#what would cale-nim do?

[blueteller]

Hey, remember how Cale was constantly scared of Choi Han at the beginning, because of how in the TBOAH timeline he brutally beat OG Cale?

Now remember how Cale beat up the White Star with a rock, in the Test of Wrath in the Sealed God's Temple?

I think.... just as Cale influences other people to act just like him, Cale started emulating Choi Han (or at least, how he sees Choi Han) – in the moments of high stress I mean 😂😂😂

[sleepy-ssi]

A very, very horribly drawn white star radish in MS paint

I don't know if I should be proud of myself or do the opposite

[nonexistentirl]

The crown hosts a ball. Of course all noble households in the Roan kingdom are present. Same goes for the Duke's House of Henituse as well.

Cale, who had separated himself from the rest of his family members to go to a corner and enjoy the desserts with the invisible Raon and had kept his Dominating Aura activated to keep the annoyances away, is approached by his youngest sibling.

Lily, being the brave knight she is, asks her eldest brother for a dance. Cale, who already feels guilty for being as absent from her life as he is and not being a proper older brother for her, accepts it for her sake. He needs to do at least this much for her as an older brother.

There is, however, one tiny problem.

Cale, no, Kim Roksoo doesn't know how to dance. The original Cale Henituse was so invested in his act of being a trash that he never bothered to learn it, so currently Cale had no muscle memory to rely on either.

Lily, who kind of predicted this when she approached him, ends up leading the dance. It's truly an unexpected sight to see Cale Henituse dancing a waltz in the middle of the ballroom. The Commander, who was often seen bleeding out on the battlefield as he fought in the forefront, elegantly moving his body to the flow of the music was truly captivating.

Basen Henituse has never been so jealous of his little sister seven years his junior. Neither has he ever felt so remorseful of being born a man. He wishes he could share a waltz with his elder brother too.

Cale, the magnanimous brother as he is, readily agrees to dance with him. When they're off the floor, Basen makes a victory fist as soon as nobody is watching.

Duchess Violan hesitates at first. But then she decides she should join in on the fun too. Thus, for the first time ever, she shares a waltz with her step son. Something she only used to do with her husband and son, Basen, in the past. She never expected there would come a day when it would be possible for her to dance with Cale. However, as it seemed, today was the day.

Deruth is much too overwhelmed at being reminded of Jour to ask Cale for a dance. He's just happy watching the others enjoy themselves.

The thing that Lily started, what was continued by Basen and Violan, naturally everyone wanted to be a part of it. Not everyone was lucky enough though. Cale accepted their requests for a dance because they were his family. As for the rest of the people present in this ballroom? He could care less.

He does end up sharing a dance with Amiru Ubarr and Rosalyn though, people who were good at leading the dance for the inexperienced him.

Once he returns from the ball, the children demand he dance with them. Raon, who watched his dance at the ball, tries to imitate his partners leading Cale through the dance. On and Hong are quick to learn as they watch before each following suit one after another.

It was the night the Black Castle shone the brightest and illuminated the Forest of Darkness to the point the name had never felt less fitting as it did that day.

Bonus:

Taking a leaf out of Basen's book, Alberu asks his precious dongsaeng for a dance. Cale is disgusted and flabbergasted but also plays along.

"dongsaeng, are you purposefully trying to step on my feet?"

"hyung-nim must know I never learned to dance, so it's expected."

"you didn't step on anyone else's feet though?"

"maybe they were just better at leading the dance than you are."

Alberu, baffled, "cheeky brat."

"the brat is older than yourself, hyung-nim."

"ha!" Alberu is in disbelief. "Well, i guess I should assign a dance instructor to my beloved dongsaeng then."

The dance ends and Cale whispers to him before walking away "sure. Send him to the Black Castle." Knowing it's near impossible for anyone to withstand the presence of the individuals residing there.

The next day, Tasha is at the Black Castle.

"My nephew asked me to teach the young master how to waltz. I was the one to teach that boy, so you can rest assured!"

Cale feels like he lost for the first time in a while.

[rie-092]

CURSED CHILD

chapter two : the rumour.

summary : clopeh can't enter the henituse museum without finishing his book length prayer for his cale-nim.

★﹒ ( First name ) doesn't know if Clopeh Sekka has things for redheads. But there was a thing that she was sure of, Clopeh is a certified crazy bastard. He was worse than that dragon who commits arson and burns down a whole damn mountain while laughing like a madman. And what's the reason why he did that? Simple, because he was sleep deprived and the elementals won't let him have his peaceful sleep.

The girl deadpanned at the sight in front of her. Clopeh had promised that he would take her out to a museum today. So that's the main reason for the extravagant outfit that the staff of the orphanage prepared for her. But, before they could even enter this damn museum, Clopeh had his hands clasped as he recited a prayer.

Does.... He finally lost his mind? The little redhead crossed her small arms as she looked at Clopeh. Her hands were sweating to the fact that people were looking at them. While her lips unconsciously pouted. Fuck, her child's senses were screaming at her to throw a fit right here, right now to get this bastard's attention.

So, instead of doing that. She tugged the end of the cape of the knight who was escorting them. "Uh... Mister... Is sir Clopeh alright? He's been like that since earlier."

The knight sweatdropped at her question, he awkwardly scratched his cheeks and crouched down at ( first name )'s level. "Little miss, the young master is always like this when uh.. visiting this museum."

"Why?" The little girl innocently asked. "Because he is obse— I mean, he idolizes the firstborn of the family who founded this museum."

( First name ) couldn't help but notice how forced the knight's expression was. He was practically praying to Angela, the God of War, the God of Death and whatever mythical creature that this kid would stop asking him about his liege's weird habits. Yeah, this is considered weird— but just remember that one time when he accidentally entered Clopeh's room and those concerning amount of pictures and drawings of the Young Master Henituse plastered on his liege's room. It was more than enough to traumatise his poor self.

' Maybe I should ask the Duke for a bonus.' he thought.

"Okay." ( First name ) simply said, as the knight's face brightened. "I'm going to look around, Mister! Please tell me when Sir Clopeh came back to reality!"

( First name ) waved her small hand at the knight as she started looking around the museum. Then, a certain painting caught her attention. She noticed how detailed the painting was. And how beautiful the man in the painting is. He was wearing a commander's uniform and had a small smile on his face.

"Pretty." Her reddish brown eyes shone as she looked at the painting. She was caught up in her small words where she was cursing the gods and goddesses for being unfair to her because she wasn't able to get the beauty of this red-haired man in this painting. She wasn't able to hear the murmurs of the people around her.

