#than he was with Hee Shin and i uh. well. what have i been saying about this unhinged man with issues

[theinfinitedivides]

'material from script was shortened during editing'?????? 'missing chemistry that only the actors could see'??????? Netflix what is this behavior

[writer-k-pop]

The Captain (c.s.c) - Waning Crescent Hotel

Please read this (W.C.Hotel) if you this is the first post of this series that you see. Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of death Genre: Angst, Hotel Del Luna AU, Choose your own adventure, SVT x Fem! Reader Staff: Yong (Spirit General Manager) / Jiwoo (Human General Manager) / Soon Bok (Room Manager) / Mun Hee (Front Desk Receptionist) / Shin (Grim Reaper assigned to Waning Crescent) Word Count: Ending A - 4.9k / Ending B - 4.8k

W.C.Hotel | Seventeen Masterlist | Masterlists

"What do you mean you didn't know it was him?" I rise up from the table and stalk towards Mun Hee who stands in the garden entrance, his terror evident.

"He, his hair was different. A-and he had like uh stuff all over his face and, and." Mun Hee stutters out. "I didn't realize it was him!" He tries to reason with me.

"And it took you 10 days to realize it?" I question him as I pass him on my way out of the garden and away from my champagne.

"I didn't see him for ten days." Mun Hee defends himself, "I'm pretty sure he was locked in his room that entire time."

"You're dead if he only has a couple days left." I threaten him.

Mun Hee is taken aback, "Okay, A: I'm already dead. B: He has 12 days left."

My feet stop on a dime. "How many?" I ask, turning towards him, not believing what I had heard.

"12 left." Mun Hee says, "I remembered him cause when I read his palm, it said he had 22. Did you know that's the most I've ever seen?"

Twenty-two. A whole twenty two lives. I knew his soul would live to be wise but I hadn't guessed it would be 22 lives wise.

"So when I tell you I looked for him everyday cause I was curious and amazed, I really mean it." Mun Hee says with a nod of childlike sincerity, "And since no one can hide from me, I just kind of assumed he had locked himself in his room." He nods with a serious pout, "So I didn't know it was your Seungcheol until he FINALLY stepped out to go to the library. And then it hit me."

Soon Bok walks up to us, a bit surprised to see us here in the hallway.

"I thought you were in the garden?" She asks, looking between the two of us.

"I was." I reply, "But then Mun Hee tells me that Seungcheol has been checked in for the past 10 days and I have been clueless about it."

Soon Bok's eyes widen and she looks at Mun Hee, "You never told her? I told you to tell her!" She slaps his shoulder.

Mun Hee flinches when her hand makes contact with him, "I got distracted by other guests." He gives an excuse.

"Where did you end up placing him?" I ask, moving away from the whole Mun Hee not telling me topic.

Soon Bok doesn't even have to check her folder, "Room 88 with the nice view of the water."

I smile at her thoughtfulness, "Perfect."

I don't have the desire to return to the garden or the champagne so we continue to walk towards the hotel while Soon Bok updates me on a few hotel happenings. By the time she's finished, we've reached the bottom of the main staircase in the lobby and Soon Bok takes her leave soon after.

As we climb the stairs, Mun Hee opens his mouth to ask a question but I cut him off, already knowing what he's going to ask.

"No, you can not go bother him about his lives." I say and Mun Hee's body droops.

"But it's twenty two lives." He whines, "Twenty two!"

"And that's a lot of lives to remember." I explain to him, trying my best not to let my annoyance creep out.

"(y/n)." Mun Hee drags out my name in a plead.

Closing my eyes, I take a steadying breath, "Fine," Mun Hee smiles brightly and his body straightens, "BUT! Only if he allows you to ask questions. You must ask him if it's okay first, you got it?" I point a finger at him.

Mun Hee quickly nods. His smile is so wide that his eyes begin to shut.

I can't help but laugh at his excitement. "Go back to your post now." I tell him and wave him away. Mun Hee quickly retreats back down the stairs and happily skips to the front desk.

I make my way up the rest of the stairs and once I reach the top, I lean against the railing of the balcony. I watch as Mun Hee smiles and waves to all the guests in the lobby. For a moment, a loving smile appears on my face but it's quickly wiped away as Mun Hee nearly runs into one of the very large and very breakable flower vases.

"Clutz." I mutter to myself and turn away.

~The 22nd Day~

My wrists burn against the ropes that tightly bind them together behind my back. My knees press heavily against the wooden floor boards, trying to keep my balance as the waves rock our boat to and fro. The sharp tip of a blade rests between my shoulder blades.

Glancing to my right, Seungcheol sits in a similar position but his forehead is bleeding from where he was hit. The red blood drips down the side of his face and stains the shirt that I had bought him before we set sail.

"This ship is ours now." Our captor says, cockily as he stands a few feet in front of us.

"Take it." Seungcheol says, narrowing his eyes. "It's yours, just leave us alone."

'He's bargaining.' I think to myself, 'Why would he bargain his beloved boat?'

"Bargaining, I see." Our captor smiles, "I thought you'd put up more of fight for the boat you've had for almost your entire life."

"You've done your research." Seungcheol says, pretending to be impressed.

"Every good pirate needs to do his research, no?" Our capture banters back.

"I don't need to put up a fight." Seungcheol says through gritted teeth. "I don't need the boat."

Our captor tips his head up and taps his chin, "Now, what would a reputable boat captain need more than his boat? Any ideas, boys?" He looks to his men, who all laugh mischievously.

"A girl." One shouts from behind us.

"A girl!" Our captor claps his hands and my heart stops. "That's exactly right."

In a panic, I look over at Seungcheol who has the same panic written on his face. Seungcheol begins to fight against his restraints.

"Take the boat! Take anything but her." Seungcheol cries.

Our captor is unimpressed by Seungcheol's efforts and simply nods to the men behind me.

With ease, they grab my arms and lift me to my feet. Now, I begin to fight against their hold, though I go nowhere. Seungcheol fights harder but he's held back by the shoulders.

With a pounding heart, I continue to struggle but I'm carried towards the side of the boat.

"Please," Seungcheol begs with tears falling, "I can give you whatever you want. I, I have money. You can have my boat. Anything but her."

I feel my own cheeks become wet with tears but in the back of my mind, I know exactly why this is happening. And I hate myself for it.

"I want nothing." Our captor simply shrugs, Seungcheol's cries not affecting him at all, "Except for your pain." He finishes and pointedly looks at me. When his steely eyes meet mine, he smiles crookedly and the coldest shiver runs down my spine.

I divert my eyes to Seungcheol who is screaming and fighting against the men who hold him back. I try to catch my breath but before I have a chance to say anything, the two men lift me over the railing and drop me into the rushing water.

The cold water tightly wraps its fist around me and I fight to swim upwards but the current overpowers my efforts and drags me further below the surface. The necklace around my neck floats upwards and I'm reminded of who is above the water's surface. Not wanting to leave Seungcheol alone, I continue to fight against the current. Just when I think I've pulled myself out of the current's grasp, a strong force quite literally punches me in the stomach, sending me backwards into blackness.

My eyes snap open and I sit up in a panic. The only sounds are my heavy breathing and the echo of my pounding heart in my ears. Feeling the soft fabric that surrounds me, I realize I'm just in my bed and run a hand through my hair. My cheeks are wet with tears and I quickly wipe them away. Looking around, I squint as my blinds do a terrible job of keeping the sunlight out. The clock on my bedside table reads 1:24pm.

I groan and throw myself back onto the mattress. Subconsciously, I rub my wrist as the burning still lingers while I try to settle my racing heart. With sleep abandoning me in the middle of my nighttime, I give up the efforts and clamber out of bed. I walk out of my bedroom while slipping a light robe on.

My office is alight with the bright sunlight and I can see the dust particles floating around in the air as I descend the stairs from my connected bedroom. Immediately, a bottle of champagne on my desks greets me with its green melancholy. I quickly pick it up and raise it to my lips but frown when not even a drop falls from the bottle's mouth.

Slamming the bottle down, the collision echos into the still air.

'Don't drink so much out here.' Seungcheol's voice rings in my mind. 'We don't know if the next port will have any alcohol.' He says, followed by his chuckle.

I cover my ears and shake my head to get rid of the memory.

'Next year, I'll buy you the most expensive and best champagne that you will never be able to drink another kind.' Another memory surfaces and this time the shadow of his arms wraps around my waist.

With a scream of frustration, I grab the champagne bottle and chuck it. It hits an empty space on the wall and shatters into hundreds of pieces. As the pieces fall and tinkle against the floors, the fragments of Seungcheol's voice fade as well.

With a heavy heart, I let my feet wander wherever they please, too tired to fight my body's desire. The hallways are quiet and the sunlight warms up my skin, ridding it of the cold water memory.

When my feet stop, I'm standing at the base of the main staircase in the lobby. The place I landed and woke up at after I passed out in the water. I wrap my arms around myself as the feeling of cold water returns.

My senses return to the memory and I'm submerged in the past.

The coughing that raked through my chest. Yong and Jiwoo rushing towards me with Mun Hee and Soon Bok not far behind with multiple towels in their hands.

All of them wrapping me in the towels and drying me off. My struggle against them to get back to the living world. To get back to Seungcheol. My employees holding me in place. Yong bringing out a notecard.

The words of the note card burying my heart under 100 tons of concrete.

"Do it again, and we will not be so kind."

I had disobeyed the Gods' conditions and I had paid for it. As I move my heel over the spot, another memory surfaces.

'Heels are no good on a boat, (y/n).' Seungcheol had said, kneeling in front of me and placing my heel back on my foot, 'We need to buy you a pair of flatter shoes.'

'As long as I still look good and they don't look like trash.' I had said.

'I'll find the best ones for you.' Seungcheol promised with a wide smile.

Anger begins to bubble inside of me. I had it so good with Seungcheol. I was happy with him. So why did I disobey the Gods' order and ruin everything?

Why did I toss the note card that said 'Time to leave.' into the trash?

Why did I think I could run away from the Gods?

Why wasn't I thinking?

"Stupid." I exclaim, kicking the bottom stair. It causes a low throbbing in my foot but I ignore it, too frustrated to linger on it.

The doors to the front check in room creak open and a pair of dress shoes clicks against the tiles.

"Oh, (y/n)." Jiwoo's pace quickens slightly to reach me faster, "What are you doing awake?"

I cross my arms, erasing all traces of my painful memories from my face, "I could ask the same of you. You should still be in your home, getting sleep for tonight."

Jiwoo shrugs, unbothered by the fact that I answered his question with another question. "Well, I've been coming in early to make sure everything is in order for the next person who will take over for me once I leave." He gives me a small nudge with his shoulder, "Not just any spirit can slide right into the human manager's position."

I look down at my feet and smile. Out of his family line, Jiwoo's one of my favorites. Always thinking ahead and planning. Always willing to stand up to me when I'm moody. Plus he's always willing to drive around the living world and take me to eat yummy foods. He's a foodie.

"What will you do once I leave?" I wonder.

"Me?" Jiwoo scratches his neck, "You know, I haven't thought about it much. I've been pretty busy with the hotel."

"What do you want to do?" I reword my question, genuinely curious.

Jiwoo shrugs, "Travel maybe. I've heard so many stories from guests here about the beauties of the world and the history so it might be fun to experience them first hand."

I nod, "That sounds like a solid plan." I gather up my skirt and turn towards the elevators. "Call me when he's ready." I tell him before walking away without another word.

I spend the next many hours laying on the couch. Then sitting at my desk. Then cleaning the broken glass. Then sort of listening to Yong when she brings me the daily debrief. Then sitting on the stairs. Then staring out the window. Then dusting off my picture frames. Then back to the window.

The moon sits high in the sky and I have an unobstructed view of it as the cloudless sky passes by.

A small, timid knock barely makes it to my ears.

"Come in." I call out to whoever's on the other side.

The door opens and Soon Bok shuffles into my office. I smile at her, finding her change in demeanor amusing. Out in the hotel, she's strict and not to be messed with. But in here, she's nervous and unsure. "It's been quite a while since you've visited me up here, Soon Bok."

Soon Bok nervously nods, "I think the last time I was in here was the first time too."

"What do you need?" I ask, hoping to end her nerve wracking visit.

"Jiwoo asked me to tell you that he's taking Seungcheol to the garden." She points her thumb behind her.

I nod, "Alright I'll be there in a second. You can go."

She bows and takes her leave quickly.

I walk over to my desk and press a hidden lever that opens a hidden compartment. From the compartment I pull out a jewelry box that I haven't touched in ages. Opening it, I'm greeted with shine of the emerald necklace Seungcheol bought me. The one I was wearing when I was thrown overboard.

The one I had to beg the Gods to let me keep.

I close the lid and with the box in hand, I walk out of my office. The hotel buzzes with the midnight hustle and bustle but I ignore all of it and press on towards my destination.

When I enter the final hallway, I speed up a bit, the tears already filling my eyes. I enter the garden and my feet skid to a stop.

He's not here.

But then he walks out from behind the tree, a hand running along its truck, his eyes inspecting the branches that spread out.

My heart lodges in my throat as he turns towards me. His eyes are still soft and full of emotion. His cheeks are still high and full. His lips are still set in the perfect shape. The only thing that causes me some pain are the shadows of scars that scatter his face and neck. The places where he'd been seriously injured in past lives.

I eye his forehead and there sits the shadow of the scar I caused.

"(y/n)." Seungcheol whispers my name but I hear it like he whispered it into my ear.

I set the jewelry box on the bench and cover my mouth with my hand, choking back a sob. In two seconds flat, he has me wrapped up in a tight embrace and my tears fall.

"You're here." He says, stroking my hair, "I'm here. I'm here."

Seungcheol holds me as I sob, hundreds of years of guilt finally ripping out of my body. Even as my sobs subside, he still holds tightly onto me.

"So this is where we finally get to meet again." Seungcheol mutters as I sniffle. "When my soul is at its end in the living world."

I sniffle and focus on steadying my breath.

"I lived a lot of lives, did you know that?" He continues to talk.

I nod, still sniffling but not as frequently.

"A whole twenty two." I can hear the smile on his lips, "I'd say that's pretty good for a measly ship captain."

I smile, his attempt to make me laugh a success.

"You weren't measly." I counter.

Seungcheol pulls away, "I couldn't even buy you a home."

I shake my head, "I didn't need a home."

He smiles and dries my cheeks. "I know but still."

I release myself from him and sit on the bench, staring at the tree. Seungcheol follows suit without taking his eyes off of me.

"What happened that da-?" He wonders, scooting closer and his hand runs into the jewelry box. "What's this?"

"Open it." I instruct him and he does so.

Seungcheol's eyes widen as the necklace comes into view, "I thought the sea took this."

I shake my head, "Those pirates weren't from this world." I answer his original question of what happened that day on the sea, "I'm sure someone's explained my punishment to you?" I check with him.

"Yong did this morning over breakfast." Seungcheol nods. "It seemed fitting until I realized they controlled essentially when it ended."

"We're talking about thirteen souls. In my world, killing a single soul is like murdering at least 10 people in the living world." I smile that he sort of took my side. "Anyway, a week before it all happened, the Gods had delivered a note saying it was time to leave you." I continue on with the story, "But I had decided that I was going to stay with you because you made me that happy. So I threw the note away and thought I could run away so the Gods wouldn't catch us." I tuck my hands underneath my legs and lower my gaze to the floor. "I was reckless thinking that they wouldn't find us. But they did. And they forced me to leave. When they dropped me in the sea, I tried to return to the surface, I swear I tried, but they used the currents to pull me back to the hotel."

Seungcheol leans against the back of the bench in awe.

"Because I had disobeyed their conditions for my punishment, I was forced out and caused you all the more pain." I say in a roundabout apology. "I never did it again."

"How do you still have the necklace?" Seungcheol asks, glancing down at the open jewelry box in his lap.

"I begged." I tell him, "I pleaded with the Gods to let me keep it even though I'd disobeyed them."

Seungcheol lifts the necklace out of the box and my eyes follow it. "Thank goodness they did because I spent way too long searching for this for it to be tossed to the side because a girl was in love." Without asking me to move, he places the necklace back on my neck and clasps it closed. "There. Back where it belongs."

My hand instinctively goes to my neck to feel the metals and gems again.

"After you were," Seungcheol clears his throat, unable to say the exact words, "I was immediately knocked unconscious. And when I woke up, I was laying on deck, my hands free of their binds. My men scattered around deck. The boat was docked in a port and had no evidence that any pirates had boarded. Now that you're saying they weren't from my world, it makes sense how they disappeared so quickly."

He runs a hand through his hair, still fluffy and full. "We grieved after that. I grieved. Of course thinking you'd died. And you know, did the whole sha-bang and everything."

I smile as love for this man swells in my chest. I had never once 'died' in front of a love so Seungcheol's the only one who held a funeral for me.

"What did you do after?" I asked, wanting to keep the conversations going, mainly so I could listen to him talk. Like how we used to spend days in the sun, him telling me stories of his previous travels while his small crew manned the ship.  

"I continued shipping goods from port to port with the crew." Seungcheol recalls, "Nothing exciting."

I rolled my eyes, his consistent I'm-not-really-that-interesting jab still present. "You never once met someone interesting?"

Seungcheol scrunches his nose in thought, "I mean, once met a young man named Samuel. Real spunky kid. He had run away from home and was looking for a job."

Hoshi's Samuel? I wonder. Did he keep the same name in a different life?

"We gave him one and he was the hardest working kid. Always helping out around the boat, always wanting to learn about every aspect of running a boat." Seungcheol smiles at the memory, "He was also really athletic and flexible. Sometimes made me wonder if he was a dancer."

My ears perk up immediately, "Maybe in one of his lives?" I suggest.

"That would make sense." Seungcheol agreed, "Samuel was with us for about five years or so before some girl swept him off his feet. Literally." He whispers into my ear with a giggle. "But he won't tell you it that way."

I laugh. "What about Yeon Woo?" I ask remembering some of his crews' names.

"Yeon Woo?" Seungcheol says with some surprise that I remember his name. "Yeon Woo stayed with me for a while. He finally married the girl he had been with for ages. The one with glasses.” He adds for my benefit, “It sounds so silly now, but on the morning of his wedding, he went down to the water, poured two cups of alcohol, set one at the water's edge, and just sat there."

"For me?" I ask, eyes large, touched at Yeon Woo's affection.

Seungcheol nods, "For you." He confirms.

Yeon Woo had been Seungcheol's right hand man and quickly became one of my closest friends. I'm sure he took my 'leave' as hard as Seungcheol.

"He was always such a softie." I lean on his shoulder and loop my arms around his.

"Who else?" Seungcheol wondered, "Oh, Ren!" He lists off the next member of his crew and proceeded to tell me stories he thought were memorable.

We went through all the members of his 5 man crew. Then we diverged into his life and what he went off to do.

He never married though he had a long list of attempts. He says it was cause all the potentials had wanted to move inland but he wanted to stay on the water. We chat about the different places he thought were remotely interesting and about the time he tried to eat a live octopus but chickened out when it stuck to the inside of his cheek. He had to pull it out with both hands.

I laugh when I hear the story. The image of Seungcheol struggling with a tiny octopus tentacle from his mouth being just too funny.

Seungcheol keeps me laughing, constantly telling me how much he loves the sound of my laughter. Even as the sun dips low in the western sky, we can't seem to stop giggling.

As our laughter dies down, Seungcheol stares into the sun and sighs.

"So, now it's my turn, huh." He mutters thoughtfully.

I look at him confused for a second before the setting sun closes the lid on my bliss. "We could-"

"We are not disobeying the Gods again." Seungcheol cuts me off before I could even finish, "You did it once and look how that turned out. I'm not letting you do it again."

I pout and he nuzzles his nose into my hair.

"We're going to do it right this time." He mumbles.

"This way is sucky." I pout and Seungcheol chuckles.

"Come on." He whispers and places a kiss on my head before helping me up to my feet along with himself.

"Are you not sad that you're leaving me?" I wonder as I search his eyes for even a hint of sadness.

Seungcheol smiles softly, "I am but then I see those." He nods towards the chrysanthemums sitting at the base of the tree, "And they remind me that you have others to wait for. And they love you as much as I do." He grabs my hand tightly, "So in reality, I'm quite happy that you were loved so much."

I smile as his words slowly seep in. 13 loves is a lot. Not every soul spends all their lives loving a person so one could say I am pretty fortunate in that aspect. Though the way I encountered this love fortune was not fortunate.

Seungcheol turns and I let him lead me out of the garden. On our way we run into Mun Hee who just happened to be sweeping around the doorway for transfers.

