hand on his cheek. "Let's...talk later." His eyes met yours this time.

You nodded with a soft, gentle smile. "Of course. Come over later? Let's watch a movie tonight." Your thumb ghosted over his cheek.

"But that's for Friday?"

You swore you saw Baekhyun frown a little from the loss of touch as you retreat your hand from his cheek, but you decided you were just crazy and that it wasn't like that.

You shrug, hands on your pocket. "We could do it like, two days earlier, it's fine."

"Why? So you could ditch on me and go on a date again?" He blurted out.

You audibly gasp, earning stares from passerbys. Your hand flew to your open mouth. "What do you mean? I didn't ditch you, I asked you if it was okay and you said yes!"

"I didn't!"

"You did! I even have the text messages here if you need refreshments, dude."

"Don't dude me, Y/N," Baekhyun groaned, rubbing his face roughly. It was an a look of frustration, and you felt it was directed to you.

"Is this why you're mad at me? Because you thought I ditched you?" Your voice slightly trembled. Now you were frustrated and confused.

"No!" he abruptly said, "No, I'm - I'm not mad at you, I just, Friday nights are for us," You internally winced, because you took that in way that isn't how friends should take it as.

"And you — "

"Baekhyun-ah!" You both looked at the direction of the voice. It was Junmyeon who called out with a smile as he approached you. "Oh hey, Y/N, what's up?"

You smiled and tried to push the argument you just had at the back of your mind. "Hi, oppa."

Baekhyun sighed, "What's wrong, hyung?"

"I couldn't find Chanyeol, he told me he'd be with you." Junmyeon's lips parted a lottle, "Did I interrupt you guys?"

"Yeah, we're kinda bu—" You interrupted Baekhyun.

"We just finished talking, oppa," you glance at your watch to avoid Baekhyun's intense gaze. "I have to get to class, I'm suuuper late. See you later!" You waved Junmyeon goodbye, and turned away quickly.

You hear Baekhyun call to you as the distance grew farther. You didn't want to lose Baekhyun over a fight like this, especially when you thought of him in a different light yet again.

~ • ~

Baekhyun's heart broke a little as he looked at you walk away. He let out a heavy sigh as he massaged his eyebrows.

Junmyeon noticed. "Are you good?"

Baekhyun looked up at him and nodded yes. Junmyeon was not convinced though, but he decided not to push it. "Come on, let's meet them."

Baekhyun stayed silent. He moved on autopilot, basically just following Junmyeon's footsteps — but not before looking back to the place you once stood at.

The guys laughed loudly in the middle of the restaurant. Baekhyun and Junmyeon settled down, "Did you get food already?" asked Junmyeon.

"We ordered pasta and pizza, you could order more if you want to, though," Minseok said. "It's Jongdae's treat for missing the last get together."

"Nice."

The guys continued to talk, and joke around. Food kept arriving at their table, and everyone dug in except Baekhyun. He was staring at nothing, just picking on his food with a fork.

"Hyung, are you okay?" Jongin nudged Baekhyun. He looked up, and forced a smile.

"Yeah, of course." There was a moment of silence before Chanyeol broke the ice.

"You guys remember Changkyun?” He asked. Baekhyun’s ears perked up, the name was familiar. Too familiar, in fact. His eyebrows knitted tightly, he couldn’t help it.

“What about him?” Sehun popped a fry in his mouth. Lay tilted his head slightly.

“He’s throwing a party tonight, he invited us.”

“What’s his business inviting us? We don’t even know him,” Baekhyun bitterly spat and did not go unnoticed by his friends.

Chanyeol and Junmyeon exchanged glances with Kyungsoo, who sighed and said, “We can just not go, it’s not a big deal.”

Baekhyun just drew a big sigh and ruffled his hair. To say he was pissed was an understatement. He’d been so bothered about you dating other guys, and he hated the fact that he couldn’t even tell it to you directly.

After all, you both agreed on staying strictly platonic after having witnessed your sister and her then bestfriend get married and divorced on the same year.

“What’s with you, Hyung? You rarely act this way,” Jongin asked, eyes full of concern.

Sehun snickered, “He always acts this way whenever a certain someone’s involved.”

Minseok hummed in agreement. Baekhyun groaned as Kyungsoo spoke, “You mean Y/N?”

“Precisely,” Sehun confirmed with a smirk.

“Aren’t you strictly platonic?” Jongdae asked.

“Yes.” Sadly.

“Huh, so why are you jealous?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I am not jealous.” Lie.

“You definitely are.”

“I’m not.” Yes, he was.

“You like her, don’t you?”

“What?” Yes.

“You do!”

“What are you even —“

“Someone’s got a crush —!”

“I—“

“Just admit it, Hyung!”

“N —“

“Baekhyun —“

“I love her, damn it!”

Silence filled the table. Everyone suddenly laughed out loud after his outburst — they knew you got Baekhyun fucked up in the head and they love to see it.

Now, Baekhyun’s admitted it and there was no going back. He had avoided saying it for the longest time for the fear of it “coming true” when he knew that he had no say in his feelings from the get-go.

“Just tell her, confess, do something,” Kyungsoo said.

“That’s easier said than done.”

“Would you rather lose her to Changkyun?” Lay suddenly spoke up. Baekhyun looked at him, and he knew his hyung made a point. He had to do something.

~ • ~

Time went by fast, and it's been two days since you last saw Baekhyun. Still, no calls nor texts from Baekhyun. You were beginning to doubt your decision of avoiding the conversation — you start to think that you should've let him finish talking before walking out like that.

Is he gonna drop by tonight? It's literally friday, its — its your movie night. Or is he never gonna talk to you, and you end up losing the love of your life?

Wait, no. He's your bestfriend, so you love him, right? Its that kind of love that's purely platonic, isn't it? Plus, you had a date! And you totally hit it off, you swore to god.

Okay, maybe you lied. You and Changkyun were bonding over relationship traumas instead of building up a new relationship. You both had a cup of sweet tea, but the conversations you had left a bitter taste in both your mouths.

Changkyun also mentioned someone he liked, and was in fact, asking for advice. That's why you both set another date for tomorrow, solely for the sake of advices. Besides, you also enjoyed complaining to him about Baekhyun's annoying habits that you secretly liked.

You then pace back and forth, probably hyperventilating and on the verge of another panic attack. You bite on your nails as you watched a late night game show, or atleast tried to watch.

You couldn't focus on it. You sat down, your knees bounced up and down. So you stood, but you kept pacing back and forth. And you'd look at the television, but would later find yourself starting at the clock. You were so immersed that you failed to notice the numerous missed phone calls.

Until the door bell rang. You sprinted towards the door, opened it in one motion.

And there he was, holding a bouquet of roses. He offered a sheepish smile, and offered up the bouquet.

You didn't even realize you've been holding your breath 'til you saw him on your doorstep. You immediately engulfed him with a hug, your tears threatening to spill.

He hugged you back as he buried his face at the crook of your neck. You missed his scent, so much.

You pulled away, "I - I thought you wouldn't — "

He cut you off, "Don't go."

You look at him, confused. You wipe your tear-stained cheeks, settling your hands on his biceps. "What? What do you mean?"

"On that date," he said, eyes intensely on yours. "Don't go on that date, please."

"Well, that's for tomorrow still, I —"

"No, you don't understand. I," Baekhyun took a deep breath. "I don't just mean tonight. I mean, don't ever go on a date with another man. Please."

You were speechless as you watched Baekhyun frown in thought, trying to compose what he wanted to say.

“I,” he paused. He looked his shoes, and licked his lips in anticipation. “I get livid when I think of another man touching you, or holding your hands, and the mere thought of you kissing someone else makes me go insane, you have no idea.

“My heart races when our fingers touch, and I can’t help but want to kiss you when you do something childish. Or when you cry because of a stupid movie — I want to grow old with you, sit under a tree and watch as our children run across the fields. I — I love you. For the longest time, I’ve loved you. I love you, Y/N.”

You were speechless and shaking. Here was the man you longed for, confessing his love to you — and you couldn’t believe it. Your jaw drops, and he looked at you with great intent.

“I love you, too,” you said, tears rolling down your cheeks. “You dumb idiot, what took you so long? I kept it all in, I waited for you for so long! I —“

He captured your lips with his in the softest way possible. A moment lingers as he pulled away,

“I’m sorry for making you wait, Y/N. I —“

You pull him back in, deepening the kiss as you hook your arms around his neck — bodies flushed against each other. He dropped the bouquet, and put his hands on your hips, pulling you closer to him.

“Shut up and kiss me, baby.” You said in between breaths and kisses.

[elysiangroundsforall]

In the Course of It ...

"You're my only Bambi, Bambi"

Synopsis: INB100 is holding auditions and Y/N applies and gets selected but the CEO falls in love with Y/N. Pairing: Byun Baekhyun x reader Warnings: None Type: Angst, Fluff Started: 09/07/2024 (July 9th) Ended: 11/12/24 (December 11th)

Preview

"But I'm only a trainee."

"It doesn't matter to me."

"EXO member and INB100 CEO Byun Baekhyun reportedly dating a trainee under his company"

Chapters

Prologue

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20

Epilogue Message

[jongupscrookedteeth]

EXO, Chen -

werewolf super power moodboard

Please note that I created the collage but the photos are not mine credit to original owners.

[mymoodwriting]

Beyond The Stars

F!Reader x EXO

Genre: Amnesia AU, EXO Universe/Planet

Warning: Angst, Hallucinations, Drugs, Revelations, Resurrection

Words: 1.9K

Chapter Eighteen

(Prev//Next)

Prompt: You’re the most important thing to EXO, you’ve been with them for years, and when you wind up missing, it greatly upsets them. Their journey to find you and bring you home starts a chain of events that leads to facing their own greatest fears, making unlikely allies, traveling to other worlds again and finally gathering the strength to take down their greatest enemy. Along the way you get to see their true colors and fall in love all over again, although you might come to realize you don’t like what you see in the mirror.

@suhappysuho @starillusion13

“She knows she’s home.”

Suho and Chanyeol were still processing what they had just discovered, but the others needed to know as well. There wasn’t much to explain, but everyone agreed that you needed space. No one was happy about the situation, but they also had another pressing matter at hand. All the preparations were complete, so now they just needed the start. Lay was in the water, Jooheon and Shownu having been the ones to volunteer and get in with him. Of course the difficult part was getting Kihyun into the in-between. There was no real certain way to do so, meaning the only option was for Kai to teleport with them.

It was something rather quick, and then Kai was in the water with Kihyun. He passed him over to Lay who gently fed him an elixir. Jooheon and Shownu both drank the same thing, laying back in the water and closing their eyes. The others could only watch on in silence. There was tension now between both groups. Besides the revelation of what had happened to Kihyun, there was now your past and disappearance. Still, the priority was Kihyun, so all they could do was hope for the best.

♥♥♥♥♥

To close your eyes and open them again to endless darkness was quite frightening. The fear was present only for a moment before Jooheon realized he wasn’t alone. Next to him was Shownu and Lay.

“Where are we?”

“The in-between.” Lay explained. “An endless void.”

“So Kihyun is here somewhere?” Shownu asked.

“In theory, but there’s no guarantee.”

“How do we find him?”

“You both have to seek him out. If he’s here, he’ll let you find him.”

“But where?”

“I don’t know. This place creates hell for those that get stuck, I can’t imagine where he’d be.”

“So, it’s up to us.” Jooheon confirmed. “What exactly do we do if we find him?”

“If you find you need to bring him back here, and together we can leave.”

“That’s it?”

“It might sound easy, but it’s not. Trust your gut, and good luck.”

“Thanks.”

For the sake of staying together Jooheon and Shownu remained close, walking in the darkness. Neither knew when Lay had disappeared, but it was just the two of them now. They kept walking aimlessly until they heard a loud crash noise and were blinded by a strong white light. When they regained their vision they found themselves on an abandoned road. Shownu had no idea where he was, but Jooheon recognized the place immediately.

“Kihyun…”

Jooheon soon found Kihyun running down the road, chasing down the car before it crashed. As much as he wanted to change things, he knew it wasn’t possible. At least not here.

“Kihyun!”

Jooheon chased after his friend, and soon Shownu was aware of what was going on. The two followed after the other until the car crashed and he stopped. 

“Kihyun, please.” Jooheon begged. “You have to let go.”

It didn’t seem that Kihyun was listening, and soon enough the car reappeared on the road and drove past the trio. Kihyun chased after it again, and the two followed. Shownu managed to catch up and hold Kihyun back.

“Let go! I have to-”

“I’m right here.” Jooheon grabbed Kihyun. “I’m right here, I’m okay.”

“Jooheon?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s me.”

“You’re alive.”

“Yes, yes I am, and so are you.”

“Huh?”

“You can let go. We’re both okay.”

They all heard the car crash again and looked over. Kihyun stared at the scene before him, gripping Jooheon’s arms tightly.

“Let’s go home.” Jooheon said. “Together.”

There wasn’t much they could do but walk away from the crash. Eventually everything faded to black and they were walking in a void. When Lay had appeared he called out to them. Kihyun was so excited to see such an old friend, but the reunion would have to wait a moment. They all held hands and closed their eyes, placing their trust into Lay.

♥♥♥♥♥

When Jooheon opened his eyes he gasped, getting his feet under him. He could see that Lay was awake, and so was Shownu, although Kihyun was still unconscious. Before he could ask anything Kihyun opened his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

“Kihyun!”

All the others jumped into the water to greet their brother, overjoyed to see him alive. While everyone was caught up with that, Baekhyun snuck away from the scene, wanting to look for you. It wasn’t long before he found you locked up in one of the rooms, he knocked, but he already knew your answer.

“Go away.”

“Y/n, please let me explain.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Baekhyun couldn’t understand much, but he knew he had hurt you. He sat down, leaning against your door. Even if you didn’t want to hear it he had to be honest.

“I’m sorry… there’s so much we should have told you before, but we just didn’t know how.” Baekhyun sighed. “We called this planet, this place, home for a very long time. Everything was good and we didn’t notice RF’s presence growing until it was too late. They captured us, and we were their prisoners for months… perhaps longer… when we finally escaped we weren’t in good condition, and somehow wound up at your place. Even though we were complete strangers you were so kind to us and helped us without question. Of course it wasn’t long before RF tracked us down. We knew we couldn’t just leave you for RF to find, so we took you with us.”

“… but why did you make me forget?” “It’s not like we could bring you home anytime soon…”

“Were you ever gonna tell me?”

“Honestly… I’m not sure. We had no idea you were close to Wonho and the others.”

“I don’t remember them… can I recover those memories?”

“You’d have to ask Lay, but those memories are buried deep… do you hate us?”

“I don’t know…”

At that moment Wonho came over. He was still a bit wet, but he wanted to talk to you. Baekhyun stood up as he came to the door, knocking and letting you know it was him. To Baekhyun’s jealousy you opened the door a bit.

“Hi.”

“Hey, do you think you could come out for a bit, so we can talk.”

You carefully opened the door and stepped out. Wonho gave you a smile, putting you at ease. Although you couldn’t look over at Baekhyun.

“Why are you wet?”

“We woke up Kihyun.”

“You did!? That’s great news.”

“Yeah. The others are examining him to make sure everything is good, but I wanted to check in with you. How are you?”

“I’m not sure… everything is fine but I don’t know who I am anymore… I’m not sure I ever did…”

“I’m glad you’re alive.”

“What was my life like?”

“You were incredible, very intelligent, had a nice job and your own place. Although I do need to apologize for something.”

“For what?”

“I, and the rest of my brothers, disappeared without a word. We made you worry so much, and then when we came back we couldn’t give you an explanation.”

“What happened?”

