#kim hongjoong for president | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ohmyamor · 1 year

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Richkid!Ateez

a/n: no jongho in this because it was a request inspired by my original richkid jongho post as well as part 2.

hongjoong

you first met hongjoong when you stumbled upon him in an empty classroom long after school had ended

as the vice president for the arts club, you, along with the president of the club, were tasked with gathering some extra supplies

the two of you had gone to the administration to ask for more funding to buy some new supplies, ones that didn't look like they had been run through by a pack of first graders

but admin didn't seem to particularly care for such trivial things like the arts

dismissing you quite quickly and telling you to look for extra supplies around the school

and so, you and the president were tasked with going through every singly empty classroom in hopes of scrounging together some decent supplies

the president had taken the east side of the school, while you looked on the west side in hopes of covering more ground

dragging your feet, you walked towards the last classroom of your side of the school

so far, you had only managed to find a few more packs of colored pencils and markers

and although it wasn't anything remarkable, you were grateful to have found anything in the first place

so with low hopes, you prayed that you would be able to find something else in the last room

slamming the door open, you jump when you make eye contact with someone sitting in the middle of the room

all the desks are pushed to the sides of the room quite messily

some of the chairs are knocked over, like someone pushed them away in a rush and never bothered to pick it up

and in the middle of the mess sits Kim Honjoong

in front of him on the ground is a large black jacket that's spread out, different colored paints and markers surrounding him

of course, you know who he is

it's kind of hard not to

his family runs one of the biggest banks in the country, and they sent him to this school in hopes of properly preparing him to take over the family business

but (according to the rumors) Hongjoong had all but stuck his middle finger in his family's faces, slacking off and doing everything in his power to avoid learning anything about business and money

you had heard rumors that he was quite artistic, and looking at the beautifully painted jacket that lays on the ground in front of him, you believe the rumors are true

"Oh," you say awkwardly when Hongjoong looks up from his project to stare at you

"uh, sorry, I didn't think anyone else would still be here," you explain

Hongjoong tilts his head to side

"I like working here because no one ever uses this classroom so I can keep all my supplies safe," he gestures to the loads of paints that surround him

you nod, still feeling a little bit bad about walking in on him

"okay, well, I'm gonna go now," you point behind you and begin to close the door

"wait!"

you pause, peering into the classroom once again

"what are you doing here so late?" Hongjoong raises his eyebrow

"I'm part of the art club and we need more supplies, but this stupid school doesn't think the arts are worth their money," you roll your eyes, "so, we're stuck looking for extra ones in the empty classrooms."

"no offense," you add, realizing you just called this very prestigious school stupid in front of a kid who comes from a very prestigious family

Hongjoong cracks a small smile

"no offense taken"

it's quiet for another moment

"I didn't realize we had an art club," Hongjoong comments

you nod

"yeah, the school doesn't really like us promoting it. I'm pretty sure it's because they want everyone to join the fencing club or whatever rich people do on their free time," you joke

you can't help but feel a little bit proud at the way Hongjoong throws his head back in laughter

"maybe I'll join," he says once his laughter has died down

you're a little shocked, but do your best not to let it show on your face

"well, we meet every Thursday after school," you tell him

"just don't expect us to have all your fancy paints and stuff, we're on a budget"

Hongjoong giggles before sending you a cocky smile

"don't worry, I know some people who would love to make a very generous donation to the art club"

it's about a week later when you and your president get called into the office

the principal seems annoyed, tossing you guys a piece of paper that you soon realize is a check

grabbing it off the desk, you and the president can't help but stare with wide eyes and gaping mouths at the number of zeroes you see written

"wh-who donated this?" your president asks, completely floored

"The Kim family," replies your principal, muttering a "surprisingly" under their breath

later that day during lunch, you happen to pass by Hongjoong who's talking with his group of friends

the two of you make eye contact and he sends you a wink

looking away, you bite back the smile that threatens to appear on your face

seonghwa

"ohmygodimsofucked" you breathe out harshly, running through the doors of the building

you grip your bag tightly, praying that your stuff doesn't fall out of the small hole on the bottom

your cat had taken it upon herself to use it as a personal scratching post

although you're pretty sure she did it because she was mad that you started limiting her on how many treats she ate

you're not one for fat-shaming, but she was getting pretty chunky

your shoes squeak as you book it past different classrooms, ignoring the weird looks from the students inside of them

you were already late for your exam, and you had three minutes to make it to class before you exceeded the 10-minute grace period your teacher allowed on test days

you can already see the door at the very end of the hall and mentally cheer

almost there, almost there, almost the-

"what are you doing?"

you let out a scream as you feel the tip of your shoe scrape the ground, sending you hurdling forward

you shove your arms out in front of you and allow the palms of your hands to break the momentum of your fall

"ow" you wince, feeling the sharp sting from the tile flooring

"oh my goodness, are you okay?"

at the familiar voice, you look up, only to see none other than Park Seonghwa staring at you with concern

oh fuck

Park Seonghwa, top student in your grade and the entire school, teacher fan-favorite, and hall monitor

of course, not that Seonghwa was mean or anything

he has a reputation for being quite nice, causing all the students to love him

not to mention his other-worldly beauty

the amount of chocolate he gets on Valentine's Day could rival how much they sell at candy stores

but, he is also known for being quite serious when it comes to attendance and tardiness

whenever he catches students ditching class or being late, he has no problem lecturing them and giving them after school detention

which you absolutely cannot afford today because you have to go pick up your younger brother from his school across town

"excuse me?" his voice pulls you out of your worries

"huh?" you answer, staring at him wide-eyed

"are you okay?" Seonghwa stares at you concerned

"that was a pretty nasty fall," he comments, glancing down at the way you clench your hands to try and stop the stinging

reaching out, Seonghwa gently touches your hand

"May I?," he asks, looking up at you through his eyelashes

you can't reply, absolutely shocked at what's happening, only managing to give him a small nod

he ever so gently opens your hands and winces at the sight of your bright red and scratched up palms

without saying a word, Seonghwa brings his backpack to his front and opens the smallest pocket, rummaging around inside of it before letting out a satisfied hum and pulling something out

it's a cat band-aid

you can't stop the small "cute" that escapes your mouth at the sight of it

Seonghwa's face turns red

"they were the only ones left at the store," he mutters as he begins to carefully place the bandages on your hands

he says sorry when you let out a hiss at the sting

once he's done, Seonghwa helps you stand up and holds your bag out to you

"how come you're in such a rush?" he questions

you glance down at your phone, sighing when you realize that you've missed the 10 minute mark

"I had an exam today and my teacher allows us a ten minute grace period, so I was hoping I would make it," you explain, "but I already missed it."

Seonghwa frowns at the way you look so disappointed

"what class is it for?"

"statistics with Snow"

Seonghwa perks up at the mention of your teacher's name

"Snow? I had him last year, he loves me. If you want, I can tell him I needed your help with something and ask him to let you re-take the test, I'm pretty sure he'll say yes."

you stare at him, absolutely floored

"you would do that?"

what happened to the scary hall monitor everyone spreads rumors about?

Seonghwa hesitates, but nods

"I feel bad about scaring you and causing you to fall, which ultimately led to you missing class," he frowns

"I-Thank you, Seonghwa, I do't even know what to say," you tell him honestly

once again, a light pink flush makes its way onto Seonghwa's face

"y-yeah, of course"

taking a look at his watch, Seonghwa says something that shocks you even more

"well, since you aren't going to class, do you want to go with me to the convenience store down the block?"

did you hear that correctly?

not only is the Park Seonghwa letting you off the hook, he also bandaged your hands, offered to lie to your teacher to let you retake your exam, and now he's asking if you want to ditch for part of the day to go to the convenience store

what the fuck is going on today?

"I'm sorry, is the school's top student asking me if I want to ditch?" you can't help but tease

Seonghwa pouts slightly, crossing his arms

"I mean, I can just give you detention instead, if you want"

shaking your head no, you tell him that you'd be more than happy to go with him

"well then, let's go," he smiles, offering his arm to you, and the two of you begin making your way out of the building

yunho

you’re in your first period of the day, a chill class where your teacher allows everyone to do whatever they need/want

you sit quietly at your desk, working on some homework

some students around you do the same, while others chat quietly with their friends and some even use the time to sneak in a few more minutes of sleep

you’re so focused on completing this assignment that you don’t notice the student aid that walks into the classroom and hands your teacher a note

you only look up when the teacher calls your name

he motions you to come up to his desk

nervously, you place your pencil down and make your way to the front

“Looks like we have a new student and the office wants you to show him around,” your teacher explains, handing you the office note

you wordlessly take it from him, looking down at the paper

“Go ahead and grab your things, I’ll let your other teachers know that you might be late for your next class.”

nodding, you walk back to your desk to quickly pack up your things before heading out

once you reach the office, you walk in, sending a kind smile to the ladies who work in the front

one of them nods her head towards the principal’s room and you thank her before making your way over

knocking on the door, you wait until you hear the principal’s “come in” before opening the door and stepping inside

“Ah, (Y/n), thank you for coming in,” your principal smiles

“This is Jeong Yunho, he’s our newest student who just transferred from a different school district.”

the boy stands up from the chair and reaches out his hand

you shake it, slightly taken aback at his height

he’s incredibly tall, with black dyed hair, and yet, despite his intimidating stature, his face is kind

“Nice to me you Yunho,” you greet politely

he smiles a bit shyly, giving you a quiet hello and looking away

“As one of our top and most involved students, I knew you would be the best choice to guide Yunho around the school and help him get adjusted,” your principal smiles.

she claps her hands together

“So go ahead you two. Yunho, don’t worry, you’re in great hands with our (Y/n) here and I hope you have an excellent first day,” she smiles before ushering the two of you out

you and Yunho stand outside in the hallway, an awkward silence overcoming the both of you

“Can I see your schedule?” You ask politely

he nods, reaching into his pocket and digging out the paper

you scan your eyes over it, humming when you notice that you share most of your classes with him

“Well you’re in luck,” you send him a smile. “Looks like we share most of our classes so you can just follow me around for today.”

“Great,” Yunho replies, the tips of his ears turning slightly red

and so throughout the day, you guide Yunho to your shared classes, telling him what buildings are for which classes and some of the best spots for some quiet time

his last two classes of the day are different from yours, so you take it upon yourself to get a campus map and label where his classes are going to be

as the bell rings for lunch, you take your time packing up your things

most of the students have already filed out of the classroom by the time you’re done

and you can’t help but jump when you look up and notice Yunho standing in front of your desk

“Oh, Yunho, is everything okay?” you ask

he nods

“Yeah everything’s great, but I, uh-” his eyes flicker around nervously

“I was wondering if we could have lunch together? I don’t really know anyone else,” he admits, a shy smile taking over his face

you think about it for a second before nodding

“Yeah of course we can. But I’m sure by the end of the week you’ll have your own little group to hang out with, so don’t worry,” you reassure him

Yunho doesn’t admit that he quite enjoys spending his day with you

and so you two eat lunch together, sitting side by side in the courtyard and chatting, getting to know each other

by the time the lunch period ends, Yunho can’t help but pout

“We don’t have anymore classes together right?”

you shake your head

“No but I’m sure you’ll do great,” you send him a reassuring smile

he frowns for a split second and seems to curl into himself slightly before an idea pops into his head

“Let’s go eat after school!” he suggests cheerfully

You pause

“What?”

“After school, my family’s driver is picking me up, so if you don’t have anything to do, let’s go eat together!”

“I don’t know about that,” you trail off

you figured he would be tired of you by now, but offering to go eat together after school?

“C’mon, I’ll even pay,” Yunho attempts to bribe you

he can see the hesitance on your face and gently touches your arm

“I really enjoy hanging out with you (Y/n),” he stares into your eyes

“And I’d love it if we can become friends rather than going our separate ways.”

you feel your chest warm at his words

and the way Yunho stares at you with wide, starry eyes makes you falter

you sigh

“Alright, let’s hang out after school,” you relent

“Meet me here after your last class and we can leave together.”

Yunho’s smile is breathtaking and you have to force yourself to look away

maybe this won’t be too bad you think

yeosang

out of all your classes, you think this one has to be your favorite

orchestra

you’ve been playing cello for as long as you could remember, and to be able to take a class solely dedicated to the instrument is perfect

you sit in the corner of the room where you and few other cello players have set up, watching as your instructor claps her hands

“Okay students, as you know, our spring recital is coming up.”

a few of the students cheer and a smile takes over the instructor’s face

“This year, we've decided to do things a little differently. Rather than having student solos, I thought it would be a great idea to have you guys do duets with your classmates.”

there’s mixed reactions, some students groaning while others look excitedly at their friends

“But, before you all get excited, I already went ahead and paired each of you up with a player of a different instrument.”

this time, more groans ring out throughout the room

you fidget in your seat slightly

while you don’t particularly love this idea, it’s also not necessarily the worst thing that could happen

meanwhile, the instructor has already begun to read off pairs of names

“Yeosang and (Y/n)”

you blink

Yeosang?

as in, the best violinist in your school?

oh fuck

you look around the room before finding the back of his head

his long blonde hair is styled nicely, and you watch as he reaches a hand up to gently push some of his hair behind his ear

if you weren’t nervous before, you’re definitely nervous now

once your instructor has finished reading off the pairs, she allows you all to break and get together with your partner

you sit and fidget with your bag, unsure if you should make your way over to Yeosang, or if he’s coming to you

the sound of someone clearing their throat causes you to look up

Yeosang stands in front of you, hand gripping the case for his violin

“(Y/n), right?”

you nod

“Looks like we’re partners,” he says slightly awkwardly

you nod once again, unable to look him directly in the eyes

“Okay, well, I think it would be best if we meet up after school to practice together. Meet me in the main parking lot and we can go over to my house.”

his house??

you clear your throat before replying, “okay that sounds good."

Yeosang gives you a curt nod before the bell rings and he makes his way out of the classroom

after school, you stand alone in the almost empty parking lot

next to you is your cello case and in your hands is a box of chocolate croissants one of your friends had given you

where is he? you think, beginning to get a little nervous at the thought that Yeosang might've forgotten about you

you're about to begin walking away when you spot him running out of the doors

by the time he gets to you, his normally pristine hair is slightly messy and out of place, and he pants hard

you resist the urge to fix his hair for him

"Sorry about that," Yeosang apologizes once he's regained his breath

"One of my teachers asked me to stay back to help him with something and I hadn't realized how late it had gotten," he admits sheepishly

you wave him off, letting him know it's not a big deal

"I thought you might've forgotten about me," you joke

Yeosang shakes his head

"never."

before you even have a chance to comprehend his answer, he's reaching out to pick up your cello case

you frantically try to stop him from picking it up, but he gently shoos away your hands

"I'm stronger than I look, lovely"

he guides you to his car where he carefully puts away your instruments, opening the passenger door for you and getting settled himself

once the two of you reach his house, you watch in slight awe as the large gates to the property open up

pulling up to the very front door, Yeosang begins to get out of the car and you follow, clutching the box of sweets

you watch as he hands a man in a suit the car keys before guiding you inside the house

"If you don't mind me asking," he starts. "What are those?" he gestures to the pink box in your hand

"Oh!" you look down

"A friend of mine gave me some chocolate croissants during our last period."

you push the box towards him

"Feel free to have some, as a thank you for letting me practice here and for the ride"

with a small smile, Yeosang thanks you and reaches into the box, grabbing one and pulling it out

you grab one for yourself as well before the two of you get started on learning the music sheets

it's a few minutes later when you look up at Yeosang and let out a small laugh

he has chocolate smeared on the side of his mouth and he even managed to get some on the tip of his nose

"I'm guessing the croissant was good?" you gesture to the small mess on his face

pulling his phone out, he looks in his camera and begins to turn red

you laugh even louder, reaching into your backpack to pull out a tissue

you lean across the table, getting close to Yeosang's face and ever so gently wiping off the chocolate

when you finally move away, Yeosang doesn't know if his face is red from the embarrassment or from having you so close to him

san

"c'monnnn, you have to go to at least one of their games before we graduate!" your friend pesters you about attending the school's baseball game this upcoming Friday

sure, a lot of the boys on the team are nice to look at

but between academics, extra curricular's, and family obligations, you don't really have time to be going to watch boys in tight pants run around a field

you roll your eyes, shoving her off from where she's draped herself on your shoulder

"I really don't" you reply dryly, taking a bite of your sandwich

your friend rolls her eyes

"whatever, if you think I'm gonna give up on trying to convince you then you're sorely mistaken"

she grins, and you wince

you know better than anybody that when she puts her mind to something, she always gets what she wants

the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rings and you begin to pack up your lunch

"I'll meet you after school for our volunteer hours!" your friend waves goodbye as she begins heading towards her class

you wave back and continue packing up

you sling your backpack over your shoulder, beginning the walk to the science building

just as you turn the corner, you crash into something hard

you let out a small "oof" and stumble back

before you're able to fall on your ass, a hand reaches out and grabs you by the arm, helping to stabilize you

you look up to see who you crashed into

Choi San

star player of the baseball team and the it boy of the school

"I'm so sorry!" he apologizes, eyes wide

you wave him off

"it's okay, I wasn't looking where I was going either."

he bites the inside of his cheek and tilts his head

"I don't think I've seen you around before, what's your name?"

you hesitate a little

you're a scholarship student, and while you're very proud of how your work ethic that has gotten you this scholarship to such a fancy school

you can't help but be a little nervous telling one of the most popular and wealthy students in the school who you are

"(Y/n)" you eventually reply when San's eyes won't leave yours

his eyes light up

"I thought you looked familiar! You're one of the top students in our entire grade"

you feel your face get warm and look down at your shoes

"uh, yeah, that's me"

"do you think you could help me in my language class?" San questions

you blink, not expecting those words to come out of his mouth

"uhhhh"

quite frankly, you have a lot on your plate

and you're not sure you can handle taking on another student to tutor

"I promise I'm not a lost cause!" San all but begs

"I'm just a few points away from being suspended from playing on the team and I really can't stand the idea of not playing," he rubs the back of his neck nervously

San stares at you with such hope in his eyes that you can't find it in yourself to say no

so you sigh and relent, nodding your head as San breaks into a wide smile

you notice the dimples that pop up on his cheeks when he grins

cute

"thank you thank you thank you!"

he glances down at his phone before letting out a small "oh shit"

"class is about to start, I should get going,"

"Thank you again (Y/n), for agreeing to tutor me, I really do appreciate it"

just as he begins walking away, he pauses and turns back around

"Are you coming to our game this Friday?"

"I'm not really a huge sports person," you admit. "So, probably not."

San pouts and you immediately feel the need to take back your response

"But I guess I can try making it to one."

oh your friend is never going to let you live this down

another blinding smile makes its way onto his face

"I promise to play my best to make it worth your time."

San sends you a wink

"I gotta impress my pretty tutor"

mingi

you stand awkwardly next to your dad, staring at Mingi

when your dad had mentioned that one of his friends suggested this "really great mechanic" in the neighborhood who was also "kinda young", the thought that it might be someone in your grade had never even crossed your mind

you honestly didn't even think it would be a possibility

"oh, do you two know each other?" your dad asks, looking back and forth between you and Mingi

"sort of?" you reply hesitantly

sure, you knew who he s

one of the wealthiest, smartest, hottest kids in your grade

but the two of you weren't friends by any means

the most interacting you had done was a brief "sorry" when you guys had bumped into each other in the hallway that one time

you were brought out of your thoughts when Mingi sent your dad a bright smile, reaching forward to shake his hand

"Hi sir, I'm Mingi, I share a couple of classes with (Y/n)."

he knows my name?

your dad nods, seeming impressed by the boy's manners

"well, I'm here because I've been having some car trouble and a friend of mine recommended you. I was hoping you could spare some time to take a look at it," he pats the hood of the car

Mingi nods

"Of course sir. As long as nothing's causing major issues, I should be able to get it back to you in two days," Mingi says, taking a glance at the vehicle. "I'm a little backed up with appointments right now, but I promise to try my best to get it done as fast as possible"

your dad nods

"Thanks, son."

a grin makes its way onto your dad's face

"And just remember, I know what school you go to if you do anything to hurt my baby."

you groan, missing the way Mingi's eyes dart to you rather than the car

"I would never," Mingi replies seriously

"daaaaaad" you shove his shoulder slightly, feeling your face heat up

facing Mingi, you apologize for you dad's comments

the last thing you need is for his parents to show up at your house questioning you as to why your father decided to threaten their son

just then, the sound of a phone ringing begins to echo through the small garage

pulling his phone out of his pocket, you watch your dad's eyebrows furrow as he reads the name of the caller

"give me a second kids," he says, bringing the phone up to his ear and stepping out of the garage to answer the call

once the door is shut, you look back at Mingi, who, to your surprise, is already staring at you

"I'm sorry about that," you apologize once again. "He's pretty serious about his car, doesn't like to let a lot of people touch it."

