#when he thinks about ji-wons stomach pain

[honeysbunchesofoats]

somehow after Ji-Hyuk's confession at the hospital and telling her to stop him with a simple "no." taking separate taxis in tandem back to Ji-Won's neighborhood seems so intimate. he gives her all the space she needs, and does everything he can to help her feel comfortable and safe. and even though it seems impossible to trust again, Ji-Won finds herself considering it. pondering if she could be happy and safe with someone. when she glances back to his cab, she's showing vulnerability, that I don't think she considered even thinking about before.

[wonderland-smile-stories]

~ Chapter 10 ~

I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes and how poorly written this fanfic is. English is not my first language and together with my dyslexia ass things can go wrong I'm sorry.

A sigh escaped my lips when I finally reached my destination. I took a good look at all the buildings that surround Green Homes.

I was looking for Eun-hyuk. 

I need to find him. 

I promised Eun-yu that I would find him and that's what I was going to do. Even if he was a monster I wanted to see him.

I need to find him not only for Eun-yu but for myself as well. I can't accept the fact that someone else I care about is gone. 

If Eun-hyuk had turned he could be hanging around here. Even if he was a monster he could still be in the neighborhood. This has been a place he has been at for a long time when everything was normal, so maybe he would stay here. 

Even if the building had collapsed on him he still would have survived seeing that he was turning. 

I just want to find him. 

At least then I won't be alone. 

There were times when I wanted to go to Ji-su and Eun-yu, but then I remembered Sang-won and what he was planning on doing. I'm pretty sure he's still after me. I can't risk him finding me when I'm with them or anyone else from Green Home.

If I could find Eun-hyuk he could help me fight him. I knew that he would be stronger by now. Maybe the two of us can finally kill Sang-won. I also don't think Eun-hyuk would be happy if he found out what Sang-won was planning on doing to his sister. 

I have to admit that I have been having nightmares ever since I left that place. It's been four months since I escaped Sang-won and his minions. I had hoped by now that those awful dreams would be gone, but there are so many nights that I wake up alone and scared. 

Luckily, I'm not always alone. There is this little monster. I think it's just a couple of months old. I first found it a few months ago with an old stab wound in his stomach when I was on a supply run. I don't know what he's been through, but he was extremely scared when he saw me. 

It took me a couple of hours of just sitting there trying to make him feel comfortable to come to me before I could help him with his wounds. I took his pain away helping him heal faster and ever since then he has been hanging around me. 

It's funny, but also sad to think that this is probably just a baby in a monster body. It seems to grow up fast mentally, but its body doesn't grow that much. 

He's not always with me, but some nights he spends them in my shelter. So when I wake up he's sometimes there to bring me comfort. I just hope I can find Eun-hyuk soon. 

Marking off the last building I search in red I make my way to a new one. This one is still standing at least. The last one I had to hop onto some broken stairs to get to the next level. There were some, what looked like bombed places in the building. 

Well, as long as there isn't something big in there, the building should be fine. With my knife in my hand, I began to make my way inside. It usually takes me a day to check a building. I try to go into every room if I can. 

Not only so I can check for Eun-hyuk, but for supplies as well. Of course, I'm careful for monsters or humans. My senses can tell me if a monster is nearby or not. Even humans are easy to sense if I concentrate. 

The first few floors were nothing special. I found some things I could use like food and took them with me, but other than that there was nothing special. When I came to the third floor the ringing in my ears started. With my knife in my hand, I held it tightly ready to defend myself if I had to. 

Carefully I looked behind a corner, but quickly pulled back when I saw something big move. 

A monster. 

Okay, it didn't see me, but unfortunately, I need to pass it to get to the next level. 

Slowly I look from behind the wall trying to get a better look at the monster. It was surprisingly round. Like a bolder round. It actually looked like a rock. His skin was dark gray with some olive-green spots. It also looked like his skin was made of rocks. 

The monster did have arms and legs, but even if they had the shape of them it still looked like rocks. So in short it's a rock monster. 

I wish there was a way for me to find out if it was good or bad, but the only way I could think of was going up to it and see what happened. Which could end in a fifty-fifty chance for me to die. It also didn't help that it was right in front of the freaking exit to the next level of the building. 

I could try to find an open window in one of the rooms and climbed the outside of the building. But there is also a fifty-fifty chance of me falling. It's not like I haven't done it before, but it was because every staircase was blocked and I needed to reach the next floor. 

Looking around I try to see if I see something where I can make a noise with to distract. I saw a broken car toy lying around a few feet further. 

Perfect. 

With my hand, I began to make it move to my will. Slowly, I began to guide it to the monster. At first, he didn't notice it until I bumped his feet a few times. That caught his attention making him angry when he couldn't grab it. 

With one big move with my hand, I send the car flying down the hall. The monster wasted no time and began to chase it. First, he ran after it, but to my surprise, he jumped up and tugged his limps into his body becoming a full rock boulder. 

It was fast before, but now he managed to get to the car in seconds rolling behind it. The whole building shook when he did that. It shook so much that I was scared it would make it collapse. 

Making sure he was still distracted I began to make my way to the staircase. I could hear it stomp on the toy car over and over again. Who knew such a stupid thing could be so handy? I finally let out a deep breath when I was in the hall of the staircase and closed the door behind me. 

It is safe for now, but I still need to come back down. 

I took a step forward, ready to go up the stairs when a rumbling sound came from behind me. Just when I was about to turn around the door behind me fell on top of me. 

Fuck!

The monster had heard me and was now standing on top of me. I could feel my ribs break when he took another step on top of the door. He's going to crush me if I don't get from underneath this thing. 

With my last strength, I began to focus on the door on top of me. At first, I was pushing it with my fiscal strength, but soon I began to push mentally as well. Combining my two strengths I managed to lift the door from me. 

The monster looked down at me trying to get to me, but the door was still in between us. With one loud scream, I put all my strengths into the push and then managed to push the door completely off of me sending it flying down the hall together with the monster. 

Licking my dry lips I could taste the metal from my bloody nose. Without waiting more time I push myself up holding onto my side. The monster was pinned down underneath the door, but I have a feeling it wouldn't take him long to get from underneath it.

All limping, I began to climb up the stairs holding my side with one hand and with the other the wall. I'm sure that most of my ribs were broken. I could feel them move every time I took a breath. Speaking of breathing there is no way in hell that not one of my ribs hasn't pierced my lung. Seeing that it was hard to breathe and the stabbing pain in my left lung. 

Somewhat of relief washed over me when I made it to the next floor. This time I closed the door behind me and took a few steps away from it before I fell to the wall. Breathing was getting harder with every breath. 

I just need to hang on and wait for the healing to kick in. It won't take long, I just need to wait and have patience. 

A cracking sound echoes through the hall before I feel the building shook. It seems like the monster doesn't have any patience and wants to get me to know. Before I could do anything the monster jumped through the floor landing a few feet away from me. 

Shit! 

It wildly trashed around trying to see me through the dust he had made. When his eyes did land on me cold sweats ran down my spine. 

Oh crap! 

For a few seconds, we just stared at each other before he jumped up and began to roll his way to me. My body was yelling at me not to move, but if I wanted to live I needed to get away from there, so I had no other choice but to jump up and begin to run away. 

There was not a chance in the world I could outrun him. I needed a place to hide, but there was nothing around me to hide in. Looking straight ahead I saw a door that was open to a room. If I could hide inside and barricade myself there I could win some time to think about a plan. 

Luckily for me the door still had a lock so I quickly locked it the moment I closed the door behind me. 

The door alone won't keep this monster out. It jumped through a concrete floor! So a metal door is nothing to him. Everything I could get my hands on I began to push I fro of the door. A couch, chairs, the freaking bookcase. I had to use all my strength to move those things, but it was this or the monster coming in. 

I was placing another chair against the rest of the furniture when a banging sound came from behind the door, moving everything. 

Oh crap, it's here. 

Another push quickly followed. It really wants to get me. I looked around trying to find something. 

My eyes landed on the windows getting an idea. 

Swiftly, I ran to it opening it. I was on the fourth floor, so it was high. A normal human would not survive this or would be badly injured. I know if I get injured I will heal, but still. The injuries that I have now are barely healed. 

My eyes scanned the ground trying to find a good spot to land. There were rocks at one spot, grasses on the other, and some pieces of junk like old furniture and other stuff on the other side. If I'm lucky I can would land on some old sofa or bed. 

The banging on the door got louder and faster making the door and walls crack around it. 

Fuck this. 

Climbing through the window I could feel the wind hitting my face. 

This sucks so bad! 

I held on tight at the window and wall standing on the edge. I looked one last time behind me seeing the monster snarling at me through the cracks of the door. It's now or never. 

Without thinking about it another second I pushed myself off the wall and jumped. The wind rang through my ears when I felt myself fall. I had aimed and hoped to fall into the furniture pile and to my luck I landed on it, but... 

When I made contact with it I could feel something pierce my stomach. Letting out a cry of pain I balled my hands turning them into fists trying to hold in another scream. I could hear the monster break things about the apartment. 

I don't know if it was angry I was gone or if it was still trying to get to me. 

Carefully I push myself up trying to turn myself around. 

Big mistake. 

I could feel the thing that had pierced me move in and out of my stomach. 

Another yell left my lips. 

I need to get out of here! 

I could feel more blood running down my stomach and I'm pretty sure I'll bleed out. I need to find a safe place to do so. I can't just pass out here in the open. 

My hands went to my stomach grabbing the object that was stuck. It felt like it was a broken-off leg of a table or chair. I was on my hands and knees trying to get out of this pile and trying to stay away from the monster above me. 

I could still hear a lot of noise coming from above me making me move further. 

Finally, I managed to reach the grass taking a deep breath. Carefully, I lay on my back trying to catch my breath. I can't pass out, I can't pass out. I repeat myself when I feel my eyes begin to be unfocused. 

The sound of glass shattering came from above me soon followed with small pieces of glass falling on top of me. 

Slowly I looked up and saw the monster looking down at me. 

It let out a growl. 

Great. 

This is it I guess. 

I needed to move, but I could barely move any limbs let alone standing up. With shaky hands, I grabbed the piece before yanking it out of my stomach. A loud yell escaped my lips before I throw the piece of shit away from me. 

Okay now move. 

Just move. 

Slowly I turned on my stomach and began to crawl away. 

Everything hurt. 

My legs, arms, lungs, ribs, hell even my fingers hurt from grabbing so tightly onto the ground. 

I'm not dying here like this. 

Looking over my shoulders I was just in time to see the monster jump out of the window through my blurry eyes. With a loud bang, it hit the ground shaking it in the process. I had to hold onto the ground tightly because of it. 