"Just one more question." Mun Hee quickly says before I can even open my clenched jaw.

Seungcheol chuckles, loving my employee. "Alright, one more."

Mun Hee smiles brightly, "What was (y/n) like?" He asks, glancing at me.

I relax my shoulders and roll my eyes. Of course he would want to know what I was like. Was I the same? Was I somehow vastly different?

"Weren't you around?" Seungcheol questions.

Mun Hee readjusts his posture, "She's different when she's not inside the hotel. In here, she's... her." He says as if he's obscenely offended that I would change personalities.

I scrunch my face at him in annoyance as Seungcheol answers.

"She was... herself." He finishes, looking over at me and squeezing my hand.

I smile and we walk around Mun Hee, continuing towards the awaiting car.

"I like him." Seungcheol comments with a glance back, "You should keep him for a while."

"I have to keep him. He's assigned to work here." I inform him and I step from the firm concrete to the soft dirt path.

"You'll be okay here?" Seungcheol asks as we step closer to the car.

I nod, tears already lining my eyes. "I think so."

"You won't mourn for me for too long?" He asks and meets my gaze. His eyes sad but tearless, wanting to be strong for me who still has time left.

I shake my head, not trusting my voice to be stable.

"And you'll tell the next fella that I say thank you?" He continues.

"For what?" I stutter out.

"For loving you just as much as I did." Seungcheol says and a tear slips down my cheek. But before it ever reaches my chin, he wipes it away with his thumb.

I nod and wordlessly, Seungcheol lowers his lips down to meet mine. The warmth of the kiss wipes away all traces of the cold memories and my senses are filled with just him. When he pulls away, I have to fight the urge to pull him back. Partly because Shin is watching but also because Seungcheol's holding my arms to my sides, as if he is already guessing I would try.

He presses a final kiss to my forehead and I close my eyes, trying to memorize every detail of the moment. How his lips are pressed firmly to my skin. How his hands tighten ever so slightly around my arms. How he's close enough that I can hear the echo of his heart beat, beating strong and proud.

I keep my eyes close as he pulls away and releases my arms. I only open them when he steps away and towards the car.

Shin gives Seungcheol a curt nod, holding the door open for him. Seungcheol returns the nod and slides into the car without another glance back. But I'm grateful for it, because if he did turn around, I wouldn't have stayed still.

With a hand gripping my necklace, I watch with fresh tears as the car drives forward and disappears into the fog.

I don't bother to wipe away the tears the same way I don't bother to acknowledge the fact that I'm one love closer to ending my punishment. Or the fact that back in my garden, one chrysanthemum sinks to the ground as its life leaves and follows Seungcheol.

I know I'll mourn his leaving for days. But it's something I need to do alone. So I turn back towards the hotel and walk inside to allow myself to grieve. Then wait for the others to arrive.

Return to the Navigation Page (Waning Crescent Hotel) to choose the next guest.

"So this time, I'm leaving with you?" Seungcheol asks the air while staring into the overly bright sunset.

I nod, "This time we do it together. And not against our will."

Seungcheol chuckles, "Sometimes I think that we laugh too much."

I stand up, hands on my hips, "I can erase all laughter if you want?" I raise an eyebrow as he also rises to his feet, shaking his head.

"Nope, laughing is good." Seungcheol says and grabs my hand. "Are you ready to say goodbye to your staff?"

My heart suddenly feels heavier as I remember that I'm leaving for good. "No. But I have to." I say and hold my head up.

"We'll do it together." He reminds me as we walk out of the garden.

We walk hand in hand to the lobby where Yong, Mun Hee, Soon Bok, and Jiwoo stand solemnly.

"So this is it?" Mun Hee asks with tears in his eyes. "This is the day you leave us?"

I wrap him up in a hug, only a tiny bit annoyed that he's being so sappy. "Maybe I'll get punished again and be back here by the end of the year." I try to joke but Mun Hee abruptly pushes back from me.

"Don't you dare say that. You better not return here." He says angrily through his tears.

I chuckle, "I won't come back. I promise."

Turning to Soon Bok, I thank her for her service and her amazing work. Something I never did and should've done more.

Next onto Jiwoo. I also thank him for his and his entire family's service then I unclip the bracelet that has held him to this place.

"When you leave today, you won't be able to find this place again." I inform him, "I hope that you'll be able to go and live your life happily."

Jiwoo nods, "Thank you for letting me work with you. I won't ever forget you."

I smile sadly, "You will. But thank you."

Finally I reach Yong who is sniffling and trying so very hard not cry.

"You'd think after all these years of waiting that I'd be prepared for this day." She says through sniffles.

"Thank you, Yong." I rests my hands on her shoulders, "For everything. Thank you."

With lips pursed together, she leans forward and wraps me in an unexpected hug. But I soon wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tightly.

We pull apart after a couple seconds and I wipe the few tears that have escaped from her eyes.

"Keep this hotel running beautifully." I tell her before Seungcheol grabs my hand again.

With final waves of goodbye, Seungcheol and I walk out to the foggy forest that will take us to our resting place.

At the edge of the forest, Shin stands next to an idling car, a somber look on his face.

"(y/n)." He says when we reach him, "It has been an honor working with you. I wish you both a peaceful rest." Shin bows his head and I pat his arm.

"The honor was mine." I tell him with a smile. Now the tears start to line my eyes as the realization fully sets in.

I'm free. I served my years of punishment and now I'm free to let my soul rest.

I turn back towards the hotel and look up to the top where the rooftop patio is outlined with bright string lights. Then to the mid floors where random room lights are turned on, some guests staying in while others opting to experience the hotel's many services. Then to grand base where guests would be milling around, waiting their turns to leave this world.

"(y/n)?" Seungcheol softly asks pulling my attention to where he sits just inside the car, "Are you ready?"

I take one last quick look at the hotel before turning away from it. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go."

I lower myself into the car and Shin securely closes the door after I am completely inside. As the car begins to drive forward, Seungcheol securely grabs my hand and I let his warmth guide me towards our final destination.

In the garden, the final chrysanthemum withers and dies so that no more stand at the base of the bare tree.

[jasonbehrs]

something that i already know

by airauralintensity (aka me, jasonbehrs!)

As soon as Siwon says it, he can see the way so much clicks into place in Shindong’s astute, masterful, beautiful mind… But not even Shindong can draw the correct conclusion when he isn’t provided with every relevant fact. If he could, they would have cleared the air so long ago.

fandom: kpop, super junior characters: siwon, shindong, eunhyuk ships: shinwon, sihyuk genres: friendship, angst, romance themes: slice of life, one-sided crush, angst with a happy ending setting: high school into college; metro seoul area, south korea word count: 12.7k

read it below or on ffnet, aff, wattpad

A/N (05/01/2021): Hi, ELF! This is my first Super Junior fanfic :) Title comes from the Backstreet Boys song of the same name; cover image is made by me; and if you recognise anything in the fic, that means I don't own it. Happy reading!

~~~

It's never easy being the new kid in school, and Donghee is no exception. He has no friends; he has to play a lot of catch-up in the first few weeks because where his old teachers left off doesn't match up to where his new teachers are picking up; and he has to spend precious emotional energy acclimating to the culture and social politics.

Add in the fact that it's senior year, and he's at the most elite academy in Gyeonggi on a scholarship—he's seen this K-drama before. He knows how it ends.

"Hey! You're the new kid, Shin Donghee, right? Can I sit here?"

Admittedly, Tall, Bright, and Handsome doesn't usually come up to bully the new kid with such a charming smile on his face in the script, but Donghee still knows his role.

"Yeah, got it. Sorry. Didn't know this was your seat," he mumbles as he hurriedly packs up his lunch and books. He's not trying to make waves on his first day, thank you very much.

"No, no," T.B.H. puts out his hand to stop him from putting his planner away, and Donghee is shocked into stillness from the glaringly off-script performance that the other is putting on. "I meant, like, can I sit with you? I didn't know if you wanted to sit alone or not; but if you wanted the option for company, here I am."

Another winsome smile graces the other's face, and Donghee's eyes narrow. "Are you sure you wanna sit with the scholarship kid?" he asks sardonically. He isn't trying to get away anymore, but he's still not convinced he's welcome here.

Tall, Bright, and Handsome's light dims just a bit, but his pout is still effortlessly charming. It's almost offensive. "Come on. We're not like that here."

Donghee looks no further than just above the other's shoulder and sees a group of girls whispering and giggling in their direction. He looks back at the well-meaning but clueless hero of the story and raises an unimpressed eyebrow. T.B.H. looks over his shoulder to see what he saw, and he at least has the grace to be embarrassed when he turns back around.

Donghee is prepared to give a half-conciliatory, half-I told you so parting glance, but the other student keeps talking. "I'll admit, that's not a good look for us," he says with a grimace, "but would you believe me if I said they were acting like that because of me and not you?"

Considering he's been calling the guy 'Tall, Bright, and Handsome' in his head this whole time, yeah, he could believe it.

Hoping against hope that he isn't about to regret this, Donghee sits back down at the lunch table. T.B.H.'s smile is so bright, Donghee thinks he saw one of the guy's front teeth actually sparkle. "I'm Choi Siwon," he introduces as he extends his hand. Donghee shakes it and wryly thinks to himself that of course T.B.H.'s real name means 'cool.'

~~~

To nobody's surprise, Siwon is part of the popular crowd, which Donghee determines by the look on everyone's faces when Siwon invites him to sit with his friends at lunch the next day. The guys weren't exactly welcoming, but they were polite. He doesn't know whether maybe Siwon said something to them or not about being nice to the new kid; but honestly, he'll take it. He's still not entirely convinced that this is the setup for some sort of 'Carrie' situation or something. It's senior year after all, so prom is coming up.

It isn't until Siwon invites them all over to study together that things shift.

"Bro, what the fuck," Kangin says out of the blue, causing everyone to look up and causing Donghee to drop the pencil he was playing with. Kangin is staring at him—more specifically, his hand—and everyone's attention turns to him instead.

"Uh," he intones, not sure what is happening here and suddenly feeling the urge to look up.

"Do that again," Kangin demands, gesturing at Donghee's hand. His fingers twitch involuntarily at the command, but he genuinely has no clue what he's meant to do. He looks to Siwon with a clear plea for help on his face.

"Youngwoon, what gives?" Siwon asks, using Kangin's real name to snap him out of whatever is captivating the varsity baseball captain.

"Donghee was legit balancing a fucking pencil on his finger!" Kangin exclaims while gesturing helplessly at Donghee's hand.

Donghee understands immediately. "Ah, sorry. I forgot I did that." Without further prompting, he balances his pencil on its eraser at the tip of his middle finger. He moves his hand side to side for fun, showing off how the graphite tip stays roughly at the same point in the air all the while. With a flick of his finger, he launches the pencil up and catches it in mid-air, smoothly transitioning to end with a bow in his seat with the same gesture.

He looks up to find four slack-jawed teenage boys, and he brags, "I can do that with basically anything I can lift."

All pretenses of studying are summarily discarded in favour of testing this theory. Donghee easily balances notebooks, folding chairs, and even a curtain pole (dismantled from the window by an excited Heechul and reinstalled by an amused Siwon).

Once the others are thoroughly entertained, they don't want to go back to studying. Alas, they are at Siwon's house; as rich as he is, he doesn't have any convenient distractions (which Donghee surmises is the point of going to Siwon's to study in the first place). Kibum's the one to recommend just going to the local convenience store and walking around for no reason, which feels a lot like acceptance to Donghee.

In fact, it isn't long until he finds himself hanging out with some of the guys sans Siwon.

Kibum hands Donghee part of his deck for some trading card game he's never even heard of before, much more played; but after two rounds and a gradual learning of the rules, Donghee is now locked into a 1v1 match against Kibum, having just killed Heechul's last creature card.

"You sure your name's Shin Donghee and not Hee Shindong?" Heechul mutters as he throws his cards on the table. "Like, what can't you do?"

Donghee isn't paying him any attention then, instead supremely focused on using his impromptu green-black strategy to beat Kibum with his own deck.

So he's surprised when the next day Heechul slaps his back and says, "Yah! Shindong! I've been calling you for like five minutes!" as he falls into step with Donghee on his way to school. "Run me through the lymphatic system one more time." Donghee obligingly pulls out his notebook and helps his friend cram for their biology quiz that day, but his mind is somewhere else.

He's never had a nickname before, and he likes it.

~~~

Siwon is nothing like what he expects.

He spends most of his free time with the guys now, and he keeps coming back to that realisation.

Siwon is touchy. Like, more affectionate than a dog or a baby could be—combined. Kibum may be the youngest, but Siwon is the baby, and no one seems to mind treating him as such. Shindong is a man who likes his personal space, but Siwon's touches are so genuinely friendly and joyful that he finds himself readily inviting them into his bubble.

Siwon is expressive. Casual observers would never notice more than his charming smile and runway-ready neutral gaze, but he and the guys know better than that. Siwon talks with his whole body. His amusement is measured in congratulatory high-fives, and his stress in head shakes and tapping fingers. Shindong can always tell what he's thinking and feeling.

Siwon is down-to-earth. He's the richest in their friend group by a whole social class, but nothing about him plays on Shindong's financial insecurities. In fact, the first time Shindong hosted his friends over, the power went out, and Siwon was the only one who happened to recognise the strategically placed candles and matches around the living room. He wordlessly helped Shindong light them back up and suggested they take advantage of the dark to tell scary stories. Shindong will always be grateful for that.

Siwon is single. Sure, he doesn't give off playboy vibes, but he is certainly the poster child for monogamy. Shindong would not have been surprised to meet a loving, long-term girlfriend who is just as angelic as Siwon is and somehow twice as gorgeous, but no such person exists. Shindong has seen girls confess to Siwon literally once a day since they became friends (the record for a single day is currently four confessions), but Siwon graciously yet firmly denies them all.

Siwon is his best friend. It starts with study sessions, which turn into de-stress movie nights, which turn into sleepovers—and before he knows it, people from teachers to strangers start considering them a package deal. Shindong doesn't mind, of course. Siwon is less intense when he's not around the others, more introspective and goals-oriented—and Shindong can relate. It's great to have a friend who gets both sides of him and around whom he can comfortably show both sides. He didn't have one at his old school, but he's glad he has someone now.

~~~

"Want the rest of my pork?" Kibum offers Shindong at lunch. "Nah, I don't believe in cannibalism," Shindong says, even as he begins transferring the meat over to his own lunch tray.

The table is silent for a moment, but luckily he places his tray down just as Kangin decides to lay an open-palm slap to his back, laughing uproariously. Heechul is legitimately choking on his own food, and Kibum gives him a nod with a grin to acknowledge the joke.

Shindong feels pretty pleased with himself—he just knew that joke would land—and he glances over at Siwon to see the other's reaction. To his surprise, Siwon is staring at the table with a furrowed brow instead. Shindong frowns but lets it go. It's too bad Siwon was too busy thinking to hear his joke.

After lunch, the two of them only have the last class of the day together, and he notices Siwon still seems to be in a sour mood. Shindong racks his brain trying to remember if Siwon had a test he was worried about today. Maybe he feels like he failed?

"Hey, man," he calls out to Siwon after the final bell rings. "Wanna get some gyoza? On me."

Siwon's face brightens for the first time since lunch, and Shindong knows he made the right call; but in the time it takes for them to head to the Japanese place near his house and settle into a booth, Siwon's mood is dark again.

The table is quiet as Siwon plays with his food, making no move to eat any. Shindong stuffs two fried shrimp pieces in his mouth as casually as possible. Don't ask him why, but he thinks talking with his mouth full will help break the ice. "Hey, you good? You've been in a mood all day."

Siwon briefly meets Shindong's carefully neutral stare then averts his eyes to the table. "I don't like it when you do that," he mutters.

Shindong freezes with the next set of two gyoza halfway to his mouth. "Eat? Sorry man, I'm very diligent about my eat-anything-in-sight diet. If I stopped being fat, the girls at school would be all over me instead of you, which would disturb the balance of our friendship." He ends with a bite of dumpling and a cheeky grin.

"No, that! The self-deprecating jokes about your size!"

They both freeze. Siwon did not mean to blurt it out like that.

He deflates a little in his seat in embarrassment. "I don't like them. They make me sad," he continues in a much quieter tone.

Shindong did not see this coming and, frankly, has no idea how to react. "Um, you want me to stop being fat?"

"No, I want you to stop drawing attention to it. It's like you have to make a mean joke about your size first before anyone else can. No one in the group would ever be mean to you about it; I wouldn't let them," Siwon states adamantly. He means every word. The second one of the others crosses a line, he wouldn't hesitate to make sure they never, ever did it again.

The words are out before Shindong fully thinks about them. "You can say the word 'fat,' Siwon. Newsflash, I am fat. I'm as fat as you are tall. It's just something about me. I won't hesitate to make a fat joke any sooner than Heechul would hesitate to make a bi joke." His frustration surprises even himself, so he takes a sip from his water to calm down.

Siwon takes that as his cue to plead his case, and pleading he is. "It doesn't bother you that that's the part of yourself you decide to play up for the jokes? You're a great dancer, and you're quick on your feet—literally and figuratively! You'd be so great at, like, slapstick or something!" Shindong snorts, but Siwon forges on. "I just don't like seeing my friends laugh at you for… for being fat when you're so much more than that."

Shindong doesn't say anything, just lowers his head, and Siwon sighs. "You want to make a fat joke, don't you." "AND I'M SO MUCH ALREADY—okay. I'm done, I'm done."

Siwon withers and lets his head drop to his arms on the table. Shindong laughs, all tension dissipated. "So, this is clearly bothering you a lot," he needlessly observes. Siwon nods his head without lifting it up, and Shindong takes pity on him. "Alright, I'll try to tone it down. Or maybe I'll do like you said and just sprinkle in other kinds of jokes. No one likes a one-trick pony anyway."

Siwon peeks up through his eyelashes, and Shindong nods faux-sagely. "And maybe in the future when I'm rich and can afford therapy, I'll find out you're right and my brand of humour was simply a defense mechanism for some deeply internalised fatphobia all along. Then you could say, 'I told you so.'"

Siwon shakes his head resolutely. "That's not something I want to be right about."

Shindong shrugs in a 'suit yourself' manner and goes back to eating, and Siwon follows suit.

After a stretch of companionable silence, Siwon speaks up again. "I knew you're fat—I know it—but I don't think I understood that being fat was a part of you. Thank you for giving me a chance to understand you better. I thought I was intervening in something unhealthy, but I see now that that wasn't as righteous as I thought it was." He pauses then and doesn't continue until Shindong looks up to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry if I came off as insensitive or, worse, embarrassed. You don't embarrass me, Donghee."

Shindong looks back down at his food, unsure of what the emotion is in Siwon's voice as the other said his real name. "I know, but thank you."

~~~

Shindong is everything he didn't know he needs.

As the school year progresses, Siwon finds himself feeling lighter and lighter, and he can trace all of his growing juvenescence directly to his new best friend.

Shindong values hard work. The other guys are great at their own things, but they're missing that fire under their butts that makes them actually try. Shindong doesn't just put in the effort; he also appreciates the challenge and sees it as an opportunity instead. Shindong empowers Siwon to embrace his own challenges in a way that he didn't feel like he could do until Shindong came around.

Shindong tries new things. Siwon is a rather adventurous guy himself, but that's not what he means. Shindong picks up and drops hobbies as quickly as Heechul switches partners, and he's amassed a great wealth of knowledge as a result. He's dynamic, and Siwon could never get bored of the way Shindong talks about his niche interest du jour.

Shindong speaks his mind. His friend group is made up of some pretty lax guys, which is great until some of them get into an argument. They never really talk things out, instead waiting until it's no longer annoying to be in the same room and just choosing to let it go. When Shindong is offended, you'll know. When he's wrong, he'll admit it. It does lead to some tension at first, but they all end up better for it as a result, and Siwon wishes he could be that brave.

Shindong trusts him. When Siwon was planning on hosting the guys over at his house for Kangin's birthday since he has an indoor pool and hot tub, Shindong shyly asked him to think of something else because he's afraid of water. That was a request Siwon was more than happy to oblige if it meant including Shindong in the festivities.

Shindong doesn't need him to be 'on' all the time. One time Kangin invited himself over to one of their hangouts—he and Shindong had planned to read the newspaper together to catch up on current events and financial affairs—and he got bored and complained that they should do something more fun. Before Siwon could worry Shindong felt the same way, the other had sassily defended their brand of bonding and just told Kangin to leave if he didn't like it. Siwon loves the fact that Shindong cherishes that quiet time together as much as he does.

Siwon thinks he maybe just loves Shindong.