Mingi nods understandingly

"No worries, I get it. I guess I should be honored he trusted me enough to bring it here," he grins

taking a look around, you can't help but be a little impressed by how legit everything looks

not that you know much about mechanic shops

"So, I didn't know you were also a mechanic outside of school," you mention. "I thought your parents would want you to focus on business and stuff like that."

Mingi's ears turn warm and he brings an arm up to rub the side of his neck

"That's because they don't really know I do this," he admits

your mouth drops open

"How do you manage to run all of this on your own without them finding out?"

he shrugs

"'s not hard when they're never home in the first place."

you frown

"but don't feel bad," Mingi continues, noticing the look on your face. "This is something I really enjoy doing and I'm glad I can do this all on my own."

the way Mingi's face brightens up when talking about something he's so obviously passionate about makes your heart feel fuzzy

before you can say anything else, the door to the garage opens and your dad walks back in

"Sorry sweetheart, but we're gonna have to get going. The guys back at the office are having trouble sorting this deal out and they need my help," your dad rolls his eyes

"Thanks again, son, for helping me out. Whenever my car's ready just go ahead and let my daughter know since you guys see each other at school anyways," your dad places a hand on your shoulder

"I didn't sign up to be your messenger," you mutter, crossing your arms over your chest

Mingi lets out a deep laugh

"Of course, sir"

your dad begins walking out after saying goodbye to Mingi, and you follow, pausing at the door to look back at him

"Bye Mingi," you smile, sending him a small wave

"Bye (Y/N), I'll see you in class," he calls out

once the two of you leave, Mingi gets to work taking a look at your dad's car

maybe, just maybe, this car will finally give him the chance to talk to you more

wooyoung

you and Wooyoung had actually been best friends for as long as you could remember

when you were younger, your mom had been hired by Wooyoung’s family to tutor him in any and all subjects

as she was a single mom and couldn’t always afford babysitting, she would often times bring you along with her when she went to Wooyoung’s family’s house

most of the time you would sit quietly on one of the large couches and work on homework or color

but one day, a small Wooyoung had managed to sneak away from your mom and come see you

he’d always see his tutor coming in and out of the house alongside a young girl around his age, but he never actually saw you up close or talked to you

and so, as any child would do, his curiosity got the better of him and he went out in search of answers

despite the initial scare he gave you when he screamed “BOO” in your ear, the two of you had gotten along quite nicely

after his tutoring sessions and when you were done with homework, your mom and Wooyoung’s parents would watch with fond eyes as you two chased each other around the large backyard

as you both grew up, and even when your mom stopped needing to tutor him, the two of you remained incredibly close

it’s how you were even able to attend this fancy school in the first place

the tuition certainly cost an arm and a leg, something your mom would never be able to afford on her own

but Wooyoung’s parents insisted that you attend as well, saying it was one of the best schools in the country and they would put in a good word for you

they also took it upon themselves to cover the cost of your tuition, saying that at least this way, they knew you would keep an eye on their son

and so you and Wooyoung had fallen into a comfortable routine with each other, knowing the other person inside and out

so when one day you were late leaving your last class, Wooyoung couldn’t help but grow slightly concerned

you’re an incredibly punctual person, and even on the rare occasion that you would be late, you always made sure to let him know ahead of time

tapping his foot on the pavement anxiously, Wooyoung leaned against his sleek back car and glanced at his watch

“Where is she?” he muttered to himself

only the sound of your laughter caused him to look up

you were finally walking towards him, but next to you was a boy

Wooyoung stared hard at the guy next to you, watching with distaste as you waved bye a little too enthusiastically to him before skipping over to the car

“Who was that?” he asks, intrigued and annoyed at the same time

“Oh, he’s in my statistics class,” you reply vaguely

Wooyoung stares at you, noticing the way you seemed to fidget nervously and the way you kept rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet

he knows you like the back of his hand, and he knew that you weren’t telling him something

quirking a brow, Wooyoung says nothing, only continuing to stare

you sigh, reaching into your pocket to pull out a piece of paper

“He asked me out,” you finally admit, handing him the number

Yanking it out of your hand, Wooyoung looks at the phone number and address the boy had written down

“He didn’t even offer to pick you up?” your best friend scoffs

you roll your eyes

“It’s not that big of a deal Woo” you argue

he fixes you with a stern look

“I thought I raised you better than to have such low standards,” he shakes his head

“I’m literally a few months older than you!” You cry out

Clicking his tongue, Wooyoung crumples up the piece of paper and tosses it carelessly to the side, ignoring your protests

“I’m not letting you go out with some mediocre boy,” he says, opening the car door and gesturing for you to get inside

He closes the door as you try and argue with him, beginning to walk over to the driver’s side

Wooyoung elects to ignore the jealous monster that has made itself known in his heart over the idea of you going out with someone else

someone other than him

getting settled in the drivers seat, Wooyoung starts the car before turning to face you with a cheeky grin

“Dinner?”

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

screaming into my pillow :)

#ateez x reader #ateez au #richkid!ateez #ateez imagines #ateez fluff #hongjoong x reader #hongjoong au #seonghwa x reader #seonghwa imagines #yunho x reader #yunho imagines #yeosang x reader #yeosang imagines #choi san imagine #san x reader #mingi x reader #mingi imagines #wooyoung x reader #wooyoung imagines

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bro-atz · 8 months

Text

bro's 500 event masterlist

smut in red— minors do not interact with my smuts

slow updates!

ateez:

kim hongjoong — if only it was simple park seonghwa — the ceo's doll jeong yunho — calm down kang yeosang — off limits choi san — good knight song mingi — otp jung wooyoung — a friend in need is a friend indeed choi jongho — no. 1

xikers:

kim minjae — mr. class president park junmin — meant to be, or not meant to be choi sumin — just one year ham jinsik — elevate choi hyunwoo — seven minutes is all it takes kim junghoon — in the name of the prince park seeun — my lovely upperclassman jung yujun — falling for you hunter — impressive lee yechan — let's try again

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written-in-flowers · 1 year

Text

Disillusionment: Hongjoong x Reader

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 16k

AU: futuristic!au, rebellion!au, lovers to enemies, enemies to lovers again.

Genre: Angst (lots of it), tiny microscopic bits of Fluff

Summary: During her career as a Lieutenant of The People's Republic, Hwang YN has witnessed things she'd rather forget and learned things about those she served. On the day of her ex-boyfriend's execution, she must decide if she really is fighting for the right side.

Warnings: disabled!reader (she is missing her left ear and eye, and has a bionic leg), PTSD, graphic depictions of violence, guns, war, descriptions of poverty, mentions of child trafficking, general injustice, corrupt people being corrupt, assassination attempt, and conspiracy.

A/N: This is my EXTREMELY LATE entry into the Outlaw: The Project collab I did with @ssaboala and several other lovely people. My entry is for our beloved leader, Kim Hongjoong. I hope you guys really enjoy this <3

***

You sat in the meadow alone. A sea of grass dotted with purple flowers should be a sight of wonder and awe, yet you found it hard to enjoy. A sight juxtaposed to the bustling, noisy city a few miles beyond, you used to find tranquility and quietness in the meadow. It’d once been a place of safety and gentleness; you could gather your thoughts here, basking in the sun and silence. But, not anymore. Silence only pushes forward things you’d rather forget. Yet, you could not think of anywhere to be but here right now.

They’re executing him today. In a few hours, Kim Hongjoong will be led onto the scaffold in the city center, have a noose put around his neck, and a door will open from under him. You squeezed your eyes shut at the image in your head. Hongjoong, with his determined, defiant eyes glaring at the painted faces of the city people, standing proudly on the scaffold. He won’t cry. He won’t give President Yoon the satisfaction. It’d been the same back in The Academy. Whenever an instructor or commanding officer gave him a near impossible task, hoping to break him, he never let them see the strain. It was why they liked him so much; why they spoke so highly of the soldier who never backed down, who did not accept failure as a result. Hongjoong had once been Prestige Academy’s brightest star, with a shining military future ahead of him. But, one terrible act changed all of that.

‘No, YN. I’m not going back.’

‘Hongjoong…’

‘This ‘Republic’ has gone too far. Look around you, YN. These people have done nothing to us. They’re innocent.’

‘They are aiding the rebel forces. They’re not innocent.’

‘Yes, they are! They’re hospital patients. They’re human beings. YN, I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore. It’s not right.’

‘Hongjoong, no! Please, come back! Come back!’

You fought back the visions in your head. The thick lump in your throat slowly built up remembering that night. You remembered how the heat of the flames mingled with the crisp winter chill; the smell of burning wood and bodies still clung to your nose all these years later. No amount of lifeless corpses, exploding bombs, or screaming women could drown out the one image stuck in your head. He’d removed his helmet, so you saw his cobalt blue hair, his light skin and his eyes. His beautiful brown puppy eyes that melted your heart every time you saw them. They’d looked at you with disgust and shock. They’d torn away from yours with pain and that same determination. The last haunting image was his white uniform gradually fading into the dark night; you recall running after it before being attacked by a rebel fighter. By the time you’d put a bullet in him, Hongjoong was gone. He’d abandoned you in the midst of a raid; he’d turned his back on everything he knew and joined the rebel forces beyond the barriers. He soon enough became their leader, leading a squad dubbed ‘The Pirates’. They gained the name because of their hovercraft bombings on Republic outposts, where they’d then touch down and scavenge whatever they could from wreckage.

He became the ‘Pirate King’, and with one single act imprinted himself in Republic history.

The ping from your wrist broke you from the cruel memory, and you looked at the small watch face to see an incoming call. When pressing the answer button, you prepared yourself for actual conversation today.

“Yes?”

“Lieutenant,'' said Captain Shin, “The execution will be happening in approximately six hours. Preparations for the Victory Parade are starting, and we need you to come down here.”

“What for?”

“You’re in one of the last floats, sir.”

You exhaled deeply. The “Victory” Parade is being called ‘the beginning of the end’ by news outlets. It’ll not only make a spectacle of Hongjoong’s execution, but give the people false hope. What you hated most is that you and what’s left of your team will be “stars” of the show. You preferred to forget your “greatest triumph” and move on with your life, but it seems you won’t get that.

Your mission to capture and subdue Captain Kim Hongjoong cost you lives. Task Force 66 had eight members. After storming the “Valiant'', Hongjoong’s base of operations, only four of you remained. Sitting in the grass, you thought of the admirable, courageous people you’d become so close to be snuffed out in President Yoon’s war against the rebels. Jax, a springy girl who loved explosives and fire power; Jisung, a sharpshooter eager to prove himself; Miyoung, an older woman whose age didn’t stop her from taking down foes twice her size, and brilliant Ryu, a guy you swore had a computer for a brain. They’d died helping you capture Hongjoong. They’d given their lives in service to The Republic.

A Republic that did not care about them.

“Right. Be there soon, Captain,” you replied somberly. “Over and out,” you said.

“Over and out,” said Shin, and you both hung up.

Gingerly, you unfolded yourself from your sitting position and stood up. You gave a small stretch as you gave the meadow one more look. You should put the whole place to the torch. Briefly, you thought of scorching this sacred place to remove all the beauty and memories it held. Memories of you and Hongjoong frolicking in the grass as children; playing and laughing until the sun went down. Memories of days spent under the trees that outlined the meadow, reading or listening to music. Everything reminded you of him. It was as if its taken pieces of him for itself. Every single blade of grass and blossom reminded you of the boy who made you feel happy when you felt like dying. You wanted to burn it all away. If the meadow didn’t exist, then neither would your memories.

You turned away from the meadow and headed back into the small forest at the edge. Moving through thickets of bushes and trees, you let the fresh air and damp earth fill your lungs. You pushed out that night from your mind. Which night? You don’t even know anymore. The night you both met. The night he left you. The night you both met again. All the nights sharing kisses in each other’s arms, whispering words of love and promises of forever. You flushed them from your mind as you found your car waiting on the side of the road. One of the government hovercrafts painted in black with The Republic eagle and olive branches on the hood, you knew you’d be back in the city in less than an hour. The faster you could leave the meadow, the faster you’d leave those memories behind.

Soaring high above the main road, you saw yourself in your windshield reflection. Where you once had a full, unblemished face, you now had a cybernetic eye and ear piece attached. The steel implant started at the crown of your skull and remained fitted to the left side of your face. Pieces of shrapnel and ear splitting blasts caused you to lose sight and hearing; the doctors said you were lucky. The shrapnel from the bomb could’ve lodged into your skull and you’d be dead. Instead, you suffered a ruptured eardrum and your entire left eye. Scarring from the fire stretched like rivers on a map from your eye socket and across your forehead, cheek and jawline. Not the prettiest face, but the new eye came with lots of perks. Infrared vision, night vision, and scope abilities gave you more advantages than the average soldier; you heard pins drop from several feet away with your new eardrum. If one pulled off your denim jeans, they’d find the bionic right leg. One of the few times you ran into Hongjoong after his defection left you with a grievous leg injury that not even the Republic’s medical technology could heal.

‘Yield. Yield now and tell your men to retreat, and I’ll spare you.’

‘I’d rather die!’

‘You can’t win this, YN. We have the upperhand. We have the trains and the sectors. Please, my love, yield and surrender. Please, I beg you.’

‘If you have the upperhand, Pirate King…then I’ll chop it off!’

And so you did. On a field of damaged earth and bloody corpses, you’d pulled out a hatchet from a dead soldier’s head and swung it at Hongjoong. He tried blocking it with a knife, but instead your blade went deep into his wrist. It didn’t completely sever the hand; you remember his screams of pain and wish you could take them all back. You sometimes thought of what it might’ve been like if you had surrendered. Would he have accepted you back? Would you two have grown to love one another again? You don’t know. You hoped he would. He promised forever, hadn’t he?

You snorted as you reached the city gates. Ahead of you, you saw the long line of citizen vehicles below slowly making their way in and out of the silver city beyond the tall gates. In your government issued hover car, you flew to the tops of the walls where official vehicles came and went. Flying between the two sky-high towers, you lowered your window. A guard in black and white stood in the toll booth window, holding out a gloved hand. You handed him an identification card, which he scanned on his computer.

“Welcome back, Lieutenant,” the man said in a gruff voice, giving a stiff bow.

“Thank you, soldier.”

You’d cried that night. Everyone thought it was the morphine high the doctors kept you on, but it wasn’t. Not entirely. You hadn’t meant to hurt him so brutally, but your own pain overwhelmed you. He’d told you that he’d be at your side forever. You were supposed to move through the ranks together, go into military training together, and maybe settle down to have a family. You’re meant to grow old side by side. He’d said as much the first time you kissed him, sixteen and the world at your fingertips. You couldn’t see yourself being with anyone else; you never loved anyone the way you loved Hongjoong. It was supposed to be forever.

Then, the night the Republic bombed that hospital changed everything. You regretted that particular incident; you’d been a soldier of the Republic, who followed orders regardless of the severity. The people of Sector 5 were housing and aiding groups of people charged with crimes against The Republic. You and Hongjoong were part of Squad 245, a group assigned to put down any signs of dissent in the different sectors. Like every attack, you started with a blanket of bombs that created craters in the ground, blowing up people and crumbling buildings. When the initial attack ended, you touched ground to take down the rebels hiding out there. Hongjoong saw the hospital before you did. He’d seen the fires blazing within, the stone walls collapsing to the side, and people stumbling and crawling from the ruins. Most of those in the hospital were innocent women, men, and children who’d happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. You aren’t proud of the harm done that day. 45 people died in that bombing, and more became permanently injured. Everyone around you said they deserved it; they helped rebels escape “Republic justice”. What even is the Republic’s justice? Killing innocent people with nothing to lose? Oppressing those they have deemed beneath him? People they claim need them, when really it is the other way around.

The you back then would hate the person you’ve become now. She’d call you a traitor for thinking such thoughts. But, that little girl in her white Republic uniform doesn’t know about the things she’d end up witnessing. She won’t know about the time she witnessed Republic soldiers kidnapping sector children to sell on the black market to city elites. She hadn’t witnessed the terror and fear those children showed when she stepped into a Republic truck; some of them as young as eleven-years-old. That stupid, blind fool would damn you for shooting each of those soldiers in the head, and releasing those children into the forests beyond. She’d try finding excuses; she’d try to rationalize and justify such horrors because to accept that her precious government is evil destroys everything about herself.

She’d have to admit that Hongjoong was right, and that she should’ve followed him into the cold night.

You flew on the sky lane, and saw the tall triangular building of the military headquarters, nicknamed ‘The Pyramid’, in the distance. You also spotted the long lines of traffic backed bumper-to-bumper. Preparations for the parade meant to precede Hongjoong’s appearance were already underway, with workers setting up streamers, lamp posts decorations, flags, and barricades up and down the street. An irritable sigh escapes your lips when you realize you’ll be in traffic forever. You had places to be. Swerving out of the line and merging into a lower lane, you parked your car in an empty spot by the sidewalk. You’d come back for it later.

The Republic City used to be a place called ‘Seoul’, until the new regime took over decades ago. Towering buildings going high into the sky were decorated with neon lights and advertisements. People crowded the trash-riddled streets, and made it through the general smog created by the hover cars flying high between the buildings. You can’t imagine your city being anything other than what it is now. The people in the sectors beyond the wall think Republic City is a mecca of opulence and beauty; where food is plentiful and everyone is rich. It could not be farther from the truth. Ever since the war began nine years ago, the luxury of Republic City plummeted. Walking through the concrete sidewalk, hands in your jacket pockets, you saw a young man slouched against a brick wall. Seeing his ragged clothing, full shopping cart, and paper cup sitting at his feet, you wished you could show the rebels that they’re not the only ones suffering.

You saw a street food boat sailing a foot above the street. A portly man sat at the side, turning meat skewers over on a blazing fire. Quickly, you caught up to it.

“Hey,” you greeted him, “Can I get two of those?”

The man’s eyes lit up when he saw you. “Hey, you’re that Lieutenant from the TV.”

“Um, yeah, I guess.”

“Wow, you’re a real hero, ma’am,” he said. “I heard about those kids you saved. I can’t believe our government was letting soldiers sell little kids like that. I was really shocked, but they were lucky you came along.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“It was to them and their parents. Here,” he picked up two fresh meat skewers, and put them on a paper plate. “Free of charge.”

“Sir, I couldn’t do that to you-”

“-I insist,” he said, pushing the plate closer to you on the counter. “You've done more for us than our own president. Don't worry about it. Besides, it’s Victory Day.”

‘Victory Day’, is what they called it. What victory? You stuck a bill into the tip jar on the counter, bought a drink, and thanked him. You walked up to the young man by the wall, and handed him the two skewers.

“Here,” you said.

His eyes widened at the sight of the two long meat and vegetable sticks. “Wha-Really?”