“It’s a long story. Why don’t we step out for a bit.”

“Sure.”

Baekhyun wanted to protest about you leaving the house, but he knew you wouldn’t listen to him right now. Even if things weren’t good between them right now, he still trusted Wonho to look after you, so he let the two of you go. The two of you walked together in silence for a while. The fresh air was nice, and it helped clear your mind.

“Wonho.”

“Hm?”

“How do you know EXO?”

“It’s a rather long story.” Wonho began. “Me and my brothers had our own troubles, and EXO came to our aid. They helped us out and took us under their wing. We learned about plants and their abilities, but we also drew unwanted attention. RF captured us all, one by one. They experimented on us and questioned us about EXO, but we didn’t know much.”

“But you got out.”

“We tried to escape, but that didn’t work, so… Hyungwon made a deal. He gave Baekhyun up in exchange for our freedom. I don’t know what happened after that.”

“So then what happened with me?”

“I was trying to put things back together, so I went to see you one night to catch up, and the next day you were gone. I feared it was RF, but I couldn’t do anything about it. The others told me that I had to let go, and for that I am so sorry.”

“Even if you did try to look for me, I doubt you would have found me.”

You and Wonho stopped when you heard a noise, looking around and seeing Hyungwon. Wonho immediately stepped in front of you, but you grabbed his arm. You knew there was tension between the two, but you didn’t want anyone getting hurt.

“What do you want?” Wonho spat. 

“I merely want to help fill in the gaps. I overheard you talking, and I thought you might want to know the truth.”

“About what?”

“The night y/n disappeared.”

“You know what happened to me?” You questioned. 

“I do. You see the night Wonho went to see you is the night EXO escaped. With the limited power they had, Kai teleported to the nearest person he trusted. That happened to be Wonho. He was at your place moments before they appeared, so that’s how EXO wound up in your backyard.”

“So it was my fault…” Wonho mumbled. “I’m the reason-”

“No.” You interrupted. “You can’t possibly blame yourself for something like that.”

“She’s right.” Hyungwon said. “Somethings are fated to happen, you can’t blame yourself for that night.”

“Was I always meant to meet EXO? To be close to them?”

“As far as Tao could see into the future, the answer was always yes.”

“Tao?”

“He would have loved to meet you, all of the others would.”

“Others…”

“What is it that you’re doing here?” Wonho asked. “No one’s exactly happy with you right now.”

“I know, but I want to help.”

“How?”

“I have a message for EXO. The base is the same, and the security system will be shut down in two days for scheduled maintenance. That’ll be the best time to strike, and this is only the beginning.”

“You expect me, us, to believe that?”

“I haven’t enjoyed my time with RF. Everything has a purpose, but I hope you’ll relay my message.”

Hyungwon left without another word. You had a lot to ponder now, but you knew it was best to get back to the others. When you returned your boys expressed their worries, but you assured them that you were okay. You still needed space, but you promised not to run off. Even if he didn’t like it, Wonho still relayed the message, and now everyone was on the same page.

“That’s why you came back.” Minhyuk said. “You want to destroy RF.”

“We won’t run anymore.” Xiumin stated.

“We’d appreciate a hand.” Chen added. “But you don’t have to. They’ve done enough to you guys.”

“All the more reason to assist.” Changkyun said. “It sounds like payback.”

“Am I included in this?”

Everyone looked over to see Hyungwon had made an appearance. Although he set his sight onto Kihyun, and the two stared at each other.

“Hyungwon…”

“It’s good to see you again.” Hyungwon smiled. “It’s been a while.”

“Yeah…”

“I can help with this plan. I know the base inside and out, but I understand you don’t trust me.”

“That may be the case.” Suho said. “But I don’t think you’d be here if you were truly untrustworthy.”

“You trust me?”

“I believe you have valuable information you’re willing to give us. Don’t you agree?”

“I do.”

[rancidtae]

ARCADIA'S LULLABY / the reboot

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI).

Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language, Mature content.

Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina)

meet the characters

A/N: aaaaaand we're back! it's been a while. motivated by this exo comeback and a rewatch of the show that originally inspired this, I've decided to bring this blog back to life. This is a rewrite of a story i posted here a few years back. new scenes, flashbacks, plot improvements and easter eggs for part two are being added. (yes that is still in the works because this was always meant to be Part One of a series, including a bts centered prequel )

So, here it is:

If there’s one thing tenacious investigative journalist Jung Jiah knows about this city, is that trust is scarce and truth is a commodity. Forced to face a haunting past and reunited with the men she once considered family, instinct tells her to run and hide.

But when she finds that her childhood friends might be hiding the key to the one story she could never solve, she’s thrust into a web of complex relationships and blurred lines between guilt, trust, and betrayal. The quest for the truth takes center stage, and it reveals a world where neon lights cast long shadows, and nothing is as it seems.

CHAPTER 1: NIGHTCALL (OUT NOW)

CHAPTER 2: AFTERHOURS (OUT NOW)

[wolveswithblackpearls]

Werewolf AU!Chen

What did you see?” Jongdae pushed.

You swallowed. “Wolves. Giant Wolves. They chased everybody away. One of them saved me from the fire.”

“That was us.”

Since I’ve been binge reading this series, here’s a moodboard inspired by @marshmallow-phd ‘s “Fighting Instinct”.

~Admin J

Original date of publishing: Jan 10th, 2019

[spacequokka]

Pairing: CEO!Jongdae x Game Designer!Reader Genre: Fluff, Office AU Rating: G Summary: Rumors fly wildly over why he rejects request after request for marriage and the reason is simple: none of them are you, the quirky little developer he hired. Word Count: 0.5k Warnings: None

Inspired by this post.

Kim Jongdae was a notorious heartbreaker. Rumor had it he’d turned down over twenty proposals, one of which was from a princess. Those rejected swore he had a heart of ice under that charismatic mask, unfeeling and even delighting in the pain he caused. Considering how much wealth he’d amassed in the few years since starting his company, one assumed he was simply wary of gold diggers, holding out for the one who wanted him and not the money in his bank account.

But the truth was much simpler than that.

Most of the lights were out in the building. It was nearing midnight and many of the workers had gone home for the day. Yet, Jongdae knew there was always one who stayed late, obsessively working on assets for the newest project. As usual, he found you at your desk, eyes focused on your computer monitor as you worked on a character model.

“You’re doing it again.” He whispered, careful not to startle you, as he took in your disheveled hair and dark circles under your eyes. “It’s long past time to call it a day.”

“I know, Mr. Kim. But I swear I’ve almost finished the design. She moves a lot better, but it’s just—”

“You said that last time. And the time before that. It’s always something that keeps you from putting the work down.” He stepped closer and gently knocked your hands away from the keyboard and mouse. For the first time, you looked up at him.

“But I mean it this time. Just a little longer and she’ll be ready to import.”

“And then what? You’ll have to wait for everyone to come back in and look at her. There’s no reason you can’t finish tomorrow after you’ve had a good night’s sleep and a fresh cup of coffee.” You looked away, and he added softly, “Please. It kills me to see you running yourself into the ground like this.”

“I just want to do my best.”

“And you are. But you can’t continue to do that if you don’t take care of your body.” He sighed and squatted beside your chair. “I wouldn’t forgive myself if you got sick, or worse. So please? Since it’s so late, I’ll give you a ride home.”

“I don’t want to trouble you—”

“I promise you, you’re not. I’d also feel better seeing you home safely instead of taking public transportation this late.” He patted your hand and stood. “So, save your work and I’ll meet you by the elevator in five, okay?”

When you nodded and moved the mouse to the file menu, he turned and headed back to his office with a smile. Why would he accept any arranged marriage requests if none of them were you?

⟨⟨ Series ML || Group ML ⟩⟩

[haveanotherkpopblog]

A Thousand Lives Lived

Exology

Pairing: EXO OT11 x Fem!Reader

Genre: Adventure, Angst, Drama, Fantasy, Power!AU, Sci-Fi

Word Count: ~400

Warnings: N/A

Masterlist || Next>>

In the beginning, there was nothing. From the nothing grew the roots of the Tree of Life- and the Tree of Life itself from that. Its roots stretched and wrapped around itself to create the EXO Planet. From there, life was born.

For peace, balance and protection, the Tree of Life produced eleven forces--eleven Legends. Each one created from a single drop of sap, each Legend was given an elemental or cardinal power to aid in the protection of Tree of Life.

To help and aid the protection of EXO Planet, the Legends created the Elyxion. Hand-picked by the Legends themselves, the Elyxion’s sole purpose was to record and guide the people of EXO Planet-- to keep them on the path of peace and balance. For many years, life lived in bliss.

From the depths of the darkness of the nothing came the red force. Sweltering with hate and festering with greed, the Red Force created the Evil. Plundering the EXO Planet, turning lush fields into dry and barren wastelands, pitting brother against brother, the Evil Red Force made its way towards the Tree of Life.

To protect the Tree of Life, the Legends divided the heart of the Tree in half. Time was overturned and space turned askew. The Legends left the care of EXO Planet in the hands of the Elyxion, before fleeing with the two halves. The eleven Legends split into two and traveled apart to two worlds that seemed alike.

Before the Legends left EXO Planet, they left the Elyxion with this: The two halves of the Tree of Life are equal and opposite to each other. One cannot exist without the other, for their hearts beat in unison. They keep balance in this world and the next. It is only when the End of the End is nigh that the Tree may be reunited and reborn into one perfect root.

With the Legends and the Tree of Life far from EXO Planet, the Evil Red Force left to pursue. To uphold their ancient oath, they attempted to cleanse the influence of the Evil Red Force from the people of EXO Planet, but the damage was immeasurable. To keep the future of the Elyxion safe and free from the negative influence, they kept to their own bloodlines and created the Exoluxion, severing all ties with the outside world.

Many years passed, and the Elyxion stood strong. They taught and cherished two ideals: strength and intelligence. Young Elyxions were taught hand-to-hand combat, strategic planning, weapon manufacturing, and advanced medical knowledge and practice. The Elyxion lived in peace and balance, as long as they remained in the Exoluxion, safe from the Evil Red Force.

[euphoriacafe]

It’s like a cuteness overload when it comes to Kyungsoo

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: LOEY

[soft-jihoonie]

I Wanna Stay By You Forever - Chapter 8

Kyungsoo x Jongdae + Baekhyun x Chanyeol + Sehun x Jongin - 2.3K Words - Fluff and Angst

Part 2 of the Baby Don’t Go series - Part 1 is here

This is also posted on AO3.

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Kyungsoo goes two days without speaking to or seeing Jongdae. Since they’d started their situationship, they’ve never gone this long without speaking before. Jongdae has tried messaging and calling Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo just doesn’t feel able to see him yet. He’s sure some people may think he’s being overdramatic, but he’d let himself fall too easily into the idea of being Jongdae’s boyfriend, and it still hurts to think that Jongdae never saw a future for them. He guesses he’d let himself get hopeful that he and Jongdae would end up blissfully happy like Chanyeol and Baekhyun, but this wake-up call has reminded him of the pain Chanyeol went through to get to this happiness.

Speaking of the devil, Chanyeol walks into the living room, lightly tapping Kyungsoo’s head as he says, “What ya thinking about, Soo?”

“Do you think I’m being overdramatic?”

Chanyeol moves over to the cereal cupboard in the kitchen, pulling out a box of cornflakes as he responds, “Staring into a bowl of cereal at 10am looking like your world’s ending? Yeah, I’d say that’s a bit overdramatic.”

Kyungsoo chuckles, finally taking another bite of his now soggy cereal. Chanyeol walks over to the table, setting his bowl of cereal down opposite Kyungsoo. As he pulls the chair out to sit down, Kyungsoo responds, “No, I mean do you think I’m being overdramatic about the Jongdae situation?”

Chanyeol stops mid-chew, swallowing before responding, “I mean, I think it’s perfectly understandable that the whole situation hurt you so much.”

“But?”

“But, there’s only so long Baekhyun and I can tell Jongdae you’re ill and don’t want to see anybody, I mean you must get how hard it is for Baekhyun to lie to Jongdae.”

Kyungsoo nods, eating a few more spoonfuls of cereal before finally responding, “You’re right, I should at least send him a text so he doesn’t think I’m dead.”

Chanyeol smiles and says, “Thank fuck, you have no idea how whiney Baekhyun’s been to me.”

Kyungsoo chuckles, standing up with his bowl in hand as he responds, “I hadn’t heard anything?”

“Of course, he’s not gonna whine to you, he’s just a whiney baby to me”

Kyungsoo laughs as he heads to wash his bowl, calling back, “Should I tell him you said that?”

“Tell him and I’ll tell Jongdae you spent the weekend moping over him”

Washing his bowl, Kyungsoo responds, “Don’t you fucking dare.”

Chanyeol smirks as he comes into the kitchen, nudging Kyungsoo out of the way of the sink as he says, “That’s what I thought.”

Kyungsoo places his bowl on the drying rack, drying his hands with a tea towel before pulling his phone out of his pocket as he responds, “You’re the worst best friend.”

“Oh really? Is that why you’re about to take my advice and message Jongdae?”

“How do you know I’m not just texting Mingyu?”

Leaning over to look at Kyungsoo’s phone screen, Chanyeol says, “Because you’d never take that long to type out ‘Hello’ to Mingyu.”

Kyungsoo pushes Chanyeol away, deleting the ‘Hello’ as he says, “If you’re not going to help me then go bother your boyfriend.”

Chanyeol lets out a dramatic sigh, taking the phone out of Kyungsoo’s hand as he says, “Alright, I suppose I’ll lend you my master communication skills.”

Kyungsoo lets out a laugh, he wants to argue but Chanyeol has his phone and could very much jeopardise him right now. So instead, he just says, “Promise me you’ll show me what you’ve written before you press send?”

“Yeah yeah, I promise, I’m basically done.”

Sure enough, a few moments later Chanyeol passes Kyungsoo the phone, calling out “You can thank me later”, as he walks out of the kitchen.

Kyungsoo ignores him, eyes lowering to read the typed-out message on the phone screen. He has to give it to Chanyeol, he clearly knows how Kyungsoo would text. The message reads ‘Hey, sorry for the silence. I had an awful cold and couldn’t do much but sleep. Chanyeol had to force me to let him look after me, you know how stubborn I can be!’

Kyungsoo’s finger hovers over send before he decided to add ‘I hope you’re doing okay x’ as an afterthought. He doesn’t want Jongdae to think he hates him or doesn’t want him around, it’s not Jongdae’s fault that he got so attached.

He reads the message over a few more times before deciding that he can’t do anything more and pressing send. The moment he sees the words on the screen in a blue bubble, he quickly locks his phone, stuffing it in his pyjama pant pockets and deciding to go and get dressed.

He ignores the worry blooming across his body, trying to think about anything but the phone in his pocket and whether Jongdae’s read it yet or will even want to talk to him again.

When he reaches his bedroom, he places his phone on his bed, deciding he’ll look at it again for any potential messages once he’s dressed. He knows he’s trying to put off possible disappointment but after a weekend of moping, he’s not sure if he can handle further rejection. He dresses comfortably, still having no plans to leave the house, and he can’t deny that disappointment shoots through him when he sees that he’s not had a reply.

Telling himself he’s silly for expecting a reply so quickly, he grabs his laptop to take downstairs, planning on researching some new recipes to experiment with. Chanyeol shakes his head at Kyungsoo’s choice of clothes when they come out of their rooms at the same time. The former is dressed nicely with his hair styled, making Kyungsoo look like a mess in comparison.

Looking Chanyeol up and down before heading towards the stairs, Kyungsoo asks, “Date with Baekhyun?”

Following him down the stairs, Chanyeol responds, “Yeah we’re checking out a new record shop in town, probably be gone for a few hours.”