It looked around before it spotted me crawling away. 

Oh god! 

With the last strength I had, I began to move again. Panic began to rise seeing it charge at me while I could barely move or see properly. 

This is really it. 

I'm going to die like this. 

The monster was just a few feet away from me when I rolled into my back trying to shield myself with my hands when it wanted to jump on top of me. My eyes were tightly shut ready for the impact when I heard something clash with it making it howl in pain. 

I felt it land a few feet further before letting out another loud growl. The sound of fighting sound followed but was quickly drowned out by the ringing in my ears. 

Slowly I moved my hands down and opened my eyes. It didn't help at all because everything I saw was just blurry, the building in front of me was just a big black blur. I could feel myself slipping away, but what happened to the monster? 

I tried to look at the directions of where the sounds were coming from, but the only thing I saw were two blurry figures fighting. 

One was bigger and was probably the monster, but the other one was smaller, but he didn't look human. 

The last thing I saw was the bigger one being pushed away seeing him fly across the street into another building.

Previous Chapter ~ Next Chapter

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[maaaaaatryoshka0325]

Tourniquet - Han Jisung Gang AU Part 16

(Pt1) (Pt2) (Pt3) (Pt4) (Pt5) (Pt6) (Pt7) (Pt8) (Pt9) (Pt10) (Pt11) (Pt12) (Pt13) (Pt14) (Pt15)

Warnings: Character gets drugged, violence, angst, character almost gets taken advantage of

You felt excitement fill you as you picked out a skirt and an off the shoulder top. Some of your classmates were going to the club, and you of course, were invited. However, Jisung wasn’t too happy about it.

“That skirt is really short.” He said, looking at your outfit.

“No it’s not, it covers my butt.” You pointed out.

“Barely.” He huffed.

“Can’t you just tell me I look pretty and get over it?” You asked.

“No.” He said, standing up.

He looked down at you as he tipped your head foreward, pressing his lips to your forehead.

“Because you’re beautiful.” He said softly.

You giggled and buried your face into his shoulder. He was so cheesy, but he knew how to make your heart race.

“And that’s the problem.” He sighed.

You reached your hand up and stroked his cheek, looking into his eyes. He held your hand and kissed your palm, his warm hand engulfing your own.

“You don’t have to worry babe, you’re the only one I love.” You said reassuringly.

“Fine, I’ll allow it. Only if you give me a kiss.” He said with a playful smile.

You giggled and kissed his lips. When you pulled away he whined.

“Another.”

You kissed him again and he hummed.

“One more.”

You laughed and kissed him all over his face, making him laugh.

“Okay okay, I believe you.” He said, kissing your nose and walking you out.

Your clas mate, Ji Ah, was waiting outside for you in an Uber.

“I’ll come get you from the club later. If your friend need a ride I’ll bring them home so they’re not drunk in a strangers car.” He said, looking down at you.

You kissed his lips with a smile, your eyes full of love.

“You’re so sweet Sungie.” You giggled.

“Yah, how many times do I gotta say stop calling me that.” He groaned.

You kissed his cheek and got into the Uber’s car, hugging Ji Ah as you both headed to the club.

“How has your break been?” She asked.

“Good! How’s yours?” You asked.

“Good, I didn’t know you were dating Han Jisung.” She giggled.

“Yeah, it’s been some months since we started dating.” You said with a big smile.

“It’s cute, you two look good together.” She said with a sweet smile.

When you both got to the club, you saw Minchul with Choon Hee, Hae Won, and Ho Sook.

“Hey guys.” You and Ji Ah greeted.

“Hey!” They all greeted you both.

You ordered some drinks and talked about the upcoming semester.

“This break hasn’t even been a break for me, I had to read so many books and do a few papers, then working on top of it.” Ho Sook groaned.

“Me too, Forensic Science isn’t easy.” Ji Ah sighed.

You all agreed as you downed your drinks.

“Can you come to the bar with me?” Minchul asked.

“Yeah, of course!” You said with a smile, following him over.

When you both got to the bar he ordered a drink and turned to you.

“Thank you, I hate coming up to these alone.” He laughed.

“Me too.” You agreed.

“Do you want another drink?” He asked.

“Not now, I haven’t finished my other one and Ji Ah wants me to dance with her. I’ll throw up if I drink too many at once too fast.” You laughed.

“I understand.” He laughed.

You both went back to the table as Ji Ah grabbed your hand and led you to the dance floor. You both danced and laughed, losing yourselves to the music. Choon Hee and Hae Won danced with you, giggly drunk messes. Ho Sook and Minchul hung back, talking to each other as they watched the the four of you.

The four of you convinced them to come and dance, and you were all a mess as Choon Hee did the sprinkler and Ho Sook did the worm. Tonight was such a good night, and you were glad you were spending it with classmates, people who understood you.

You and Minchul walked to the bar and he turned to you.

“Another drink?” He asked.

“Yeah I think I’m ready.” You laughed.

He smiled at you and paid the bartender, making you groan.

“You gotta stop doing that.” You groaned.

“Just drink your drink.” He laughed.

You were about to take a sip when a loud noise caught your attention. You turned your head and looked around, not noticing anything.

“Did you hear that?” You asked.

“It sounded like someone broke something.” Minchul said.

You shook your head and he raised his glass to yours and clanked them.

“Let’s see who can chug the fastest.” He said.

You laughed and threw your drink back, chugging it a little quicker than him. You grimaced as you looked at the drink, as it didn’t taste good.

“Was yours gross too?” You asked.

“All alcoholic beverages take gross to me.” He said, grimacing.

You laughed and followed him back out onto the dance floor, dancing to the beat of the song. Your phone vibrated and you knew it was Jisung, but figured you’d answer him in a couple minutes.

The music seemed to get louder and deafening, and the room started to spin. You hadn’t had too much to drink, so you were beyond confused. You stumbled off of the dance floor, sweating.

What the fuck was going on?

You felt sick to your stomach, so you made your way out the back in the ally to get some fresh air where no one would bother you. You panted as you pulled your phone out to look at the text you had received.

Jisung: How is it babe?

You: I feel really sick right now.

Jisung: Drink too much?

You: No, not at all. I can’t breathe and I can’t see too well or anything.

Jisung: What do you mean you can’t breathe?

You: I’m in the back ally trying to breathe.

You leaned against the wall and panted, your head spinning. You saw a pair of legs in front of you and you looked up. It was Minchul.

“How are you feeling Y/N?” He asked.

“I don’t feel so good.” You groaned, leaning on the wall.

“Don’t worry, it won’t last long.” He said.

“What?” You asked.

He smirked as he grabbed your chin.

“You’re so fucking stupid for someone who has such high grades.” He said.

“Minchul what- what did you do?” You asked, your voice shaking.

“I made it so fucking clear you should stay away from him. I told you about his past, was there for you, and even went through the hassle of having ATEEZ to tell you to fuck off. But you’re so fucking stupid.” He snarled, grabbing you by your throat.

You yelped as you grabbed at his hand, clawing his arm.

“I even told them where you two were and got his ass handed to him, yet you’re still with him!” His eyes were so dark, you couldn’t see the man you had called a friend.

“Y-You did all that?” You gasped, still clawing at his arm as tears spilled down your face.

“You were supposed to be mine. MINE. I did everything I could for you. Helped you study, gave you advice, bought you things, and you still won’t let me have you. I’ll take what’s supposed to be mine if I have too.” His rancid alcohol breath made you want to gag as he tried to kiss you, but you kept fighting away from him.

“Jisung!” You cried.

“He won’t come for you. Not here.” He snarled.

You cried as his grip tightened on your throat, then aloud smacking sound filled the air and you dropped on the ground, gasping. Grunts and loud skin on skin contact filled your ears as you raised your head. It was Jisung.

He was over top of Minchul, pounding his face into his skull. Your stomach churned as you watched blood splatter the wall and the ground near them.

“J-Jisung.” you called, but he ignored you. His fist still pounding into Minchul’s face.

“Jisung stop!” You cried, pushing yourself onto your wobbly legs.

His fist continued to hit Minchul, Minchul laying limp. You wobbled over to him and grabbed his arm.

“Jisung please stop!” You sobbed.

He realized too late that you had grabbed him, so when he went to punch Minchul again, he accidentally knocked you over and you fell to the ground with a small groan. Jisung froze and looked down at you, his eyes dark and blood was splattered across his face.

“Y/N no- I’m sorry.” He panicked.

He grabbed you and cradled you, holding your face with one hand and cradling your head against his shoulder.

“Y/N? Y/N! It’s going to be okay baby.” He began to freak out as your body shook and you let out a whimper.

Chan and Woojin ran over to you both and gasped at the scene.

“Get them back home.” You heard Chan tell Woojin.

Your vision began to fade out, as the last thing you saw was Jisung’s face.

Your eyes fluttered open, pain crashing down on your head and your whole body. You winced as you opened your eyes and looked around. You weren’t home, you were at Changbin’s, in Jisung’s bed.

You flicked your eyes off to the side and saw Jisung sitting at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. Your eyes wandered to his visible hand, noticing the open wounds on his knuckles and the bruising around them. Tears filled your eyes as you remembered what had happened.

“Jisung?” You whimpered.

He lifted his head from his hands and looked at you, his eyes wide.

“Oh, baby.” He whispered, his large eyes filled with worry.

“Everything hurts.” You croaked.

“I know baby, I know.” He whispered.

Tears filled your eyes, and Jisung sat there, looking helpless. His eyes never met yours, even when he looked at you, they looked away from your own. You let out a small whimper and he put his head back in his hands.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered.

“W-Why?” You asked, your voice shaking.

“I couldn’t protect you, y-you were drugged. Woojin had to pump your stomach. I was so fucking scared I was going to lose you... I was so fucking scared. Then I hurt you... I didn’t mean to, I-I really fucking didn’t. I lost control and I... God... They were right. I’m better off dead.” His voice shook as he spoke, hiding his face from you.

IMPORTANT: if you ever go clubbing or to bars and your drink tastes SALTY or funny, let the bartender or manager on duty know. Roofies has a SALTY TASTE.

You stretched your hand out and touched his arm, making him jump.

“You saved me Jisung... Who told you that you were better off dead?” Your voice was broken as you spoke from pain and from the tears.

“I don’t even want to think about what he would’ve done to you... Then you wouldn’t stop shaking and you wouldn’t fucking respond... Oh God, I was so scared.” Your heart broke as you heard a small sob come from his lips.

You slowly pushed yourself up and leaned into him, laying your head on his back.

“You saved me Jisung, you were there for me.” You whispered, tears spilling down from your eyes and onto his back as he cried into his hands.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you... I’m so sorry.” He sobbed.