All of them were flabbergasted because of one thing. They've seen a peculiar sight of a small redhead that looks a lot like their Young master Silver Shield! What? And this kid was looking at Cale Henituse's portrait with those longing expression (when the truth is she was planning the whole event where she will be burning all temples of the God of Death and Angela, the Sun Goddess across the continent) does the young master has an illegitimate child that the people doesn't know of?!

As they started making their gossip inside their little brains. Clopeh's knight had already called for ( first name ) saying that Clopeh was looking for her and they should go to a restaurant nearby instead of staying here. Because Clopeh wasn't able to finish his one book-length prayer and he couldn't enter the Henituse Museum without finishing it.

"Okay." ( First name ) stoically said as she walked away from the painting. Not even aware that a certain orange-haired butler had seen her and now he was speechless and couldn't move from his spot.

Hans, that butler has his jaw dropped as he remembers the little girl that he saw earlier. Those lazy reddish brown eyes that can look down at you like you were some kind of dirty insect were very similar to his liege! That crimson hair! And those mannerisms!

Hans swallowed hard as he started hesitating whether he should tell it to Cale or the Duke himself. But then, decided that the Duke had the right to know about the existence of his granddaughter.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

Later that day, those rumours about Cale having an illegitimate child that he kept from the public's eyes had already spread to the Roan Kingdom and the other neighbouring kingdoms. Those rumours kept on getting more and more ridiculous.

And Cale Henituse, the person on the rumour was now laying inside his room on the Henituse estate while sleeping. Ah, slacker life, how sweet it is. He can sleep 15 hours straight now and can laze around after all of those shits that he got involved with. His lips then curved into a sweet smile as he opened his eyes. Only to find two pairs of cat eyes and a pair of dragon's blue eyes staring at him.

"What the fuc—"

Cale almost falls from his bed after seeing his children, On, Hong, and Raon staring at him. He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed that everyone, by everyone I mean the Molans, Choi Han, Lock, Rosalyn, Mary, and Eruhabe was staring at him with those eerie smiles.

"What?!"

"Unlucky bastard, tsk, tsk." Eruhaben shook his head making Cale more confused. "Cale-nim." This time it was Choi Han who was looking at Cale with a hint of betrayal in his eyes.

What the heck is going on?

This time, Rosalyn chuckled as she spoke in amusement. "Have you heard the news, Young master Cale? The crown prince had fainted."

"What? Why?"

"Because he heard that his younger sworn brother has a secret child that looks a lot like him." Cale deadpanned, is that so? But then he realized something causing his eyes to widen. He is Alberu's only sworn brother! "Huh? What the fuck?!"

"So, be honest to us young master-nim." Ron spoke with his benign smile. "Young master-nim, are you hiding something from us~?"

Vicious people. Cale suddenly wanted to escape this hellish place. What the heck are they talking about?! What secret child?! What happened while he was asleep?!

Then, Hans barged into his room. "Mister Ron! The Duke has fainted!" Fuck it, let him sleep slack in peace!

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to The Worst's Chapter 392

Brief summary: Cale's group steals the safe and escapes.

==========

All my guesses were wrong. Cale did not use Instant or Embrace. Rather than waiting for the self-destruction sequence to finish, he destroyed the place himself by summoning the Fire of Destruction and blowing up a hole from the 3rd basement floor to the building's top floor roof. 😂😂😂

Alberu: Ha, I never thought I'd do something like this in my life. Stealing? I've had all sorts of experiences. I put off all my work and come here to do this, robbing a safe? Cale: So you don't like it? Alberu: No. It's fun, I think? Cale: …

Cale's influence to Alberu just keeps growing. 🤣🤣🤣 Cale's "performance" was also funny. 😂😂😂

Cale: *floats to the sky with lightning and thunder in the background* Rosalyn and ARM: *escapes through the helicopter* Press: *arrives at the scene and begins to shoot* Cale: We are- Alberu: *using magic to broadcast Cale's voice* ARM: Why is he staying there instead of running away? Cale and Rosalyn: We are Arm! ARM: Arm? Rosalyn: ARM-nim. From now on, listen carefully to what I say. ARM: Pardon? Rosalyn: From today, you are joining hands with Arm. The group that secretly approached you was Arm. ARM: Pardon? Narrator: Rosalyn carried out "Arm brainwashing" on Ahn Roh Man without Cale asking her to do so.

Cale also added some words like, "The God of Chaos will soon rule this world!", to confuse the enemy. You know, Cale, GoC is your enemy, but with all the chaos you've been causing, won't GoC ask you to be their successor at this rate? 😂😂😂

Before Cale escaped through teleportation, Cale met the current chairman of Transparent Corp., Han Seo Hyung. From what I recall, he was a mage as powerful as a wanderer.

Rosalyn was right as the incident made headlines all around the world, with the secret research labs of the Transparent Corp being revealed to the public. This scandal came to be known as the "Transparentgate".

Ending Remarks Cale was really having fun today. Next chapter would probably be telling us what the aftermath of Transparentgate would be. Hopefully, it would also reveal clues on how to wake Count Lupe.

[diessolis]

i adore the "cale uses everyone as a pillow" agenda !! part of my hc is that he has an internal rating system for it, it consists of the following points:

comfort - how comfortable is the not-actually pillow? durability - can they handle him clinging, tossing and turning, etc? how far can he go before they decide to wake him up? duration - how long can he rest on them?

i have already thought of a few potential set ratings, and will probably add more later on!

Choi Han

the first time it happened, it was an accident. although the vitality of the heart keeps him from getting tired even after only sleeping for an hour or two, when it comes down to it, it's just not enough.

cale sat down on the comfortable couch in his room, he and the others had just returned from their travels to the henituse territory. the red-head had every intention of resting, as soon as he finished up his discussion with choi han. he needed to make sure the korean wasn't left to his own devices, who knows what might occur if he were - cale shuddered at the thought of the swordmaster destroying the training grounds out of boredom. better not dwell on it.

said man took a seat next to cale, keeping a respectful distance, and looked at him expectantly - like a puppy waiting for it's well-deserved treat. the aristocrat talked for a while, giving commands and suggestions, and making sure that choi han knew everything on the training grounds, be it weaponry or other, was available for him to use, when he was suddenly hit with intense drowsiness. cale blinked once, twice, before continuing where he left off, albeit a bit slower.

it only took a minute before choi han found himself with an unconscious red-head on his lap, using his clothed thighs as his pillow. the korean wasn't sure what to do, face red from embarrassment (read: he's flustered) - should he call for ron?