Kyungsoo heads into the living room, stopping and looking back when he hears Chanyeol ask, “You gonna be okay alone if I go?”

Shaking his head amusedly, Kyungsoo responds, “I’ll be fine Yeol, I’m not a child.”

He hears Chanyeol call out, “Could’ve fooled me”, just before the front door shuts. Rolling his eyes to himself, Kyungsoo sits down on the couch, turning his laptop on.

As sure as he was that he’d be okay, the silence of the house feels suffocating and all he can think about is checking his phone. Turning on the television for background noise, Kyungsoo throws himself into his research, succeeding for an hour at least. After an hour, he convinces himself that surely it’s okay to check his phone now.

Reaching forward to get his phone from where he’d placed it on the coffee table, he can’t help but feel nervous as he tilts the phone forward to light the screen up. A moment of happiness shoots through him when he notices a text message notification but it’s quickly followed by disappointment when he realises the message is from Mingyu.

Feeling like a bad friend for his reaction, he clicks on the notification, reading Mingyu’s message, ‘KYUNGSOO HELP’

Kyungsoo chuckles to himself at Mingyu’s dramatic ways, responding ‘what’s wrong, Mingyu?’

Moments later Kyungsoo’s phone rings, and Mingyu’s name appears on the screen. Kyungsoo takes a moment to prepare himself for interaction outside of Chanyeol before answering the call.

He can barely start to say hello when Mingyu blurts out, “Kyungsoo, Wonwoo is on a date right now at my workplace, I can’t handle this.”

Kyungsoo chuckles quietly before responding, “How do you want me to help you?”

“God, I don’t know Kyungsoo, maybe you can at least come to the cafe to distract me.”

Kyungsoo sighs loudly, weighing up his options in his head. He settles on the thought that really it’ll be good to get himself out of the house, responding, “Okay fine, text me the address.”

Mingyu sighs in relief, loudly saying, “Thank you Kyungsoo, I love you!”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, mumbling out, “Yeah yeah, see you soon”, before hanging up.

He takes a moment to prepare himself before dragging himself off the couch and up the stairs to his bedroom. One look in the mirror has him realising how much of a state he let himself become and he decides in that moment to sort himself out.

It takes him about 15 minutes to wash up and get changed and then he’s checking his phone for the address Mingyu sent him. Surprised by the fact he had no idea Mingyu had started working at the same cafe as Sehun, he pulls on his shoes and heads out of the house, texting Mingyu that he’s just left.

The fresh air is nice and the sun feels warm on his skin. Kyungsoo hates that he let himself hide away for a whole 2 days, telling himself that it was pathetic of him. He makes sure to enjoy his surroundings, looking all around him as he walks the familiar route to the cafe.

The walk only takes around 15 minutes and soon he’s arriving at the cafe, spotting Wonwoo and his supposed date sitting at a window table. He opens the door to the cafe and immediately is greeted by Mingyu, who clumsily pulls Kyungsoo into the cafe, loudly saying, “Kyungsoo, I’m so glad you’re here.”

Kyungsoo allows himself to be dragged to the ordering point, scanning the cafe for Sehun who he hasn’t seen in a long time. His eyes finally land on him, a smile appearing on his face at the sight of Sehun clinging to another attractive man, said man giggling. Sehun then makes eye contact with Kyungsoo, a wider grin appearing on his face as he comes up to the ordering point Mingyu has dragged Kyungsoo to.

Mingyu practically hangs on Kyungsoo’s shoulders as Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at Sehun and asks, “Who’s the cutie?”

A blush appears on Sehun’s cheeks as he says, “He’s called Jongin, he’s a new worker like Mingyu.”

Kyungsoo can’t help the smirk on his face as he says, “Mhmm okay, and how long have you liked Jongin for?”

Sehun’s eyes widen, quickly checking to see if Jongin’s heard before hissing out, “I don’t like Jongin!”

Kyungsoo lets out a chuckle and says, “Alright well you let me know when you’ve stopped being so dumb. Also, I’ll have a black coffee please.”

Sehun rolls his eyes, starting to ring up the order on the till as he says, “I don’t see you in months and you call me dumb, thanks Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo laughs, paying for his drink as he says, “You’re welcome, Sehunnie!” He’s almost immediately dragged away to a table by Mingyu, being pushed into a chair.

Mingyu pulls up the chair opposite and says, “God, Kyungsoo, what do I do? I can’t handle my crush on a date here.”

Kyungsoo glances over at Wonwoo again, observing him and his supposed date for a moment before saying, “Are you sure it’s a date Mingyu? It doesn’t seem very date-like.”

“He’s here with a girl, they hugged when he arrived, I’m pretty sure it’s a date”

“You do know men can be friends with women, right Mingyu?”

Mingyu rolls his eyes, loudly exclaiming, “Of course I do, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as he sees Wonwoo’s head turn their way. A look of recognition settling on his face as he stands and begins to walk over. Mingyu swings his head around to see what Kyungsoo’s looking at before he looks back at Kyungsoo with a look of horror.

Mingyu hisses out, “What the fuck do I do?”

Kyungsoo chuckles and pats Mingyu’s arm sympathetically as he says, “Just relax, he’s probably just coming to say hi.”

Wonwoo strides up to the table moments later, grinning at the two of them as he says, “I didn’t know you two were here! What brings you to this cafe?”

Noticing Mingyu is unable to answer, Kyungsoo shrugs and says, “Mingyu started working here recently and my friend Sehun works here too so I thought I’d just come to see them both! What about you? On a date?”

Wonwoo laughs loudly, glancing back at the woman he’s left at the table as he responds, “God no, I’m just having a catch-up with my cousin, she’s in town for the week.”

Trying not to chuckle at Mingyu visibly relaxing, Kyungsoo says, “My bad, that must be nice!”

Wonwoo nods, looking at Mingyu as he says, “So, how long have you been working here Mingyu? I’ve been coming here for a while and haven’t seen you.”

Mingyu starts stuttering out an answer and seeing Wonwoo’s look of endearment, Kyungsoo takes that as his cue to move away. Sehun signals to him that his coffee is ready and Kyungsoo strolls over to the drink collection counter.

Jongin, the new kid, holds the takeaway cup with his coffee in out to him, grinning as he says, “You’re Kyungsoo, right?”

Kyungsoo nods as he takes the coffee, “Yeah that’s me! Thanks for the coffee.”

“Sehunnie’s told me so much about you! It’s nice to finally meet you.”

A soft smile appears on Kyungsoo’s face at the nickname and he responds, “Nice to meet you too! I’m going to head off so see you around.”

Kyungsoo waves goodbye to Sehun, heading towards the door to the cafe. He’s just stepped outside when he hears a voice call out, “Kyungsoo!”

Turning towards the sound of the voice, Kyungsoo’s eyes land on Jongdae rushing towards him with a grin on his face.

Kyungsoo tenses up, not really ready to see Jongdae so soon. He doesn’t hug back when Jongdae pulls him into a hug.

Jongdae pulls back to look at Kyungsoo, hands on either side of Kyungsoo’s arms, a frown on his face as he says, “Kyungsoo, what’s wrong?”

Kyungsoo sighs, realising this is the moment he needs to talk to Jongdae about what he heard. Jongdae reaches towards Kyungsoo’s face as if to cup it and Kyungsoo steps backwards out of his hold.

Jongdae’s frown deepens as he asks, “What’s going on?”

Kyungsoo runs a hand through his hair exasperatedly before finally breathing out, “Jongdae, we need to talk.”

[marshmallow-phd]

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won’t let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5

**

The grand hall was lit as bright as midday. Every surface was polished to perfection, reflecting the candlelight at a greater force. Brilliant brass and gold surrounded you as you made your way through the dancing couples, their movements in perfect sync. Wrapped in each other's arms, they spin around without a care for your wandering presence. 

While all who surrounded you were decorated in blacks and whites, your own dress was the color of freshly spilled blood. The heavy skirts that hug from your waist made it difficult to navigate the ballroom. Their fullness was of an older fashion, one that maybe your grandmother would have worn in her youth. The dropped shoulders left you exposed, your skin chilled despite the amount of bodies in here. 

You kept navigating the dance floor, on the look out for something, though you didn’t know what. Then you felt the familiar burn of eyes boring into your back, which sent a shiver down your spine. You whirled around to find the source, the dress brushing at your feet with the sudden motion. Through the crowd, you spotted Baekhyun leaning against the wall. With a single finger, he beckoned you over. And you obeyed. 

Breaking through the sea of dancers, you took in his elegant suit, the hems lined with gold thread that shimmered against black velvet. 

"You shouldn't dance alone," he purred. Arms crossed over his chest, he smirked at you with a grin even the devil wouldn't wear.

"I have no partner," you retorted. He held out a lazy hard. Hardly the romantic gesture. "No, thank you." 

"How about me?" asked a sweet voice in your ear. 

You turned your head to find Junmyeon at your back. He laid a soft hand on your hip to keep you from escaping out of propriety. When you didn’t shove him away, the hand slyly moved to your stomach, pulling your bare shoulder blades into his chest. With the fingers of his left hand, he tilted your chin towards him. 

"Am I a suitable partner?" 

No answer passed your lips. You could think of nothing to say. The thought of him twirling you around the dance floor was not… unpleasant. 

Junmyeon neither needed nor cared for a reply. He dipped his head to your shoulder and pressed a kiss to the skin. A small gasp passed your lips. And then he pressed another. More and more as he climbed up the curve of your neck. Heat rose from every inch of you as you sighed into the affectionate touches. You relaxed into his touch, welcoming each new contact of his lips. 

"It's rude not to share, Junmyeon.”

Your attention snapped back to Baekhyun, who you had forgotten was there. He pushed himself off the wall and stepped closer to you so he stood in front of the minor. 

No, not a mirror. There was no reflection. 

Except… there was. The mirror reflected the floor, the ceiling, the candlelight. You. 

But not Baekhyun. Not Junmyeon. And not the dancers still spinning behind you. 

Fingers snaked through your hair and pulled your head back, your vulnerable neck exposed. From the gallery above, Kyungsoo watched as elongated fangs flashed behind Junmyeon’s lips and plunged into your neck. 

*****

You woke with a start, the blanket flying off of you as you sat up in a fury. Sweet drenched every pore of your skin. Your day old dress clung to your skin in a way that felt suffocating. Each breath was a struggle for your lungs. 

Vampires. The nightmarish tale that had kept you up as a child until you were convinced they weren't real turned out to be true. But how could they be real? 

Creatures of the night. Blood drinkers. Horror stories meant to keep children from wandering about after dark. 

Curling your legs to your chest and encasing them in your arms, you tried to think of a way out. To escape. With what strength you possessed, you slid off the bed and walked over to the window. The sun, so bright and full of life, was just beginning its descent towards the horizon. Night–their domain–was hours away. If the legends were true, then they would all be asleep at this moment. Any risk that was to be taken had to be taken now. 

After changing into a sturdier dress, you retrieved your still mud-covered boots and, keeping them in one hand, you carefully pushed away the pathetic barrier and snuck out of the room. 

Each step was taken with unmatched caution. You tested every board with your foot before fully committing. Any squeak of a floor or stumble down a stair could alert them to your escape. But by the grace of a miracle, you made it to the front door. Fingers trembling, you pulled on the boots and tied up the laces before opening the door only wide enough for you to slink through. 

The next breath taken outside was like the first breath of life. But there was no time to take it in. 

Gathering your skirts in your grip, you took off into the trees. The dirt was dry and sturdy under your feet. Branches and leaves crunched with the weight of your boots. A lady’s delicacy was out of the question as you ran without abandon. You didn't know what direction you were running. But vampires needed blood to survive and they weren’t drinking yours. And Jongdae had brought those buns from a bakery, not their own kitchen. You doubted any of them knew how to cook. That meant a village or town had to be nearby. Junmyeon had lied about the isolation of the manor. If you just kept going, you could find freedom. 

However, your stamina was running out. This was never your preferred activity. Your lungs and throat burned in an unfamiliar way. The sun still shined above. A short respite could be spared. 

You leaned against a tree trunk for support. In your boots your feet pulsed. Only now did you realize that you had run away without food or water. Not knowing where the kitchen was located, you didn't have time to waste on it. You could survive, you told yourself. Just a little farther. The town couldn’t be too far. Unless you were headed in the wrong direction. 

A rustling rippled through the silent forest. You snapped to attention, trying to find the source. 

“The wind,” you gasped between ragged breaths. “It had to be the wind.” 

A low, rumbling growl said it wasn't wind. 

In the distance, large silhouettes emerged. Wolves. Nearly a dozen of them. 

You ran as fast as your crying legs could take you. With their superior nature built for the hunt, the wolves caught up to you within seconds. Their growls and howls grew louder and more threatening behind you. Running from the manor had been easy. Running from the wolves was to be your end. 

Powerful paws slammed into your back. You were thrown to the ground, rolling across the ground as a scream ripped at your throat. The momentum stopped you on your stomach. Hair covered your face, but you could still see your death through the strands. 

Wolves of gray and black gathered in a half moon circle. They had their prey in perfect position. The middle wolf pounced. All you had time to do was throw up your arms to protect your face. Claws raked across your forearm. Another scream echoed through the merciless trees. The wolf landed on the other side of you with pride. Now you were surrounded. A second wolf leapt. 

A blur appeared in front of you and collided with the wolf midair. The two bodies tumbled across the forest floor. A human and the wolf. 

Not a human. 

Chanyeol. The wolf trapped within his grasp, Chanyeol tightened his grip–

Crack. 

The wolf fell limply to the ground, its tongue hanging from its jaw. 

The others appeared seconds later. Not understanding what they were up against, the wolves let you go to attack the newest threat. 

"Are you alright?" Junmyeon knelt down in front of you. His hands were outstretched as if you were the wild animal on the verge of attack. Behind him, snarls and whimpers told of the fight–and who was winning. Despite not answering him, he caught sight of your bleeding arm. "We need to get back to the manor." 

He didn't ask permission before picking you up into his arms and sprinting through the forest. Everything blurred past you, your loose hair whipping at your face. He burst through the manor doors and didn't stop until he was able to set you down in the largest chair. Once you were safe, he fell to his knees, only his palms keeping him upright. The others soon stumbled in behind him, heaving and collapsing onto the floor. Only then did you notice the smoke floating up from each of their backs. Patches of burnt, red skin sizzled on their knuckles and faces. Anything that had been exposed to the sun. 

"Baekhyun," Junmyeon gasped. 

"I already have it." Kyungsoo came into the parlor with bottles stacked in his arms. He quickly passed them around, waiting until the others were quenching their thirst before pulling the cork out of his own bottle and chugging the contents. 

With his bottle empty, Junmyeon tossed it to the side and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Red smears stained the ivory fabric. You shrank back in the chair as he turned towards you. 

"What hell were you thinking!" He growled. "I warned you about the wolves!" 

"Junmyeon, she's shaken up enough," Jongdae defended. Before your eyes, his burnt skin healed to be like new.

"She could have been killed!" 

Your head was pounding. He was… concerned about your life? The legends said that the sun was a vampire's deadliest enemy. It was why they thrived in the darkness. But they had all risked a final death to come after you. 

"Did you hear me scream?" you whispered. You could barely feel your own lips moving. All heads tuned to you. 

Yixing was the one to answer. "Yes. We all heard you." 

"Why were you out there?" Sehun asked aggressively.

You sucked in a sharp breath. There was no escaping the truth now. You stared at Jongdae. "I figured it out.” 

Baekhyun laughed. "At least we don't have to walk around delicately anymore." 

"When exactly did you do so?" Minseok mocked.