“You didn’t hurt me Jisung, I promise. I know you’d never hurt me.” You soothed him, rubbing his back with your hand as you leaned on him.

He turned over and pulled you into his arms, burying his face into the crook of your neck. His strong arms held you tightly as you felt your skin become wet from his tears.

“I’m so fucking sorry baby.” He sobbed.

You clung to him weakly, your own tears pouring down from your eyes.

“Stop apologizing Jisung, if you hadn’t been there...” Your voice trailed off as your body shuddered, not knowing what Minchul would’ve done to you.

“I lost control.” He whispered.

“You were saving me Jisung.” You whispered back.

He pulled his face away from your neck and kissed your forehead. You slid your hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes, leaning into your touch.

“I love you so much Jisung.” You whispered, pulling him foreward and kissing his forehead.

He pulled you into his arms and held you tightly, his hands shaking as you sat in between his legs, your back pressed against his chest for support.

“Jisung... Your hands.” You whispered, running your fingers over the wounds and bruises.

He flinched and pulled his hands away.

“S-Sorry.” He whispered.

You pulled them back and ran your fingers over the open wounds.

“Why are you sorry?” You asked.

“They never do anything good.” He whispered, dropping his head into the crook of your neck again.

“Jisung... Your hands are so gentle with me. You use them to protect me. You use them to pleasure me. You use them to comfort me. They’re so pretty.” You said softly, intertwining your fingers with his.

“What happened to Minchul?”

[minyoongleschimjoongles]

Preordained: Introductions VI

When Zara Met Hoseok

Pairing(s):Poly!BTSxOC, Sub!BTSxOC,

Warnings: Implied sexual situations, Mentions of sexual situations, implications of Dom/sub relationships

Intro: Taehyung, Jungkook, Yoongi, Namjoon, Jin

“Noona!” Jungkook burst into Zara’s dorm room with a wide smile on his face. In his hands he clutched a flyer, and when he reached Zara, he shoved it under her nose and bounced excitedly on his heels as she read it.

Seoul National University’s Fifth Annual Dancing Showcase.

Written in bold letters close to the bottom of the page, was Park Jimin.

Park Jimin, who was Taehyung’s best friend and roommate, as well as a fantastic contemporary dancer.

Zara’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Jungkook with a growing smile on her face. Jungkook was still bouncing.

“Can we go?”

“Of course we can go.”

So she shut her laptop, threw on one of Yoongi’s hoodies that he’d left in Zara’s dorm, and they were out the door within 10 minutes. A quick text was sent out to the rest of the Soulmates, and they met at the quad where the Showcase was being held.

Tae, like Jungkook, was bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, eyes scanning the crowds for Jimin.

“Noona, I’m gonna go look for Jiminie, okay?” Tae pressed a kiss against Zara’s cheek before going off into the masses.

“Wait, Tae, I’ll come with you!” Jungkook called, wrapping Zara into a hug and running off after his elder.

“Well,” Zara looked at Namjoon, Yoongi and Jin, “looks like it’s the oppas and me. Does anyone see Jimin? I can’t see.”

Yoongi cracked a grin, reaching down and grabbing Zara’s hand, swinging it slightly.

“You need a boost, Little Girl? These crowds are huge.”

Zara scoffed at Yoongi, pinching his cheek in retaliation. “I’m not that short, Yoongi-ssi.”

“Short enough, Zara-ssi.”

“Brat.”

Yoongi’s eyes crinkled with his grin upon recognizing the English word, and he brought Zara’s hand up to his lips to kiss it.

“Yours.”

Namjoon pointed over people’s heads, grinning.

“I see people dancing now!”

Zara jumped up and down a few times, but she couldn’t see above the crowd. Namjoon crouched and hoisted her up onto his back so she could see the dancers.

Jimin wasn’t one of them, Zara could tell from the way they moved, but they were phenomenal dancers in their own rights. She found her eyes glued to the dancer in the middle of the group, who seemed to be dancing not only to the music, but to some other beat that only he could hear.

His movements were fluid, almost like his body was made of water, and the big grin on his face as he lost himself to the music told Zara that he was doing his absolute favorite thing.

She was mesmerized.

Jin followed Zara’s gaze, a smirk growing on his face.

“You like him, huh?”

“Wh-“ Zara squeaked as Namjoon bounced her up higher, moving closer to the stage where the man was dancing. “No!”

“Why? You should go talk to him.”

“Namjoon, why would I do that?”

“Well, there’s still two of the Seven missing...” 

Zara couldn’t stop her eyes from rolling. The boys were all still under the impression that every person they came across was a member of the Seven, and it was starting to drive Zara insane.

Although, she did have a feeling about one such possible Soulmate...

“Zara-ssi, you can't always wait for your Soulmate to find you. You do that, we’ll be waiting forever and you’ll never find us all.” Yoongi put in. “Namjoon is right, you should go talk to him.” Zara opened her mouth to protest, but Yoongi shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be today, but someday.”

And then he gave her the Look. Not his mockery of Jungkook’s pout or Taehyung’s puppy eyes (which almost always got them what they asked for), but the pure, honest to God, Yoongi Look. His lips didn’t pout, and his eyes didn’t water, but when he looked up at Zara, she felt her heart stutter and knew she’d inevitably go find that dancer today.

“Fine.”

And there was the Smile. Zara cursed herself for her weaknesses.

xXx

Eventually, they managed to hunt Jimin down, and they cheered loudly for him when he won the award for the contemporary part of the showcase. Jungkook and Tae had each pulled the shorter boy into hugs, practically lifting him off his feet. Zara felt his pain.

They chose to spend the night at Jin’s dorm, the walk there filled with chatter between the group of Soulmates and their friend.

“So, Jimin, do you know the guy that won the hip hop dancing segment?” Namjoon asked, dodging Zara’s hand when she swiped at his stomach. She ended up going to talk to the dancer, but she’d been utterly distracted by the sweat on his body, and all she’d been able to say to him was, “You, uh, you dance good.”

He’d laughed at her, said she sounded like the Prince at the end of Mulan, but then sincerely thanked her. He’d been swept away by people congratulating him before Zara could say anything else.

Apparently Namjoon wasn’t prepared to let it end there.

“Huh? Oh! Uhhh.....Jung Hoseok, I think? He’s in one of my dance classes but we don’t talk that much. Or at all, really.”

“Zara-ssi wants to come to dance class with you tomorrow.” Jin said, smirking. Zara gave him the evil eye, mentally tallying the amount of punishments she’d be giving out.

“Really?” Jimin blinked, his eyes going wide. He looked to Zara, cheeks flushing slightly. “But don’t you have class yourself?”

“Not until late,” Zara tucked her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, realizing she was now stuck going to class with Jimin. At least it would be a good excuse to watch Taehyung’s sexy roommate dance. “Monday’s all I have is a drawing class 7-9pm.”

The group shared a disgruntled groan at the thought.

“Okay, then I’m okay with you coming to class if it’s what you want, Zara.”

“It’s a deal,” Zara held her hand out to Jimin for a shake. Jimin’s eyes cut to Taehyung, who wasn’t even paying attention to the conversation, talking instead to Jungkook about some video game Ji-yoo had gotten them into. Still, he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and shook his head.

Zara gave him a small smile and took her hand away, replacing it in her own pocket.

Ah, sweet Jimin.

xXx

The 9 A.M. dance class that Jimin shared with Jung Hoseok was, of course, Intro to Hip Hop. Zara wasn’t at all surprised. She also wasn’t surprised that Jimin stood in the very front row or that Hoseok was standing next to the teacher, explaining how to do the day’s choreography to the class.

It wasn’t until after the students began dancing that Hoseok noticed her sitting up against the wall with her giant drawing pad next to her, scrolling through her phone.

He recognized her, of course he did. It wasn’t every day a beautiful girl got flustered over him. So he plopped down in front of her and set his chin in his hand, grinning at her.

Zara’s eyes flashed up to meet his, and he quirked his eyebrows at her.

“Hey, Li Shang, what brings you to these parts?”

Zara dropped her phone and smirked at Hoseok. “If I’m Shang, does that make you Ping?”

He moved to lounge on his side, somehow managing to maintain that same fluidity he danced with. He grabbed her phone, and she let the device leave her fingers without complaint. “Does that mean I get to save you from certain doom?”

“In your dreams.”

His grin slipped into a teasing smile as he tapped on her phone, “Oh, I hope so.”

“Jung Hoseok!” The teacher called, making Hoseok look over his shoulder at her. “Get back to work!”

“Yes, ma’am!” He hopped up onto his feet, offering Zara a final grin as he tossed her back her phone. “See you soon, Li Shang.”

Zara glanced down at her screen to see he’d typed his number into her phone, sending himself a text that read, “Pretty Stalker Girl.”

She noticed he’d also added a Nickname field in his contact that read J-Hope.

Quietly, Zara murmured, “Oh, you’ll see me around, alright.”

She spent the rest of the class period letting her eyes drift back and forth between Jimin and Hoseok. Jimin, as always, had excellent muscle control when he was dancing, and everything about the way he moved screamed elegance. J-Hope on the other hand, had almost insane control over his muscles and his movements. She found it increasingly difficult to pull her eyes away from the two of them, especially when Jimin finally got the choreography down well enough to match J-Hope.

After an hour, the teacher called an end to class, congratulating the students with a smile.

“I’ll see you all on Wednesday. And Jimin, no more guests, okay?”

“Ah,” Jimin ran his hand through his hair as he looked over at Zara sheepishly. “Yes ma’am. Sorry.”

After they had left, Jimin walked with Zara back to her dorm, his hands tucked deep in his pockets and his head dropped low.

“You only wanted to come to class because you wanted to meet Hoseok, huh?”

“Oh, Jiminie, no.” Zara stopped, having to cut in front of Jimin to make him stop with her. “I’ll admit the boys wanted me to see Hoseok, yes. They think he’s one of the Seven because I liked the way he danced, but-” He rolled his eyes and started walking again, taking care not to brush against her. “Oh, Jimin!”

“It’s okay, Zara-ssi,” Jimin said over his shoulder, picking up the pace to a light jog. “I’ll see you later.  You’re Taehyung’s Soulmate after all.”

Zara closed her eyes so she didn’t have to watch him walk away from her.

Poor, sweet Jimin.

xXx

“Hey, Li Shang,” A body slid into the chair across from her as she sketched yet another picture of Jimin. Zara’s eyes darted up to see Hoseok sitting across from her, his chin resting on top of his water bottle. His eyes were scanning the image in her sketchbook.

He’d texted her earlier asking if he could meet her out. Though she was reluctant- any sight of Hoseok reminding her of Jimin- she’d eventually agreed to meet him in the coffee shop under Yoongi’s ever watchful eye. 