...

better not, that butler will take his head when sees them like this.

choi han let his gaze fall on the man who'd showed him nothing but kindness since their first meeting, giving and giving and asking for little to nothing in return, and decided that this was fine. cale hasn't rested properly in weeks, so the fact that he fell asleep the moment the two of them were alone felt like an honour more than anything. did he trust him so much that cale felt safe enough to finally relax? (he'd like to think so...)

yes, this was quite the honour.

'don't worry, cale-nim. i won't let anyone, or anything, get near you.'

if said man could've heard choi han's thoughts, he would've spit blood.

Rating ✨

3/5 comfort (ch's thighs are muscular, and cale did feel safe while asleep.. we don't talk about how he felt when he woke up), 5/5 durability (ch wouldn't dare to do anything to disturb cale's sleep), 5/5 duration (same as durability, ch would sit in the same spot, not daring to move even a muscle, to ensure cale's 100% comfort)

overall: 13/15, choi han makes a really good pillow

[noxiousgrace]

I need more self indulgent cale & eruhaben fics in my life 😔

---

(set after part 1 of the novel, canon divergence, spoilers ahead)

I'm writing this at 5 am, don't mind the inaccuracies i haven't re-read part 1 fully yet

> cale telling the truth about his transmigration to eruhaben <

----- part 1/? -------

'This ability is more of a curse, than a blessing, for fucks sake. Is a good nights rest too much to fucking much to ask for?' Cale lamented, a few seconds after waking up.

inside of his room in the super rock villa, he sat up to rest against the headboard of his bed.

He didn't say anything after waking up, silently munching on the assortment of fruit placed conveniently next to his bed, his gaze focused on nothing.

Eruhaben: "good morning."

Cale flinched, but replied almost immediately: "good morning, eruhaben-nim."

Eruhaben: "..."

Cale:"..."

...

Eruhaben: "so, you're just gonna refuse to talk about it?" He asked, a single eyebrow raised in accusation.

Cale glanced at him from the corner of his eye, debating on what would end this conversation the fastest.

Eruhaben, all too familiar with his tactics, continued speaking: "the kids aren't the only ones worried about you. I think these last 2 years have been more than enough for you to realise you can rely on us, no?" His voice held a slowly rising feeling of irritation.

Cale, his eyebrow raised and voice almost drowning in confusion, replied: "where is this coming from, eruhaben-nim?"

The ancient dragon didn't reply to the ignorant human. gathering his thoughts so that he could, by some miracle, verbally beat some sense into this dense bastard.

The bastard in question had been talking in his sleep, every night for the last week, which wouldn't have been much of a problem if the words coming out of his mouth weren't so unnerving.

They weren't even in a language that eruhaben could understand, the dragon had questioned choi han, after noticing the swordsmans discomfort to cales newly acquired habit.

"the language is korean" was the only explanation the elder managed to get out of him.

Tsk, the easiest way was to just question the source of concern directly.

Eruhaben: "how the hell do you know korean? Choi han is the only person from his hometown as far as we know."

Cales expression remained stoic, the sweat gathering behind his ears was the only sign of discomfort eruhaben could see.

After a few beats of silence, cale seemed to have reached the end of his internal war, and sighed: "it's better if i just tell you the truth, please keep this a secret between the two of us."

The dragon nodded, his unease only growing with Cales anxious attitude: "I promise."

Cale, at his wits end, spat out the truth: "I'm a transmigrator. I was born in choi hans hometown, which is called korea by the way, and ended up here soon after i turned 36."

Eruhaben didn't reply immediately, processing the information. Eventually, he found the explanation sensible, and asked: "I see, what does that have to do with your sleep talking?"

Cale: "my ability, record, has been acting on it's own and replaying everything I've recorded so far."

Eruhaben nodded, hiding the rising confusion and concern inside him: "i understand. I'll make something that'll help you sleep easier."

Cale: "thank you"

---

There weren't any further problems since then, but eruhaben was known for his curiosity, so he continued to question cale anyway.

The questions themselves weren't too invasive, mostly asking about the korean lifestyle and culture. Nothing pertaining to cales backstory specifically.

Until now, of course.

Eruhaben: "what was your family like? "

Cale: "I don't remember. "

Eruhaben: "what? "

Cale hesitated, he knew it was disrespectful to not even remember the face of the person who gave birth to him, but it wasn't entirely his fault. he just didn't know how eruhaben would react to it.

Well, he's already in this deep, no reason to stop telling the truth now.

Cale: "I don't remember them. "

Eruhaben was stunned, he gave cale a once-over, this kid seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, so the dragon had assumed the parents worked hard for that to be so.

Eruhaben, with a sense of foreboding, asked anyway: "how come?"

Cale: "they died when i was young, it's been a long time since then, i hardly remember anything from my childhood."

Eruhaben, with a heart pinched by guilt, answered: "that's okay."

Cale simply nodded, unaffected.

The dragon didn't ask any more questions for a while after that.

----

Cale: "eruhaben-nim."

Eruhaben: "what?"

Cale: "you've been staring at me a lot lately. Do you need anything?"

Eruhaben: "tsk. I'm just worried about you."

Cale: "oh?"

Eruhaben, never one to shy away from a problem for too long: "what happened to you after your parents died?"

Cale, not entirely expecting the blunt question: "i lived with my uncle."

Eruhaben, relieved, answered back: "i see, he must've raised you well then. I'm glad you weren't alone."

Cale: "No."

Eruhaben: "No?"

Cale snorted: "that piece of shit doesn't deserve any praise, eruhaben-nim."

Eruhaben: "what do you mean by tha-?"

Cale simply turned around and left, preferring disrespecting eruhaben to opening about this specific part of his life.

The dragon stared at the receding back for a while, his previous relief reduced to dust.

----

[zorlovinghue]

Cale, curious: Eruhaben-nim, a genuine question.

Eruhaben: What is it?

Cale: When a dragon dies of old age, would their hair finally get grey and turn bald right after? So do dragons die bald?? Well, assuming they died in their polymorph form.

Eruhaben, baffled: ... First of all, who told you this nonsense?

Cale, excited with eyes sparkling: So it’s true??

Eruhaben, panicked: No, it’s not—you unlucky bastard, you seem oddly happy.

Cale, both corner of his lips twitching: Heh. Just wondering. Can I not?

Eruhaben, without the heart to complain further: ... Haaa.

