#sm station season 1

[winterchimez]

Heart's Detour | Kim Sunwoo

SUMMARY: there has been a rise in kidnapping cases in town, and your brother feared for your safety and decided to send someone who would keep you safe in the meantime. what you least expected was that the biker gang's leader was the one your brother had gotten for you, thinking that this could probably be the biggest mistake you'll ever make in your life.

PAIRING: biker!Sunwoo x afab!reader (feat. lieutenant!Jacob)

GENRE: biker au, angst, crime, fluff, thriller, slight suggestive

WARNINGS: nc-17, first and foremost Sunwoo is very flirty and delulu here 😃👍, slow-burn, pet names (sweetheart, princess, kitten), violence, action scenes (certain parts may contain slight bit of gory content), mentions of weaponary (guns), minor characters death, blood, betrayal, mentions of crime (kidnapping and human trafficking), slight mention about sex, traumatic backstories, mentions about mental well-being/health, Sunwoo is shirtless at one point 👀, kissing, making out, yn also flirts back but it's only to keep Sunwoo in place 🫡

WORD COUNT: 22,779 (what in the world.)

A/N: 1/3 of the fics for this christmas season is out!! @itsbeeble @kimsohn for the both of you 😚 maya consider this my early birthday gift to you ❤️ also a huge shoutout to @justalildumpling @from-izzy for beta reading this whole chunk of bad boy ily both sm i appreciate you always 💕💕💕

“Oh my god, you look like my next big mistake.” 

That was the first thing that escaped right out of your mouth as the familiar figure pulled into the driveway. You already knew who it was—that black leather jacket, the black helmet that covered his breathtaking look (as much as you didn’t want to admit it), and the slightly worn-out boots he always wore. 

It was the moment he took his helmet off and shook his hair to clear his vision so that he would always look straight at you and smile before you decided to ruin the mood. 

“Now that’s just rude. I was nice enough to accept your brother’s request to come pick you up.” 

“What makes you think I’d go with you, Sunwoo? You’re one of our district's most dangerous human beings,” you deadpanned. 

“Look sweetheart, it’s either you hop on, or I’ll leave you behind. For your information, I would still drag your ass to ride my baby because I would not want to be fed to the hound dogs by your brother.” 

With his reply, you quickly glanced around the area you were in to find that it was dead silent and empty and that it was already going to be midnight as you glanced at your watch. Knowing that you didn’t have a choice, you reluctantly grabbed the helmet Sunwoo was extending to you and placed it over your head. 

He smirked at your reaction, knowing very well how he was the only option to get back home. Before he did the same, he hopped back into his vehicle. 

“Grab on.” That was the last thing he said before covering down his face shield as he started the engine. As you gently wrapped your arms around his wrist, he gave the throttle a few twists. Instantly, the bike propelled forward, and you were both on the road. 

It wasn’t unusual for your brother Jacob to cancel on you and be unable to pick you up from your job location on the city's outskirts. You knew deep down that he was always busy with his job back at the station. He was one of the lieutenants of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department, after all. When duty calls, he has to stay behind and arrange transport for you instead.

You have repeatedly reassured him that you could take the bus back home or figure out how to deal with matters like this on your own. However, your brother insisted that you were not to take the public transport back as there has been a sudden rise in crimes in the city. 

Additionally, the town you resided in was infamous for the biker gangs, the one that the man in front of you was part of. Nobody dared to come close to them, fearing for their lives as they were capable of doing the worst possible things you could’ve imagined. But it was part of their persona that they always kept up with, as it helped them stay safe from potential dangers or threats against them. 

Hence, you have never understood why your brother, who is part of the police force, would associate with a man like Kim Sunwoo. As far as you and the public knew, he was the leader of the biker gang in Seoul. As soon as his name was mentioned, the public would keep a distance and fear the man himself. But because of how often you have interacted with the man, you find him to be the complete opposite of the image he painted towards the public. 

In reality, he was a goofy guy and not as terrifying nor harmful as the public had determined him to be. He was careless at times, getting all ahead of himself, which completely paints the picture of him being delusional. At times, you would tease him about something, and that was when you realised he gets scared easily. Talk to him about a ghost story, and you can guarantee that he was going to piss his pants even before you even reached the climax of your story. 

In other words, he always looked out for you in your brother’s absence, and he would lurk behind the shadows somewhere, ensuring you would be all alright. You were pretty sure that he probably signed some sort of deal or contract with your brother to do so because who were they to spend most of their life looking out for a young adult like you? 

You were definitely grateful for that, as much as you would never admit it straight up to Sunwoo’s face; you just couldn’t understand why a biker leader like him would associate with you and your brother. 

As you both rode for a bit, you eventually found yourselves back in the heart of Seoul. There was something about riding a bike as you took in the breathtaking view as the wind rushed past your tousling hair, sending this thrilling sensation down your spine. 

If you were with a complete stranger, it would have set off so many alarms in your mind because of the multiple biker stories you have heard from the news and your brother. 

But somehow, for some reason, riding with Sunwoo has always made you feel comfortable and safe. 

Perhaps it was why you decided to hop on with him in the first place. It was your first time riding his bike with him, yet you weren’t too mad about the idea. In fact, you were kind of grateful that your brother set up such arrangements. 

It didn’t take you both long enough before Sunwoo eventually dropped you off right at your doorstep. You got off the bike with ease and handed the helmet back to him as you walked up to your front door porch. Right before you decided to turn the doorknob to open the door, you turned your head back to see that Sunwoo was still there looking at you.

“You’re not going to kidnap me, aren’t you?” 

“Come on, you actually think that I’m a pervert? What makes you think so, sweetheart?” 

“Many reasons,” you spat.  

“Rude.” 

“I’ll take that.” 

“Well, now that you’re back home safe and sound, I’ll finally take my leave. Let your brother know about it.” 

With one final glance, he lifted his feet on the ground back up to his bike before twisting the throttle again to give his motorcycle an immediate surge of power, and he sped quickly out from your neighbourhood. 

As you got into the comforts of your home, you made yourself comfortable before sending your brother Jacob a text to tell him that you were safe and sound before tucking yourself into bed. 

Throughout the night, you just couldn’t help but ponder why the biker’s leader would actually care or even listen to the law enforcement to escort you back home. He couldn’t have cared less and certainly had much more pressing matters than dealing with a young adult like you. 

As you tossed and turned in your bed, that question remained in your mind, keeping you wide awake all night. 

Kim Sunwoo, just who or what exactly are you?

“So you’re my personal babysitter now?” 

You were chilling at your local coffee shop, rushing up your remaining assignments due the following week. You were still a university student before your part-time job, and had no choice but to sacrifice most of your sleep and free time to deal with pressing matters. 

Just as you were typing away on your laptop, a familiar figure suddenly approached you with two cups of iced macchiato in both hands before he plopped down on the seat right across you and handed you one of the drinks. You raised an eyebrow at him, making him stop sipping his coffee away. 

“Brother’s orders,” he replied.

You had no idea why exactly Jacob was doing all of this. In fact, he hasn’t been coming home much for the past week as he had been caught up with work at his station, which is also where you assumed he was sleeping for the time being. During his absence, the infamous biker leader who was sitting in front of you has been personally coming to pick you up from work every single day. 

You thought that since you were off to focus on your studies this whole week, you would finally take a break from the delusional man himself. It turns out you were wrong, and he was here with you in the coffee shop you once called your comfort place. 

You didn’t entirely hate this guy, though; it was more of questioning why he was associating with you more often now as one of the town’s most feared individuals. Naturally, that also caused the people around you to give you the side-eye or just avoid you like the plague, all thanks to the one and only Kim Sunwoo. 

There was a moment of silence between you two as you continued typing away on your laptop. It wasn’t long before the male bent over to peek at your laptop screen to see what you were working with. 

“Don’t even bother helping me.” You replied bluntly. 

“You never know I might be an expert in your field of work.” 

You sighed. “Kim Sunwoo. It’s literature.” 

“Well, I wouldn’t be the biker gang leader for no reason. I’ve got great communication skills, after all.” 

“For your information, it’s about writing a 2000 essay review on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.” 

Upon hearing the novel's name, he immediately grinned widely before scooting his chair closer to you, giving you this puppy look that he was now very intrigued by your work. 

“Oh my god, Romeo and Juliet is my absolute favourite! Mark my words when I tell you I am a huge fan of romance novels or TV shows!” 

You sighed in defeat when he began reading the essay that you have written so far; you could tell that he was the type not to let go of something that piqued his interest. He was even reading it very diligently, and you couldn’t help but chuckle at that sight. 

“Hey, don’t look down on me. Just so you know, I aced all of my tests back in school and was a model student.” 

“Hmm, questionable, but I will take that.” 

Just like that, the time seemed to pass as quickly as possible, and you were even surprised by how much knowledge he had about the classic novella itself. It was intriguing to find out that he got invested in the topic and was able to help you brainstorm specific ideas that you could add on to make your essay much more sophisticated. 

Right when you were about to type away to finish up the final parts of your essay, you suddenly felt a little tap on your shoulders, which made you turn your head back to see who it was. Once you laid your eyes upon them, you quickly shot up from your chair and gave them a big hug. 

“Kisa! Where exactly have you been? Everyone at work has missed you so badly.” You hugged your former co-worker tightly, rubbing your cheeks together even as it had been months since you had last seen each other. 

“I know. Things have been rough recently, and I had no choice but to take a short leave.” 

“You could have at least told us what was going on, Kisa. Weren’t we all your closest buds around town?” 

She chuckled. “I guess.” 

There was a little awkward moment of silence between you two, which you thought was a bit odd as Kisa used to be an excellent talker who would always have a topic ready up her sleeves. You quickly examined the look in her eyes, and you could tell that something was off; it almost felt as if she was trying to tell you something, but she couldn’t for some reason.

Hence, you decided to ask her. “Hey Kisa, is everything alright—”

“You know, Y/N! There is this new cafe right towards the end of the street where we could go that serves your favourite croffles. It’s been a while, so why don’t we catch up for a bit?” Kisa asked rather hastily. 

You could sense that something was off from her tone of voice and speech, and you desperately wanted to find out at this point. 

“Yeah, of course! Let’s head off—”

“I’m sorry, but she won’t be able to join you today.” 

Immediately, Sunwoo grabbed your wrist, pulled you back towards him and wrapped his hands around your shoulders. 

“You see, Y/N is actually on a date with me today. Perhaps the both of you could do it some other time? I apologise for that, miss.” Sunwoo replied with a smile on his face, and that immediately made Kisa back off. 

“Y-Yeah, of course! I’m so sorry to have bothered you, Y/N. I’ll see you sometime again soon!” 

Instantly, Kisa turned her heel and dashed towards the front door. Just like that, your co-worker you haven’t seen for months disappeared into thin air once again. You quickly darted your face back to Sunwoo, trying to interrogate him as to why on earth he had done what he did. 

“Kim Sunwoo, I knew you were delusional, but that doesn’t mean you could do that to me—”

“Let’s get out of here.” 

Sunwoo immediately cut you off and quickly helped take all your belongings for you as he pushed you towards the front door, right towards his bike. Once you both had strapped on, Sunwoo immediately took speed and quickly drove away. During the entire ride home, it was obvious that he knew or saw something, as you felt his whole body was all tense up as you wrapped your arms around him. 

He was awfully quiet too, not even sparring a glance back at you during the journey, and that alone was weird enough for you since he would always joke around and shout aloud amidst the busy traffic to make sure that you were still able to converse with him. 

But no, not this time. 

Once he dropped you off at your front porch, he kept scanning the area around your house and wouldn’t even try to speak with you. When you finally removed the helmet and handed it back to him, he quickly grabbed your wrist again, and his grip tightened against yours. 

“Whatever you do, stay at home for now. Do not leave unless it is me or your brother who answers the door,” he spoke firmly, making sure you get that through your head before he finally let go of your grip.

This was the infamous biker leader you grew up listening to rumours about how he was cold in reality, and as to why so many people were terrified of him. There was this aura around this man, and that whatever came out from his mouth, he meant business, and he wasn’t the type to joke around when he set his mind on something. It was also the deathly cold stare he gave that scared so many people, including you right now as you witness them firsthand in person. 

Giving him a little nod, he lets go of your grip so you can finally head up to open your locked front door. Once you had turned the doorknob and taken your first step in, you glanced behind again to see that he was still giving you that cold death stare. To be honest, it terrified you a little, and you knew that you couldn’t ask what the whole fiasco happened back at the cafe, at least not for now. 

With that, you walked right into the comforts of your house and closed the door shut, eyes still glued towards that cold death stare from the biker leader. You tried your best to distract yourself by cleaning up the house a little and getting yourself all cosy and ready for bed while sparing a few glances at your windows to see that Sunwoo was still there, staring directly at your house, or rather, at you. 

It wasn’t until the clock finally struck midnight that Sunwoo decided it was time to leave you alone as he drove off and disappeared.

Whatever happened today was enough for you to finally conclude that something was up, and you needed to know. It surely must not have just been a pure coincidence that Sunwoo has been popping up in your life just like that out of the blue, and how your brother actually trusted him and asked that he took care of you in his place, and with what happened today at the cafe with Kisa. 

Something was definitely up, and you needed answers. 

Immediately.

You couldn’t care less if you were to be scolded by your big brother. When you woke up this morning, you quickly called for a taxi to take you to your brother’s station. It took a while to convince the ones at the reception that your brother was one of the lieutenants, so they had to call Jacob and make him personally come down to escort you. 

Jacob's eyes widened upon seeing you, but the moment he saw your face, he knew that you came here for a good reason and that you weren’t just here for a visit. 

After passing through the multiple securities, you finally ended up in his office on one of the top floors. Luckily, things weren’t too busy, so your brother had some time to spare with you. 

“Hey sis, I’m sorry I haven’t been able to come home lately nor pick you up from work. It’s just that I have had so many cases to deal with—”

“Jacob, I need answers.” You cut him off. 

It was the look that you had in your eyes that made it absolutely clear to Jacob that you weren’t leaving until you had the answers that you desperately wanted. It has always been like this for you, even when you were a child. You were persistent and would do anything to get whatever you wanted. With you seated on the couch in his office, you leaned back slightly and crossed your arms and legs, indirectly telling your brother to do the same.

Jacob let out a deep sigh before he finally got himself comfortable and placed a hot cup of freshly brewed tea he had made just for you right onto the table, pushing it towards you before he finally sat down across the couch from you.

It took a moment for him to rub his palms together before lifting up his face to look directly at you. 

“Y/N, please know that I’m doing everything I can to keep you safe at all times—”

“Not that, Jacob. Just cut to the chase, please.” 

“It’s…well, long story short, there have been multiple cases of young girls who have been going missing for the past couple of weeks. And we have been searching high and low for clues but to no avail.” He furrowed his eyebrows as he finally spat out what had been bugging him for weeks. 

“Okay? And what does that have to do with you sending the infamous Kim Sunwoo to care for me?” 

“You’ll be needing him, Y/N. I promise he will surely be looking out for you, no matter what.”

“Well, that’s reassuring to know. But why, Jacob? Since when have you ever associated yourself with a dangerous man like him?” You questioned. 

This time, you could tell that your brother was slightly hesitant in his next words and struggled to come up with possible answers that would please your curiosity. 

“That’s…something I can’t say for now. But you will eventually find out yourself soon.” 

You scoffed before standing up and raising your voice towards your brother. “Jacob, I came all the way out here to hear answers from you, my own brother. The fact that what happened at the cafe last night was odd enough, to the point that Sunwoo even gave me this death stare warning me as if I may be in danger or something. I have no idea what exactly you both are planning, but you better tell me everything from the beginning for God’s sake, right this second.” 

There was this apologetic look in his eyes as he stared right back at your now-turning-red face, standing up and placing both hands on your shoulders, trying to calm you down. It was then, all of a sudden, that there was a knock on his door, and he instructed whoever it was to come in. It was one of his subordinates, and he was summoned to the chief’s office to discuss the missing cases further. 

Before Jacob left the room, he turned back to grab his jacket quickly and hastily put it on while speaking to you for one last time. 

“Stay here, Y/N. I’ll drop you back home after I’m done with this meeting. I’ll try my best to return as soon as possible.” 

Within seconds, Jacob and his subordinate rushed out of the room and closed the door shut. Now that your brother was gone, there was no way that you would just sit back and relax, knowing that there have been cases of young girls going missing around town. You needed to learn more about this, even if your brother isn’t willing to tell you anything more about it. 

You decided to salvage through his work desk, opening up each cabinet to see if you could find anything useful regarding the case. Scanning through the multiple files that he had kept away nicely, it seemed as if your brother might have taken the file that contained potential evidence or information about the missing girls, so you were left with nothing that could give you a bit of an insight to what exactly was going around in town.

That was until you discovered a little slip of paper peeking through one of the files. 

You quickly took it out from the folder, and a smirk began to form on your face as you read through the information on that little piece of paper. 

“If you’re not going to tell me, Jacob, I’ll figure all this out myself then.”

With the last remaining pocket money you had , you managed to hail a taxi to bring you to the specified location that was written on that little piece of paper. However, you gave the driver a slightly different route than the one from the paper, for you knew that no ordinary citizen would ever step foot within the infamous territory.

The moment you stepped out of the vehicle, you assumed that you would be walking for about a good ten minutes before you were able to arrive at the exact location. You didn’t mind that in the slightest bit; you just needed to find the right person to ask the questions that have been gruelling in the back of your mind. 

The walk towards the location wasn’t exactly smooth as you had to pass through the woods to get there undetected. It was already dark out then, so you had to rely on your handy-dandy torchlight from your phone to guide you through the woods. It felt eerie, and the crackling sounds as you stepped on the branches scattered across the ground didn’t help in the slightest bit.

But you had to remind yourself that you came here constantly for a purpose: no matter what, you weren’t going home empty-handed. With the best of your abilities, you pushed through and eventually, arrived after almost an hour of walking, where, in reality, it would’ve taken you ten minutes if you didn’t spend most of the time getting lost in the woods. 

What mattered was that you were finally at the location, and upon first inspection, it was a vast empty parking lot filled with motorcycles from one end to another. Thankfully, there were multiple huge metal transport boxes that filled the area, so you sneakily stepped out from the woods and ran to the closest one to hide. 

You decided to sneak your head out a little and peek through the corners of the box, and as expected, you were able to spot several individuals towards the far end of the parking lot. Some of them were leaning against their bikes as they drank to their heart’s content while chatting away, while others were ultimately passed out and fast asleep in the empty garage at the centre. 

Judging from the location you were at now, it was nearly impossible to hear precisely what those individuals were talking about. If you want to get your hands on concrete evidence, you have got to move closer. 

With a quick dash, you ran towards box by box while trying your best to be undetected. Each time you managed to get from one box to another, you always gave yourself a quiet sigh of relief and tried your best to calm your beating heart down. 