“Hey,” she greeted back, allowing him to slide the sketchbook toward himself.

“This is Park?” He asked, drawing his fingers along the penciled lines of Jimin’s nose. “This is good.” He turned the page to see yet another sketch of Jimin. And another. And another. Hoseok sucked at his teeth. “You’ve got it bad, Babe. Didn’t think I was stealing another man’s girl.”

“Stealing another man’s what?” Zara repeated, arching an eyebrow. She watched Hoseok trace her signature at the bottom of the page.

“Well, I can’t do anything about it, can I?”

Zara stayed quiet, realizing Hoseok was mostly just speaking to himself now. Her eyes trailed to Yoongi, who had his arms crossed on the counter, watching her. His expression was mildly concerned, but Zara gave him a small smile that made him ease off.

“Okay, look, Li Shang,” Hoseok flipped her sketchbook back around to face her, tapping the image. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Park, but you gotta sort it out. He’s been moping through Intro and it’s seriously throwing off our groove. He really likes you, and it’s obvious from all of this that you like him too, so we’re going to go over to his dorm, right now, and solve this thing. I just...I have one request first.”

“And what’s that?”

Hoseok launched across the table, cupping her jaw and pressing their lips together, swallowing Zara’s surprised yelp. When the String pulled taut, his brain was immediately foggy.

He didn’t feel Zara stand to tower over him as he remained mostly seated in his chair, but he did feel her fingers cup his jaw and neck.

She pulled away, sighing in contentment, and watching Hoseok’s face shift with various emotions, though confusion was most prevalent.

“Wait...” he had yet to open his eyes. “Wait, wait. Does this mean Park’s stealing my girl?”

Zara snorted and shook her head. “Not quite. I have Seven Soulmates.”

Hoseok’s eyes opened wide.

“Seven? Which am I?”

“Six.”

“And you think Park’s number Seven?”

Zara shrugged, rubbing her thumb over Hoseok’s jaw.

“Well, I’m hoping.”

Hoseok’s lips parted in a wide grin, and he finally stood from his seat, grabbing Zara’s hand in his.

“They don’t call me J-Hope for nothing, Babe! Let’s go see Park!”

“What?!”

Zara had enough time to shoot Yoongi a surprised look over her shoulder before Hoseok dragged her out the door and down the street. Yoongi, grinning, sat up and began wiping down the counter.

“We’ll have our hands full with that one.”

@babyboytae1 @snowythellama @bewitch3dforivar

[gwynne-fics]

where to begin p3

one. “You were unsuccessful,” Eun-Sang murmured when he rolled off of her to catch his breath. She laid her head in the crook of his arm and pressed her lips against his skin. “You should’ve taken one of us with you. How many of us have you gone through tonight?”

He ignored her tease. “I came straight to you. I wanted to see Jung-Woo first.” Which he missed because it was late when he arrived to the palace. Jung-Woo was already asleep.

“You have other sons.”

“Jung-Woo is my blood. Woo-Young isn’t. Once I am king, we will do a blood drop test to prove it.” He kissed the top of her head. “I might be able to make him heir but I cannot make you queen.”

“I don’t want it,” she reminded him. “I am happy to just be with you when I can. What was she like?”

“The smartest person I have ever met. She’s beautiful but that isn’t why I want her.” He paused and then corrected himself. He didn’t lie to Eun-Sang. That was their rule. “It isn’t the entire reason why I want her. I have to make her queen. She doesn’t realize how much our country needs her. Hyo-Shin doesn’t love her. If he did, I would...”

“You wouldn’t give up.” She sat up and looked down at him with a little laugh. “You’ve never given up on someone you wanted. Does she love him? You said they were friends before you went on your tour. That means they like each other at the least.”

He thought about the nights he passed her room, only to hear Hyo-Shin making love to her. He stood there, silently angry at the man he once loved, for taking Rachel away from him, before he even had the chance to try. He’d written Lady Esther and told her to wait.

But it was too late. Hyo-Shin won. And it pissed him off.

“Enough to get her pregnant,” he muttered bitterly. He sat up and intended to find his clothing but Eun-Sang grabbed his arm and gave him one of her looks. 

“You cannot steal a pregnant woman,” she said seriously. “Babies change things. I nearly destroyed myself with poor protection because I refused to let Tan get me pregnant. Jung-Woo is a gift I never thought I’d have because I did not want that tie. Give up.”

Young-Do pulled his arm away. “Our country needs to repair. I need to implement more reformations that I can count. She is the one that can make it happen. I don’t have the luxury of giving up and I won’t kill Hyo-Shin to make it happen. Da-Kyung hasn’t had a problem having children by two men.”

“Da-Kyung never liked Won. She likes you more than she liked him. Young-Do...you have to be careful. It’s not like you love any of us. The choice between a man she is friends with and a man she doesn’t know is an easy choice.”

He stood and started pulling on his clothes. His problem wasn’t that he didn’t love any one of his concubines more than the other. He loved all of them. Even little Chae-Mi, who had been much too young when she was given to him. He let her grow up and intended to wait until she was more mature before consummating their marriage.

He wanted to make legal and cultural reforms that would allow women like Eun-Sang and Da-Kyung to love as many people as they wanted without guilt. The right to divorce wasn’t enough. Women needed more rights and he was in the position to give it to them.

“Lady Rachel desires me more than Hyo-Shin. That has to matter.”

He didn’t bother with putting his hair back up. He turned around to find Eun-Sang sitting with the blankets pulled up to her chest as she looked at him thoughtfully.

“I say this, with all the love in my heart, Young-Do, but how could you possibly know that? Desire isn’t a competition. It’s more simple than that.”

There was a part of him that recognized that Eun-Sang was right but he couldn’t admit that out loud. “So you’re saying Tan and I aroused you the same amount?”

She rolled on her side so her back was to him. “Tan forced himself on me. I had to pretend to enjoy him or risk ruining my cover. There was no desire, Young-Do. I didn’t know it existed until I met you.”

He immediately felt like shit.  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I knew that and I brought it up anyway. I was wrong.”

“Yes, you were. Go away.” He knew better than to try and cajole her. He would come to her tomorrow and see if her mood was better or if he needed to give her more space after his fuck up. He left to go to his rooms and immediately his mood lifted when he looked at his bed.

Three of his children were curled up on top of it. Woo-Young and Ji-Young were asleep but Joo-Young sat on the edge, kicking her tiny little legs, as she sucked on a candy. The two girls were his daughters even though Woo-Young was Won’s son. There were ministers uncomfortable with his choice to become Woo-Young’s father but he was uncomfortable killing a boy under the age of one.

“You’re supposed to be in bed,” he told Joo-Young.

“Joo-Young in bed,” she pointed out and held out her sticky hands to him. He went over to his water basin and dampened a cloth before coming over to her, wiping her hands and face, before picking her up and hugging her. “Appa, home. Stay? Long time?”

It would be unlikely he would be able to leave the palace in the first year of his reign. Father was still technically alive but it was a matter of days. He carefully rearranged the children in his bed before kissing Joo-Young’s forehead.

“I’m home,” he promised. “For a long time. Sleep, okay? Omma won’t be happy if you’re cranky tomorrow.”

“Joo-Young delight. Not cranky.” But she curled up next to her brother and closed her eyes. By the time Young-Do wiped himself down and changed, she was asleep, too.

Young-Do covered them with the blankets after he climbed into bed with them. He fully expected to be woken up by excited toddlers. It really was his favorite thing about coming home.

two. Rachel acutely felt Prince Young-Do’s absence in the week that followed his departure. It didn’t help that Hyo-Shin appeared to miss him just as much as she did. They kept waiting for the news of the king’s death.

She wrote her mother about the visit, carefully omitting the prince’s advances towards her, while mentioning the chance she was pregnant. Rachel found herself touching her stomach at nearly every opportunity, even though Hyo-Shin had retreated from her at night.

They were eating lunch when the news of the king’s death reached them. Hyo-Shin appeared pained for a moment before he took a deep breath and handed Rachel the invitation to the coronation in a month.

“I will be fine to travel by then. We can stay with my grandfather.”

“This won’t be temporary.” He took her hand and encouraged her to sit in his lap. “I’m sorry but we need to be prepared to move to the capital.”

“You are the one who will be made minister of justice,” she pointed out. “I will need to continue to run the province. I’m not a city girl. I’ve lived my entire life either on the border or away from the capital. I wouldn’t be comfortable there. Not with the new king attempting to become my lover. What has you so worried? I thought you loved him.”

“I did. I do.” He closed his eyes and bowed his forehead to shoulder. “The king learned of our relationship and threatened to kill me. Young-Do ended it and then just...left for war. I was so hurt that I did something...unfair to him. It’s going to have long term consequences. I didn’t think that through.”

Rachel pressed her lips to his temple and struggled with what to say. She had enough hints this last month to understand what he was alluding to. “I chose you. If I didn’t think you could offer me what I wanted, I wouldn’t have agreed. Being queen is a huge responsibility. I like being a provincial lady more. Are you worried that our new king will arrange for you to have an accident?”

Hyo-Shin let out a low breath. “No. That’s not how he does things. I’m sure he just believes that until you fall in love with him, he and I can share your bed without jealousy because we’ve done it before. He doesn’t have that...possessiveness...most men get about their wives. He doesn’t need to be a person’s only lover.”

“Just the most important one,” she mused. “I can’t tell you that I don’t want him. Those few weeks he was here...I understand why you can’t let him go in your heart. But Hyo-Shin, I am a passing distraction. Now that he is king, with more responsibilities, he will forget about me as soon as I’m out of his sight. He has an entire harem full of women eager to please him. He doesn’t need one more. Especially, not a selfish lover like me.”

Hyo-Shin chuckled and then lifted his head to kiss her. “Seriously,” she said a few seconds later, in an attempt to be playful. “I just lie there and expect you to do all the work. I don’t bother to do much more than that.”

“You are perfectly enjoyable lover. Surprising you is its own satisfaction.”

Hyo-Shin just kissed her again before he stood, placing her on her feet, and took her hand. He led her to her bedroom and let her be selfish.

three. Father’s death hit him unexpectedly and Young-Do spent the mourning period hiding in the nursery with his children. He built several forts, organized several battles involving pillows and spilled treats everywhere, and had more baths with his messy children than he had their whole lives. 

Everyone, including his concubines, left him to it.

It was a week before the coronation when he sat on his daughters’ bed, brushing Ji-Young’s hair while Joo-Young attempted to brush his, when a servant came to tell him that Hyo-Shin had arrived.

“Did he bring Lady Rachel with him?”