“Yeah,” you told him, “I’m not really hungry.” You gave him the food, and watched him greedily begin eating them. You noticed what he wore: threadbare clothes that might’ve been flashy and fancy at one point, and leather shoes that were worn out and fading. “What happened?”

He paused, reluctant to answer as he wiped grease from his mouth. “I used to work in the steel industry,” he said finally. “I ran the distribution before those bastard outlaws ruined supply lines and Sector 2 joined the rebellion. I…I lost everything. I can wait for this fucking war to be over,” he washed down the food with the orange drink, then said, “Maybe things will get better, right?”

“Yeah…maybe.” You fished in your pocket for a few bills, and stuck them in his cup. “For some shoes,” you said, “Winter’s gonna be coming soon.”

“Thank you,” he beamed, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Hey, you’re Hwang YN!” a high-pitched voice said behind you.

You turned to see three young boys standing on the other side of the sidewalk. Each of them wore the soldier play sets the toy stores sold: black “bulletproof” vests with black gloves and helmets. The one who spoke smiled excitedly at you, holding a toy machine rifle across his back.

“You’re the one who captured the Pirate King!” he said, pushing black strands from his eyes.

“I am.”

“That’s so cool!” his friend, red-haired and freckled, said with a smile. “I saw the little movies they played in the theater before the real movie started. They showed you going into that big ship with your gun like this!” he pulled up his own toy gun and made shooting sounds as he waved it around, “And the rebels running away!”

“You really showed them!” the third boy, blond and blue-eyed, said. “They were really scared of you!”

“I guess they were,” you shrugged. “You kids going to the parade?”

“Heck yeah!” said the first boy. “We’re going to watch the soldiers’ march and see the tanks! I want to be a soldier like you one day!”

“Me too!”

“And me!”

You couldn’t help remembering a young Hongjoong saying the same. When you’d both see the soldiers marching on Founder’s Day, he’d excitedly tell you how he’d be one of them someday. You both would be.

“You’ll make great soldiers,” you said, trying to keep the sadness from your voice. “Once you’re trained up at the academy.”

This made all three boys jump excitedly. You high-fived each of them as they ran along the street, pretending to shoot invisible foes down the sidewalk. Moving further down, you watched the city continue to thrive around you. You made a turn down a familiar road towards The Pyramid, trying not to recall walks to headquarters with Hongjoong. You’d both wave down one of the floating street vendors to grab snacks before going to work. Hongjoong always bought the barbeque skewers, which you’d both eat as you walked. You stopped at a crosswalk when a delivery boy waited for the green light. On the side of his trunk, you saw the local news lines running through a screen.

‘Pirate King Captured! War’s Ending in Sight!’

You remembered that today is meant to be a celebration. People filled the streets below, dressed in their best and preparing for the parties they’ll be having tonight. President Yoon planned to make Hongjoong’s execution a spectacle; it’s meant to symbolize the beginning of the ending. Members of your team still searched for Hongjoong’s crew, who’ve gone underground since his capture. They will be found soon enough, and they’ll also be executed. Once the Pirates are defeated, the rest of the rebellion forces will kneel. Then the Republic could begin to thrive again.

A ringing sound from your ear piece interrupted your thoughts once more. Answering the call, you spoke first:

“YN here.”

“Lieutenant,” it was Shin again, “Are you on the way?”

“Yeah. My ETA is ten minutes. Why?” you passed the delivery boy, feeling his eyes on you but tried not to think about it.

“Because, well…I wanted you to know that the Containment Center contacted me a few minutes ago.”

You froze. “And?”

“It appears The Pirate King has requested to speak with you.”

Every nerve in your body froze. Suddenly, your chest tightened and you stuffed a hand in your pocket. You looked at yourself in the reflection once more, seeing the damage on your face, and asked, “Why?”

“He didn’t give a reason,” he said. “All people headed to the noose are allowed a last request, and his request is to speak with you.” Shin paused, then continued, “It wouldn’t hurt to hear him out. He might even beg you for his life like the coward he is.”

“He’s not a coward,” you heard yourself snap at him. “He might be a pathetic rebel scumbag, but he is also a great soldier.”

“Forgive me, sir, but I…” you heard his hesitation, and suddenly the formal voice broke, “He killed Jax. He shot her in the back like a coward. He wouldn’t even give her the respect of killing her face to face.”

Jax. Your heart weighed heavier thinking of the wiry, stringy girl with neon green hair who loved explosives. She joined your team when you needed a demolitions expert, and she came highly recommended. Always smiling and laughing, you’d grown to enjoy her company and Shin had taken to her immediately. They’d been an odd but cute couple, with tiny Jax pushing the tall stern Shin from his comfort zone. Then the Pirates captured a group of Republic troops, and Jax happened to be among them. You’d done everything you could to get her back, but by the time you raided the rebel hideout, Jax and the other soldiers were dead. Shot in the back of the head like livestock. You couldn’t prove Hongjoong did it, but he’d given the order. His men do nothing without his say-so. Much like your own.

Sometimes you forgot not everyone loved Hongjoong like you.

“I understand, Shin,” you replied. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I loved Jax too, but she didn’t die in vain. Because of her explosive lines we uncovered the rebel hideout and discovered their plans to break into The Pyramid through the underground tunnels. She…She was a good soul.”

“She was, sir.” You heard him pause again, then he said, “I take it that you’ll oblige his request?”

You shouldn’t. You should decline it and leave Hongjoong to die without ever seeing your face. After everything that has happened between you both, you shouldn't give him the satisfaction. He left you, so why shouldn't you leave him? You knew if you met him, you'd only end up crying and you cannot be seen leaving his containment cell in tears.

“Yeah," you finally said, “I’ll see him.”

You didn’t know what you’d say to him, exactly, but…You wanted to see him one last time, you guessed.

“Very well, sir. Over and out.”

“Over and out.”

You hung up the call and finally reached headquarters. The high wired fence kept a wall between the headquarters to the citizens of the city. Having left your car behind, you walked through the citizen entrance. The guard here wore a black and white uniform, and he nodded when you gave your identification card. You noticed his short, stocky stature, and saw he wore his visor low on his face. You couldn’t recall ever seeing this guard before.

“Where’s Private Lee?” you asked impulsively when he handed you back your card. “He normally does the morning shift.”

“He was ill, sir,” the guard answered back. You’d heard that voice before, you knew you had. “I’m filling his spot until he gets better.”

You saw his name badge, seeing the words 'Kung Shinjin’ with the ‘private’ rank insignia on it. “Private Kung, is it?”

“Yes, sir. At your service.”

“I’ve never seen you before,” you said, “When did you enlist?”

“Two months ago, sir. They transferred me from Sector 2 after training.”

You found that odd, but you didn’t put it at the top of your list. Hongjoong took up too much space in your head.

“Hm, alright,” you said finally. “Welcome to the Pyramid, Private Kung.”

“Thank you, sir.”

You walked up into the white building, and noticed the lack of people inside the main lobby. You guessed everyone’s at the capitol building downtown preparing for the parade and execution. You need to pick up the pace. Shin will no doubt want to talk before the parade begins, most likely to go over itinerary and the parade routes. You told him to keep an eye on them, since Hongjoong’s crew are bound to make an appearance. They'll want to retrieve their captain, and won't hesitate to kill to do it.

Walking into the white and beige main lobby, you noticed two workers near the elevator doors. On a trolley, they rolled tall stacks of boxes towards the steel doors. On one of the boxes you read the name “Sal’s Bakery”. You guessed it was the President’s special celebration treat. He often did this to show appreciation to the military leaders. You expect you’ll have a box waiting on your desk in your office. Walking by them to the opposite elevator, you peeked inside to see dozens of thin white boxes with the bakery logo on them. You saw one worker, a young man with black hair hanging in his face, press the elevator button. The other man with him had short dark hair; both of them wore face masks as required by the Pyramid. A small tinkling caught your enhanced ear, and you saw the second worker drop a ring of keys.

“Oh, hey,” you picked them up, “You dropped this.”

The worker turned to you, but his face mask hid half his face. “Thanks,” he said, taking the keys.

“No problem,” a thought then occurred to you, “Hey, how much to take one of those off your hands? I have a friend in Containment who could use some decent food.”

The two workers shared a look, then the short-haired one said, “Fifty.”

You scoffed at the price, but you supposed that’s what breaking the rules costs. You dug into your pocket for your wallet. You tried not looking at the box or the van for too long. More memories came flooding back to you. Hongjoong chewing on another hot, fresh donut from the box, smiling at a joke you told while you walked to class; him washing it down with a coffee and telling you that you were as sweet as the donuts. He’d always leave you the chocolate frosted ones because he knew how much you liked them. It became a special place for you both before classes. It’s another thing you’d burn down to kill your memories.

You handed the worker the money, and he handed you a box. Opening it, you saw six glazed jelly donuts, still hot and fresh. “Thanks,” you said with a nod and left the workers to their deliveries.

Entering the elevator, you pressed the level 8 button and let the doors close. The Pyramid is twelve stories tall, with General Bok’s office at the very top. The Pyramid was the epicenter of the military base, with housing and training grounds being right behind it nearby. You’re so accustomed to seeing more soldiers here, since the Pyramid is where mostly everyone worked. But, with preparations and security details in place, nearly everyone is at the city center. You honestly preferred it this way. Less people to congratulate you, or tell you how much they admire and support you. What you did wasn’t easy and you never wanted to go through it again. Your eyes landed on the -10 button on the panel.

The Containment Center remained underneath The Pyramid floors starting on ground level and going down ten more floors. The most dangerous or high-profile prisoners remained on levels -9 and -10, so that’s where Hongjoong is kept. You felt the steel box gradually descending, getting further and further from the low levels, and you thought of the time you and Hongjoong had an assignment in Containment.

Your instructor, Major Yoo, sent you to the jails to interrogate a Republic traitor and learn why he’d been caught sifting through a commander’s desk. After intimidating and questioning him, you learned he’d been threatened into the search by a high-ranking officer. When you both passed this information to Yoo, he asked you both what should be done next. You’d suggested arresting the officer immediately, but Hongjoong advised patience. He said they might learn who the officer is working for if they kept surveillance on him. He’d been right. He’d gotten high marks and an award for capturing the traitor, his rebel contact, and the information he’d been passing them.

You were so proud to call him yours.

Your watch pinged again, and you pressed your ear piece.

“Hey Lt,” a smooth voice said over the phone.

“Hey Boggs,” you said. “What’s up?”

“Shin wanted me to tell you that the parade is gonna start soon,” he said, “And to hurry up. You know, because you’re the star of the show.”

You scoffed, “As if. I’m not the one getting executed today. Tell Shin I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“YN…” you heard the seriousness in his voice. Boggs rarely ever used your real name. It was always ‘Lieutenant’ or ‘LT’ or ‘Hwang’. “I know this isn’t the best time, but when this is over and done with, I…I think I’m dropping out of Task Force 66.”

You didn’t ask why or protest. “Because of Sticky?”

“No, because of Jisung…”

Jisung. Another soul lost to Task Force 66’s hunt. The youngest of the whole squadron, he’d become everyone’s little brother. Fresh from the Academy, he had the sharpshooter skills you were looking for; a marksman to rival Jung Wooyoung, best sharpshooter in the entire force. You’d see Jisung make near impossible shots, shoot at multiple moving targets, and never miss once. Sadly, even the far distance couldn’t keep him safe. He’d wanted to impress you, you supposed. He always sought your approval and praise, which you found endearing. “How did I do, Lieutenant?” “Lieutenant, did you see that?! I got him right in the eye through his own scope!”

‘Lieu-Li-Lieutenant, I want to g-g-go ho-home…’

Private Do Jisung died in a battle fighting rebel forces in Sector 8, an industrial area of factories and refineries supplying the capital. You’d learned Hongjoong and his crew would be there, hiding out underneath an abandoned chemical factory, and you couldn’t miss the opportunity. You couldn’t stop yourself from picturing you and Jisung moving side-by-side in the large factory. The grenade came through one of the broken windows, rolling and stopping by a few boxes labeled ‘chemical hazard’ on them. You didn’t have a chance to see who’d thrown it, but you did see Jisung dive right in front of you. The small grenade set off a chain reaction, causing barrels and boxes of flammable chemicals to explode all around you. His legs blown off in the blast, the medic couldn’t get to you because of the raging fires. You remember dragging him through the building, heat and smoke filling your lungs, until you brought him outside. You’ll never forget his ashen face going into shock. He died right there in your arms. The medic wasn’t needed. Jisung was only twenty.

“What about Jisung?” you asked, watching the elevator numbers slowly go down. It’s slower underground. You hated it.

“It’s the officials,” he said. “They told Jisung’s parents he died in an accident, but that couldn’t be right. The factory turned out to be a dead end, remember? Kim and his crew weren’t there, and the place was empty. I only saw one person there, and they got away before I could catch them. Why would they say it was an accident when it wasn’t?”

“They don’t really have proof that the guy you saw was there,” you explained, though something about it sat wrong with you.

“But you saw that grenade go through the window.”

No explanation for that. You vividly recall the small black ball going through a lit up window and smacking onto the floor. You’d heard it seconds before Jisung, who then pushed you out of the way.

"Maybe they don't want to admit we were caught off guard," you finally said.

But you knew the opposite. Something about the entire situation bothered you, and Boggs knew it too. You wondered if Shin suspected the same thing.

"So, you're leaving us then?" You asked, trying not to seem disappointed. "Where are you gonna go?"

"I don't know. Maybe get a security post like my dad did. We can talk about that later," he said.

"How's Sticky?"

Pak Sunmi. Quick thinking and tough, she joined your team with four years of service under her belt. Slight and long, Sunmi had many specialties but the biggest was getting into places others can’t. Not only with her good looks and non-threatening appearance, but with the parkour skills she picked up at a young age. You swore she flew through the sky when she ran, jumping and flipping and sliding like the wind carried here. You once joked she must have sticky hands to be able to hold onto surfaces so easily, and the nickname stuck.

During your capture-and-detain mission on The Valiant, Sunmi crossed paths with Jeong Yunho. Him being several inches taller did not stop Sunmi from taking him one on one. You didn’t see the fight yourself, but Boggs had found her lying unconscious in the ship’s upper deck. The hospital medics told you she suffered severe cranial damage, and would need to be kept in the hospital until her surgery wounds healed.

“She’s holding up,” he answered. “Her head hurts like a bitch, and she’s trying to get used to the metal plates in her skull, but she’s good. She convinced the doctors to let her see the parade."

"Is that safe?"

"I don't think so, but I'm not a doctor." He then added, "She said she wanted to talk to you too. Something wasn't right about what happened to Jisung, and she mentioned what happened to her too."

"What do you mean-

‘-Level -7: Containment Center Administration Offices and Directory.’

“I gotta go,” you told him, “I’ll see you later.”

“Alright, Lt. Over and out.”

“Over and out.”

You stepped out of the elevator and walked over to a receptionist desk where a young woman with orange corkscrew curls sat typing.

“Excuse me,” you said, “I’m-”

“-Lieutenant Hwang,” she smiled, “Yes, I was told you’d be on your way here. He’s in cell 03 on level 10.” She punched in a few numbers, and a label popped out of a printer on the desk. “Here, scan that in the elevator and it’ll take you further down.”

“Thanks.”

You turned to leave when her voice stopped you. "Um, Lieutenant?"

"Yeah."

She nervously rolled her pencil between her fingers and said, "I just wanted to say…I think you're a real hero."

Her words didn't shock you like they should. "For capturing a well known rebel outlaw, yeah-"

"-No, for what you did for those people in the lower sectors," she corrected. "I had no idea people outside the city suffered so much until I saw them on television. Those poor children…they must've been so scared, and those women…It makes me sick thinking about it. You were so brave to go into that town and do what you did. I don't think I could've done that."

The border town. That's what she's talking about, you realize. You and your squad rode out to a town on a border to refuel and stock up supplies. When you arrived, it was chaos. Women were rounded up like livestock in a pig pen; dead men hung from posts and roof tops, naked and burned. You first thought it'd been outlaws who raided the village, but to your horror, you learned it was a Republic squadron. You confronted their commander, who you discovered initiated the attack. He claimed they'd been harboring rebel soldiers. You saw right through his lie.

And shot him point blank. Just like the other three.

A young journalist hiding in a crate captured the "heroic moment" on camera and survivors of the raid told him their stories. Their suffering at the hands of the Republic opened up the eyes of city citizens, who'd been kept ignorant to the plight of those outside. The news started a string of charity events and fundraisers for the poor, homeless people in the sectors. Being charitable became trendy, and you kept being invited to gala after gala as a speaker. You hated it. You've never been good at speeches. But, the money went to the people who needed it the most. Seeing the sunken faces of starving children curl into smiles as they carried home sacks of oil, grain, and water made the "trend" worth it.

You thought you and the crew would be imprisoned for killing the commander and his men but it never came. In fact, they awarded your squad medals of honor and heroism. General Bok declared the offending squadron as war criminals and deserters of the Republic; a bullet is what they deserved. He proclaimed your squadron personified everything the Republic stood for.

You knew that wasn’t true.

"It was the right thing to do," you shrugged. "Those people weren't the enemy. They were innocent." Much like the people in that hospital. You felt sick all over again.

"I'm glad that at least there are some good soldiers still out there," she said. "Hopefully with The Pirate King dead, the war will end and everything will be alright."

You didn't have the heart to tell her how the war ending meant nothing.

"Hopefully. Have a good day."

"You too."

You went back to the elevator down to the tenth level, pressing your label against the scanner until the doors closed. The government did a good job convincing people that the world will be as it was when the war ends. All their problems will be solved and things will return to normal. You didn’t see how that could be possible. Both sides have gone too far to ever be what they once were.

When the doors opened again, the chill of the underground levels pinched your cheeks. White walls, linoleum floors and fluorescent lighting gave the holding cells a sterilized look. Walking down them, your footsteps made almost no sound, as if the walls absorbed the soft taps instead of bouncing them back. No wonder people went insane down there. You walked past several guards posted at doors or coming around corners, all of them nodding at you when you passed.

High-profile prisoners of the state had large cells locked behind two sets of doors. The first room you entered had a guard sitting behind a desk and another standing ready by the door. With a show of your label, the desk guard let you through. The door guard opened the main door into another small room with a thick, steel door on the other side. He opened this for you, then let you walk into the antechamber.

“Fifteen minutes, Lieutenant,” the guard said, voice muffled by his mask.

“Don't worry. It won't be long. Thank you, soldier.”

He popped open the steel door, and you walked inside. In a room of white, he stood out like a sore thumb. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, The Pirate King looked vastly different from the boy in your memories. Hongjoong’s cyan hair hung over his eyes and undercut on the sides

He had more ear piercings, indicated by the small holes your bionic eye picked up instantly. He wasn't taller, but he'd gotten buff for sure. Years of being on the run and fighting Republic soldiers certainly took their abuse on his body. However, what caught your attention instantly was his left hand. Made of steel plates, you saw the thin wiring between them every time he moved his hand. Since he kept his sleeves rolled up, you saw it went well past where your hatchet cut him. When he turned at your footsteps, he paused. He kept his eyes on your face, stunned and unable to look away. He'd once looked at you that way. At the Prestige Academy Winter Ball, where he told you that you outshone every girl there.

"I know," you said. "Not as pretty as I was at the winter dance."

"You'll always be beautiful to me," he replied, and you didn't see a trace of a lie. Not even when your sensors checked his vitals and pupils. "I didn't do that to you, did I?"

"No. One of Song’s bombs did," you replied. You then lifted your pant leg to show him your metal leg, "You did this." You then looked at his hand again. His screams from that fight echoed in your ears; the blood that spewed and gushed from the wound and his pained cries churned your stomach. "They couldn't fix it?"

"No. Yeosang said you'd cut it almost in two," he said. "Thankfully, he and Mingi made this for me. It's not a shiny Republic model, but it works." He stared at your leg, "You didn't upgrade?"