[weirdsht]

Helooo :ppp

Would it be ok if we get more yan!cale. He makes me so thirsty dawg... 😞 Crazy scenarios will always be on top. Like what if they find out the reader has a weak ass heart (me) and reader's been fighting with them against war since like forever

Recuperation - Yan!Cale/Reader

a/n: i swear you guys took a peek at my notes and forced me to write prompts i've been procrastinating. this and that other req about isekai reader has been on my notes rotting. also i'm working on it but i'm still struggling to write yanderes

tags: reader's gender not specified, yandere Cale, confined reader, hints of gaslighting and manipulation

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Buy Me Dessert

Navigation Masterlist

First, it started for hours, then it became days. Days turned into weeks, and before you knew it you have been confined in your room for months now. It’s not like you’re imprisoned inside your room, at least that’s what Ron tells you, rather, it’s for your safety.

You try to understand their point of view, you really do. But man does it get boring and tiring really fast. Especially when you know that the rest of the group is out there, adventuring everywhere.

It wasn’t like this from the start. You used to be part of the missions Cale leads. Used to practically not see the underground manor as you were too busy running here and there. In fact, before that day you used to be the person Cale trusted the most when it came to infiltration.

Then everything changed when you suddenly felt lightheaded before a mission.

“You okay?”

Cale asked as he looked at you with that nonchalant yet caring gaze of his. You held out your hand, asking him to give you a moment before answering.

“I’m fine, I just felt lightheaded for a moment. Probably because things had been so hectic lately.”

Your lover nodded and continued his preparation. However, he made sure to monitor you closely as he was still worried.

Turns out his concerns aren’t unfounded.

One simple lightheadedness turned into full-on dizziness. Then while on the mission you felt more out of breath than usual. You were also sweating more when the work wasn’t even that strenuous.  

You were showing clear signs that you were sick so everyone silently agreed to wrap it up quickly. And you were thankful for that because you barely managed to hold on while finishing the mission.

After that, you fainted and that’s when everyone started coddling you.

“Ron until when must I stay here?”

You looked at the old servant with pleading eyes. Of course that blasted geezer only smiled at you like he always does.

“The young master already told you that you are free to leave your room.”

With that usual calm and composed poise of his, Ron poured tea for you as you finished the last of your dinner. You took the teacup with grateful hands but still flashed a frown at his response.

Both of you knew that was not the answer you were looking for.

“Let’s ask Saint-nim to take another look at you when they come back and we’ll decide from there.”

The answer only made you frown more because you already knew that being as healthy as before is almost impossible. 

And so you tried to control your temper. Logically, you knew that it would only make your condition worse. Could trigger your heart to become erratic once more.

Nevertheless, a part of you has had enough. You felt dead, you felt envious of everyone else being busybodies while Cale wouldn’t even let you outside your room without a servant following your tail.

“We all know that won’t do anything! I already promised I would take better care of myself, why won’t any of you listen to me!? I’m tired… I’m sick and tired of being here! I feel so incompetent, it’ll be better to let me die in the Forest of Darkness!”

At the end of your shouting session, you were heaving and clutching your chest. Ron, already expecting this merely took the necessary measures to take care of you. As he does a knock sounded on the door before it opened revealing Cale Henituse himself.

He entered your room as if he owned the place, well he does but the point stands, and sat down on the side of your bed once Ron was done.

“I could hear you shouting from the stairs. I told you not to get worked up, it’s not good for you.”

That handsome face of his frowned before kissing your forehead. Still angry, you turned your head away from him. Cale’s frown deepened slightly but he let it go, he's not going to stoop so low that he’ll fight a patient.

Ron cleans up before leaving the room, creating privacy for you and your partner.

“How did tricking White Star go?”

You grumbled silently, still concerned about everyone’s welfare.

“It took longer than expected but we had fruitful results.”

“Everything could’ve been done faster if you allowed me to join the war.”

Cale didn’t answer for a few moments. Opting to caress your hair instead. It was as if he was gathering his thoughts. Trying to think of the best way to make you understand his side.

“You’re concerned, I understand… but this is jarring my love. I cannot keep living like this.”

As Cale can’t seem to find the words, you let him know that you understand.

“You won’t I promise, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Cale let’s go of your hair to caress your cheeks instead. Each stroke of his hand conveys the concern he carries with him every day. He can’t help but worry even though you are in the safest place he knows of.

“So please just bear with it. Just until you stabilize or until we can find a solution of some sort.”

You nodded and that was the end of the conversation as you dozed off thanks to your lover’s doting. It didn’t take long for you to fall into a deep sleep as your heart finally calmed down.

When Cale noticed you were sound asleep he tucked you in before pressing a kiss in your temple.

“I’m not so cruel that I will imprison you, but I do need to find a way to monitor you no matter where you go. Need to make sure that you will be safe at every step.”

Cale stood up from your bed so he could turn off the lights.

“So just until I’ve planted people all over this world and beyond, please patiently wait.”

He walks towards the door to go to his. Usually, he and the kids would sleep with you, but you need some quality rest so they’ll do that another time.

“I’m doing all of this for your safety after all.”

With that, he shut the door behind him. Leaving you inside the little cocoon he has created for you. Unaware of the bloodbath he has been causing in the name of keeping you safe.

[murasaki-cha]

Cale and the Soos but Gen Z

(ft. Choi Han, Alberu and Rosalyn)

(Part 1) (Part 2)

Cale: when I say I have "main character energy," I mean the nerdy introvert with anxiety and a general distaste for humans - Shapeshifter: *transforms to look like Cale* Cale: Okay, are you like BLIND? You look nothing like me. First off, I'm way taller. Secondly, I DO NOT look so sleep deprived and lastly, if you could drag comb through that hair you're like a 7 on a good day and I've been told I'm a constant 10. -

Cale: Babygirl I have health problems that would make a grown man cry- yeah of course I'm still going to work what are you talking about

-

Cale: I love having trauma from an alarmingly young age because when I can't remember stuff from my childhood I get to play a game called "Is This Normal Memory Loss From Growing Up, Or Do I Have Severe Trauma-Induced Memory Repression?" Choi Jung Soo: Oh word Alberu: Preach Choi Han: Fr Eruhaben: Genuinely what in the- Sui Khan: Louder Eruhaben: YOU ARE 13 WHA-

-

Sui Khan: 'Person of interest' is almost too flattering. Sui Khan: Like, if the police were to pound on my door and go, 'A man has been murdered in your building and you are a person of interest,' I'd be like, 'Moi? Oh, do go on.' Cale pointing: You see where I got it from?