“No, your majesty, he was alone.” He tried not to be annoyed. He had to put the comb aside or risk pulling Ji-Young’s hair. His little girls looked up at him solemnly before he sighed.

“I’m getting my children ready for bed. Tell him to wait.”

“Yes, your majesty.” She bowed and left him to finish his time with his girls. He got them into their night clothes and read them a few stories before Da-Kyung and Eun-Sang showed up to say goodnight. He went over to the boys and hugged them, too. Jung-Woo was surprisingly clingy and tried to climb on his back twice.

“Will you still play with us when you’re king, appa?” Woo-Young’s eyes matched his sisters when they were about to start begging him for treats and Young-Do knew he had to answer carefully. He knew he couldn’t lie to children. So he pulled both boys in his lap and held them close.

“I love you both, very much. When I am king, I will be very busy. I can’t promise I’ll always be able to play with you. I will try hard to spend time with you. As much as I can.”

“Okay, appa,” Jung-Woo said and wrapped his little arms around his neck. Woo-Young didn’t seem convinced but he was the oldest of the four in this room. Young-Do put them to bed, did another round of kisses, before he knew he couldn’t keep Hyo-Shin waiting much longer.

He went into his study and tried to smile before Hyo-Shin raised an eyebrow. “Eun-Sang says you haven’t left the nursery for days. Are you alright?”

“Not really.” Young-Do ran his hand over his mouth and was comforted a little when Hyo-Shin gave him a tight hug. He wanted to hold onto him and remember a simpler time when they were together and Hyo-Shin could talk sense into him to remind him why he’d struggled for so long.

Hyo-Shin cupped his face and gave him a tight smile. Fuck. Young-Do missed him so much. There was an intimacy with Hyo-Shin that he’d never been able to achieve with his concubines. He bowed his forehead to his and didn’t even care that he started to cry.

“You are going to do this better than your father,” Hyo-Shin said softly after Young-Do composed himself. “You’ve been putting together your reforms for over five years now. You have a plan. You can do this.”

He didn’t feel like he could. Not without someone like Rachel.

“I invited both you and your wife to stay at the palace. Did--”

“No. She’s not here. Rachel is staying with her grandfather, Lee Jae-Shin. I came alone.” Hyo-Shin’s expression darkened and he shoved several envelopes at him. Four, to be exact. He sent six. “She never saw them. I made sure of it. What the fuck are you doing?”

“Fixing my country,” he snapped. “Everything she has done in your province has resulted in lower crime, a stronger economy, and less poverty. It is the same in Lady Esther’s province but I can’t marry a Lady Regent. I need Rachel to do it for the capital and the rest of the country. The only way she can do that is if she is my queen.”

And he knew Hyo-Shin well enough that if Rachel asked for a divorce, he would give it to her without a single argument. They held the same beliefs when it came to men and women. The person he needed to convince was Rachel, not Hyo-Shin.

That’s what the letters were for.

“You seriously aren’t pulling this shit on me. Rachel stabbed someone and that’s why you want to fuck her. I am not blind to my wife’s beauty, Young-Do, or her many charms.”

“And still you don’t love her.” He said it quietly and Hyo-Shin balled his hands into fists.

“Neither do you. You aren’t offering her anything more than I am. You don’t love people. You use them until you’re bored. You claimed to love Eun-Sang but here you are, three years later, lusting after my wife.”

I’m bored with you, Hyo-Shin. I’ve found someone else. He deserved having that thrown back in his face.

“She shouldn’t be your wife!” It wasn’t what he wanted to say to Hyo-Shin. He wanted to remind him of his love and beg forgiveness for his pride. He’d lost the one love that he’d held above all others simply because he gave into his father’s threats. His snarl put Hyo-Shin aback and he needed to explain himself better. “You should be here with me. My father is gone and you...we...You never should’ve married her. If you were here then she would be...available to become queen.”

“Well, she’s not,” Hyo-Shin said hoarsely after a minute of silence. “And you can’t have her. Pick someone else.”

“There is no one else.”

four. Rachel loved her grandfather’s estate. She had fond memories of visiting him when she was a child. She missed the wide, open fields and mountains in her home but there was something lovely about the curated garden that beautifully intertwined with the buildings Grandfather owned.

She woke up the sweet smell of the beautiful flowers he grew. She sat on the veranda during afternoon tea. She was alone so she reached into her dress and pulled out the two letters she received from the new king.

There were clearly other letters missing, just from the half thoughts and phrases that he alluded to. Hyo-Shin must have intercepted them. Rachel traced her fingers over the words offering her something...special.

He even asked about how her pregnancy was progressing. Part of it felt so right just as it felt so weird.

She jumped when Grandfather sat down next to her and tried to hide the illicit missives. He just smiled at her and offered her tea. “Picking a queen is never easy and our family has long been on the outskirts of that. Our bloodline is older than the king’s and...that is a risk.”

She knew why. Mother brought it up when Hyo-Shin came to woo her.

“I have a good husband,” she stared down at her tea. “I like my work at home. I want my children to grow up free to run around in the hills and fields that brought me so much joy as a little girl. Hyo-Shin is my closest friend, Harabeoji. That is worth protecting, despite how attractive the king’s offer is.”

Grandfather was quiet for a few moments before he sighed softly and refilled their cups. “I don’t have a solution for you. Our country was at war for too long and Khitan is eyeing our border towns. Having the right queen would settle our country. In this, I agree with King Young-Do. You are the right choice for that.”

“I can’t leave Hyo-Shin.” She touched her small pregnancy bump and looked down at it. “My own father was mediocre but I know Hyo-Shin wouldn’t be. I know the king has taken in children who are not his own but...I can’t.”

Grandfather didn’t say much to sway her opinion of that. She knew he liked Hyo-Shin and gave his blessing when they married. But she almost wanted Grandfather to tell her what to do. He was so smart, so politically saavy, that she knew it would be the right decision.

Hyo-Shin didn’t return from the palace that night so she got ready for bed simply and didn’t bother to put on any special scents. She let her hair down and intended to brush it herself when she sat down at her vanity alone. She heard the door open but assumed it was a servant when no one was announced.

She felt a warm, calloused hand take the comb away from her and when she turned to look behind her, Rachel gasped as Prince--no--King Young-Do knelt down behind her. “What are you doing here?”

“Something incredibly stupid.” He kept his voice low, which meant no one knew he was here. “Your husband is staying in the palace tonight after telling me he kept my letters from you.”

“That’s his right as my husband,” she pointed out as he continued to brush her hair. It was sweet and gentle and reminded her that her husband did not love her.

“No.” He sounded angry. “No one has the right to make this choice for you.” Rachel looked away. She tried to breathe and think clearly but it was so difficult when she caught his gaze in her mirror.

“Even you?” Why did she sound scared?

King Young-Do stopped combing her hair and slowly turned around to face her. “I won’t command you to be my queen, Rachel. The enormity of what I need from you demands that this be your choice. That doesn’t mean I won’t do everything I can to convince you.”

“I don’t understand,” she said after a moment. “I don’t like feeling torn between two duties.”

“Marriage should not be a duty. It should be a delight. Let me show you.” He turned her face back to look at him and kissed her. She was surprised it was so brief. “Let me make love to you tonight. Come to the women’s court tomorrow. Spend time with me. I will show you how I do marriage and the opportunities I am offering you. Give me a chance. Please.”

Rachel stared at him and his audacity and finally heard what he’d been trying to impress upon her from the beginning. This was her choice. 

But...

“I don’t understand,” she said finally. “I mean, I understand why you think you want me. I don’t understand why you are courting me in the first place. I’m married.”

“Technically, so am I.”

Mother made her very aware of this double standard. There was a part of her that longed to be free of it. And here was a king, offering to do just that, if only she take the risk.

“Alright,” she said. “I will give you a chance.”

King Young-Do smiled and then kissed her.

[mint-kook]

Text Tones || Kim Namjoon

Word Count: 2.5k

Genre: Fluff

"Oppa!" You shouted out, entering the apartment that belonged to the seven familiar males you had grown to love. Many heads turned to you, all letting a smile grace across their lips as they took in your appearance but your eyes only searched for one. Within seconds you spotted Namjoon sitting on the couch watching some movie the guys had put on and you walked over to where he was sitting, joining him on the couch and greeting him with a hello.

"Well someone's happy." Namjoon commented, noticing your smile and the fact that you had used the Korean phrase so easily. Namjoon's words, despite being in front of the others, were said in English. He found it easier to communicate with you in the language that you grew up with as you had only just started learning Korean and you were trying your hardest.

The others in the room were a huge help to you when you had first gotten together with Namjoon, offering to help you study and learn their native language immediately. They noticed how small your vocabulary was even though you had been living in Korea for a while now. You worked with an English company with English speaking people and you hadn't found a need to learn Korean.

That was until you started dating Namjoon, and you met all of his friends. You found a want starting to grow in your chest, the need to learn the language so you could understand what they were saying, so you could join in the discussions they have, so you would be able to laugh at the same jokes without Namjoon having to translate everything for you.

Namjoon had never minded having to translate for you, he felt it gave him a sense of importance in the relationship. When you had told him you wanted to start properly learning the language he had been beyond excited. He loved the idea of being able to talk to you in multiple languages. To talk in Korean in front of the others and then whisper inside jokes to each other in English that only the two of you would understand.

"I'm happy because I'm here." You whispered, pressing a kiss against his cheek and he couldn't help it as the smile came over his face. "I'm also happy and thankful to Hoseok-ssi who sent me a lovely message this morning."

Namjoon's eyebrows furrowed as he heard the words leave your mouth and he wondered what Hoseok had sent you. What had one of his best friends sent his girlfriend that could cause her to smile the way she only did when Namjoon did something sweet. Hoseok perked up at the sound of his name and smiled, somehow knowing exactly what you had been talking about without even being able to understand English.

"What did he send you?" Namjoon asked. He didn't realize how desperate he was to know what it was until the words left his mouth. The begging tone reverberated through his ears and Namjoon could barely believe that the words had left his mouth. He hated the fact that he sounded like a whining child at the fact that you were happy because of something other than him.

"Hoseok-ssi sent me the cutest voice message. You know how I thought that him saying JI was cute." Namjoon nodded as you paused your sentence, knowing full well what you were talking about. He had been present enough during your conversations with Hoseok to understand what you were talking about and his heart clenched in his chest. "Well he sent me a short little clip of it and I have officially set it as all of my phone's notifications ringtones."

Namjoon found himself being captivated by the smile on your lips, but another part of him snapped out of the daze to realize what you had said. He hated the feeling in his chest that came along with the new found information, not wanting to admit that you found something other than him so adorable. There was something about the way your eyes lit up when you mentioned Hoseok that had Namjoon's heart clenching in his chest, in a way he grew to dislike immediately.