~~~

Shindong slides into the seat beside Siwon in their first shared class of the day just as he slides an envelope across Siwon's desk. The envelope happens to have the same seal as the university into which Siwon is planning on matriculating. They offered him a spot on the varsity basketball team and sponsored on-campus living, and Mama Choi didn't raise no fool.

Siwon raises an eyebrow in interest, and Shindong simply points at the envelope with his chin. Siwon takes that as the invitation it is, and he pulls out the letter inside.

Congratulations, Donghee! You have been accepted…

Siwon whips his head up to look at Shindong, who has the largest shit-eating grin on his face.

They need to talk about this. Now.

"Seonsaengnim!" Siwon abruptly interrupts the teacher's lecture with his hand straight in the air. He ignores all the eyes that turn to him in shock. "Donghee isn't feeling too well. Can I take him to the nurse?"

All attention shifts to Shindong, who improvises in stride. "Ughhhhhnnnn," he groans pitifully, slouching over on his desk for added effect.

"Very well, then," the teacher waves off. Siwon stands up and bows hastily before half-guiding, half-dragging Shindong out the door. "Awwwwwwgggggghhhh," Shindong keeps up the ruse as he stumbles out, affecting delirium.

Once they're out of sight from the doorway, they run down the halls until they reach the bathroom, trying without success to contain their giggles along the way. "Couldn't give me a head's up back there?" Shindong teases as he sits on the edge of a sink, lightly panting.

"Couldn't give me a head's up that you were applying to my university?" Siwon punches Shindong's shoulder, acting affronted, but he swoops in for a bone-crushing hug immediately afterwards.

Shindong awkwardly returns the hug. (Siwon pinning his arms to his side means he can only reach Siwon's elbows.) His voice is quiet when he says, "My hopes were already up. I didn't want to get yours up, too."

Siwon gets it, so he lets it and Shindong go. The excited smile stays on his face, though. "Are you gonna go?"

"I don't know, man. They gave me a scholarship, but that just brings the tuition cost down to the same price as the local uni. I'd still have to get a job or a work-study to help offset the costs; and on top of that, I'd be so far away from home…"

"... But you're willing to go through all that just to keep going to the same school as me?" Siwon offers cheekily, squashing that incredibly light feeling in his chest with humour.

Shindong rolls his eyes. "I was gonna say, 'But all that is doable, and hey, at least you'll be there for me to mooch off of,'" he says with an attitude, but the corners of his lips quirk up at the end.

"You're right. I'll be there for you," Siwon affirms. Something about the serious way he said that makes Shindong feel like he's missing something, but he brushes it off. He was a little nervous about going so far away for school, but he has a feeling he'll be fine with Siwon around.

~~~

Siwon sidles up to Heechul, who casually throws his arm around the newcomer's shoulders despite the height difference. "How's my favourite wallet doing?" Heechul teases.

They're the only two to share this free period, and they often spend it outside, chatting, listening to music, doing homework, whatever. This time, Siwon finds Heechul leaning against a wall and people-watching.

"What's your read on Shindong?" Siwon asks as casually as possible. He's hoping he doesn't need to explain further, and luckily Heechul doesn't need clarification. Heechul knows what Siwon means.

He also knows: "Give up before it's too late."

Siwon's hopes plummet. "Really?" he asks, face and voice coloured by obvious disappointment.

Heechul looks over at Siwon and realises it is, in fact, too late for the other. His heart clenches for his long-time friend, and Heechul finds himself equivocating out of a need to assuage him. "Maybe I'm wrong for once. Like, what do I know? I'm just 18."

Siwon tries on a bright smile. "Yeah, maybe. There's gotta be a first time for everything, right, hyung?"

But now is not one of those times, and Heechul knows it. "Don't say I didn't warn you, though." He tries on a reassuring grin and a friendly knock on Siwon's shoulder.

He knows it looks more like a grimace, and he knows Siwon is ignoring that. He just doesn't know how long it'll take before Siwon's heart breaks.

He may not have had Heechul's fullest support, but Siwon has spent Too Many days thinking about this to go back now. It took long enough as it is to even get to this point; but if he's being honest with himself, he knew it was only a matter of time.

He finds his opportunity on their way home from school the week before showtime.

"Shindong, wanna go to prom with me?" "What?"

Shindong gives him a look so incredulous, Siwon is reminded of one of those dogs with smushed faces. The thought makes him smile even though his heart feels simultaneously too heavy and too fast.

"Should I, um, should I repeat myself?" he asks while trying to hide his shaking hands by grabbing onto his backpack straps.

"I'm just… so confused. Didn't Kwon Boa ask you to prom yesterday? Did she dump you already? What did you do?!"

In truth, Siwon turned her down as soon as she asked him, but saying that now would be unhelpful for his purposes.

"Even if you did somehow fuck up your chance with the prettiest, most sought-after girl in school, you still could ask literally anyone to be your date? Why would you go the friend route for prom? It's not even a valid Plan Z," Shindong continues.

Siwon pouts. "If I can ask anyone, why can't I ask you?"

Shindong is unimpressed, and Siwon wavers in his conviction. He wasn't originally going to tell him, but…

This could be it. This could be his chance to confess to Shindong.

There's always the chance that Shindong would reject him, of course. He'd probably use Siwon's own technique against him, too; that would be pretty pathetic. Then he'd promise that this wouldn't affect their friendship, except it will because he'll be too awkward around Siwon; and slowly but surely, he'd pull away from the other until Siwon finds himself at university, alone and painfully aware of how close he is to his best friend who is completely out of reach—oh God, of course he can't confess to Shindong.

The aforementioned snaps his fingers in Siwon's face, and Siwon resolutely sticks to his plan. He throws a casual arm around Shindong's shoulder and forces them to keep walking. "I heard from the seniors before us that prom's more fun with friends anyway. Why go with some girl I don't know when I can go with you?"

"Siwon, I know you're lying to me."

"What?" Siwon's step falters.

"We're best friends, of course I know." Besides the fact that Siwon is unconsciously telegraphing, the other guys have found dates already. Siwon would have brought it up with all of them if he really wanted to go with friends.

Siwon bites his bottom lip, waiting for whatever fallout comes from his decision to open this can of worms.

Shindong sighs and slips his hand into Siwon's. He's learned touching helps. "It also means I know when to let it go. I'll go to prom with you, flower boy."

Siwon cannot contain himself. "HE SAID YES!" he yells into the sky as he runs around, hooting and hollering in unadulterated jubilation.

Shindong shakes his head with annoyed fondness as he continues walking home, expecting Siwon to catch up with him once he's tired out.

(And it turns out Siwon's seniors were right: prom is a lot more fun with friends.)

~~~

Their final hurrah takes place at the height of the summer. Between family vacations and Siwon moving in early for the summer basketball bootcamp the university is making him attend, it's the only time they'll have where all five are available before the fall comes and scatters them away.

Siwon's family lets them borrow one of their cars for the day, and they make the maknae drive them all the way to the beach as early as they could go (read: as early as Kangin could wake up). The day progresses with plenty of frisbee on the sand, frolicking in the sea, and flirting at the food shacks. The ever present feeling that this may be the last time all of them are gathered together in a long time is never lost on any of them, so they make the most of every moment, earning them unheeded glares from the lifeguard on duty.

Sunset finds them around a small bonfire near the surf. To no one's surprise, Kangin managed to lift some beers from his parents, so they drink as they talk and watch the embers float up into the gradually darkening sky. Gone with the sun is the high energy from the day, leaving behind a calmer and more contemplative atmosphere.

Heechul speaks up after a comfortable stretch of silence. "So, I already know what those two fogies are doing come fall," he says while pointing to where Siwon and Shindong sit on opposite sides of the fire, "but what about you guys?" he directs towards Kangin and Kibum. "All I know is that college really isn't the cards for you."

Kibum ducks his head shyly. "I, uh, made it past the first round of auditions at MS Entertainment."

"WHAT?!" "Like, the MS Entertainment!?" "Um, when was this?!" "You're thinking of joining the entertainment industry?"

The last question surprisingly comes from Siwon, and the other guys shoot him a look. Siwon lifts his hands up in defense. "It's just that, Kibum, I've never even heard you sing."

Kibum shakes his head. "No, I wanna be an actor. I realised it after I missed out on auditions for the school play. For just a few hours a day, it'll be nice to pretend I'm not me. I think I could be really good at it if I got the chance." The guys nod, knowing very well how Kibum struggles to be and express himself without pretense.

"I can't wait to see you on TV one day, man," Shindong says with a smile. "If you book a commercial, I am buying one thousand units of whatever you're selling. I don't care what it is. I'll end up with a thousand pairs of jeans if I must," Kangin jokes.

Kibum grins appreciatively and nods towards Kangin in turn. "What about you, then?"

Kangin puffs out his chest with pride. "I'm gonna start at a baseball development camp out in Gangwon. If I work hard and play my cards right, I might get recruited at one of the farm teams in the Futures League. It would be awesome if I got into one of the Seoul clubs, just so I could stay close to home."

Shindong smirks. "Okay, let's say you had to go to a southern team. Which one would you pick? 1, 2, 3…"

"The Dinos."

Heechul barks out a laugh. "If you think I'd go all the way to fuckin' Changwon just to see your sorry ass… Well, a bitch might."

Siwon quirks an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? What is the self-proclaimed biggest star in the universe, the Great Kim Heechul, doing instead?"

"Whatever it takes, man," Heechul says with a snort. "I'll get some part time jobs here, travel a little there… Just figure life out as it comes."

Kibum nods, well-acquainted with Heechul's myself-against-the-world attitude. Shindong, for his part, tries his best to offer a smile without looking pitying. He can't help but feel like Heechul is making his life harder for himself than it has to be—but now's not the time, and neither is he the person, for that conversation.

Kangin counters, "You might find yourself in Gyeongsang anyway then, hyung."

"Yeah; and if you were paying attention to me, you would have known I acknowledged that already, dumbass. Clean the wax outta your ears."

"How about I clean your clock instead!" Kangin yells as he launches at Heechul, and they start wrestling in the sand.

Shindong watches, reveling in the familiarity of the moment, and thinks about how close he was to not having any of this. "When I first moved here, I was pretty sure I was gonna spend the school year alone." The words come out of his mouth without prompting; but now that they're out, he finds he actually has something to say.

The boys turn their attention to him, Kangin and Heechul halting their bickering and sitting in place where they found themselves on the sand, and Shindong continues. "You know. I was the new kid, I was only able to afford the school because of my scholarship, I'm fat. If life were like a TV show, that wouldn't have been the most successful combination of factors." He quirks the corners of his lips up in a wane half-smile, then turns his gaze from the fire to the earnest faces of his friends. "But I met you guys, and nothing happened like I thought it would. Thanks for giving me a chance."

"Aish," Kangin says as he gets up and moves back towards the group. He stops behind Siwon and places a hand on his shoulder. "Don't thank us; thank this guy. He texted us one day all, 'I invited the new kid to sit with us at lunch tomorrow. Try not to be dicks.' If it weren't for him, I probably would have pushed you into the lockers once or twice just for fun."

"I probably would have helped," Kibum says with a shrug.

"I probably would have filmed it," Heechul pipes up.

Siwon waves their comments away with good humour. "You guys aren't that mean. Maybe you would have slapped the books out of his hands, but that's really it."

"Maybe we aren't mean now, but that's because you made us soft. Remember when I made Go-seonsaengnim cry in freshman year just with a glare?"

The conversation readily turns to their early high school memories, which Shindong would normally have loved hearing about, but his attention is elsewhere.

The dim light afforded by the fire casts impermanent shadows on Siwon's face that alternately highlight his boyish features and give him the appearance of a grown man. Shindong watches this and feels like he's seeing the present blurring into the future before his very eyes, and he finds it especially poignant that Siwon is the focal point of that illusion considering his role in changing Shindong's own life.

He's going to miss his friends and the gentle feeling of home he managed to cultivate for himself among them, but at least he won't have to miss Siwon.

~~~

College is harder than Shindong thought it would be, but it's easier in other ways too. He plays the first semester safe (he's not trying to get his scholarship revoked before the first year is over, thank you very much); but when the second semester comes around, he knows what liberties he can take with himself to have more fun without sacrificing his studies.

So when the volleyball team holds a party and invites the basketball team, Siwon offers his plus one to Shindong, and he double-checks that he doesn't have a shift at the campus mailroom the next day… well, he doesn't say no.

It isn't the first time he's gotten drunk (there's no way you could be in Siwon's friend group for a year without sustaining at least one hangover); but after a whole semester and winter of working and studying practically non-stop, the lack of inhibitions feels better than it ever had before.

Siwon is far more drunk, however. He is as clingy as ever, introducing Shindong to all of his basketball friends (and even some strangers) and constantly slurring "I miss youuu" into his ears.

He would hate it except he loves it. He misses the guy, too, after all.

"Shindong! Let's go see the stars!"

Siwon drags Shindong to the backyard of the house holding the party, no less noisy but definitely less crowded. He happily settles down onto one of the logs around an unlit bonfire and pats the space next to him in a clear invitation. The happy grin on his face is replaced with a pout when Shindong decides to sit on a different log just to tease him, but that doesn't stop him. Siwon just moves to Shindong's log and cuddles into his friend's side, enjoying the warm feeling spreading inside him. Is it the beer or the company? In any case, it's the most cosy he's felt since school started.

Siwon chances a glance upwards at Shindong. Not for the first time, he cannot help but notice how soft the other looks in the moonlight. His cheeks always look so fluffy and pinchable, but Siwon has never wanted to hold Shindong's face more than he does right now.

When he notices that Shindong notices that he is looking at him, Siwon is just drunk enough to hold his gaze.

Siwon is just drunk enough to move his face forward, as slow as the movement ends up being. Maybe that's because he's drunk, too. He's definitely not sober enough to stop.

Then he's drunk in a different way, because Shindong is the one to bring their lips together.

The moment is perfect, even more perfect than Siwon had ever dreamed of—and oh, did he dream. In the back of his mind, he thinks about going to church three times a week from now on to thank God for this blessing.

He wants to deepen the kiss, he wants to lean closer, he wants to touch—but just as he thinks about doing any of that, Shindong pulls away with a giggle. Siwon laughs too, giddy and uninhibited as he is. He reaches for Shindong's hand and wonders how long the other has felt the same way as he did.

The hand for which Siwon had been reaching escapes to throw a bro-y, friendly punch into Siwon's shoulder. Siwon is mildly confused, but nothing can wipe the smile from his face now. He just kissed Shindong! Is right now too soon to be calling each other boyfriends?

"That wasn't so bad, right?" Shindong says as he looks back up at the sky.

Uh, right. Understatement of the century. That was amazing, stupendous, earth-shattering, future-defining—

Shindong keeps talking. "Not exactly how I thought that was gonna happen, but there's no planning for these sorts of things anyway. What's college for if not experimenting and cutting loose?"

Siwon's lovestruck internal monologue stutters to a stop. "What?"

"Don't get me wrong, you're the prettiest guy I know—full stop—but if kissing you doesn't make me feel something, then I definitely must be straight." Shindong starts cackling then, like he said the funniest joke in the world.

Siwon's hearing fails him, but all he can think about now is how badly he wants to rewind time.

He wants to go back to before he knew what Shindong's lips felt like.

He wants to go back to before he had the first drink.

He wants to go back to before he even met Shindong.

"I gotta go," he manages to say, crushed as he is under the weight of the guilt he felt when that last thought traitorously passed through his head.

Shindong laughs harder when he watches Siwon stumble away. Poor guy must be so drunk. He might not even make it to the bathroom in time.

~~~

Avoiding Shindong isn't as hard as one would think. They're different majors. They live in different residence halls. He has the basketball team too, and Shindong was never the kind of person that keeps up with all his friends' activities anyway. A little "Sorry, I'm meeting someone for a project" here, a little "Sorry, Coach is slamming us with extra practise" there, and a whole semester passes by without spending extended time with his best friend and—he's not afraid to say it now—the love of his young life.

And that's exactly why he needs to avoid Shindong. He can't face Shindong casually right now—not when the only thing that will be occupying his mind is the look on Shindong's face immediately before, not when his palms itch to touch the other's cheeks so he can fold that feeling into his memory. He can't know what it's like to kiss Shindong and not be able to kiss him again.

So he's depressed, he's lonely, and he's irritable—exactly the kind of mindset you want to be in when you meet someone new.

"Hi, I don't think we really talked before," the lanky kid says as he stands up straight from where he was leaning beside the open door to Siwon's room. "I'm Hyukjae, but my friends call me Eunhyuk. I live down the hall." He points over his shoulder with his thumb as if Siwon didn't know which hall he was referring to, and the gesture immediately gets on his nerves.

Siwon glares at him, and the guy—Hyukjae; they're not friends—smiles a wide, gummy grin. "Sorry to bother you like this, but I noticed you were taking your stuff to your car. Are you packing your things into storage for the summer?" Siwon nods mutely, unsure where the other is going with this and approximately three seconds away from blowing him off.

"Listen, I have, like," he pauses to rummage around in his pockets and count the pieces of paper he pulls out, "10000 won on me right now. If I give you that and pay for gas and—I don't know—buy you dinner afterwards, would you help me move mine into storage too?"

Siwon's glare turns incredulous, which makes Hyukjae facepalm. "Oh! And of course I would help you move your stuff. That's a given. Although… you certainly don't look like you need the help."

At this last statement, Eunhyuk gives him a quick once over, and Siwon bristles. This whole situation is really grating on him. Why did this guy look at him like that? Why does it bother him that he did? Why is he supremely against this mildly reasonable request?

(Well, he knows why, and that's only adding to his frustration.)

Hyukjae senses how close Siwon is to turning tail, so he resorts to drastic measures. "Bro, help me out," he begs as he clasps his hands and falls to his knees. "I live all the way out in Ilsan, and I don't have a car. I would be, like, super indebted to you!"

"Ilsan isn't that far away," Siwon points out unimpressedly.

"Indebted!"

He stares at the boy's pout, the hands grasping cumbled bills of won, and the mullet-esque hair and thinks he might actually be more pathetic than even Siwon feels these days.

"... Alright."

Siwon ignores the other's resulting cheers as he returns to his task. He figures that the sooner he gets this over with, the faster he can go back home for the summer.

~~~

Like Siwon said, Ilsan isn't that far away.

As in, he and Hyukjae didn't have the worst time together while moving their stuff, Hyukjae decided they are now friends, and Hyukjae commutes into Seoul every other weekend to pester Siwon into hanging out with him.

In the beginning, he had no problems brushing the other off. Hyukjae isn't bad people necessarily, but he's a brat.

Case in point: The first time he actually agreed to hang out, Hyukjae forgot his wallet and Siwon begrudgingly paid for their excursions that day. Hyukjae hasn't brought his wallet with him since.

After that first time, however, it became harder and harder to turn Hyukjae down. He's depressed, he's lonely, he's irritable—but somehow none of that has pushed Hyukjae away yet. Against his better judgement, Siwon cannot help but be drawn to the individual who is experiencing the worst Siwon has to offer and chooses to spend time with him anyway. It's… nice.

The summer proceeds like that: Eunhyuk having a new hare-brained adventure haphazardly planned for the day, Siwon's wallet finding itself thousands of won lighter each time, and Siwon slowly getting out of his funk and coming back to himself.

Even as the summer draws to a close and their event options dwindle down, Eunhyuk manages to find something for them to do. A couple of weeks before they're set to move back in for the beginning of the next school year, Eunhyuk takes Siwon to a trendy new pop-up cafe in Itaewon.

Siwon likes it. It's lively but not too loud, the food isn't half bad, and the interior is fresh-looking without being overly cute.

He doesn't say any of this though, mostly because Eunhyuk isn't really saying anything either.

It's a testament to how much he feels like his old self again that he strongly considers asking the other what's wrong. Old Siwon wouldn't have hesitated. New Siwon rationalises if something is really bothering the other, Eunhyuk would say something himself.

He's halfway through his cheesecake when Eunhyuk lets his fork clatter to his plate. "Siwon, there's never gonna be a good time or a good way to say this, so I'm just gonna say it. I like you."

Well, of course Eunhyuk likes him. He basically spent the whole summer with Siwon. The surprising part here is that Siwon means it when he says, "I like you, too."

Eunhyuk's eyes do something funny, then he shakes his head. "No, like—" He stops, takes a deep breath, and on the exhale he says, "Wanna go on a date with me?"

"... Oh."

And then Siwon's senses shift. His heart beat speeds up just a fraction more than it had been before Eunhyuk began talking, but he can't hear the crowd of the cafe anymore. Everything behind Eunhyuk's determined, hopeful face blurs into a mess of colours and light. When he swallows, he still has the aftertaste of the strawberry syrup from the cheesecake on his tongue.

"Um, okay," is all he says, but he can feel his lips tug upward in a small grin without his direction.

Siwon is greeted with a gummy smile, familiar yet new, and he cannot help but focus in on the revealed shade of pink.