"Then you should remember what I said to you before was true. Harm would not come to you within these walls." Junmyeon crouched down next to the chair. His eyes... there was something behind the darkness that tugged at your still wildly beating heart. "I know you were running away. And if you're desperate to get away enough to get yourself killed, then the choice can be yours. We can send you on your way with every provision. Or," he cleared his throat, "you stay here. With us." 

A choice? He was giving you a choice?

Your gaze drifted over the faces that stared back at you. Even Kyungsoo refused to look away while he waited. There was almost a plea in his expression, a subtle beg. But was it to stay? Or for you to run as far away as possible? 

Junmeyon took your attention away when he picked up your wounded arm with delicate fingers. His pleading was much more clear. 

To leave would be the better choice. The more sane choice. But what would happen afterwards? You could claim being lost in the woods. With evidence of the carriage and the missing driver, what else could they believe? After a few days on bed rest, you would be back by your aunt's side, following her every whim. Including indulging her on a "perfectly adequate" suitor because you had no other option, no other path. That suitor who would then become your future. But you didn't want it. You refused to give in to it. 

Already within these few days, you were… changed in a way. They might not be human, but these men would forever be burned into your memory. Who could move you with music the way Chanyeol had? What silent strength could match the aura of Junmyeon? You had been promised that none of them would harm you. The chance for something extraordinary was right in front of you. The kind of chance you had only read about. It just had to be taken.

"I think… I think I want to stay."

*****

The moon became an ever changing friend. You hardly saw the sun anymore. Like the men you had given yourself over to, you lived under the stars. It was oddly beautiful. This time was often forgotten about by you and many others. The night was only a background to your time within your dreams. But now it was your entire world. 

Every evening, you awoke to the dying orange light of the day. Breakfast always waited for you outside the door. It was the rule that no one broke; none could enter your room without explicit permission from you. Those walls remained your safe haven when things grew too overwhelming. 

Despite your decision to stay, discovering that other creatures walked the earth required a step away once in a while. Especially now, with you aware of their true nature, the men were refusing to hold back. 

Dropping from the roof, running around with spectacular speed, and lifting objects that ten men couldn't hold. It was remarkable. Except for the diet and inability to walk in the sun, the… condition seemed more like a blessing.

"You're rather thoughtful this evening,” Jongdae commented. He walked beside you like he did every twilight. 

After you finished your breakfast, you met Jongae at the front doors to go on a walk around the manor grounds. Often others would join you as well. Junmyeon was the most frequent, though Yixing, Changed, and Jongin made many appearances over the past week and a half. Boundaries were constantly tested, but one word from you and they retreated.

"I guess you could say I am thoughtful tonight," you finally sighed. You hadn’t realized that you were being so obviously quiet. Funny, since you would have thought Jongdae would enjoy the silence. You typically had many questions or comments of your own to make. 

"Should I go steal a penny from Sehun?" 

You laughed. "I'd like to think my thoughts are worth more than a single penny.”

"They must be if you've become so skilled in deflecting from them." He crossed over to block your path. Gaze narrowed, he studied your carefully guarded expression. "What are you thinking about so hard? Regretting your decision to stay already?" 

"No," you insisted. "Not at all."

He raised an eyebrow that simply asked, "Then what?" 

"Do you always stay here?" you countered. "At the manor, I mean." 

"We travel," Jongdae answered with a nod. "Not too often. It’s a bit difficult, you see."

"But we like traveling north.” Minseok dropped from who-knew-where, landing with barely bent knees and hands folded behind his back. "In the winter, the night lasts longer. Junmyeon has a small hunting lodge up there. 

A hunting lodge? "Then why do you stay here?" 

Minsoek shrugged. "This manor is bigger." 

"Having nine of us in one household can be a bit volatile,” Jongdae added. He stepped aside to continue the stroll. "We need the room to separate so we don't level a building." 

Your foot caught on an invisible lump in the grass. "You could destroy a building while fighting?" 

Minseok snickered as he caught your stumble and helped steady your stance. His hand lingered at your waist until your sharpened glare made him remove it. "We haven’t crumbled a wall in a few years."

You scoffed at the casual tone. "What sort of fight caused that?" 

"I can't remember." Minseok leaned forward slightly to look at Jongdae for help. But he didn't seem to recall either. 

"Who knows what started it between Chanyeol and Kyungsoo.”

Your mouth dropped open in shock. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had fought over something to the point of destroying a wall to crumble? It didn't feel plausible. Neither seemed like the hot-headed sort. You wanted to know the igniting incident so desperately. 

Both Jongdae and Minseok suddenly whipped their heads towards the front of the manor. 

"What is it?" you asked when neither offered an explanation. 

"Junmyeon's calling for us." Jongdae scooped you up into his arms without warning. At your confused expression, he explained, "We're not leaving you alone out here." Remember your last adventure in the woods lingered in the silence.

The short lived wind whipped at your hair that you still wore loose to cover your neck. As soon as he stopped running, you wiggled out of his arms to be back on your feet. Everyone else was already gathered just outside the door. Several eyed you and Jongdae with suspicious and annoyed glares. You took a step away from him for some separation. 

Clearing his throat, Junmyeon called everyone to attention. "We have to go hunting–real hunting. Now, normally, we all go together, but now that we have our guest," he nodded towards you, "some will have to stay behind with her until the first party… comes back." 

"If you all need to go,” you couldn't quite speak the word feed, "then I'll be alright. For a few hours, at least." You weren't sure how long this excursion would take.

Junmyeon's features softened. "No. We'll go in groups. Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, Minseok and I will go first. We shouldn't be gone long." He reached out and patted the top of your head before disappearing into the trees. Kyungsoo gave no goodbye as he followed suit. The last two playfully shoved each other while taking off. 

"Come." Yixing took hold of your hand and started pulling you inside. "I want to show you something."

"But–" You had wanted to ask Jongdae a question, but the traitor was already gone, off somewhere to do something he would never tell you about. So, you let Yixing take you into the manor and up the main staircase at the end of the hallway. At least he let you stay on your own feet instead of insisting on going at his speed. 

Going down an unfamiliar hallway, you were reminded how big this place was and how much you still had to explore. The men occupied most of your time, vying for your attention and pulling you this way and that so you didn’t have much time on your own. It was odd and overwhelming at times. 

During your seasons in town, you were hardly a well-sought after prize. There were prettier girls with grander dowries. You had accepted that fact. Now you were the center of a courting dance to which you knew none of the steps and possessed endless partners. 

Yixing paused in front of a door that looked identical to all the others. He kept his fingers tight around yours as he slowly turned the knob with his free hand. The door swung open. 

The gasp inhaled through your parted lips wasn't enough to convey your awe. 

Maps of all the places you'd heard of and dozens more you hadn't covered the walls like homemade wallpaper. Slipping out of Yixing's grip, you walked further into the study, spinning slowly around to take it all in. The maps were varying degrees of tan, some as light as his skin, others as dark as animal leather. 

Instead of bookshelves, doorless cabinets waist high lined three of the walls. Their squared shelves were stuffed full of parchment and ink and quills. A lone sketcher's desk sat in the middle, an unfinished drawing laying against the tilted surface. 

"What is this place?"

"It's my personal study," Yixing answered as he laid a hand on the edge of the desk. "Kyungsoo gave it to me after I had accidentally taken over one of the parlors." 

Your awe increased ten-fold. Your initial assumption was that he was a collector, not the original artist. "You drew all of these?" 

He nodded almost... shyly. "I did. I was a cartographer. Before." 

"Before?" You understood what he meant, but you didn't know how to ask for the story. 

Turning his eyes to the parchment, he pinched it between his fingers. "I didn't just love traveling. I loved capturing it on paper. I wanted to make these places into art, but not like every other painting. I wanted them to be perfect. Exact replicas as if you were staying at them from God’s point of view. And I wanted to be the best. I couldn't be, though. I wasn’t good enough." 

You moved closer to him, entranced in the story. "What happened?"

A rueful smile tightened at his lips. "I was given a chance to become perfect. What I didn't know was that I traded everyone knowing my maps for the talent to make it happen." Sorrow rolled from him like the tide warning of an oncoming storm. 

Feeling the pull to comfort him, you reached out and covered his fidgeting hand with your own steady fingers.

"People will be able to know your work some day," you whispered. "I’m sure of it." 

Perhaps you had been a bit too forward, a bit too open. 

Yixing moved gracefully forward to eliminate most of the space between you. A smooth thumb that once must have been calloused when it was human caressed the edge of your jaw. His flickering eyes made intentions obvious. 

Clearing your throat, you stepped out of the touch. "Why isn't this one finished?" You pointed to the drawing on the desk. It was an aerial view of the manor, with the top half of the parchment containing the beginning edges of the garden hedges. Disappointed, Yixing sighed and went along with your distraction. 

"I'm still working out the maze. It is intricate. Much more than I was prepared for." 

"Goodness." You were thankful that you hadn't wandered in there yet, especially on your own.

"Yixing.” 

Both of you turned towards the door to find Sehun standing under the frame. 

"Yes, Sehun?" Yixing said through somewhat gritted teeth. The young vampire wasn't phased. 

"I need to speak with you." 

"Fine." None of you moved. 

Sehun looked at you with a pointed glare.

You received the hint loud and clear. "I'll leave you, then.” 

With more relief than you cared to admit, you scurried out of the room and down the hallway. 

Around the corner, you pressed your back against the wall and forced yourself to take deep breaths that filled your lungs to capacity. Panic had been the response at Yixing's closeness. You didn't mean for that to be the response. You didn't want to be closed off to any of them. But you couldn't help it. Maybe it was merely the closeness of the situation. 

Giving yourself a small amount of grace, you pushed off the wall and made your way downstairs. So used to your time being absorbed by the men that you weren't sure what to do with yourself. Two of the ones that remained behind were currently occupied. As for the three others, they could have been anywhere. 

You wandered around the main floor with a fleeting hope that one would come to find you. Then you saw them. A row of grand doors evenly spaced along the north wall called you forward.

The grand ballroom took your breath away. Not so dissimilar to the one in your dream, though this one’s lack of warmth and light left you heartbroken. Memories of dancing figures and lively music haunted these walls. In the corner, you could imagine a small orchestra strumming their instruments in delight. 

You walked to the center where dozens of pairs used to twirl and bow and embrace each other in time with the melody. Ghostly laughter echoed in your ears. What had once been  bright and golden and full of life was dull, dark, and covered in cobwebs that swayed in the breeze of unknown origin. 

Glancing around, you confirmed that you were truly alone before closing your eyes, lifting your arms, and began a soft hum. 

You danced with an invisible partner in the fashion that your grandfather had taught you as a small child. It was more intimate than the choreographed dances currently popularized. You had always imagined your first ball like this, instead of the disappointment you really experienced. You had pictured a boy you didn’t know catching your eye. As the music was struck up, he laid a hand on your waist.

Just like now. 

Hm. Your imagination was running wild, even pretending the weight of a palm was there on your lower back. And now in your lifted left hand. 

No. That wasn’t your imagination. 

Your eyes snapped open. 

Jongin had taken the place of your imagined partner. He smiled down at you with a feline smirk as his hands tightened around you, refusing to let you slip away. There was no choice in leaving this musicless dance. You had stopped humming but he continued to whirl you around the marble floor. He controlled the dance, in charge of every step. He led with an expertise he shouldn’t have possessed–if he were a man of this age. 

In one final move, he slipped his arm fully around your waist, pulling you so close that no room remained between you. Without breaking the spin, he lifted you from the floor as if you were no more than a kitten and whirled you around like the heroine from your favorite novel.

When the spin came to a close, he set you back on your feet, but didn’t let go. Your lungs heaved from the exercise–and from the way your bodies pressed together. Each rise of your chest brought you even closer to Jongin. He kept your gaze like a stablehand trying to calm a wild horse. His right hand slipped from your fingers, softly tracing the delicate inside of your arm. The touch left behind a fire you couldn’t explain. A cold, simmering fire.

He cupped your jaw as his eyes drifted down to your lips. This was a different reaction to Yixing’s wandering gaze. Not panic, but something similar. 

Jongin held you in place as he leaned down, his lips pressing gently into the corner of yours. The thin breath in your lungs hitched. He lifted his lips only to find a new patch of skin. The delicate skin covering your pulse. Every muscle in your body froze. He kissed the skin softly. Surely, he could feel the race of your blood. 

“Whenever you need a partner,” he said in a hush against your neck, “just whisper my name.”

And then, he was gone. 

You stared off at the empty path left behind Jongin. The sheer hubris.

His name lingered on your lips, wondering if he would really come back like he said. But you kept the whisper inside and left the ballroom just the same. 

[elysiangroundsforall]

In the Course of It ...

"You're my only Bambi, Bambi"

Ch-16

The days following the fight were hard on both Y/N and Baekhyun. The space they had taken from each other only seemed to deepen the distance between them, and the weight of it started to affect their work, too. Regal’s promotions were in full swing, and despite her growing distance from her members, Y/N pushed herself to keep up appearances. She smiled for the cameras, danced with energy on stage, but behind the scenes, her heart felt heavy.

Baekhyun, too, was struggling. As the CEO of INB100, he had his own pressure to manage. But with everything that was going on between him and Y/N, he couldn't escape the feeling that he was losing grip on the one thing that made all the chaos worth it. The guilt weighed on him—the way he had hurt her, even if unintentionally, was eating him alive. He had failed to balance everything and, in the process, hurt the person he cared for the most.

It wasn’t until a day in the middle of Regal’s hectic schedule that Baekhyun finally decided to stop avoiding the situation and take matters into his own hands. He knew he needed to fix things with Y/N, no more running from the issue. He wasn’t going to sit back and let their relationship fall apart just because of one argument.

Baekhyun showed up unexpectedly at Regal’s practice space, just as Y/N was wrapping up a vocal session. He stood by the door, waiting quietly for her to notice him. When she did, she froze, and for a moment, neither of them said anything. There was a quiet tension in the air, thick and uncomfortable. Her members were nearby, but they quickly excused themselves, sensing the moment between the two.

"Y/N," Baekhyun said softly, his voice filled with both regret and determination. "Can we talk?"

Y/N hesitated, glancing at the floor before meeting his gaze. "We’ve talked enough already, Baekhyun. What’s there to say?"

The sharpness in her voice made him wince, but he pushed through. "I know I hurt you," he said, stepping closer. "And I can’t just leave things like this between us. I’m sorry. I was too caught up in everything, but that’s no excuse. I should have been there for you, for us, instead of putting work first."

Y/N’s eyes softened, but she was still cautious. "You’ve always been there for everything and everyone else, Baekhyun. But when it came to me… It felt like I was just another thing on your to-do list. Another thing you were juggling."

The hurt in her words hit Baekhyun like a punch to the gut. He took another step toward her, his voice quieter now, filled with raw emotion. "You were never just another thing to juggle, Y/N. You’re everything to me. But I was so scared of failing at everything—my company, EXO, my responsibilities—that I forgot what matters most." He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. "You matter more than anything. More than all the chaos. And I should have been there for you, not just in the good times but in the hard ones too."

Y/N looked at him, her eyes flickering with vulnerability, but the walls she’d built up in the last few days were still high. "It’s not just about the fight, Baekhyun. It’s about all the things we’ve let slide because we’re both too busy with everything else. We’re both drowning in this… and it feels like we don’t have a way out."

Baekhyun reached out for her hand, his grip gentle, but firm. "I don’t want to drown, Y/N. Not with you. I want to make this right. I want to make us right."

She didn’t pull away, and for the first time in what felt like forever, there was a glimmer of hope between them.

"Let’s take it slow," Y/N said, her voice softer now, though still cautious. "We need to rebuild the trust we lost, and it’s going to take time. But I don’t want to lose you. Not like this."