As the thoughts started to flow through Namjoon's head, the sound of your phone going off ricocheted through the room and all of the boys laughed at the sound of Hoseok's voice coming from your phone. Hoseok covered his mouth as his face grew into a huge smile at the information he had just received, finding it hilarious how you had chosen his words over your boyfriends.

"It's Amanda, she wants me to head over and hang out for a little bit. Is that alright with you, I can come back later tonight." You suggested the idea immediately after you looked at the text message, knowing Namjoon would be upset that you had to go so soon. You could see the hurt in his eyes but he gave you a small kiss on the cheek, letting you know it was fine to go.

You thanked Namjoon immediately before practically running out of the apartment and heading over to your best friends apartment. The sound of the door closing caused all the guys to turn and look at Namjoon, most not understanding why you had left so suddenly.

"Where did she go?" Hoseok asked, seeing the look on Namjoon's face and knowing that he was upset about your disappearance. Namjoon missed you all the time, but he tried his hardest not to be one of those clingy boyfriends. He knew you had a life outside of him and he wanted to let you become your own person and do your own things. He had no right to try and stop you.

"She's coming back later. She's hanging out with a friend." Namjoon explained. Hoseok nodded at his words before turning his attention back to the television that had been playing in the background. Namjoon's eyes hadn't left the other, fully taking in the smile that still lingered on his face, the happiness almost radiating on to everyone but ruining Namjoon's mood as he remembered why it was there.

The sound of Hoseok's voice coming from your phone played over and over in Namjoon's ears, continuously reminding him of what he had heard just moments ago. He was jealous, he would admit that. He didn't like the idea of others making you happier than he did. He didn't like the idea of others being able to make you smile the same way he did.

He pulled his phone out, trying to hide his screen from Taehyung who was sat beside him, hoping the other wouldn't notice him pulling up your contact and mentioning it to the others. Namjoon typed a small message to you, a simple set of three words that were supposed to be a secret between the two of you. He was disappointed when all he got in response was "Love you too".

A frown found it's way on to Namjoon's lips and he couldn't hide it this time. Without a word he stood up from his spot on the couch and pushed his way through the three boys who were sat on the floor. He tried his hardest not to step on Jungkook or Jimin, deliberately pretending to trip over Hoseok's leg.

"Are you okay?" Hoseok asked as he reached out to steady the other. Namjoon didn't say anything, leaving the room and making Hoseok feel worse in the process. He had done it harmlessly, knowing the guilt he put onto the other was his own form of payback, his form of making the other feel bad for something he hadn't even done.

He took a deep breath as he walked into his shared room with the youngest and laid down on the bed, taking his phone out and looking at the screen. Scrolling through the messages from the last couple of days Namjoon couldn't help it as he started to smile widely, thinking about how cute you were when you texted him.

Several I miss you's, and I love you's were littered across the screen and as he passed each one he only smiled more. He thought about sending you another text, not knowing how that would make him out to be. He wondered if you thought it would make him clingy, if you thought he would be annoying for texting you so much within a small amount of time.

The sound of his phone going off snapped him from his thoughts and Namjoon was greeted with a message from you. He opened his phone immediately and read the message, a small fire starting in the pit of his stomach as the jealousy started to kick in more. He could feel the heat running through his body as his eyes scanned over and over your message again and again, trying to understand why you found it so cute.

Send me a text, I want Amanda to hear how cute my text tone is -Y/N

Namjoon stared at the screen for a few more seconds before feeling a pout come across his lips. He typed back a response immediately, wanting you to know exactly how he felt about the fact that Hoseok was your text tone and not something he had sent you before.

I think you should change your text tone -Namjoon

And why's that? Is someone jealous? -Y/N

Your reply came almost immediately after Namjoon had sent his last message and he jumped, letting the phone fall on to his face. He hissed in pain at the bump that was most likely forming on his forehead. A thought crossed his mind about the possible bruise that may have been there in the morning but he didn't think twice about it as he tried to deny the fact he was jealous.

He may have been jealous but he would never admit that to you. He just wanted you to know that he didn't like the fact that you found Hoseok so adorable and not him. He wanted you to know that it didn't sit right with him and that he was much more adorable than Hoseok. Namjoon opened his camera and took a selfie of himself pouting in order to use it as blackmail to get you to change your text tone.

IMAGE.JPG SENT Because I'm cuter than him -Namjoon

Namjoon smiled in triumph, knowing that you wouldn't be able to resist his charms. He had won you over once before and he was sure he could do it again without a problem. It took a while before you read the message but when you did Namjoon could not have been more nervous. Watching the three little dots appear, meaning that you were typing back.

Yes you are, but I'm not changing my text tone -Y/N

A groan left his lips as he clicked off his phone and tossed it to the other side of his bed, rolling over and stuffing his face into his pillow. There was so much wrong with you having another guy as your text tone. What if somebody assumed that you were dating Hoseok instead of him? What if somebody thought that it was cute as well and only made you realize that you wanted to be with him instead of Namjoon?

He didn't know how he would be able to continue living if you kept your text tone the same. The sound replayed in his head over and over again and he could only imagine what it would be like in person, the two of you cuddling or in the middle of making out or in the middle of something less than appropriate and suddenly hearing Hoseok's voice echo through the room.

The last thought made a shiver run down Namjoon's back and he knew that he needed to change your text tone, even if he had to do it without you knowing. There was no way he would be able to do anything with you if he only heard Hoseok's voice coming from your phone. The thought alone could give him nightmares, and he didn't know what would ensue if he didn't change it immediately.

Namjoon wasn't quite sure how long he had been laying there, but it had been long enough for the sun to set and the rest of the boys to have dinner. He hadn't moved from his bed, laying in the exact same position and letting the thoughts in his head run rapid. He had a tendency to overthink things, and this was just another case of it.

The sound of the door pushing open made Namjoon turn from his position. He half expected to see Jungkook walking into their shared room but was happy to see you instead. A smile came across his face and he was relieved as you smiled back immediately, walking over to his bed and sitting down beside him. He sat up from laying down and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug.

You let his arms wrap around you happily, basking in the feeling of being so close to him after so long. It was like suddenly returning home after a long journey and you couldn't help but enjoy the peace that washed over you. It found it's way into your blood, only causing you to relax further into your boyfriend's grip and enjoy the feeling of being in his arms.

"So you were jealous?" You asked, knowing that you would have to confront him sooner or later about the problem at hand. He would never mention it directly and and you would have to be the one to deal with it, as if it was only your problem. Namjoon let out a scoff, pretending what you had said had been insane and he had never had the thought of being jealous about something as dismal as Hoseok being your text tone.

"No." He muttered, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. His lips brushed against your pulse point and you could feel a shiver wrack it's way down your spine. The silence was prolonged as you found yourself trying to disappear into the feeling of Namjoon's arms again. Despite finding Namjoon's hold comforting you had to discuss his jealousy.

"It's okay to be jealous Namjoon. If it makes you feel better I think jealous Joonie is cuter than Hoseok's text tone." You said. As the words left your lips Namjoon pulled away and looked you in the eyes, letting a smile grace across his lips.

"Does that mean you're going to change the text tone?" He asked excitedly, wondering if he had finally convinced to let him have his way. You started to laugh loudly, shaking your head at how childish he seemed to be when he was jealous.

"Not at all." You whispered, pretending as if it was the biggest secret in the entire world. Another groan left Namjoon's lips and you couldn't help it as a laugh left your lips, watching your boyfriend throw himself down on the bed. You would never tell Namjoon that you had changed the text tone the moment you had found out about him being jealous, wanting to see him act this way for just a little bit longer.

[xiajin]

little raisin sugakookie; single dad yoongi, kindergarten teacher kook

/

when yoongi wakes up in the morning, it’s to the feeling of his son jumping on his knees. he’s sort of used to the feeling of having eunbyul kick him in the shins, but at that point he’s usually much more mentally prepared - when eunbyul kicks him now, all he feels is a swear-worthy sting of pain. yoongi curls into himself and groans into his pillow.

“dad we gotta go to school!” eunbyul, four years old and hyperactive as always, yells. he keeps on jumping on yoongi’s knees, so yoongi swipes him with an arm and pins him to the bed. the sound of his son giggling makes yoongi crack an eye open.

his mouth is covered by yoongi’s arm, but he holds onto the underside of it with his own tiny fingers. eunbyul kicks his legs up into the air and wiggles them, taken by how they make shadows against the paint.

“morning, kiddo,” yoongi starts, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “what do you want for breakfast?”

“ceweal,” eunbyul answers, muffled.

cereal. yoongi can do cereal. he’s not good with the other things, but he can do cereal.

the mornings are the same, after eunbyul manages to kick yoongi awake - that kid is always up before yoongi is, for some reason - they head to the bathroom together. yoongi sets eunbyul on the counter and sticks his own toothbrush in his mouth haphazardly before starting on eunbyul’s, making sure that he gets in all the crevices. after a while eunbyul whines to do it by himself, and the next ten minutes are spent cleaning up gloopy toothpaste from the counter. they take a shower together in the morning - possibly one of the easier things to handle, since eunbyul is a water baby - and as eunbyul goes to put on his school clothes, yoongi makes his cereal.

he starts up the coffee machine too, but that’s just for him. like hell he’s going to let eunbyul drink coffee, even if the small kid wants to try it badly enough to be like yoongi. he’s still not ready, only in his dress pants and with his pressed shirt not buttoned properly, but when eunbyul skips into the room yoongi feels like he can take on the entire world.

“you ready to go to school, kiddo?”

“yeah!” eunbyul punches his little fist in the air. “we’re gonna have new teacher!”

“a new teacher,” yoongi corrects absentmindedly. “what happened to your other one?”

“dunno,” eunbyul reaches his arms up so yoongi will pick him up and place him down on the chair, which he does automatically. this is how yoongi knows he’s been conditioned by his own son.

with a pudgy hand, the small boy starts eating enthusiastically - anything with chocolate, eunbyul loves - and yoongi gets his cup of coffee. while he’s dumping sugar into the top of it - only one packet, because if it’s not bitter enough then it’s not coffee - yoongi casually states, “i’m going to go get ready for work, kiddo.”

“‘kay,” eunbyul says, muffled through his food.

it’s a bit mundane, a bit monotonous, but yoongi wouldn’t trade his mornings for the world.