~~~

Honestly, he forgets about Siwon.

There's only so many times he can get blown off before he stops trying to reach out in the first place, you know? Then midterms came around, then it was finals season, then he was too wrapped up in trying to find an on-campus job for the summer so that he wouldn't have to waste money and time moving out of his residence hall… Before he knows it, it's been a year since he and the guys had their beach day, and he uncomfortably realises he can't remember the last time he spoke to Siwon. Was it at that party in the beginning of last semester? That can't be right.

And yet, for a reason he cannot explain, he doesn't immediately reach out to Siwon first.

He starts off with Kangin, who hasn't made it to a team yet but has met with several scouts already and believes it's just a matter of time. Heechul answers him in English, of all things, and he has to use a translation app to find out that Heechul spent seven months in Australia as a freelance Hangul-speaking museum guide before coming back to South Korea to work at a brewery out in Jeju-do. When he texts Kibum asking if Kangin had made good on his promise to buy 100 units of whatever his latest commercial was selling, Kibum simply says, "lol."

Finally, the only one left is Siwon. Shindong is weirdly anxious to talk to him again, but he firmly pushes that aside.

He tries a text at first; but after two days with no response, he ups the ante.

"Hello?"

"Siwon-ah!" he cheers into the receiver. It had been so long since he heard Siwon's voice, and just the sound of it lifts his mood.

"Shindong-hyung, you called me." Siwon's voice sounds incredulous, and it makes him laugh. They're not people for phone calls, admittedly. It wasn't necessary back when they spent almost all their waking moments together.

"Hey, if you had just texted me back, I wouldn't have had to resort to such drastic measures."

Silence, then chuckles on the other end of the line. "Yeah, that one's on me, isn't it? I did that thing where I read it but only replied to it in my head."

Shindong waits for more, but Siwon doesn't continue from there. "So, um, what's been up with you lately?" he asks stiltedly. He frowns; he and Siwon don't do small talk. He tries again, "Did I mention I'm on campus for the summer? I got a job as the front desk guy at the Alumni Office. It has its boring moments, but at least I didn't have to move out of the dorms. I know some of the guys on my floor even rented a storage unit so that they wouldn't have to move back and forth with their stuff, which is just… so far beyond my budget right now, haha."

Siwon makes a funny noise like he choked on his own spit. "Siwon?!" Shindong calls concernedly into the line.

"It's fine, hyung," Siwon croaks out. "Listen, you kinda caught me at a bad time. I'd love to talk more, but I gotta go."

"Oh, sure," Shindong says in surprise. "See you when the school year starts up again, yeah?"

He holds onto the phone tightly. He doesn't know what he's wanting to hear exactly, but he waits in anticipation for Siwon's response anyway.

"Yeah, of course. See you later, Shindong."

The line clicks silent, and Shindong doesn't let himself read into it. Like Siwon said, it was just a bad time.

~~~

The new school year isn't terribly different from the previous one, but Siwon likes what it brings. He's still balancing the basketball team and classes, but he has Eunhyuk now. Eunhyuk introduces him to his best friend Donghae, and college starts feeling less like something happening to him and more like something he's living.

Early into the new semester finds the three of them grabbing lunch on campus, Siwon and Eunhyuk playing footsie under the table and ignoring Donghae's gags in the background. They're not really talking about anything important, so the conversation is easily derailed by the sound of someone hollering from across the student union.

"Siwon! Ya, Siwon!"

Siwon temporarily freezes. He didn't expect to hear that voice again so soon. He can feel his face do something funny as his body and his mind fight for control over what to do. He wants to play it cool; he wants to ignore the voice; but more than anything, he wants to see Shindong again. He has ever since the summer.

He listens to that part and turns around in his seat to wave. The sight of Shindong's eyes scrunched up in happy half-moons behind his thick-rimmed glasses makes his heart ache even as his body relaxes from tension he didn't know he was carrying. He misses Shindong.

"Siwon, you brat! I didn't hear from you much this summer, and I barely saw you last semester!" Shindong laughs jovially before turning to the other two at the table, and Siwon is surprised to remember they were there. "Hey, I'm Donghee, but you've probably heard this guy call me Shindong. Mind if I join you?"

Siwon eagerly motions for Shindong to grab a chair, and Donghae says, "Hey, Donghee. I'm Donghae." as if it were the most clever observation in the world.

Siwon eyes Shindong's politely amused grin and cannot help but laugh. God, he forgot how funny Shindong could be even when he isn't trying. The other brings a seat over to their table and chats pleasantly with Donghae, and Siwon takes the moment to take in the changes in his best friend.

His face is slightly less pudgy, but the puffy round cheeks Siwon loves so much are fully on display. He has a tiny ponytail sticking straight up from the crown of his fluffy hair, and it reminds Siwon of elementary schoolers on picture day in a way that warms his heart. He notices the suspenders and khakis combination that the other is wearing and remembers how hard it was for Shindong to get used to not having to wear a uniform to school anymore. It seems he finally settled on something that worked for him, as nerdy as it ended up looking. (Somehow, that is endearing, too.)

"Siwon, what's your weekend look like? We should do something, just you and me. Grab some newspapers, eat gyoza, catch up. You in?"

Siwon would like nothing more and almost automatically agrees. Luckily, before he could land himself in hot water with his excitement, his brain supplies that he and Eunhyuk were supposed to picnic in the park this weekend. He flicks his eyes over to his boyfriend, asking without words if he could go.

Eunhyuk nods, so Siwon says yes, and it feels like a piece of him that was asleep finally wakes up.

~~~

They're best friends again in no time.

Sure, there were some awkward instances when Shindong or Siwon would refer to memories that the other wasn't there for in a stilted reminder that there is time lost between them, but they easily catch each other up and fall back into old habits. Their lives intertwine in the seamless way they did back in high school, and Siwon's heart feels so full.

He can't help but ignore the red flags as a result. The more active he and Shindong are in each other's lives, the more he is aware of the fact that Shindong does not know the full extent of his relationship with Eunhyuk; and he admits he has made small—inconsequentially, really—concessions to keep it that way.

He's starting to suspect that Eunhyuk knows something is up, too. It brings him a little bit of guilt, but it's not like he's completely avoiding his boyfriend (been there, done that). Besides, the other hasn't said anything. He even invites Siwon over one weekend, so Siwon figures he probably hasn't messed up too badly yet.

When cuddling on the bed with legs intertwined while watching a movie turns into roaming fingertips and forgotten laptops droning on in the background, Siwon feels content like never before.

"Why does it feel like it's been forever since I kissed you?" he murmurs into Eunhyuk's hair afterwards, planting a kiss right there and embracing his boyfriend closer to his chest. He'd love to fall asleep like this…

But then Eunhyuk gently releases himself from Siwon's hold and sits upright in bed. "I have a feeling it has to do with how Donghee is hanging out with us a lot now," he says as he pulls his clothes back on.

Siwon's disappointment clears when his mind, unbidden, conjures up the memory of Shindong's reaction when he caught Heechul rounding second base with his date when they all went to the movies together one time. "Yeah, Shindong isn't big on PDA," he says as he follows Eunhyuk's lead.

"Sure, but I'm your boyfriend," Eunhyuk emphasises. "Hand-holding, kissing… stuff like that is pretty typical for most couples. He knows what he would be getting into when he hangs out with us, and he still shows up. Doesn't seem to me like it would really bother him."

Siwon's movement falters. So Eunhyuk has noticed. "I guess I'm just trying to be a little courteous," he hurries to say, the not-quite-a-lie sitting heavy on his tongue. "He doesn't know you yet, and I don't want to give my best friend any reason to dislike my boyfriend."

Siwon puts on his most convincing, disarming grin, and it somehow makes things worse. "You know, it's funny," Eunhyuk begins with light tone absolutely lacking in amusement, "Donghee's supposedly your best friend, but I haven't even heard of him before this semester. It's clear he hasn't heard of me either. Wanna explain why?"

Siwon frowns at the accusation. "He is my best friend." He may not have acted like it for a while there, but that fact will never change. It's just… "We weren't really, ah, talking much at around the time you and I met." He wants to stop there, but Eunhyuk raises an expectant eyebrow. "Um, remember that time in the student union? That was, sorta, the first time we had spoken in eight months."

The admission completely melts all of Eunhyuk's cold and angry tension, and the sight makes him even more antsy for some reason. Siwon is acutely aware that he didn't answer the entirety of his boyfriend's question, but the other is already moving on.

"You get why I'm bothered, right?" Eunhyuk asks as he sits back on the bed, and yes, Siwon does finally start to get how bothered the other really is. He's never seen Eunhyuk so despondent before. His entire being radiates tired sadness, and Siwon realises with a pang that he did that to him."This guy that I've never met before just shows up one day, and my boyfriend starts acting completely different around him!" Eunhyuk's pout has a chilling effect on Siwon without the hint of flirtation to which he was so accustomed, and Siwon has him wrapped up in a side-hug as if on autopilot. Eunhyuk happily cuddles into the embrace and lays his head on Siwon's shoulder, but Siwon barely notices, too consumed by the weight spreading all over his body.

He's fucked up.

He hasn't been going about this correctly at all, and it's hurting his boyfriend, and that hurts him, and he's fucked up.

He stands abruptly. "I gotta go."

"What?"

Siwon can barely hear the shocked hurt in his boyfriend's voice, he's so preoccupied with the immense and all-consuming guilt that weighs down his limbs. He can't get out of the apartment fast enough. He needs space; he needs more room so that terrible feeling that is expanding within him has somewhere else to go.

"Siwon, where are you going?!" Eunhyuk hurries after him and manages to intercept Siwon before he could open the door. If he were more himself, he'd chuckle at how his boyfriend, 9 centimetres shorter and 5 kilograms lighter, is trying to bodily prevent him from leaving; but in his state, even a feather could knock Siwon over.

"There's something you're not telling me, and I'm not letting you leave the apartment until you do. What is going on between you and Donghee?" he demands.

"Nothing!" Siwon despairs, and it's the truth.

"Why are you lying to me!"

"I've never lied to you," and that is also the truth.

"But you are keeping something from me." There's nothing Siwon can say to that, so he fidgets where he stands. Eunhyuk laughs mirthlessly. "And it's related to Donghee, too, isn't it? How long did you think you could go without telling me, huh? Did you think I wouldn't notice?!"

Siwon is still in flight mode, his brain is still foggy, so he latches onto the only coherent thought he has just so that he can respond to Eunhyuk. "Why don't you call him Shindong?"

Eunhyuk seizes in incredulous frustration. "Can you focus!? That is so beyond the point!"

Siwon closes his eyes and rubs his hands down his face in resigned acknowledgement. Yes, that was the wrong thing to say. "Hyuk, I'm sorry but… I really, really have to go. I need some time; I need to think. You deserve better than the first thought that pops into my head, but I can't give you that right here, right now."

Eunhyuk's shiny eyes are devastating even under the fluorescent glare of his apartment lights, and Siwon's heart urges him to do something. He steps forward, arms outstretched, but Eunhyuk steps out of his reach. "No, please," he says simply. He hastily wipes away the tears that pool at the rim of his eyes and looks anywhere but at Siwon. "When you touch me, I feel better even when I don't want to."

Siwon lets his arms fall back to his side. The need to leave wars with his need to comfort, so he does nothing.

Eunhyuk sniffles once, twice, then says, "Whenever something happens to me—big or small, bad or good—you've become the first person I wanna tell it to. Nothing feels real until I've told you about it." He hugs himself and turns away. "But you don't even want to talk to me."

Eunhyuk walks back to his room and lightly closes the door behind him, a silent cue for Siwon to leave. When he finally does several moments later, the image of Eunhyuk rejecting his touch replays in his mind, and his heart rebels with every step.

~~~

With time and distance, Siwon realises a lot of things about himself.

He's always wanted his first real relationship to be with someone he shared a lot with, someone he didn't have to force himself to spend time with or get to know, someone who made it all easy yet made the difficult parts worth it. He admits to himself that he always wanted his first real relationship to be with Shindong, but that evidently wasn't possible. Just when he had given up on that dream (and on himself), he found all of it and more in Eunhyuk, who literally showed up unannounced, bribed his way into Siwon's life, and pestered Siwon into letting him stay. Without knowing any of the details and without asking any questions, Eunhyuk managed to shake Siwon out of the depressive episode he was in simply by being himself. The warm excitement that coloured their days together were noted but taken for granted, and the cold emptiness that replaces it in the aftermath of their fight is frighteningly familiar. He regrets that it took the undeniable pain that can only come from heartbreak for him to realise that he had fallen in love with Eunhyuk, but at least he knows now.

He also now knows he's a coward.

He was a coward back in senior year when he couldn't tell Shindong why he asked the other to prom, he was a coward last semester when he cut Shindong out of his life for accidentally breaking his heart, and he's a coward now.

With Shindong is back in his life, Siwon thought he could somehow keep both his past love and his current love in the exact ways he wanted them without having to have any uncomfortable conversations, that the two of them would get along fabulously, and that Siwon's happiness would simply fall into place.

He also now knows he's an idiot.

Siwon has always prided himself on being a man of action. He had enough time and distance to reflect, recalibrate, and reload, so it is time for him to gather his courage and react.

He texts Shindong to do homework together at his place then immediately goes out to buy some food just to have something to do with the nervous energy that buzzes within him. He even buys snacks that he knows only Shindong likes because he needs every advantage he can get. He returns with no less pent-up energy than with which he started, so he sets to cleaning the whole apartment. He even attempts to do his homework to distract himself before he remembers homework is the ruse he told Shindong to lure the other over.

His nervous energy is apparent the second Shindong steps foot in the apartment. "Okay…" Shindong drags out as he plops his stuff onto the kitchen table that doubles as Siwon's desk. "Is there a major exam you're freaking out about or something? I can't promise I know anything, but I can promise to help you study."

Siwon lets a ghost of a smile cross his face, fondly remembering their intense study sessions back in high school that none of their friends were brave enough to join more than once. The memory passes, and he sighs. "No, it's not about class."

Shindong gestures. "Well? Out with it then. You know I'm just gonna leave if you're not gonna focus, and I really don't want to leave when there's an unopened pack of honey apple twists right there."

Honey apple twists are also Eunhyuk's favourite, so Siwon starts there.

"Eunhyuk is a man of questionable taste," Shindong pontificates as he munches on the newly opened snack. "He loves honey apple twists but hates seafood. He's best friends with Donghae but spends all his free time with you. What an enigma."

Siwon tries to chuckle, but it doesn't work. He takes a deep breath instead. He can't think of anything else to say except: "I think he's in love with me."

Shindong stops chewing. "What?"

"I think Eunhyuk and I spend a lot of time together because he's in love with me."

Shindong frowns, brows furrowed and looking genuinely upset. It takes Siwon aback for long enough that he gets distracted. "What?" he parrots.

"Dude, that's fucked up."

"What are you talking ab—"

"You can't just string him along like that! What is he gonna do when he finds out you don't like guys? Bro, if Heechul were here right now—actually, I'm just gonna call him because maybe you need to hear why that's fucked up from someone who gets it."

And there it was.

Every unspoken fear he'd ever had, every answer to his heartbreak, every problem he never solved.

He reaches out with his head down and gently stops Shindong's hand, halfway to dialling their high school friend whom Siwon hasn't spoken to since graduation. "I love him, in any case," he says to the ground.

Shindong lets his hand hold his phone in midair. "What?"

Siwon takes a breath, counts to three, and lifts his head to look Shindong in the eyes. "Shindong, Eunhyuk and I are dating. He's my boyfriend. He has been since the summer."

Shindong says nothing.

"I'm gay," Siwon says at last, so easily, because he knows that's not going to be the hardest confession of the night.

As soon as he says it, he can see the way so much clicks into place in Shindong's astute, masterful, beautiful mind.

"Is that why I haven't seen you since last semester," Shindong says instead of asks, "because you realised after our kiss and didn't want to tell me."

But not even Shindong can draw the correct conclusion when he isn't provided with every relevant fact. If he could, they would have cleared the air so long ago.

"No," Siwon says as he draws away, clasping his hands tight on his lap and wishing he could have told Eunhyuk he was gonna do this. He'd have said something to cheer Siwon up, and Siwon would remember that now, and it could give him courage. The only thing he has right now is the truth.

"No, that was because I was in love with you, and I realised you'd never love me back, and I needed time."

The silence that stretches out between them is awkward like no silence has ever been, even in the first few times they hung out again after reconnecting.

"For how long?" Shindong finally says.

Siwon tries to remember but finds he can't. It must have been one of those things that wasn't tied to any specific event, but a slow build until the whole of the structure was unmistakable. "Since the beginning, basically," he eventually settles on. "Not since the first day we met, no, but very, very close to it. I barely remember a time when I didn't know you and wasn't already in love with you."

"I see."

He finally looks at Shindong, who notices and meets his gaze for a moment before looking down at the table. In that one moment, Siwon could tell from Shindong's eyes that he can see now. He can tell the way Shindong is re-remembering every interaction they've ever had in a new light, and he simply waits. He has no more cards left to play.

Finally, Shindong looks back at him and says, "You should have told me. We should have talked about it. I could have been there for you."

Siwon smiles bittersweetly and looks away. "But not in the way I wanted you to be, and that's why I never said anything. No doubt, you would have absolutely been there. You would have been your funny, action-oriented, perfect self, within arms' reach but not mine for me to hold, and it would have broken me. Broken me worse than if you had dropped me as a friend completely."

Shindong is taken aback by the strength of Siwon's words, the seriousness with which he said them. "You must have been really in love with me."

Siwon turns the bittersweet smile to him then, tears shining in his eyes, and says, "So much. I loved you so much."

Shindong's heart breaks for his friend, his best friend, who suffered all alone and all on his account. He fiercely tugs Siwon into a hug and lets Siwon cry out every tear, every emotion, every everything from the last two years, all while murmuring "I'm sorry; I'm so, so sorry" into his friend's shoulder.

"For what it's worth, I loved you, too. I still do," he says when Siwon's tears subside into sniffles, but the younger is still clinging onto him. Shindong won't let go until he does.

"I know. I know you did, do. Me too," Siwon hiccups out.

With one last squeeze, he pulls away to give Shindong a watery but bright-eyed smile, and Shindong gives him one right back. The clock in the kitchen tells him they were only like that for seven minutes, but in that time it feels like they just relived every day of their entire friendship, finally on the same page.

"I'm in the mood for pizza," he says abruptly, reaching for his phone forgotten on the table. "Do you still like pineapples with yours?"

Siwon chuckles while wiping away some latent tears. "Please, yes. Eunhyuk won't let me eat that around him because 'it's gross American food,'" he says with air quotes.

"Maybe Eunhyuk is a man of taste after all," Shindong says as he waits for the phone to ring. He catches Siwon's eye just to sneer, "What's he doing dating you?"

Siwon laughs, a whole-belly laugh, and gets a second wind when Shindong calmly rattles off Siwon's own credit card number for the payment information.

~~~

It's been almost two weeks since Eunhyuk last spoke to Siwon, the memory of his boyfriend's face as he begged for time haunting his undistracted moments. He's busied himself with dance practice, homework, and even once tried accompanying Donghae to the gym just to get his mind off of how much more lonely he feels. It was pretty bad before when Eunhyuk was convincing himself that the way his boyfriend was pulling away was all in his head, but with confirmation from Siwon himself, it just got so much worse.

Donghee—He's not about to start calling him by that ridiculous nickname. The only thing Donghee is good at, as far as he's concerned, is ruining his mood—first came into the picture like spilled paint across a canvas: completely and all at once where before there was none. He showed up at group hangouts and even tagged along to his and Siwon's casual day dates, sometimes at Siwon's own behest!

Siwon also didn't touch Eunhyuk as much when Donghee was around, which is saying something because Siwon is literally the clingiest man in all of South Korea. To have such a gentle, romantic, constant aspect of his relationship almost completely stop without explanation… Of course Eunhyuk was lonely. The only thing that stopped him from saying something sooner was how undeniably happy Siwon was with Donghee back in his life, and Eunhyuk didn't want to ruin that for him.

But now it seems like their whole relationship is ruined instead, and the idea that this is how it all ends makes him even more miserable.