-

Rosalyn, eating cake: No wonder Marie Antoinette didn't give a fuck, this shit is good Cale: so true girl

-

Cale: when Billie Eillish said "I cant escape the way I love you" every gen z kid with attachment issues felt that Alberu: So you felt that? Cale: I felt that too much Alberu: Also who is Billie Eillish? Choi Jung Soo slamming the door open: bITC-

-

Cale: bitches b like “I'm baby” but have childhood trauma and neglect like wtf do u know about being baby u were forced to grow up from an early age anyways I’m bitches

-

Rosalyn going to her lesson with Eruhaben: Eruhaben-nim, are we cooking today or what! Eruhaben: Rosalyn, we aren’t… in the kitchen?

-

Cale: With all this tasks I'm getting from the gods sometimes I wish I was Jared 19 so I never read Birth Of A Hero...

-

Alberu: Not trying to brag or anything, but I can wake up without an alarm clock now simply due to my crippling and overwhelming anxiety, so... Cale: Mood

-

Heavenly Demon: do you guys know the meaning of patriarchy? Choi Jung Soo: I prefer Spongebob tbh Heavenly Demon: One more word from you Sword Demon and I swear-

-

Cale: Can I go outside to say a word to god? Choi Han: Yea. Rosalyn: You go outside and start yelling ‘hey what the heck are you!- then ZAP! Cale: I've questioned god before and I haven't died yet.

-

Choi Jung Soo: I so wish I had a cat personality but I have such a dog personality like I would do everything for your approval, do you want me to fetch your stick just for a lil treat , hell yeah I would with pleasure! Choi Han: Oh that's what it was!

-

Choi Jung Soo: Physically, yes, I could fight a bird. But emotionally? *Sees Sui Khan's cute 13 yo child appearance staring daggers at him* Choi Jung Soo: Imagine the toll.

-

Cale: So apparently the 'bad vibes' I’ve been feeling are actually severe psychological distress

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Cale: A weight blanket is not enough I need to be compressed into a .zip file

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Cale with a wine glass in hand: Existence is the enemy The group also with wine glasses in their hands: Cheers to that

-

Cale: Sometimes that sad feeling is due to low blood sugar, and sometimes it's from decades of history. Not that complex

[blueteller]

"Would you love me if I was a worm?", TCF Edition

[Question: Would you still love Cale-nim if he was a worm?] Cale: (What kind of dumb question is that?) Well, obviously- (-no, because why would anyone even care about a worm??) Choi Han: Well obviously! Raon: What a dumb question! Cale: ??? Raon: That's right! Our Human is already so weak! As a worm he'd be even weaker!! Cale: … Choi Han: We would protect Cale-nim if he turned into a worm. Raon: And use everything in our power to turn him back to normal! Choi Han: (thoughtfully) We could probably threaten the God of Death to do it. Raon: Yes!! Let's loot and destroy all his temples!!! Choi Han: (pulling out his sword) Already on it Cale: W-wait a minute, I'm not even a worm right now…!

*Elsewhere* God of Death: (…why do I hear boss music-?)

[calethescammer]

Headcanon that krs had a reflex of getting in a fight stance when he's surprised. So now, as Cale, he instead activates his ancient powers. Like if he's taking a nap and something startles him, he will subconsciously activate the shield (or maybe throw a rock).

Now imagine this scenario-

Cale was taking a short nap on the couch after a battle took place. Since he was exhausted, he didn't hear Ron, Alberu, Choi Han, Rosalyn and the children entering the tent.

Ignoring the time everyone took to look at the adorable young master's sleeping face, Ron went to wake him up.

And Cale, startled, raised up his right hand, moved further back on the couch, and activated the shield. He himself looked stunned at what he just did.

Then the realisation of horror came and he realised he had pushed Ron off by the shield. Ron just stood there dead in his tracks and his face devoid of any benign smile.

The others looked the same, even the kids had shocked and dull faces. Cale got scared and started apologising frantically to them.

"Cale-nim, was it a nightmare?" Choi Han asked solemnly.

"Huh? No, no it wasn't anything of the sort! It's just a reflex..." Troubled, he decided to just blame the ancient powers.

"Its just something the ancient powers do for sneak attacks."

'yeah, its not my fault'

Cale nodded internally, satisfied by his answer, unaware of the misunderstandings forming.

Now imagine the misunderstandings-

"The young master is so traumatised by the war that he didn't recognise his own friends!"

"The young master can't even sleep in peace! He's always on guard for sneak attacks, even amongst his family..."

"What a terrible fate for someone so kind...he can't even find some peace..."

Many shed tears at how exhausted their young master looked, and how his shoulders slumped down from the responsibilities he carried.

Meanwhile, Cale's shoulder were slumped because of a certain young dragon as he walked lazily across the corridor, unaware of the horrors he would face the coming days.

[nonexistentirl]

Absolutely love it when Cale's allies act like him in the face of adversities. Their go to thought process being what would Cale-nim do is so funny and adorable at the same time. Cale Henituse the man you are.

[we-stan-cale]

It's not a whole scene, but I love the little encounters like this one, when they were at the Mercenary Guild's Directory

“Cale-nim.” Cale raised his head after hearing the cautious calling. Choi Han was looking at him. “What is it?” “I wish to help.” Choi Han smiled awkwardly at Cale who was looking at him and continued to speak. “Of course, I am a slow reader and my memory is not that good, but I thought I could still help.” Cale recalled some memories of his past. ‘Team leader-nim, shall I help?’ ‘Isn’t it time to go home?’ ‘Nah, it’s okay.’ ‘Like hell it’s okay. Isn’t your kid waiting for you at home? Go home.’ ‘But…’ ‘It’s fastest and most accurate for me to do it. You don’t need to do this part.’ He moved the conversation he had with one of his subordinates to a corner of his mind as he raised his hand. He then pointed to the second bookshelf. “I think it would be good to look through there.”

We get a sense of his life as Kim Rok Soo, and how he led his team.

But more importantly, we see how Cale/Kim Rok Soo has learned and grown over the years.

In this case, by accepting Choi Han's help. Even though with his ability he probably doesn't need it.

It's fun having a protagonist with so much experience, and the way the author hints at and teases us with his backstory is, tbh, a large part of why I kept reading initially.

I wanted to know who this guy was, who was comfortable with taking down empires and scamming corrupt priests and nobles.

It took almost half the story just to learn about his first ability, but we learn plenty more in the rest of the story.

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to The Worst's Chapter 395

Brief summary: Cale is doing his best to convince himself to stay positive upon learning what Clopeh had done. Count Lupe wakes up.