"I didn't want to."

"Long pants at training?"

"Shorts still. I wanted to inspire my men."

"Like a true Republic Lieutenant." You hated hearing that. Hongjoong noticed this change in you, and said, “Are you not a Lieutenant?”

“I am,” you straightened up.

He eyed you closely, not speaking. You hated it when he did that. It was the look he gave when he interrogated a prisoner, and wanted to read them. You squirm underneath his stare. He didn’t say anything at first, but you knew he would soon. He walked forward and sat a foot away from the glass. You did the same, pushing the plastic chair aside. Leaning forward, you pressed your label to a scanner, and a flap opened.

"I got donuts," you said, pushing the box through the hole to him.

Hongjoong hesitated. He looked between you and the donut box, and you saw his jaw clench. “I thought you might be hungry,” you instantly explained. “If you don’t want them, you don’t have to eat them.”

“No, it’s good,” his expression instantly changed back to a casual one, which threw you off, “Thanks.”

Gingerly, he opened the box and stared inside before picking out a donut. You watched him eat the first once, shutting his eyes and taking in the sweet treat. Your hands curled up into fists as you bit back the lump in your throat again. A vision of a blue-haired boy eating a donut, wearing his white academy uniform, and smiling at you crossed your mind. It plunged a knife into your chest, and you regretted coming here.

“Why did you ask for me?" You asked him, not masking your discomfort at all.

"I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to be dead in a few hours, and I wanted to see your face," he admitted openly.

"Why?"

"Because I still care about you."

"I was sent to capture you," you said. "I was assigned an entire task force to hunt you down, subdue you and bring you here to your death. I haven’t seen you in three years. The last time I did see you, I nearly chopped off your hand and you severed my leg." Anger festered in your stomach and couldn’t stop it from surging hotly. You leaned in closer to the glass, glaring at him. Why did he do this to you? Why does he still have this effect? You hated the uncertainty. You hated the ‘not-knowing’. "Why did you ask me to come?"

Hongjoong hesitated over his donut, then said, "I wanted to know exactly when a loyalist, a servant of the Republic, lost her faith."

You knew what he meant, but didn't respond.

"The YN I remember would blindly follow any order her superiors gave her," he said. "She did whatever they asked, no matter how morally wrong it was. You…you're not her anymore. I’ve heard about the things you’ve done out there in the field. People I’ve met always mention a Republic woman with one eye saved them, or came to their side when they needed it. A true Republic soldier would sooner shoot a person than offer her hand. So, when did it happen?"

You'd avoided talking too much about it. If you went too deeply, it'd open up things you wanted locked away. You stared at him, arms crossed, and couldn't stop thinking of the little boy who you met at a fancy dinner party years and years ago.

"The kids," you heard yourself say. "I was on patrol with my crew when we came across a supply outpost. We'd finished sweeping out rebel hideouts along sectors 4 and 5, and decided to regroup with others in the area there. The plan was to refuel, restock our supplies, then head back to the camp. I'm there giving cover as my team started refueling when I noticed a black truck near one of the fuel spouts. It had the Republic seal on the side, but it didn't look like any truck I recognized. It reminded me of those supply trucks that come in and out of bases." You took a second, picturing the large truck sitting at the edge of the small camp site. There'd only been one other group there at the time, so it could only have been theirs. "I was walking by it when I…" you gulped thickly, "Heard someone inside." You held yourself tightly. It'd been sweltering hot that day. The humid heat stuck your clothes to your skin, and you thought you might die from the heat. "I saw some soldiers not paying attention, so I used my baton to open the back. They…I saw…I…they looked so small, and so scared."

"The kids?"

"It was boiling in that truck, and the air smelled horrible," you said, gulping the lump in your throat. "They had these water jugs attached to their cages and I saw candy wrappers and chip bags on the floor. They were dirty, tired and hot. One boy looked like he might pass out. I gave him my water, and asked who they were and why they were there. A girl told me soldiers went into their town and killed everyone…and took the kids…I…I couldn't believe they were Republic. I thought the soldiers might be outlaws pretending to be soldiers to get through barricades easier." You bit the inside of your cheek to keep the tears back. Too many things threatened to make you cry, and you wouldn't leave here crying. "I confronted the driver. He didn't even seem scared or bothered. He said that a commander ordered them to round up some kids for an indoctrination process. I had no idea what that meant, and he said I didn't need to know…"

"Indoctrination?"

"It was a lie," you waved it away. "One of his comrades came up to us next, recognized me from the Academy, and told me the truth. He said some big commanding officer gave him and his squad money to smuggle kids into the city. I was…it was sick. I couldn't believe him. I thought he was making it up. I," you squeezed your eye shut as you remembered what you did next. "I shot him. No questions. No comments or concerns. I pulled my side arm out and shot him point blank. I did the same to the driver and the third person on their team."

"Then you freed the kids."

"Then I let them out, yeah. I want to say that this was a one time thing and I didn't dig into it deeper, but I did. I contacted Internal Affairs and they did an investigation. Do you want to know what they found?"

"What?"

"That there was an entire child ring going through our government," you spat in disgust. "Elite officials would contact someone within the patrol squads to go into active rebel areas, kill everyone, and take the children. Then they'd…it was horrible. I thought those responsible would see justice and be imprisoned, but nobody was. The lower level guys were jailed, but not the ones above them. Those people received no consequence at all. Not even after the news came out about it. Nobody was punished. They were let go."

"Republic Justice only applies to the poor," Hongjoong said, "Not the ones meant to uphold it."

"I was disgusted. I'd sworn an oath to uphold and defend the laws put in place by the Republic," you replied. "I swore to protect and serve the people of this country. I bled, I fought, and I killed for this nation, and then to turn around and see the people who made those same oaths breaking them. It made me question myself, and I hate that."

"I know what you mean," he said. "That's how I felt when I saw Republic soldiers shooting wounded people coming out of a burning hospital.”

Your eyes glanced at the clock in the room. It’d been ten minutes already.

“You’re not a bad person, YN,” he said. “Even I know what you did in that little border town. You saved those people-”

“-I didn’t,” you cut him off. “I came way too late to do anything meaningful-”

“-Your little heroic act opened up people’s eyes to what’s going on outside the walls,” he said.

“People only know about it because a journalist happened to capture it live.”

“The things you’ve done since then prove you’re not a bad person,” he said. “The people of the Republic respect and admire you because you genuinely care about them. You see injustice being done and stop it, rather than leave it be. How many of your comrades will say they would’ve done what you did? Not many.” He let your words hang between you, and he finished his donut. “Did they punish you for shooting the guy?”

“No,” you said. “They gave me a medal.”

He snorted, “For killing one of your own?”

“They deemed the squad who did it as war criminals, and said that’s the Republic’s justice at work,” you sighed, shaking your head. “The Republic’s Justice…What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means killing people who don’t comply with their rules or make them look bad,” he said. "It means covering up their tracks, inventing stories and intimidating people into silence."

“I should’ve gon-”

You stopped yourself before the words fully came out. Hongjoong and you both stared at one another. You wouldn’t tell him about all the nights you envisioned having followed him, and being together. “I wish you had too,” he said softly, “But then we’d both be dying and I don’t want that.”

“Even after everything?”

“I never wanted you dead, YN. I still don’t, even if you want me dead-”

“-I was only following orders-”

“Then why didn’t you kill me?”

You hesitated.

“When you found me in the lower deck of my ship-”

“-Is it really a ‘ship’ if it’s on land?-

“-You could’ve shot me on sight,” he pressed on. “You could’ve put a rain of bullets through me, and made up a story afterwards. I wasn’t armed. I wasn’t threatening you. I didn’t put up a fight. Killing me right then would’ve been the easiest part of your day, but when you burst into that room with your rifle trained on me, you didn’t pull the trigger.”

“They ordered me to bring you in alive, and despite my own morals, I follow instructions,” you excused, though this wasn’t true and he knew it.

“It’s pointless to lie to a dead man,” he told you. “If you were only following orders, why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance? Hm? You know that there's the high possibility I'll escape or that my public execution could stir up more trouble outside. You can tell anyone who would listen that you’re just doing your job, and you can pretend you’re a loyalist all you want, but you and I both know the real reason you didn’t shoot me.” He pushed the donut box aside and came right up to the glass. The hostility and animosity of the previous minutes softened, making you fall into his big brown eyes like you used to. “And they know it too,” he whispered. “Don’t go to the parade.”

His sudden warning threw you off. “What?”

“Don’t go," he pleaded. "Please. Promi-”

“-Time’s up, Lieutenant.”

“I love y-”

A large hand gripped your arm to pull you up. Your eyes remained focused on Hongjoong. What did he mean? Sudden dread and fear filled your bones. Hongjoong didn’t say anything else, but you saw the tears pooling in his eyes as the soldier pulled you through the chamber door. What was going to happen at the parade? A possible jailbreak could be the only explanation. Perhaps Hongjoong coordinated his capture so that he’d be in the Pyramid, where his forces could strike an assault on the city. He doesn’t want you to be there when the fighting starts, but if he thinks you’ll sit by while it happens, he’s clearly forgotten a lot about you. The soldier roughly pushed you from the main room and back out into the hallway. You gave him one last glare before heading back to the elevator. If Hongjoong’s crew intended to sabotage the parade in any way, people needed to be warned. You tapped the ‘call’ button on your watch, which linked to your ear implant right away.

“Lieutenant,” Shin’s voice came over the line, “The parade is gonna start soon, and I'd like to go over routes before-"

"-How many men do we have on the street?"

"Pardon?"

"How many men are currently on patrol?"

"A hundred or so," he said. "Why?"

"The Pirates are going to be there," you said, punching the ground level button with your fist. Anxiousness sparked the nerves already wiring your body. You watched the numbers begin to climb slowly. "Kim just as good as told me himself. I don't know where they're going to be or what their plan is, but I want those men armed and ready."

"Hold on," it was Boggs, "We're fighting?"

"-Boggs!-"

"-I'm not sure," you continued, impatiently watching the elevator rise from the ground. “I don’t know anything for certain, but I want firepower on the ground.”

“The General said he didn’t want any guns,” Shin managed to gain control of the communicator again. You heard Bogg’s deep voice somewhere in the background, “We’d be defying direct orders.”

“He’ll understand once I explain it,” you said.

Your mind began moving a million miles a minute. You addressed your wrist band and scanned around for the map application. A map of the city projected from the small screen. You saw red lines going through the parade route, lines you yourself drew up. “Captain,” you called Shin, “I want squads one through five scanning the rooftops, and squads six through nine sweeping the buildings. Ten, eleven, and twelve can stick to the city center, and thirteen can surround The President’s car.”

“I’ll get right on it, sir,” Shin replied.

You heard a bit of commotion and grunting before Bogg’s voice came through. “Lieutenant, what do you need from me?”

“Contact the armory and get on the radio channel,” you said, “Tell everyone the news and start getting them geared up.”

“-Damnit, Boggs! Give me my communicator!-

“-And then I want you and Shin to meet me here at the Pyramid,” you told him. “If The Pirates are in the city,” the elevator finally reached the ground floor, “One or two of them are likely to be on the route from here to the city center.”

“You got it, sir,” Boggs confirmed. “Want me to alert Sunmi?”

“She's not in fighting condition. Get moving.”

“Yes, sir.”

You both hung up and pressed the top floor button. Dialing another number in your wristband, you waited until the person answered.

“General Bok Kyungmin’s office, Jalissa speaking,” said a melodic woman’s voice.

“Jalissa, this is Lieutenant Hwang YN,” you told her, “Is General Bok still there?”

“He is, Lieutenant. Would you like me to patch you through to him?”

“As soon as you can, please.”

“One minute, please.”

You curled your hand into a fist to stop it from shaking. Hongjoong's warning rang in your head. If it was an attack, his warning sounded odd. The pitch. The inflection. The way his eyes watered when he whispered it to you. It didn't sound like a threat or an amused warning. He didn't want you to go there. Hongjoong protected you, of course, but he never tried stopping you. He'd go with you. He’d strap on his own weapon to give you cover. Hongjoong, this time, did not want you in the way.

"Lieutenant Hwang," General Bok's raspy voice sounded in your ear, "I just heard your man Boggs over the radio. Is this threat legitimate?"

"I'm afraid it is, sir."

You explained to him that you'd obliged Hongjoong’s last request for a meeting and what he'd told you. Bok listened without interrupting, but you sensed the apprehension on the other end. You told him the plans you put into motion, and your suspicions.

"I figure it is better to be safe than sorry, sir," you finished, standing outside and scanning the area for Boggs and Shin. "If The Pirates are here, whatever plans they have could impact hundreds. I say we issue an evacuation plan."

"No," he said abruptly. "To evacuate at this stage will let them know we're onto them. This might be our best chance at capturing the rest of them."

"Sir, there will be civilians on the street," you said, stunned by his words. "I think we should be trying to avoid as few casualties as we can. If they have bombs, sir, they will kill hundreds."

"And send everyone into a panic?" He said. "There will be hysteria in the streets if we start an evacuation. Keep this news as down low as possible. We don’t want a riot on our hands. Stay at Kim’s side and don’t take your eyes off him.”

“But, sir-”

“-That’s an order, Lieutenant.”

And you always follow orders. “Yes, sir,” you said defeatedly.

“You and the rest of your team go to the Containment exit and escort Kim to the city center,” he said next. “I will meet you there.”

“Yes, sir.”

He hung up without another word, and you moved into action. The exit for Containment was located behind The Pyramid, in a closed off section that required special permission to pass through. You pressed your badge to the gate, and walked through into a garage of black armored vans and trucks. You relaid the General's instructions to Shin as you found the Containment garage entrance; you told them you'd meet them at the city center instead. Going to an emergency cage, you unlocked the gate and pulled out one of the automatic rifles lined up. Clicking on the magazine, you double checked the safety button, and then slung it over your shoulder. You kept your side arm attached to your thigh, so you only checked the clip for bullets. Your foot tapped as you waited for Hongjoong’s truck; his warning came back to you. Coupled with the General's odd orders, you couldn't stop the unsettlement poking at your nerves.

The elevator doors from the Containment Center opened, and you saw Hongjoong, wrists and ankles chained together, surrounded by four soldiers dressed in black uniforms. You would've thought they were twins with their long bodies and height. They kept their visors down, and guns to their chests. They must've been ordered to shoot-to-kill if Hongjoong tried escaping. Turning around, you faced the two soldiers from earlier. They gave each other a glance at the sight of you, looked at Hongjoong behind them, and then back at you.

"At ease, soldiers," you told them, "General Bok has instructed me to accompany your escort team."

"That isn't necessary, Lieutenant," one of them said. "We can handle him from here."

"I'm not asking," you said a bit firmly. "Let's get him loaded in and move out." When they didn't react, you glared, "I said 'move out', soldiers."

They all exited the elevator and you walked beside Hongjoong.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, unbothered by the soldiers around you both.

"What a Lieutenant is supposed to do when a rebel terrorist warns them of an attack," you answered. "I informed my superiors and put safety precautions in place."

You reached the Containment truck. The President had this truck especially made for prisoners heading for their execution. The size of the usual large vans, the back of the truck is made of shatter-proof glass lined with steel borders. Only the prisoner is meant to be loaded in there with two guards. You intended on being one of them. His men will come for him, and you'd be ready if they did. The two soldiers went to the front seats, while you loaded Hongjoong into the glass cage. Sitting across from one another, your back to the front driver's seat and his to the back doors, you two were once again alone.

"You shouldn't be here," Hongjoong said. "I told you not to come."

"If you think I'm going to let your little pirate friends attack this city," you said, "You've clearly forgotten things about me."

"That's not what I was talking about," he leaned in closer to you. “They’re planning to kill you.”

Once upon a time, you would’ve scoffed and brushed him off. Yet, after seeing how the Republic handles ‘problems’, you hesitated before speaking. “You’re lying,” you decided. “You’re trying to throw me off, and it’s not going to work.”

“When have I ever lied to you, YN?” he asked you, eyes pleading with you. “Your friend, Jisung? The one who died in that factory explosion?”

You glared, “What about him?”

“The intel you received about that place wasn’t real,” he said. “We were never there. They told you to go there because they hoped you’d die in the explosion they set up.”

You thought back to the factory, a building made of stone and wood, full of plastic and wooden crates and barrels of hazardous chemicals. Back then, you simply thought whoever owned the factory left behind the materials. Yet, truly digging into your mind, you never heard of a business not completely gutting out their factories or warehouses. They might have abandoned equipment, but not materials, especially expensive and rare ones. Then, you recalled the little click and thump that happened seconds before the explosions. You remembered Boggs telling you about the person he’d seen.

“You blew up that factory,” you said, frozen in place in your seat. You hardly noticed the truck reaching the gates.

“You really think I did that?” he sneered at you. “My crew might be known for blowing stuff up, but we don’t do it pointlessly. If I bomb a place, it’s for a specific reason. It’s to make a statement. We had no reason to light up that factory. It was in the middle of nowhere, abandoned, and useless to anyone but the homeless. We would’ve wasted our resources blowing it up.” He paused, “He wasn’t the target. The building wasn’t the target. You were.”

He let the words hang between you for a few seconds before the truck stopped at the main gate. He must be lying.

“I’m sure they didn’t mean for your comrade to die, but these things happen in war.”

He never lied to you. Not a single time. No matter which side you move to, Hongjoong never lies. Meanwhile, your government lied countless times. You didn’t want to show him any uncertainty. The clear truck finally made its way onto the streets where people lined the sidewalks. Several of them saw Hongjoong, and you saw the hard glares and the objects they threw at him as it passed. You heard muffled jeers through the glass, people thankful that he is going to the noose. Yet you couldn’t help notice the few people who recognized you sitting in there with him. They waved their Republic flags, beamed brightly at you and called out your name. Students from Prestige Academy still in their crisp white uniforms, jumped up and down to get a tiny nod from you. Your heart fell into your stomach. They had no idea.

“They love you more than they hate me,” Hongjoong smiled slyly. “I wonder why that is?”

“Shut up,” you said quietly.

“Could it be that they see you as a hero?-”

“-I said ‘shut up’, inmate-”

“-That they see you as someone who gets things done?-”

“-What part of ‘shut up’ do you not understand?-”

“-Unlike our president who sits back and does nothing to help his suffering people? The same president who sat by as officers violated and abused innocent children? The same man who did nothing to punish those responsible for dozens of raids on border towns where innocent women, children and men were slaughtered like animals?” He leaned forward, eyes locked on you. “The person whose reputation you tarnished when you shot those soldiers?”

It made sense. You hated to admit what Hongjoong said could be plausible. You’ve seen what happens to those deemed enemies of the state. You watched several executions of people who may have shed a bad light on the president specifically. A lieutenant who uncovered disturbing, disgusting truths about him and his officials could very much be next. But why didn’t he simply have you arrested? The answer came to you through the people on the street. A woman on the street holding a magazine with your whole face on it told you why. She held your face. Not Yoon’s. You thought of the vendor from this morning.

‘You’ve done a lot more for people than Yoon for sure.’

“He’s in his mansion,” Hongjoong continued, “Gorging himself on delicacies that people could only dream of eating. He throws these grand parties at his home while people all around him struggle to put shoes on their kids’ feet. He could stop this war at any point; he could call a cease-fire and discuss negotiations with the leaders, but no. He lets it continue because he’s secretly being paid by war profiteers who are reaping the benefits of this ongoing war. He doesn’t care about the poor. He only cares about the rich,” he then said, “The people saw you defend those who needed you, and they saw that their leaders wouldn’t do the same. You wouldn’t use their hard earned tax money to have all this fan fare over an execution. You’d put a bullet in my head and call it a day.”

“It’d be cheaper, for sure.”

“Do you read the papers at all?” he asked.

“I’m not always near a newsstand.”