Okay, just a few more boxes to go. I can do this—

Instantly, someone came up from behind to cup your mouth with their hands while the other was wrapped around your chest, trying to calm your muffling sounds down. 

“What in God’s mind were you even thinking of stepping foot in this place?”

That voice. It belonged to the person you have been longing to find in the first place. 

“S-Sunwoo,” you muffled as his hands still cupped your mouth. 

At that moment, both of you heard footsteps coming closer to where you were and knew you were about to be cornered. There was no reason for an outsider like you to be present in the biker gang’s territory, and you would pretty much be skinned alive if you were to be found.

Time was ticking, and you needed to think of a way to get out of here undetected. 

But thankfully, it seemed as if Sunwoo had everything under control. 

Or so you thought. 

Just when the few bikers came around the corner, a loud gasp came from them as they witnessed the sight beyond them. Never in a million years would they have caught their boss making out with some random stranger in their base.

“U-Uh, boss? What exactly is going on?” One of the bikers stammered, hoping that the question asked wouldn’t get him into trouble. 

It took a few seconds for Sunwoo to turn his head to look at them with his face looking like a mess as if he had just had a steamy kissing session with whoever he was with, as he was also trying his best to protect your identity by pushing your head down towards the crook of his neck. 

The bikers gulped at the sight, but Sunwoo quickly gave them a plausible answer for now. 

“You see, this little one has gotten some valuable information from us, and I’m just doing a favour to get them cough up whatever shit that they know and to ruin them a little bit for some fun.” He smirked. 

That was enough to shut the bikers up, and then they quickly brushed it off, telling their boss that they would get a quick smoke to loosen up a bit. As they finally walked away and the coast was clear, Sunwoo immediately lifted your head to get you to face him directly. He could tell you were beyond speechless and there was this unreadable emotion on your face. 

Confused? Mad? Upset? Maybe all of it at once. 

But that didn’t stop him from dragging you out of that place as he quickly brought you back into the woods, going through the dark passageway once again until you both ended up back on the road you originally came from. 

That was when you finally freed yourself from his grasp, and you began raising your voice at him, even if you didn’t mean to. 

You didn’t know what you were feeling at this point either; one thing for sure is that you definitely felt overwhelmed by everything that was happening. As much as you tried to open your mouth, the words wouldn’t come straight out. With that, Sunwoo decided to help you finish your sentence instead.

“Admit it, you liked my kiss.” 

Your eyes widened. “What the actual bullshit, Kim Sunwoo.”

“So now you can talk.” 

God, this was starting to get to your head badly, and there was just so much vulgar language that you wanted to throw at the man in front of you. But it seems that Sunwoo was once a step ahead of you. 

“You’re up to no good, princess.” 

“What do you even know, Sunwoo-”

“I have a pretty good guess that you came without telling your brother, or rather, against his orders.” 

You absolutely hated that Sunwoo knew precisely what was going on in your mind and how he could read you perfectly. It was as if you were just plain as day; your discreet movements or actions you’ve tried to keep secret will always be revealed quickly against your own will. 

Eventually, you decided to give in. “Fine. I did.” 

“Now, someone is not being a good sibling, aren’t they? Might have to report back to big brother Jacob, and someone’s going to get some timeout—”

Before Sunwoo could finish his sentence, you quickly stomped towards him and grabbed his collar, seemingly shutting him up for a moment.

“You’re going to tell me everything. Every single detail, Kim Sunwoo.” 

Sunwoo already had a good guess as to why you were here in the first place. You came to find him and took the risk of visiting his hideout written on the piece of paper you found in Jacob’s office. Mentally, he was throwing curses at your brother for not spilling the details because now he was the one who was going to do it instead. 

Jacob Bae, I sincerely hope that your microwave is going to break down so that you will be having cold meals for a period of time and that you will get your ass kicked by your CEO for not having much progress in the missing cases. 

From your not-so-nice friend, Kim Sunwoo. 

As much as you almost exerted this fiery aura, Sunwoo did not flinch in the slightest. He was used to things like this anyway; he was the biker gang’s leader after all. Instead, he grinned back at you.

“You clearly have lost your mind thinking that you can manipulate the biker leader to spill out the deeds for you. It seems that you have not experienced why exactly the public fear about us, Y/N.” 

This time, he slowly takes a step forward little by little, and you slowly begin to back off while your hands remain on the collar of his shirt. 

“Let me tell you a little something, Y/N. The moment when you stepped within our territory, you were just as good as dead meat.” Sunwoo continued. 

Another step forward.

“Do you know why the public fear us, Y/N? We are predators. And predators hunt for prey who messes with us.” 

Another step forward. 

“And you little innocent citizens of Seoul have officially become our prey because no one messes with us. I mean, no one. You have chosen death when you decided even to come close to us.” 

Another step forward. 

“So you might as well say your last words before I devour you up, hmm?” Sunwoo then stops at his track as he leans forward so that both of your faces are mere inches away, and he closes his eyes while giving you the biggest smile you have seen just yet. 

That alone was enough to shake you to your core. 

It was just as portrayed in books and TV shows, on how smiles make the villains ten times worse than they are. When a villain smiles, you drop everything and run for it. 

If only that were what exactly you did. 

You straighten your posture before you spit back at him. “You won’t have the guts to do that to me, Kim Sunwoo.” 

“And what makes you think that, sweetheart?” 

“Because you love me,” you spat. 

Upon hearing those words, the smile immediately fell from his face, and a shocked expression replaced it. Sunwoo quickly backed off and took a few steps back away from you. 

Bingo. 

“N-No, I don’t.” Sunwoo chuckled. 

“Jokes on you, young man; you were literally head over heels for me, that’s why you agreed to babysit me in the first place.” 

You instantly noticed how flushed his face was getting as he quickly cupped both sides of his face with his hands, trying to calm the heat down. But that did not stop you from moving towards him now as you continued taunting him. 

“You know, I think your fellow bikers would be delighted to hear that their boss was in love with a commoner like me, don’t you think? I’m sure the biker community loves to hear romance since you boys have been angsty all year.” 

“No no no! Not the biker community! I’m supposed to be a cool leader everyone looks up to and worship goddamit!” He was now covering his ears like a little child. 

Oh, Kim Sunwoo, you indeed are such a sucker for romance. 

Finally, you took the final steps and stood before him, placing both hands upon his shoulders, and you returned a devilish smile. 

“I think someone’s got a good explanation to do before I feed him to my brother’s hound dogs back at the station.”

“Y/N Bae, I absolutely would love to ruin your makeup right now.” 

“Kim Sunwoo, I absolutely would love to throw you straight into the river right now.” 

After that confrontation on the empty road, you both decided to take this whole conversation elsewhere before any of the bikers made their way out to confront you two again. 

So you hopped back onto Sunwoo’s bike and drove a little to the well-known spot in Seoul, Han River. 

Since Sunwoo had barely recovered from your counterattack before, he was clearly distracted as he droved through the city, constantly putting out this pout and sulky expression on his face, making you want to tease him more. Occasionally, you would purposely snake your hands up to his abdomen to his chest, which made the male squirm and his body tense upon the contact, making him cry out loud, for God’s sake, and somehow apologise throughout the entire ride. 

The moment you both got to the river, Sunwoo immediately asked you to get out of his vehicle while trying to calm his pounding chest down. Unfortunately, you were nowhere near done wrecking the bike leader, so you snaked your arms around him as you dragged him out from his bike, taking them down to one of the stairs facing the river. 

Sunwoo was not in the right mind and was trying his best to counterattack, which at one point he did. But thanks to the taekwondo classes you took back in the day, you quickly turned the tables around.

So now Kim Sunwoo was the one pinned to the ground while you were hovering above him, pinning both his hands above his head while your legs kept his in place, leaving him no room to move around. 

“If only being delusional wasn’t my weakness, I swear Y/N…”

“Tell that to the ones who created you.they were the ones to cast this spell upon you.” 

“What do I get if I tell you the truth?”

You paused for a moment. What were you going to repay him exactly? 

But since you were already keeping up with this facade a couple of hours ago, you might as well continue the seeds that you have planted.

“A kiss from me to you.” 

Upon hearing those words, the male smirked before finally closing his eyes and let loose his body slightly. 

“Fine, Y/N. You win.” 

With that, you also did the same by slowly releasing your grip on his arms, knowing well how he wouldn’t be counterattacking you soon. 

“What I am about to tell you, Y/N… I’m not exactly sure if you’re able to stomach it all, to be honest.” 

“Nothing as bad as the cases that my brother has done, I bet.” 

“Fair. Your brother deals with brutal homicide cases, after all.” 

Sunwoo then propped himself up, and you decided to give him some space by getting off him and sitting crossed-legged at his side. It took Sunwoo a moment to gather his thoughts before finally telling you the whole story. 

“Y/N, did you realise why I dragged you away on that day you met that co-worker of yours?” 

“You meant Kisa?” 

“Did you notice anything strange about her?”

“Well, yeah I kind of did. Her demeanour was setting off many red flags in my mind for sure,” you replied. The thought about Kisa once again made you frown; you have been constantly worrying about her since that day.

“I’ll tell you right now that she is one of the girls who had gone missing for the past couple of months.” 

Missing? Is she related to the missing person cases that your brother was dealing with then? 

“The fact that she has reappeared all of a sudden was strange enough, and luckily, I noticed a barcode tattooed right behind her ear.” 

Barcode? What exactly was going on? 

Sunwoo noticed how perplexed you were with the whole situation and sighed before continuing with his words. 

“Y/N, I think you do know what happens when someone is tattooed with a barcode on different parts of their body, don’t you?” 

No. It can’t be. You knew exactly what it meant, but you wouldn’t have expected it to happen to someone close to you, let alone to one who has suddenly disappeared from your radar, only for them to reappear out of the blue. 

“No, you don’t mean it.” 

“Come on, Y/N. You know exactly how crime works in Seoul, especially in our district; it’s corrupted, and plenty of cases like this go unnoticed because the culprits can often get away undetected.” 

That can’t be true; you absolutely can’t accept the fact that Kisa was a victim of human trafficking. 

You slowly began to stammer in your speech. “S-So, you basically saved my life back there and then.” 

“If you want to put it that way, I guess I did.” 

This time, Sunwoo decided to scooch a little bit closer to you, and the tone in his voice dropped as if he was now whispering what crucial detail he was about to say next. 

“Y/N, why did you think your brother made a deal with me to follow you wherever you go?” 

You decided to break the tension in the air slightly by making a little joke. “I’d like to think it was your idea instead because you have committed to being my stalker.” 

“Calling me a stalker is flat-out rude, Y/N. Especially after all that I have done for you,” he sulked.

You were glad Sunwoo could still joke around with you slightly to ease the tension. 

“Fine, to keep me safe then.” 

“That’s one for sure, but also because we made a pact to crack these cold cases together without the superiors in the station knowing a thing about this.” 

Huh. “So you’re a biker detective now?” 

“Yeah, a very cool one at that too. I saved your life not once but twice. Jacob should give me a pay raise, let’s be honest.” 

“What do you mean you actually suck at your job. You have to have someone’s consent first before you start making out with them, especially in public.” You slightly blushed at that comment. You certainly weren't going to tell him that he took your first kiss away, and you hoped that your surroundings were dark enough so that Sunwoo wasn’t able to see clearly that your ears were beginning to look bright red as a tomato right now.

Unfortunately for you, he was a romance fanatic, so obviously, he could tell that you were embarrassed to say all of that. It was his sign to strike back now.

“Oh honey, that kiss was a little extra from your care package that your brother signed you up for. You should be grateful that you get an extra treatment from me.” He took a string of your hair and started twirling around his fingers. 

“….shut up.” You muttered.

Oh god, how much he was enjoying this whole moment right there.

The next thing that happened was that he moved closer again and cupped both of your cheeks with his hands before leaning his forward against yours. 

“What in the world are you even thinking of doing—”

“Y/N, listen to me closely about what I am about to say next, and I will only say it once.” 

That made all of the embarrassment from earlier die down. Judging from the look in his eyes, you knew things were about to get serious next.

“Another reason why your brother personally asked for me to care for you for the time being was because he knew that something bad was going to happen real soon.” 

“Something bad?” 

“You see, we have been working together on this case for months now. With our thorough investigations, it’s clear that whoever was the mastermind behind all of this may actually be someone we are acquainted with.” 

“Someone much closer to us, that is.”

Your eyes widened upon that last sentence, and you knew this case was far worse than you thought. It was a life-and-death situation if either of you let your guard down. If that was the case, it also meant that you weren’t the only one in danger. 

Bracing yourself, you slowly and reluctantly asked Sunwoo something that you hoped it was just yourself thinking way further ahead than you should. 

“J-Jacob isn't going to die, isn’t he?”

Sunwoo didn’t reply, but he stared straight into your eyes. With that, your eyes became teary, and you were on the verge of crying out silently. You knew that Jacob’s job always evolved around dangerous criminals, and there’s no guarantee that he might come home each day in one piece; he had accepted his fate ever since he took on the badge in the first place. 

But now, with the recent events and how he had placed you under Sunwoo’s care, you knew that this was far worse than any of you had encountered before. 

Tears began dripping down your face, and Sunwoo lightly brushed his fingers against your cheek to wipe them away. 

“Y/N, from now on, I’m afraid you should stay as far away from your brother as possible. In other words, you’ll be stuck with me for now.” 

“That doesn’t mean that I won’t be seeing him anymore, isn’t it?” You sobbed. 

Sunwoo smiled. “Of course not. It is so that both of us can conduct our investigation much more smoothly without outsiders intruding on our plan. I promise you, I won’t let your brother die. That would also mean that the lives of both you siblings are at my outermost top priority now.”

“Why Sunwoo? Why would a biker leader like you even associate with us law enforcement? Didn’t you and your people hate us for decades?”

He chuckled before placing a kiss on the top of your forehead. 

“Jacob Bae saved me and gave me another chance at life. And I am going to return the favour.”

It has been ten minutes since the both of you were back on the road again. You were trying to take in all of Seoul’s beautiful night views, as you might not see them for a while. 

After calming yourself down at Han River, Sunwoo filled you in with everything you needed to know before you both took off back on the road. Based on what your brother and Sunwoo have been able to investigate so far, they decided that it was safe to conclude that the mastermind was either someone within the biker community or one of the higher-ups from the police agency. That was precisely why your brother was in a tight situation and was at risk of falling into the hands of the enemy since he was one of the lieutenants and had no control over his superiors. 

It was precisely why Jacob decided it was best for you to keep a distance from him at the moment, for the fear that you might fall into the hands of the enemy. Hence, giving you to Sunwoo for now would mean that you had a higher chance of survival—being a biker meant that Sunwoo was able to move around much more freely compared to a detective who was bound by rules that he had to abide by at all times. 

In the meantime, Sunwoo has also been on the go trying to figure out who the traitor within the biker’s community was who started all of this. According to the male, he guessed that someone from the detective agency was manipulating and might even be paying the traitor within the biker gang a large sum of money to traffick these young ladies out of the country. Since the bikers usually hunt out late at night, there was no doubt that the victims would have been vulnerable against them and quickly fell into their hands. 

In order to keep you safe, and since Sunwoo has practically told you the entire plan, he has no choice but to bring you along on his investigations; as much as he hated that idea and he would much prefer locking you away somewhere where you could lay down low until the whole crime spree is over. 

However, he knew that you would be much safer if you were within his sight range, and he would feel much more comfortable knowing that you were always near him.

He has learnt it the hard way before anyway. 

As you both ride through the night and out away from Seoul, there is this anxious feeling rotten deep within your gut—you are terrified, knowing now that you have finally fallen victim to the dark, corrupted crime world in Seoul. 

With that, your arms wrapped around Sunwoo’s waist tightened, and you gently laid your cheeks against his back. You just wished this ride with Sunwoo could have happened at a much better time and under better circumstances.

“Damn, Kim Sunwoo. Who knew you’d have a hideout in the middle of nowhere?” 

You were astounded with the entire place. It was located outside of town, and it took the both of you about a two-hour ride to get to this place, which was eventually in the middle of the wilderness. You thought building a simple cabin here was a genius idea because chances of survival were much higher, especially for Sunwoo, who lives a dangerous life each day. 

As Sunwoo guided and led you up to the steps of his front door, he inserted a key and unlocked the front door within seconds, and your jaw dropped the moment he turned on the lights that lit up the entire cabin. 

“Welcome to my safe space, Y/N.” 

Upon further inspection, you could tell that the entire cabin was built meticulously—from the sturdy timber that formed the walls, the simple yet captivating decor that filled the entire place, and the cosy fireplace that stood right at one of the corners of the living space. The entire place just felt comforting; even a stranger would agree when they stepped into this place in the woods. 

Sunwoo noticed you had been slowly moving around the cabin, taking in all its glory. He decided that he wouldn’t be ruining this little moment you have and went straight into the pantry to whip up some hot cocoa for the two of you. 

It all felt too good to be true. You have only seen or read places like this in books or films; never in a million years would you have thought that you would get a chance to reside, let alone step into a place like this at all. It was as if you were living in a dream, and you just wished you could shut off the outside world for a while and relax in this place for as long as possible. 

As you slowly reach the fireplace, you notice how a picture frame sits at the top, depicting a young boy and a girl riding a swing at a park. You could immediately tell how it was Sunwoo in that picture, but you had no idea if the young female was his sibling or, perhaps, his past lover, if he ever had one. 

Before you could examine further, you heard a little thump from behind you, and you turned to see Sunwoo was back with two warm mugs of freshly made hot cocoa topped with whipped cream and marshmallows. He gently placed them onto the round wooden table he had before moving to the fireplace and threw some chopped wood in before lighting it up with the lighter he kept behind his back pocket. 

You slowly sit on the couch to make yourself comfortable, take one of the mugs, and sip the freshly made drink. It didn’t take long for Sunwoo to join you as he sat on the couch on your left.

“I’d like to think I’m such a great host, don’t you think? I expect you to be writing a five-star review of this Airbnb on booking.com after your stay,” he smugged before bringing his mug to his lips. 

“I never knew a biker gang leader like you would have a soft spot for ambience like this.” 

“Hey, bikers aren’t all angsty and dark. You’d think I live for the colour black and own everything in that specific colour?” 

“Don’t look at me like that. Blame the media for painting you guys exactly the way you are.” 

Well, you had a point there. Ever since you met Sunwoo, you realised that not all of them seemed as terrible as the public had painted them to be. Even the biker leader is the same as many young adults: desperate to find love and obsessed with shoujo mangas. 

As you took another sip of the cocoa, you gulped the liquid down slowly before enjoying your little silence, listening to the crackling sound from the fireplace as you slowly started to feel your eyelids become heavy. 

It has been a long day; after all, you started by storming into Jacob’s office at the beginning of the day, trekking through the woods and finding out about the biker’s hideout, going to Han River and eventually here in Sunwoo’s cabin. 