It is during one of these pessimistic slumps that he gets a text from Siwon that he, Donghae, and Donghee are working on the quad together. Siwon signs it with "I miss you 😘," and Eunhyuk's heart clenches. He misses Siwon too, but he's not really in the mood to watch him and Donghee together.

He realises he's not really in the mood to be alone right now either. He considers texting Donghae to fake some emergency so that he could be with Eunhyuk, but Donghae texts him first. "don't bail i promise."

The fact that Donghae, the only one who happens to know the full extent of Eunhyuk's insecurities and worries about the situation, is the one saying that piques his interest. If Donghae thinks it'll be safe for him, Eunhyuk will trust that.

He sees them before they see him, and it plays out slowly like a movie. They're all sitting in a quasi-circle on the grass in the middle of a laugh. The scene is so picturesque, and the jealous pang in his chest rings loud and true.

He almost turns on his heel right then and there, but Siwon notices him before he can.

Siwon's smile is bright and free, and he makes grabby hands for Eunhyuk like he hasn't in a while. Eunhyuk's feet carry him forward without him telling them to, and he has a feeling that was his heart leading. Despite it all, next to Siwon is where he wants to be.

He settles into the space by Siwon with a little unease, which dissipates completely when Siwon shifts them so that Eunhyuk is between his open legs and Siwon is giving him a cosy backhug. As much as he wants nothing else, Eunhyuk fights the urge to lean in, acutely aware of Donghee's presence.

"Siwon-ah." Eunhyuk squirms. "I'm 'Siwon-ah' now, not 'Siwonnie?'" He can hear Siwon's pout even as the other squeezes Eunhyuk to himself tighter. He puts a little more effort into escaping Siwon's embrace, but Siwon simply uses his legs to lock him in.

Eunhyuk laughs; he can't help it. He wiggles as frantically as possible—not to actually get out of Siwon's hold, just to give him a hard time trying to hold on—and Siwon playfully bites his ear to get him to stop. Eunhyuk lets out a mock gasp, prepared to do something drastic, when all of a sudden they both tumble onto the grass.

Eunhyuk looks up to see Donghee calmly returning to his spot, acting like he did nothing wrong and ignoring how Donghae assaults his back with amusement. "I've wanted to do that for forever!" Donghae cackles.

In embarrassment, he begins to sit up, but Siwon doesn't let him, instead pulling Eunhyuk back down and on top of him. He looks for the reason why in Siwon's eyes, and Siwon just gives him a small smile before leaning up to brush his lips against Eunhyuk's. It was a soft little thing, but it calms him down nevertheless.

He folds his hands on Siwon's chest and rests his head on top of them, facing the side where the other two weren't sitting. "I thought Shindong isn't big on PDA," he repeats, keeping his voice neutral but loud enough for Siwon to hear. In this position, he can hear Siwon's heartbeat as he plays with the collar of Siwon's shirt. He doesn't know what to make of its calm and strong cadence when he knows the other can feel his own heart rate spike in nervousness.

"You're my boyfriend, though," Siwon maintains, echoing their conversation from a week before with the roles noticeably reversed.

Eunhyuk jerks his head up to face the other. He doesn't think Siwon has called him his boyfriend in front of Donghee yet before.

Siwon must see something in his face because he reaches up to hold one of the hands on his chest and squeezes twice. I'm sorry about that, it says. We'll talk about everything later. Eunhyuk nods, looking at Siwon with so much trust in his eyes that Siwon smiles the same wide, happy grin that made Eunhyuk fall for him in the first place.

With a louder voice, Siwon says, "Besides, Shindong's a big guy. He'll find it within him to get over it."

"YA! DID YOU JUST MAKE A FAT JOKE ABOUT ME?!"

Siwon winks at Eunhyuk before sitting them upright and into a more casual cuddle, Eunhyuk against Siwon's side and Siwon's arm across Eunhyuk's shoulder.

Eunhyuk ignores the ensuing banter between Siwon, Shindong, and Donghae, instead looking up to observe his boyfriend. Siwon's different again, but in a good way, he decides. For the first time since they met, Siwon looks completely unburdened, completely secure.

And yet he's still here, holding Eunhyuk to him like he used to, which means whatever Siwon let go of, it wasn't him.

Eunhyuk knows they still have to talk, that there’s a lot of explaining Siwon has to do and a lot of confused pain he has to work through, but he also knows there's time for that now. Siwon isn't going anywhere; and neither is he, for that matter.

He looks over at the other two across the way and muses that Shindong isn't going anywhere either, but he finds that's not such a problem anymore.

(Siwon's laugh breaks his concentration, and he notices that's different, too—better than before, even.)