“President Yoon’s public approval went down by 15-points when the news about the kids came out, and when people saw nothing was being done,” he said. “It went down even further when people learned what was going on in the sectors outside of here. People saw him doing nothing about it, and lost trust in him.” He gazed over your face, eyes landing on your lips before going to your eyes, “They saw you at those border towns, giving food to starving kids, and saw someone who can be a leader.”

“I’m not a leader.”

“Yes, you are, and they don’t like that.”

“I don’t believe you,” you said. “You’re trying to get me off my game. You’re using this to distract me so when your men show up, I’m not fully aware of it.”

“You know I’m telling the truth,” he said.

“Where did you even get this information?” you asked irritably.

“Yeosang came upon it a few weeks ago,” he replied. “When he hacked into the intelligence main frame in hopes of finding plans for the new bombs your people are building. He found a locked file, and being nosey, he broke into it to find a list of people labeled as ‘person of interest’. He found that the Intelligence Division had been tasked with keeping surveillance on certain people: politicians who spoke out against the Republic, billionaires who they’d bribed into supporting the cause, and people suspected of working for the rebellion. He cross checked that list with the names of people who died under ‘mysterious circumstances’, and a good chunk of them are dead now. Poisonings, accidents, and unsolved murders were a common theme.” He paused, looking over your face once more, “Your name was on there, YN. It’s why I came here. You have shown your distaste at the Republic, and there’s a strong likelihood you’ll join the rebel cause. If you do, you’ll have all the information we’d need to defeat them.” He saw your hesitation, and said, “You know they’re corrupt enough to do it.”

It sounded too coincidental. It sounded like the sort of thing an enemy would come up with to distract you. Yet, was Hongjoong truly an enemy? A real enemy wouldn’t give away his own jailbreak. Had you captured any other rebel leader, they wouldn’t be with you right now. As the truck went up the street, you considered his words again.

Boggs mentioned seeing someone throwing the grenade into a window seconds before the explosion. If they wanted to go unnoticed, they’d wear all black to blend in with the night. You remembered the factory again. Most rebel hideouts showed signs of someone having lived there: sleeping bags, empty food cans, tables and chalkboards with photos and maps taped on them. The factory really looked empty with old cobwebs and dusty floors. Only chemical barrels remained behind in the rusty factory. But, were they really abandoned there or did someone place them there? You’re not sure.

“You’re not a stupid woman, YN,” Hongjoong said. “They would’ve asked you to escort me to the platform, so then they can shoot you and blame me for it.” You saw his face become hard, holding back whatever emotions swelled up inside him. “That’s what they told you when you radioed in, right?”

And you always follow orders.

Except the times you did not; the two times where you broke your oaths to The Republic and shot your ‘brothers in arms’. You’d indirectly and unintentionally exposed the corruption and perversion infecting your government. By releasing those children and liberating that town, you showed that you took your oath to ‘protect and serve’ seriously, while those above you did not. You turned back to the street where more people jeered at Hongjoong and cheered for you.

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because they can’t hear us here. They think you won’t believe me, which is why you're here.”

Because you always follow orders.

Your superiors believe you’re a blissfully ignorant soldier who does what they say without question. Yet, lately you’ve been proving them wrong and they can’t have that. You tried thinking of all the ways that he could be lying, but another fact always contradicted the first.

“Be vigilant when we step out of this truck,” he said. “Wooyoung isn’t the only sniper up high.”

“How do I know he won’t shoot me and let someone else take the blame?”

“Because he isn’t a snake like them. He has his reasons for joining us, and for wanting to help rescue you.”

“Like what?”

“It’s not my story to tell.”

The truck drove through into the city center. A large roundabout circling a golden fountain, you leaned against the window to see three beautiful statues: one was a woman with a blindfold holding two scales to signify The Republic’s blind justice; the third was a soldier crossing two swords over his head to signify the Republic’s strength and force, and the third was an androgynous figure holding a dove on their finger which signified the Republic's peace and prosperity. Three things that the Republic no longer had: peace, justice or strength. At the end of the motorcade stood Republic Hall, the courthouse and city hall combined. Standing up tall and made of white marble, you remembered you and Hongjoong receiving your graduation papers on the front steps. You’d both made your vows there like every other official did. Only difference is that you both upheld your promises.

“I solemnly swear to uphold the justice, peace and strength of The People’s Republic,” Hongjoong said softly. “I wonder which one of us actually meant that when they said it: us or them?”

The crowds here thickened throughout the morning, so people stood right up against the barricades keeping them off the street. Your chest filled with dread realizing they all stood underneath very tall stone buildings. If Hongjoong’s men have planted any explosives, they’ll be in those buildings and the people below will be casualties. You’d wanted to evacuate but The General disagreed. Why would he do that? These people have no part in his war on the rebellion. They shouldn’t be there. It didn’t matter how many uniforms carried weapons now; they’ll all be caught in the crossfires. The people standing on their balconies and hanging out of their windows will get the worst of it, since they’ll likely be closest to the explosions. You noticed, though, the amount of unoccupied windows. Their curtains drawn, they showed no signs of life behind their frames. People watching on television? Why watch on the television when it’s happening right outside their window? You envisioned Jung Wooyoung, a member of the sniper division, sitting behind one of them with his rifle trained right on you. But, right behind that came the vision of a faceless, nameless Republic sniper who is also only obeying his orders.

These pictures made every nerve in your body sink into adrenaline. Fight mode. No flight. Always fight.

The truck eventually stopped right at the steps of the building. Standing in front of them was a wooden platform a crew constructed overnight. A basic gallows with the Republic flag hanging behind it, a singular noose hung from the rafters above a trap door. The young girl still in love wanted to reach for him. She wanted to hug and kiss him deeply one last time. She wanted to confess everything she felt, and how sorry and stupid she was. Your eyes met his as the truck came to a complete stop.

“I don’t want you to die,” you said quietly, as if the universe might hear you and hasten his end.

“I don’t want you to die either,” he said solemnly. “I love you, YN. I always have. I still do. I don’t think I’m incapable of loving you, even if you chop off my hand.”

“To be fair, you blew up half my face and crippled my leg.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you either. I thought I was…” the words died in your throat. “I…” you squeezed your good eye shut, “You shouldn’t love me.”

“But I do.”

“Why?”

You saw the two soldiers climb out of the truck. “Because even when we both went for blood, grappling and fighting one another, I still missed you. I missed you in my bones, love.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“But I do.”

“But you shouldn’t,” you said through gritted teeth, your mouth going dry and throat closing up.

“You’re not a bad person, YN. You just work for bad people. You’re still that girl who used to feed stray cats, give money to the homeless, and always tried to do the right thing despite what other people said. You’re a good person.”

You saw them rounding to the back of the truck.

“I’m not that person anymore.”

“She’s in there. I know she is.”

“And she’s a fool,” you spat back at him, tears burning your eyes. No, you can’t cry now. “A fool who believed in the goodness of people; who believed that at the end of the day, justice prevailed. She thought she was fighting for the right side. The good side. There is no good side in a war-” they reached the back doors and stood to open them, “-Just a lesser of two evils.”

The roaring crowd finally reached your ears as the doors opened. You jumped out before anyone noticed your face, and stood aside for Hongjoong to be guided onto the pavement. You didn’t want to think anymore about what Kim Hongjoong feels for you. It only made your job harder. You couldn’t be distracted right now. Tapping your earpiece, the normal vision on your bionic eye changed to the infrared vision. It picked up the yellows, reds and orange heat of the people on the ground, but your eye swiveled away from them to the buildings above. You saw more figures blocking the view, but your eye stayed on the empty ones. Your good eyes searched for Shin and Boggs, who’d you’d told to meet you here. Perhaps they’d been held up.

Or worse.

Once the soldiers cuffed him again, doing their best not to tighten around his metal hand, you all began walking to the platform. There, you saw three people seated behind a podium to the left of the noose right by a set of stairs. General Bok sat farthest from the stairs, whipping his head away when he spotted you approaching; Vice President Han, a portly man with a shiny bald head and small thin-rimmed glasses on his long nose, and President Yoon. President Yoon was a tall, narrow man with thinning black hair and tight tanned skin. The plastic surgery often popular in the city showed in his thin nose bridge and puffy lips. You realized then that you hated him. Innocent children were trafficked and sold into sex slavery, and he didn’t seek justice because they were not Republic children. If anything, he benefited from it or took part in it. To him, the people in the sectors are not human, and should be treated as such. They are not important. They do not matter. What kind of president does that? Like Hongjoong said, he could stop the war at any time, yet insists it’s important that it continues. It is destroying his country, and he doesn’t care because it is not affecting him personally. The idea of this man having a hit list didn’t sound entirely off base. The two men with her were no better.

You took your position at the bottom of the staircase, gun at your chest and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Your squadmates still remained missing. Shin told you they’d been around the city center. Your infrared vision did not pick up anyone in the buildings or roofs above. Then, someone called out to you:

“Lieutenant Hwang, please come up here and join us.”

Yoon had spoken, and he stared at you with a friendly smile. It felt as if someone filled your insides with snow.

“Me, sir?”

“Yes,” he nodded, beckoning you up the steps. When you shakily reached the landing, he said, “I’d like you to be here with us,” he said, “You are responsible for The Pirate King’s capture and incarceration. I think it’s only right that you share some of the spotlight.”

“I was only doing my job, sir. I didn’t do it for any glory or-”

“-Like Bok said,” he laughed, “Modest until the end. Come. Don’t be shy.”

He guided you to a spot a few feet behind him. You glanced over to Bok, who did not meet your eyes. Coward. If he is in on this assassination attempt, the least he can do is look at you.

The soldiers walked Hongjoong across the stage, and your eyes met his. You noticed his watered with tears, even if he kept his composure and defiance up to the very end. Your own eye teared up again. Every laugh, every cry, every success and failure together flashed before you. The boy who loved glazed donuts and coffee, who wrote songs and loved music, was walking to his death because of you. You brought him here. You hunted him like a dog because the men around you said so. And how trustworthy are they? You watched them walk him right underneath the hanging noose. Your eyes stayed on him. You wanted to put every piece of him to memory before you lose it forever: the blue hair he genetically implanted to look cool, the perfect proportions of his body, the several piercings he had, and his bionic hand. Yeosang and Mingi did quite a job on it. You saw blinking lights right around the vital signs to keep track of his heartbeat which remained steady.

“Welcome, citizens of The Republic,” Yoon began his speech, his voice booming over the cheering crowd. “I thank you all for being here with us as we celebrate this triumphant day. This day will be marked in history as the beginning of the end of our struggles-”

You remember when those hands used to expertly disassemble and assemble rifles in record time. They were capable of pain and pleasure in equal amounts. You missed them. You missed him. Perhaps you’ll join Boggs and resign from command. You don’t want to do this anymore. You don’t want to live in anguish forever. You then noticed his middle finger bouncing in his palm. Your bionic eye is still searching the buildings, your good eye focused on the finger. What was he doing?

“-The outlaw you see standing before you is a man who has-”

A blue light began blinking in a series of spaces and dots. Morse code. Your wristband went off in your ear, and you chanced a glance at the screen. A message from Unknown came through. Without tapping it, the message opened on its own.

‘Apartment building on your left, fourth floor, third window from the corner.’

Infrared vision showed nobody there. You should’ve known. They’d wear reflective gear to conceal themselves. Zooming in on the window in question, you spotted a shadow behind the frilly white curtains. The incoming breeze made them billow inwards and the sniper had trouble hiding behind the window sill. You saw them. They wore the skull cap and mask of a sniper. You couldn’t let them know you’d seen them, otherwise they’ll abort the mission.

“-Kim Hongjoong, you stand convicted of high treason,” said Yoon, “Piracy, destruction of Republic property, murder-”

Staring into the crowd, you saw him. Short and slight, a young delivery man kept his bike parked on the sidewalk against a brick wall. You recognized him from earlier in the day, the delivery boy who had the newspaper printed on the side of his bike. Though now he’d removed his helmet to show a mop of black hair curtaining a pale, handsome face. Kang Yeosang’s apologetic eyes met yours as you spotted something in his hand. You recalled the man from his days serving the Republic. He’d been part of the squad who defected at the hospital bombing. His skills with technology were only outmatched by Shin, who helped build the Pyramid’s firewalls and security systems. Your eye zoomed in on his hand, which you just made out through the crowd of people. You realized what it was right away. You shook your head at him.

But, the blast did not happen in the street. The explosions came from far off in this distance. One large one that shook the very ground you stood on, followed by several more. Right at the same time, you saw several people in the crowd withdraw weapons from under shirts and jackets, and aimed fire at the officers on the ground. Your body swung into action. Pushing Yoon aside, you fired at the fighters on the sidewalks, using your eye as a scope to hit the right targets. Bullets punctured through the wooden stilts holding up the stage, blowing past you and the others on stage.

“Evacuate the street!” you shouted, finding cover behind the President’s podium, “Set evacuation plans in order-”

“-That’s not my order, Lieutenant-” said General Bok, who’d taken out his own pistol to fire back, “-Negate tha-”

“-Get as many people down the street as you can,” you said over the radio, “We need to reduce the civilian casualties-”

“-Lieutenant,” Bok gave you a stern warning, and you glared back.

You started giving orders through your earpiece, and watched all of them moving into action right away. More explosions came from your left, and you realized they’d blown up the Pyramid. But how? The two delivery men at the elevator. They had several long boxes with them that you thought to be donuts. You remembered Hongjoong’s reluctance to eat them you gave him, and it clicked instantly. The Pirates just destroyed communications, ammunition, artillery, and any support the Republic had left. You tapped your earpiece multiple times, hoping to get a radio through, but you were met with dead silence.

“YN!”

Hongjoong and the bullet reached you at the same time. Your enhanced ear caught the whizz of the bullet that would’ve struck your face had Hongjoong not pushed you down. It’d come from the direction of the apartment building. You don’t know how you know, but deep down you did. Using both hands, Hongjoong pulled down the wooden podium to shield you both from more gunfire. In the midst of the chaos, he must’ve broken free of his bonds. His face inches from yours, he said:

“Do you trust me?”

Your brain couldn’t process his words. It could only comprehend your racing heart and need to get away and find your squadmates.

“YN,” he said more forcefully, “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

It came out in a single breath. You said it without thinking, and this time you didn’t take it back. The rush of wind came through next as a whooshing sound came overhead. Yoon and the other officials might not recognize the Valiant, but you and Hongjoong did. A metal hovercraft built with the fragments of wrecked Republic ships, the Valiant was various shades of black, white and gray. Hongjoong and his crew truly leaned into their ‘pirate’ nickname by molding their aircraft like the old pirate ships. The engine caused surges of hot air to blow through the streets, blowing people back onto the street. It lowered down above the gallows, and the hull opened to reveal two people standing there: Choi San and Choi Jongho. San still wore the delivery man uniform, while Jongho wore a Republic guard uniform. Officer Kwang. You should’ve known when you didn’t recognize him. They threw down a rope ladder, and Hongjoong took your hand.

“I can’t,” you told him. “Not without my crew.”

“You can contact them later,” he said, quickly grabbing the ladder and bringing you over to it. “Start climbing. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Hongjoong-”

“-Go!”

He took your rifle from you, aiming it towards the guards coming up the stairs. You put your foot on the first ring and started to climb. That’s when the second bullet went past you. Then a third. Then a fourth. The sniper clearly planned to carry out their mission regardless. A cold sweat went over your whole body, causing your hands to slip on the slim rope, but you kept climbing. The wavering ladder made you a moving target, and the sniper isn’t that good. You looked down at the halfway point to see Hongjoong still on the ground. You called out to him, but he didn’t hear you over the wind and gunfire. It’d been at that moment that a deep pain shot through your body from your leg. The sniper’s tenth bullet found home in your shin, having broken the skin and lodged into the bone. You thought your entire leg went numb, only feeling the searing pain every time you lifted your leg. You gritted through the pain, continuing your climb. You need to get to the top, to safety, to where you can defend Hongjoong the best.

Another bullet sailed through the air into the back of your right shoulder. A lucky shot that burned in every pull upwards. You kept going. You did not stop or look around. The rushing winds made you deaf to anything anyone said to you. Your left ear picked up muffled sounds and static, which irritated what little bit of eardrum left inside. Then a third bullet caught you right when you reached the ramp several feet above the stage.

“Fuck!”

You screamed in agony as a bullet grazed your earpiece. Thick streams of blood wet the side of your face, and white noise filled your damaged ear before going silent completely. You felt the cartilage of your left ear as Jongho dragged you away from the edge; your finger went right through the split skin and it burned further. Your good ear-now truthfully good-only picked up the howling winds coming from ahead of you. The newest wound paralyzed the whole left side of your face. You could feel the mechanical ear malfunctioning still, clicking and shooting pain into your brain. The pain spread quickly to your eye, which started seeing static. Both enhancements connected together, one began malfunctioning once the other cut off. You felt blood atarting to seep from under the eye piece, and your chest tightened again.

“Hongjoong,” you huffed, doing your best to hold back the agonizing pain in your ear. You felt shocks of pain spark every time you opened your mouth, and you couldn’t help pressing a hand to stop it. “Hongjoong….”

“He’s on his way,” Jongho said. “Sit down. Let me see your ear.” He checked your severed ear and he winced, “Damn, that looks bad. Here, put this there and hold it. Yeosang could fix you up really quick.”

You took the rag from nearby and pressed it to your ear. However, the pain didn’t mask your concern for Hongjoong. One by one, his crew began appearing from the ladder: tall black-haired Jeong Yunho, who immediately rushed for the cockpit at the front of the ship; handsome Park Seonghwa, who grabbed a weapon from the rack and started firing down below; slender Jung Wooyoung who put down his tripod bag and knelt down to aim his sniper rifle into the buildings around the center; pink-haired Song Mingi, the one likely responsible for the explosions, who still wore his delivery man uniform, and Kang Yeosang in his delivery boy jacket. He spotted you grunting and doubled over in pain, and rushed over to you.

“My…ear,” you growled, not wanting to remove the rag from the wound but also not wanting to press down. “It’s…broken….I think.”

“Come on,” he took you by the arm, “Let’s get you to the medical bay-”

“-But…Hongjoong-”

“-Hongjoong would want you to think about your damaged ear,” he said, ignoring your request and pulling you further into the ship.

Your wounds made it hard to walk. You stumbled and fell into a wall before someone came up on your left side. Hongjoong. You knew it from the flash of blue you saw in a reflection. He said something, but you couldn’t hear him. Every muscle in your body went limp as your brain registered the sterile, silent infirmary in the ship’s second level. Yeosang and Hongjoong rested you on a metal slab, the bright light above you stinging your eyes and the hard metal being hard on your aching bones.

“Just relax, Lieutenant,” said Yeosang, who went to work with a bottle and syringe, “You’ll be fine in a few seconds.”

“Hon-Hong-Jo-oo-ng-” you forced yourself to say through a loosening jaw. Any mechanics keeping your jaw straight now malfuctioned, making it nearly impossible to speak.

“I’m right here, YN. I’m right here,” he shielded you from the bright lights above. His eyes full of panic and concern, he cupped your face and pecked your lips. “I’m right here. You’re safe now.”

“Hon-”

A sharp pinch to your vein interrupted you. Morphine. Ulta-Morphine from the look of the aquamarine liquid filling the tube and going into your arm. The needle’s sting did not even register with the rest of the pain you felt. You took deep breaths, trying to steady your heart. You kept your eye on Hongjoong, unable to care or think about anything else.

“I-I…”

The right side of your jaw slackened, and you lost the ability to speak at all. “It’s okay,” Hongjoong said, “You don’t have to talk. Just rest, okay? Yeosang is going to fix it.”

He didn’t understand. You lifted a hand to his face, despite the burning pain in your shoulder, and he pressed it to his cheek. A sharp metallic taste filled your mouth, and you turned your head to spit it out. Everything hurts, but you needed him to know. You needed to tell him before it all ended.