From the corners of your eyes, you could see how it would be early morning now—the first tendrils of light painting the sky in hues of a mixture of lavender and indigo, indicating that it would be dawn now. It was probably about five to six in the morning, and that was the last thing you could think of before you eventually fell to your slumber. 

It took Sunwoo a few seconds to realise you had fallen asleep as he admired the skies from his cabin window just like you were. When he finally turned to look at your head, bending down with your eyes closed, the mug of now warm cocoa still nestled within your grasp. 

Sunwoo smiled at the sight of you resting comfortably like that. It reminded him so much about her. It almost felt bittersweet then, but Sunwoo tried his best to get rid of those feelings before things started to get too deep again.

He slowly got up, gently opened up your fingers surrounding the mug, and took it off your hands to place it on the table. He then swooped his hands around your shoulders and under your legs before picking you up bridal style. Trying his best not to make a noise, he slowly brought you into his only bedroom in the cabin, gently laying you down on the comforts of his bed and tucking you into bed with his cosy duvet. 

When he was about to get up from the bed, he felt something wrapping around his pinky before turning to see that it was from you. He couldn’t tell if you had a dream or if it was just by reflex as you wrapped your fingers around his pinky and tugged them close to you. 

Sunwoo smiled at the sight of you doing so, and he sat down on the bed again, gently caressing your hair as you fell deeper into your dreamland. 

Y/N. I promise I will protect you at all costs and avoid making the same mistake as before.

The chirping noises were what woke you up from your slumber. You squint your eyes as you slowly open them to reveal the sunlight shining directly into the cabin. You also heard clanking noises coming beyond the closed doors, and you decided it was time to get up to check out whatever it was. 

As you opened the door, your eyes widened, and your jaw dropped as you approached the dining table. It seemed as if Sunwoo had made you an entire breakfast meal that looked identical to what you would get from the local diners in town. The man even took the extra step to brew you some hot coffee and placed two little jars filled with white and brown sugar so you could adjust your drink to your desired taste. 

You slowly pulled the chair and sat down before Sunwoo turned around from the stovetop, placing a freshly made fried sunny-side egg onto your plate, and that was when you took in what Sunwoo was wearing before you eventually burst out into laughter. 

“What was that about? I went the extra mile to make you breakfast.” Sunwoo pouted. 

“N-No, it’s not that. I never thought you were a frilly pink floral aprons type of guy.” You had to cover your mouth and fan yourself because you were laughing so hard that breathing was hard by the second. 

“You stop it right there. Someone special made this apron; I will not let you disrespect it.” Sunwoo was now pointing at you with his spatula, threatening that he would take your breakfast and eat it himself. 

As you calmed yourself down and apologised, he finally sat beside you while still sulking because of your comment before and started cutting up his bread and sausages on the plate. When Sunwoo saw that you had taken your first bite, he couldn’t help but make a sarcastic remark to lighten the mood once again.

“Hurry up and tell me that my cooking skills are top-notch.” He lifted his head high as if he was already praising himself before you even said anything. 

Frankly, it tasted much better than what you had in mind. Who would’ve thought the most feared person in town was also a good cook? The fact that he was able to build this cabin on his own, cared for you, and made you a delicious meal was a bummer that he was still single at this point. 

But since you have teased Sunwoo since the beginning, there was no way you would tell him that and continue feeding his delusions. 

“I’m surprised that I did not puke nor have an upset stomach with the initial first bite, to be honest.” 

He narrowed his eyes at you. “You ungrateful little brat.” 

“Thank you, I’ll take that.” You grinned widely at him, making him return you with disgust. 

Surprisingly, breakfast then went by reasonably quickly, and you offered to help clean up the kitchen even when the male insisted that you were his guest and weren’t supposed to do anything while you were there. 

After a little bit of squabbling about cleaning the cabin up, Sunwoo heads out the front door, signalling for you to come with him. 

“There’s this place that I think you’ll love, Y/N. Care to hop on for another ride with me?”

“Kim Sunwoo, give me your keys to your cabin right now I’m officially moving in.” 

He giggled as you said that hurriedly before running down to the designated spot he brought you to. As you hopped back onto Sunwoo’s bike, he took you along for another drive that only took about five minutes away from his cabin. As you both parked the bike somewhere safe, he guided you to take a step deeper into the woods, where, eventually, you both ended up at a beautiful creek.

A crystal-clear stream burbles along the riverbed, bubbling over the surrounding rocks and branches. There were a couple of stepping stones that scattered across the stream, giving whoever chose to visit to have the opportunity to walk across from one end to the other. A couple of flowers blossomed at the sides of the river, giving the creek a little pop of colour. 

It was a sight to behold. Who would have thought that there was such a place near where Sunwoo lived? At this point, you swore that you would label this entire outskirt as paradise, and you wouldn’t mind spending the rest of your life here, away from the capital's bustling streets. 

You slowly made your way to the river, where you stuck one of your hands into the waters, letting the streams of water hit the back of your hand. Sunwoo then made his way towards you before bending down to pick up one of the pebbles on the ground, before tossing it across the waters to see it bounce on top of the surface before eventually sinking into the waters. 

“Is there anything that you can’t do, Kim Sunwoo?” You asked as you saw how he was a master at skipping stones, way better than most people could do. 

“I’ve been doing this for decades, Y/N. Of course, I am the master of stone skipping.” He proudly acclaimed before picking another pebble and tossing it across the waters again. 

You couldn’t help but smile at that remark. “So that means you come here often, then?” 

“Used to.” He corrected you. “I haven’t been here in a very long time.” 

“Well, then, I’m grateful that you decided not to gatekeep such a place from me,” you replied, sincerely thanking the man for taking you out of the cabin to come to such a place to relax.

“You’re going to be staying with me for a while; obviously, I have to keep you occupied before you start complaining out of boredom in the cabin.” He stuck out his tongue at you before tossing another pebble. 

“I’m not a kid, Sunwoo. I know how to keep myself occupied.” This time, it was your turn to give him a pout. 

“I’m gonna bet on 10,000 korean won that you will be screaming out of frustration by the third day if you were stuck all day in that cabin of mine.” 

“Then I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but I can literally find anything to do to keep myself occupied at all places.” You were now standing up and stood right in front of the man, staring at him as if you were going to start a battle of who would be the first to back down from their words. 

Sunwoo smirked at that sight, and it turns him on whenever you get all worked up because of his words. He wasn’t going to back down quickly, so he straightened his posture before firing back at you. 

“Princess, you better buckle up because you have just turned me on, and I want to ruin your ego right now.” 

“Try me then, Kim Sunwoo,” you huffed. 

“Say, can you swim?” 

You snorted. “Of course I can swim, what the hell—”

Before you could even finish your sentence, Sunwoo pushed you on your shoulders, and you fell straight into the waters. It took a few seconds before you eventually returned to the surface, wiping off the excess water dripping down your face. 

“Kim Sunwoo! What the actual—”

You were screaming at the top of your lungs, ready to yell and curse your heart out towards the male before you eventually stopped. Your eyes widened at the sight of him taking off his shirt that he was wearing, revealing a well-toned body and rock-solid abs as well as a tattoo that was situated right above his ribcage on his left. 

He grinned before jumping into the waters and swam right up to you. 

“I knew you would like what you saw with your eyes. I have been waiting for the right time to do it anyway,” he smirked before moving his fingers close to you to pinch your cheeks. 

You quickly slapped his hands away before turning your back towards him, trying to calm your fast heart beating chest down. Instantly, you felt a surge of warmth slowly crawling up to your ears and cheeks, and you quickly rested both your palms on your cheeks, knowing very well that you were now blushing hard.

What is wrong with you, Y/N? 

Before you could even process your thoughts further, you felt a pair of hands resting on your waist before turning your back towards the opposite direction. You have now come face-to-face with the man you were dreading to see, and you quickly turn your head towards the side and face the streaming waters instead. 

You could clearly hear Sunwoo’s low chuckle before he rested his fingers underneath your chin, gently turning your face back towards his direction. 

“I found your weakness, princess.”

“Shut up.” 

Your now red-flushed face was making Sunwoo laugh while you were slowly losing your mind. All you could think of at the moment was how exactly you would get yourself out of this situation you were in. 

Suddenly, you were brought back to reality as you felt Sunwoo’s thumb swipe past your lips slowly, his eyes now focusing on your smudged lips as if he was hungry for it, wanting so desperately to press his lips onto them as he slowly leaned down towards them.

Oh no. Oh no. 

You started to panic; you had no idea what you were supposed to do. Sure, it wasn’t the first time you kissed Sunwoo, but your situation was much more different than the first. 

Brace yourselves, Y/N. Just do it. 

That was all that you could think of before closing your eyes tightly. It was now or never, and you surely have no escape. As you slowly waited for his warm, plump lips to land on yours again, it never came as you expected. When you slowly opened your eyelids, you saw Sunwoo paused exactly an inch before both lips met. 

Was he in a dilemma? Whether he should do it or not? 

In the end, Sunwoo broke off the tension and gave in to wrap his arms around you instead, giving you a tight hug as he rested his head under the crook of your neck. 

What was going on? 

“S-Sunwoo…what are you—”

“Let me just stay like this for a while, Y/N.”

As he took in a couple of seconds to relax his body over yours, you slowly snaked your arms around his back and caressed his back slowly, as if that was the right thing that you thought you could do at the moment.

With your touch, he tugged you tighter before eventually speaking his first words since he turned you around to face him. 

“Thank you, Y/N, for trusting me. I promise that I won’t let you down. We’ll catch whoever this mastermind is and place him behind bars for good.” 

You felt reassured, knowing that you will be in good hands for now before reuniting with your brother once the cases have been resolved. 

“Thank you too, Sunwoo, for looking out for me and making me feel safe.” 

“You slept in an upright position on the couch throughout the whole night?” You questioned the male, thinking that you might have heard something wrong. 

“For the hundredth time, yes I did, Y/N Bae. I have no idea why you are making such a big fuss out of this,” Sunwoo rubbed the back of his neck as he closed his eyes in annoyance as if he was tired of going through this whole topic with you again. 

“Well then, I suggest we swap for tonight then. It’s not fair that you have to make yourself suffer especially when you’re the owner of this cabin,” you stated clearly. 

“Have you ever heard of hospitality, Y/N? There’s no way I’m letting my guests sleep uncomfortably while they’re here. I might get a rotten review on booking.com the next day, that’s for sure.” 

However, you weren’t backing down so quickly. “Fine then. Why don't we share the bed for tonight, then?” 

That question made Sunwoo spit out the glass of water that he was drinking. He had to cough a few times to ensure the liquid flowed smoothly into his throat. 

“Are you insane? There’s no way I’m sleeping with someone that’s the opposite sex,” he muttered as he continued to pound his chest while seemingly trying to stop the cough.

“Well unfortunately, I insist. I would drag you onto the bed myself if I had to. It’s not like I’m asking you to try anything funny; if you are, you wouldn’t be seeing the light of day anyways,” you stated clearly before pointing into the bedroom.

Sunwoo could only let out a deep sigh before caving into your words, knowing that if you both went on and on about this, the sun would rise before any of you would get a proper good night's rest. 

As you both cleaned up and got ready for bed, Sunwoo watched as you climbed into the sheets and got yourself comfy before turning towards your left to sleep on your side and face the cabin wall. When he sees that you have stopped squirming, he gently lifts the sheets before doing the same, but facing towards his right so that he is facing the door instead. 

It took him a while to fall asleep, unlike you, who fell into a deep slumber within seconds. He was not used to this after all, having to share a bed with someone; it has been a long time since he has done so, especially when the last person he did this was years ago with her. 

Additionally, what happened down at the creek earlier in the day? Sunwoo had no idea why exactly he decided to do what he did, and eventually, he couldn’t bring himself to plant a kiss on your lips and went in for a hug instead. 

Deep down, Sunwoo knew something was happening between you two, but he was afraid to commit or even think about the possibilities. After what happened years ago, he promised that he wouldn’t get too close to anyone unless they were the ones who saved his life big time; in this case, it was your brother, Jacob. 

But now, it seems that Jacob’s little sibling was also slowly marking a spot in that enclosed heart of his. 

Before Sunwoo could even think of anything further, Sunwoo slowly drifted off into his own dreamland and fell into a deep sleep like you did. 

Hours had passed, and you both were sleeping peacefully until Sunwoo began hearing voices in his head. 

Big brother…big brother…please save me… save me from all of this…please don’t let them take me away…

Big brother…Sunwoo…SUNWOO OPPA!!

Immediately, Sunwoo shot up from his deep slumber and broke out in sweats. Sure, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to get nightmares from the past; it was something he was still working on anyway. But it has been a long time since he had the exact scenario played in his mind; it was a curse to him now. 

Sunwoo then brought up his fingers to rub his temples, trying his best to calm himself down without waking you, who was still peacefully sleeping on the side. 

All of a sudden, Sunwoo’s phone lit up from the nightstand, and he grabbed it lazily while rubbing his eyes to adjust his vision so that he could see clearly what exactly the notification that he had just gotten.

It was as if the nightmare wasn’t enough to ruin his night; the notification was far worse than whatever he had just dreamt of. 

Something that he dreaded would even occur at all throughout this whole investigation process. 

Jacob Bae: This will be the last time I will be able to contact you for now. Please keep Y/N safe at all costs, and we’ll be in touch as soon as I can.

Jacob’s POV

It had been two days since you had left the building without Jacob’s permission. Unfortunately, the meeting lasted way longer than expected, five hours to be exact. Hence, by the time he got back into his dark office where the only source of light was the one ray of moonlight shining through the windows, his heart dropped when he noticed how you were nowhere to be seen. 

Frantically, he skimmed through his entire office to see if you had left any clues behind, for the fear that you had been kidnapped, especially since you were considered to be vulnerable in the mastermind’s eyes, and how both Jacob and Sunwoo suspected that it could be someone from the biker gang or the law enforcement themselves. 

After minutes of scouring the entire room, he eventually made his way to his cabinet beneath his desk, where he could tell that one of them was pulled open and the little note that he stuck out slightly on purpose every time was gone. 

With that, he knew it could only mean one thing: you found the details of Sunwoo’s biker gang’s hideout and went there personally to confront the biker leader himself. Swiftly, he took his phone out before hastily sending Sunwoo a text. 

Jacob Bae: My sibling is headed towards your biker’s hideout. Please get there and make sure Y/N is safe at all costs. 

The moment he saw that Sunwoo had read his message, he finally fell back onto his chair, letting out a deep sigh of relief. As much as he was afraid that you had ventured into the predators' lair, he knew that as long as you were with Sunwoo, you would be safe from any harm or danger, even if he was the biker gang leader himself. 

Hence, while you were under Sunwoo’s care for the time being, Jacob was able to focus on his job and tried cracking all of the clues and codes he had received so far for the missing person’s cases, all while he tried his best maintaining contact with Sunwoo to keep each other updated on the case as well as your safety through texting one another. 

Things were going fairly smoothly until another missing person’s case was reported to the station just the night before. When he got to the registered location along with his subordinates, his stomach sank when he realised who had gone missing: your neighbour. 

Jacob began to panic as it only meant one thing: there was a high possibility that you would be the next target. 

Since that day, Jacob had worked tirelessly for hours without sleep or proper food. Your life is at stake right now, and he was determined that he was done playing this cat-and-mouse game with the mastermind. With that, Jacob tried searching for as many clues as possible, even the tiniest detail possible, and he went back to the crime scene himself to thoroughly search through the area once again on his own. 

As if it was a miracle, he eventually discovered a strand of hair near one of the flowerpots on your neighbour’s front porch. He quickly took the evidence he had found and ran straight back towards the lab to get the designated ones in charge to do a quick DNA test from the database to find out who it might be.

After hours of extracting the possible information, it had been concluded that it was impossible to narrow it down to a single person as too many chemicals were found on that single strand of hair follicle. But that did not stop Jacob from finding the exact match for who it might be. 

Hence, Jacob went through all of the case files once again, starting from the first case to the most recent, as he laid all of the details out onto his board in his office, writing down all of the necessary information paired along with red strings to help him connect the dots better. He was also going back and forth towards his desktop located on his desk, trying his best to find the right person from the database.

That was when he realised he had limited access to the station’s database. He had never had such issues before, so why had he been blocked? 

At that moment, he knew that his instinct was right and that the law enforcement was hiding something dark from the detectives themselves; perhaps that was why they had an excruciating time trying to gather practically limited information.

Unfortunately for the mastermind who did all of this, Jacob was actually an expert in computer hacking. Before being promoted to lieutenant, he was a renowned hacker in his division before rising to where he is now. The codes were a little harder to crack, but that doesn't mean it was nearly impossible. 

It took Jacob about ten minutes to finally hack into the actual database, and he wasted no time trying to match the hair follicle to a concrete DNA from the database itself. Once the system concluded that there was a match, he wasted no time clicking the download button to get the information down and reveal who it was.

Sadly, he wasn’t able to record down who it was as one of the detectives came barging into his office, pointing his loaded gun at him. Jacob was cornered, and he couldn’t do anything before the detective came over to completely shut off his desktop by pulling out the cords. Instantly, he shoved his gun towards Jacob’s back and guided him out of his office, guiding him to the actual mastermind of this whole crime spree. 

Before this happened, Jacob had typed out a message scheduled to be sent to Sunwoo if anything were to happen to him. It turns out his instinct was right, and he was slowly counting down the seconds in his heart before the time was up, and he felt his mobile vibrate in his back pocket, signalling that the message had been sent. 

As he stepped into the elevator with the detective, still pointing his gun at his back, he turned around before smiling. 

It’s up to you now, Sunwoo.

Sunwoo’s POV 

“Report what exactly you have found so far, lads.” 

“Certainly, boss!” The young man cleared his throat before setting up the live footage on the laptop and turning it towards his boss’s directions. “It was pretty faint, but you could see the unknown person in the camera drugging the female worker before bagging her up and dragging her body away and out from the factory.” 

Sunwoo narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward to try his best to make out who was on the screen, but since the crime occurred late at night. There wasn’t enough light penetrating through the facility; it was merely impossible to identify clearly who the hooded criminal was. 

But Sunwoo wouldn’t give up quickly, so he leaned backwards on his chair before clasping his hands and bringing them close to his face. 

“Judging from the victims from the recent cases, it seemed as if they have been targeting this specific factory more often as of late. There has to be a pattern going on here,” Sunwoo suggested. 

Upon hearing those words from the biker’s leader, the gang member scratched his head before responding. “With that, boss, what are you trying to propose…?” 

“I’m saying that they will strike there again, that’s for sure.” 

“O-Oh, of course! Well, I will go get the rest of the lads ready—”

“No, you stay put till I give you boys further instructions,” Sunwoo firmly decided. 

“B-But, boss, what are you planning to do?”

“I’m going to check the place on my own first before letting any of you step in there. I’m not going to risk all of your lives like that.” 