In fact, he might even welcome it.

~~~

[lubdubsworld]

Yours, Truly.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 

“Well, that’s that I guess.” I watched the men from the creditor’s office load the last of the crate into the huge moving van, while the man himself gave me a sympathetic smile, signing off on the cheque. 

“We tried to make this as easy for you as possible, Miss. Yoongi ssi told us about your situation and while there’s nothing we can do about it, in terms of the apartment, we do intend to reimburse you the difference from the valuable items you just sold off, once the debt is paid.” 

I waved him off. 

“you can put it in my bank account, though we both know it’s not going to be much.” 

My phone rang again and I frowned at the name on the contact list. Lee Shin. 

Shin was Wonho’s immediate boss, and a sleaze by every standard. I hadn’t enjoyed any of our previous interactions, partly because he made it abundantly clear that he was interested , and partly because he was just extra touchy in general. Wonho had never taken my complaints seriously, asking me to take it as a compliment instead of raising flags over it, always claiming that he couldn’t risk his position in the company.

which was ridiculous when i thought about what he’d gone ahead and done. I pushed the thought behind. The past week had been a very torturous kind of hell. I hadn’t been able to get in touch with Wonho or his lawyer and a part of me just wanted to storm in and shake some sense into him. But a part of me had always known that this would happen, or so it felt.

Wonho had always been easily influenced. Even during our marriage he seldom argued with me, always going along with whatever i suggested. At the time , I had chalked it up to him being crazy in love with me. Apparently , it was nothing more than a lack of backbone.

 Wonho was a coward and he had ruined my life. 

The phone kept ringing, drawing me back to the present. 

Groaning a little, I picked up the phone. 

“Y/N? Is that you?” 

“Yes, Mr. Lee.” I said, keeping my voice even. Somewhere behind me , i could hear Yoongi rattling around in the back of his car, which now had three suitcases worth of my clothes and a small box of stuff from my childhood. I’d tossed the rest of my stuff away, not in any urgency to remember all the ways I’d failed at my marriage. Seven years down the drain. 

The more i thought about it, the more I wanted to claw my ex-husband’s face off. 

“..... So , what I was saying is that , you’re welcome to move in with my wife and I, until you get back on your feet. What do you say to that, love?”

I grimaced , Yoongi catching the tail end of my expression and raising an eyebrow at me. i waved off his concern and turned around to refuse when a sleek white Porsche rolled over to the parking space of my apartment building, A familiar company Logo etched on the hood. i stared in surprise as the driver skillfully parked the car before sliding out from behind the wheel. 

I blinked in disbelief as Kim Taehyung straightened, slipping his sunglasses off his face and tucking them in his pocket before looking around. He smiled wide when his eyes met mine, waving cheerfully as he locked his car and began making his way over to me. 

“...... Love? You there?” The man’s voice in my ear shook me out of my shock and I hummed in confusion before shaking my head.

“Uh.. No sir. That wouldn’t be necessary at all... I do have a place to stay , but thank you for offering.” I said , just as Taehyung stepped up to me, his beautifully crafted brows rising to his hairline as he tilted his head curiously at my words. 

I smiled helplessly.

“No, no. i absolutely refuse to take no for an answer, my love. i know Wonho did you dirty but you should know, not all men are like that and I , for one, think that a girl like you.....” 

“who’s the guy?” Taehyung said loudly, startling me as he leaned in , pretending to listen in and i drew back. 

“It’s nothing... I... Mr. Lee. Like I said, i don’t need a place to stay for the night....and...”

“Wait, Lee Shin? Wonho’s boss?” Taehyung’s jaw hardened. 

i nodded and the next second, the phone got snatched out of my ears, Tae pressing the speaker button as he frowned.

“Come on, sweetheart. That bastard didn’t know how to appreciate a good thing when he had it. I’m not like that. i could take real good care of you, you know... In return for a little bit of your company. If you’re good to me, i could be persuaded to be very generous.....” The man’s voice filled the air and i felt my entire body flush in disbelief and offence. 

“What the fuck did you just say, you nasty son of a bitch?!!” Yoongi’s voice came loud and angry next to me and I flinched when my best friend reached for the phone but Taehyung shook his head.

“Mr. Lee. This is kim Taehyung, your CEO. I’ve recorded your phonecall to Y/N and trust me, this is going to play key evidence in the hearing you have scheduled tomorrow for harassing your secretary. I don’t like predicting outcomes , not without all the facts but something tells me that you’re going to lose your job and/or go to prison . So maybe you could tell Wonho about your opinions , in person?” 

I heard Mr. Lee splutter over the line before Taehyung hung up, swiftly blocking the man’s number too , before smiling and handing over the phone. 

“You’re like a loser magnet, aren’t you?” He said brightly and I grimaced. 

“Is that why you’re here?” i shot back and he chuckled deeply, his voice low and warm. Taehyung’s voice was one of the best things about him. It reminded me of hunting cabins, tucked into the woods, with a warm blazing fireplace and soft rugs under my bare foot. 

“Fair enough. I just wanted to check in on you. It’s been a week since we talked and i thought you may have changed your mind.” He said softly.

I shook my head swiftly.

“i really don’t think ... i don’t need .....Well, I’m fine. For now.” I waved my hands a little wildly and he hummed.

“Are you sure i couldn’t convince you? i’m kind of in a real fix right now. “ He sighed deeply. “ I really need someone to help me out. My sister is going in for surgery on Thursday and i’ll be having both the twins and the new baby with me for the next three weeks. Yeon Hee is ...well she’s not really a kid-friendly person and i have a bunch of meetings too. I have no experience with babysitters and i was really hoping that you could stay over at my place. it would be a huge help.” 

He turned huge brown eyes at me, limpid and soft .

I groaned.

“This is unfair., You’re taking advantage of the fact that I love your sister and i love babies. You’re playing dirty! ” I protested and he grinned wider, boxy smile setting my heart on fire as he waggled his brows.

“Shamelessly.” He agreed. 

Yoongi finished locking up the bootspace of his car and slowly sauntered over. 

“As long as you pay her , she’s available.” He said teasingly and I shoved him a little. 

Taehyung chuckled but his eyes were still vaguely desperate.

“Please, angel. I know you aren’t comfortable with it but i really wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t desperate. Jooheon is too young to be with some un-vetted sitter and there is no one in the world i trust more than you.”

I stared at him for a second, shaking my head gently.

“You always know the right things to say, don’t you?” I sighed. “ Fine, but how long are we talking about? I can’t agree to something indefinite...” I said firmly. 

“Why don’t we talk about it over coffee?” Taehyung prompted. 

Before i could respond, Yoongi snorted.

“And, that’s my cue to leave. Sweetheart, you’ll be coming over right? I’ll get the guest bedroom set up okay?” He kissed me lightly on the cheek and i nodded. 

Taehyung gave him a half hug and we both watched as he pulled away from the curb and drove off.

“So.... coffee shop in the corner or Starbucks? “ I said softly and he hesitated.

“I have an espresso machine in my condo.” He said softly and I hesitated.

“Tae...”

“It’s all good, angel. No funny business , i promise. It’s just ...the paparazzi’s been after me ever since I revealed my relationship and I’d rather not have you bear the brunt of it.... you know...if we get spotted together....” he shrugged his shoulders lightly, the movement causing his shirt to stretch out across his broad frame . 

I couldn’t think of anything to say to that and i nodded absently. 

“Excellent... Come on... Let’s go...” He stepped down the few stairs jumping over a small puddle of water at the base of the stair , on the pavement. But,  before I could follow, he turned around, grabbing my waist with both hands and lifting me off the stair. I fell forward into  him, his chest pressed right up against mine , impossibly warm and hard underneath me. I gasped in surprise, gripping his shoulders in shock .

His eyes were as wide as mine, as if he had just realized what he’d done.

“Taehyung, what on earth-?” I said sharply and he recoiled like he’d been burned, his long fingers leaving my body quickly.

“shit,.. i’m sorry.. it’s just...there was water and i didn’t want your shoes to get wet..... I’m sorry, angel that was out of line . I apologize.” He held both his hands up and i couldn’t breathe , let alone respond. I managed a weak nod and stuttered, “ It’s alright...” before wrapping both arms around myself almost protectively. I suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed, raw and gullible. 

I couldn’t even meet his eyes because my heart was pounding so hard inside my chest. i kept a decent distance between us as he walked to his car but I couldn’t stop the way my  insides twisted with sudden , hot and intense attraction. After all these years, i still wanted Taehyung with an ache that was fierce and impossible to ignore. 

He came here to find a babysitter , not a girlfriend . He already has one of those. A 5′10 supermodel who happens to have the face of a literal goddess........You’re so out of his league here , it’s not even funny, Y/N.

I let him open the door for me, slipping into the heated leather seats. I froze up again for a second, when he put my seat belt on for me.

“Hey...uh... You okay?” He said softly. I managed a weak smile. 

“I’m fine, Tae. It’s fine. Really craving that coffee now.” i laughed nervously watching him come around and climb into the seat net to me. He started the car quickly and flashed me another smile.

“You’ll love my sister’s kids. They’re dying to have a cool aunt.” He winked. Something curled inside me.

“Well, they have a supermodel for an aunt. Can’t get cooler than that....” I said shrilly. His smile faltered for a second but he schooled his features quickly. 

“I’ve told them all about how you used to sculpt... They love art.” 

“I’ll be glad to paint with them.” I said honestly, giving him a little smile and his eyes were so full of warmth , I had to look away. i also realized, what I’d just said.

Taehyung picked up on it quickly.

“So this means you’re going to do it then? Move in with me ?” 

He grinned before reaching out and throwing an arm on the back of my seat, before turning around to look as he backed out of the spot. i tried not to stare at the way his large hands looked gripping the steering wheel. Tried not to think about how they’d felt gripping my waist. 

“Well, uh... i’m not sure that’s how you should be phrasing that to your girlfriend.” I said weakly and he frowned.

“You’re more worried about her than you should be. Me and Yeon hee...we’re.... it’s nothing serious. We’re friends more than lovers and its a really casual thing.” 

I tried not to fidget.

“I’m sure that has nothing to do with me.” i said quickly.

“Y/N...”

“Tae, I’m serious. I just... I just divorced my husband of seven years. I’m not up for these games....”

“These aren’t games, angel...”

“You know what i mean, Tae. I’m still emotionally in a lot of pain...and I know you always hated Wonho ....”

“Damn right I hated him, he took the one thing i wanted in the whole damn world.” Taehyung snapped.

I shut my eyes. 

“Taehyung...”

He groaned .

“I’m sorry. You’re right.. it’s just... it’s hard for me to see you ... being upset because of that bastard after everything he did....” He said softly. “He shouldn’t have ever come near you if he wasn’t going to love you right....” 

I stared at him. It had been over a decade but he still reminded me of the boy I’d left behind. I could read Taehyung like a book.....

And i thought about Wonho , about how different he had turned out to be, about how easily i’d been fooled. I’d thought I’d known him well, too and look how that turned out.... 

I didn’t know Taehyung, no matter how achingly familiar he felt. 

“ Can we not talk about this...?” I said softly.

He hesitated before nodding.

I sighed and sank back into the seats. It was going to be a long night. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note : This is short but I hope you guys liked it,.

[undertale-rho]

Underearth: Book 2 - Chapter 11

Frisk stepped out of the elevator. He was no longer in the laboratory. Instead, he found himself just outside of Asgore's house.

Wha... Wasn't I in the lab? How did I get here? Frisk thought.

He stepped out of the elevator and went inside the house. Since he'd come through earlier, the way was open. As such, Frisk descended the stairs and followed the long hallway, passed through the Judgement Hall, and entered into Asgore's throne room, where Asgore was tending to his garden.

"Dum dee dum..." Asgore sang.

"Asgore?" Frisk asked upon entering.

Asgore looked up. "Howdy! How can I..." he then went silent upon seeing Frisk.

"Hey..." Frisk said, trying to think of something to say. "Nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming..."

Asgore looked back down at the flowers at his feet.

"Yes... Yes, I suppose it is." he said. "Perfect weather for a game of catch, I reckon."

The two of them stood there in silence for the next few seconds.

"Listen... Asgore..." Frisk said. "We both know what we must do, but... you don't have to... kill me."

Asgore stood up and slowly walked over to his throne, sitting in it.

"I wish that were true, Human, I really do."

They both remained in silence for a bit longer.

"I suppose it can't be postponed any longer, then..." Frisk eventually said.

"I suppose not..."

Reluctantly, Asgore stood back up.

"When you are ready, come into the next room."

Asgore walked off into the following room, followed closely by Frisk.

"How tense..." Asgore said. "Just think of it like... A visit to the dentist."

They both walked down another hallway, ending at a pillared doorway.

"Are you ready? If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either." Asgore said before walking through the doorway.

Frisk followed after him.

The room beyond was a bit brighter than before, with a bit more light shining in.

"This is where Cerberus resides. The thing that keeps us all trapped underground." Asgore paused." If... If by chance you have any unfinished business... Please do what you must."

Frisk went silent for a minute.

"No... No, I have nothing else to do."

"... I see... This is it, then."

Just as Asgore finished speaking, there was an explosion where he was standing, sending him flying backwards.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent, youth..." A sweet and gentle voice emanated from behind Frisk.

Frisk turned around, suspecting exactly who it was.

"Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian." Toriel comforted.

"Toriel!" Frisk exclaimed, running up and hugging her.

"At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone... but I could not stop worrying about you. Your adventure must have been so treacherous. And ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice. To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person. You would have to kill Asgore. However... I realized... I cannot allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time? So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is... He deserves mercy, too."

By this time, Asgore was back on his feet, approaching where Frisk and Toriel were standing.

"Tori... You came back...!" he said.

"Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" Toriel condescended. "You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind... You could have passed Cerberus after you got one SOUL. Then you could have taken six SOULs from the Humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in despair because you would rather wait here, cowering in darkness."

Asgore was silent, looking down solemnly at the floor.

"... Tori... You're right... I am a miserable creature..." He then brought up his head to look at Toriel, a friendly smile on his face. "But, do you think we can at least be friends again?"

Toriel let out a sigh of annoyance.

"NO, Asgore." she said firmly, her eyes very thin.

"Ngahhhhhh!!! Asgore! Human!!" A new voice, belonging to Undyne, suddenly burst out from the doorway. "Nobody fight each other!!! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...!!"

Undyne then saw Toriel, who had turned around to face the door.

"I'll..." Undyne said again, lost for words at the stranger standing in the room.

"Hello." Toriel said, wearing her friendly voice again. "I am Toriel. Are you the Human's friend? It is nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah...?" Undyne replied. "Nice to meet you!"

Undyne then walked over to Asgore, whispering something in his ear that Frisk couldn't hear over a new person appearing.

"H-hey!" the new voice, belonging to Alphys, said. "Nobody hurt each other!!"

Alphys, too, then looked around the scene.

"Oh! Are you another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!" Toriel greeted Alphys.

"Uh, h-h-hi!" she said, eyeing Toriel as she walked to stand next to Undyne.

"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!" A loud, attention-grabbing voice announced. "IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE...! THEN I'LL!!! BE FORCED!!! TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!!!"

"Hello!" Toriel said.

"OH! HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!" Papyrus then bent down to loudly whisper into Frisk's ear. "PSST! HEY, HUMAN... DID ASGORE SHAVE...? AND... CLONE HIMSELF????" He asked, looking from Toriel to Asgore and back again.

"Hey guys... What's up?" a sixth, more laid-back voice appeared from beside Frisk.

"That voice...!!" Toriel said, running over to the two skeletons. "Hello, I think we may know each other?" she said, passing by Papyrus.

"Oh hey... I recognize your voice, too." Sans said.

"I am Toriel. So nice to meet you."

"The name's Sans." Sans said, closing his right eye. "And, uh, same."

"Oh! Wait, then...!" Toriel said, turning around to face Papyrus. "This must be your brother, Papyrus! Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you! Your brother has told me so much about you."

"WOWIE... I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM!!! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!!!"

"Hey, Papyrus..." Toriel said. "What does a skeleton tile his roof with?"

"HMMM... SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES???"

"No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with... shin-gles!!!"

"I CHANGED MY MIND!!! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!"

Toriel laughed at Papyrus's reaction, then turned back to Frisk.

"My child," she said. "it seems as if you must stay here for a while. But looking at all the great friends you have made... I think..." she looked around at everyone. "I think you will be happy here."

"Uh, h-hey, that reminds me." Alphys started saying. "Papyrus... you called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, her." Alphys gestured to Toriel. "Uh, anyway... If I got here before you... How did you know how to call everybody?"

Papyrus stroked his chin for a second.

"LET'S JUST SAY... A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME."

Alphys seized up. "A tiny... flower?"

As Alphys said this, Frisk felt the ground around him start to shake. Next thing he knew, vines of some kind were erupting from the ground, wrapping all around Asgore, Undyne, Toriel, Sans, Alphys, and Papyrus; lifting them all into the air. Vines also erupted around Frisk, grabbing him around his ankles, wrists, and neck. Upon finishing, Frisk was pulled down to the ground.

A demonic laughter filled the chamber.

"You IDIOTS." A tiny flower said after emerging from the ground in the center of the area. "While you guys were having your little pow-wow... I took the Human SOULs!"

Frisk, struggling to move in any way, managed to lift his head enough to see the source of the voice.

"FLOWEY!?!" Frisk yelled. The vines tightened around his neck, pulling him back down to the ground.

"Hee hee hee. Did you really think killing me would make a difference? No. Every time you load your SAVE, I'll come back. Just like everyone else you murdered! Like Undyne."

Flowey brought Undyne nearer to Frisk.

"Look at that, she doesn't even remember how you murdered her. How you brutally sank one of her own spears into her chest, piercing her lung."

Undyne got pulled back, and Asgore got brought forward.

"Or how you tore of Asgore's head."

Asgore was then pulled back.

"But now, not only are the Human SOULs under my power... But all of your friend's SOULs are gonna be mine, too!"

"NO!" Frisk screamed, struggling to escape.

"Hee hee hee. And you know what the best part is? It's all your fault. It's all because you made them love you. All because of your acting. All the time you spent listening to them... Encouraging them... Caring about them... Without that, they wouldn't have come here. And now, with their SOULs and the Humans' together... I will become god."

Flowey began laughing maniacally, slowly tightening his grasp on the six Monsters. Frisk's mind was racing. Racing to find a way to escape.

"Hey Flowey!" Frisk soon said. "Feel free to take their SOULs. Remember what happened last time with the other Humans? I'll simply get them to rebel while they're inside you."

The vines around the six Monsters stopped. Flowey looked back up at Frisk, a worried expression decorating his face. A few seconds more, however, and the worried expression morphed into a wide, maniacal smile.

"Will you now? Well what if I just kill you right here and now?"

The vines brought Frisk up into the air and slammed him against the wall just above the door, pinning him there. A bunch of white specks then appeared, hovering in the air near Frisk.

"I'll break you; you just be sure about that. Even if it means killing you a million times!!!"

The bullets then flew, full force, straight at Frisk's chest. As soon as they hit, Frisk could feel them inside him, burning like white hot iron nuggets.

Frisk screamed in agony. More bullets appeared, flying at Frisk as well. Then another, and another. Soon, Frisk was in tears from the burning pain.

"Now DIE!" Flowey screamed as the final bullets appeared and shot at Frisk.

As they approached, a small explosion suddenly appeared in front of Frisk, vaporizing the bullets.

"What?" Flowey questioned.

"Do not be afraid my child..." Toriel said. "No matter what happens... We will always be there to protect you!"

More bullets appeared and flew at Frisk, these ones stopped by several bones that erupted from around him. Spears also flew out, cutting the vines suspending Frisk.

"THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN!!" Papyrus said. "JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO. BELIEVE IN YOU!!!"

"Hey! Human!" Undyne started shouting. "If you got past me, you can do anything! So don't worry! We're with you all the way!"

More bullets appeared around Frisk while he was still kneeling on the ground, recovering from the restrainment. As they flew at him, electricity appeared around him, destroying most of the bullets. Those that were missed were claimed by another small explosion.

"Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him..." Alphys said. "B-but... somehow, I know you can do it!!"

"Human," Asgore chimed in as well. "for the future of Humans and Monsters...! You have to stay determined...!"

Frisk started feeling a warmth in his chest. All the pain from before was gone. He stood up, then faced Flowey.

"Urrgh... NO!" Flowey said, summoning more bullets that flew at Frisk.

As the bullets approached, a shield appeared around him, blocking them.

"Unbelievable!!" Flowey said, worry engulfing his face. "This can't be happening...! You... YOU...!"

The worry on Flowey's face suddenly melted away, replaced with a wide, toothy, demonic grin.

"I can't believe you're all so STUPID. ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!!!"

As Flowey spoke, a white orb of energy began growing above him. Within seconds, the ball of energy exploded outwards, engulfing the entire room, castle, Elysium, and, eventually, the entire Underground.

Replay : In the Hall of the Mountain King

Previous First posting First of this book Next

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Bungou Stray Dogs 24 (FINAL) | Flip Flappers 11 - 13 (FINAL) | Classicaloid 11 - 12 | ConRevo 19 - 24 (FINAL)

I’m currently having trouble with Crunchyroll videos, so it may take a while to get to some of their stuff...

Yellow + blue = green, not blue.

Dramatic falls really shouldn’t take that long.

Get out, Igarashi humour.

Oh! Hell~o, Fyodorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Face stealing aliens…again.

Aww…sweet reunions.

Just one word from Dazai and he (Akutagawa) falls backwards, LOL.

Blue background, white and black text. Huh, nice colour palette.

LOL, Ango. You’re back.

Whoa?! Was that in the manga, that Herman was the Guild leader two gens back?!

Smol whale…aww.

Twain, you dumb butt. Stop working on your biography.

Lovecraft’s eyes were showing just as he dove into the water. (sarcastically->) Creepy.

Why a tomato during the “Cheers?!”

LOL, did I only just notice the ahoge on Kyouka? Yeah…I guess.

That was me…y’know. End of 2016 apology?

Ahaha, sweet lil’ Poe. That’s me though.

What a lolicon you are, Mori.

Whose painting is that? But…Dazai, you apparently once did a horrible self portraint…

Fyodor looks so good animated! Aww yeah!

…Dazai, you mean Shin Soukoku, yeah?

“My friend said to me…”

Teni Muhou is, of course, an Oda work,

“See you…” – Huh? This is even more open ended than “See you next level” and such. It’s a complete “in the air” thing! I wonder, since Bungou seems to be very popular amongst the Japanese fans, will we meet again?

Flip Flappers 11

Uhh…what now? I’m so confused…so Mimi = Cocona’s mother and yet a doppelganger of her?

Bu-chan basically wet himself…eww.

That shot of Sayuri, with Hidaka behind her, was vaguely disturbing due to the angle…(By the way, Hadaka = no clothes whatsoever, Hidaka = the name of the pink haired character. I’ve only now made that connection.)

Ick, reaaaaaaaaally compromising shot there between her (Mimi? Cocona’s mother?) legs.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Okay. Now it makes sense regarding Cocona and her mother.

Honestly, where are all the guns coming from?! Salt probably had one in his jacket but Nyunyu probably didn’t. She doesn’t even have a jacket!

Back to being confused. Meanwhile, Elpis.

Who is Cocona’s dad, by the way?

A middle aged man bowing down to a young girl? Now that, in Japanese culture, is desperate.

Flip Flappers 12 

I only just realised when Sayuri said their names, but Papika and Yayaka are very similar names. I hope Cocona never gets confused between the two.

That mailbox looks like a mushroom…or worse…hahahaha. Sorry, won’t tell you what it looks like to me. You’ll have to figure it out for yourself.

Yayaka’s got a lot of attitude – I like it.

Hidaka’s EYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSss! They’re NORMAL! Dang, the sight of Hidaka’s normal eyes makes my own eyes BURNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNnnnn! ARGH!

Yeah…one does not simply have an emergency button labelled “Muscle”, ‘kay?

Idiom mode? Someone get these guys a dictionary.

“Why do you wish…”

That was one of the fastest KOs I’ve ever seen of a final boss. Ever.

That hand in the ED (during the part where Bu-chan becomes a duck)! That’s what it means!

My video keeps stopping at weird spots in the next ep teaser, which shows that one of the images is the muscular monster Cocona and Papika kicked the butt off before, but in blue. Another is a mixture of the worlds, but there’s the kanji for “snow” in one corner. One with Papika and Cocona shows that they’re rough sketches for the show. Oh, whatever…here you go. Some screenshots I took for this express purpose.

Flip Flappers 13 (FINAL)

How did she eat the watermelon with all the seeds in it? I once at a watermelon’s black seed at a buffet…and it ended with me barfing! (I haven’t quite liked watermelon as much since and since it was my favourite fruit up until then, I’ve never really been into fruit since. Haha.)

Okay, we still don’t know who Nyunyu is…

Giant artichokes! At least, that’s what I thought when Nyunyu shot Bu-chan’s brain.

Oh my…that’s some fine Salt you’ve got there! (tee hee)

Scary trees remind me of the ED.

Yay! Beast man Uexkull came back!

Bu-chan…he LIVES!

It seems highly likely Salt is Cocona’s father. My brain can’t quite wrap itself around that fact.

Sailor Lune. LOL.

I think “School Investigator” (School Keiji, shown on a wall while Sayuri looks away) is a Sukeban Deka parody.

Cocona’s in middle school now…wow. Time sure flies, doesn’t it?

Welp, that was slightly confusing, but overall a fun ride. Reminds me of ConRevo, which (at the point of typing) I still need to finish rewatching…