/

on the way to school, eunbyul jumps in his booster seat in the back of the car and leaves yoongi on edge, gripping the sides of his steering wheel in an attempt not to go back and tell his son to calm down before he hurts himself. eunbyul looks like he’s fine but what if the seat belt presses too hard against his stomach and he gets a stomach ache before school starts?

yoongi doesn’t know much about raising a child, but if there’s one thing he’s sure about, it’s that his kid is gonna get the best education that a four year old could possibly have. the school he chose is in a nice, quiet part of the upscale neighborhood yoongi lives in, with high recommendations from almost everyone yoongi knows. it gives importance to learning both korean and english, lets the kids spread their creativity, and has a small classroom size so that the teachers can focus on each child better than they could at a regular public kindergarten. it costs a pretty penny, but it’s not like yoongi has anything else to spend his money on. most of his expenses go to eunbyul.

parking in front of the kindergarten building - a low, one story building painted a sky blue with a playground out front - yoongi goes to the back to pull eunbyul out of his booster seat. his son squirms in his arms and pulls on yoongi’s suit jacket; he knows what’s coming next. yoongi grimaces and shuts the door quickly, walking to the entrance where other parents are gathering.

“daddy, i dun’ wanna go,” a small whine comes from the bundle in his arms, a nose pressed against his collar, and yoongi sighs.

this happens every morning - eunbyul will wake him up saying he needs to go to school and yoongi needs to get out of bed and they need to get there first - but then when it comes time to leaving him at the door, he seems to realize that he’s going to have a day without his dad around. cue the octopus hugging. yoongi doesn’t know if eunbyul is just preternaturally strong to be able to cling to him like he does, or if yoongi is just weak and doesn’t want to let go of his baby sniffling.

“kiddo,” yoongi starts, bracing himself for the tears, already garnering a sympathetic look from miss inha, one of the teachers here, “we have to go to school. you wanted to this morning, remember?”

“no,” eunbyul sounds watery, like he’s doing that lip wobble thing that gets yoongi every time. “no, daddy, i dun’ wanna, w-wanna stay wif daddy, please dun’ make me go - “ he hiccups at the end and yoongi feels the shoulder of his suit jacket get wet. he sighs.

just when yoongi thinks that he’s about to crack, take eunbyul to work with him again, a pleasant voice says, “you’re eunbyul, right?”

in front of them is the new teacher that eunbyul had mentioned; he’s wearing the standard apron, light blue and tied around his waist. there’s a pair of crafting scissors tucked into one pocket and pretty colored washing tape in the other. following it is a comfortable black shirt tucked into a pair of dark pants and inside shoes. he smiles at yoongi consideringly, bowing his head, and they both understand in that moment that there is no time for introductions; bigger things have to be taken care of.

eunbyul stops his sniffling for a moment, removing his face from yoongi’s neck. inwardly, he’s glad that byul isn’t the type of kid to spit snot everywhere when he cries. he doesn’t know if he’d be able to keep a second shirt with him in his car all the time, neatly pressed and ready to wear. with a rub at his red nose, eunbyul blinks at the new teacher.

while his kid may be a bubbly rascal, he’s only so in the confines of their home. outside of the walls of their apartment, eunbyul turns quiet and withdrawn, preferring to hide behind yoongi’s leg than talk to other kids. he doesn’t take to strangers easily, and adults are worse. the best he’s ever done before when meeting someone for the first time is give them a smile before shielding his eyes away, or tugging at yoongi incessantly. that’s why it comes as a surprise when eunbyul sniffles in the direction of his new teacher, watches for a moment, and his cheeks flush.

“i’m eunbyul,” he mumbles, hands over his mouth, and yoongi’s coughs in surprise. eunbyul flicks a look toward his father before toward his new teacher, looking shy, but not the type of shy that he usually is. yoongi feels a distant, horrid sense of realization and amusement rising up in him.

his son has a crush on his teacher.

“i’m min yoongi, his father,”  yoongi adds soon after. eunbyul tugs at his collar to be let down, probably just realizing that being in his father’s arms would give him bad street cred, and yoongi sets his tiny feet on the concrete floor with a sigh of relief. his arms ache.

“nice to meet you two,” says the teacher, kneeling down to reach eunbyul’s height. “my name is jungkook. that’s what you can call me okay?”

surprised at the fact that he doesn’t tell eunbyul to use “ssaem”, yoongi can only cough. eunbyul nods and brightly goes, “okay,” with his chin tucked in toward his chest.

jungkook holds up a hand to his cheek and says, sort of like a secret, “you know that ji-ssaem has cookies inside for good boys and girls?”

“r-really?” eunbyul’s eyes widen to dinner plates. “does she have oatmeal raisin?”

his child, yoongi thinks, has the strangest tastes - he doesn’t like oreos or chocolate chip cookies, but oatmeal raisin and macadamia nut. jungkook’s smile widens, making the corner of his eyes crinkle. “she does! i think you’ can get three cookies if you ask her nicely. want to try?”

eunbyul tries to make it seem like he’s thinking, but yoongi knows his son’s been won over. he turns and pats his father’s hand, looking up at yoongi solemnly before patting himself with yoongi’s hand, then wordlessly running into the classroom.

“wait, your...backpack...” yoongi’s voice trails off, and jungkook stands back up. “thanks for that.”

“first day jitters,” jungkook shrugs, looking bashful at how well he handled the situation. “it’s the first thing they teach you how to handle. thank you for being patient enough through it all, mr. min.”

“just yoongi,” he offers in return, because that’s for the office and he doesn’t want to hear it here.

“i’ll take that,” jungkook offers with a dimpled smile, and yoongi gives him eunbyul’s bag in a slight daze. the sun starts to beat on his back and the nape of his neck. “don’t worry, we’ll take of eunbyul well.”

“thanks,” yoongi responds, and jungkook waves at him from the entrance of the door, walking inside and gently prodding along a little girl who had made her way outside, leaving yoongi with a strange feeling in his throat.

maybe eunbyul isn’t the only one with a crush, he thinks to himself as he heads back to his car.

[sunbaebes]

Crooked Chapter 11

Summary:Big Bang Mafia AU-

Chapter 1   Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6  Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Epilogue

When the members of Kwon Ji Yong’s men take up a deal with the Italian mob, they think kidnapping one young woman will be a piece of cake. But all isn’t as it seems, and soon Ji Yong is realizing that maybe he’s bitten off more than he can chew…..

Disclaimer : Rated M for violence, and eventual smut.

“Hello?”

Adam’s voice filled the car.

“Hello?” it came again, this time with a hint of annoyance, “Are you still there?”

“I’ll call you back.” Ji yong clipped the words between his lips, his thumb brushing over the 'end cal'l button and letting the screen go completely black.

Grabbing the attention of the driver, he quickly tells the man there needs to be a change of direction. Ji yong presses a button on his phone and holds it back to his ear,

“It’s me, I need everyone to fall back and return to the house.” There seemed to be no questions on the other line; complete obedience. Ji yong ended the call and then focused his complete attention back on you.

“Did you know?” His voice shook, struggling to place himself back into his G Dragon persona.  

The car felt like it was shrinking, and then it felt like it was expanding. There was a feeling of fantasy to the whole situation, an unrealness that made you feel outside of your body and the situation.

“No,” you mutter, “no I didn’t know.”

Ji yong let out a steadying breath, his eyes striking fire into yours.

“I’m going to ask you one more time.” Ji yong’s voice is quiet, and there was no accusation behind it, “You’re sure you don’t have anything to tell me?”

"I don’t know.” you whisper. “I don’t know what’s happening to my life.”

Ji yong nods his head once, reaching out to wipe away tears from your cheeks. You hadn’t even realized you’d been crying.

“I believe you,” he sighed, bringing your face closer to his, his forehead resting upon yours, “I trust you.”

“Are we in a lot of trouble?”

Ji yong laughed.

“We’re dead meat.”

Ji yong spent the rest of the ride feeling out for information from other connections. It took time for him to finally get the tail of gossip, but once he found it he fell down the rabbit hole.

One sourced claimed that the Ricci had been turning over every rock they could once they entered Korea, asking everyone for all the information they could gather on G Dragon and his gang. In return, the networks in Seoul’s underground had begun searching the Ricci as well.

Everyone knew by now about the girl G Dragon and his men had captured to form an alliance for the Italians. The confusion came from finding out the Italians were more like a two-headed beast. The Ricci and the D’Mazzi had been fighting internally for a few years by now, and the most recent news told that the two heads had finally bared their teeth upon finding out that G Dragon had killed the girl being held hostage.

“What does this have to do with Y/N?”

Back at the house, safe and sound with the other men, Ji Yong had been catching the other men up on the situation.

Seungri was the one to ask the question, his arms crossed over his chest in agitation, “I’m still not getting it.”

“Adam, Y/N’s ex lover believes that one of the Ricci is a close retaliative.”

“Impossible,” Seunghyun huffed, “I checked her background myself. I wouldn’t have missed something like that.”

“Fool, if Y/N didn’t know about it, how could you have found it?” Daesung laughed, pushing playfully at his hyung. Seunghyun huffed again, pushing back at Daesung a little harder than necessary.

“Do we have anything on them?” you interrupt before bickering can ensue, “Pictures, names, addresses? If something sounds familiar I could begin to guess who they are to me.”

“We don’t have anything yet,” Youngbae spoke from his spot on the floor, laptop in hand as he seemed to be searching through data as it came in. “What about that Adam guy, he didn’t have any more information?”

“I’m not sure.” Ji yong sat next to you, his distance respectable aside from his hand. It sat between you, close enough to brush with a simple extension of your pinky. It twitched when he spoke about Adam, showing that even the man’s name seemed to agitate him.

“You didn’t think to ask him?” Youngbae looked up from his screen, serving Ji yong a withering look.

“I was more focused on hanging up on him, unfortunately.”

“I could have used any information he had,”

“Bae’s right,’ Daesung interjected, “we don’t really have a starting point without at least hearing him out.”

“It’s late, we can call him in the morning.”

“There’s no point in delaying it,” you countered, “besides, it’s probably close to lunchtime over there.”

“My men can figure it out on their own,” Ji yong’s posture stiffened, “we don’t need any help from him.” You couldn't blame Ji yong's hostility towards Adam, you didn't really want to work with him either. The fact remained, however, that he was currently one step ahead of you in one very dangerous game.

“Don’t let your emotions get in the middle of this. Adam believes that I’m dead, which means in theory that you and him are on the same side and in the same boat. He’ll view you as an ally, that’s something you can use to your advantage.”

“She’s right, Ji yong.” Seunghyun walked over to the bar in the room, reaching behind it's table top for a bottle of wine. “he may have a little information from the Ricci but we currently hold a huge advantage. We’re the only ones who know that Y/N is still alive.”

“Couldn’t we just contact the Ricci ourselves?” Seungri pointed out, “show them that Y/N’s alive and they’ll back off?”