The young lad knew how dangerous the whole situation was at hand. Quite frankly, he was one of the lads who often kept Sunwoo updated with all of the security footage that was happening around town since he was one of the bikers who had a talent for hacking into all of Seoul’s security systems without having the law enforcement notice his doing, of course. 

But he knew that the boss was risking his own life by heading towards the location alone. In the worst-case scenario, Sunwoo could even get seriously injured or worse. But he knew that Sunwoo’s words were absolute, and no one had ever been able to change his mind once he made a decision. 

With that, the hacker placed his hands together in front of him, slightly bending his head down before obeying Sunwoo’s orders. “Very well, boss. We will await your next instructions then.”

As Sunwoo picked up his speed and rode his bike back to the cabin, the only thing that lingered in his mind was how he would explain the change of plans to you. He would’ve never thought that he might have to intervene and head towards the location himself to gather information this soon, or rather, he was hoping that Jacob could do it since he was a detective, after all. 

But now that Jacob is out of reach, Sunwoo had no choice but to take up the job to prevent anyone, especially his comrades, from getting hurt or potentially losing their lives in that targetted location without getting a green flag from someone higher up first. 

Another reason that he was a bit stressed out about the current situation was that it was time for him to talk to you about it; it was time for you both to make a move, and he knew that he couldn’t keep you in the dark forever, as much as he just wanted to tuck you away in this cabin of his and just stayed put and safe there while he and your brother resolved all of this messed up crime spree that was happening in the district. 

It was also because that was the exact factory that you worked at. That could only mean that the chances that you may or may not be the next target were higher than they had expected. 

After those train of thoughts, he finally arrived back at the cabin, and he tried his best to maintain his composure before turning the doorknob to open up the doors and calling out loud for you. 

That was only until you didn’t respond that he began to panic. 

“Y/N? Y/N, are you there?”

Sunwoo tried his best to maintain his calm while going from room to room, calling out for you. When he had finally searched the entire cabin and that you were nowhere to be found, that was when he felt a sink in his stomach, and he was about to go insane any moment now. 

He was now screaming at the top of his lungs for you while running around frantically, even as he stepped out of the cabin and walked down the steps to circle the woods nearby. 

“Y/N! Y/N! Please respond to me! Where are you?!”

His heartbeat was pounding much louder and faster with each second, and he was close to shitting his pants at the moment. An instant regret filled his guts, and he wished he could’ve turned by time so that it would’ve knocked some sense into him that he shouldn’t have left you alone in the cabin, especially when both of your lives were at stake. 

He wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake as he had done before. There was no way he would let history repeat itself, not under his watch.

Y/N! Y/N! WHERE ARE YOU!!!!

Suddenly, he heard a faint grunt from a distance, a little bit towards his left. An unexpected fog clouded the air, making it hard for him to see whoever was slowly coming in his direction. 

With his instinct, Sunwoo quickly pulled out his handgun that he tucked away beneath his leather jacket, quickly loaded the gun and aimed it towards the shadow approaching him. 

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the shadow emerged from the fog, and that was when he finally made out that it was the person he had been longing to find. 

“Sunwoo! You’re back!” You smiled while carrying a box filled with freshly picked fruits in your arms. 

Sunwoo then slowly lowered down the gun and stared at you blankly. To ease the tension and awkwardness, you decided to speak up whatever was on your mind for now.

“O-Oh! Sorry, I know I should’ve stayed put, but like I said, I know how to keep myself occupied. I decided to go for a little walk around, and that’s when I saw this little peach tree growing near the little creak you brought me to the other day. I just so remembered this one peach dessert I used to make when I was a kid, and I thought we could use some desserts—”

Before you could finish your sentence, Sunwoo wrapped his arms around you tightly, making you drop the box of fruits towards the ground. You were stunned by his sudden actions as he said nothing, and you could hear him sobbing for once as he buried his neck into the crook of your neck. 

Sunwoo knew that things were starting to get into his head, and he needed to tell you the truth now, especially with the events that have happened within the past 24 hours, and how he needed to tell you about his recent findings. 

And also about the nightmare he had last night.

There was no point in hiding anymore. Eventually, you would have to know anyways.

Y/N’s POV

“You look like a stray raccoon, Mr Kim,” you teased half-jokingly, but the other half was also concerned about his appearance. It was how he sat across from you, slumped onto his couch, and looked defeated. It was obvious that something had been bothering him, especially when you knew he had a nightmare last night, but you weren’t going to say anything unless he would tell you all about it himself. 

But given the current situation, the way he looked for you so frantically, and hell, even aimed a gun at you (not on purpose, of course), something has gone wrong, and you needed to know. 

You gently stood up and walked over to sit cross-legged on the ground, gently placing one of your hands onto his that was resting on his thigh, slowly caressing them to help ease the frown on his face. 

“Sunwoo, talk to me about it. I promise your secrets are safe with me,” you gently reassured him, hoping he would finally speak out about whatever had been hindering his mind since the day before. 

With that, he slowly opened his eyes to look down at you; he could tell that you were desperate to get answers, and this time, you wouldn’t take a single loophole in your books. Slowly, he sat back up and leaned forward as he stared at you, giving you his full attention.

“There have been some major updates in the missing person cases, Y/N.” 

“Okay, so we’ll go from there—”

“But before that, I think you need to know about my past, especially why I said your brother has given me another chance in life and why I took on this offer in the first place.” 

You gulped upon hearing that. It was finally time for you to know precisely what the pact they made behind your back was, and you could finally learn more about Sunwoo and your brother's secret life. 

“Remember when you walked into my cabin on the first day? You went straight ahead to the fireplace and had a little good look at the picture frame situated above it?”

“Y-Yeah? Was that your childhood friend or something?” 

“That was…” He paused for a moment before finishing up his sentence. “My little sister.” 

Now, that was something new to you. Nobody has ever heard that the biker gang leader would have a younger sibling or sibling. Most people have assumed that he had only been an only child and was probably abandoned from a young age due to his upbringing and reputation in the district. 

But Sunwoo was here to tell you the truth and to turn those assumptions down. “Regardless of how the public sees who I am, I had a pretty happy childhood. We were a family of four; our days were filled with happiness as we resided in a small village out of town. It wasn’t until my father received a promotion at his job that he decided to bring all of us up to Seoul, hoping for a better life.” 

Sunwoo cleared his throat before he continued with his story. “It was a miracle when my father came home one day telling us he was offered a job at the local police station; neither of us could’ve believed it then. It started off simple: he was just an ordinary security guard at the huge facility until he showed his superiors that he was far more capable than that, and he eventually rose to the ranks of becoming an actual detective.” 

“In other words, your father was my brother’s senior then,” you added, making Sunwoo return to you with a smile.

“Precisely. Years passed, and my sister followed his footsteps, eventually joining the academy and becoming a rookie detective under my father’s supervision. Meanwhile, I’ve decided to stay back and help my mother at her local pastry shop down the road from the station since she needed some assistance anyway. At the same time, I started building this wooden cabin, with the thought of creating a little place where we family could escape to during our free time.” 

You scooched closer, and your hands around his tightened slightly, trying to find the right words to ask the main question. “W-What happened then?” 

His eyes immediately fell to the floor, and his tone suddenly went down an octave, indicating that whatever he would say next would be pretty heavy to register. “My father was sent abroad on a mission, but he unfortunately lost his life in the line. Upon hearing that, my mother died with a broken heart.” 

“Sunwoo, my deepest condolences…” you mumbled. 

“You want to know what’s even crazier, Y/N? That wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had to go through. It was my sister.” 

You could see that his eyes began to water, and he was trying his best to hold back any outburst of emotions that he might have. Naturally, his hands found yours and held them tight, and you return the favour by placing another hand of yours on top of his. 

“There’s only a sole purpose for me in joining the biker gang: to keep my family safe.”

“In what way, Sunwoo?” You questioned, not really linking on how a biker member could help the detectives when both occupations are the total opposite. 

“I’m pretty sure you know by now about how dark and corrupted the crimes in Seoul are behind the scenes, and there are certain places that are off-limits no matter how far up the ranks you are.” 

“So that’s when you come in then.” 

“Exactly. Even if it’s the smallest thing I can do for them, I would take it.”

“Huh. Very contradicting to your biker image that the public is aware of.” 

“Hey, I need to look good for everyone okay. You never know. I’m pretty sure I have a fanbase somewhere in town admiring my good looks,” he smugged while lifting his head up high. You were glad he could still joke around and was still the Sunwoo you had known despite all the recent hardships. 

“God, I hope your fanbase will have enough to fund themselves. Supporting someone when they do not get anything in return is sad.” 

Sunwoo was annoyed at your teasing and immediately pinched your cheeks and pulled them slightly. “You take that back, I will have you know that I am one of the most good-looking people the district has ever seen in years.” 

“I will have you know that you are wrong because my brother Jacob is a hundred times better than you!” You spat back while holding the hand, almost breaking your cheeks apart. 

The pinching then slowly died down as Sunwoo slowly regained his composure. “Speaking about Jacob, that’s where the next story comes in.”  

As Sunwoo slowly pulled his hand away, you cupped that side of your cheek with your hands, mentally cursing the guy and saying that you would surely get back to him once this whole storytelling session was over. 

“I’m sure you are aware of the infamous case that one of the detectives from the station was the mastermind behind a series of kidnapping cases that happened in our district five years ago?” 

Oh, that. 

It was one of the cases that truly shook the nation down to its core; who would’ve thought that one of the detectives, especially from the elite squad, would have been monitoring and kidnapping young children around the area? What was more unpleasant about the case was that he had a few subordinates to help fulfill his fantasies, and they so happened to be a handful of the detectives themselves as well; some even used to be close buddies with your brother. 

It truly was a traumatising event that happened in your district’s history, and nobody wished such a case would ever happen again. 

“Y-Yeah…it was something my brother wished he could erase from his memory for good. It has impacted him in the worst way possible. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to see him go through such times ever again,” you commented. 

“Well, Y/N. I feel the same way, too. Just like how badly it has played a part in your brother’s life, it also did for me.” 

“How exactly did you even drag yourself into the situation?” 

He sighed. “Not by my own will, Y/N. It was because of my sister,” he squeezed your hands, and he chose his words carefully next, perhaps needing a bit of your strength to finally touch on the topic he has been avoiding for the longest time. 

“My sister was part of the cold case squad at the time, and it just so happened that she was the only female detective in the team. She would work tirelessly day and night, trying her best to dig through each possible available data, even the ones that were off-limits to most detectives. Little did she know that the mastermind himself was closely monitoring every movement that she had made, and she became a victim herself.” 

“Sunwoo…” you slowly caressed his hand, wanting to take him into your embrace right now. 

“Fast forward to the day when she finally emerged from the shadows, Jacob and I found ourselves in a standoff against the mastermind, holding my sister hostage on the rooftops of the police station. And god, Y/N. No words could describe how I felt the moment I laid my eyes upon my sister then, of how dishevelled and disoriented she had become.” 

A single tear drop fell from the corners of his eyes unto your hands, and your heart broke at that sight. Sunwoo had always portrayed how tough he was as if nothing in this world could ruin him to the point of breaking down, at least not in front of someone. He must’ve carried on this trauma for a long time, one that would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life. 

“Your brother did not have the guts to shoot at his supervisor, so I did the favour for him instead. The bullet penetrated through his skull, and it was an instant death for him. My sister then lay on the ground, screaming at the top of her lungs, pushing and kicking everyone that came close to her. Not even I could do anything to help save her then,” he sobbed and choked on his own words. 

“So, my brother came to your rescue then?” You quietly asked. 

He sniffled. “He did. Killing a police officer is a huge crime, and naturally, I was placed behind bars. But your brother fought relentlessly, and I was pardoned and eventually released from prison.” 

“That’s my brother for you.” You smiled, thankful he was still the same brother you had grown to love and admire despite the recent events between you two. 

“But it came with a price, Y/N.” 

“And what was it?” 

“In return for getting me out of prison, Jacob would take my sister’s wellbeing into his own hands. So he placed her under a facility that would care and possibly help her recover, but I was not to know about the location and to ever meet with her ever again.” 

Your heart sank upon hearing that. It would kill you to know that you have to be separated from your sibling for good, and you don’t think you could ever live the same way as you’ve done before knowing that. 

Immediately, you jumped into Sunwoo’s arms, giving him a tight embrace while tears streamed down your face. 

“I’m so sorry, Sunwoo. I’m so sorry that we detectives have failed you. We should’ve been the ones protecting the civilians, not breaking them apart physically and mentally.” You sunk your cheek into his neck; you wished there was something that you could’ve done to ease his pain or even bring his only happiness back to him. 

Sunwoo said nothing but return the embrace to you. He did the same by resting his chin upon your shoulders, slowly moving to the point you felt his lips slightly brushed against your neck as he took in all of your scent. 

Neither of you said anything for at least a good ten minutes, and you both were fine staying that way. You knew that it had taken a massive leap of faith for Sunwoo to address his biggest and darkest nightmare finally, and you were grateful that he had decided to trust you enough to talk to you about all of this. 

Eventually, you found yourselves both snuggled on the couch, just admiring the fireplace while cuddling one another. Sunwoo lay gently on your chest while you constantly ran your fingers through his soft black hair, making him slowly drift off into dreamland. It was obvious that Sunwoo hadn’t had the best of sleep lately because he easily slept within your arms for a couple of hours, not to be awakened so easily. 

And that was fine by you. You have begun to feel that you both were more than just acquaintances. However, you weren’t sure if Sunwoo returned the same feelings for you, but your subconsciousness tells you that whatever happened back at the creek, he must’ve felt something, too. It doesn’t matter if it was the same way as you did; you were more than glad that you had found a place within him.

As you slowly admired his sleeping face, you were now more than determined to put an end to this nightmare the district had been struggling with for months. 

This time, let me return the favour, Sunwoo. 

The strong wind was constantly hitting your face as you grabbed Sunwoo tightly while he sped on his bike. It had been a few days since, and you finally had Sunwoo to fill you in with the latest news he had when he finally regained himself. 

To say that you were beyond shock was an understatement when you found out that the mastermind was targeting the young ladies at the factory you worked at, and that was how Kisa disappeared and became a pawn in their twisted games. 

But that also meant one thing: you’re the next target, and they have had their eyes on you for a while now. 

You were terrified, that was for sure, but you decided that you wouldn’t tell them to do as they please anymore. As long as you both stick together, you know that you will crack the case open and put a stop to this spree of kidnappings. 

It’s all for the victims and Jacob.

Even for you, Kim Sunwoo. 

As you finally made your way towards the factory, you quickly armed yourselves before stepping into the facility, all while Sunwoo held you close next to him.

It was eerily quiet, and no sign of a human being was in sight. It was unusual how abnormal the whole situation felt; it was as if the entire building had been abandoned. 

Or was it?

In the distance, you quietly alerted Sunwoo of how a faint light had caught your attention, and you could tell it had led to the systems room. Someone was in there, and you have a good guess that they might have been using the building to communicate for a while now. 

Giving each other a nod, you both slowly crept towards the room; that was when you felt a metal object pressed onto your skull. You finally came to a halt while Sunwoo slowly disappeared down the hallway, not noticing that you had left his side.

“Now that’s a good little kitten, don’t you think? You have saved me the trouble of looking for you, Y/N Bae.” 

God, he knew your name. 

You chuckled. “What do you want from us? What do you possibly gain from kidnapping these young ladies?” 

“Oh sweetheart, don’t you know that money is everything in this day and age? Given how we have lived in poverty for so long, it wouldn’t hurt to earn that extra cash and big bucks, no matter how dangerous the situation can be, don’t you think?” 

“You have no sense of morals, then. Treating these young ladies as objects and pawns to your games,” you fired back. 

The man then slowly pushed the metal object that was situated on your skull further deeper as he slowly loaded it, to which you knew that you were now held at gunpoint. 

“Now sweetheart, let me tell you a little something about us. We are predators, and we hunt for prey like you.” 

Now, this seems awfully familiar. 

“I’m afraid that once predators have gotten our eyes on a target, we will not let them go that easily. We are slowly going to devour you up, leaving no traces behind. If you think you could stop us, then I’m afraid you’re wrong, princess. We’re experts in our field of work; we are not to be found that easily even if you were the best of the best detectives in town because that is our nature.” 

That phrase, it’s similar to Sunwoo’s—

“Never in a million years would I have known that you’ve stooped so low, Seunghak.” 

That voice! 

Immediately, the both of you noticed how a badly beaten up individual was thrown in front of you, and your eyes widened upon what you have seen. Slowly, an individual emerged from the shadows, and it was Sunwoo, walking towards you both while aiming the gun at the person behind you.

“Why, hello, dear boss. Or should I say, former boss,” he taunted, smacking his lips as if things had just gotten far more interesting now. 

“Damn, Seunghak. I didn’t know you were the type to switch lanes that quickly. It seems like the biker life wasn’t good enough for you, then,” Sunwoo smiled dauntingly, and you gulped upon that sight. He was back to being the biker gang leader that the entire district was afraid of; you could even tell how the man behind you flinched a little as he began to shiver slightly with the gun still placed on your skull. 

“Can you blame me, though? When you get a plate full of gold in front of you, I’ll do whatever it takes if that means I will have more than enough to spend the rest of my life at ease,” he fired back while beginning to laugh menacingly.

“Besides, what do we do with these ladies in captivity? Oh god, I have been having the best of my life rather than being stuck in the biker's den.”

Instantly, Sunwoo's face darkened upon hearing what Seunghak said, and you could feel as if he was shooting daggers through his eyes at his former comrade.

“You are absolutely sick in the head.” 

“And what if I am? I am living the best life possible, and there’s nothing you can do to convince me to return!” He screamed before pushing the gun to the point that you felt that the metal was going to pierce through your skull any moment now. 

Slowly, Sunwoo started taking a few steps closer while he elicited a low chuckle. “You think you have a place left in my biker gang? You are much better off dead rather than coming back, Seunghak.” 

Immediately, a loud clatter was heard coming from both sides, accompanied by a volume of grunts, before the male began panicking. 

“W-What’s going on?” 

Finally, Sunwoo stopped right merely inched away from you both, and he aimed the gun towards his former comrade’s face. 

“If you think I’ve come unprepared, then that means you are a hundred years too early even to accept the dirty ass pot of gold that was placed so easily in front of your plate.”

Instantly, Sunwoo pulled the trigger, and the bullet penetrated the man’s abdomen, causing him to let out an ear-splitting scream as he tumbled and fell onto the ground, pressing onto his wound to ease the bleeding. 

Unfortunately, Sunwoo wasn’t going to let him off so quickly, as he fired another bullet into his arms, causing the male to lay down helplessly. At the same time, Sunwoo hovered above him, resting his gun upon Seunghak’s cheeks. 

“You’re going to be a dear and tell me who exactly employed you and your boys before I shoot another bullet into your skull, which would kill you off instantly, young man.”