Classicaloid 11

It’s a pretty light episode, but considering that there’s (almost) another season left before we wrap up, it’s allowed.

LOL, I can relate, Schu.

This episode is pretty good when it comes to LOLs - I haven’t laughed like this in a while.

The “JESUS!” in the back was hilarious. (Sorry, Jesus.) Speaking of Jesus…I once saw an ad for this, and Asian Jesus? Whoever decided on that?

What song is this one if they didn’t even use a song this ep? A CLA:KLA song?

“Great Bach says…” – Uh, who’s narrating this? Bach himself?

Classicaloid 12

Ooh, serious mode. They haven’t done that since the guitar contest.

Why is Bach speaking normally?!

What was that, with the beeping…? Cho*bleep*, that is? I dunno.

What’s with those dancers and their makeup?

Hmph. Deep stuff, but I get it.

More bleeping…

Turning point, eh? (Plus, badass helicopter ride. LOL.)

Emails? You weak willed…Sousuke, dangit. Plus, does Mitsuru have a Pad-kun or the Pad-kun?

So Bach is white, as well as dark blue? OK.

Oh no. I just had a hideous fantasy of Schu turning into a fish. It’s more likely Schu will get eaten by the fish instead…or something. *shrugs*

(ConRevo 19)

Terra Australis. I know from history lessons that’s Australia. Magallanica is an alternate name of it.

Uh, definitely not true, Mr Abel Tasman my man.

The ice effect is nice.

Oh, “the tall nail gets the hammer” seems to be a scolding regarding tall poppy syndrome.

Issun boshi aka One Inch Boy. Momotarou…is Momotarou.

The tomb exists. by the way.

Earth-chan went “!!!” at the beam of light, LOL.

Raito’s such a fanboy, albeit a subdued one.

The large object is of course a torii gate.

CGI puzzle…? That’s the weirdest thing I’ll say in a while.

How much would an Equus kick hurt to Koma though? A lot…ouch.

Those red flowers…I recognise them, but I can’t remember their name…*searches* Camellia. That’s the one.

Raito’s face…is so off model, it’s disturbing.

Don’t go around underestimating politicians. (I’m still laughing though...just ignore it…)

Renderer Brace = Satomi, obviously.

(ep 20)

It’s the one Urobuchi episode. I didn’t particularly like it, but when you see what I’m capable of today, I acknowledge I am a hypocrite. The lowest of low beings.

Mekong Delta. That outright confirms it’s Vietnam.

I never really realised how I was so insensitive to POSA colour due to ConRevo…

There’s a distinctly different flavour of story here. Fuurouta, for example, isn’t his usual playful self and is merely a very serious messenger.

Kikko is always treated like a child, huh?

Who’s the bigger monstrosity, Jirou or Jonathan?

At a bar. Just like villains normally hide out.

Shellshock…

“National interest”? Global politics taught me that aside from power, national interest is the most paramount thing there is.

El Coco.

The Middle East? Of course, the ol’ fogey saying that isn’t a coincidence, considering 9/11 and such.

“Cursed bogey”? Never heard that one before.

Wasn’t Urobuchi the one who suffered from depression then decided to kill all his characters? Or was that Yoshiyuki Tomino? Update: Yup, it was the Urobutcher I was thinking of, although I got the story wrong.

Those statues seem to be more Cambodia, but meh.

Of course, that’s deinitely the Urobutcher at work now. To think I used to have stories that were similar to his, because I thought I was capable of writing apocaplytic endings and it was much cooler to kill everyone off…huh. Ro.Te.O is such a weird edgelord amongst all of my stories…

Daizoukyoujiyama.

(ep 21)

The Kachoudou sign actually says August 31st, not October.

The sign in the alley said “Ko-ruten Street”, but I’m not sure what that means.

What’s better than plain ol’ sakuga? Sakuga explosions!

“[N]one of the things that try to trap us are gone”? The syntax is funny in that phrase.

Yee-haw! Sakuga fight!

“No one called you.” – LOL, Raito.

Judas smokes now. What has the world come to?

Arakawa, eh? They’re trying to make the oil spill be water under the bridge, so to speak…geddit? Haha. (Update: Arakawa Under the Bridge. That’s what it refers to.)

(ep 22)

Welp, here’s the Show Within a Show episode…take it as you will.

Gigantopithecus giganteus.

Semiconductor processor.

Such irony in the “You’re still a boy” between Maki and Fuurouta.

Who’s the girl with the yellow headband with Judas?

(ep 23)

Sometimes I wonder if we all wake up from our dreams someday…I think even rewatching this show and finally understanding it, I’m waking up in my own way too.

CGI Equus. Dangit, I thought this show was above that by now.

I didn’t think about why the iron plate thingy is shaped like a fish. Then I realised…taiyaki. They’re shaped like fish and have those sorts of moulds. Just as Fuurouta says.

I forgot Raito dies…*sobs*

Oh? What’s this? Not a complete episode yet?...(Eheh, I just wanted a chance to invoke a meme or two.)

One helmet with a streetlight behind it looks like a bomb…

ConRevo 24 (FINAL)

Final ep…again.

See? Jiro does look like Cyborg 009!

Daitetsu has grown up to be the symbol of justice for Japan and Imperial Ads and to tear him down would mean even more blasphemy on the state than before, eh?

Waitasec…Satomi is basically the Fitz (Bungou Stray Dogs), but without the blonde hair and the (fake and/or crazy) wife.

Jirou disappeared just like Devila and Devilo.

Mm-hm. I do like me some good shirtless Judas. *thumb up*

Aww, Daitetsu. Being the Rainbow Knight for a new generation. Isn’t that sweet?

Hope we can meet again soon!

[writer-k-pop]

The Tailor (h.j.s) - Waning Crescent Hotel

Please read this (W.C.Hotel) if this is the first post of this series that you see. Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of death Genre: Angst, Hotel Del Luna AU, Choose your own adventure, SVT x Fem! Reader Staff: Yong (Spirit General Manager) / Jiwoo (Human General Manager) / Soon Bok (Room Manager) / Mun Hee (Front Desk Receptionist) / Shin (Grim Reaper assigned to Waning Crescent) Word Count: Ending A - 4.3k / Ending B - 4.3k

W.C.Hotel | Seventeen Masterlist | Masterlists

"And what would you like me to do about that?" Soon Bok asks loudly as I walk into the lobby. The guest standing in front of Soon Bok is standing with her arms crossed and a hip popped. I immediately know that the guest has been giving Soon Bok sass and Soon Bok doesn't take sass from guests.

"That's what I thought." Soon Bok says when the guest doesn't have anything to say, "Now, please, go and enjoy the hotel's amenities while I help other guests." Soon Bok bows politely as the biggest bitch slap she can give without actually laying a finger on the guest.

I snicker and take the long way to meet up with Soon Bok while avoiding the guest.

"Sassy?" I ask when I catch up with the rooms manager.

"You have no idea." Soon Bok breathes out. "She wanted me to change her room. And you wanna know her reasoning?"

I stay silent and let Soon Bok continue venting.

"Because she didn't like the rug. The freaking rug!" Soon Bok throws her hands up in the air in disbelief, "And then she has the nerve to ask me to move her room even though we are nearly fully booked with people checking in during the day and the night. Crazy bitch." Soon Bok grumbles with disgust.

I laugh and place a hand on her shoulder, "How did you ever survive here for so long, Soon Bok?"

"With great skill." Soon Bok jokes lightly. "Hey, have you seen Mun Hee? He was supposed to do something for me but he disappeared awhile ago."

I look around the lobby in search of our young receptionist. "He disappeared from me too. I'll go find him and tell him he's needed."

Soon Bok nods in thanks, "I'll be doing rounds in the 600 level."

"I'll send him right up." I say with a smile before breaking away to find Mun Hee.

I check around the lobby once more to make sure he isn't hiding behind some couch. But I have no luck. So I walk through the front reception doors to check his regular working station and low and behold, Mun Hee is sat behind the counter, scrolling through his phone, and laughing like he doesn't have a job that needs doing.

"Jang Mun Hee." I cross my arms over my chest and just stare at him. The sound of my voice startles him so much that he sends his phone tumbling across the desk and he stumbles as he stands on his feet.

"I-I wasn't scrolling through videos." Mun Hee stutters out a bad excuse, "I-I was doing research for our hotel."

I raise my eyebrows at him in suspicion and keep my mouth shut.

"I was watching videos." Mun Hee lowers his head in shame.

"Well, Soon Bok is looking for you." I tell him, uncrossing my arms.

Mun Hee's mouth drops open in realization. "Oh shoot. She asked me to print some things for her." His hands tap nervously against the desk, "Oh. Oh. Oh. (y/n) can you stay here for just a few minutes while I go do that? Please?" He asks.

I nod once, "She's in the 600 level."

Mun Hee clasps his hands together in thanks, "Oh, thank you, thank you." He rushes past me, "I'll be right back!" He says and yanks the door to the hotel open then is gone from my sight.

I shake my head and chuckle before making my way behind the desk. Standing behind the desk for the first time in hundreds of years, I run my hands over the polished wood. Behind me, a wall lists all the rooms available and each room number has a light next to it. The rooms who's light is turned off have a guest situated there. Seeing as our hotel is quite nearly full, most of the lights are turned off but there are still a good number lit.

The bell above the front door dings, announcing a guest's arrival.

"Welcome to the Waning-" I start the usual speech but stop when I see the guest's face.

"Hi. Am I in the right place?" The guest with Sang Kyu's face asks while looking around our pretty empty reception area.

"I, I can check that for you if you uh, would just show me your palm." I stutter in the face of one of my former human managers.

The guest with Sang Kyu's face willingly holds out his hand, palm up. I have to read over his palm a couple times to make sure I'm reading his lives correctly.

I breathe out in relief and the guest pulls his hand back.

"You actually will need to go find Hotel Blue Moon." I tell him. "Just follow the moon and it'll guide you there."

"I thought that's what I was doing." The guest tilts his head to the side and Sang Kyu's unique confused expression shows through loud and clear.

"You probably were following the moon's shadow." I explain, "The moon's shadow leads you here while the moon leads you to Hotel Blue Moon."

"Ah, I see. So follow the actual moon, yes?" The guest repeats my instructions.

I nod, "Yes, there you will rest before leaving to live another life."

"There's more after this life?" The guest's eyes widen and I'm reminded of Sang Kyu's first few days as a manager and how every single thing amazed him.

"There is." I smile softly.

"Thank you." The guest says and quickly makes his way out of the reception area.

I sigh as the door closes behind him, "The Gods have given you 8 lives. Live them well." I sigh again and continue to stare at the closed doors.

"Who was given 8 lives?" Mun Hee asks from behind me.

Startled, I whip around to face him while he has his hands tucked into his pockets.

"Mun Hee, don't sneak up on me like that." I scold him.

"Okay but who was given 8 lives?" He repeats his question, ignoring my fright.

"Sang Kyu's soul." I tell him and lean my forearms on the desk.

"Sang Kyu showed up?" Mun Hee asks and brushes his arm against mine as he copies my body posture.

"A future life did." I say, "But I had to send him to Hotel Blue Moon. His soul's not done yet."

"Damn, I missed him." Mun Hee says disappointed and I turn to face the board of rooms.

"He'll be back." I say, "Which room did Soon Bok put Joshua in?" I ask, searching the rooms as if they'll tell me.

Mun Hee turns around and points to a room with its light off, "312. And he's staying for 14 days. I read his palm." Mun Hee adds before I can say anything.

"Two weeks?" I rephrase the duration of Joshua's stay, "That's so long."

"But it also means he lived a lot of lives, which is good, right?" Mun Hee questions.

"I'm impatient." I give him a lazy smile and push away from the desk to head back into the hotel.

"Oh, are you not going to hang out with me?" Mun Hee asks, his eyes following my movements.

I pause with my hand on the doors and chuckle, "I wish I could, Mun Hee, but you have your job and I have my job. I'll see you later." I wave at him and open the door to the bustling lobby.

~The Fourteenth Day~

I sigh and set down my pen after signing the 19th form of the day and I've only been awake for an hour. With one hand, I close the final folder and the other brings the champagne flute to my mouth. I lean back in my chair and close my eyes after setting the flute back down on my desk. My ears listen to the soft orchestral music I put on for background noise and stretch out my wrist.

"It's just around the corner." Chung Ho argues from the driver's seat. "And it'll only take like six seconds. I just have to pick up my suit jacket."

"Can't you do it on your way home?" I groan and sink further into my seat.

Chung Ho shakes his head, keeping his eyes on the road, "I need it for the thing I have after I get off."

"I'll let you leave early." I try to bargain cause I really just want to lie in my bed and ignore both worlds.

Chung Ho gestures to the road in front of him, "We're basically here. Stop complaining," He turns down a side street full of shops. "You can brood and sulk soon."

I humph and turn my head towards my side window.

The shops we pass are brick-and-mortar stores but most seem to be busy as there are a good amount of people out and about.

Chung Ho parks the car outside of a tailor shop and turns the car off.

"I'll be right back. Wait here." He instructs me and I scoff that he's giving me instructions.

He leaves the car and walks into the store. The store front is quieter than the other surrounding stores and there are some sharp suits set up on mannequins in the front windows.

"Doesn't look too shabby." I mutter and peel my eyes back to the inside of the car.

I turn my attention back to the inside of car where Chung Ho's wallet sits. My hand wraps around the wallet sitting in the center console. Worried that he'll need it, I exit the car and quickly make my way inside the shop.

Chung Ho stands at the counter, patiently waiting for someone, and I make my way over.

Holding out his wallet to him, I announce my presence, "You left this in the car."

He looks down and then up at me, "You do have a heart." He jabs at me like a little sibling.

I roll my eyes as someone approaches with a suit jacket in a clear plastic covering. He's dressed in slacks and a freshly pressed button up shirt. And I have to say he looks quite good. I read his name off of his name tag: Joshua.

"Here you are." Joshua lays out the jacket on the counter then points out where he fixed it but I can't actually tell, "I fixed the stitching on the pocket and the buttons on the sleeves. And there was some loose stitching on the inner layer so I fixed that as well."

"It looks amazing. Thank you." Chung Ho runs his hands over the front of the jacket and pockets his wallet.

As Chung Ho picks up his jacket, Joshua turns to me.

"Have you been helped yet, miss?" He asks and I'm taken aback not expecting it.

"I, I'm with him." I gesture to Chung Ho who is trying so hard to stifle a laugh.

"I see." Joshua looks between us, "Well, if you need anything tailored or custom made, do stop in."

"Thank you." I smile, slightly off put by the normality of his tone.

"Oh, here, take my business card." Joshua hands over a small piece of paper, "My name's Joshua." He smiles and my mind burns the sweet sight deep into my memory.

Quick and consistent knocking brings me out of the memory and I sit up, rubbing my eyes.

"Who is it?" I ask, my voice laced with sleep.

Jiwoo opens the door and stands halfway in the doorway, "It's me."

"Mm, come in." I run my hands through my hair, pushing through the small knots that had formed during my nap.

"You signed all the forms?" Jiwoo asks, noticing the large stacks on my desk.

"Yupp." I say and pop the 'p.'

"Did you even read them?" He asks and raises a questioning eyebrow.

I shrug, "I skimmed."

Jiwoo shakes his head and then scoops of the files, "Soon Bok brought Joshua down just now. You better get going. Don't want to keep your man waiting." He says and winks at me.

I chuckle and quickly make my way out of my office with a wave of goodbye. My heels notify the hotel walls that this boss lady is not to be disturbed on her way to her garden.

When I reach the garden, Joshua is standing, facing me with his head bowed and his hands clasped behind his back. He hears my footsteps and lifts his head up. A smile grows on his face and mine does the same.

"Hey, stranger." Joshua says with a light chuckle.

I run into his arms and sigh happily. "Joshua."

Joshua pulls back and his eyes gaze over my face while he tucks some of my hair behind my ear. "God, you haven't changed a bit." He whispers.

I shyly laugh and Joshua chuckles at my reaction.

"How have you been?" Joshua asks, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

"I've been... existing." I answer him.

"Just existing?" Joshua raises his eyebrows.

"Well, I was living for a while but then I had to wait and at that point I was just existing." I explain then turn the question onto him, "How was your stay?"

"Really nice." Joshua says slightly surprised, "You run a really nice hotel."

"What, did you think I was running an old moldy motel?" I question with a laugh.

Joshua quickly shakes his head, "No, no. I just never expected the after life to be this... extravagant."

"We get our money from the Gods and they do not disappoint." I say with a smug smile. "Plus this is only the beginning, there's still the other side."

Joshua wiggles his eyebrows playfully and twirls me in a circle. "Sounds exciting."

I land back in his arms and he looks around the garden.

"So is this your private garden?" Joshua asks, keeping one arm wrapped around your shoulders while turning his body towards the tree.

"This is." I say, "And that's the tree that keeps me tied here like a chained dog."

"Ah, don't drag innocent dogs into this." Joshua pouts, "Well, you keep it in good condition."

"It keeps itself like that." I tell him and lead him towards the tree. "The Gods use it as a twisted reminder of why I'm running this hotel."

I pull his hand and rest it against the trunk of the tree. "Do you feel it?"

Joshua tilts his head to the side, "What am I supposed to feel?"

I smile softly at him, "Close your eyes and focus on the tree." I tell him and let go of his hand as not to interfere.

"Okay." Joshua whispers and closes his eyes. After a few seconds, he opens his eyes again. "There's a faint heartbeat."

"It's mine." I lean in close to tell him the secret.

"So you are alive." Joshua teases and boops my nose.

"Just cause I have a heartbeat doesn't mean I'm alive." I argue and walk back to sit on the bench.

"Always the stubborn one, aren't you?" Joshua asks, taking a seat next to me on the bench.

I scrunch my face up at him then move the conversation away from the topic of me. "I have a question."

"Ask your question." Joshua says dramatically.

"That first day we met, why did you assume I was just another customer?" I ask and Joshua's face flushes with embarrassment.

"That was so embarrassing." He covers his face with his hands. I giggle and pull his hands away. His cheeks are flushed pink and he smiles sheepishly.

"I thought it was kind of cute." I tell him.

Joshua chuckles while he exhales, "Well, if I'm being completely honest, it was your clothes."

"My clothes?" I question and look down at my outfit.

"Not the ones you're wearing, silly." Joshua nudges his shoulder against mine, "The day you walked in with your friend you were wearing at least what looked like high end stuff and your friend was wearing a lower level of fashion."

"How could you tell it was high end?" I continue to probe into his explanation.

"Have you already forgotten what I did for a living?" Joshua asks, slightly offended but then continues his explanation, "The fabrics your dress was made out of and, not that I was looking," He lays out his defense, "The stitching on your dress was flawless. Damn near perfect."

"You got all that from the what, one minute we were standing in front of each other?" I wonder.

"Uh, yeah." Joshua responds with sass, "I'm a tailor. It's what I did for a living."

"So you totally judged us." I sum up.

"Oh, I totally judged you." Joshua laughs and I join in with him. "Just don't tell your friend that."

"You really don't remember his name?" I ask.

"I was kind of focused on you." Joshua smirks.

I breathe out, "Well, lucky for you, I haven't seen Chung Ho pass through this hotel yet. So he's still out there living lives." I lean in closer to Joshua and poke his tummy. "Speaking of lives, you, sir, lived a fair amount."

"Fourteen is a fair amount?" Joshua wonders. "I thought I would've lived more."

"More than fourteen lives?" I repeat incredulously, "Fourteen lives is a lot! Most souls only live like 5 to 9 lives. You had fourteen."

Joshua laughs in defeat, "Alright, so I lived more than the average number of lives but I still thought I would've lived more."

"The Gods decide all that and I'm pretty sure they spin a wheel to see how many lives each soul will live." I explain and try to joke at the same time. "Which life was your favorite?"

"Hmm." Joshua hums in thought, "My first. Cause you were in it." He lazily smiles.

"That's biased." I roll my eyes.

"No but I am serious about my favorite being my first." Joshua explains, "The clothes I made and the clothes I fixed, I don't know, there was just sometime about the work that I didn't find in any of my other lives."

"So you like using your hands." I conclude and start playing with his hand.

Joshua chuckles and grips my hand securely. "My hands are everything. I get to hold my most favorite thing in my hands." He holds up your interlocked hands for emphasis.

"And what was your favorite part about making or fixing the clothes?" I ask, leaning in closer and listening to the echo of his heartbeat. Strong and steady.

Joshua shrugs underneath me, "The feeling of the cloth underneath my fingers and the motion of sewing the pieces together was just, soothing? Calming?" He searches for the right word.

"I get it." I nod in understanding. "Plus, you always made the seams nearly invisible. You were so good."

"Only for you." Joshua whispered and planted a kiss to the top of my head.

"Nah, I couldn't have been the only one." I deny.

"You're right. You weren't the only one." Joshua states simply and I still at his answer, "I did it for my kids, also."

A smile grows on my face, "Kids? You had kids?"

Joshua mirrors the smile on my face and nods, "I had two. Two girls." He explains.

"Tell me about them." I ask, looking up at him and he settles more comfortably with me.

"What do you want to know?" Joshua asks, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer.

"Everything." I exhale happily, ready to dive into the stories of Joshua's first life.

Joshua chuckles but easily begins telling me all about his girls. Where they went to school, what they ended up doing after college, and even some of their embarrassing stories-many of which he took part in. I listen with admiration as he claims that because of me and my wardrobe full of dresses, he was well versed in the world of dress tailoring.

From his children, he moved onto the shop and how it faired over the years. How he couldn't find a successor for it and it retired when he did. The things he did in retirement and the few grandchildren his daughters gave him. He even lived long enough to meet a couple of his great grandchild.

In between the stories, we'd sometimes get sidetracked and start talking about our own memories. From the happy ones when we had chaotic dates and amazing adventures to the less happy ones where we had our arguments or when I had to return to the hotel for long periods of times and I couldn't tell him where I was going.

As the last of the stories are told, the sun also tells its last stories while it bids the day goodbye.

And it also signals the goodbye I have to say to Joshua.

Joshua sighs and kisses my head then rests his cheek on the top of my head. "My turn to go, huh?" He murmurs.

I slowly nod, "Your turn to go."

"And if I don't want to?" He questions, slumping onto me.

"We don't really have a choice, Joshua." I giggle as my body starts to bend underneath his dead weight.

Joshua pouts like a child and I shake my head.

"You, sir, are a child." I tell him with a laugh.

"My soul is still so young." Joshua says and dramatically places a hand over his heart. "And now it must go to an eternal rest. How unfair and cruel is this world." Joshua flails his body out.

I stand up with an exhale, "Alright, my love. You have a soul that needs resting." I grab his hands one at a time and try to pull him up but he does nothing to help me. He even closes his eyes.

"Joshua..." I drag out his name.

He peeks at me through half opened eyes before suppressing a smile and closing his eyes again.

I cross my arms and tilt my head to the side, "Joshua, come on. I don't want this anymore than you do but come on. Please?"

Joshua sighs in defeat and holds out his hands while opening and closing his fists. Much like a child. "Help me up." He says.

I roll my eyes playfully but give into his request and grab his hands. When he stands, he pulls me so we're standing chest to chest and looks down at me with a look that I can't quite place.

"What?" I ask and he smirks.

"Can't I take in the beauty of the woman I love for a last time?" Joshua questions me.

I release one of his hands and lead him out of the garden, "Yes you can, but you are on a deadline."

Joshua mumbles nonsense and wraps his arms around my waist from behind. "Do you think the weather will be nice over there?" He asks, nuzzling his face into my neck.

"I'm sure the weather will be beautiful over there." I chuckle.

As we enter the lobby, Joshua lightly kisses my neck and a shiver runs down my spine.

"Joshua, behave." I scold him, "The guests will be awake soon."

"Sooo?" He drags out the word in a low voice.

"Joshua." I elbow his stomach, telling him that he seriously needs to stop.

Joshua pulls back and falls in step next to me, "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just really going to miss you." He explains

"I know." I smile at him as we near the departure door.

Joshua reaches out and opens the door. The night air wastes no time rushing into the hotel. We both stand shoulder to shoulder looking out towards the forest, neither of us aying a word.

That is until the wind blows the sound of an idling engine in our direction. Joshua hears it as well and starts walking forward with me in tow. We walk in silence but Joshua's grip on my hand doesn't lessen one bit. Our footsteps slow as we approach Shin standing next to the idling car.

I take in a deep breath and try to release my hand from Joshua's grasp but he doesn't let go.

"Promise me something?" He asks, reaching into his other pocket.

"Anything."  I say, my voice not coming out as strong as I would've liked.

Joshua gives me a small smile and brings something out of his pocket. The colorful cloth floats in the wind and some gold sparkles under the growing moonlight.

"Keep this close." He says and places the cloth in my hand, closing my fingers around it.

I open the fabric in my hands. The deep blue silk is soft against my fingers and I know exactly where i've met this fabric before. It was Joshua's favorite handkerchief.

My hands close over the cloth, "I promise." I promise and Joshua nods in satisfaction.

Joshua leans down and places a sweet kiss on my lips. For those two seconds, I spend the entire time memorizing how his lips feels against mine and how they mold with mine as easily as chocolate sets in a mold. And all too soon, Joshua pulls away and smiles sweetly at me.

Without another word, I watch him walk to the car and lower himself into it. I watch as the car door shuts at the sound solidifies Joshua's exit from this world.

My grip on the handkerchief tightens as the car drives away. I pray that the Gods won't take this last shred of Joshua away from me but of course, they don't listen to me.

Minutes after the car disappears into the forest fog, the satin slowly disappears until all that's left in my grasp is air.

When the cloth has fully disappeared, a white chrysanthemum withers and dies back in the garden. Then I turn back to the hotel and walk straight to my office and lock myself away to wait for the next to arrive.

Return to the Navigation Page (Waning Crescent Hotel) to choose the next guest.

"I wonder which one was right." Joshua says, uncrossing his legs in preparation to stand up.

"Which one was right?" I repeat his question in confusion.

"Which religion was right." Joshua explains, "I was always a Christian but I wonder which one actually had it right."

I smile at his thoughts, "They all are." I tell him, leaning towards him, "That's why they're called 'Gods' and not 'God.'"

"And no one knows." Joshua says in awe.

"Not until they come here." I smile and rise to my feet, "So let's go see it."

Joshua jumps to his feet, "Let's go." He smiles widely and grabs my hand. He leads me out of the garden with a little spring in his step. But as we near the lobby, my footsteps begin getting heavier.