“Lo-Lov-ve-e yo-o-”

“I know,” he sniffed, kissing the top of your head. “I know.”

He did it all for you. He risked his life to save you. Even when you both fought and maimed each other, your love never waivered. The morphine finally hit your body, and all pain alleviated at once. Slowly, Hongjoong’s face faded to black.

****

“Will you be able to fix it, Yeosang? It’s gonna heal, right?”

“I fixed the eye with no real problems, but the ear is lost. The bullet went right through the cybernetic pieces around it when it slashed her ear, so the whole piece short circuited and bursted in the canal. She’s lucky we got to it in time. It could’ve made her brain dead.”

“Alright, but will she be okay, Yeosang?”

“She’s stable now, but the ear will take time to heal completely. Once that’s happened, I can refit her with a new enhancement. I don’t feel safe doing it until it’s healed.”

Hongjoong stayed beside the medical bed, watching a medical droid carefully changing the bandage around your head. It took a few hours for Yeosang and his assistant droid to patch you up, but you made it. They had to shave half of it to access the pieces attached to your skull. Yeosang and the medical droid managed to remove and patch up your bullet wounds, but your bionic pieces concerned him the most. He held your hand gently in his, kissing your knuckles. It’d been so long since he touched you this way. He remembered the days when he took any chance he could to touch you, whether hand holding or brushing hair from your face. He always had this need to feel some part of you; as if he needed to be sure he hadn't dreamed of you. Now, he had to wait until you’d become unconscious to hold your hand.

"You must love her a lot," he heard Yeosang say, fixing up an IV next to your bed. "To risk getting executed for her."

"I do."

Yeosang didn't question his feelings for you like some of his crew members. He understood it better, perhaps, seeing as he'd defected like Hongjoong did. He'd been one of the physicians in his unit, and Hongjoong recalled him saving people from the hospital fire. Yeosang dragged them to safety, bringing them to a camp where rebel physicians worked on them without interference. He had people on the Republic side whom he loved, and would do anything to get back, if he could.

"They'll blame it on her," he said to Hongjoong next. "They'll say she helped you and brand her a traitor."

"I know." He paused, "But they already thought that when she killed those men."

He'd heard about your heroic deeds through the channels. When he heard a loyalist lieutenant open fire on her fellow soldiers, he never thought it'd be you. He shouldn't have been surprised though. The Republic kept their citizens ignorant to the corruption and crime going on behind the scenes. They didn't know that their president was in the pockets of war profiteers and millionaires looking to cash in. They didn't know the things soldiers did to the people in the sectors, and how those people struggled to survive. They didn't know the fear, intimidation and pain with which the government used to hold power over them. You hadn't known, and you reacted far differently than he'd expected. When Kyungmin told Wooyoung a lady with one eye saved him and several other children, he questioned the boy further. When Jisoo tearfully explained to Seonghwa that a female soldier shot her captors at point blank, he needed to know more.

It seemed he wasn't the only one who solved problems with bullets.

Quick, heavy thumps made him turn around, and he saw Seonghwa standing in the doorway. He'd taken off his stolen Republic uniform, and wore a gray t-shirt over black pants and boots. Hongjoong noticed him panting and clutching the door frame. Soon, more footsteps came and Wooyoung and San appeared behind him.

"You need to turn on the TV," Seonghwa breathed, rushing to the monitor on the wall. "You need to see this. I can't believe it. They just announced it."

"Announced what?"

He turned on a monitor in the room where he saw the Republic news station covering the story. Lee Seojoon sat at her usual anchor desk, a solemn face despite her professional tone.

"-At precisely two-forty-two this afternoon, President Yoon Byungho was pronounced dead. The fearless leader of the People's Republic received several severe gunshot wounds during the Victory Parade this morning. Republic law enforcements cannot say whether Kim Hongjoong, the rebel Pirate King, fired those fatal shots, but it is being investigated-"

"He's dead?"

Hongjoong found this hard to believe. He knew he'd put a few bullets into the old man's back, but he hadn't seen him fall. His personal guards must've rushed him out of the battle and into the hospital. Hongjoong sat there imagining the man taking his final breaths and knowing he'd lost. The rebel leaders will soon hear of it, and plan an attack. The Vice president will no doubt take power, but he is weak compared to Yoon. They'd blown up their main command base and military center, and there is little resistance left in The Republic. It will fall and so will anyone who helped uphold it.

He looked back at you, sleeping soundlessly in Ultra-Morphine Land. He had you back. He had you here with him again. He could protect you. You might not love him right away again, and things will never be how they once were, but you were in his life again.

That was the real victory.

#outlawtheproject #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez san #ateez jongho #ateez yeosang #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #kim hongjoong #park seonghwa #jeong yunho #song mingi #choi san #kang yeosang #jung wooyoung #choi jongho

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green-agent · 5 months

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BREWING LOVE NEXT DOOR (masterlist) chapter 2

Jung Wooyoung x neighbor!oc (Yujin)

Synopsis: because of her mother who loved coffee, Yujin had an unhealthy obsession with caffeine. Feeling down? Coffee. Feeling great? Coffee. Passed a test? Yay coffee. Failed a test? Naur, coffee. Her friends joked about her having more caffeine In her veins than blood.Now, after leaving her hometown and coming to Seoul, she was excited to study in KQ University. Will she die of shock after finding out that the handsome barista was her neighbor? Will she realize why people actually have crushes on baristas? Will she be able to confess?

Genre: fluff, crack, barista au, uni au, neighbors au

warning: slight Seongjoong? Yujin thinks Seonghwa is mother, frat party but labelled as Thanksgiving party, let me know if I missed something.

word count: 1k

note: I'm sorry for all the pov shifts and scene changes 😞 but hey, Chapter 2 is here. The story's just starting!

Nobody's POV

7:30

Yujin was late, not only for her classes but also for the new club she had applied to in University.

Today, the president of the club wanted to introduce the freshmen to the older students. And as a fellow freshman, Yujin was supposed to be early. Something that she most definitely wasn't.

Grabbing her things, she ran out the door. Bag in one hand, she carefully locked the door as she clumsily put her shoes on.

As she sat down in the room, she couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheeks, a habit she had. Right then, A slightly shorter boy, probably a University Junior, spoke up.

“Hello, our fellow university classmates and juniors, I'm Kim Hongjoong, the president of this club. I hope you guys will have a good time here…”

His hair was two toned, half black half white. Pretty cool.

He spoke more about himself and the club, also introducing the new ones to the vice president, Park Seonghwa. Another gorgeous man. Yujin had to resist the urge to say ‘mommy?’ Cus' he felt so…mother

But as Hongjoong carried on about the club, Yujin's eyes caught a beautiful sight. The beautiful sight was sitting across the room.

The barista from the cafe…he was chatting with a guy. Blond haired guy, to be exact…his hair looked like the boy the barista joked with, maybe he was the same person?

Yet, Yujin was regretting the fact that she didn't take a good glance at his name tag. What was his name!?

“Thank you!”

Yujin's new cheerful downstairs neighbor, Shin Ryujin, beamed at her.

When Yujin was about to go upstairs, she noticed that Ryujin was having trouble with putting some boxes up the stairs, so she decided to help. Plus, She hadn't met all of her new neighbors yet, but Ryujin was definitely a good one.

As the two girls were talking, Yujin saw a figure walk up the stairs. No way…

“What happened?”

Ryujin asked, confused as to why Yujin suddenly stopped talking.

Hearing her, Yujin came out of her little confusion. She turned to Ryujin and asked,

“The guy who just walked up, who was he?”

“Oh that? That's Wooyoung, Jung Wooyoung. Why? Did you get a crush on him?”, Ryujin teased.

“...no, I just saw him at the cafe, Refresh and Recharge. Then I also saw him at uni today, in my club meeting. I was just wondering…”

Yujin drifted off, well, only the first word was a lie.

Ryujin nodded, “hmm, yeah. He is a Barista at the cafe. He's also your neighbor”

“huh!?” Yeojin kinda whisper-yelled.

Confused, Ryujin mumbled, playing with her own fingers, “did you not know that or something…”

Yujin's POV

As I sat on my bed, I just did a quick review of everything I found out.

The boy I had a teeny tiny smol little crush on…is not only my clubmate and uni senior…but also my fucking neighbor!? Like a literal next door neighbor.

That's a lot to take in. Should I talk with him? I mean, he's only a doorbell away…

But then again, what would I talk to him about? That hey, bro. Nice to meet you, I think I got a crush on you cuz you're gorgeous. Please don't think I'm weird.

Yeah, he'd definitely think I'm weird. And his gorgeous face tells me he probably already has a girlfriend.

What if it's the other female barista in Refresh and Recharge Cafe? I mean, she was pretty, sounded polite. She seemed very lovable.

But hey! We improved a little bit. I now know his name. Jung Wooyoung, it's cute, if you ask me. Wooyoung.

Nobody's POV

And like that, Yujin spent a whole month going to Refresh and Recharge, trying to focus on her studies. She had to agree, Hongjoong and Seonghwa were a great duo, just one thing, they argued like an old married couple. A sophomore told Yujin that they were a very ‘parents’ typa friends.

She spent a lot of time in the evening, trying to figure out if she should ring her next door neighbor's bell or not.

She always got rejected by her own brain with things like ‘he probably worked very hard today, you should let him rest’ and ‘he’s also a student, he might be studying’.

It wasn't until November.

As her doorbell rang, she quickly fixed her clothes before opening the door. It was another fellow neighbor of hers, Karina.

“Hey Yujin! I wanted to invite you to the Thanksgiving party in my apartment. All of our neighbors are coming so I'd be glad if you came too.” Karina happily suggested.

Yujin had never been to this type of Thanksgiving party yet, so she accepted happily.

“Yeah, I'd love to”

Nobody's POV

I'd love to, my ass.

Now while she actually sat at the party, she realized she had nothing to do.

A cup of orange juice was in her hand as she stared mindlessly at the wall. Randomly playing with her own fingers once in a while.

Even Ryujin was having a fun time with her boyfriend.

After coming to the party, Yujin realized that it wasn't actually the typical thanksgiving party, it was nothing like a thanksgiving party. It was more of a typical university frat party.

Everyone was dancing crazily, some random couple making out in the corner. And Yujin could swear she saw someone drink alcohol in the other corner.

So when a hand tapped on her finger, she kinda freaked out, yelling, “WHAT THE FU-”, and then slapping her own hand on her mouth after seeing who it was.

The barista, the really handsome barista. Her university clubmate, and her neighbor…Jung Wooyoung.

Again, the mole under his eye made her choke on air, it was so…attractive.

He gave a little smile as he sat down in the chair in front of her, still maintaining a comfortable distance.

“If I heard the birdies right, you must be Yujin. Am I right?”

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daemour · 2 years

Text

Pairing: Hongjoong x Reader

Genre: Angst, superhero/villain au, bnha inspired magic system, university au

WC: 5210

Warnings: Cursing, mentioned character death, implied and attempted murder, injuries, just generally angst all around. Sad endings if you interpret it that way lol

Summary: Big cities are falling apart as more and more supervillains focus their attention to larger conquests. In desparation, the city of Seoul created a university for aspiring heros, in hopes of bringing the rate of crime back down. But with a spy in their midst, their plans may come crashing down on them.

For the villains collab hosted by @sanjoongie <3 here’s a playlist i made for it

“(Y/N), you’ve been assigned a co-teacher. He’s starting out with you to learn the ropes but next year he’ll be on his own.”

You take in the young man you’ll be working with for the next year. He doesn’t look old at all, not like most of the other professors in the college, and for a moment you wonder if they meant that he will be your new TA.

“Hello, I’m Kim Hongjoong. It’s nice to meet you,” he greets, holding out his hand. “You must be (Y/N).”

“Mmh, what gave it away?” you joke and Hongjoong laughs lightly.

“Just an informed guess. It’s good to know I wasn’t paired with one of the older sticklers. I’m sure you’ll be a great mentor for me too.”

You hum noncommittally before realising you haven’t shaken his hand yet. “Off to a great impression, too,” you say with a smile, taking his hand. His handshake is firm, and you get the feeling that you’ll get along with him.

You and Hongjoong are on lunch break when one of the other teachers, a professor of the study of quirks, Park Seonghwa, bursts into your shared office.

“Hey, I hate to interrupt your lunch, but there’s an emergency staff meeting in the lounge.”

Hongjoong glances at you, and with a nod, the two of you follow Seonghwa into the hall.

Although it’s only been a few months since Hongjoong was assigned to your class, you have become quick friends with him. There was something about his blunt but caring nature that you admired. His work ethic was always on point, and although he’s a little strict during class, the students love him anyway. You’re glad you got the chance to work with him.

When the three of you reach the staff lounge, the college president is there, shocking both you and Hongjoong. Yonghwan Kim is a rare sight, meaning that this is an important meeting.

His eyes follow you and Hongjoong until you both take a seat. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called you for this unexpected assembly. As you know, this university was founded to combat the rise of supervillains in Seoul.” Murmurs break out all around and many professors tense at the reminder, Hongjoong included. Many of them had lost family members because of that, so you can’t blame them.

“Sir,” the science professor and practical quirk test proctor, Kang Yeosang, speaks up, “is something wrong with the college?”

Yonghwan shakes his head. “No. Although we’ve only been through two sets of graduates so far, it’s already dramatically helping curb crime rates. All our students have been brimming with potential, even those that are quirkless. And that’s where the problem lies.” He clears his throat before continuing. “There has been some intel…and with the addition of a tip-off note, there is speculation that a major supervillain group, HalAteez, has planted a spy here.”

Those words send a ripple of shock through the lounge, and several people start arguing indignantly. But one question sticks out for you, and it comes from Hongjoong, sitting right by you.

“What does this entail for us?”

“Ah, Hongjoong, right?” Yonghwa looks at him with a sad smile on his face. “I’m sorry you had to join us during this chaos. But as this is not confirmed and the information is to be classified, I would like you all to continue with classes as usual. Don’t let the students know of this. The government will send someone to keep an eye on security for us, so I must ask you all to keep gossip to a minimum.”

You’re frowning, biting at your lower lip in worry. A spy? Here?

As if sensing your worry, Hongjoong shifts towards you and takes your hand, and you squeeze it tight, thankful for the distraction. Being quirkless has always been worrisome, especially living in a big city. This new development at your workplace only makes you more uneasy, but just holding Hongjoong’s hand helps quell your fears.

In the upcoming weeks, everyone is on edge. Some hide it better than others, but you know you’re stressing out too much. Thankfully, Hongjoong seems to have a better hold on his poker face than you, and your class chalks it up to the upcoming exam season.

Every so often, the government agent, whose name you learn is Choi San, Choi San with an affinity towards fire will stand in the back of the lecture hall during your classes which does not help your nerves. He has a kind face, but the look in his eyes reminds you exactly why he’s here.

Yet, nothing out of the ordinary has happened, which has served to lessen your anxiety by a little. You don’t know what the hell a spy could want here. Most supervillains already have been through specialised colleges and know exactly what they bring to the table.

When you’re dismissing your class, San approaches you, the look on his face unreadable. “Excuse me, Miss (L/N)? May I speak to you?” Hongjoong lingers behind your desk, and San shoots him a look. “In private?” he adds on.

You nod lightly at Hongjoong, giving him the go-ahead, and he leaves with one last worried look towards you. San smiles, but it’s an emotionless one, and your heart almost stops at the stress of being alone in a room with him.

“What can I help you with, Mr San?”

“Mmh, just San is fine,” he says, and you think to yourself that you will not be calling him just San. “Now, I have a few questions for you, and then you can be on your way.”

You nod. “Please, have a seat,” you offer, gesturing to Hongjoong’s swivel chair, but San ignores that and instead plants his butt on your desk. Your eyebrow twitches.

“Now, if I read correctly, you have been working here for about eight years?” You nod. It will be your work anniversary next month. “And how do you like it here?”

“Uh…I like it. My coworkers are all very nice, and I enjoy teaching my students. They’re very active, which is surprising since it’s a history class.” You’re stuttering, awkward. These questions don’t seem like ones he would ask. But what would you know? You’re not a government agent.

“Tell me about Hongjoong.”

Your eyes widen. “Sorry?”

“The other professor for this class. Tell me about him.”

“Uh. Well, he’s great with the kids. And very kind. He’s pretty new, but he’s also helped teach at other colleges. He doesn’t particularly specialise in superhero history, so next year he’ll be teaching the general education course instead of me taking both courses simultaneously. .”

There’s not much to say about Hongjoong. Although the two of you have friendly conversations during lunch and enjoy each other’s company, it’s not what you call a friendship. “Hmm, well, thank you for your time. I will see you around,” San concludes, hopping off your desk and heading out the door faster than you can blink.

Hongjoong comes in almost immediately after with sandwiches in his hand, probably seeing through the window that the two of you were still talking and waiting. “Hey, how was it? I got you your usual sandwich, no mayo, right?”

You take the food gratefully and bite into it. “Thank you.” He’s still waiting for answers so you finish chewing as fast as possible. “He just asked me how long I’ve worked here, how the students are, and how I liked my coworkers. Oh! He asked me about you too.”

Hongjoong’s eyebrow raises. “Me?”

You nod, mouth full of sandwich again. “Yeah, it was weird. Like, why not just ask you himself? But don’t worry. I said nothing bad!” You smile while leaning over to poke at his shoulder. “If anything, he was annoying cus he planted his butt on the desk when I offered him a chair.”

Hongjoong lets out a laugh at that, a bright sound. “That might be the strangest thing he’s done, and that’s saying something.”

You hum, leaning back in your chair and staring contemplatively at the ceiling. You don’t like this new development at the college you’ve come to call your second home, but there’s nothing you can do about it, it seems.

You’re at home today. There was a bomb threat, and the college was evacuated save for Yonghwan, a few of the board members, Choi San, and the bomb squad. You can’t seem to stay still this time, though. Thankfully the threat was sent before classes had started so Yonghwan had passed it off as a teacher holiday, and the students were unsuspicious.

But as time passed, you started to question whether that was a good idea. Of course, as a new college, it was important to keep its image clean, but at what point would it become dangerous for the students? They should at least be aware something is happening, or why San is there, to keep their gossip to a low.

When you refresh your emails for the nth time this hour, you finally see an update from Yonghwan. The bomb threat was from a rejected student who had been apprehended and will be facing serious consequences. Nothing to worry about.

And then when you come back to class tomorrow, another man is standing with Choi San in the back of your class.

The hair on your neck rises, and it’s Hongjoong’s day off so you can’t even rely on him to help you cover your nervousness. You’re sure the class had to have noticed something, but when you end by giving them an essay, they file out as if nothing has happened. Either you’re much better at acting than you remember, or they aren’t nosy.

And then the worst possible scenario you could’ve imagined happens. The stranger and San make their way towards you. (You’re a little dramatic.) “(Y/N), meet Jongho. Because of the rising tension and new intel, he’ll be assigned to your class and report back to me if anything is suspicious. Please let Hongjoong know of this new development too.”

You can only manage a nod. This is not something you wanted to happen. You had hoped this whole spy thing would blow over, and you could go back to normal, but this is even worse than you thought.

“Nice to meet you,” you offer Jongho a hand, and he takes it, shakes it, and drops it just as fast. Great. At least San would pretend to be nice.

“Now, just so I can get an idea of who I will be watching, I’m going to ask you a few questions.” Oh, God. You nod, gesturing to a chair, and at least this time, Jongho takes it. San leaves quietly, and for some reason, you feel even more worried without him here.

“Now, you teach the specialised history class, correct? I’ll need a copy of your curriculum taught throughout the year.” You nod, gathering your papers and writing a reminder on a sticky note. “Please give them to me by tomorrow. Now, tell me about your coworkers.”