It seemed that the male wouldn’t give up easily as he spat back onto Sunwoo’s face. 

“As if I would tell you easily who is the mastermind behind all of this…no matter what happens to us…not of us are going to tell a single soul about it…our lips are sealed shut—”

A loud bang was heard throughout the entire facility, and you slowly opened your eyes to see that the male was long gone now, having a bullet penetrated his skull. 

Sunwoo slowly got up from the male, dusting his knees while he was at it. 

“You scumbags have no reason to live in this world then.” 

As he turned to face you again, you couldn’t help but slowly take a few steps back, as if you weren’t sure if you would want to deal with the current state Sunwoo was in. Sure, you trusted him, but it was truly the first time you had seen him like this.

Far worse than how he confronted you back at his base. 

This was the true so-called “devil” that people were terrified of, and this was what Sunwoo was truly capable of. 

Sunwoo didn’t say a word as he walked towards you before muttering a few words. 

“Let’s get going and continue to search the place for clues.” 

“O-Okay…” you replied. 

As you both made your way down past the hallways, Sunwoo occasionally stopped giving his subordinates further orders or even asking about the current situation throughout the facility. He had given them instructions way beforehand, and the whole place was now under the bikers' control. 

Since you knew it probably wouldn’t be a good time to disturb nor provoke Sunwoo in his current state, you figured it would’ve been a good time to check out the control room situated just a little bit towards your right. 

You slowly turned your head to see that Sunwoo was engaged in the conversation before you slowly crept away and headed straight towards the room while leaving the door open so that that was an indirect way of letting him know that you were here and doing fine on your own. 

You quickly took in the sight upon you as you took in the dozens of computer screens that hovered above you and how multiple files and USB drives were plugged into the systems, meaning that whoever was here before had been lurking in this place for a while. 

Since your brother was an expert hacker, you naturally followed his footsteps as you got him to teach you all about computers when you were young. In other words, you could consider yourself a little computer geek, and you knew your way around the codes and the systems. 

As you sat down on the chair and began typing away, you could easily hack into the system to find out the dozens of confidential information stored there. Sure enough, you were able to dig through the files and find valuable information about the kidnappings—who the victims were, their way of communication to pass around information, and who was the sole mastermind that commanded Seunghak and his team. 

However, it seemed that it wouldn’t be as easy to determine who exactly was the accurate mastermind as they used an untraceable ID and alias; or rather, they actually communicated through ciphertexts. 

You mentally cursed at yourself for not taking an interest in this particular method of communication back then when your brother taught you briefly. You have always brushed it off, saying you were not made to understand this specific method and always preferred a more accessible way out. 

You were then back to square one again. To find out who was behind that so-called alias and ID, you needed to crack the algorithm and ciphertext to move on. 

Just as all hope is lost, a new message suddenly appears on the screen, and you squint your eyes as you try to read what exactly it holds. When you finally understood what was written, your eyes widened, leaving you stunned for a minute. 

This…this is—

“Y/N!!! GET OUT OF THERE!!!”

Before you were able to make sense of the whole situation, Sunwoo immediately jumped in front of you before you eventually heard a gunshot resonate in the air and eventually a siren followed as you tried your best to catch hold of Sunwoo in your arms, followed by a swarm of bikers filling the control room.

Sunwoo had no idea how long he had been passed out since then, and he was slowly trying his best to open up his eyelids tightly glued shut together as the light shone through his vision. 

When he finally did, he realised that he was back in this cabin and was lying down on the couch he tried his best to sit up before he felt an excruciating pain that sent shockwaves throughout his whole body.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.” 

Sunwoo jerked his head to the side to see that you had returned with a first aid box and a bowl of water with a cloth draped before you slowly sat on the couch with him. You took the fabric into your hands before dipping it into the bowl of water, squeezing off the excess liquid before you started wiping off any dirt or blood that was left on his bare chest. 

Neither of you said a word, or rather, none of you knew the right words to say at the moment. Sunwoo noticed how red and puffy your eyes were, and he knew immediately that you must’ve been crying for god knows how long. 

He definitely felt partly guilty for that, but another part of him didn’t know why he did just that, jumping in front of you to save you from the henchmen instead of taking him out with his gun from behind. 

His thoughts were a mess; he no longer knew what he felt. As he quietly observed the way you took care of him, his heart began to ache, and he couldn’t help but gently place one of his hands on your cheeks, rubbing the little area where he saw that there was a slit mark; you probably have gotten injured yourself while he was out. 

That gesture stopped you as you lifted your head to look at him straight in the eyes. Unlike back at the factory, his eyes were filled with mystery again, not the dark, scary one he portrayed as the biker’s gang leader. It felt as if the scene back during the creak was repeating itself. 

“S-Sunwoo…I…” you stammered before you eventually felt his soft lips against yours. 

The kiss was gentle and bittersweet, and Sunwoo did not hesitate to slowly move his lips against yours, showering you with plenty of kisses and savouring the taste of your lips. Your body immediately shut down from that, and you finally eased yourself to return the favour, moving yours against his as you both kissed each other breathlessly. 

His kiss sent shockwaves to your entire body, making you want this moment to last for as long as possible. He gently lifted your face slightly with the hand resting on your cheek, intending to kiss you deeper. That was when you decided to close your eyes and let him take full control of the situation. 

As you both finally broke apart to take a few deep breaths, Sunwoo rested his forehead against yours, just like he did before at the creak. 

It was time, you figured, to finally ask him what you both truly are. 

“Sunwoo…what…what made you finally do it?” You panted. 

He paused briefly before giving you an answer you did not expect. “Do I have you say more than that? I’m pretty sure it’s what you have in mind, Y/N.” 

You were now trying your best to hold back the tears forming at the corners of your eyes. “W-What made you finally feel that way, Sunwoo?”

“I…I don’t even know myself, Y/N. In the beginning, I’ve only seen you as a little sibling that I would protect at all costs because I do not want to repeat the same mistake as I have done to my biological sister. But as we spent more time together, there was just something that I felt within me that made me realise that maybe you’re more than just a sibling to me now.” 

Sunwoo gently lifted your head once more before giving you a little peck on the lips again. “One thing is for sure now: I would protect you at all costs, even if it means I must sacrifice myself. I’m not doing this as a favour to your brother anymore; I’m doing this because you mean a lot to me.” 

With those words, you couldn’t help but smile for the first time in a while before responding to the man himself. “Well, you’re going to have to do a lot of explaining to my brother, then.” 

“Yeah. Frankly, I hate the thought of having to go through that phase. But if it’s you, I’d do anything to get that approval from Mr Bae himself.” He winked. 

“Ew. Gross.” 

“Admit it, you like the thought of us being together and a thing in the near future.” 

“You better hold your horses before I shove this fabric down your throat.” 

“Wow, aren’t you a scary one?” 

You both broke into laughter with that conversation. It has been a while since you both have bickered like that, and you missed this mischievous side of him.

“Well, mister. We’ll have to wait a couple of days for you to be completed healed before we hit the road again.” You announced as you finally stood up from the couch.

“Give me a day to rest up, and then we’ll leave.” 

“Kim Sunwoo, there’s no way you’re healing up within a day with that bullet wound in your abdomen.” 

“If I say one day, it means one day,” he deadpanned. 

“You can’t be serious,” you argued back. 

“One day.”

“No.”

“Yes.” 

You sighed. “We will determine that after 24 hours, then.” 

Sunwoo smiled as he laid back down on the couch. “Well, now that’s settled, we could go through the strategy planning tomorrow. For now, I think it’s time for us to get into bed together—”

“You’re not touching me in my sleep.”

“Oh come on, we kissed, so what’s the matter?” He pouted. 

“We’re not at that stage yet.” 

“Pretty please with a cherry on top?” He begged.

“Absolutely not.”

Miraculously, it took only a day for Sunwoo to be entirely healed as he drove down the streets, heading back to the capital. You swore that this man was built differently from all of you, and he was a monster at that, able to heal so quickly with a wound that would typically take at least a week or two. 

He was definitely feeling a lot better after a good night's rest, and you guided him into the fireplace before telling him the details you had found back in the systems room. Sunwoo’s eyes widened as he heard about your findings, and never would he have thought that you both would be able to receive that critical information to finally pinpoint who was the exact mastermind behind all of this. 

After hearing your thoughts and suggestions, the both of you quickly took off to one of his nearest hideouts, where he would often meet up with his closer subordinates to inform them about the current plan. After a whole night of planning, all of you were now on the road heading back into the city.

When you finally catch a glimpse of the police station from afar, bittersweet feelings immediately form within you as you know that there would be the last destination to be able to crack the cold case open. You hope that Jacob is somewhere hidden within the facility since you last saw him. 

As all the bikes began pulling up nearby, Sunwoo gave the lads further instructions on infiltrating the building without being detected by the guards. Their mission was to find out where exactly the victims were kept away and to avoid conflict with any detectives that came their way. 

Based on the information you found at the factory, you insisted that it would be best to confront the mastermind since you have gotten a pretty good hunch on who they are and where they might be residing too. But Sunwoo insisted that he was going to stay close to you as much as he could, and he was not going to risk your life once more. 

It took a bit of convincing back and forth, but you finally managed to persuade him to stay nearby but undetected, fearing that the mastermind might flee if they had a sense that you did not come alone to meet them.

So here you were, pressing the exact button that would eventually lead you to the top floor of the building, staring straight into the screen above the lift that indicated that you were slowly going up each second. Your hands began shaking against your own will, fearing that you were finally going to meet your worst nightmare, one that has kept you awake and separated from your own family and friends for weeks. 

As you shut your eyes to take a deep breath, you were instantly cut off from your train of thoughts when you felt someone grab onto your hands and intertwine their fingers with yours. When you opened your eyes and turned your head to the side, you could see that Sunwoo was just as nervous as you were, linking his hands with yours. 

It must’ve been hard for Sunwoo as well; he was also dealing with his struggles when he was with you. But he has never failed to let it get to them to the point that it made him lose all hope and sanity. Perhaps it must have been fate that you were there with him, and you were able to give him a bit of strength and company to deal with all of this. 

Your grip tightened against his, and you looked into his eyes. “Sunwoo…”

“It’ll be over soon, Y/N. I’m sure of it. No civilians should ever experience this nightmare ever again. We’re going to break the chain of history and not let it repeat itself once again,” Sunwoo said confidently, and he was determined that it was time to make a change in Seoul’s dark history of crimes and corruption. 

As the doors to the lift opened, you slowly stepped out of the lift and let go of Sunwoo’s grip and looked at him once more before walking to where you were supposed to be headed. For the last time, you both communicated by looking into each other’s eyes; Sunwoo promised you that he would be nearby and that you didn’t have to worry as he would keep you safe. 

With a nod from you, the doors to the lift eventually began to close, and you constantly kept your eyes glued on Sunwoo before the doors were glued shut. 

Turning your heel towards the opposite direction, you slowly walked along the corridors, passing by multiple rooms before reaching the one at the furthest end. You read the door sign carefully before confirming that you were at the right place. 

Slowly, you lifted up your hands to gently knock on the door before it slowly opened on its own. With a gulp, you stepped in and peered your head through the room. It was dark, and the only light shining into the room was the moonlight from the windows. 

When you were fully physically in the room, the doors behind you suddenly slammed shut again, sending a sense of nervousness throughout your entire body. You had to remind yourself constantly that as long as you can get through this last spurt, everything will finally be revealed, and it will be a chapter closed. 

You could sense that you weren’t alone in this room and that someone was lurking in the shadows. Taking this as your chance to confront them, you finally gathered the courage to speak up to whoever was in here with you. 

“It seems that your time of reign has abruptly ended. It wasn’t easy trying to track you down for months; given your position, it must’ve been really easy to get hold of the young ladies into your care. You surely are a brave individual who was willing to take the risk,” you announced aloud but were again met with silence. 

But you didn’t come here to give up quickly, so you decided to press on. “Say, haven’t you stooped down so low, using your detective position to claim these young women for your benefit? Wasn’t your wife good enough for you? Why resort to kidnapping and eventually trafficking these young ladies for your good?”

Come on, Y/N. Just a little bit more. 

“You even went to seek help from the biker gang. Are you that desperate? Especially when you have sworn that you hate them to the core and would never associate with the likes of them.” 

“Don’t you think so, Uncle Bae?” 

With that last sentence, the room felt much more silent than it already was before you eventually heard footsteps coming before you, finally revealing to the man that you have been trying your best to get him out of the shadows. 

“I’m beyond impressed, Y/N. You are just as smart as your brother; you could easily pull off as a detective for the station.” 

It has been a while since you have seen your uncle. He was the deputy chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department and was often away to deal with heavy and pressing matters requiring him to stay stuck in this office all day or even fly out of the country to do so.

He also took your brother in and gave him a chance as a detective after seeing his extraordinary talent with computers and hacking. After your parents passed, he was the one who has been raising you both just as his children, and he was finally able to let loose a bit once you both entered adulthood. 

He often visits during celebrations as much as he can despite his busy schedule, and you both have always admired him for what he has done to serve the country. He was considered the nation’s hero, after all.

But it seems that not all good things last for long, especially when you receive that concrete evidence and message back in the systems room from your very own brother, revealing who the mastermind is. Why exactly did he choose to do all of this? Your very own uncle, the nation’s hero, to be behind all of the kidnappings that have happened for the past several months. It would be impossible to convince the public that this was the reality that everyone has been living in; that is why it is up to you now to publicly reveal and gain concrete evidence to stop his spree of crimes.

“My dear little Y/N, how exactly did you even crack the code? I was certain that you couldn’t decrypt ciphertexts.” 

So, that was why he used it as a primary method of communicating with the bikers. 

“Well, I’m afraid you have made a fatal mistake. I may not be able to read ciphertexts, but I sure can read morse code.” 

“What?” 

You chuckled. “You may have kept my brother hidden away somewhere, but so long as he is within the facility and was one of the top hackers in the station, he would certainly find a way to hack through the systems throughout the district and even out of town, keeping in a close contact with us.” 

“Just as expected from my nephew, I shouldn’t have underestimated what you both were capable of,” he laughed. 

Unbeknownst to you, you eventually balled your fists up, and you were on the verge of wanting to throw a punch straight into his face despite being family by blood. However, you tried your best to hold yourself back, you have to get concrete evidence first and foremost. 

“Why, Uncle Bae? Why would a successful detective like you do such a thing? Why live a double life?” You asked and pleaded a little to see if he had any sense of remorse left in him. 

But your efforts were wasted. 

“Oh, Y/N. You have no idea how cruel our world can truly be. It doesn’t matter how high your status can be; the city of Seoul will forever remain dark and corrupt behind the scenes, whether you like it or not. In this world that we will live in, it’s like a tug-of-war, Y/N. If you don’t take a step further, then the younger and weaklings will eventually catch up, and we don’t want that to happen, do we?” 

Your uncle then stepped closer to you and began slowly circling around you. 

“There are only two groups of people in the world; either you choose to be strong or stay behind with the weak. It’s a cruel world that we live in, Y/N. When the opportunity comes, take it even if there’s the slightest opening to becoming the strong elite. Take it and do not spare a glance back, even if it means you must ditch your old life behind. You might even need to sacrifice some things or people to realise those goals.” 

“B-But that doesn’t imply why you would turn to crime to achieve those goals, Uncle Bae,” you commented. 

He sighed. “I’m afraid you are still too young to realise it then. Those girls should be lucky that they are still alive. I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.” 

Your blood was now boiling, and you were on the verge of genuinely slapping or hitting some sense into your uncle, even though you knew that it would probably be effortless. You just needed to hurt him, make him suffer for all that he has done to all of those young women, even to your friend, Kisa. 

Before you finally shut your eyes, you had to ask him one last question before you were going to reach behind your back pocket for the knife that you had stored away.

“Let me then ask you this, Uncle Bae. What happened five years ago when a detective was responsible for kidnapping young children across the district. Was that your doing as well?” 

In your gut, you already knew what the actual answer would be. But at least you still needed to hear it directly from his mouth. 

“Ah, Minhwan? It was truly a tragedy that he lost his life easily then. He was just a step closer to kidnapping his tenth victim.” 

God, you felt sick to the stomach. He truly was a heartless individual; all of the years of putting up a favourable face in front of his family eventually broke down, revealing who he truly is in front of you now. 

You couldn’t care less if he was your uncle anymore; all you knew was that he was going to hell, and you so desperately wanted to end his life here and then—

“So it was you who made my sister suffer the way she did.” 

That voice! Sunwoo!

You quickly jerked your head behind to see that Sunwoo was now aiming his gun directly at your uncle, but before you could even process further, you were immediately pulled into your uncle’s embrace. He immediately took out his gun from his holster and rested it on your temple. 

“My, if it isn’t the biker gang leader himself! You surely have grown since the last time I’ve seen you.” 

“Never in a million years would I have thought that the chief detective would have been monitoring and guiding the underworld for several years. It would surely be a huge hit in the newspapers and eventually across the globe,” Sunwoo taunted. 

“That would be nice, but I’m afraid you both won’t live through the next sunrise to see it happen because I will be eliminating you both right here and now, starting with Y/N,” he pushed the gun further to the point that it began to hurt. You could tell that one wrong move from either of you would result in a bullet within the two of you. 

You both have to think quickly and strategically before executing the next move. 

“What makes you think you can outsmart me, young man? You’re from the biker gang, for goodness sake!” Your uncle began raising his voice and was now engaged in the conversation with Sunwoo. 

That was when you looked into Sunwoo’s eyes, and you could tell he was trying to tell you something. 

It was as if he meant…

Trust me, Y/N. 

“It is because I’m the biker gang’s leader, Mr Chief. Hence, I can and will outsmart you here right now.” 

With that one last word, Sunwoo loaded his gun and pulled the trigger, aiming straight at your legs. The bullet barely grazed through your skin, and you immediately fell onto your knees, which made your uncle stunned. 

“Hey! Hey! Y/N! Get up! Get up now!”

In the midst of his panic, Sunwoo quickly stepped in and took his hand onto his back before propelling his body forward, slamming him onto the ground. He quickly used his knee to keep him in place. He used his hands to push the chief’s head to the ground while the other held both hands towards his back. 

“Y-You think you’re going to get away with this? You’re a hundred years too fast…” the chief grunted. 

“Actually, I think you might as well start digging your grave now, dear uncle.” 

Immediately, all of you looked towards the front door entrance where the voice was coming from, and your eyes widened upon who you had just seen. 

“Jacob!!!” You screamed out loud; tears might even start falling from the corners of your eyes. 

“Hello, uncle. Missed me?” 

“H-How did you get out from there? There’s absolutely no way—”

“Well, I have my ways. And unfortunately for you, I hacked into the station system, so your computer right there on your desk was recording everything that you said towards both my sibling and the biker gang’s leader; I may have also shared the recording with the local radio stations, so everyone heard it live and in real timing too,” Jacob announced as he was twirling the USB drive in his hands. 