Baekhyun nodded, his heart swelling with relief. "I’ll wait. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it to you."

A few days later, the tension between Y/N and her members also began to clear. Y/N was still distant, but her heartache was no longer weighing her down. She had a long conversation with Hana, Nari, and the others, where she admitted her fears, her frustrations, and how everything had been building up inside her. It wasn’t just about Baekhyun—it was about the overwhelming pressure of their careers, the expectations of the public, and the difficulty of maintaining balance between her personal and professional life.

"I didn’t know how to talk about it," Y/N admitted to them, wiping away a tear. "I was afraid of burdening you all with my problems."

Hana reached over, pulling her into a hug. "Y/N, we’re your family. We’re here for you no matter what. We can help carry the weight."

Nari added, "It’s okay to be vulnerable with us. We’ve got your back. Always."

For the first time in days, Y/N felt a sense of peace. She wasn’t alone in this. Not with her members, and not with Baekhyun. The road ahead wouldn’t be easy, but with their support, she knew they could get through it together.

That evening, after practice, Baekhyun took Y/N out for a quiet dinner. He had made a promise to himself that he would do whatever it took to show her how much she meant to him. They didn’t talk about the argument that had caused so much distance between them. Instead, they talked about their hopes, their dreams, and how they both wanted to find a way to build something stronger from the chaos.

"I don’t need grand gestures," Y/N said, looking across the table at him. "I just need you to be present. To be there for me, as much as I’ll be there for you."

Baekhyun smiled, his heart lighter than it had been in days. "I can do that. I promise."

They sat in comfortable silence, the quiet hum of the restaurant filling the space around them, knowing that despite everything, they had found a way to move forward.

It wasn’t going to be easy, but they were ready to rebuild what they had, one step at a time.

Over the next few weeks, Y/N and Baekhyun worked steadily on mending their relationship. Their schedules remained hectic, but they both made a conscious effort to prioritize time together, even if it was just a few stolen moments over coffee or late-night phone calls. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress, and that was enough for now.

Y/N had also reconnected with her Regal members, and their bond felt stronger than ever. They supported her unconditionally, encouraging her to embrace both her personal and professional life without fear of judgment. With her members and Baekhyun by her side, Y/N finally felt like she had a solid foundation to stand on.

One evening, Baekhyun surprised Y/N with a special plan for a much-needed break. Both Regal and EXO had recently completed their respective promotions, and INB100 had granted the artists some well-deserved vacation time. Baekhyun decided it was the perfect opportunity to take Y/N away from the chaos of their lives, even if just for a short while.

He showed up at her apartment with a mischievous grin and a small overnight bag. “Pack your things,” he said, holding up a hand before she could ask any questions. “We’re going somewhere.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, both amused and intrigued. “Somewhere? That’s a bit vague, don’t you think?”

“It’s a surprise,” he replied, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Trust me, you’ll love it.”

Unable to resist his enthusiasm, Y/N quickly packed a bag and followed him out the door. They drove out of the city, the lights and noise gradually giving way to quieter, more serene surroundings. Y/N watched as the scenery changed, her curiosity growing with each passing mile.

Finally, they arrived at a cozy, secluded cabin nestled in the mountains. It was surrounded by lush trees, with a clear view of a shimmering lake just a short walk away. The air was crisp and cool, and the silence was a welcome contrast to the constant buzz of their usual lives.

“Wow,” Y/N said, stepping out of the car and taking in the view. “This is… perfect.”

Baekhyun smiled, proud of his choice. “I thought we could use some time away. Just us, no schedules, no stress. What do you think?”

“I think it’s exactly what we needed,” she said, turning to him with a grateful smile.

The next couple of days were pure bliss. They spent their mornings hiking through the trails, their afternoons lounging by the lake, and their evenings cooking simple meals together in the cozy kitchen. It was the kind of simplicity they hadn’t been able to enjoy in a long time, and it felt like a reset for both of them.

One night, after dinner, they sat outside on the cabin’s porch, wrapped in blankets as they watched the stars. The sky was impossibly clear, and the cool mountain air carried a sense of calm that neither of them had felt in months.

Baekhyun turned to Y/N, his expression soft and serious. “I’ve been thinking about us,” he said, his voice quiet but steady.

Y/N glanced at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Oh? And what have you been thinking?”

“That I don’t want to waste any more time,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “Life is always going to be crazy, and our schedules will never be perfect. But I want us to keep choosing each other, no matter what.”

Y/N felt her heart swell at his words. She reached for his hand, intertwining their fingers. “I want that too,” she said softly. “No matter how crazy things get, you’re the one I want to come home to.”

Baekhyun smiled, his thumb brushing gently over her knuckles. “Then let’s keep building this. Together.”

Under the vast, starry sky, with the world quiet around them, they both felt a renewed sense of hope and love. It wasn’t just a vacation—it was a new beginning. And as they sat there, side by side, they knew they were ready to face whatever challenges the future might hold, as long as they had each other.

Ch 17>>>

[goopeculiar]

Country Manners, or Softer than a Summer’s Night sehun/jongdae, PG-13, 8583 words. Sehun doesn't think being sent to the rural Korean backcountry is going to change him in any way, but the boy he meets might.

[mymoodwriting]

Beyond The Stars

F!Reader x EXO

Genre: Amnesia AU, EXO Universe/Planet

Warning: Amnesia, Manipulation, Lies, Interdimensional Travel, Betrayal

Words: 4.8K

Chapter Seventeen

(Prev//Next)

Prompt: You’re the most important thing to EXO, you’ve been with them for years, and when you wind up missing, it greatly upsets them. Their journey to find you and bring you home starts a chain of events that leads to facing their own greatest fears, making unlikely allies, traveling to other worlds again and finally gathering the strength to take down their greatest enemy. Along the way you get to see their true colors and fall in love all over again, although you might come to realize you don’t like what you see in the mirror.

@suhappysuho @starillusion13

“Destiny? What do you mean?”

“This is a safe haven.” Suho explained. “I’ll show you, but you all have to be calm.”

“You’re not exactly making me feel any better here.” Taeyong commented.

“Just follow me.”

Others were hesitant to follow, but they did so. Lay took your hand and led you along with the group. You looked around, realizing this was some kind of ship, and that brought up so many more questions. At least now it made sense what Suho had said earlier, the ship’s name was Destiny. You came to some steps, although Suho told everyone to give him a moment and went up.

“Captain!”

From below you heard some happy cheers, followed by running. Soon enough you saw someone with Suho and then they noticed you.

“Wow… that’s a lot of stowaways.”

“It’s a long story, but the new faces won’t be staying. They just needed a safe place to stop, hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. You wouldn’t bring enemies on my ship. Welcome aboard everyone.”

You went up onto the main deck, taking in your surroundings again and being amazed. You weren’t out on the ocean where you would find such a ship, but sailing through the sky. You ran over to the edge to look overboard.

“This is amazing.”

“Careful now, don’t want to lose anyone.”

Xiumin came over and pulled you back, reminding you to behave yourself. You apologized and promised to stay close. You were brought over back to the crowd and over to the gentleman you had seen talking with Suho before.

“We should probably introduce you. Y/n, this is the captain of the ship.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” The gentleman bowed. “I’m Hongjoong, captain of the Ateez crew, and this is our lovely ship Destiny.”

“It’s wonderful.”

You got to meet the rest of the crew as well and struck up a conversation as the leaders stepped away to talk among themselves.

“I’m Taeyong, leader of NCT. Thanks for allowing us to remain on your ship.”

“A friend of Suho’s is a friend of mine.”

“I want to ask though… how did you meet Suho?”

“He helped us long ago to save our world, and thanks to them we now roam free, always ready to help others. Destiny is our safe place, and for you as well. You’re always welcomed on my ship.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we cross paths again under better circumstances.”

“I’m sure we will.”

“Do you think you and your people are good to travel?” Suho asked. “Or do you need to rest. I’m sure-”

“No, no, we’re alright.” Taeyong assured. “We should return home and fully rest.”

“Okay then.”

You all gathered to see the Neos off, and you hoped to see them again some time in the future. With the third party gone there was a shift in the atmosphere. 

“So what really brought you by?” Hongjoong asked. “You are not one to show up unannounced.” 

“I’m here to collect on the favor we’ve asked of you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Wait.” You asked. “What favor?”

You didn’t answer, but a look was exchanged between Hongjoong and Wooyoung. The other boy went off to the captain’s quarters and returned with an hourglass moments later.

“What is that? It looks so cool.”

“It’s called the Cromer.” Wooyoung explained, handing it over to you. “We don’t use it as much anymore, but it serves another purpose now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see.”

You only pondered on that for a moment before the Cromer floated up into the air and away from you. DO had stepped away from the group, and the Cromer flew over to him. In the blink of an eye the hourglass had shattered, but all the pieces remained in the air. All the glass was separated and you could tell DO was focused on it. One moment there was glass and then it turned to sand. You had no idea what was going on, let alone as Kai stepped forward and allowed the sand to pour down onto his hand.

“What are you doing…” You mumbled. 

“Remembering something long forgotten.”

“Why are you going there?” Hongjoong asked.

“We can’t keep running.” Suho stated. “We have to face our enemies head on.”

“What does that mean?” You questioned.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Chen assured. “Promise.”

“Kai?” Suho said.

“I got it.”

You didn’t know what that meant, but you watched as DO put the Cromer back together as if nothing had ever happened. It returned to your hands and you looked it over in awe.

“You could stay a while.” Hongjoong suggested. “Get some rest and prepare.”

“Can’t keep pushing things off.” Lay said. “But thank you.”

“If you guys need any help, you know where to find us.”

It was sad to be saying goodbye to new friends so soon, but you went wherever EXO went without hesitation. You hoped to see them again and get to know them more when the time comes. You gave the Cromer back to Yeosang, and they all wished you well. Sehun and Chanyeol took your hands, and you all said one last goodbye before you closed your eyes, ready for the next adventure. The quiet and calm of the open sky faded into the sounds of nature, and you opened your eyes to find yourself surrounded by trees.

“Woah… where are we…”

“Some place we never thought we’d return to.” Baekhyun mumbled. “Come on, we have some place to go.”

“You guys really need to stop being so cryptic.”

“I know, sorry. We’re still processing everything too.”

You followed the boys through the words, quite intrigued by the fact they knew exactly where they were going. After a while you came to this cabin. It seemed abandoned with nature having taken it back, but it all retreated as Lay waved his hand. You went with the boys inside, seeing all the dust that’s been collecting. Sehun was quick to blow that all away, but a silent stillness remained.

“So… what is this place?”

“An old home.” Xiumin said.

“Are we staying?”

“For the foreseeable future, yes.”

“Then we should start cleaning up.”

Your bright spirit was a bit of a contrast with the rest of the atmosphere, but the others agreed with you. The others helped you clean up, making this place feel more like a home. While cleaning you found an interesting picture. It was a group photo of the boys with a handful of unfamiliar faces. There was something strange about this whole place you couldn’t quite put your finger on, and this picture added to that uneasiness. Before you could dwell on it more you heard Lay calling out to you, and you made your way to the back of the cabin, finding a greenhouse. You stepped into a garden you had never seen before, amazed by its beauty.

“Wow…”

“This is an old garden of mine, and you can see the plants have taken very good care of each other.”

“They must have missed you.”

“I missed them too.”

“What happened here? I saw a picture of you and some other people. Was this home before you met me?”

“For a long time it was, but we had to flee.”

“So why are you back now?”

“Cause we need to fix things.”

“Fix things?” You thought for a moment. “Is RF the reason you left this world?”

“Yes. This place was home, and then we wound up being held captive. When we escaped, we left this world in their hands. We have to correct that mistake.”

“That’s dangerous… facing RF head on… especially if the two of you have history here.” “I know, but it has to be done. For starters we need to check in with old friends.”

“Old friends?”

“You can meet them later.” Kai said as he entered the garden. “We have to find them first.”

“And how are you gonna do that?”

“A lot of remembering.”

Kai stepped forward, going into the garden and sitting himself down. Some vines crept over, wrapping around his arms and waist. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, making you wonder what he was doing. You had never seen Kai in the garden like this before.

“Are you picking anything up?”

“I can sense them… but it’s faint…”

“It’s been years at this point. Will that be enough or should I look for them?”

“No. This should be enough.”

After a while longer Kai opened his eyes, the vines moving away and releasing him. He gave you a big smile and came over to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Suho, Sehun, and I will be going out for a bit. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“What? Can’t I go?”

“This place is unknown, and it’s best if you stay here where it’s safe.”

“Then why not bring our house here?”

“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Besides this place was the blueprint of the home we have now. Stay and be good.”

“Alright… don’t be gone too long.”

“Hopefully we won’t.”

The trio went off, and you focused on making this old place feel new. Kai scouted ahead first to make sure no one would get hurt and that they could lay low. Alleys always worked in their favor.

“Where are we?” Sehun asked.

“No idea.” Kai admitted. “Since the frequency is so faint I can’t get an exact location, but they have to be around here somewhere.”

“So like a needle in a haystack.”

“At least I narrowed down the search, didn’t I?”

“Don’t fight.” Suho reminded. “We have no idea what they’re like anymore after all this time. We might not be welcomed. Just lay low and don’t draw attention.”

The area they were in wasn’t that popular, but there were still plenty of people around going about their day. They seamlessly blended in, walking down the street and looking around. Nothing much had seemed to change about the world, but that wasn’t entirely a good thing. While walking Sehun had gotten a strange feeling, stopping before a building.

“Sehun?”

“There’s something about this place.”

“What place? A dojo?”

“I can’t explain it.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.”

The three went inside, seeing that the place was empty, except for one gentleman. They were cleaning the weapons rack. They began their welcome speech and turned around, only to cut themselves short.

“Suho… Kai… Sehun… is that really you?”

“Surprised to see us. Shownu?”

“I thought I’d never see you again.”

Shownu ran over to embrace the three in a hug, still processing that they were really there. So much had happened since they last spoke. There was a lot to catch up on, but something else was more important.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think you’d return.”

“We have to right our wrongs.” Suho explained. “We’re sorry we took so long.”

“It’s just incredible to see you now.”

“What about the others?” Kai asked. “How are they?”

“I’m not so sure. We don’t keep in touch. It was better if we remained separate. Although for a while I was in contact with Wonho, but he hasn’t been around in months. I’m worried something happened to him but I have no way of finding out.”

“That’s alright. We plan to reunite everyone. If you don’t have any pressing business, we could go now.”

“Absolutely. It’d be so good to see everyone’s face again.”

Once again Kai relied on a faded feeling, going ahead to make sure everything was safe before returning for the others. Shownu did need a moment to recover from the nauseating feeling of teleportation before they could continue. It was another small town, but nothing vastly unfamiliar to Shownu. Neither of them knew where to look so it was back to walking the streets. Although this time around they had someone with a slightly better eye than them.

“Have you been avoiding me?”

“Huh… Shownu!”

Wonho ran over to hug his hyung, embracing them tightly with disbelief clear on his face. This seemed like a dream, more so when he realized his friend was not alone.

“You… is it really you?”

“Long time no see, right?”

“I can’t believe this.” Wonho stated. “What’s going on?”

“We’ll explain later, right now we’re just trying to find everyone.” Suho said. “Did you keep in touch with anyone?”

“No. Only Shownu, but that didn’t last long.”

“How did you find me anyway?”

“It’s a bit complicated… I received a watch in the mail with some instructions and a location… I was hesitant to use it but when I did, I found my way to you.”

“That must be what I sensed.” Sehun said. “The energy from you traveling back and forth. Without it we might not have found Shownu so easily.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Wonho teased. “So who are we looking for next?”