==========

Most of the chapter was so funny because of Clopeh. 😂 And Cale was heavily in denial, trying to stay positive despite his ominous feeling. 🤣🤣🤣

"Cale-nim." And finally, he faced Clopeh Sekka, the disaster. No, not quite a disaster yet. "Uh, umm.." For some reason, Cale was speechless. He would like to ask why the quest progress was like that. "Did you have a nice trip?" But when he saw Clopeh smiling, he was afraid to ask. '…Did I choose wrong?' For the first time in a while, Cale regretted his choice. “I did what you asked me to do, and I did it with all my heart and soul.” Ah. A sigh escaped his mouth. "Now that everything's ready, Cale-nim, all we have to do is wait a day." A smiling Clopeh. His gentle voice. Eyes filled with happiness. And eyes that sparkled with excitement. 'I'm screwed.' Cale realized that whatever it was, he was doomed. And- "Hahaha-" He laughed. "Yeah. Good job!" Yeah, everything will work out somehow! And I'm not going to live in the game, and it will only be a little embarrassing for that dragon half-blood guy. 'Yeah, people will soon forget his birth!' Honestly, look around you. Who, not even family, would remember the moment someone was born and talk about it for decades? 'Yeah! It's just an event! A quest!' Therefore! "Okay, I'll just wait!" Let's just sit still and receive the quest rewards. "Hahaha!" Cale laughed.

But that sentence in the middle though - Who, not even family, would remember the moment someone was born and talk about it for decades? ...KRS's past is just so sad. 😭

Clopeh then asked for Cale's help later, saying that it was "nothing special" and just "something small." Yeah, right. 😂😂😂 Last chapter, Cale spoke of his raid as "nothing special" while Alberu and Rosalyn looked at him disbelief. 🤣🤣🤣

So, Cale... why did you agree to help? You even had an ominous feeling. 😂😂😂

Count Lupe was confirmed to be dead, and his soul was trapped in the game. But his family did not survive the experiment, dying in agony. So upon regaining his memories, he vowed revenge against the Demon King.

Problem was, Count Lupe was in awe at Cale who instigated discord between the Demon King, hunters, and GoC alliance. He was giving Clopeh vibes today. Welcome to Caleism, Count Lupe. 😂😂😂

So what exactly did Clopeh do? Well, he caused 39 different phenomena in the entire continent, overworking Gashan, HD, Mary, and the others. This caused the powers of New World, such as kingdoms, magic towers, and the Eight Evils, to secretly send their strongest people in the 7th Evil area.

"…" Cale shut his eyes tightly. In the incubation room, there was only Cale and Eden Miru. On his lap lay Clopeh's report. "…" He opened his eyes and stared at the egg wrapped in a flower-patterned blanket. "…I'm sorry." …Shake. It was a gesture of understanding and resignation. (Insert several paragraphs of what Clopeh had done.) Clopeh's report ran to a whopping hundred pages. It was hard to even hold it. "…39 strange phenomena… across the entire continent? This crazy bastard." Shake. "You made a video and posted it on the forums to spread public opinion? How did you know that? Legends just make stories on their own, right? But why did you make a video and post it? Hah. You crazy bastard." Shake. "Are you excited too?" Shake. "Thank you for your hard work." Shake. "But it will be okay after tomorrow. Yes." Shake? "Yeah. I guess it'll be okay." …Sh…Sh…Shake. Cale tried hard to ignore the report that contained the order in which the birth, or rather the legendary birth, was to take place. "Hey, you just have to be born well. We'll take care of the rest." Sh…Sh…Sha…Shake…Shake… Eden Miru also turned away.

Cale's reactions. 😂😂😂 And Eden's shaking. 🤣🤣🤣 Clopeh overdid it that with less than an hour left, the birth ceremony progress rose from 159% to 197%! 🤣🤣🤣

Ending Remarks As expected of our pope, Clopeh! Next chapter would finally be Eden's birth. What do you think will his skin color will be?

[amarylliasky]

Y’all I am so so sorry it’s so late! I can explain! And I promise I won’t post all of these so late! I just had to stay at work an extra hour tonight and didn’t have as much time to finish this as I thought.

That being said, I’m not sure if I really like how it came out, but my writing skills are a bit rusty. I especially haven’t written much fanfiction over these last couple years. It’s mostly been snippets(that I haven’t posted), which was what I had planned this to be, but things happened. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!

Number 3, here we go!

Five Times Calyan Fell Alseep on His Family and One Time He…

1. Alberu Crossman

He would do anything to get out of this mind numbing meeting.

Crown Prince he may be, but even he is just about five seconds from pulling out Taerang to just lightly threaten some of these imbeciles in the room with him. Seriously, they’re in the middle of a war. Why are these idiots so invested in his relationship with the Dark Elves? Sure, it would be bad if someone makes the connection between them at this point in time, but what are they going to do with that information? He planned to reveal it at his coronation anyway, who’s going to try and get him off the throne when he’s already been announced as the current leader of the Roan Kingdom? As if Robbit or that coward third prince would be able to lead them to victory. Then again, he himself would not be nearly as confident without his headache of a dongseang/commander at his side.

Ah, at least there is one other person with a functioning brain in this meeting. However, his resident headache producer has been awfully quiet these past two hours…

Sneaking a look to his right as some central faction nobles prattle on about the churches and not enough healers, (pfft. As if the sun god has ever contributed to the welfare of this kingdom), he finds himself momentarily perplexed at the expression on Calyan’s face.

Glazed reddish brown eyes squint beneath slightly furrowed eyebrows. A curtain of deep red falls across his eyes as he continues to stare at a certain spot on the ovular table. Usually his dongsaeng would do his absolute best to zone out during these meetings, leaving all the discussions to his overworked Hyung-nim, the brat. But it’s almost as if he is actually trying to pay attention? Or perhaps stay awake would be the better term. Come to think of it, what was Calyan doing before the impromptu meeting?

Alberu had received word that the central faction’s nobles had a very important matter to discuss pertaining to the Kingdom’s current state of affairs. Of course, he doubted whether it was truly so important to interrupt their plans of smacking the White Star from behind, but nonetheless, he agreed to see them, as it wouldn’t do for the Crown Prince to disregard the “state of his Kingdom” in a time of crisis.

What had surprised him though, was their insistence on the inclusion of the former Commander, Calyan Henituse.

He had been rightfully annoyed at the audacity of these nobles that would demand his dongsaeng’s presence at such an insignificant meeting when he was finally able to rest for a few days. However, upon discussing it with the person in question’s older twin, Cale, neither he, nor the redhead could convince their troublesome little brother to stay away. For Calyan apparently has eyes and ears everywhere and Alberu’s Instructor-nim is still incapable of lying to his liege. Darn sensitive swordsman.