You bite your lip. You don’t feel comfortable giving out all this information about people you’ve come to call your friend, but you just want this to be over with. And so, you do your best. You tell them about their families and what they’ve told you, although you try to keep your tone light and paint them in a good light. Jongho seems unphased.

When it comes to Hongjoong, you stumble on your words. As you speak of him Jongho leans forward, his interest piqued. Your heart rate spikes. When he decides he’s had enough, he’s at the door in a blink of an eye, thanks to his quirk, and disappears from your sight.

Hongjoong is sweet, always buying you a coffee on the mornings you have early classes, but some of the things he says you feel might get him under watch. So you make a conscious decision to protect him. You can feel the guilt building in your stomach, but it’s for a good cause. The government is known to go after even the smallest of missteps with words, and you don’t want that to happen to the professor you’ve grown fond of.

When the day is almost over, you call Hongjoong. “Hey, are you home right now?”

“Uh, yeah?” Hongjoong is confused. “Why, what’s up?”

“I need to talk to you. Can I come over? I would ask to meet at a cafe, but this is important.” Your voice shakes slightly.

“Uh…sure. I’ll text you my address. Is something wrong?”

“I’ll tell you later,” you manage to say before ending the call and running your hands through your hair. You can’t believe you’re doing this, but although guilt is filling you up, you know this is something you must do.

You book it as soon as your phone rings with Hongjoong’s address. It’s close enough that you don’t need to take the bus and don’t want to pay for a taxi. You’ve never run this much before that when you get to his apartment building, your legs are burning, and you think your heart might pop out of your chest. You probably didn’t even need to run but sometimes you don't think.

Taking a deep breath, you ring the buzzer and hope you do not look like a fool. “(Y/N), come on up,” you can hear him say.

When Hongjoong opens the door, he laughs at your dishevelled appearance. “Did you run here?” He’s joking, but when you nod his expression changes from amused to worried. “You did? What on earth happened?”

“I…” you can hardly speak clearly “...need to sit for a moment,” is what comes out instead of what you meant to say.

A moment passes before you and Hongoong start laughing—although yours sounds more like a dying horse with asthma.

“Come in and catch your breath. I’ll get you some water.” He steps to the side, letting you enter and almost collapse on the couch he points you to.

As he leaves, you take in his small but cosy apartment. It’s barely decorated, just a few picture frames here and there, but it doesn’t seem like lazy planning. Instead, it was very chic. The picture frame on the coffee table depicts who you assume to be Hongjoong as a child, and curiosity wins you over, and you pick it up.

The picture is in black and white but it doesn’t detract from the bright smile of the boy in the image.

“I think that was from when I was four,” Hongjoong says from behind you, and you jump a little. “Ah, don’t worry, I don’t mind. I put them out anyways, it’s not like I tried to hide it. Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?”

He hands you the mug of water and you take it gratefully. “I just wanted to let you know what happened in class today. We now have a specialised agent, Choi Jongho, watching our class. He was being a little nosy, especially about you. I just wanted to warn you.”

Hongjoong watches with a kind smile on his face. “Thank you. San has been speaking with me recently, but I’ve noticed he’s also been keeping his eyes on Yeosang. He probably thinks it's one of us.”

You sigh, biting your lower lip. “Yeah…I hate this.” You bury your head in your hands, letting out a deep sigh as Hongjoong leans forward in worry. “It’s just…so different from how the world was. Of course, there will always be crime, but sometimes I feel scared to leave my apartment.”

Hongjoong hums in understanding, pulling your hand away from your face. “I totally get that. The feeling of having to hide and having to watch what you say, it’s a hard burden to bear. Thank you for warning me. I’ll keep an eye out.”

His reassurances are so comforting. When you look at him with watery eyes, you feel like you can trust this man with your life. Even though you know this is almost 100% a bad idea, you lean in and brush your lips against his. But instead of jerking back, Hongjoong leans into it.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble against his soft lips. “I know this is such a bad idea, but I–”

“Shh,” Hongjoong says, pulling back a little, but his hands have found their way to your face. “It’s quite alright. I…understand you and feel you. It’s all right.”

And with those words, you fall into him more profoundly than ever.

“How was work today, love?” Hongjoong greets you at the door, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek as he hangs up your coat.

Lately, the two of you have had time to only chat at home on his off days. Both of you were worried that Jongho would overhear and misunderstand something. And hiding this relationship was thrilling as well. Maybe you would even have teased him if it was under any other circumstances.

But in this world, you can’t help but hide. As much as you want to scream and shout, you cannot. You know the consequences.

And as much as it hurts you, you can’t even talk to Seonghwa about it. Although he’s your coworker, you trust him almost as much as you trust Hongjoong, but every time you open your mouth, suddenly fear strikes you and you snap it shut just as quickly. Seonghwa’s sweet, but how would you know he wouldn’t talk to Jongho or San just because?

“It was okay,” you say with a sigh. “Jongho was being nosy yet again and it’s getting harder to keep away from his questions.”

Hongjoong hums, his face pressed against the side of your head. “Don’t worry, honey. I won’t let anything happen. I’ll be safe.”

“Okay,” you say slowly, unsurely, like cotton has filled your mouth. You’re just so stressed but it doesn’t stop you from pressing a kiss to Hongjoong’s lips.

For the past couple of months, all the two of you have done is just talk about work, share worries and confide in each other. It’s exhilarating to have this close of a relationship with someone, and every day you fall just a bit more in love with Hongjoong. His love is all you’ll need if everything goes wrong.

“Mmh, tomorrow, let’s have a lunch date?” Hongjoong suggests, and you agree eagerly. Although you eat together as usual in the office, you are still at school and cannot do anything too outwardly. But this time, you can go out and have lunch at a cafe.

Except on the day of, the two of you are walking together when San suddenly materialises in front of you. “Are you two heading out?” he asks, although it’s not a question. “Do you mind if I join you for lunch?”

You glance at Hongjoong to see what he’ll do, and all he does is nod slightly, no emotion showing on his face.

That’s how the two of you end up eating lunch with the terrifying Choi San. He’s trying to make conversation, but you can hardly bring yourself to speak, so Hongjoong takes care of most of it for you.

An assembly including the students is called, and you make your way over slowly, with Hongjoong close behind. You feel so useless, hardly able to help the government, unable to keep yourself together without Hongjoong…what happened to you?

“(Y/N)!” Seonghwa waves you over, and you shoot him a smile, heading over with a spring in your step. “Hey, Hongjoong.” His voice is considerably less cherry as he takes in the sight of your boyfriend.

Although your relationship was hidden, Seonghwa still didn’t seem to warm up to Hongjoong very much. He’s always polite, of course, but something about Hongjoong makes Seonghwa much colder than you were used to, one of the reasons you were always scared to tell Seonghwa exactly what you and Hongjoong were up to.

“Seonghwa.” And Hongjoong’s attitude is almost exactly the same. Neither man likes the other and you can’t tell why. But it’s not the issue you have to think about right now.

Yonghwa gets everyone’s attention just by clearing his throat. Commanding everyone’s attention comes easily to someone with his quirk. “Now, I am here to let you all know about what has been happening. I know you may have been confused about all these new people but I just want to clear something up. We are not in any danger.”

In some ironic twist, fire rains down on the building just as the words leave his mouth. Teachers and government agents do their best to shield the students, but this was a premeditated attack, and they go down first. Where is this even coming from?

Students are freaking out, and even Yonghwa’s calm voice does nothing to keep the panic rising in everyone’s throats. Hongjoong is busy talking with other professors, trying to get a hold of the situation, and you jump into action, ushering students away from the centre of danger and into the hallway, telling them to hide in classrooms and put up the emergency shields in each one.

But you’re one person corralling many people, and it’s so overwhelming. You’re useless in this situation, but you grit your teeth and bear it. Even the smallest thing can save one person and that’s all that matters.

You escort a handful of students through the hall when you hear it first before you feel it. A tremendous blast of energy strikes the building and the foundation shakes so hard you’re almost knocked off your feet.

“Get to the auditorium, now,” you yell, and the students hesitate only a moment before taking off. When they’re all out of sight, you turn around and run back to the auditorium as fast as possible.

When you pull open the door, destruction greets you. The ceiling caved in from the quirk-started earthquake, and it’s a bloodbath. You let a noise of horror escape, and you can hardly feel yourself moving forward and pushing piles of rubble around as you try to find someone, anyone.

“It’s over now, (Y/N),” a soothing voice comes from behind you, one that you recognise. Hongjoong.

You whirl around and launch yourself at him, and he catches you easily, holding you close. “Joong,” you sob into his chest.

“Shh, don’t worry. It’s all right.” He’s speaking calmly and lovingly, and you almost want to just close your eyes and listen to it forever…but you can hear screaming in the building, and somehow you know that he’s lying.

“No,” you manage to force out, and Hongjoong barks out a surprised laugh. He tries to hold you tighter but you shove him away. He’s surprised, and so are you. You didn’t think that you would ever do that to him, but amid all the chaos, your mind suddenly clears, and you understand.

New employee Hongjoong arrives, and suddenly there’s a spy. Hongjoong touches you, and you’re calm, happy, and trusting him. Hongjoong dates you, and you come home and tell him all about your day and what the government agents are doing. Hongjoong dislikes Seonghwa because Seonghwa’s quirk is knowing who lies. Although he can’t tell the reasons or exactly what the lie is, he knew to some extent that Hongjoong was hiding something.

“Oh, clever girl,” Hongjoong grins, a smile you once loved…or did you ever? “You figured it out, and now the baby deserves a prize.”

You shake your head, stepping back. “You’re a liar. Seonghwa knew.”

Hongjoong laughs wildly. “Don’t tell me what I know, (Y/N). And that Seonghwa is gone now. Buried him in the rubble just like he deserves. You know, his last words were not to hurt you? Ruminate on that. Imagine what he would think if he knew that you helped. You did this to yourself, to everyone here. Everyone loved you, relied on you, and you brought them down because you couldn’t discern anything. You can’t even stop me now.”

His words pierce your heart, and you shake as tears fill your eyes. “No,” you gasp out. “It’s not me.” The words feel foreign to you, and you almost want to swallow them back, but you can’t let him win again. “San will stop you.”

“Oh, will he?” Hongjoong’s having too much fun, and he beckons to someone…you hope he’s bluffing, but deep down, you know he’s not. “Let’s ask him ourselves.”

And as much as you wish it’s not true, that doesn’t stop San from materialising in front of you, just as wicked of agrin on his face. “No,” you breathe out.

“Yes,” San mimics. “You were almost too easy, (Y/N). Honestly, even with that brat Jongho getting suspicious and even escaping, you would do anything for your precious ‘Joongie’ that I didn’t have to do anything”

You hold down a sob, but it does nothing to hide the betrayal and confused look on your face. Hongjoong looks at you contemplatively. You must look pitiful, on your ass and backed against what once was a ceiling. “Leave us for a moment, San,” Hongjoong says slowly, head cocked, and you fear what he will do next.

With a light shrug, San exits the area, and you almost want him to stay so that he won’t hunt down the students, but you can’t seem to move. If you had a quirk, maybe you could’ve gotten out of this. But you’re floundering, and you don’t know what to do.

“Now, (Y/N),” Hongjoong steps in front of you and crouches, “you may be wondering why your precious boyfriend would do such a thing…and the truth is…it’s exhilarating, isn’t it? You know, even though I was emotionally manipulating you and brainwashing you or whatever, the thrill you felt from sneaking around was real.”

You shake your head, but you know he’s telling the truth, and you despise him even more for that. “No, I hate you.”

“Like that’s going to hurt my feelings? The feelings that didn’t exist? You’re done, honey. Just give up.” Hongjoong grabs your jaw, forcing you to look at his dark eyes and wicked smile. "It's the year of the villains, baby."

He pecks your lips, a crude mockery of the façade that was your relationship, and you fall apart. You close your eyes tight, and you hardly even register the sharp pain in your skin as Hongjoong digs his nails into your face.

But you do notice the blooming pain that spreads throughout your body, and you realise he must have coated his nails in poison. Hongjoong lets go of you, and without him holding you up, you slump on the ground as tears fall freely and silent sobs wrack your body. “I could kill you mercifully…but some part of me liked the game that we played. Let this serve as a reminder for the final moments of your life.” The smirk is heard in his voice and silently, you curse him.

You can’t see well, even when you open your eyes blearily, darkness clouding into the corners, but you can hear the click of his boots as he leaves. You can only hope he will leave the building alone as you lay in darkness. Warmth overcomes your body, and you can’t help but relax into it. Maybe it was his last kindness.

It’s been five years since the attack on the University of Seoul Supers, and Yeosang can’t stop waking up in a cold shiver every night. He counts his lucky stars that his quirk allowed him to hide away safely in the auditorium and take a few students under his protection. Seeing someone he considered a friend fall apart in front of his eyes almost ruined him, but as soon as that bitch, that so-called professor, left, Yeosang rushed out to you.

Even now, with his nightmares, he can’t even imagine what you must be going through. One of the students he saved knew how to heal, but with her lack of skill as well as the time it took for the paramedics to get to you, you would never be the same physically or mentally.

“Hongjoong?” Your light voice echoes through the house, and Yeosang cannot help but feel a wave of pity overcome him as he climbs out of his bed and makes his way to the guest suite you now call your bedroom.

Forever haunted by how you were used and then left to die, you never really talked about the incident. Yeosang doesn’t know if it’s how you cope or if it’s the aftermath of the trauma you faced. Still, you were always in your own little world, living happily and pretending or forgetting that Hongjoong isn’t but the one who blinded you and caused you to be practically immobile without the help of a wheelchair. He’s a man you loved who left and promised to return.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Yeosang manages with a tired smile. “No Hongjoong today. It’s just me.” No matter how many doctors he takes you to, or however much medication you get prescribed, he will always have to take care of you.

“Oh.” Yeosang’s heart hurts at the way your voice falls. He lost many friends, students, and people he considered family that day. He won’t ever stop hearing the screams of his TA, Wooyoung, as he was burnt to a crisp. But taking care of you is what keeps him moving. It’s what keeps him alive. And one day, he knows he will find Hongjoong and make him pay dearly for what he has done.

Yeosang steps towards you to help you into your wheelchair, and the paper detailing Jongho’s number burns in his pocket. The time will come, and all he has to do is wait. Five years is a blink of an eye for someone out for revenge, after all.

#pirateeznet #wkcnet #k-vanity #ateez #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #ateez angst #ateez au #ateez x reader #ateez hongjoong #hongjoong fanfiction #hongjoong fanfic #hongjoong angst #hongjoong au #hongjoong x reader #angst

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ao3feed-ateez · 2 months

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Rivals in Love

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/yzE8YVJ by anniesza Hongjoong, the diligent campus president, is perpetually vexed by Seonghwa, a notorious, charming engineering student with a penchant for racing. Their ongoing clashes culminate in a mandatory project together. Amid their forced collaboration, underlying tensions and secrets come to light, revealing unexpected feelings. As their dynamic shifts from animosity to something deeper, an unexpected confession from Seonghwa changes everything, hinting at a connection neither of them anticipated. Words: 1112, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong, Choi San (ATEEZ), Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Kang Yeosang, Choi Jongho (ATEEZ) Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa Additional Tags: Enemies to Lovers, Park Seonghwa is a Tease, Cute Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa is Bad at Feelings, I'm Bad At Tagging read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/yzE8YVJ

#ao3feed #ateez fic #ateez rpf #ateez fanfic #kpop rpf

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spilltheateeaz · 2 years

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ATEEZ as K-Drama characters I think they'd play well

Hongjoong: Serial killer for sure, kinda like Lee Dongwook in 'Strangers to Hell'; he'd be a perfect gentlemen to people but secretly have victims in his room being tortured. A police officer gets wind of his crimes and wants to bring him in, so he goes on the run. He changes his method of killing and frames someone else, and throws the police off his path

Seonghwa: CEO of a very big company. I can imagine him behind a huge desk and glancing up to glare at the unfortunate employee getting fired. The plot would revolve around the competition between him and his siblings in taking over their father’s position as president of their business group. He is the underdog however, because he is the illegitimate son and the family hates him.

Yunho: College sweetheart. I could imagine him as an art major, and he meets a girl in the same course. They fall in love, but they’re forced apart by circumstances and lose touch. She gets married, has a family, and while on a holiday comes across an exhibition at a gallery where she recognises his work. It all forms a message for her, so she tries to find him but finds out he died years ago

Yeosang: Definitely a vampire. If you’ve read the webtoon Delusion, he would be such a good Madame Song but genderbended. Born a human although his father is a vampire (a very rich one), his mother works at the mansion and tells him about his father’s nature. When she goes missing, he questions his father and ends up being turned. He wants to die but cannot, and people will get suspicious if he never ages, so prepares to go missing, but his childhood friend won’t let him

San: Mob boss or high-ranking hitman. He'd have an underdog backstory and would have a strict moral code, but eventually he'd be betrayed by his 'aide-de-camp'. The only way to get revenge would be to work with his sworn enemy, and they end up becoming best friends (although they would never admit it). Eventually, he regains control over his underlings and works to make the city more peaceful.

Mingi: Scientist researching an alien life form. Astronauts were sent to the Moon to collect rocks and dust, but something killed them. A rescue team brought back a strange creature, and he is assigned to study it and dissect it. However, the creature is able to communicate with him only and speaks about its life, and he cannot bring himself to kill it

Wooyoung: A dancer trying to make it big. He wants to learn ballet but his father forbids him from doing so. He comes across a retired ballerina living in the next town over, who refuses to teach at first, but softens when he persists. He is a natural and wins a competition that leads to a career on the big stages, but he wants to tell his father and have him watch one of his performances.

Jongho: Priest in a horror drama, like Kim Jaewook in Son: The Guest. His family were killed by a demon in front of him, and he swore to get rid of it. However, it’s been years and the demon hasn’t surfaced. He almost loses hope when a frightened man runs into his church and asks for help against paranormal occurrences that sound familiar

#ateez #kpop #ateez imagines #kpop imagines #ateez scenarios #kpop scenarios #kdrama

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brrrkdslek · 1 year

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BILLION BENEFITS!

✦ 000 — NEPO BABIES😼💸

❒ L/N M/N was an actor before becoming the new president of All-Pro Manufacturing, became a billionaire mostly from his acting career. his father was the company’s ceo while his mother is an actress. loves loves LOVES steven universe to the CORE. m/n is infamous for being involved in many dating scandals and is labeled as a playboy, but in reality is a gentleman who is kind and hides his emotions well. although he is nice, he will not hesitate to speak up and is a man who always follows his morals. 1/3 nepo babies, 1/4 ride or die.

❒ KIM HONGJOONG is a world famous producer, songwriter and rapper, became a millionaire from many years of hard work. his parents are both musical producers, his father in a band while his mother an opera performer, intimidating and distant when he first meets people but is kind and gentle. has anger issues and often blows up on random people, hence his limited amount of friends, but raging numbers of fans. 2/3 nepo babies.

❒ PARK SEONGHWA follows his parents career as a model. currently debuting as an actor, a gentleman and is seen as a shy and quiet person at first glance. is funny and caring towards his closest people, his motherly demeanor brought along fans from all around the world. is also rumoured to be in a relationship with his boy best friend, hongjoong. 3/3 nepo babies.

<PREV𖤐NEXT>

#ateez smau #hongjoong x reader #jongho x reader #mingi x reader #san x reader #seonghwa x reader #wooyoung x reader #yeosang x reader #yunho x reader #ateez fanfic #ateez x reader #ateez

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chansabsfanclub · 1 year

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INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

Coming soon ...

For the last 3 months Song Mingi has been Seouls one and only spiderman. He was bitten by a radioactive daddy long legs hiving him toxic webs he can shoot from his hands (don't ask him where it comes from). He spends his weekends working for his school's newspaper as a photographer where the club president Kim Hongjoong is on his tail to photograph the amazing spiderman. He also spends his classes blushing over Jung Yunho, the cute blonde that he saved when he first became spiderman from his arch enemy, Doc Oc. Tune in for more from the Amazing Spider-Gi.