“No idea.” Suho admitted. “We’re just going to the nearest signal.”

“Got it. Ready when you are.”

“You’re very eager.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“I know.”

The five of them made the journey to their next location. Another town, and another needle in a haystack. Still, the more of them they found, the better they all felt. This time around everyone was surprised to find Minhyuk with Changkyun in a cafe. The reunion there was far bigger than the last.

“Have you two been in touch this whole time?” Wonho asked.

“Not consistently.” Minhyuk admitted. “Changkyun would stop by once in a while to check up on me, nothing more.”

“I have incredible timing don’t you think?” Changkyun teased. “I’m so happy to see you all, but also surprised.”

“When we get back to the cabin we can talk.”

“That place is still standing? I would have thought for sure RF would have destroyed it or something.”

“They’d never be able to get close.”

It was great to see each other, but they still had others to find. With the next jump some had gotten used to the nausea, and others not so much.

“Gosh, that always feels weird.” Changkyun commented. “So, who’s here?”

“We don’t know.” Kai said. “Just following a feeling.”

The group walked around for a while. They weren’t sure who to be looking for but once again Sehun had a strange feeling. He led the group inside a building, finding Jooheon behind a glass in the middle of work.

“Jooheon.”

“Hm?” The boy got up. “You… oh my gosh.”

Jooheon rushed out to embrace his brothers, tears stinging his eyes. Suho and the others let them have their reunion, aware they hadn’t seen much of each other in a long time too.

“What’s the reason behind all this?” Jooheon asked. “I thought we’d never see each other again.”

“It’s a long story.” Kai said. “But we’ll get to it. We just need to find the others first.”

“About that…”

“What?”

“I… I wish I could have told you all this sooner… but Kihyun… he was in a car accident…  he’s…”

“I’m so sorry.” Suho mentioned. 

The news took everyone by surprise, although Sehun had been looking around. Once again he felt something was off, except it was different this time around. He stepped away from the group, and Kai noticed, following him.

“Sehun, what is it?”

“I’m not sure… but I feel like someone else is here…”

“Someone else?”

Kai wasn’t sure what Sehun meant, but he had his own way of figuring things out. He closed his eyes and took a moment, then disappeared. Moments later he returned and threw someone to the ground. This person had a visor covering their eyes like some VR headset, and seemed to be wearing some kind of armor.  The others had noticed this as well.

“What the heck?”

“This person’s been spying on us. Any ideas?”

“RF let us go.” Minhyuk said. 

“That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t keep an eye on you.”

“They weren’t following us.” Sehun added. “So they must have been here keeping an eye on Jooheon.”

“Me?”

That’s when the spy decided to move, making an attempt to run but Kai was quick to follow. The two engaged in some quick combat. This person was skilled, but Kai’s powers gave him an advantage. He managed to land a hard kick to the face, causing the other to slam to the ground. There was the audible crack of the visor and then all movement ceased. Shownu and Suho flipped over the spy, realizing a familiar face was under the mask.

“Kihyun…”

Everyone was confused and shocked. The news they had just been told suddenly became a lie, and this brought up so many questions. They all agreed that they couldn’t stay here for much longer so Suho made the call to go back home, taking everyone with them.

“Clear the table.”

Shownu called out orders as he carried Kihyun inside, Jooheon quickly wiped everything off the nearest table. Everyone gathered around as Kihyun was laid out on the table, helping to get the gear off of him. Others that had heard the commotion came to see what was going on, although there were no time for greetings. Things were taken off Kihyun to make him more comfortable, but the visor wouldn’t come off. 

“So…” Minhyuck spoke. “How do we get that off him? Seems attached to his face and I don’t wanna… what if I hurt him?”

“You won’t.”

Another voice caught everyone’s attention. They all looked over at the door, seeing a tall figure hidden under an umbrella walk in. Once the group had gotten to the old house Suho made it rain to cover their tracks and it was pretty bad outside. This person seemed pretty clean, barely a drop of water on their umbrella, and not a speck of mud on them despite the surrounding woods. The umbrella was lowered, Hyungwon revealing his face.

“There’s a button on the left side of the visor. Press it and it will come off without issue.”

No one moved but Minhyuck, feeling around and finding the button. When he got the visor off he tossed it to Chen. Kihyun didn’t react, the other boy starting to shake him.

“Kihyun… Kihyun, wake up.”

“He won’t.” Hyungwon said. “And I suggest you don’t fry the visor.”

“What do you mean he won’t wak-” Shownu said but was cut off.

“It was supposed to be me!” 

Jooheon yelled, storming over to Hyungwon. The older boy didn’t move, not at all afraid of the other. It was clear Jooheon wanted to fight, but Wonho was quick to run over and step in front of Hyungwon, holding his arm out. Shownu and Changkyun had moved as well, grabbing Jooheon and pulling him back despite his protests.

“It was supposed to be me!”

“Jooheon, what are you talking about?” Changkyun asked. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I was supposed to be in the accident! Not Kihyun! I saw you there, Hyungwon, I saw you there at the crash site!”

“What?” Shownu’s grip got tighter. “Jooheon, stop this and explain yourself.”

Jooheon kept glaring at Hyungwon, wanting to punch him, but he stopped fighting when Shownu asked. The two holding him waited a moment, making sure he was calm before letting him go. Wonho stayed with Hyungwon, but wasn’t sure what was going on.

“I’ve always felt that something was off about the accident.” Jooheon began. “I’ve had dreams of it, where I’m the one in the driver’s seat, it felt so real, too real, to just be a dream. I remember seeing you there when the ambulance took Kihyun, and then you disappeared. It was supposed to be me right? You changed that somehow. Why? It should be me on that table!”

“I couldn’t let RF get to you, I’m sorry.”

“Wait, you’re saying that Jooheon’s dreams are real?” Minhyuk asked.

“Those aren’t dreams, but memories of another timeline. I’m surprised you retain fragments of the accident.”

“So this…” Changkyun was mumbling. “This was what you needed to change?”

“What?” Shownu questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“Hyungwon came to me once, long before the accident, he asked me for a favor, said it was important. He needed to change something in the timeline, told me when and where Minhyuck would be, asked me to look after him, keep him safe for as long as possible.”

“Wait, you’ve been in contact with Hyungwon this whole time?”

“Yes… yes, I have.”

“So, that’s how you found me? I found that watch, a customer left it. I was just messing with it, I didn’t know it…” Minhyuk trailed off as he came to a realization, looking at Hyungwon. “You left that for me! You wanted me to use it!”

“Yes. It’s why I left one at Wonho’s place too.”

“It was you? You… you set us up?” Wonho seemed hurt. “Why? WHY!?”

“I needed a distraction. You’re all on RF’s radar, if you were found to be time traveling they’d focus on you since you were messing with the timeline.”

“You gave one to Kihyun too!” Jooheon questioned. “Didn’t you! You knew he would feel guilty over what happened and would want to change it! Why didn’t you just stop the accident!”

“You don’t think I tried to stop it, despite knowing better. There are things that are fated to happen, that accident was one of them. It was going to happen, one way or the other, if not at that moment, then later. Every attempt I made to change it ended the same, Jooheon was severely hurt and taken by RF. I couldn’t stop it, but I could change who was taken.”

“Why! WHY!”

“What did you do?” Changkyun growled. “Kihyun didn’t just get into the driver’s seat…”

“I did what I just did here. I showed him the truth, the accident can’t be stopped, and I gave him the opportunity to save Jooheon.”

“No you manipulated him!” Jooheon spat. “I see no reason why it shouldn’t be me on the table.”

“It’s because of me.” Lay spoke up. “Isn’t?”

“Yes.” Hyungwon nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Wait, what? What does Lay have to do with this.”

“Everything.” Xiumin added. “Jooheon, you know more about Lay’s plants than any of your friends. If RF got to you, they would learn that and… well I suppose Hyungwon knows what the outcome of that is.”

“You’re seriously defending him? He’s the one who betrayed us, who turned Baekhyun in, when you asked us to look after him.”

“We did.” Sehun got up. “But not Tao, right Hyungwon?”

“Yes. Tao asked me to bring Baekhyun in, he knew it wouldn’t end well if he was kept from the group any longer. I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Shownu asked.

“Cause he told me not to.”

“So you just betrayed us?” Wonho said. “You picked him over us?”

“That’s not it.”

“That’s exactly what you did!” Minhyuk yelled. “You betrayed us! And stayed with RF when they gave us an out!”

“He made a promise.” Kai added. “Isn’t that right? Tao could see the future if he focused with Luhan at his side. He knew what would happen if Baekhyun stayed away from us. He knew what would happen to him, to the others, and that we’d escape, but he knew we’d be back too. So, he needed someone to look after this world in our absence.”

“Yes.” Hyungwon admitted. “I made a promise, and that meant gaining RF’s trust, even if it meant losing you guys. I’m-”

“Don’t.” Wonho interrupted. “I don’t want to hear it, just wake Kihyun up and go.”

“I… I can’t… he’s comatose.”

“What!”

“The visor… it controls him, he’s lifeless without it.”

“So that’s what my fate was.” Jooheon said. “Comatose.”

“No… no it wasn’t. Messing with the timeline has a price, even when you find a loophole.”

“You… you killed him!” Changkyun shouted. “You killed Kihyun!”

“I’m sorry.”

Changkyun charged at Hyungwon, but he disappeared before he was grabbed. The boy fell to his knees distraught. He felt partially guilty for having helped Hyungwon in his plan, not knowing what the outcome would be. Shownu went over to comfort him, Wonho screaming as well and punching the wall. Minhyuk had fallen to his knees as well, holding Kihyun’s hand, his own silent tears falling.

“Fix this.” Jooheon looked at Lay. “You can heal him.”

“The mind is a far more complex thing to heal.”

“But you can do it.”

“I… I don’t know.”

“No, the answer is yes, you can fix him!”

“Jooheon, I don’t-”

“Don’t give me that crap, you can!”

“I don-”

“Maybe we can.” Baekhyun interrupted. “When Haechan and the others were stuck in the inbetween they were pretty much comatose. You woke them up, so you could-”

“We knew where their minds were, knew where to go and get them out. We have no idea where Kihyun is, he could be brain dead for all we know.”

“Then take him there.” Shownu spoke.

“What?”

“Take Kihyun’s mind to the inbetween, if he’s truly alive then you’ll find him there, right? And you can bring him back.”

“Do it.” Jooheon said. “Whatever that is, do it.”

“We can’t just do that.” Suho said. “The inbetween isn’t our place. We didn’t wake the others up, we helped one of their own go in and get them out. We can’t-”

“Then call your friends! Get them to do this!”

“Jooheon-”

“What do we have to lose?” Minhyuk added. “We didn’t know what had become of  Kihyun until now, but this isn’t living.”

“The inbetween becomes a personal hell if you stay there.” DO said. “It’s not-”

“Kihyun put himself in a car accident.” Wonho cut in. “He knew the consequences then, he’d understand them now. So whoever you need to call, call them and try to save him, that’s all we’re asking.”

It got quiet. Suho looked around at everyone, the decision had fallen to him. He took a breath then looked at Lay, nodding his head.

“Lay, DO, with me. Xiumin, you and Chen know what to make, the garden here is like the one back home, so you should have what you need. The rest of you look after y/n.”

You had heard the commotions from before, but Baekhyun had you stay hidden just to be safe. Nothing that was spoken made sense to you, not until the end and talking about the inbetween. You peeked your head around the corner, seeing this person unconscious on the table. Everyone seemed busy with things so you carefully approached them. You looked at them for a while before someone else approached. They looked you over and then pulled you into a hug.

“Y/n!”

You didn't react, confused as to who was hugging you and why. He had such a huge smile on his face, but it faltered when he saw your confusion.

“Y/n, it’s me, Wonho, we grew up together, remember?”

“What?”

“We went to elementary and high school together. You disappeared a few years ago, we thought you were dead.”

“Wait, what? You’re saying we know each other?”

“Yes.” Wonho pulled up a picture of you and him together. “What happened to you?”

You were quiet, staring at the picture, then you looked over at Chanyeol who was in the room. The sad look on their face told you everything you needed to know.

“I’m... I’m from here, this world is my home… why don’t I remember that! Why don’t I remember my past!”

You started to panic, drawing a blank on your childhood, on everything before knowing them. Cahnyeol took a step towards you but you backed away.

“No… what’s going on… why don’t I-”

“A lot happened when we met.” Suho added, having overheard things and coming over. “We met by chance and you helped us but RF caught up to us, we couldn’t just leave you for them to do who knows what so we took you with us. We never planned to come back here and we couldn’t return you either. We didn’t want you to feel home sick… so we made you forget your past…” 

“I…” 

You had tears in your eyes, the lack of memories making you feel so lost. Your past had always been a fuzzy thing, and when you thought back on it something else always came up to distract you. This wasn’t how you thought you’d get answers. Even if you did know Wonho you felt nothing familiar about him.

“It’s our fault. We got you involved, we never meant to, I swear, but we had to keep you safe.”

“Did you?” You spat, eyes flashing black for a moment. “What you did… was it really for my own good… or for yours.”

You stormed out, not wanting to hear anything anymore, having some new information to deal with. Once you were gone the others looked at each other, then Wonho.

“You knew y/n?” Suho questioned.

“Yes, and I thought I knew you too.”

[rancidtae]

ARCADIA’S LULLABY | CHAPTER 3

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI). Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina) - Kim Minseok/Original Female Character - Zhang Yixing/Original Female Character Word count: 7k+ chapter summary: the rain pours relentlessly, but a different storm is just starting. Jiah meets Jongin at a birthday party, it's all harmless fun and magnetic sparks until it isn't, and he calls her the wrong name.

masterlist meet the characters

You wanna disappear in a crowd Just a stranger in a room Wanna change your colors just for the night With no word of it following you home

081222 - 5:43 pm

Things are quiet.

The story is still at the center of the news and online discussions. People have dissected every detail of Lee Chungjae's life to the point that he took down all his posts. In every sense of the word, he's the country's most hated man.

And candidate Lee's reassuring smile when reporters bring up the subject has started to crack.

But nothing else happens.

She's on edge. Let the storm hit already, for fuck's sake. 

Yixing finds her restlessness hilarious and texts her a screenshot of the weather app this morning. 90% chance of rain for the next three days.

It looks like Kuraokami answered your prayers.

In the midst of it all, he's been refusing to blend to the background of her mind, exploiting the fact that she's weak when it comes to a good meal. Most days he shows up to her door with takeout, and just yesterday he came with ingredients and made her eat her words about carbonara being the most overrated approach to noodle based recipes.

He’d laugh at her if he could see her now, standing outside the chronicle's building, struggling to get her buzzing phone from the inside of her bag.

A part of her hopes it's the blocked number from before.

But there's a name on the screen, and it puts a frown on her face.

“What do you want.” 

A chuckle spills through the line. “Resentment is a terrible thing, you know? It does the heart no good.”

“How would you know? You don't have one."

“I heard you paid someone a visit last night. I wanted to hear it from you.”

She scoffs up at the sky through her see-through umbrella.

"You want me to say I’m... what? Shaking in my boots? So you can rub one out to the sound of it?”

“Language, sunshine. Let’s keep things civil.”

“I tried to be civil, didn’t I? I even gave you a heads-up for old times’ sake, but then you decided to make things personal. So now I’m thinking that next time, I'll just let it blow in your face, make it surprise.” 

“Ah, there we go again with that. Why do you insist on calling it personal?”

“Why don’t you suck my dick, Namjoon?”

She hates that she can hear his poisonous smile, over so confident and collected.

“You walked into that room yourself. How is it fair to blame me for the consequences of your actions?”