“Why you little scumbag!!” He screamed before Sunwoo gathered his strength to push him down again. 

“I think the scumbag here is you, dear uncle. I’m sure the FBI would be delighted to interrogate the heck out of you and give you the rightful punishment you need.”

“What? The FBI?” He questioned. 

“You actually think I came here unprepared? The FBI has officially raided the entire building, taking the hostages to safety and caught your little gremlins, escorting them to prison at this very moment as we speak.” 

Jacob took a few steps closer before eventually bending down to face his uncle.

“I’m sorry, but your reign of terror ends here and now.”

It had been a year since that fateful incident. Getting things back to normal surely took a lot of time and effort. 

Thanks to Jacob and the FBI, they have taken your uncle away and placed him behind bars, even at a high security one at that. Throughout the gruelling interrogation that they have had, it seems that your uncle was part of more twisted crimes than what the public was aware of, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment at that, with no chance of parole. 

As for the victims, they were all returned safely to their own families after recovering at the hospital for a while. Thanks to the staff's generosity, the victims were given more than enough care and treatment for them to eventually return to their usual selves.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Department needed some time to regain the public's trust. To tackle that issue, the officials elected your brother Jacob to take over the chief position and oversee the whole process of rebuilding the entire police department. It definitely wasn’t an easy task and was undoubtedly a huge burden for Jacob, but he did not complain and rather took on the role easily. 

The factory that you used to work in was abolished as the police themselves continued to dig through more uncovered dark secrets that lay below the factory grounds. For the safety and well-being of the public, all authorities have agreed that it would be best to tear the place down, leaving behind a chapter. 

But that did not mean that all workers there met a bad fate. Through the help from the public and the authorities, everyone was given a chance to work at a much better and safer workplace. 

As weeks passed, you scored through all your exams and eventually graduated from university. You were now on the road to becoming a full-fledged journalist, currently undergoing probation under the famous company The Seoul Daily Magazine. You have been enjoying your time here, meeting amazing colleagues and having a healthier work-life balance. 

As for Sunwoo, he decided to return to his biker gang, further leading the upcoming lads to take over the higher positions within their hierarchy. However, it was thanks to the latest kidnapping cases that the public realised that the bikers themselves weren’t rebellious nor posed a threat to society. They have begun to put their trust in the bikers themselves, and they would often be seen hanging out together in town daily. 

Jacob has granted a special position for Sunwoo in the police department, encouraging the male to join forces as their previous one worked out splendidly. According to your brother, Sunwoo just smiled and turned down the offer, saying that the bikers are one big family and would stick by them until the end. 

You smiled as you remembered all of those moments of how Sunwoo had always shared about his lads from the gang, and naturally, you decided to visit them often whenever you got to hop onto Sunwoo’s bike; you both were finally a couple now anyway. 

It wasn’t until the digital clock that was situated right on your table started to go off that you realised that it was finally time for you to get off work. You quickly jumped up from your chair, giving yourself a little stretch before packing your things away hurriedly. 

“Oh, someone’s leaving early today, huh?” One of your co-workers peeked through your cubicle and teased. 

“Someone’s got a dinner date tonight, a very romantic one at that, too,” another one chimed in. 

“It’s nothing, you guys, we’re just having a normal dinner,” you reassured, but clearly your co-workers didn’t believe you in the slightest bit. 

“I bet they’re going to finally do it tonight.”

“What?! How can you say that?! I bet they’re going to propose instead.” 

“Nothing is going to happen, okay? Now, I’m off. I’ll see you next Monday!” 

You quickly clocked out before running down the steps down to the lobby. You were too excited and couldn’t wait for the elevator to reach your floor. Once you finally saw your boyfriend leaning against one of the pillars outside your company, you quickly dashed towards the automatic doors before finally stopping right in front of him.

He was in his usual black leather jacket and cargo pants, but his hair was much longer now, so it covered his eyes if he decided not to part them. But you loved this new look on him, much better when his hair was shorter a year ago.

“Like what you see, sweetheart?” 

“Hmph, don’t get too full of yourself. You barely did just the minimum,” you commented before linking your arms with his as you both walked towards the restaurant that Sunwoo had booked for the night. 

“Come on, I styled myself just for tonight. You might as well give me some compliments,” he whined. 

“I’ll consider it if you order something that I have been craving to eat for a while,” you stuck your tongue out at him. 

“How should I know what you’re craving for the day?” 

“You’re the boyfriend; you should’ve done your research.” 

“Mean.” 

“I spit the facts.” 

You both burst out into laughter after that; you truly enjoyed every moment with this guy, even if you were just bickering over the tiniest detail possible. It was when you both went silent for a while, admiring the Christmas lights and decorations that lit up the entire city. You both finally stopped at the huge Christmas tree in the middle of town, admiring its beauty for a while before heading to the restaurant just a little bit behind the decor. 

“Say, didn’t you mention that I would be your biggest mistake when I first picked you up back at the factory?” 

“Oh…that.” 

“Yeah, that. What am I to you now, princess?” He looked at you with pleading eyes; he was back at trying to get your compliments since he failed the last one.

You sighed before tilting your head towards his direction before planting a soft peck on his lips. 

“You were the best mistake that has ever happened to me.”

A/N: this was not supposed to be 20k+ i swear i have no idea what in God's name happened. 🤓

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @k-films @flwoie @zzoguri @kyusqult @tinkerbell460 @cheonsafics @sulkygyu @jaerisdiction @lngwayup @itsbeeble @kimsohn (join my permanent taglist here!)

[ggukkiedae]

chocouple: 2014 to eternity

Click Below to See the Video

|| The Friends Era (2014-2016)

Yoonmi and Mark actually met in 2014 because SHINee’s Jonghyun introduced them, but we didn’t actually get any public interaction or word of their friendship until 2015. Yoonmi was 2 years into her career, and Mark hadn’t even debuted yet, but he was on Mickey Mouse Club. Yoonmi guested on one episode where the concept was having all the staff leave the kids with Yoonmi so they would be comfortable asking her for advice and what to expect as kids in the music industry.

Mark had taken one of the seats next to her and offered her a blanket to cover her legs with because she was in shorts. Although Hannah led the others in speaking to Yoonmi, the latter often looked to Mark for what seemed like encouragement to speak.

We don’t get any interactions between them again until Mark debuts a year later. NCT U’s The 7th Sense promotions overlapped with BTS’s Fire promotions. When Fire won 1st place in Music Bank, Mark can be seen giving Yoonmi a one-sided hug. Just a month later, Yoonmi was promoting her solo debut the same time NCT 127 was promoting their debut. When Yoonmi won 1st in MCountdown, the tannies weren’t there, so Key had 127 accompany Yoonmi on stage.

Though many people got distracted by the fact Yoonmi and Haechan had a secret handshake, no one missed how Mark and Yoonmi lingered in their hug a little longer, or how he stayed next to her the whole encore stage. An ex-SM staff mentioned that Mark walked her back to her waiting room, which was on the opposite end of NCT 127’s.

Months later, it’s awards show season. Most known NCT-BTS interactions consisted of Hannah and Yoonmi hanging out, but apparently Yoonmi went to NCT Dream’s dorm often. Back to awards shows, MAMA was a gem. Not only were there Markmi hugs (the ICONIC ending stage hug where he lifted her), we had Yoonmi rapping along to Mark’s verses, Mark cheering especially in Yoonmi’s parts, and even Mark possibly jealously watching Yoonmi and NCT Jisung talking.

|| The Courting Era (2017-2018)

We didn’t actually know this at the time, but Mark and Yoonmi talked about it after they were exposed. Fans had released pictures from down the street of a KFC where you could see Mark and Yoonmi talking. At the time, we all thought it was them bonding while preparing for the SM Station Yoonmi would feature in and Mark’s feature in her album, but apparently Mark had also confessed to her and promised he’d prove himself when she said she felt scared.

They did a good job of keeping it lowkey. Aside from rare school photos together, the release of All I Wanna Do, Wannabe, Mark promoting with Yoonmi for Wannabe, their KCon Mexico special stage, and the selfies they posted after each of those, there was no visual evidence of them spending time together. Hannah and Jungkook (Chocouple nation presidents) sometimes would mention Markmi hanging out, but that was it.

|| The Secretly Dating Era (2018-2020)

Their anniversary is in early February, that’s all we know. They like keeping it private, and we respect that. But apparently Mark set up an at-home date for them and officially asked her that day to be his girlfriend. 

They still did a good job of keeping it lowkey to the point where apparently most of the neos didn’t even know they were dating, but everyone noticed how, despite how both of them had increasingly busy schedules, they both seemed to glow and be happier. (Aside from those few weeks Yoonmi and Yoongi were at odds, which is rumored to be because Markmi started dating)

|| The Reveal (January 1, 2020)

Every year, kpop and kdrama fans wait for Dispatch’s celebrity couple drop on New Year’s Day. To everyone’s surprise, Mark and Yoonmi were announced. Stan Twitter went into pandemonium, and everyone was clowning dispatch because we all knew they were “just friends”. 

To everyone’s further surprise, SM and BigHit both confirmed it later that day, and Mark and Yoonmi themselves tweeted about it, confirming they were dating.

|| The Struggle Era (2020)

Around late January of 2020, Yoonmi released a M.Y. Everyday video titled “I have a Boyfriend”. Here, we found out about the courting era, how long they’ve been dating, and the fact that they have been dating for around two years by then. It’s also cute because around the middle of the year they ended up both having pink hair!

It was rough for them since their schedules kept them apart, then Covid hit, and they didn’t get to see each other at all. It wasn’t until around August, eight months later, that they were able to see each other. Mark said it was the best birthday gift he could get, seeing Yoonmi and even having her play the leading lady in his “As We Wish” mini drama. Watch it, I’m begging! Every source ever that was there for the filming said the two were just holding hands and silently exchanging smiles and stories almost the whole time.

They did a weverse/vlive together, each of them streaming from each of their phones. They were smiling and leaning on each other the whole time, answering questions, and everyone could see how happy and comfortable they were with each other.

|| The Private but Not Secret Era (2021-eternity)

We don’t actually know too much about their relationship since they have been keeping it between them and their close friends and family (WHICH WE SHOULD RESPECT, OKAY?), but we do know from some stories that they try their best to spend time together whether it’s going out or staying in each other’s places. As fans, let’s remember that we should be more than happy with the fact that they actually talk about or mention each other a lot, especially compared to other celebrity couples. We also get the birthday posts and the occasional random instagram stories, but that’s it, and that’s more than enough.

Mark and Yoonmi are two of the most precious, talented, and hard-working people in the entertainment industry, and I’m glad they found comfort and solace in each other. As of this month (december 2023), they have been together for five years and about ten months. Cheers to a bright future for the both of them!

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drop an ask or a dm if you wanna be added or taken out of the taglist 🥰 requests are also open!

[speakofcompersion]

SHINee Database Update: October 2024

Entire Database can be found HERE. In the database you can see all the subtitled shows I’ve linked and search them by tag/date/member/etc. Enjoy~!

Here are the new english subbed additions for this month (links go to page with info + show link):

KEY

I Live Alone (w/ Key) Ep: 565 / 566 / 567 / 568

Amazing Saturday (w/ Key) Ep:  (delay on eps/subs - subber is sick please send them love!! <333)

Bilibili Song Station Interview w/ Key

The Seasons: Lee Youngji’s Raindbow’ w/ Key

Spotify K-pop ON!, Interview & BTS w/ Key

241005 Key Instagram Live

Shopee Thailand Interview w/ Key

CO-merawork Behind - Key'Overthink'

Pinggyego Ep 58 w/ Key

240927 Music Bank Interview w/ Key

TAEMIN

Road To Kingdom: Ace of Ace w/ MC Taemin Ep 1-7

MINHO

Hyo’s Level Up w/ Minho

Donghyun & Eunhyuk’s ‘Hey, Come Here 2’ Ep 6 w/ Minho

‘by PDC’ Interview w/ Minho

SM Actist Minho ‘Mingval-log’ - ‘Waiting For Godot’ Vlog

ONEW

2024 Korea National University of Transportation Festival Young : One (D2) ft. ONEW

+ several links to older shows (slowly and sporadically adding these, so be sure to check in regularly. If you have a specific show you want, msg me and I’ll make it a priority)

[burnwater13]

Concept art by Christian Alzmann. The Book of Boba Fett, Season 1, Episode 3, The Streets of Mos Espa. Boba Fett stands next to the rancor running his hand over it's head, while the creature lies down.

Din Djarin appreciated that Boba Fett had learned to respect the rancor and treated it like he would have treated a massif or a Loth cat, but he couldn’t imagine doing the same to such a large critter. It seemed to him that whenever he and a huge critter crossed paths, the bounty hunter was always the one who ended up the worse for it. 

The ravinak on Pagodon had damaged the Razor Crest’s port side landing strut. That had cost a packet to fix. Then he nearly got stomped by the blurgg and shamed by the Ugnaught for his trouble. Of course there was that mudhorn. It destroyed his armor and all he got for all that was the opportunity to buy back the parts of his ship and the pleasure of repairing it without proper garage facilities. 

Then he’d had no choice but to bring the kid back to the client. He needed that camtono of beskar to put his armor right. Neither he nor the Ugnaught could fix it. That had to be done by a Mandalorian Armorer and the only one he knew was back on Nevarro. So he goes back there and those Kowakian monkey lizards were always too close. If you were missing something on Nevarro odds were even that one of those monkeys had grabbed it and you’d have a hell of a time getting it back. 

At least when he went to Sorgan the critters were small and blue. Spotchka blue. His first layer was that color now thanks to the time he spent in those damn krill ponds waiting for the marauders’ AT-ST to take it’s final, fatal step.  He was glad that he wasn’t part of a Mandalorian tribe or enclave after that. The amount of harassment he would have gotten was more than the value of having others of his kind around to remind him how easy it was to fall away from the Creed. 

And the kid, the kid loved all of those critters. Even the mudhorn. Which, Din Djarin, considered was just the sort of thing he would have liked at that age. Whatever age the kid really was. He certainly didn’t act like any fifty year old the Mandalorian knew, but then Din Djarin knew so few of them. Maybe they were like children and he’d just never noticed. He supposed that he could ask Bo-Katan. She knew more Mandalorians than he did. 

But that wouldn’t change the fact that Grogu found the critters fascinating. The reptavians on Nevarro, the massifs, bantha, and Krayt dragons on Tatooine, even the ice spiders on Maldo Kreis. Neither one of them every wanted to see those critters ever again, but  they had been fascinating from a couple parsecs away. Much like the mamacore and it’s offspring. Awful up close and personal, but fascinating when you were reviewing their biology, habits, habitat, and population from the nice safe interior of a starship on the other side of the galaxy from them. 

There had been times when Din Djarin had wondered if Grogu just attracted the critters. He knew there were people like that. They could walk through the loneliest place on any planet and every critter, person, life form, what have you, would find them. He remembered meeting one of them on the Wheel. 

The space station shouldn’t have had any ‘wild’ critters on it. But when he walked into the tavern on the lower ring, there she was, a young woman, surrounded by all sorts of critters. Scurriers, ysalamiri, gorgs, and all manner of tiny rodents. She seemed to be talking to them and when she noticed him looking at her, she said something and they all zipped away. All but one ysalamir, which wrapped itself around her ankle.

She had nodded at him and paid attention to her drink and he seemed to just forget about her. He did whatever he was there to do, but when he went back to his ship he noticed that ysalamir laying near it. When as asked it where its friend was, the creature ran across the docking bay and he noticed the young woman just moving out of sight, with a long line of small critters following her. Maybe Grogu was like her?

It was funny that he remembered her while thinking of the critters. He’d tried to remember that strange meeting that wasn’t really a meeting on The Wheel for years, but it was just the critters that brought her back to his mind, where she seemed to disappear just as easily. Maybe that’s why Grogu and Fett and even that young woman, whoever she was, liked the critters. Large or small, terrifying or delicate, if you remembered the critters, then you remembered the people who had met them.  

After all, Din Djarin was never likely to forget the Krayt dragon and all the people he’d met because of that critter. Or the blurggs. Or the reptavians. Even those wretched spiders would always remind him of Niebla, the Frog lady and her husband and children. And he and Grogu would be bound together because of that mudhorn. It had become their clan name and would be part of their line for generations. 

Perhaps that was why Fett liked the rancor. Together they were unforgettable. 

[techtechonmymind]

NCT Ask Game!

*when appropriate you can answer overall or for each unit~ please also answer why you picked your answer! 💚

1. Design an NCT U unit - pick the members, styling, and genre

2. What’s a collaboration you’d like to see with an NCT member?

3. Favorite single?

4. Favorite lyrics?

5. Do you have a favorite year line (i.e. 96-line, 95-line, 00-line)? If not, another favorite grouping?

6. Favorite NCT variety segment?

7. Favorite NCT Life season?

8. Favorite b-side?

9. Favorite choreo?

10. Favorite styling?

11. Favorite music video?

12. Favorite all-group project?

13. Favorite album?

14. Most vivid NCT-related memory?

15. How did you become an NCTzen?

16. Favorite intro/outro/interlude?

17. Favorite instrumental?

18. Favorite SM Station featuring an NCT member?

19. Favorite non-SM Station collaboration featuring an NCT member?

20. Favorite solo project/NCT Lab?

21. Favorite behind the scenes content?

22. Favorite SMTown song featuring an NCT member?

23. Favorite vocalist?

24. Favorite dancer?

25. Favorite rapper?

26. Underrated vocalist?

28. Underrated rapper?

29. Favorite live performance?

30. Other! Anything you want to say about NCT 💚

[balajitravelstnagar]

Avinashi to Tirupati A/C Sleeper Bus: Comfort & Convenience

https://padmavathitravels.com/avinashi-to-tirupati-tour-package-ac-bus.php

Introduction:

Are you planning a trip from Avinashi to the divine city of Tirupati? If you're seeking comfort, convenience, and a hassle-free travel experience, the Avinashi to Tirupati tour package by A/C sleeper bus is the perfect solution for you. Whether you’re traveling alone, with family, or in a group, this premium travel option combines luxury with spirituality, offering a smooth and restful journey to one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in India.

In this blog post, we will dive into all the essential details you need to know about this tour package. From the comfort of the A/C sleeper bus to the best ways to maximize your time in Tirupati, we’ve got all the information to ensure that your pilgrimage experience is seamless and memorable.

Avinashi to Tirupati bus package:

●     Upper Seat (A/C): ₹6500

●     Lower Seat (A/C): ₹6500

PRICE MAY DIFFER DEPENDING ON THE DAY!

Includes:

Transportation by sleeper bus

Accommodation at a 2-star hotel for freshening up

Breakfast and darshan tickets

One laddu per person

Excludes:

Dinner

Personal expenses

 

1. How Long is the Journey from Avinashi to Tirupati?

The distance from Avinashi to Tirupati is approximately 210-230 kilometers, depending on the specific route taken. Travel time usually ranges between 5 to 6 hours, which makes the A/C sleeper bus the ideal choice for a comfortable overnight journey.