So when Calyan walked into the meeting room, Alberu had expected a lot of things. His usually stoic face with a hint of annoyance about being interrupted from his “slacking”; a blank face with barely visible exhaustion from the constant overworking, or perhaps cold eyes, ready to stare down any who even consider offending those he considers his people.

But what he didn’t expect to see was the redhead almost dragging his body through the doors and looking like he’d gone several years without a wink of sleep; his meticulously styled hair and unwrinkled clothing doing little to hide how utterly worn out he looked. Either these disrespectful nobles didn’t notice how exhausted his dongsaeng looked, or they just didn’t care, as they finally started the meeting once the Commander was present.

Which brings them to their current predicament. Alberu is beyond tired, which goes to show how tired the man at his side must be. Evident by the fact that he is actually trying to pay attention to whatever nonsense the other occupants of the meeting hall are spewing. Subtly shifting closer to his sworn brother, Alberu lets his hand just barely brush the against where he knows younger’s to be under the table. Seeing those hazy eyes focus on his faux blue ones, he conveys a silent message.

‘Are you tired?’

The blank look he gets tells everything.

‘Why are you asking such an obvious question?’

He should have seen that coming. He conveys something else.

‘I can bail you out. It’s not like you need to hear this obvious buffoonery.’

That gets a barely noticeable smile from the redhead. But Calyan imperceptibly shakes his head.

‘I’m fine.’

What blatant lies.

He knows there’s no use in trying to reason with his stubborn dongseang, so he instead tunes back into the discussion when he hears his title being called by a no-name Count.

It is a mind numbing fifteen minutes before he feels a weight on his shoulder, and all at once, the hall falls silent. Looking down, he sees a head of long red hair slumped against him. Luckily the chairs were situated in a way that Calyan’s chair was at his side instead of further down; a sort of intimidation move on Alberu’s part, so the Commander had blessedly not fallen to the floor when he evidently succumbed to sleep.

“Is there anything else that requires the Crown’s immediate attention, Count Rodden?” Said man nervously shifts, clearly having more to say, but relents upon witnessing the Crown Prince aiming his blinding smile directly at him.

“Ahem.. I suppose we should finish our discussion at the next meeting then, your highness.“ Count Rodden avoids his eyes as he says that, clearly not wanting to end the meeting there, but unwilling to propose waking the sleeping Commander on the Crown Prince’s shoulder, and most likely earning the ire of the swormaster and highest grade expert he knows are on the other side of the doors.

As the nobles finally filter out of the room, Alberu makes a mental note to thank Cale and Choi Han for being so intimidating. Say what you will about the eldest Young Master of the Henituse County and the scary Swormaster, but they sure know how to get those idiotic high classes to submit.

Sighing in relief that finally, finally, he is out of that horrible meeting, he once again looks down at the young man slumbering away on his shoulder. Hah…really, his dongsaeng is just too adorable.

Steeling himself, he reaches his unoccupied arm to gently rouse his adorable headache.

“Dongsaeng, Calyan. It’s time to wake up.”

His only reply is slow breathing. This won’t do. Any moment now, the chaos incarnate and his vicious instructor-nim will kick open the doors. He’s got to wake Calyan up. For the sake of his ever-growing damage repair bills.

“Donsaeng. Wakey wakey. If you don’t wake up your brother is going to permanently scar some poor nobles..” Still no response but heavy breathing. He swears it’s like this man wants to make his life harder. Oh wait, he does, doesn’t he?

Hearing the chatter outside growing faint, Alberu finally resolves himself to having to carry around this lazy little brother of his. Propping Calyan’s head up with the hand currently attached to his imprisoned limb, the Crown Prince is forced to pause when he feels that something is off here.

Since when has Calyan ever been so still?

Sure, he loves to sleep and will grumble when anyone tries to wake him, but ultimately he still answers whoever it is, even with only a tired groan. Even the few times Alberu is forced to wake up him up after an all-nighter forces them to crash on the couch in his study(while the company is quite appreciated, he’d rather skip the never ending paperwork altogether thank you), he would usually burrow deeper into whatever he’s laying on(Alberu, in this case) in an attempt to not get up. If this was an attempt to get out of the meeting, he would’ve stopped it as soon as the rest of the room’s occupants were on the other side of the doors.

Which makes this situation all the more strange. And worrying.

Well, that and the obvious fever. With Alberu’s hand on Calyan’s head, he can clearly feel the unnaturally high temperature. Why didn’t he feel it before? And the unusually loud breathing; it’s no wonder the redhead is down for the count. When was the last time he slept?

He has precious little time to think about that though. Moving his right arm to Calyan’s back, he reaches down to place the other under his dongsaeng’s knees for a much more comfortable position in which to carry him. He lifts them both off the chairs with ease(which is just a tad bit concerning), and mentally prepares himself for the hour-long lecture he’s sure to receive from the redhead’s equally red-haired, overprotective twin.

In the time it takes him to get them both out of that awkward semi-hugging position they started with, the heavy doors of the meeting hall are pushed open and he can practically feel the satisfaction radiating off the two hooligans. Where he would normally feel an incoming headache, along with a small amount of pride, he only feels growing concern for the young man in his arms……And maybe a bit of trepidation for the hurricane of nagging soon to come.

This is going to be a long, long night…

————

Calyan Henituse, formerly Kim Rok Soo, has experienced a lot of sleepless nights in the last twenty years for someone whose dream is to do nothing but roll around on his bed. For the record, he blames that stupid Radish for his lack of a slacker life. If that White Thing would have just minded his own business and left Roan alone, Calyan wouldn’t have to lose sleep(and brain cells) trying to find a way to get rid of him. So yeah, he is unfortunately familiar with going several days without sleep during his plans to smack the White Star in the back and meeting up with various allies across the two continents. Though his frequent use of record in order to speed things up does nothing to soothe what is most likely one of his many stress headaches. It’s a bit annoying having to deal with them after being a spoiled young master of the rich Henituse family in this life, but he dealt with them for years as Kim Rok Soo, he can deal with them for a few weeks now. Just until he can find a moment to rest.

Or so he thought. Because the very first thing he registers after his impromptu nap at the latest and most probably annoying nobles meeting is a headache at least five times worse than the ones he frequently got as Kim Rok Soo. That’s not even mentioning how his whole body feels as if he just experienced what it’s like to be on the receiving end of one of Choi Han’s brutal training sessions.

He stifles a pained groan as he attempts to slowly open his eyes in order to better adjust to the light in his room.