He enjoyed it, he’s enjoying it even now, she knows. He denied any involvement in her encounter with a certain pair of recently debuted syndicate members, but hist hands were all over that stunt.

A blow like that, the same night she showed up to let him know she had info on his candidate’s son, and he expects her to believe destiny is just funny like that.

No fucking way.

Things may or may not have escalated to shattered wine glass and a deep burgundy stain on Jin's favorite artwork hanging on the wall.

“Can you get to the point? Some of us can’t afford to spend the day scheming, I have things to do.” she says, impatience seeping into her tone.

It's starting to rain, so her hair will start looking crazy in about three minutes.

“I was hoping you were bluffing.”

She laughs in a way that makes an older woman give her a nasty look.

“My hopes weren’t for us.”

Ah.

There it is. As grim as it is, it’s like a weight taken off her chest.

Her surroundings come back into focus. The narrow street. The stream of people walking past her, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible. A girl brushing her shoulder, recording herself speaking in a foreign language. A taxi driver fighting with a delivery guy. A German shepherd with a yellow raincoat and little rubber boots, its nose against the side of a phone booth. 

“I see.” 

“Just now?” he has the gall to sigh, disappointed. “I thought you knew when you went to Yoongi looking for a 22. I guess you're not that good at seeing things beforehand anymore, not even when you start them.”

If she had to describe it, she’d say it’s a lot like a game of hide and seek with the kids from her street. Terrifying and exciting at the same time.

“Come to the hotel,” he suddenly says, much to her surprise “Stay here until things settle down.”

And if she had to sum Kim Namjoon up, this would be it. No one but him could give an invitation and a threat at the same time with such ease. Come, or else.

“No. I think I'll stay outside, see what comes out of it.”

Another deep sigh.

“I see. Have it your way, then. You have your fun, make sure to enjoy it.”

She hits the red button and finds that the cute dog with the rubber boots nowhere to be seen, as if it vanished off the street with its human. 

At least 13 different people stop her before reaching Kim Kibum's office. Even though her name wasn't credited, her co-workers know what it means when she disappears for weeks, and the kind of stories she chases. The vultures in her department rolling their eyes at the sight of her kind of give it away.

“I thought I told you to work from home until further notice,” he says as she locks the door behind her.

“What? I deliver the story of probably the year, and you don’t want to see my face anymore?”

"Don’t. I’ve had a long day” he huffs, pulling the blinds down. His office looks less cluttered than she remembers. Has it been that long since she clocked in? “You know there’s a reason why I asked you to lay low for a while.”

She drops her body on one of the chairs in front of his desk and grabs a heavy, fancy pen.

“Did you see? Lee Chungjae is living his best life in France pretending to care about free education. He’s out there taking pics with Rihanna.”

Her boss leans over, snatches the pen from her hands, and points it at her like a sword.

“And? What do you expect? That they lock him up as soon as the story comes out? We do our thing, the rest is up to the world. We’re a newspaper, not the league of justice.”

Earlier today she told Haneul something similar, just to calm him down. Now she knows how he felt.

“It’s been a week already.”

“No, it’s barely been a week” he corrects her, moving a storage box under his desk and stretching his waist like he just can’t wait for retirement. “You know how this is, Jiah.”

Yeah, she knows. Shitty. Working your ass off, dealing with red tape and censorship, putting everything on a plate only for the world to move on, people not give a shit, and those who are supposed to do something turn a blind eye and fill their pockets.

“Why is your stuff inside a box?" Even the fake Basquiat is missing, so she knows it's serious. "Are you quitting?”

“I’m moving to a new office,” he says, pausing before adding "Jongsuk quit today.”

The news hits her like an ice bucket.

“He turned in his resignation letter earlier."

"Fuck." she breathes. "Oh. Fuck."

"Talk about freedom of the press, huh?” he laughs bitterly, tapping his temple, shaking his head, his eyes turning red.

In terms of bad news, this is the kind that makes you very aware of the last meal you had.

The Chronicle’s had the same chief editor for nearly twelve years. It’s one of the country’s most respected newspapers, and Jung Jongsuk was a big part of the reason why. The idea of someone with enough power moving the right strings to get the man, the myth, the fucking legend fired just as means of revenge sets a chill down her spine.

It’s a petty but very clear act of revenge. A shame, considering he was damn good at his job and how much he cared about his staff.

She sucks on her teeth “What’s he gonna do?”

“No idea. He showed up earlier today and left as soon as he gave a speech. They want me to step in immediately. Can you believe it?”

She's out of words. Half wanting to congratulate him despite the sad circumstances of his promotion, half wondering what that means for her. He suddenly squints.

“You look terrible. Finals?”

“Done, I’m a free woman”

She's can't stop thinking about Chief Editor Jongsuk, how he was always like the cool stepdad that didn’t have to be too nice or too mean to get your respect, how he gave her a chance when she was just a freshman.

“Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep or, I don’t know... drinking your face off with your friends?”

Her hand slips inside her backpack. “Well, if you'd answered my calls, I would be doing one of those.”

She puts a small, puny handgun on the desk, and slides it in his direction.

“Are you—” he locks the door before lowering his voice to a hiss “Have you lost your mind? How did you get through security?”

“You said we need to be careful and this is what being careful looks like, take it.” she says, sliding it closer to him. It barely brushes the side of his keyboard.

“Are you crazy? Do not— ” he opens a drawer and pushes it inside like it burns to the touch, slamming it shut and leaning his body away, pressing one hand to his forehead. “Jiah, this is illegal”

“I’m the best investigative journalist you have, flirting with the illegal here and there is one of the many reasons why.” 

“This isn’t flirting with the illegal, for god's sake, this is raw dogging it, Jiah. This is an office. We’re a–”

“Im Haneul is about to get into witness protection, that’s why I’m giving you something to protect yourself with. Thank you, Jiah. You’re welcome, boss.”

He bites his lip, looking at the drawer with resentment before setting his eyes on her, dead serious.

“Is there something you’re not telling me? Did something happen?”

“It’s always better to be prepared. You know what they say about peace and quiet.”

“I don’t,” he deadpans “Is that some kind of gang lingo?”

She frowns. “Just what has Minho been telling you? I should pay him a little visit—”

“You’re not going anywhere near my staff.”

“Your staff? I’m your staff. He’s a sports reporter, you can walk into a bar anywhere in Itaewon and find a dozen replacements.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, not denying it. “Did. Something. Happen.”

“I heard something. From a good source.”

“A good source.”

“Yeah, sometimes those are what we call confidential. So—” he fixes her with a look that makes her fear that his eyeballs will pop out of their sockets. “Fine, it was Kim Namjoon.”

He blinks at her. Throws his hands in the air and plops down on his seat.

“That's hilarious. If this doesn’t work for you, you can always pursue comedy. Now get the hell out of my office, I have to move my stuff to the other side of the floor.”

She stands up stretching her arms, giving him a once over and opening her mouth. He lifts a hand.

“I don't want to hear it. Go take a bath, get drunk, do drugs, get laid. You’re an undergrad student, not Chelsea Manning. Live a little.”

“Actually, I prefer Lisbeth Salander."

"Get out."

081222 - 06:55 pm

Something about the bleach fumes welcoming the moment she enters Lady’s Room is just– homely, and Wendy's threatening glare makes up for the stern mother figure she didn’t have growing up. 

“Don’t even think about it, boots off.”

She toes off her muddy boots, struggling not to spill anything on the heavy takeout bags, making her way to the back.

“How come he gets to keep them on?”

Taemin looks insane with a black cape covering his body and his hair all foiled up, Seulgi's hovering over him with the cutest concentrated frown. He wiggles is feet at her.

“Clean shoes privilege. Plus, I'm way cuter than you.”

She snaps a picture of him for future use while he's distracted explaining how he read somewhere that hair takes bleach better when you're stress-free, and that the end of his last semester is just the perfect moment.

“And of course you believed that, because it makes total sense”

“No, it’s true,” Seulgi says. “It’s also better when you’re in a good mood. That’s why I don’t like to take people fresh out of a bad breakup, the chemicals get all messed up.”

“Oh, he doesn’t need to worry about that,” she says off-handedly.

Taemin doesn’t like her tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wendy answers before she can, flipping through receipts on the reception area. “It means that you need a relationship to go through a breakup. That’s usually how it works”

“I'll have you know that I have secondhand PTSD from you guys. I’m like one ride home with an angry couple away from giving up on monogamy.” 

“So, blue?”

“Silver.” He shows her a picture of a male idol with gray hair, wet styled. He's worried that if he goes too light it'll wash out his complexion.

She inspects his face in the floor to ceiling mirror “Nonsense, you’d look good in anything, buttercup.”

He smiles, always a slut for some validation. "You're coming to Sana’s party, right?”

She groans, plopping down on the chair next to him.

“Jiah, come on, it’s the last party of the semester. The last party before I graduate.”

She’s not swayed by his abuse of the last something before I graduate card. “I’m out of social battery, I'll kill the vibe.”

“We’ll pregame at my place and you’ll be good to go.”

“I can’t be bothered to go home and get changed.”

“Oh! You left the strappy shirt, you know? the one you didn’t know you were wearing backwards, and that leather skirt at my place, I threw them in the washing machine just for an occasion like this.”

“I’m seriously not feeling the vibe today.”

“Who cares, you attract people when you’re sulking.” he shrugs “Plus that’s the skirt you were wearing when you pulled that Romanian guy. We get free bottles every time you have your leg meat out.”

Seulgi slaps the side of his neck with her glove-covered hand. “Don’t pimp her out.”

“And this is why I suggested a ladies-only policy.”

“Interesting that you assume you fall in that category, but go on.” Taemin says, Jiah gasps in fabricated indignation. “And isn’t that reverse sexism?”

“It’s not like men are rushing to get in.”

Irene emerges from the office, walking past them with her all work and no fucking around face on, all her focus taken by her tablet.

“Oh, actually, we had a guy customer a few days ago and he was very happy with our services,” Seulgi says. Taemin and Jiah let out synchronized snorts.

Irene looks at them, going through the pile of papers Wendy handed her. “Grow up, you two."

Seulgi catches on, making a noise of disgust.

“So what did he want? A massage?”

Irene flips a page, scanning its contents. The warning is sharper this time. “Taemin.”

“He wanted a full-on transformation, so we went with silver,” Seulgi says, ignoring the quip, poking at his bleach covered hair with the pointy edge of her brush “It looked pretty good on him. It suited his personality.”

Taemin coos "Is that a crush I smell?"

Seulgi shrugs. "I'm just saying he fit the look, he was easy to talk to. Funny too. Asked a lot of questions about the salon, said a childhood friend of his co-owns one.”

"Huh, sounds boring to me." Taemin shrugs, not impressed. Seulgi and Jiah share a knowing look. He's platonically possessive to a fault, and being the only guy in their group only makes it worse.

Jiah smirks, spinning on the chair. "Sounds like your replacement to me."

He sticks his tongue at her “I was going to introduce you to someone tonight, traitor.”

Irene and Wendy sigh in relief, finally finding whatever it was they were looking for, high five-ing.

“I’m heartbroken.” She yawns. “I wasn’t planning on going anyway”

“You should go.“ Irene says, coming to stand behind her chair, playing with her hair. "You sure need it."

“What is it with people treating me like I’m some boring bitch lately?”

“Have you considered that you’ve been a boring bitch lately? We barely see you, you were supposed to help us look for a new place” Wendy complains, plopping on the other chair next to Taemin’s, spinning. "And you missed the anniversary party"

Nothing for her to do but take the shots. Seulgi steps in for her, an angel.

"Cut her some slack, she brought food. You know that’s sorry in her language."

"Alright, yeah.” Wendy agrees way too easily "And for the record, there's nothing wrong with being boring, Yeri can always use a boring figure in her life"

“I’m not going to a party to be on Yeri Sitting Duty.”

Taemin squints at her, walking to the washing station under Seulgi's orders, cape swooshing dramatically behind him. “But you’re coming, right?”

To be fair, she does feel bad about ghosting them for weeks.

“I swear to god, you better not ditch me for one of your Instagram famous friends."

He doesn't get a chance to reply, his calls for help fill the salon and Seulgi giggles like a sweet summer child discovering the joys of waterboarding. Irene's pleased to the point of pulling her phone out to record the scene, chortling.

081222 - 11:25 pm

One would assume that the only child of the owner of a massive Japanese architecture firm, who also happens to own several clubs in the city, can afford to throw a party with decent alcohol.

Her annoyance should be directed at Taemin for talking her into coming and proceeding to do exactly what she asked him not to.

He’s nowhere to be seen, and Party Yeri is at her peak, hands thrown in the air, dancing between a bunch of freshman girls with their phones out, the red light beams bouncing off her glittery top. 

“Not a dancer, or just not in the mood?” a voice interrupts.

She felt his presence before he approached her table. Some people are just hard to ignore, and with his simple silky shirt with a few buttons undone, pushed-back hair, and a flirty strand hanging on his forehead, he has a crowd of curious women and men alike following him with hungry eyes everywhere he goes.

“The second one.”

He smiles just like someone who's used to seeing others react to his looks.

Her first impression of him was jealousy for having better lips than her. She was too busy listening to Mina talk about her internship in Spain to pay too much attention to Taemin introducing the guy. Sitting at levels of handsomeness that don't require a personality, the man bored her without uttering a word.

But he's not hard to look at.

“So, how come we haven’t met before?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. Taemin says your presence is an exclusive experience." she sips her drink, he thinks it's funny. "Jiah, right?”

“And you’re Jongin, one of the dancing friends.” 

A guy approaches Yeri’s group, disgustingly scanning each girl like he’s trying to figure out who has the lowest standards. 

“Not a big fan of us?”

She considers her answer, watching the girls shrug him off before he can get too comfortable.

“I've learned to coexist with you people. It comes with the Taemin package.”

His little laugh is surprisingly childish for his masculine looks. The way he keeps looking at her face like he can't spare any bit of attention to their surroundings makes her feel like a bug under a microscope lens.

“Here's my theory, I think he might’ve been keeping you to himself for a bit there. But I’ve heard so many things about you that I kind of feel like I know you already."

Jiah doesn't know what to say to that, but holds his warm gaze and indulges in the view for a bit. Caramel skin, glowy under the strobe lights, painted red like a forbidden object of desire, or a character of a Japanese movie, waiting for his lover at a love hotel.

Handsome indeed. Nice jaw, soft nose, slightly arched eyebrows. 

“Good things, I hope.”

“Interesting things.” He says with a crooked grin. She cocks an eyebrow, but he beats her to it. “So, journalism. What’s that like?”

She gives him the generic answer she keeps for occasions like this; lots of reading, being on the phone, doing more with less. No one is ever satisfied. Neither the readers nor the editors nor yourself.

Ok. So maybe she assumed a lot of things. He's surprisingly great company, really easy to talk to. He owns a dance studio and teaches from time to time. Some of his students have made it to entertainment companies, and he tries not to seem cocky, but it's clear he's extremely proud of them. He’s very nonchalant about covering various styles, though he’s more interested in R&B these days. 

“Your day-to-day sounds like a lot of sitting behind a desk,” he comments. Being someone that works with his body, the idea must haunt him.

“Oh, god, no– I always feel like I’ll throw myself from the window if I spend too much time at the office. I’m on the investigation team, so I’m almost always out on the streets, harassing bureaucrats and stuff.” 

“That sounds... fun.”

“Riveting,” she promises. “It’s not bad, really. You go through the boring stuff and then when you get a good story, you remember why you do it, and… it’s a good feeling.”

“You know, usually when someone mentions journalism I think of people with thinning hair and marriage issues.” 

