#rv:bjh

[bylanternlight]

mens rea

premise: guilty mind | angst, dark themes, horror-ish | second person pov | 276 words 

pairing: joohyun x reader (implied serial killer/investigator au)

warnings: brief mentions of blood, violence, and death

preface: based off of nbc’s hannibal, a little bit of killing eve, and the monster comeback. enjoy! 

By the time it appears, a year has passed. 

A white envelope. A blackbird stamp in the right corner. No return address. No markings -- only your address printed in the center. Joohyun’s handwriting. 

Your fingers drift toward your sternum, tracing the outline of a scar beneath your shirt. You can still taste the blood in your mouth, feel her brush your hair from your face, feel her cradle your chin in her hand, hear her voice as she sticks a knife into your chest. 

She’s dangerous. She’s a manipulator, a murderer. But when you think of her, it’s not the death you think of, not the bodies nor the pain. It’s soft hands, a soft voice, and brown eyes that peer into you like they see the truth. 

The letter within is short. You commit the words to memory, scan the paper for hints, anything to tell you where she is, and find nothing. Of course; Joohyun doesn’t want to be found, not yet.

The challenge she’s presented is not lost to you. Do your job: submit it into evidence. Help them catch me. Do the right thing. Or don’t. 

Or don’t. 

The decision is immediate, instinctual. It’s upsetting in how easy it is.  

---

Tell me: is running away always this dull? Exhausting? I’m finding it so, especially without the right company. 

I do hope you have healed well.

---

The ash remnants of her message sit at the bottom of a paper waste bin. You take out the trash, open the windows, reactivate the alarms, shower the smell of smoke off your body. And for the first time since that night, you cry. 

[bylanternlight]

escapism

premise: joohyun finds you where you don’t expect to be found | kinda fluff, kinda angst, exposition | second person pov | 953 words

pairing: ceo!joohyun x fem!reader

warnings: none

preface: the first in a collection of ceo!joohyun tales from my garbage brain! i rewrote this what felt like 300 times and it’s still not the best but i hope you like it!

"May I sit?" a voice inquires from beside you.

Your attention snaps to the source of the question. Bae Joohyun stands at the end of the wooden bench you are currently sitting on, a curious look in her eye.

"Yes, of course!" you reply immediately, shifting left to make room for her.

Quietly, she sinks into the space next to you, smoothing down the front of her skirt. She is as impossibly gorgeous as ever, her black hair cascading in soft curls over one shoulder and the hem of a navy gown tickling the grass. The studded jewels in her ears gleam slightly in the warm light emitting from within the hotel up ahead. 

Out of her several locations of luxury hospitality across Korea, your mother chose the same hotel for every annual charity ball: the one right in the heart of Seoul, where the most prominent people flocked together. You should be in there now, keeping up the reputation of good daughter, diligent and capable of inheriting a massive fortune along with a massive responsibility.

You’ll return near the end to avoid as much as possible; you weren’t proud of it, but you were in need of a long breather. 

You wonder why Joohyun has strayed from the party. Granted, she was notorious for her quiet and modest demeanor, continuing to be humble in spite of her overwhelming success -- but humility aside, she had yet to turn 30 and was already of the most respected and influential figures in the country. Even if she wasn’t the social type, you imagine she would be busy with the likes of your mother inside of the grand main ballroom instead of out back in the gardens with a distressed heiress.   

"A bit chilly out tonight." Her statement startles you. For a moment, you're not sure if she's even talking to you but obviously she is, who else is out here, oh god you're so dumb, don't look like an idiot --

"It's definitely not summer anymore," you remark after a beat, "but I don’t mind. I think autumn is better, even with the cold."

"I agree." She grins, a subtle shift of her features but stunning in its ability to soften her face. "How is your mother?"

"She's doing very well." From a professional standpoint, at least. To your knowledge, she didn't have a personal life, so even if you could talk about it, you would have nothing to say. "Are you enjoying the ball?"

"It's always a nice occasion, and for a great cause," she replies, "but it does wear you out. I came out to rest for a while."

"Well, you’re not alone. I think everyone is a little worn out at this point.” By “everyone” you meant yourself, and by “a little” you meant a lot, but you didn’t think it appropriate to tell her so. 

Feeling a sudden weight in your chest, you look up at the deep blue sky, seeing the faint twinkle of stars through a lattice-work of tree branches. When you were younger, you would dream of playing under the stars and gallivanting through the forest. You had asked your father to take you camping in the countryside like you’d heard of other kids doing, but he’d give you an apologetic smile and a promise of later that never came to fruition. 

“Are you all right?” Your head snaps back down at Joohyun’s voice, a startling reminder that now was not the best time to get lost in sentiment. 

“Yeah, I am. Just thinking.” You offer her an assuring smile and hope she doesn’t press any further.  “But thank you for asking.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t. Instead, she smiles back and cranes her own head upwards. “This is a good place to get lost in thought,” she says. “Very calm.”

There is something candid in the slight curve of her rosy lips, in her eyes turned toward the stars and her hair swaying in the breeze. She is beautiful in a way you’ve never seen her before, and you find yourself wanting to see more of Bae Joohyun beyond the staunch professionalism that brought her here to begin with.  

Childish, a part of you rebukes. As unfounded as it is, the feeling still manages to pierce your chest and lodge itself between your ribs. 

“Forgive me, but I think I should be returning,” you say in a near whisper, pushing yourself up from the bench with care.

“Well, if you’re heading back,” she starts, rising from her seat, “then I should be, too. Do you mind if I walk with you?”

The request is nothing crazy, merely a companionable gesture -- but you do sort of mind by reason of your dastardly heart lurching in your chest. 

Regardless, you answer, “Not at all.”

The walk back is quiet, Joohyun keeping stride beside you until you reach the hallway towards the ballroom. Some of the party seems to have spilled into the halls, people in formal attire with flutes of drinks in their hands meandering outside the ballroom. You recognize all of them from one event or another, having committed most of their faces and positions to memory. 

Before entering the group, you turn to Joohyun with a smile. “It was nice seeing you again.”

“You as well, Y/N. Have a nice night.” She gives you a friendly smile in farewell before walking back into the ballroom. 

You stay on the fringes of the party, not willing to reengage just yet. The moments of rest you shared with Joohyun were fleeting, and as much as you want to remain in them for a little while longer, you are only kidding yourself. 

So you sigh, and continue forward as usual.