While the journey duration is relatively short, the comfort of reclining sleeper seats and air-conditioning makes this travel time seem even shorter, leaving you refreshed upon arrival in Tirupati.

2. What’s Included in the Avinashi to Tirupati Tour Package by A/C Sleeper Bus?

The Avinashi to Tirupati tour package typically includes the following services:

Round-trip Transport: The package includes the cost of travel both to and from Tirupati on the A/C sleeper bus. You won’t have to worry about separate tickets for the return journey.

Comfortable Seating: The bus is equipped with premium, reclining sleeper seats, allowing you to sleep during the journey and ensure you’re well-rested.

Experienced Driver & Staff: Professional drivers and staff ensure smooth travel, safety, and comfort throughout the journey.

Pick-Up and Drop-Off Points: Convenient pick-up points in Avinashi and drop-off near the Tirupati bus station or the temple area.

Water & Snacks: Complimentary bottled water and snacks may be provided on the bus, keeping you refreshed during the trip.

3. When is the Best Time to Travel from Avinashi to Tirupati?

For pilgrims, timing is crucial. To avoid heavy crowds and enjoy a smooth journey, it’s best to travel during:

Early Morning or Late Evening: Booking a sleeper bus for overnight travel or late evening departures ensures that you arrive early in Tirupati, ready to take advantage of less crowded darshan timings. Additionally, these timings help avoid peak traffic on the roads.

Off-Peak Seasons: Avoid traveling during peak pilgrimage seasons, like festivals or special occasions, as this can lead to overcrowded buses and longer waiting times at the temple.

4. How to Book the Avinashi to Tirupati A/C Sleeper Bus Tour Package?

Booking your tour package is easy and can usually be done through online booking platforms or directly through the travel operators’ websites. Here's a simple guide on how to book:

Visit the Website: Head to the official booking website (like Balaji Darshan Booking or other trusted travel agencies).

Select the Date: Choose your preferred travel date and time.

Fill in the Details: Provide the necessary travel details such as the number of passengers and preferred pick-up location.

Make Payment: Complete the booking by making the payment online via secure payment gateways.

Confirmation: Once the booking is complete, you’ll receive an email or SMS confirmation with all the details of your trip.

5. What Are the Benefits of Booking an A/C Sleeper Bus for Your Tirupati Pilgrimage?

Booking an A/C sleeper bus for your pilgrimage comes with multiple benefits:

Stress-Free Travel: You don’t have to worry about navigating traffic or finding parking at the temple. The bus ensures a door-to-door travel experience.

More Time for Darshan: By traveling overnight, you save time and can head straight to the temple for darshan, without worrying about long commutes.

Affordable Luxury: The sleeper bus offers a premium experience without the high cost associated with private cars or luxury buses.

Why Choose the A/C Sleeper Bus for Your Avinashi to Tirupati Trip?

When it comes to traveling long distances, comfort is key. The A/C sleeper bus offers several advantages over other modes of transportation like trains or regular buses, making it the most popular choice for pilgrims heading to Tirupati. Here’s why:

Comfortable Seating: The sleeper bus is equipped with reclining, cushioned seats, allowing you to relax and rest comfortably during the journey. You can lie down, sleep, and wake up refreshed for your darshan in Tirupati.

Climate-Controlled Comfort: As the name suggests, A/C sleeper buses come with air-conditioning, ensuring a cool and comfortable journey, even during the hot months.

No More Travel Fatigue: The ability to sleep during the trip means you won’t feel tired or fatigued when you arrive. This is especially important for those traveling for a religious purpose and wanting to be fresh and energized.

Safety and Cleanliness: A/C sleeper buses are maintained to high standards of safety and cleanliness. You can travel with peace of mind, knowing the bus adheres to all necessary guidelines.

Conclusion:

The Avinashi to Tirupati tour package by A/C sleeper bus offers the perfect balance of comfort, affordability, and convenience for your pilgrimage journey. With comfortable seating, climate control, and smooth overnight travel, this is a top choice for anyone looking to visit Tirupati with ease. Whether you are traveling alone, with family, or as part of a group, this package ensures a stress-free and restful trip to one of India’s most famous pilgrimage sites.

So, if you're ready to embark on your spiritual journey, book your A/C sleeper bus package today and make your Tirupati trip a truly memorable experience!

[jcmarchi]

“Pathways to Invention” documentary debuts on PBS, streaming

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/pathways-to-invention-documentary-debuts-on-pbs-streaming/

“Pathways to Invention” documentary debuts on PBS, streaming

The Lemelson-MIT Program has announced the national debut of an award-winning documentary that celebrates invention: American Public Television (APT) presents “Pathways to Invention,” a film that follows modern inventors of diverse backgrounds as they develop life-changing innovations.

Produced by Maaia Mark Productions in association with the Lemelson-MIT Program with funding from The Lemelson Foundation, MIT’s School of Engineering, and the University of California at Berkeley, the 60-minute special explores whether inventors are born or made through a series of engaging, up-close profiles while examining the tangible impact they’re making across a variety of disciplines including biotech, medical diagnostics and prosthetics, sustainable agriculture, food production, software development, and materials science. The inventors featured in the documentary are all recipients of the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize. The program premieres this month on PBS stations nationwide, available for streaming in the PBS app and on PBS.org as well as on WORLD. The film will also air on WGBH 44 Boston on July 7 and 19. A companion website with related learning resources for all ages launched May 1. 

“Pathways to Invention” explores the lives of 12 inventors overcoming obstacles to achieve success in cities across the country. Each shares an insightful perspective inspiring audiences to discover their own pathways to realizing their goals.

Journeying through the workshops, garages, laboratories, and offices of these entrepreneurs, the film considers what it really means to take “leaps of faith” as the accomplished innovators present a realistic approach of persevering through overwhelming odds and obstacles, taking risks, and inevitably experiencing failures before achieving success and discovering that the essence of invention is collaboration and lifelong learning.

“We all have the power in our minds and hands to shape the world,” says Levi C. Maaia, the film’s director, a former high school educator, and co-founder of Maaia Mark Productions with Noah Mark, a veteran showrunner and executive producer who has produced numerous series for a who’s who of major broadcast/cable networks and video streaming platforms. “The goal of ‘Pathways to Invention’ is to inspire others to think about new ways they can create solutions to benefit their own lives and humanity at large.”

Together, Maaia and Mark have collected more than a dozen awards for the film. At the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards in summer 2022, it was recognized as the season’s best documentary feature, Mark and Maaia as best producers, Maaia as best director of a documentary feature, and composers Michael Mark and Jon Cobert for best original musical score.

The film seamlessly weaves together the distinctive paths of each inventor working to achieve similarly meaningful results. They include:

David Moinina Sengeh SM ’12, PhD ’16, chief innovation officer and minister of basic and senior secondary education for the government of Sierra Leone, who witnessed those around him struggle with ill-fitting prosthetics that were too uncomfortable to wear, and designed next-generation wearable mechanical interfaces that improve comfort for amputees.

Nicole Black, a materials scientist whose experience growing up as a little girl grappling with hearing loss due to a perforated eardrum led to the groundbreaking formulation of a 3D-printed material — a near-perfect scaffold for the regrowth of human eardrum tissue.

Paige Balcom, a Fulbright Scholar visiting Uganda who was inspired to develop a small-scale community recycling process in Gulu employing street-connected, at-risk youth. This supposedly “impossible” initiative was the genesis of Takataka Plastics, where Paige now serves as co-founder and is currently working to expand to five towns across Uganda, and eventually scale to other developing countries.

Geoff von Maltzahn ’03, PhD ’10, who, after becoming hyper-focused during college with the programmability of living things at a microscopic level, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to fund groundbreaking biotech and life sciences research. Through the management of microbes and the DNA programming of organisms big and small, von Maltzahn and his colleagues are focused on eliminating plant pesticides, creating drought-tolerant crops, sequestering carbon, and eliminating disease.

Championing the idea that most inventors do not emulate the storied life of Thomas Edison or follow the financial trajectory of Elon Musk, “Pathways to Invention” brings a relatable aspect to the journeys of each inventor.

Stephanie Couch, executive director of The Lemelson-MIT Program, states that “the key takeaway we’d like for viewers to keep in mind is that it’s never too late — or too early — to get on the pathway to invention. We are all aware of problems in our daily lives and we have what it takes to become collaborative problem-solvers and invent solutions that can make the world a better place.”

“We all are born curious; we all like to study the world. We like to understand it. That’s the innate curiosity that we all have, and sometimes it’s the environmental factors that drive it out of us,” says Josh Siegel, an assistant professor at Michigan State University and inventor whose work focuses on designing platforms for collecting and analyzing vehicle data. “Inventing has taught me to be persistent; inventing has taught me to be creative; inventing has taught me to trust myself as I have never trusted myself before. It’s OK to be imperfect, so long as you’re better than you were. We can invent things, we can invent products, we can invent services. We can create new capabilities; we can create new knowledge. But at the end of the day, what we’re really doing is reinventing ourselves.”

[greyfongschemmenti]

I loved a ride to remember sm!! When I saw your username I was internally screaming cause I recognized your username. I’ve literally loved your writing since the see you at the station series and I’m happy to see you’re writing again! (obv you don’t owe me or anyone else anything) but pls know whatever you decide to post in the future you will always have at least one fan :)

I had to reread this after already taking my glasses off to go to bed last night. But omgosh hi! It’s so exciting to hear from someone who’s read previous works from other fandoms.

You know that feeling you get when you see your teacher out in public? I kind of feel like you just caught me out in the tumbler verse from outside the TLOK fandom 🙈😆

I am so glad that I’ve gotten hit with the writing bug again! It’s been way too long 😭 believe me I feel utterly terrible that I left See You at season 3. I never meant to leave it there I wanted and had plans to continue to Season 4. I still have hope and dreams to continue finishing it but I got terrible burn out. I wrong books 1-3 in the span of a summer. That alone was like 200k?!! I didn’t know I could do that. 🙈🤯 besides the burnout I started a new job and then felt stuck because I initially wrote out the outline of book 4. Then I no longer liked it and got stuck on how I wanted to proceed. Then I started dissociating and developing disinterest in writing and feeling like my writing was terrible.

Just recently I decided to look up if there were any stories about Melissa and saw that she has quite the following and works under the tag. Thankfully I caught the romance bug and wrote the story one night. So far I’ve written a couple others but im not sure if I want Reader to be a fellow teacher or staff at Abbott or maybe an outside character.

I’m not really big on smut, don’t get me wrong some are tasteful. But I absolutely love the romance and fluff. Like the subtle interactions.

I sincerely thank you for sending me a message! It really helps give me a push to continue writing. I’ve been trying to change my way of thinking of just writing to have fun and post it instead of over analyzing it. Writing should be fun and not stressful. 😅

[ginger-grimm]

🦁Frankie

MY DARLING PRINCESS, THANK YOU SM 🥰

Their favorite gem stone: Amethyst!

Their most heroic moment: Thus far? Fighting Regina's knights to get to Snow and David before the curse hits. She picked up a sword and made quick work of all of them.

A superstition they believe in (if they do believe in them): Opening an umbrella inside brings bad luck

Their favorite 2000s song: The Climb by Miley Cyrus

Their first pet: Winona never had a pet but Frankie had her pet horse Jolene, which came to Storybrooke with her!

Their favorite video game: Life Is Strange

Their lowest moment: Everytime she gives Emma side eyes and attitude in season 1 and 2. She's secrectly incredibly jealous, because Snow was the mother she never had and Frankie fears she'll be replaced.

Their crime against humanity (whether that's an actual crime or something cringeworthy/embarrassing they've done): During Winona's rebellious phase she'd spraypaint hate messages about Regina everywhere and she got caught once and hauled into the Sheriff's station. Frankie very much cringes at the thought of it.

Their middle name: Joan!

If they have sloppy or neat handwriting: Very neat! Frankie's been perfecting it since childhood and regularly writes letters to people until this day.

[hwarang-number]

💕 Cool stuff I acquired amidst the SHINee Reunion/Taemin Comeback Craziness* 💕

*but didn't post about because everyone including me was a smidge preoccupied for like 3 weeks 🥴

This arrived a few hours after Taemin's Act 2 Vlive... 🤭

Yes, it's literally a 2min fan compilation from the old days. 🤭😆🥰

One of my favorite US eBay vendors had it for a reasonable price, and I came into this fandom so late that I've literally never seen anything 2min for sale. So I couldn't not! (I haven't watched it yet, but I got a region-free DVD player on Prime Day, so... ☺️)

These (@g-m-kaye 's fairytale-worthy SHINee tarot card prints 😍) arrived the same day, if anyone missed the initial squee. 😁

It was a very good day. 🥰

These were actually two separate purchases from a favorite seller in Japan, who always includes a tiny origami crane with your order. 😁

I've been wanting SHINee in Wonderland stuff since I knew it existed, but it's super-rare at this point in time - a full box (10 packs containing 5 cards each) runs $80-100, if you can even find one, and individual cards sell for upwards of $5 apiece. (I actually tried to get a couple thru auctions, but the bidding ultimately went up to $15-20 apiece, which was way too high, in my opinion.) These were each around $55-65, including DHL 2-day shipping (card packs had been neatly opened, which we knew about, and cards were all present and intact).

Unnie and I are going to split up the cards eventually (between ourselves and Eomma, though she doesn't know that yet! 😆) and each keep one of the boxes. We got a few duplicates, as expected, but we also got most of the ones we really wanted. (And in my humble opinion, the best-looking one in here is the baby. 😍 HANDS-DOWN.)

This arrived the day Minho was discharged, which I decided meant that Jonghyun wanted to be there for the reunion too. 💕

Did I buy this just for "Inspiration"? (Can you think of a better reason?? 🤭) Maaaaybe, in part, but the seller offered me an amazing deal (basically, half the price it usually sells for, and it was still new/sealed), and I'm genuinely looking forward to checking out all the other tracks. It's a positive glut of SM digital-only releases with little hidden gems throughout.

This was one of those eBay listings where you're like, "Did they put the price in right?? 😳" 13 Seeks (Vol 2-14) for $77 (plus a smidge of tax), including 2-day shipping from Japan.

For perspective, I bought Vol 4 by itself awhile back (because hello, it's the SHINee ships issue! 🤭) from a favorite US seller who really likes to match/beat prices, and I think I paid about $28 for it.

The seller had discounted the lot for small damages, but the worst Unnie and I found in here were a few bent corners and scuffs on the binding - very minimal imperfections. The mags are still glossy and the contents are (as far as I can tell) PERFECT. 😍

But the pièce de résistance would have to be:

$65. Including 2-day FedEx from Japan. 😭😭😭

The seller didn't provide many details in the listing, so Unnie thought it might just be the CD/DVD w/ pic cards of the members (she bought a set of similar cards from Kimi no Seide awhile back), but the listing had a ton of hits as soon as it listed, and I knew that if it truly contained everything it looked like (and at that price!), I'd be an idiot if I didn't buy it.

It did indeed include all five member CDs, plus the CD/DVD, and only Jonghyun and Onew's have been opened (and they still have the OBIs in their sleeves).

But best of all the things:

😭💓😭💓😭

(I mean, I would've been sorely tempted to buy this set just for the Jonghyun sticker.)

[kpopbios2]

Starry Night

Length of Song: 4:01

Group: Onew & Lee Jin Ah

Album: Starry Night - SM Station Single

Year Released: August 12, 2016

Average Age of Members at Time of Release: 26

Lyrics

Lee Jin Ah

마음이 어두위 서 잠드는 게 어 려 워져  

복잡한 세상들이 부지런히 괴롭혀

창밖에 햇살이 내 얼굴가득 덮어도

눈은 뜨는 일이 싫은 걸

이 제 널 볼 수가 없는 이 현실이

다시 바뀔 수 있다면

Maeumi eoduwoseo jamdeumeun ge eoryeowojyeo

Bokjaphan sesaungdeuri bujireonhi goerophyeo

Changbakke haessari nae eolgul gadeuk deopeodo

Nuneul tteunem iri silheun geol

Ije neol bol suga eopsneum i hyeonsir i

Dasi bakkwil su issdanyeon

My heart is dark, it’s hard to sleep

Complicated worlds keep torturing me

Even when the sunlight from window covers my face

I don’t want to open my eyes

This reality of not seeing you anymore

If only it can change

All

내가 어두운 밤이 되면 별이 되어 줘

네가 반짝반짝 빛나는 별이 돼 줄래?

모두들 잠드는 침묵의 밤 너머에  

네가 내 친 구가 되어 줘

Naega eoduun bami doemyeon byeori doeeo jwo

Nega bani jakbanj jak biccnaneun byeori dwae jullsae?

Modudeul jamddeuneun chimmugui bam neomeoe

Nega rae chinguga doeeo jwo

If I become the dark night, by my star

Will you be my twinkling star?

Across the silent night when everyone's asleep

Be my friend

Lee Jin Ah

친 구가 되어 줘

chinguga doeeo jwo

Be my friend

Onew

얼마나 좋을까 꿈이 만약 이뤄지면

너와 함께할 수 있다면

힘겨운 하루 끝 늘 찾아오는 별처럼

널 볼 수 있다면

Eolmana jobeulkka kkuni manyak irwojimyeon

Neowa hankkehal su issdamyeon

Himgyeoun haru kkeut neul chajaoneun byeolcheoreom

Neol bol su issdamyeon

How nice would it be if dreams came true

If I could be with you

Like the stars that come at the end of a long day

If only I could see you

All

내가 어두운 밤이 되면 별이 되어 줘

네가 반짝반짝 빛나는 별이 돼 줄래?

모두들 잠드는 침묵의 밤 너머에  

네가 내

Naega eoduun bami doemyeon byeori doeeo jwo

Nega bani jakbanj jak biccnaneun byeori dwae jullsae?

Modudeul jamddeuneun chimmugui bam neomeoe

Nega rae

If I become the dark night, by my star

Will you be my twinkling star?

Across the silent night when everyone's asleep

Be my

Lee Jin Ah

친 구가 되어 줘

chinguga doeeo jwo

Be my friend

Onew

내가 눈 물의 밤 지새며 빛이 되어줘

Naega nunmuriui bam jisaenyeon bicci doeeo jwo

When I’m spending a night of tears, be my light

Lee Jin Ah

나도 너의 불안한 밤에 빛이 돼 줄게  

Nado neoui buranhan bane bicci dwae julge

I’ll be your light on your nervous too

All

내가 길을 잃고 헤매면 말이 되어 줘  

내가 알 수 없는 내일에 별이 돼 줄래?

Naega gireul ilhgo hemaemyeon byeori doeeo jwo

Nega al su eopsneun naeire byeori dwae jullae?

When I’m lost and wandering, be my star

Will you be my star for my unknown tomorrow?