“Are you calling me old?”

“No. I was trying to say that you just took down a stereotype for me.” he pauses, pouting and looking up like he’s considering something “But you do give off an old soul vibe, sitting on your own, sulking like you’re here against your own will, ready to decimate anyone who dares come near you.”

She blinks at him, he’s holding back a smile, she can tell. Waiting for her reaction.

“Wow, so you’re just gonna call me a hag like that?”

He looks mildly surprised, worried, and amused all at the same time. “That’s not–”

“And if I look that scary, how come you’re here at my table?”

“Because you’re very attractive. It balances out the scary.”

She hums into her glass.

“And I’m very charming, I knew you’d be harmless.”

“Right.” He’s not entirely wrong. She’s always suspicious of extremely charming people, and the alarms are going off in her head.

“This is me hitting on you, off the record.” he continues, undeterred. She snorts. "And I say that because, as I’m sure you know, Taemin is possessive.”

She lifts and shakes a finger like an aunt at church when the pastor hits a mark. “Like a kid who doesn’t share his toys.”

Which reminds her, where’s that silver-haired menace?

“We’ll just have to ease him into it.”

“Uh-huh. This is flattering and all, I guess, but I’m married so–”

“Oh, that’s fine. I don’t get jealous” he shrugs, very serious about it. Which is unexpected, no one has ever reacted to the I'm married line like that. “I’m not gonna try to compete with your career.”

She's speechless, but in a good way, laughing at the audacity and shaking her head.

But then, just for a moment, he disappears.

There’s a quick, almost untraceable absence, even his smile falters.

Then he snaps back.

“Hey, you wanna get out for a bit? Get some fresh air? Looks like your friend’s gonna be busy for a while.”

Yeri was off her radar for a bit there, and now she’s got her arm threaded with the birthday girl herself. They’re moving away from the crowd, talking into each other's ears like they haven’t debriefed in months, probably headed to the bathroom.

Now that he mentions it, fresh air sounds nice. 

“Promise I’m all out of lines,” he adds.

It’s humid out on the street, but less stuffy and noisy. She pulls out a brand new pack of cigarettes and they get fire from a girl hanging around with her friends next to a motorcycle. Her kohl-stained eyes scan Jongin greedily while he leans over, hands cupping the flame.

She suddenly turns to look at her, right when Jongin leans back and thanks her, and winks.

If Jongin notices, he’s unbothered, much more concerned with moving around her to stand on the side of the street, wordlessly making them switch spots. The gentleman move is soon eclipsed by a sudden coughing fit.

It's so bad she feels kind of horrible about finding it amusing. He really just fucked up his smooth streak after one drag.

She offers to grab him a drink, but he shakes his head, grabbing her arm before she walks away. He swallows hard one, two, or three times, wiping the corners of his eyes.

"You good?"

"No." he rasps. “These are the kind that my grandfather used to smoke.”

“You could’ve said no.” she counters, patting his back. They’re strong, she didn’t warn him because she showed him the package.

“I was a victim of peer pressure.” he jokes after clearing his throat. “I was doing well, wasn’t I?”

“It’s ok. Choking on smoke like a high schooler makes you human.” she offers him as consolation. The coughing fit messed up his hair. he looks younger now, less of a threat. Maybe it’s just the fresh air, the relief of getting out of the crowd, and the nicotine easing her up. 

He asks if she smokes often, sounding like he doesn’t want to intrude, but a part of him will judge her if she says yes. Truthfully, she hasn’t in months, but it always hits a spot after a while, and people assume she’s too into it. 

“Work's stressing you out?”

“That’s what work is supposed to do, isn’t it?” 

He winces.

“Not to a level where you have to smoke like a war general.”

She grins at him sideways, the man who introduced her to this particular brand would have a few things to say about that sentence.

“I can deal with the stress, I only smoke when I get frustrated.”

“And does that happen often?”

“I don’t know? I guess. My boss says I’m too much of a control freak. He's a jerk, but sometimes it feels like he knows me better than I know myself.”

“Not great at teamwork, then?” he probes.

“No, I mean-- I’m not, but it’s not that.” she pauses. He’s waiting for her to elaborate. “I just wish I could do more sometimes, and not just document things from the sidelines. Does that make sense?”

“It absolutely does.” he assures. “I think I know what you mean.”

“I tried it, recently” she goes on, and she doesn’t know why she’s opening up to this guy. She’s not trying to turn him into her therapist, and she’s not even sure she wants to take him home at all. There’s too much going on in her mind at the moment, she wouldn’t be fully present anyway. It'd be a waste.

“And how did that go?”

“It was alright at the beginning. I've been helping someone– a friend who was gonna do something he'd regret. Actually, I'm not sure we're actually friends, but he's a great guy in a shitty situation.” she rambles, taking one last drag. “But then things went south in the worst way possible. It didn't even have anything to do with him, just personal baggage and terrible timing. I guess I had it coming.” 

He nods, deep in thought, letting a comfortable silence fall between them, just watching people walk past, going in and out of the club. She presses the butt against the sole of her boots, and tosses it in the trash.

“If it’s any help, I’m sure your friend is grateful. You did well helping him.” he says, and she remembers Yixing saying something similar. “And whatever happened, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

She shrugs. “It is what it is, right? Onwards and upwards.” 

He grins, pointing a finger at her. "That’s totally something my father would say.”

“So you ran out of lines and now you’re back to calling me old?”

“I only said that because I didn’t want to come off too strong, but if you insist.” He’s back on charming again, hands in the air like she’s just giving him no choice. The switch between kind to charming gives her whiplash.

A waste, really. A month ago she might’ve taken him home, let him make her coffee in the morning.

“I’m not insisting, I just asked you a question.”

He waves her off. “Bet you 5000 won I can kiss you without using my lips.”

It’s stupid. But he looks like the epitome of determination. Kohl girl behind him keeps looking at them over her shoulder, and without the meaningless rumble of the crowd to distract her, his voice turns out to be quite lovely.

So she tilts her chin at him, giving him the green light.

He takes two purposeful steps. She calls his bluff, refusing to back up against the wall. He gets close enough that he has to bend his head down to keep eye contact, and in a surprisingly smooth move, he places a short, harmless peck right on her lips. 

Then he backs up with a single step and pulls out a bill from his pocket.

“A great investment if you ask me.” he says.

She laughs despite herself. Not in the coy, flirted up way, but a full, honest, belly laugh.

The silver-haired menace himself emerges from the shadows with a cowboy hat on his head, thumbs hooked on his jeans. He’s glaring, a scowl on his lipstick-stained lips, focusing on the way Jiah bends over, hand on her tummy and all.

“What are you doing with my best friend? I’m asking both of you, by the way.” he demands.

“Where did you get that?” she asks him, fully recovered, flicking the hat.

Taemin grabs the bill from Jongin’s hand before he can put it away. Jongin raises his eyebrows at him, anticipating complaints for his actions, daring him even.

“Not that I don’t respect the hustle, but I think you’re underselling yourself, sweetie." he says, turning to Jongin like a parental figure setting limits. "A peck from our Jiah is easily worth 10000 won. Pay up.”

“Deal,” Jongin shrugs, reaching for his back pocket again, pulling out several bills, winking at her. "How many can I get for--"

“Alright, we get it, she gets it,” Taemin interrupts, putting an arm around his shoulders, and rubbing his chest distractedly. “I thought you were on Yeri Sitting Duty tonight.”

Jiah licks her thumb and wipes the lipstick marks on his jaw, much to Jongin's endless amusement

“She’s a big girl. You got some on your teeth, you harlot."

"Finally. I keep telling you girls, you baby her too much" he complains, licking his front teeth. "Someday you'll have to set her free, let her make some mistakes of her own. They build character, you know?"

"How wise of you." Jongin says. "Was that the logic behind this new look?"

"Some mistakes don't." Taemin continues, looking at her with crazy eyes, pointing at Jongin. "Some mistakes make your best friend uncomfortable and are off limits."

Jiah and Jongin look at each other. "You introduced us."

"Yes, and? I never said get chummy and explore each other's bodies, did I?"

“Nice tattoo, by the way.” She tells Jongin. She caught a glimpse when he got closer and thought it looked familiar. Then Taemin unknowingly moved the fabric on his chest out of the way and she got confirmation. “It’s the helm of awe, isn't it?”

Jongin mouth falls open, genuine shock taking over his features. Not many people know about runes or recognize them. Taemin tilts his head to the side, eyeing her curiously, suspiciously.

“How do you know that? I thought it was a snowflake.”

“I knew a girl who had one on the back of her neck. Hers was red though. Looked great when she put her hair up.”

Taemin releases Jongin from his clutches with an unconvinced hmph, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. Jongin quietly fixes his shirt.

"Oh. Oh. I think I saw Minho inside. You wanna piss him off?"

Well, that’s great. That’s just great. Super cool.

Jongin takes a look at her face and blurts out the question. "Who's that?"

"Her ex. She broke his heart, he started rumors that she's with the Yakuza." Jongin blinks in surprise, and Taemin looks like he wants to elaborate further. She stops him.

“What’s that grown man doing here?”

“You know he likes to hang around the youngsters and make people guess his age. So, you in?��

“Leave me out of it.” 

"Hear me out. I was thinking you and Jongin could walk around, right? Let him see you together, put on a little show. You know how his ears get red and his eyes bulge out when he's angry?” he's trying to contain his laugh, looking maniac. “I’ll buy you dinner, both of you. I’m serious.”

That’s her cue for a bathroom break. She puts the cowboy hat on Jongin’s head, not deterred by the way his eyes follow her on her way inside.

A sigh escapes her lips as the cold water runs over her hands. She smiles at a group of girls walking out of the door, their giggles reminding her of the task at hand—finding Yeri and making sure she's not too drunk to make semi-rational decisions.

Maybe she’ll try to talk her into ditching this place. Yixing's uncle's spot is not too far from here.

The possibility of running into her ex kind of makes her want to bolt. Not out of lingering feelings, she just doesn’t have the energy for that interaction. He has a way with sucking the like out of her.

There's only so much she can take of things beyond her control.

The bathroom door clicks. Something shifts in the air. The unsettling feeling of realizing she's not alone. She glances up at the mirror and catches a glimpse of him in the reflection.

Reacting on instinct, her hand snatches the decorative vase from the sink and hurls it at him. The man covers his face, not before grabbing her forearm and slamming her against the sink.

She puts her palms up to avoid hitting the mirror face first. It happens at once, suddenly he's grabbing her bag, and the next second the chain strap is pulling around her neck.

Her body bends back. His knee's pressed against her lower back. Either she’ll pass out or he’ll snap her in half.

She's not about to go down in a public bathroom. She pushes her shaky fingers under the chain, attempting to relieve some of the pressure.

Her vision' blurring, she's running out of oxygen and ideas. Tears well up. The muffled music starts fading.

There's a distant slam, a loud thump.

And thank fuck, release.

She catches her weight on the sink, gasps for air, almost crashes against the mirror again. She turns on wobbly legs and faces two bodies intertwined and struggling on the floor.

Her attacker’s dressed in all black, mask included, buzzcut, well built. The second man has his thighs wrapped around his head, snarling as he keeps him overpowered. A blue-grey silk shirt clings to his broad shoulders, thin black lines mark the skin on his chest.

The helm of awe.

He knocks the guy out with his thighs which... ok, impressive. With heaving breaths, his eyes land on her.

She runs. He grabs her arm before she can get through the door, and bends over when her knee finds his crotch.

Slamming the door behind her, she slaps her hands against the wall for support, still a bit dizzy, heart racing.

"Wait! Rina– please wait–"

Everything shuts down—her legs, the party, the whole city stops. She drops the plans of putting as much distance as possible between them, turns around and stomps in his direction.

Four letters, one word, a slap to the face.

“What did you just call me?” she demands, her face inches away from his. She doesn't recognize her own voice. He's pawing at his neck, pulling a chain for her to see, like that's gonna do something. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I know them. I know Yixing. You’re in danger, I’m here to help you." he sounds pained, trying to calm her down. She has no sympathy for him.

Hanging from the chain, a silver band morphs into two bony hands that hold a mint-colored ball. A ring, worn as a necklace. She recognizes it at once. She won that ring at some fair in Busan. Someone at school started a rumor that she joined the occult. Kyungsoo's mother thought she was a bad influence.

“We have to get you out of here. He has back up, they'll come soon."

Jiah exhales, relaxes her limbs. He mirrors the gesture, letting out a breath of relief.

Then she runs like her life depends on it. And it just might. She bumps into people, pushes them aside, desperately looking for an emergency exit she vaguely remembers from past situations that shouldn't be crossing her mind right now.

They come in handy, successfully leading her to the deserted alley.

But god, whatever version of it is out there, is just not letting her get away so easily. 

The years have granted him an extra couple of inches, not that he ever needed them. Maybe it's just the thick soles of his boots that scrape against the loose gravel. He stops, mirroring her shock for a fleeting second.

She grabs the closest thing available; a rusty, long, and thin metal thing that's heavy enough to give her some confidence. He’s staring at her, no traces left of the awe she saw before.

He's pointing a gun at her face.

"Drop it" he barks "Hands up, turn around and try not to be so damn difficult. In that order."

Frustrated, she snarls at herself, her jaw tightening until it hurts before throwing the stick to the ground. She turns around, facing the mold-infested wall. The last thing she sees is a torn-off poster of an underground rap collective.

His forearm presses to the back of her neck with no mercy. He searches for a weapon she's not carrying.

"That's for being so fucking stupid. Do you realize what you got yourself into?" he snaps, not giving her a chance to answer before he pulls her back by the back of her shirt and pushes her against the wall again.

"Ow– What the fuck, dude?" the rough, disgusting surface of the wall scratches the side of her face. She kicks her feet against the ground. "I wasn’t even– what the fuck was that for?"

"That's for making my mom worry about you, idiot."   

He finally lets her go, and she moves away from him, curses spilling from her mouth.

The exit door opens revealing Jongin—the impostor.

"What are you doing? We need to--"

They guards go up abruptly before her eyes. He raises his gun at her once again, this time with clear intent.

It'd be ugly, she imagines, being shot this up close. Her brains will end up on the floor, his clothes, maybe even his face. The Park Chanyeol she knew was an asshole most of the time, but he didn't have it in him to step on an ant or kill a spider even if his mother ordered him to, let alone shoot someone.

The inevitable fact is that they are strangers. She doesn't know who the time has turned him into, just like she’s no longer someone that he knows.

"Go ahead, big guy," she lifts her chin, rolls her shoulders. He’s looking at her like she's made of cellophane.

Someone takes the ground from under her. The ground is inevitable. Someone grabs her. Her shoulder feels wet, and her hands look for the source. When she looks down it, it’s stained red.

Did he just–

It can’t be. It doesn't hurt. It should hurt.

It all happens too quickly. There's a hissing sound. The impostor grips her tightly and says something.

Was her heartbeat always this loud? And did she really just get shot?

"Eyes open," The impostor orders. There's no escape with the world narrowed down to two walls. They’re closing in.

He keeps talking, telling her that it’s alright. Her heartbeat is drumming inside her head. It’s now supposed to do that, she shouldn’t feel this cold in August. A chill settles in her bones like she’s been running barefoot through deep snow in the woods, wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown.

Okay. Maybe she did get shot. And now they’re taking her away. But she can’t go down like this. Irene... the girls will wonder where she is, Yeri’s gonna burn the place down looking for her, Taemin’s too sensitive to deal with something like this, and Chanyeol–

He shot her.

And they keep calling her the wrong name.

"Rina, you have to...” 

thump 

“...be there...” 

thump 

“...right? C’mon...”

thump.

"Rina."

And then they kill the lights.