It appears it was not needed though, as the mana-powered lamps in what is most definitely not his bedroom are set at the lowest setting. The room is just barely bright enough to distinguish the sleeping silhouette of its only other occupant.

Alberu Crossman sits on a chair beside his own bed, in his own bedroom, that is being occupied by Calyan. His head is at an awkward angle(ouch) and he has his arms crossed even in his sleep. All in all, he looks like he fell asleep waiting for Calyan to wake up.

He…doesn’t know how to feel about that. There’s definitely a certain warmth at the actions of his self-proclaimed Hyung-nim, but he would still rather Alberu not waste his time and energy staying with him when the Crown Prince is surely even more exhausted than him. If anyone deserves to rest during such a chaotic time, it’s this quarter Dark Elf.

That said, this is not exactly an ideal position for the future Sun of Roan to sleep in, so Calyan will just have to wake him up and force him into his own(currently occupied) bed to get some real rest.

As if sensing his thoughts, the pseudo-blond shifts slightly before slowly opening his eyes. Blinking the sleep away, his not-blue irises lock onto sharp, and thankfully no longer hazy, reddish brown ones.

“Hah. Took you long enough. Well isn’t that convenient how you woke up only after your brother left the room.” He scoffs at the man who stayed asleep throughout Cale’s entire over-an-hour long lecture about making sure his troublesome brother rested. Who knew that the so-called “Trash” Cale Henituse, who was known for yelling at everyone and throwing around wine bottles, would tell off the Crown Prince of Roan for letting his twin attend a meeting in his condition. And that he would do it all without raising his voice above a whisper.

“My sincerest apologies your highness, the star of our kingdom. You have my most heartfelt gratitude for courageously bearing the full might of-“

“Enough.”

Alberus heaves a deep sigh into his hands before brushing back his disheveled hair. He can now finally allow himself to relax. He is not going to lie, he’s happy to hear his dongsaeng’s voice again. Even if the first thing the person in question says is complete, nonsensical flattery. Alberu was a bit unnerved at how absolutely still Calyan was during the meeting, and that feeling evolved to concern and anxiety when Calyan eventually collapsed in the middle. Suffice to say, Alberu will now be thoroughly observing his dongsaeng for any discomfort at a formal event in the future. Forget about any consequences, Calyan will always come first.

Sigh. He reaches out a hand and places it gently on his troublesome brother’s forehead. Good, his temperature seems to have gone down a bit.

“Hyung-nim?” Calyan says with a small bit of confusion.

Alberu sighs for a third time. “What am I going to do with this troublesome dongsaeng of mine?” He says with exasperated affection.

Calyan attempts to sit up. But is swiftly stopped by hands firmly keeping him from moving. Too tired to protest, he resigns himself and simply mutters one word.

“Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” What are you sorry for? He wants to ask. For getting sick? For going to the meeting without any regard for your own health? For worrying your family?

“I put you in an awkward situation.” Oh. Calyan avoids his eyes, running his hand over a particularly interesting strand of red hair. His face remains stoic, but his voice and actions speak of his sincerity. Truly, Alberu doesn’t understand the thoughts going through that brilliant but dumb head. Is he really thinking about Alberu’s reputation at a time like this?

“Do you really think I care about what those imbeciles with no tact think of me?” Calyan stops fidgeting, but is clearly still troubled. “Dongsaeng, you did me a favor. If I had to be in the same room as them for two more minutes, I might have considered calling your brother.”

The redhead lets out a small huff at the mental image of Cale getting full reign to say whatever he wanted to those insufferable suck ups. He’d send them packing, that’s for sure. Finally lifting his head to face the prince, he is slightly stunned to find a fond sort of amusement reflected in the quarter Dark Elf’s eyes.

He knows Alberu truly doesn’t care about what anyone, let alone those who hold hostility for his family, thinks; and yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty for the position he’d unwillingly put the other in. He may be weak, but he doesn’t like to be a burden on his colleagues. Least of all, someone he considers family. He knows it is okay to need others, he is only able to survive thanks to them, but he also knows when they need him to be strong. If it were anyone else, he might have done considerable harm to their image. It is only thanks to Alberu’s own wit and status that Calyan’s act of falling asleep in an important meeting was set aside so smoothly.

Regardless, he allows himself to let it go just this once. After all, who’s going to fault the Crown Prince for the actions of his sworn brother? Alberu holds all the cards. He’s got loads he can use against those central faction idiots; and if he needs more, Calyan will happily contribute to their humiliation.

“Move over.” He is snapped out of his musings by a short remark from the man to his left. Confused, he makes space for Alberu to join him on the rather large bed. What was all that forcing him to stay still earlier if he was just going to be forced to move?

He complies as the young man situates them so that they are both covered in the plush comforter and Calyan’s head is resting in his lap.

“Your highness…?”

“Hyung-nim.”

“Hyung-nim…what are you doing?”

“You keep wincing as if you have a headache. I wouldn’t be surprised. Just let your Hyung-nim deal with everything.”

His protests get stuck in his throat when he feels gentle hands carding through his hair. Embarrassment aside, the repetitive motion does somewhat comfort him, though it does little for a headache as severe as this one. Of course, he’s not going to tell Alberu to stop. Why waste the opportunity to sleep on the Crown Prince’s lap? And just where does he manufacture his blankets? Calyan will have to mention it to Ron.

Alberu scoffs softly. “You’re probably the first person to make a royal into a bed. “

He continues carding his fingers through the long hair, untangling the silky wine-like strands. “Just sleep, Calyan. You’ll feel better tomorrow. Don’t worry, I won’t tell the children just yet. I’ll tell them it’s a sleepover.”

A sleepover in the Crown Prince’s bedroom? It was almost funny to imagine. But the assurance that the children would remain ignorant of his condition(at least for the time being) allowed him to finally relax and give into the lull and warmth. Even after his unplanned nap, he feels the exhaustion creeping up on him. However, unlike the last few weeks, he welcomes it. The White Star can wait to be smacked just as Calyan can wait a bit longer for his life of doing absolutely nothing. For now, he’ll sleep for a few (maybe a few dozen?) hours and dream of retiring in his late twenties.

Calyan falls asleep to the quiet murmurs of his Hyung-nim’s plans for dealing with lousy citizens and the feeling of complete safety only few can give him even in this life.

Yes, he is close to his long-awaited slacker life. Maybe in a few more months, there can be more nights like this with his family. Preferably without the sickness and embarrassing positions though.

///////

Also, just wanted to make a note here in case people don’t read the tags. Please do not tag as ship. All relationships in my countdown, unless stated otherwise, are purely platonic.