Lee Jin Ah

모두들 어뢰가 떠나는 밤 너머에

Modudeull eodinga tteonaneum bam neomeoe

Across the night when everyone’s Leaving

All

네가 내 친 구가 되어 줘

Nega rae chinguga doeeo jwo

Be my friend

Lee Jin Ah

별빛이 되어 줘

Byeolbicci doeeo jwo

Be my starlight

Line Distribution 

All - 11 Lines  [40.7%]

Lee Jin Ah - 11 Lines  [40.7%]

Onew - 5 Lines [18.5%]

Total - 27 Lines  [100%]

Ranking on the Charts

South Korea: 27 

China: --

Japan: --

USA: -- 

Overall Points 

Lyric & Line - 100 pts

South Korea Chart - 53 pts

China Chart - 0 pts

Japan Chart - 0 pts

USA Chart - 0 pts

Award Shows - 0 pts

Total Points - 153 pts

Links

Lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vvLnwvW6WY

Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgVQ7YJRehM

Lyric Masterlist

Masterlist

[dailyixing]

170608: S.M Station Season 1 Photobook Scan  | _阿絕_

[alphabetatoes]

fucked up (fezco x lexi)

a.n: a short little insight for the events between the end of episodes 1 and 2 of the new season of euphoria somewhat from the perspectives of both fez and lexi. not proofread, but i deeply enjoy this new ship sm. light fluff and some angst(?)

t.w.: language

w.c.: 1322

Fez had fucked up. He knew he had fucked up.

As soon as Cal Jacobs walked into the gas station, he was in some deep shit. Did Nate deserve to have his face smashed in? Absolutely.

The issue came from the fact that the Jacobs had an established name in the town. Any chance of facing no consequence was nonexistent. Having his house raided was a close enough call. And then there was Ashtray.

His brother was all but 12 years old and already had done things no child should ever have to do. Fez couldn’t risk being out of Ash’s life. He made a pact with himself the day baby Ashtray was left on his Grandmothers doorstep to ensure Ash would never have to be alone again- and Cal Jacobs was about to jeopardize all of that.

And Lexi.

Lexi was a new addition to his life, but one he wanted to become a permanent presence. Most people in his life wanted to maintain a relationship with him for their own gain- being a drug dealer brought attention of all types. But on that couch, all Lexi seemed to want was to get to know him better. She was sweet, and smart, and kind. Fez couldn’t help but wonder how he didn’t notice her sooner. Talking to her made hours turn into minutes, never quite getting to talk to her long enough to satiate his need for her attention. And when she left to find Cassie- her sister was MIA for the majority of the night, such to everyone’s surprise and concern- it felt like an eternity waiting for her to return.

Would he try to kiss her? It was New Years Eve after all. But he didn’t want to ruin the progress in their relationship that had already been made. Unlike her sister, Lexi didn’t seem like to type to jump into things. But it was a risk he was willing to take.

Until he saw Nate from across the living room. Fez wasn’t sure what came over him as soon as the clock struck midnight, but all he knew was he had a bottle in his hand and a target on Nate’s face. The adrenaline rush hadn’t stopped at the bottle breaking though- he soon found himself throwing punches on top of Nate refusing to give Nate a chance to counter. He only stopped when Nate lost consciousness. Fez was smart enough to know that anything further could get him into serious trouble, and away from Ashtray.

But when he got up to assess the damage done, he saw Lexi staring at him with an expression that looked both startled and confused. If he were able, he would have immediately gone to Lexi and explained the situation, but he needed to leave before anything escalated even further.

So when she showed up to the gas station a couple nights later, he couldn’t help but feel like the universe was giving him a second chance to get to know her.

Lexi was dressed edgier than normal, but he liked it. The confidence she exuded in it suited her well.

“Lexi Howard! How you doin’?”

“Good! I-“, Lexi stopped herself before she could finish, seeing Faye tucked around the corner of the store.

He knew, out of context, Faye’s presence was a roadblock getting in the way of him and Lexi. There was nothing going on between them, as he only agreed to house her as a favor but it sure seemed otherwise. The only thing he could think to soothe the tension was “She’s cool.”, and he felt like a fucking idiot afterwards. It would have been ten times easier to just say “This is my friends girlfriend.” rather than allowing Lexi’s mind to wander about what his intentions truly were with her.

The icing on the cake was Cal Jacobs entering the store right after. Fez could sense he was in some deep shit as soon as the man walked though the doors. The way Cal Jacobs carried himself presented the idea that he was immune to scrutiny. Sure he had some skeletons in his closet, but he had the town notoriety to ensure they would never come to light. Fez had every card dealt against him, and knew even the best outcome of the current situation was a grim one. He couldn’t help but to wonder if he would have charges pressed against him and the threat of being separated from Ash. And how would he ever be able to fix things with Lexi?

---------------

Lexi was a wallflower. Never did she try to over exert herself into interactions she knew wouldn’t last. Relationships were foreign territory to her besides already established platonic ones. But Fez made her believe in such a thing as love at first sight. Never had she experienced someone so intent on listening not just to her but about her. She could talk for ages and Fez would look as if she were telling the secrets of the universe. They had only known each other closely for a couple of hours but it was obvious how smitten he was by her.

It was refreshing to be wanted simply for her personality. Being the sister to Cassie Howard put her in somewhat of a shadow in the romance department. A small part of her felt the need to keep up with her sisters track record (purely out of imaginary implications), but she also knew that herself and Cassie were akin to night and day.

Fezco felt like the warmth of a fireplace on a cold winter day. He made her feel special- as if she were the only person in the room. Even though he was a man of few words, what he said could be translated into hundreds of stories. She felt safe with him. Few experiences in her life made her feel genuinely safe, but she felt as if Fezco were her person.

Two things rang true: Lexi wanted to come out of her comfort zone, especially if it meant being closer to Fez, and she would be damned if she didn’t get her New Year’s kiss from him.

And some things in life don’t go to plan. Sometimes your crush is beating the absolute shit out of the high school bully and you’re just there to witness it. Lexi struggled to processed the moments after Fez delivered the first hit. Struggled to wonder how someone so kind to her could be capable of such violence to Nate. Did he deserve it? Absolutely. Just because the Jacobs were practically royalty didn’t make Nate the town sweetheart. If anything he was the absolute antonym of it.

Lexi wouldn’t stop blaming herself for not stopping Fez though. She knew he had a reputation- heard stories of his house getting raided for drugs. She knew that any retaliation from the Jacobs family would get Fez put in some hot shit, and she didn’t need that to happen.

Cal Jacobs showing up to her house was the kickstarter she needed to aid Fez. She’d be damned if she let anyone get in the way of hurting Fez. The best thing she felt as if she could do was notify him of the interrogation from Cal so he could at least have some insight on what his possible future would look like.

And when she came to the gas station to warn him, she found Fez… and Faye. Lexi was hurt. Whatever the current situation, she knew that for certain. Fez had made her feel special, and here was this other girl. †his was Lexi’s big moment. She was supposed to feel big, tall, confident, and miles out of her comfort zone. But all she felt was hurt. He didn’t;t deny any of his intentions with Faye- didn’t confirm them either- but it hurt nonetheless. She genuinely liked him, and this felt like a slap in the face.

[yehet-me-up]

Kim Minseok 김민석 (Xiumin) 😺 Overview

Minseok, stage name Xiumin (a combination of the Chinese reading of hanja characters 秀 (xiù), which means great or show, and 珉 (mín)), is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a vocalist, rapper, and dancer in EXO, as well as EXO-CBX, of which he is also the leader. 

This post is part of an effort to celebrate the accomplishments of EXO over the past 10 years and to provide tangible avenues for supporting these artists in 2022 (when they will likely be leaving SM Ent.) and beyond 🖤

Xiumin learned martial arts and has a black belt in Kendo and Taekwondo. He also trained in Wushu and Fencing. Xiumin is also known as an avid fan of football, and is an honorary ambassador of the Korea Football Association. Though we have not received *official* confirmation from Minseok, it’s been widely verified that he has completed his Master’s Degree and his Doctorate (PhD)!

He has not yet released a solo album, but from hints in recent interviews, it’s very likely that we’ll get his solo debut KMS1 sometime in 2022 🥳 One of his first starring roles, in Falling for Challenge, was the most watched web drama in South Korea in 2015, reaching 20 million views just after 17 days. 

Xiumin enlisted for his mandatory military service on May 7, 2019, serving as an active duty soldier. He was discharged December 6, 2020 and has returned to television and musicals to our great delight. It’s often a surprise to new fans that Minseok is the oldest in EXO, as his humor, enthusiasm, and energy (as well as his adorable laugh) make him feel like one of the maknaes. We’re so excited to see what he’ll do next! Please join me in celebrating EXO’s 😺

🎵 Singles and OSTs 🎶

⇢ You Are The One Falling for Challenge OST (2015) ∴ Music Video | Lyrics | Live Performance  ⇢ Call You Bae with AOA’s Jimin (2016) Non-Album Single ∴ Music Video | Lyrics | Recording ⇢ Young & Free with NCT’s Mark (2017) SM Station ∴ Music Video | Lyrics | Live Performance ⇢ Beyond with Beatburger Project (2018) Special Recording ∴ Live Performance ⇢ You (이유) (2019) Non-Album Single ∴ Music Video | Lyrics | Live Performance | Behind the scenes | Interview ⇢ To My One and Only You from Mr. Queen Pt.7 OST (2021) ∴ Music Video | Lyrics | Recording

🎭 Acting Roles and Reality Show Appearances 🎭

⇢ (2014) Crime Scene tv variety show ⇢ (2015) Falling for Challenge web drama - Na Do Joen ⇢ (2015) School of Oz musical - Aquila ⇢ (2016) Seondal: The Man Who Sells The River film - Gyeon ⇢ (2016) Travel Without Manager reality show - self (with Chen) ⇢ (2017) Korea From Above documentary - narration (with Suho) ⇢ (2017) It’s Dangerous Beyond The Blankets reality show ⇢ (2019) Heart4U reality show ∴ episodes w/subtitles ⇢ (2019) Return: The Promise of The Day Army musical - Kim Seung-ho ⇢ (2020) Return Army musical - Hyun-min ⇢ (2020) Things That Make Me Groove variety show (with Baekhyun) ⇢ (2021) Drink With God tv variety show ∴ Season 1 episodes | Season 2 ⇢ (2021) Xiumin’s Tennis King reality show ⇢ (2021) Hadestown musical - Orpheus ∴ Interview 🏆 Awards 🏆

🌟 Miscellaneous 🌟

⇢ 2018 Life Bar talk show episodes with subtitles ⇢ In 2013, Xiumin and actress Kim Yoo-jung guest starred in the music video for the song "Gone" by South Korean singer Jin ⇢ Solo fan meeting concert, Xiuweet Time, at Jamsil Arena on May 4th, 2019 ⇢ Comeback Vlive, Let It XIUnow, Dec 12th, 2020 ⇢ Q&A with Cosmopolitan Korea ⇢ Allure Korea interview ⇢ YSNEAKERS x ASTELL&ASPR fashion collab interview ⇢ TVXQ Changmin’s FREEHUG special with Xiumin ⇢ 2014 FashionKode Ambassador interview ⇢ Magazine Covers listed here

⇢ Follow Minseok on Instagram @ e_xiu_o

Thank you for supporting EXO Xiumin 😘

And if you want to help spread this post to folks who haven’t experienced the magic of Minseok yet, please reblog this and tell me what your favorite Minseok moments and performances are! ✨

[that-thing-that-feeling]

https://gizmodo.com/stranger-things-season-four-volume-1-eleven-upside-down-1848978507/slides/16 sometimes i wonder if the reviewers pay any attention to anything jonathan does before writing him off. also wondering if the reviewer forgot that the kids are 15 or so and it'd be normal for them to go to the roller rink on their own.

Oof well I do agree with the part that it’s v ~problematic~ to make Jonathan lose all sense of purpose without his gf. But while I get he’s going thru it in Cali, I don’t think he just neglects his brother and sister. I really have mixed feelings on all of it—it makes sense that for once he can’t just be “the responsible one” that it was always way too much to be placed on him. Otoh, I really want to see those sweet Byers fam moments. What’s also weird is he was actually full stoner for less of it than I thought: there’s one scene of him smoking before school (which def implies he has before), and then there’s something really sad about how out of it he is for the van scene and dinner scene (even if the dinner scene was also funny). But he’s hardly been stoned for the whole season so far: he also went to the police station, helped shelter them in the raid, worked out a plan to get them out of house arrest, etc.

But idk—why doesn’t any reviewer ever mention how he’s both this intensely loyal and loving person with with his family and an amazing older brother and also has been unfairly made to co-parent? It’s kinda crazy in the writing too that any time he’s not there, terrible things happen to his family (in s1, while he was working, Will was taken; in s2, while he was taking down the lab in Nancy, Will was possessed; in s4, while he was stoned out of his mind and doing his own thing, El got into a huge fight). But it’s also a big burden to expect him to be there every second. The reviewers both forget all the great stuff he does as an older brother (and near parent), in previous seasons, but then also punish him if he does anything else. Meanwhile, the Duffers can barely write him to actually talk to his family anymore. And at the same time can’t care enough abt his backstory to fully lay out why he might breakdown from stress. They just seem to hate Jonathan sm. Also obvs if he is just becoming a mess for a stancy endgame instead of for the legitimate character reasons he could be a mess, that’s just bad writing.

Anyway the bit in question:

[pinkykitten]

oncoming traffic

synopsis: you wander in the middle of the street and almost get hit by a car. but ben pushes you out of the way. did a ghost just save your life?

pairing: Ben Hargreeves x female! reader words: 1,013 genre: comedy, fluff, not requested 

a/n:  Afjakckskfknf I love Ben sm he is so cute and like such a prince and so adorable. I love umbrella academy season 1 more than the second one for obv reasons but it’s whatever 🤷🏻‍♀️ I saw a prompt with something similar like this and I knew I had to write this esp for Ben cuz I’m on a Ben obsession atm cuz he is just too cute I can’ttttt 😊😊😊

You checked your phone for the millionth time that night. Why couldn’t time pass faster? It seemed so slow. 

It was 1:00 in the morning. Your back, neck and definitely head were hurting as if someone punched those areas. Exhaustion was setting in as your head drooped down. Sleep was right around the corner and you were ready to greet it. 

You closed your Biology books for college and rubbed your tired eyes. At that moment it didn’t matter if you were fully, 100% ready for that exam, you needed rest. You needed to go back to your apartment. 

You downed the rest of the caffeine as it nestled snuggly in your stomach. You threw your books in your bag as you slugged it over your shoulder. 

You raced to the sidewalk and waited for your time to cross the traffic. Arms stretched up high, you heaved a big yawn. Your vision was a bit blurry so you didn’t realize it wasn’t time to cross yet. 

One foot in front of the other, you went forward to get to the other side. But oncoming your path was a big pickup truck. It’s light became brighter and brighter as it closened up on you. You stood there frozen. It seemed as if you were watching yourself at that moment. Your brain was telling you to move but all you did was stood there in fear. 

The horn of the truck blared loudly to get you to move because it couldn’t slow down. Almost about to hit you, somebody pushed you out of the way, rolling you on the green patch of grass near the woods. 

Your head pounded and your ears rung. Eyes closed you heard what your savior was saying. 

“Oh my God, it worked! How in the world was I able to touch her?” He laughed, proudly. 

“Ugh,” you moaned, “my head.” You opened your eyes to see a cute boy hovering above you. You punched his right eye as he fell back. 

“What the heck?” He touched his eye. “You can see me? You can touch me?”

“Yeah dude I can! What the heck is wrong with you?” You scooted back as you believed he was trying to steal your wallet. “You thief!”

“Thief? I just saved your life!”

You scoffed, “Was this your little plan? Save me and then rob me?!”

“No, of course not. I saw you from a few blocks away and you were not moving. You were about to get run over. I’m just trying to see if you’re okay or if you need the ambulance.”

“Oh,” was all you could say. You felt terribly bad for hurting this stranger even when he was trying to be kind and save you. “I’m sorry about your eye. Does it hurt?”

He chuckled, “a little. You got a good right hook.”

You moved his arm down and looked to see he was starting to get a black eye. “Not looking too good. How about we go to the restaurant right by here. Let me get you a coke.”

“Can I have a coke as a can please? It’s for my friend...” You looked back at him and raised your brows, for his name. 

“Ben, Ben Hargreeves.”

“For my friend Ben please.”

The waiter looked at you with an odd look as if you were psycho. “Crazy woman.” He muttered under his breath. 

“What’s wrong with this guy?” You rolled your eyes. 

The waiter gave you the cold coke can, you payed and thanked. 

“Here Ben.” You placed the freezing can on his black eye to help with swelling. 

“Thanks...”

“Y/N L/N.”

Ben smiled cutely as he walked beside you as you two talked. 

“So Y/N, why are you out here so late?”

“To be honest I am so close to being a college drop out. It’s getting crazy.”

“I wish I could of gone to college.”

You pushed your hands into your pockets as you gazed at Ben like you knew him. “I feel like I know you somewhere. Where have I heard of Hargreeves?”

Ben paused walking and he looked scared. “I can explain.”

That’s when the pieces came together. You gasped, “no way! No way! I’m crazy, I must be dreaming. You were part of the Umbrella Academy!”

“I wanted to tell you but I didn’t want you to run away weirded out. That’s why it was crazy that I can touch you and save you! I can’t ever touch no one and the fact you can see me is crazy! You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“No, no, no, you’re dead mister. Like dead dead. Like dead as in not supposed to be here.”

Ben held your hand and stopped your jabbering, “I am never going to get used to this. Let me talk, please. I am a ghost.”

Minutes passed by and you laughed, clutching your stomach. “No way! Who are you really? There is no such things as ghosts.”

“You don’t believe me?” He placed his hand on his hip, annoyed. 

“Nope.” You tried to stifle your giggles as you held onto Ben’s shoulder so you wouldn’t topple over from laughter. 

“Can a human do this?” Ben suddenly went through a bus station and came through to the other side. 

You were shocked. His little stunt left you with your mouth open. Ben smirked as he crossed his arms like he blew you away. 

“Wow, I’m now friends with a ghost. This is crazy. Wait I have one question!”

Ben cornered you against the wall and caged you between his arms. “Ask away.” He smirked as if he had so much experience with women. He just knew what not to do because of Klaus. 

“Can ghosts poop?”

Ben dropped his arms, sighed and tried walking away from you. 

“It’s a legit question Ben! Ben!” You raced after him. 

Who knew this new start to your life would entail you being close to a ghost? This just proved to you that anything could happen.

Especially a cute ghost boy saving your life. 

a/n:  Omg can I have a cute ghost bf,,, this is too cute I can’t like u lucky y/n y/n is supppper lucky. Bens little scene in the dirt was too cute like he is just a cinnamon roll 👉🏼👈🏼