Chapters will be available soon...

In the meantime checkout my concept art for Spider-Gi on my Instagram posted below <3

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A post shared by Rae 🫧 (@mooffin_artss)

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#across the spiderverse #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez imagines #ateez fic #ateez masterlist #mingi #wooyoung #hongjoong #jongho #yeosang #yunho #choi san #mingi fanfic #mingi fanart #ateez fanart #ateez art #seonghwa #Instagram

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stupid-cupidkrp · 1 year

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𝙶𝙰𝙼𝙴 . . . 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃!

the following muses have entered the game:

⋅♡ ⋅ aespa - yu jimin / karina [ until dawn ] ⋅♡ ⋅ ateez - kim hongjoong [ hollow knight ] ⋅♡ ⋅ ateez - jeong yunho [ genshin impact ] ⋅♡ ⋅ ateez - choi san [ super mario franchise ] ⋅♡ ⋅ ateez - jung wooyoung [ the sims 4 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ bts - jeon jungkook [ 7 days to die ] ⋅♡ ⋅ bts - park jimin [ legend of zelda - ocarina of time ] ⋅♡ ⋅ bts - kim namjoon / rm [ animal crossing ] ⋅♡ ⋅ bts - min yoongi / suga [ forza horizon 4 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ bts - kim taehyung / v [ the sims 4 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ enhypen - park sunghoon [ legend of zelda - totk ] ⋅♡ ⋅ g-idle - nicha yontararak / minnie [ kitty powers ] ⋅♡ ⋅ itzy - lee chaeryeong [ stardew valley ] ⋅♡ ⋅ le sserafim - sakura miyawaki [ dead by daylight ] ⋅♡ ⋅ le sserafim - kim chaewon [ the sims ] ⋅♡ ⋅ le sserafim - huh yunjin [ mario kart ] ⋅♡ ⋅ NCT - lee jeno [ chicken invaders 2 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ NMIXX - lily morrow [ overwatch ] ⋅♡ ⋅ pixy - choi eunji / dia [ apex legends ] ⋅♡ ⋅ seventeen - xu minghao / the8 [ sims 4 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ seventeen - kim mingyu [ minecraft ] ⋅♡ ⋅ stray kids - felix lee [ legend of zelda ] ⋅♡ ⋅ stray kids - yang jeongin / i.n. [ super mario 64 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ the boyz - lee jaehyun / hyunjae [ genshin impact ] ⋅♡ ⋅ the boyz - lee juyeon [ genshin impact ] ⋅♡ ⋅ twice - sana mintozaki [ dead by daylight ] ⋅♡ ⋅ tomorrow x together - choi soobin [ sudoku ] ⋅♡ ⋅ tomorrow x together - choi yeonjun [ dead by daylight ] ⋅♡ ⋅ tomorrow x together - choi beomgyu [ hades ] ⋅♡ ⋅ tomorrow x together - kang taehyun [ legend of zelda - totk ] ⋅♡ ⋅ tomorrow x together - huening kai [ dead by daylight ] ⋅♡ ⋅ zerobaseone - seok matthew [ stardew valley ] ⋅♡ ⋅ zerobaseone - sung hanbin [ cyberpunk 2077 ] ⋅♡ ⋅ soloist - cho seungyoun / woodz [ mass effect ]

you have 48 hours to add both president miso and delinquent ryo , and from there you will be given your set of startup instructions. we can't wait to have you, player!

#♡ acceptances #stupidcupidkrp

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renebem · 5 years

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Kidnapping San

Kidnapper: I have your son.

Hongjoong: I'm not a father??

Kidnapper: He says that he is a mountain and doesn't stop imitating a kangaroo.

Hongjoong: *Laughs* You don't have him, he has you. Run.

#ateez memes #ateez san #ateez #ateez hongjoong #choi san #kim hongjoong #Choi San #Kim Hongjoong #Ateez #ateez scenarios #kidnapping #kidnapping ateez #hongjoong for president #san #hongjoong #hongsan #ateez atiny #ateez all to action #wonderland

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songmingisthighs · 2 years

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[16.22] high school bad boy!mingi × reader

⇀ you never thought that the school's mysterious bad boy is actually like this

⇁ pls mingi's killing me 😭😭😭 but happy birthday to my baby !! hsgkjsdk i love him so much if that's not obvious. this is a lil fluffy mingi gift to celebrate mingi's birthday <3

"Hey, look," your friend tapped your desk as she nudged her head to the side.

You lift your head from your book to see THE Song Mingi walking into class with a busted lip and messy uniform. People only stared at him as he took a seat, not at all surprised that he would be that dishevelled at 1 pm.

"Yeah, Mingi. So?" You asked as you shifted your gaze back to your friend.

Yena rolled her eyes before leaning down to your level, "Aren't you curious where he always went to during breaks? How almost every single time, he'd come back to class all bloodied and brooding?" she asked you. You can only sigh at your friend as you placed your book on your desk to fully look at her, "I'm not curious at all. It's none of our business to stare and make assumptions about him. To be honest, I'm more curious about how they managed to rope a guy like Yunho into their group though. And aren't they friends with that guy who became a tattoo artist his senior year?" Yena simply shrugged at your question, "The dropout? I don't know much about Kim Hongjoong other than he has a rich boyfriend. But what about Kang Yeosang and Choi Jongho? Those two don't look like they belong with the scoundrels," she said. You squinted your eyes playfully at her, "Scoundrels? What are they, pirates in the 1700s?" you joked, making the two of you laugh.

All of a sudden, you felt a chill down your spine and when you averted your gaze from Yena for a bit, you saw Mingi staring down at you with his sharp eyes. Although you didn't want to admit it, his gaze always made you nervous. Funny enough, you caught him staring at you quite often and you always excused it as you were in line with the big windows in the classroom. Still, doesn't change the fact that you felt it.

There's this depth and an indescribable feeling in his stare that seemed... personal and you've always wanted to know what it's all about. But you couldn't possibly just go up to him and ask, that would be weird.

After class ended, students split up to join their respective Student Activity Clubs. You were the Vice President of the Student Body so you're stuck with meetings upon meetings and discussions with not only the Student Body members but also teachers and Club Leaders. You hate the job (mostly because of the pompous jerk of a president) but it will look good on your college application. Though you don't hate being able to see students enjoying the clubs though, it alleviates your pain and stress slightly knowing that you were able to help your fellow schoolmates.

"Vice Pres," you looked up to see one of the Student Body members approaching you with a paper bag, "Someone left this for you outside," he said as he placed the bag down on your desk. You felt a blush creeping up your face as you tried to not excitedly look into the paper bag. "Ooo, your secret admirer ?" Yunjeong, the Secretary asked in a teasing tone. Your eyes widened and you immediately pulled the paper bag onto your lap to secretly open it.

The contents of the bag were more or less the same; there was always food, beverage, and a note that somehow seemed to suit your current situation or even events. You assumed that it must be someone close to you. You felt like it was Yena pulling a prank on you but you hope it isn't because it would just be cruel and she'll definitely perish in your hands. In all honesty, deep down you had a feeling that it was Mingi. But maybe that's just your stupid wishful thinking because of the looks he threw at or near you.

Today, the sender put a fruit sandwich, your favourite brand of canned coffee, and the regular black cat with pastel pink post-it that said 'I hope you've been having a good day. Eat up and be energized! ^^ ps, I think we should bring the word 'scoundrel' back,' in the paper bag.

Your eyes widened. The sender was in your class. They had to be, that was the only place you mentioned the word scoundrel with Yena.

"Okay everyone, let's begin the meeting," The President announced, clapping his hands twice to get everyone's attention. "(y/n), floor's all yours," he smirked smugly as he basically told you to do everything yourself.

Finally, the excruciating hour and a half meeting ended. Issues were addressed, problems were fixed, yet your headache stayed because of the president. So you decided to walk around, check up on the clubs.

When you arrived at the Boxing Club, you saw that one person was missing. Wooyoung, San, Yeosang, Yunho, and Jongho were there because they were the Club Leaders and with them, the other members were also present. But you can only focus on Mingi's absence. Yunho waved at you happily which is followed by Wooyoung, the flirt, who blew kisses at you. You shook your head while chuckling as you waved back at them. Maybe Mingi went home early, hopefully, this doesn't have anything to do with his bruises.

After walking around a little, you decided that maybe you should just go home. The last club you visited was the Judo Club at the far end building of the school. You were about to walk off when you heard clanging and thuds from the side of the building right in front of you which made you freeze in your place. Your mind blanked and before you could react, a man came stumbling forward and fell in front of you. Recognition hadn't hit you yet but seeing the uniform, you jump in to help nevertheless.

"Are you okay!?" you asked the man worriedly.

When he looked up at you, you were surprised to see Mingi scrunching his face, seemingly in pain. Once he came to the realization that you were there helping him, he also froze. The both of you stayed like that for a while, not knowing what to do because this was your first time interacting with him outside of class and necessity. It wasn't until a soft meow broke the silence. You look down only to see a tiny black kitten in his arms. Instinctively, you looked back up to him with a raised eyebrow as if saying, "why do you have a cat?"

Mingi groaned and averted your gaze as he tried getting up thought you caught a peek of his reddening cheeks.

Deciding his wellbeing comes first, you grab ahold of his hand closest to you and begin tugging, "You're coming with me," you simply said in a haste. Since Mingi is more powerful than you, something that you completely underestimated, he didn't budge and instead, you were pulled backwards to his unmoving stance. You were about to turn and scold him but he was already glaring at you. "You're not reporting me to anyone, it's your own fault that you're here," he growled. His words and his low voice making the sentence even more menacing.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you steadied yourself as you kept a firm grip on his hand, "I'm not gonna report you because clearly, whatever this is," you said, gesturing to him in general, "personal business, but I can't let you out of this school looking like this. We can't have people thinking that we're harbouring a gangster," you huffed out.

Mingi stared you down, trying to find the lie in your words. He can't have you pulling him down to the principal's office. To be honest, he trusted you as a person but he can't trust your position as part of the Student Body. Although, the look of determination was very much adorable in his eyes. There are worser ways to forfeit his freedom than to give into a hot, smart girl, right?

In he end he nodded and took a step forward as a sign of compliance. You let out a soft squeal and immediately dragged him away carefully. It didn't occur to you nor to him that both of your hands were intertwined the whole time. While you were thinking of what to do to help him, Mingi was staring at the cat in his arm, completely content and warm.

Soon, you reached your destination.

Mingi halted in his steps and stared at the doors with furrowed eyebrows. "Really? Here?" he asked, unsure. You looked back between Mingi and the Nurse's Office. You simply nodded and tugged him, "Don't worry, the nurses went home already. It's just you and me," "and Nero," he blurted out without thinking.

Immediately after letting out the cat's name, Mingi's eyes doubled in size and he stared at you in horror as if YOU did something. For the second time that day, Mingi let himself slip and you were able to see the side of him no one else other his friends had seen before. To him, it was embarrassing and he expected you to laugh at him, mock him, because when else can you encounter a big school bad boy holding a kitten and needing help?

But to his surprise, you only smiled at him and nod slowly, "Yeah... But we gotta keep Nero a secret because pets aren't supposed to be in school grounds, okay?" you said as you led him (and apparently the cat) into the Nurse's Office.

You pulled a the exam table liners down to make sure it'll be clean before gesturing for Mingi to sit down.

"He's... Not my pet, by the way," he said, looking down into the kitten who has now has his claws in Mingi's white shirt, making him wince. You sat down on a stool (that you had to readjusted because my god Mingi is tall even when he's sitting down) after putting the opened first aid kit next to you on the station. Without thinking, you leaned close to rub at the tiny kitten's head, making him mewl, "Come on little guy, I need to take care of your..." you looked up, meeting eyes with Mingi, "Dad?" you asked, tilting your own head at him. He almost choked on his own spit from how adorably innocent you looked. "I- I guess," he coughed out, trying to mask his embarrassment. Thankfully, the kitten seemed to respond well to your touch as it immediately latched off of Mingi and let you put him on the liners covered bed before switching your attention to Mingi.

As you started working on his scar covered hands, you began asking him questions. "So, what exactly was it that you were doing?" You asked in curiosity. Mingi sighed, contemplating whether or not to tell you off or to just answer. "I... Made a mistake," he said. Without looking up, you continued asking him, "What kind of mistake involved a cat and you skipping Boxing Club?" you chuckled to yourself. "Wait, how did you know I skipped Boxing?" this time, YOU froze as you realized that he could mistook your words as you looking for him. "I- I- I was- you know," "Mmm, no? I don't know?" he teased, smirking in amusement. You could hear your heart beating loudly to the point that you can hear it in your ears from embarrassment.

Luckily, his phone suddenly rang, breaking the sudden budding tension. "Thank fuck," you whispered under your breath. If Mingi heard that, he hid his acknowledgement well. "Can you please get my phone? It might be my mom," he said, looking down to his bag that's leaning next to the station. You pushed your stool back to roll to the bag as you shot him a teasing smirk, "Who would've thought that the mysterious bad boy would be so strict with his dinner schedule," you teased while rummaging through his bag to fish his phone out before tossing it to him. "I never called myself a bad boy it's a title students at this school gave to me. And of course I am, I'm still growing so I need to take care of myself well," he said, rolling his eyes playfully at you.

In all honesty, you've never could've imagined him like that. The diligent son, strict to schedules, and all that. But then again, despite his rough exterior and the proclivity to get into fights without trying, not to mention the multiple amount of times he came to class scruff and dirty, never once has the teachers reprimand him for being a bad student academically. Heck, he was once assigned as a math TUTOR but he rejected the opportunity.

As you were about to close his bag, something caught your eyes. You reached in and pull out the item that caught your attention. "Uh... Mingi," you called out, making him raise his head to look at you, "What is this?" You asked, lifting the item up for him to see. His eyes widened and his mouth open and close like a fish, he was trying to formulate an excuse but he couldn't think.

"Mingi, have you been sending me food and notes before club?" you asked as you scoot back to your previous position but now with the black cat with pink background post-it note in your hand. Mingi's eyes trembled as they darted around quickly, "No...?" he answered but the way he said it made it seem like it's a question. "I also gave you drinks and that one time I got you the pen that you lost," he mumbled his answer.

You couldn't believe it. Weeks spent wondering who the sender was (and secretly wishing it's Mingi and having it come true), and now he's in front of you, being helped by you. A blush crept on on your face and you immediately put the post-it back to go back to attending to him.

Silence enveloped the room, both of you unsure what to say. Mingi was mortified, scared, and embarrassed that you found out that he was the one who had been sending you things. You on the other hand didn't know what to do with the information. While it felt good to know that your assumption was in fact correct, what does it mean? Why did he send those to you? You had so many questions but you didn't want to pry or make him uncomfortable.

Out of the blue, Mingi let out a long sigh, making you jump slightly in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out or disgust you or something. I never meant for your to find out about it this way," he sighed, sounding dejected. You looked up at him briefly before focusing back on cleaning his wounds, "Why'd you give me those packages?" you asked, curious. As you were holding his hand, you felt it tense slightly. "Well... I think it was around over two months ago? I saw you crying in an empty classroom and you tried calming yourself down before you go into the Student Body Office with a much more positive face but when you walked home, you look beyond tired," he said. You could hear the worry in his voice and it made your heart skip a beat. "The next day... I sent you the first package and note," he concluded, voice lowering but you can still hear it. Before you could stop yourself, you blurted out the content of the very first note he sent you. "I hate seeing you cry, I wanna lend you my shoulders. Tell me which jerk made you cry, I'll take care of them for you,"

When your eyes met, you saw him grinning at you with a slight tint of red on his cheeks. He looked a lot softer than his usual gruff expression and unruly attire. "You memorized it," he said, sounding happy. Can't maintain eye contact with him, you stood and turned to close the first aid kit, "I- I couldn't not remember it. Those notes genuinely helped me get through my meetings," you willed yourself to lock eyes with him, "Thank you," you told him sincerely.

Mingi couldn't hide the widening grin on his face as he truly felt happy that you didn't react negatively.

The next day, you had hoped for things to be different.

While the stolen glances became stares that followed with gentle smiles and teasing gestures (much to everyone's and Yena's surprise), Mingi still hasn't approached you again. You wanted to be able to talk to him again but you're not sure if you should approach him or f he even wanted to talk to you. What if he only wanted to interact with you through the notes?

Too wrapped up in your head, you didn't realize your surroundings until you collided with a hard chest. When you looked up, you saw Mingi grinning cheekily at you. "Hey there Vice Prez," he then lifted one hand to show a paper bag in his hand, "Got your pick me up."

You couldn't even contain your excitement as you began to giddily jump in your spot. Seeing you so excited made Mingi's heart flutter and he had to will himself to not pinch your cheeks. You pulled him to the side of the office entrance to share the sandwich he got you (right after teasing him for the day's note, "I like oranges, I like apples. But I like you more," which caused you both to blush hard but Mingi harder). You both chatted as you munched on the sandwich. The conversation was about everything and nothing like about Nero whom he just rescued last night who now occupies his bed (lucky cat), then about your interests and what you do outside of being the Vice President and even about each of your friends. There were innocent touches shared like him wiping "something" from the corner of your lips and you pushing his bangs away from his eyes. Despite not liking much attention, you were surprised you didn't care about the stares people gave you both as they walked by. Mingi didn't even scowl at anyone. If you were in a cartoon, you're sure that Mingi would've had an animated dog tail wagging behind him.

"Hey," the President called out, head poking out to catch a glimpse of only you, "We're all waiting for you to start the meeting oh Madam Vice President, can't you hurry the fuck up and do your job? For fuck's sake, how did you become part of us anyways? This is why you work FOR me," he scoffed.

Before he could go back in or you say anything, Mingi squared up to his full height and his eyes turned scary. At 184 cm, he easily towered over the President, making him look like a tiny stick figure. "Why don't you fucking do something for once and lead? From what I've seen and heard, (y/n) has done more to deserve some downtime, yeah? So I think it's time she gets a day off. You're the president, you must know shit. Or else, should we bring up the issue of your position and incapabilities to the Principal?" He smirked.

Without waiting for the President to answer, Mingi interlaced his fingers with you and tug you gently to walk away, leaving the rest of the office murmuring and even some squealing at what Mingi had just done.

You couldn't help but stare at Mingi in admiration. Him standing up for you like that made you want to kiss him on the lips as a form of gratitude, but you might be a couple of steps away.

Sensing your stare, Mingi turned and his expression has completely changed. His glare turned into crescents and his snarl turned into a big smile, "Come on, I'm set to spar with Jongho today and I have a feeling that you're my lucky charm," he said, feeling more confident about throwing cheesy lines at you. You playfully raised an eyebrow as you nudge him, "I'm a cartoon leprechaun?" you joked. Mingi threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound was very much melodious and you know you don't want to stop hearing it. "You might be able to beat Yunho at dumb jokes and puns," he said happily.

You never would've thought that you'd be able to see the school bad boy look so carefree and childlike. Heck, you never would've thought that he's interested in you and was even capable of romantic and cute gestures. But he has been proving you wrong since the day before. And you like it.

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@rdiamond2727 @ikonic-loser @kodzukein @phenomenalgirl9 @skzatzloveismonsterous @seoulscenarios @forjupiter @dreamlesswonder86 @maddiebabyxoxo @imababywolf @do-you-actually-care @marievllr-abg @ilsedingsx @wasteitonserendipity @bbymatz @seonghwarizon @noonaishere @jo-hwaberry @honeyhwaaa @ateezourstars @yoonjunshi @yoongiigolden @camillelafaye @charreddonuts @hyvn-jaeee @kpopnightingale @starryunho @atinct

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