We walk hand in hand to the lobby where Yong, Mun Hee, Soon Bok, and Jiwoo stand solemnly.

"So this is it?" Mun Hee asks with tears in his eyes. "This is the day you leave us?"

I wrap him up in a hug, only a tiny bit annoyed that he's being so sappy. "Maybe I'll get punished again and be back here by the end of the year." I try to joke but Mun Hee abruptly pushes back from me.

"Don't you dare say that. You better not return here." He says angrily through his tears.

I chuckle, "I won't come back. I promise."

Turning to Soon Bok, I thank her for her service and her amazing work. Something I never did and should've done more.

Next onto Jiwoo. I also thank him for his and his entire family's service then I unclip the bracelet that has held him to this place.

"When you leave today, you won't be able to find this place again." I inform him, "I hope that you'll be able to go and live your life happily."

Jiwoo nods, "Thank you for letting me work with you. I won't ever forget you."

I smile sadly, "You will. But thank you."

Finally I reach Yong who is sniffling and trying so very hard not cry.

"You'd think after all these years of waiting that I'd be prepared for this day." She says through sniffles.

"Thank you, Yong." I rests my hands on her shoulders, "For everything. Thank you."

With lips pursed together, she leans forward and wraps me in an unexpected hug. But I soon wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tightly.

We pull apart after a couple seconds and I wipe the few tears that have escaped from her eyes.

"Keep this hotel running beautifully." I tell her before Joshua grabs my hand again.

With final waves of goodbye, Joshua and I walk out to the foggy forest that will take us to our resting place.

At the edge of the forest, Shin stands next to an idling car, a somber look on his face.

"(y/n)." He says when we reach him, "It has been an honor working with you. I wish you both a peaceful rest." Shin bows his head and I pat his arm.

"The honor was mine." I tell him with a smile. Now the tears start to line my eyes as the realization fully sets in.

I'm free. I served my years of punishment and now I'm free to let my soul rest.

I turn back towards the hotel and look up to the top where the rooftop patio is outlined with bright string lights. Then to the mid floors where random room lights are turned on, some guests staying in while others opting to experience the hotel's many services. Then to grand base where guests would be milling around, waiting their turns to leave this world.

"(y/n)?" Joshua softly asks pulling my attention to where he sits just inside the car, "Are you ready?"

I take one last quick look at the hotel before turning away from it. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go."

I lower myself into the car and Shin securely closes the door after I am completely inside. As the car begins to drive forward, Joshua securely grabs my hand and I let his warmth guide me towards our final destination.

In the garden, the final chrysanthemum withers and dies so that no more stand at the base of the bare tree.

[writer-k-pop]

The Chef (k.m.g) - Waning Crescent Hotel

Please read this (W.C.Hotel) if you this is the first post of this series that you see. Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of death Genre: Angst, Hotel Del Luna AU, Choose your own adventure, SVT x Fem! Reader Staff: Yong (Spirit General Manager) / Jiwoo (Human General Manager) / Soon Bok (Room Manager) / Mun Hee (Front Desk Receptionist) / Shin (Grim Reaper assigned to Waning Crescent) Word Count: Ending A - 4.2k / Ending B - 3.9k

W.C.Hotel | Seventeen Masterlist | Masterlists

"The pool is going to be cleaned tonight. And Jiwoo said that some of the lights should be changed out." Yong informs me as I watch Mingyu from above.

I silently nod and tilt my head as Mingyu dramatically adjust his long coat before sitting on one of the lobby couches.

Yong chuckles, "You're staring."

I blink and look at other places in the lobby, avoiding the fact that I got caught. "The others will never know about this." I threaten even though I know she would never leak that kind of information unless I wanted it.

"They will stay in the dark. As always." Yong gives a single nod.

"Don't say that. That makes it sound like I never talk to my staff." I whine, pouting.

Yong shrugs, "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one you actually talk to."

I lean against the railing, "That's not true. I talk to others."

"Mun Hee and Soon Bok and Jiwoo don't count." Yong corrects me, "They're the heads of their departments. They have to talk to you."

I purse my lips and search for other employees I talk to.  "Well, there's was, no they didn't talk to me."

Yong pats my shoulder, "It's okay. You technically don't need to talk to everyone."

I stand up straight and flick my hair behind my shoulders, "Exactly. And more people should come and talk to me. I'm the freaking CEO after all."

"Yes, yes you are." Yong comforts me with a small smile. But just a really small one.

"How many days?" I ask, running my hands through my hair.

"Four." Yong answers.

"Room?" I wonder.

"64." She says after scanning her lists.

"(y/n)." Mun Hee quietly calls my name from behind us.

"What?" I ask, bored, and turn around to face him.

"There's, there's a guest at the front desk who would like to talk to you." Mun Hee says with his hand folded politely in front of him.

"Who?" I wonder because I never get guests. I'm me after all.

"They asked me not to say anything to you. Just to bring you." He repeats his instructions.

"Who gave you those directions?" I question and walk down the stairs with Mun Hee following. Yong walks away to finish the rest of her duties. "Why are you taking orders from other people?"

"She was very persuading." Mun Hee answers simply.

As we pass by Mingyu, our gazes meet briefly. He smiles politely and nods his head. I, awkwardly, nod back before turning my attention back to Mun Hee.

"Don't do it again, alright?" I point a finger at him. "You only take orders from me."

Mun Hee nods with large motions. "Only from you."

I push open the doors and stand face to face with Jang Man Wol, the former CEO of Hotel Del Luna.

"(y/n)." She smiles but it never reaches her eyes. Typical.

"Man Wol." I greet her similarly but without the smile, having to fight down the swell of jealousy in my gut. "Don't tell me you're checking into my hotel?" Mun Hee returns to his spot behind the front desk.

Man Wol shakes her head and holds out her hand, palm facing upwards so I can read it. "No, it seems I still have quite a few lives left."

I scoff, "Of course the Gods would give you 8 more." I roll my eyes.

"Trust me, I don't want them." Man Wol gives me a knowing look. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Here to rub your transfer into my face in person?" I guess at her real reason for arriving at my hotel's doors.

"If I did that, Chansung would never take me out to eat again." Man Wol pouts angrily before taking in a breath to reset. "The CEO of Hotel Blue Moon told me you're leaving soon."

"How does he know that?" I throw my hands up, "How does he KNOW that?" This time I turn to Mun Hee who just raises his hands and shrugs.

"Word travels fast, (y/n)." Man Wol says, "Everything in this world travels stupidly fast."

I shake my head. "Alright, so you know I'll be leaving my position soon. What about it?"

"Just wanted to give you some advice." Man Wol smirks.

I sigh, "Tell me, I don't have all night." I start getting annoyed that she is dragging out the conversation that could've been done five minutes ago.

"You have enough time." Man Wol pushes my shoulder, "You don't have a finicky tree that blooms and withers whenever the hell it wants."

"My tree is as dead as my soul." I cross my arms over my chest, "And as dead as this conversation."

Man Wol twists her lips in annoyance and she mirrors my posture. "I don't have to give you the advice if you don't want it?"

"As long as it's not some silly cliche." I banter back.

Mun Hee cautiously moves closer to us and we both give him an annoyed look.

"We're not gonna." We both say at the same time.

Mun Hee raises his hands in surrender. "Just making sure."

Man Wol turns back to face me, "Just don't waste any time and don't piss off the Gods." She says before swiftly turning towards the front doors.

"You're advice is common sense knowledge?" I call out after her.

Man Wol doesn't turn around but raises a single hand in a sort of wave. She exits out the front doors without another word and lets the doors slam behind her.

Next to me, Mun Hee flinches at the loud sound.

I let out a puff of air, "Don't piss off the Gods. Psh. What do you think I've been trying to do for hundreds of years?!" I yell at the doors that sealed her exit.

"What are you doing here?" Jiwoo walks through the front doors at that exact moment. He looks surprised that I would be standing in the reception area.

"Jang Man Wol just visited." Mun Hee answers for me since I'm still pouting.

"CEO Jang Man Wol?" Jiwoo questions, "Like Hotel Del Luna Jang Man Wol?"

"Yes. That one." I tell Jiwoo with a straight face. "She came to give me 'advice' but basically told me common sense stuff and I just- I'm going to need six champagne bottles to forget that shit."

I turn back towards the hotel and leave the two males to their business. Walking through the lobby, I avoid the guests as they mill around as I make my way towards the elevators.

"We should spend the day at the pool." A woman says as she passes by me with another female.

"If we do, do you promise that we can order what I want for dinner?" The other female wonders.

The first female scoffs, "Fine."

I continue to walk past but turn my head to follow them for a little. A little seed of desire for friendships sprouts and distracts me from the awful advice Man Wol gave me.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Mingyu's voice apologizes as he bumps into me.

His steadying hands on my shoulders breaks me out of my thoughts and I look to the tall giant I used to call mine.

"No, no, my bad." I stutter and step back, "I should've watched where I was going."

"You probably have a lot on your mind." Mingyu says with a sweet smile.

I scrunch my eyebrows at him, "Why would I have a lot on my mind?" I question him.

Mingyu scratches the back of his neck nervously, "You are the CEO, aren't you?" He asks, "I assumed you were since everyone respects you and you dress differently than everyone. So I assumed you would have a lot to think about when running such a cool hotel." He glances around the lobby in awe.

My mouth drops open realizing he hadn't heard my reception encounter. "Uh, yes, I do have a lot to think about being the CEO and all." I half smile.

"Well, you must be busy so I'll leave you be." Mingyu bows then walks away.

I sigh and repeat the duration of his stay. "Four days. Four days."

~The Fourth Day~

I sign the last leave approval for the guests that are leaving tomorrow and lean back in my chair. Closing the folder, I stack it on top of the other 8. I reach for my coffee cup and carefully sip from it.

Looking around my quiet office, I suddenly get tired of the space and decide to deliver the forms to Yong or Jiwoo myself. I scoop up the folders and make my way out of the office.

But just as I reach the doors, Jiwoo opens them first.

"Oh, hey." Jiwoo greets me then eyes the folders in my hands. "I was just coming to get those."

"I was just about to deliver them to you." I hand them over, a little sad that my distraction ended so quickly.

Jiwoo takes the folders into his hands but stops me from moving away by saying, "Oh, also, Mun Hee brought Mingyu down a few minutes ago. I was assigned to inform you."

I sigh in relief that I won't have to sit around bored out of my mind. "Let's go."

"You approved all of them, I assume?" Jiwoo glances down at the folders in his hands.

I chuckle, "What other option did I have?" I ask. "I can't let them stay here. And I can't exactly kick them out."

Jiwoo also chuckles, "Just makin' sure."

"How many leave today?" I ask as we ride the elevator down.

"10." Jiwoo answers, "3 guests have already left so we've got 7 more to go."

"Will you be okay?" I wonder, a sudden burst of concern appearing.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Jiwoo says, "Just go do your thing. And we'll do ours."

The burst of concern disappears as quickly as it appeared, "Alright cool."

The elevator doors open and Jiwoo smirks, "We always do fine." He mentions before walking out of the elevator and towards his office.

"Have you ever been to Italy?" I follow Mingyu's excited voice to my garden, "They have the best and I mean the best pasta I have ever eaten. And the views? Ah, spectacular."

When I reach the garden, Mingyu is animatedly talking to Mun Hee, who seems to be searching for a way out. I cover my mouth to hide the smile on my face.

"I wish I would've taken (y/n) there." Mingyu continues and my amusement diminishes, "She said she couldn't travel. Something about her family. But now I know that's a lie." Mingyu rocks back on his heels with his hands clasped behind his back, "But I still wish I could've taken her."

"I don't need to travel." I say, announcing myself.

Mingyu whips around, eyes big with surprise. A wave of relief washes over Mun Hee's face and he silently bids his goodbyes before leaving the two of us alone.

"You should." Mingyu tilts his head to the side as if he's giving me life advice.

I shrug. "Can't."

"Won't." Mingyu corrects me and I walk to the front of the bench.

I point to the bare tree in front of us, "Can't." I repeat then sit down.

"So it was this tree's fault you always turned me down to travel?" Mingyu questions, sitting next to me with an arm draped over the back of the bench.

I nod, "That and my own fault."

"Oh, yeah. That." Mingyu looks down at his lap.

I grasp my hands together in my own lap and stick out my legs as my lips press together.

"The other day..." Mingyu says, "Sorry for bumping into you like that. Wasn't the grand reunion I had planned."

I look over at him and smile at his embarrassment. "I'm pretty sure the entire incident was my fault. But now I'm curious." I raise my eyebrows, "What kind of grand reunion did you have planned?"

Mingyu chuckles, "Nothing special. And certainly nothing I expected to have in the afterlife."

"You thought I would come back?" I wonder, catching onto his reference.

He nods, "For a few years I did. Then it became a hope that I buried but every now and then it would pop up."

I lean into him and he instinctively wraps his arm around me.

"I was going to find you and make an elaborate and huge menu for you." Mingyu continues, "I was going to cook all your favorite foods and some new ones that I'd learned over the years. Then I was going to send you an invitation to this private dinner and boom, we'd have dinner together and then I was going to convince you to stay with me." He sighs, "But that day never came."

"I'm sorry." I apologize and my shoulders fall slightly.

Mingyu chuckles, "Don't be." He sighs and gazes at the bare tree, "I'll just blame the tree for you not returning."

"It's not the trees fault that I screwed up." I pull my hair over my shoulder. "But if that makes it better. Then by all means..." I don't finish but gesture towards the tree.

"Does it have a name?" Mingyu asks, his eyes running from the top of the tree down to the bottom where the white chrysanthemums stand.

I bark out a laugh, "You think I would name it?"

Mingyu smiles slightly bewildered, "Is it that weird?"

"Who names the thing keeps them locked in a prison?" I question, sitting back and cross my arms.

Mingyu shrugs, "It still should get a name, shouldn't it? I mean it's been stuck with you for hundreds of years. What do you even call it when you see it?"

I set my lips in a straight line, "Hell, bastard, damned asshole."

"Okay, I get it. I get it." Mingyu raises his hands in surrender. He then sighs and lowers his arms. "I missed you."

My lip pucker in sadness, "I did too."

"Did you ever think about coming back?" He asks.

"A few times." I answer, "But I was always stopped at the front door."

"Should I go break down the door?" Mingyu jokes with a smile.

I giggle, "Well, there's no reason for any of that now is there?"

"No, but I'll still do it." Mingyu shrugs.

"Well, thank you for the offer, but I don't think that'll be necessary." I tell him with a pat on the shoulder, "Plus, I don't think we should be destroying the decor here. I do want to leave this place."

Mingyu nudges my shoulder with his, "Alright, I won't, I won't."

I give him a pressed smile. Without a word, I lean over and rest my head on his shoulder. Mingyu doesn't flinch but scoots closer and leans his head on top of mine.

"So you've only been here? In the hotel?" He wonders and grabs my hand tightly.

I nod, "Here in the hotel. Watching people come and go. Why?"

"Just wondering what you were doing while I was traveling the world." Mingyu explains.

"Where did you go?" I ask, my interest piquing.

"Where didn't I go." Mingyu chuckles. "I traveled everywhere and learned so much about so many new things."

I let out a puff of air, "Could you be any less vague?"

Mingyu squeeze my hand, "Sorry, sorry. Since I went so many places, I'll just tell you about the most memorable ones."

"Start with your favorite." I request.

Mingyu thinks silently for a second, "My favorite?" He mumbles thoughtfully, "They're all my favorite."

I roll my eyes.

"But the most memorable would've been the time I tried to get into pastries. Specifically the macarons." Mingyu recalls and my mouth drops open slightly, "Yeah, it was bad."

"How bad?" I egg him on.

"Like everything always overflowed or was too runny or never cooked." Mingyu explains and I laugh, "I swear I could never get it right. It was always too delicate for my ... crazy hands." He wiggles his fingers. "Like once I piped them out onto the sheet in their nice little circles but five minutes later, all the circles were touching. And then another time, I piped them and they didn't run. But when we took them out of the oven, they had like exploded while they baked. None of them were usable."

I try to imagine the incidents but all I can imagine is Mingyu's face of utter disbelief which makes me laugh.

"The pastry chef and I pretty much both gave up after the fifth failed day." Mingyu says with a chuckle, "She was cool though. Laughed with me when things went haywire."

"What other pastries did you try?" I ask.

"None." Mingyu laughs, "But I baked other things, breads and cakes, the more dense stuff."

My senses fill with the warmth and nutty scents of freshly baked bread, "Those must've been fun."

Mingyu nodds, "I liked how the bread dough felt under my hands. It was sturdy-ish like a knife but without the sharp edges and clean cuts. I could shape it and feel every part of it."

I hum in understanding and turn his arm over in my hands. My hand runs over the shadow of the burn scar on the underside of his forearm, a commonality between chefs.

"You still enjoy champagne?" Mingyu wonders.

"Most definitely." I answer.

Mingyu chuckles, "I thought so. You know, I went to a champagne tasting thing once."

"That would've been the most beautiful thing in the world." I say wishing I could've gone.

"You would've thought so." Mingyu agrees, "I wasn't the biggest champagne lover but during it, I kept thinking about the ones you would like. I even wrote the names down so I wouldn't forget them. But I lost the list when my restaurant caught fire." He finishes sadly.

My heart grows heavy as I remember sitting and seeing the news report of what had happened. It was over a year after I left him and the report had said it was faulty wiring that had heated up and caught fire. The amount of fear and sadness I felt was nothing compared to the relief that washed over me when they reported no injuries or deaths. But the location was the first one he'd ever opened and it was special to him.

"I heard about that." I tell him.

"You heard?" He repeats, surprised.

"I did. Through the news." I explain, "I wanted to fight the Gods myself until I read that no one had died."

"You were going to fight the Gods if I had died?" Mingyu asks, his amusement laced in his tone.

"I was." I confirm, "I fought with Yong about it for brief seconds."

Mingyu wraps me up in a tight hug and rocks side to side, "That's probably the most adorable thing anyone has ever said to me."

When I hear the word 'adorable,' my face drops, "I am not adorable." I say and try to wiggle out but Mings his grip tightens, "I am a cursed soul who should be feared by all people from all the corners of the world."

"Uh huh." Mingyu responds, unconvinced.

I blow out a breath and give up fighting against his grip. "Still not adorable."

Mingyu's chest vibrates with a laugh, "Still very adorable."

For the subsequent hours, we talk about his successful restaurants and the not so successful ones, his travels to different countries to learn different cuisines from the tops chefs there, the people I knew at his restaurants as well as the ones that came afterward. His face floods with love when he talks about his family and my heart swells with happiness knowing that he was well loved. We laugh through his children's early years and I listen in awe when he tells me what they became.

I'm sure he has more questions for me but the sun seemingly races for the horizon, leaving us in the dust.

The cool night air meets my skin and I shiver ever so slightly. The only warmth comes from where my arm is tangled with Mingyu's.

Mingyu looks out the window with a small smile, "And so the day comes to an end."

"So it does." I confirm and wait for him to make the first move cause I'm as sure as hell not going to.

"Random question." Mingyu says, tilting his head to the side while looking at the bare tree in front of us.

"Shoot." I nod my head.

"Do you think I could win a bet against the Gods?" Mingyu asks, completely serious.

I hold back a laugh, "I can't even win a bet against them. And I've tried." I manage to say in a steady tone.

Mingyu sighs, letting go of the thought completely, "Yeah, I didn't think so." He stands up with my arm still entangled in his. Instead of following his actions, I simply sit and look up at him with a small pout and puppy eyes.

He chuckles when he looks down at me, "I don't like it either but I can't exactly not go."

I rise to my feet and Mingyu's smile grows. "Are you my escort out?" He asks.

"Indeed," I answer, "I will see you off to your final resting spot."

Mingyu's face scrunches in distaste, "Ooh, let's not call it that."

"Then what should I call it?" I ask as we walk out of the garden.

"I don't know. Anything but that." Mingyu shrugs.

"Uhm, how about 'The Great Beyond?'" I suggest, "'The After After Life'?"

Mingyu shakes his head, "Ah, I don't know, I don't know."

"What don't you know?" I giggle, "In reality, it is in fact your soul's final resting spot."

"Yeah but, it just sounds weird when you say it." Mingyu nudges me.

"Why?" I question, "I say it literally multiple times a day to multiple souls."

"Because it's you." Mingyu reasons, "You were always like a symbol of life to me."

I scoff lightly and lean in closer to Mingyu as we exit the hotel and enter the night air. "I'm not life. I'm a full embodiment of finality."

"Not to me." Mingyu whispers in my ear as Shin and the awaiting car come into view. "Is that for me?"

I look at his face which is full of curiousity at the car that will take him away from me. "Yeah, it's the car that will take you to the other side."

"Aren't you coming with? Don't you have to escort me?" He questions and looks back at me.

With lowered eyes, I shake my head, "Unfortunately, I can only go as far as the car."

Mingyu abruptly stops a few feet away from the car, "That sucks."

I smile at his simple yet accurate wording, "It does. But at least I can see you off from here." I hold out a hand for him as Shin opens the rear door.

While staring at my hand, Mingyu bits his lip in thought for a few seconds before grabbing my hand and letting me lead him to the car. Shin bows his head and Mingyu's grip tightens.

"I didn't know I would be going alone." He mumbles, a touch of fear in his voice.

I face him and cup his cheek, his head leaning into my touch, "You won't be. The Gods will watch your journey there to make sure you're safe. And I'll be right here thinking about you the entire time."

Mingyu rubs his thumb against the back of my hand, "Will you be told when I make it?" He asks.

"No, they won't tell me." I watch his face fall slightly, "But I'll know. Trust me, I'll know when you get there." I comfort him and his face lifts again but there's still a weight on his shoulders.

"I love you, Kim Mingyu." I remind him and look into his eyes.

Mingyu looks back at me with unwavering eyes, "I love you, too, (y/n). So much." He says before pressing his lips hard against mine.

After a few seconds, he pulls away and wraps me in a tight hug. I wrap my arms around his torso and memorize, again, how his body molds into mine perfectly. With a big breath out, he releases me and places one last kiss to my lips before getting into the car.

Silently, I watch with arms folded as Shin closes the door. When Shin stands by my side, the car begins to drive away. But Mingyu rolls down the window and looks back with a wave.

"Love you!" He yells with a big smile on his face.

A tear slips out as I smile and wave back, "I love you, Mingyu." I whisper as he pulls his head back into the car.

Shin wordlessly leaves me alone when the car has been swallowed by the forest fog and I let the tears fall. Tears of sadness. Tears of memories. Tears of relief that his soul is no longer trapped under my punishment and now is on its way to peace and rest.

I spend a few more minutes standing at the forest's edge before wiping my cheeks and turning back to the hotel. Yong stands at the doorway, waiting with a comforting smile and more files for me. As I walk to her to continue my work and waiting, the moon rises above the horizon and a white chrysanthemum at the base of my tree withers away.

Return to the Navigation Page (Waning Crescent Hotel) to choose the next guest.

"Are you ready to go home?" Mingyu asks, standing up and pulling me up with him.

"Absolutely." I smile and let him lead me out of the garden.

"Do you think they'll have champagne there?" He wonders.

"I sincerely hope they do." I answer, swinging our intertwined hands.

We walk hand in hand to the lobby where Yong, Mun Hee, Soon Bok, and Jiwoo stand solemnly.

"So this is it?" Mun Hee asks with tears in his eyes. "This is the day you leave us?"

I wrap him up in a hug, only a tiny bit annoyed that he's being so sappy. "Maybe I'll get punished again and be back here by the end of the year." I try to joke but Mun Hee abruptly pushes back from me.

"Don't you dare say that. You better not return here." He says angrily through his tears.

I chuckle, "I won't come back. I promise."

Turning to Soon Bok, I thank her for her service and her amazing work. Something I never did and should've done more.

Next onto Jiwoo. I also thank him for his and his entire family's service then I unclip the bracelet that has held him to this place.

"When you leave today, you won't be able to find this place again." I inform him, "I hope that you'll be able to go and live your life happily."

Jiwoo nods, "Thank you for letting me work with you. I won't ever forget you."

I smile sadly, "You will. But thank you."

Finally I reach Yong who is sniffling and trying so very hard not cry.

"You'd think after all these years of waiting that I'd be prepared for this day." She says through sniffles.

"Thank you, Yong." I rests my hands on her shoulders, "For everything. Thank you."

With lips pursed together, she leans forward and wraps me in an unexpected hug. But I soon wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tightly.

We pull apart after a couple seconds and I wipe the few tears that have escaped from her eyes.

"Keep this hotel running beautifully." I tell her before Mingyu grabs my hand again.

With final waves of goodbye, Mingyu and I walk out to the foggy forest that will take us to our resting place.

At the edge of the forest, Shin stands next to an idling car with a somber look on his face.

"(y/n)." He says when we reach him, "It has been an honor working with you. I wish you both a peaceful rest." Shin bows his head and I pat his arm.

"The honor was mine." I tell him with a smile. Now the tears start to line my eyes as the realization fully sets in.

I'm free. I served my years of punishment and now I'm free to let my soul rest.

I turn back towards the hotel and look up to the top where the rooftop patio is outlined with bright string lights. Then to the mid floors where random room lights are turned on, some guests staying in while others opting to experience the hotel's many services. Then to grand base where guests would be milling around, waiting their turns to leave this world.

"(y/n)?" Mingyu softly asks pulling my attention to where he sits just inside the car, "Are you ready?"

I take one last quick look at the hotel before turning away from it. "Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go."

I lower myself into the car and Shin securely closes the door after I am completely inside. As the car begins to drive forward, Mingyu securely grabs my hand and I let his warmth guide me towards our final destination.

In the garden, the final chrysanthemum withers and dies so that no more stand at the base of the bare tree.