“We could do something better,” Ji yong said slowly, his eyes glowing as a plan formulated in his mind. He turned to you, his hands grabbing up both of yours, “We could set a trap for the D’Mazzi. Let Adam and his gang think that we’re on his side, ready to help him go up against the Ricci since it appears that we’re in the same boat. In reality, we could get on the same side as the Ricci and flush the D’Mazzi out.”

“Could it work?” you ask, your grip tightening, “couldn’t the D’Mazzi just as easily try to throw you under the bus? I’m sure you don’t have any real record of the deal that you and him made. He could say that he tried to get me back and you just killed me instead.”

“That’s why we need to be quick.” Ji yong jumped up from his seat as Seunghyun brought over glasses of wine for everyone, “Youngbae, work on setting up a meeting with the Ricci.”

Youngbae nodded, closing his laptop and springing to his feet. Youngbae gladly accepted a glass of wine from Seunghyun.

“So you’ll call him then? Get the information I need?”

Ji yong grabbed himself a glass of wine along with another glass for you. He let his fingers linger on yours as he passed the glass, making your eyes meet.

“If it’s okay with Y/N, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring those bastards down.” Warmth pools in your chest. Your trust couldn't be won back easily, but this was a start. "Lets bury them." You raise your glass to Ji yong and to the rest of his men, "Looks like you'll have to deal with me for a bit longer." ----------------------------- Ji yong sat in his study, his phone glaring at him from his desk. It had been an hour since Y/N and the rest of his men had split off, leaving Ji yong to the task of forging a fake alliance with Adam. In truth, he didn't want to talk to this low-life ever again. The pain he had caused Y/N, the deceit and despicable way in which he tried to dispose of a loved one made Ji yong ill. For Y/N's sake he told himself he could put on a friendly facade. In contrast, for Y/N's sake he wanted to scatter Adam's body parts across every continent. Adam picked up Ji yong's call almost immediately. "I guess you've had enough time to do some digging?" Adam seemed calm compared to their earlier conversation, his voice no longer sounded a hair away from hysterics.   "It does seem like the Ricci have been sticking their nose into our business, but we weren't able to confirm that it meant blood relation to the girl." "It would be a lot easier if you could just ask her." Adam seemed to be testing him, seeing if Ji Yong would let something slip if he was starved for information. "I wouldn't be calling you if I could get answers out of a corpse." Ji yong bit, "don't waste our time. You and I both know that the Ricci knew I did this as a favor for you family. They'll be coming for you soon enough." "You really killed her," Adam giggled. Giggled. Like a child who had gotten away with, well, murder. It made the bile in Ji Yong's stomach churn. "I told you I'd get the job done. I don't know why we're still having this conversation." "After all the trouble you caused while you were stalling, I'm surprised you're not hiding away somewhere." There was still and edge to Adam's voice, a question of trust. "It just didn't feel right," Ji yong sighed, "She talked about you." It was a lie, Y/N had barely said anything about Adam in her time with Ji yong, it was fact that he was guilty of basking in. For the sake of their plan, however, he knew that goading Adam's ego was the best plan of action. "She said you'd been together for years, it just didn't feel right killing your girl when she was so obviously in love you." Adam laughed again, "She never was good enough for me." Ji Yong's anger made it feel like his eyes were shaking, This guy was a narcissist, someone Ji yong wanted to crush. "I'm bored talking about her," he said sternly, "I want to know how we're going to fix this mess." "We," Adam huffed into the phone, "I'm not the one who killed her." "It wont' be hard to trace this all back to you," Ji yong bluffed, "My men keep good books, they'll see that this whole scheme wreaks of D'Mazzi, and then they'll come for you too." "You're full of shit." "It doesn't matter if you don't believe me," Ji yong sighed, making his voice sound cool and disinterested, "I'm sure by now you've heard what people like us do to traitors." The other line went silent, and Ji yong smirked, he knew that he was breaking down Adam's wall. "I need to know that if I go up against these guys, I won't be alone." Adam says finally, his voice sounding younger, showing how new he really was to the the game, "I have your word that we're both going after these bastards." "Of course," Ji yong hummed, "I'm sure I don't have to tell you how annoying they've been to me recently." "Mm," Adam agreed, "I'll tell you what I know."

Y/N walked into the room just as Ji Yong hung up his phone. His heart swelled at the sight of her, posture straight and jaw set. In this moment, he knew he should feel guilt. He knew he should want the best for her, that he should be pushing her out of the dark world that surrounded him. Instead, he basked in the way she was able to adjust to new situations, at how easily she molded back into the group and took direction. "Did you get the information Youngbae needed?" Ji Yong nodded, bringing his hands together in front of him on the desk. "It seems like Adam's source worked between the D'Mazzi and the Ricci. The man didn't know which member gave the order to come for you, but that it had to be close to the top. Adam was able to give me three names of the men heading the Ricci, if I tell them to you can you tell me if any sound familiar?" Y/N nodded, sitting in the chair opposite Ji Yong and bringing his legs up to to her chest. "Antonino Thomas Ricci, Anselmo who changed his family name to Riacci, and Gioacchino with the same changed name as Anselmo." Y/N shook her head, "I don't know any of those names." "You're sure?" "They're not exactly common," she laughed, "and if we were close enough for them to stir up this kind of trouble I think I'd remember their name." Ji yong sighed, standing from his seat. "You're right. I've already passed the names on to Younbae, he'll let us know as soon as he finds something."  Y/N rose from her seat, taking a step closer to Ji Yong, "What about the Ricci, when are you supposed to meet with them." "If everything goes as planned, someone will be here in the morning." "Could they be forming an attack plan?" "It would be reckless," Ji yong nodded, "but it wouldn't be out of the question." "I want to be there." "Out of the question." The answer came lightning fast and with a bite, "You'll stay in your room until whoever it is leaves." "Things are different now," Y/N grit her teeth, "My resolve hasn't changed and things have not gone back to the way they were just because I came back." Y/N's nostrils flared, the determination in her jaw making Jiyong do a double take. "I understand but-" "There's no but." Y/N cut him off, "This time, we're doing things differently. You're not going to keep any secrets from me, you're not going to lock me away like a princess in a tower. We're going to face it together, and when the time comes I want to take that bastard Adam down." "I know I don't have to tell you this is dangerous," Ji yong walked around his desk, closing the space between himself and Y/N. Her features, soft as a flower grew even more beautiful by her steel resolve. "I know," she nodded, "I want you to give me a gun this time around, I don't want to depend on someone else keeping me safe." Ji yong nodded, "Done," "So, you'll let me come with you in the morning?" Ji yong dared to caress Y/N's cheek with his fingers, the simplest tremor of a touch to test the waters. "Of course, it may be better to show them that you're alive at the beginning of the conversation." Y/N let her shoulders relax, her face turning into Ji yong's touch. "After this is done," Ji yong testing the water once more, letting his lips trace down from Y/N's temple down to her jaw, "what about us?" Y/N slowly turned her head, casting her gaze downward to where her lips ghosted against Ji yong's. "I don't know." she whispered, "When I think about everything that's happened between us my head and my heart get confused. I need time, We need time to rebuild our dynamic...but for now-" "For now?" "We're in this together." Ji yong smiled, closing his eyes as he let his lips press against Y/N's, "Together."

[jwminssi]

don't think this is innocent (i'll sink my teeth right into it)

Heirs of enemy families or not, the attraction Jeon Jungkook and Park Jimin feel for each other is undeniable.

jikook // 3.6K // warnings (here we go): smut - knifeplay, breathplay, painplay, dirty talk, top!jungkook, bottom!jimin, biting, begging, handcuffs (do you want some holy water with that?) 

(read on ao3)

“Look who I found...” Jimin almost sang as he stepped right into Jungkook’s space. He heard the telltale sound of guns being pointed at him and giggled. “Two can play at this game.” His own guards now held their weapons up, loaded and ready.

“Stand down.” Jungkook said without taking his eyes off Jimin and in a second they weren’t at gun point anymore. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Park.”

“Been busy.” Jimin answered as he traced his fingers up Jungkook’s bicep. “Business abroad and all that…”

Making sure you have somewhere to hide when we take all you got?” Jungkook teased and Jimin laughed again, hand now trailing down the younger’s chest.

“Have you been working out?” He asked, an amused tone to his voice. “Carrying too many bodies around?”

It was no secret that the Jeons, unlike the Parks, were very unscrupulous in their way of settling issues, a fact that made them the most feared family amongst those that knew their name.

“Want yours to be next?” Jungkook asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Damn, you really know how to make a man’s legs go weak.” Jimin undid the top two buttons of Jungkook’s shirt and put his hand inside.

“What do you want, Jimin?” Jungkook asked and Jimin would’ve thought he saw the shadow of a smile on his lips if it weren’t for the fact that it was known Jeon Jungkook never smiled.

“I thought I was being obvious.” He whined.

“What, your boys can’t handle the job anymore?” Jungkook grabbed Jimin’s wrist and took it out of his shirt.

“I’m bored of them.” Jimin pouted and pulled his arm free.

The thing about Park Jimin was that he could charm his way into everything. He had a bright smile and eyes to die for, voice as sweet as honey and a way with words you wouldn’t believe; few were the people that dared say no to him. But, despite his soft looks, he was also as deadly as poison – and just as silent – which had many people scrambling to get out of his way if they found themselves in the same room.

A smile from Park Jimin meant interest; and most likely than not, it wasn’t the good kind.

“How do I know you won’t kill me in my sleep?” Jungkook asked and Jimin took a step closer, hands now resting in the younger’s belt loops.

“Who says I’m going to let you sleep?” Jimin smiled innocently and then let out a surprised sound. “Oh, what’s that?”

Jungkook’s breath hitched almost imperceptibly when Jimin reached inside his pants and pulled out his favorite knife to carry around.

“That’s nice.” Jimin bit his lip as he inspected the object. “Maybe we could play with it sometime.” He looked back at Jungkook and sighed. “Almost everyone in this room would love to be in your place right now, Jungkookie. Look around and you’ll see.”

Indeed, nearly all the guests at the party were staring at their interaction. Even those that tried to turn their heads when Jungkook faced them couldn’t keep their eyes away for long. And he understood the feeling: Park Jimin awakened a burning desire in whoever crossed his path, himself included.

“Think about it.” Jimin stepped back with a smile that he showed he knew he had once again gotten what he wanted. “And come back for this when you’re ready to have some fun.”

Jungkook followed his retreating form with his eyes, not being able to stop himself from admiring how well Jimin’s body moved. His thoughts immediately went back to his offer and he was conflicted between giving in and going to get himself another drink.

In the end, whisky won him over. At least for the moment.

*

Jimin felt the air leave his lungs when someone grabbed him by the arm and pressed him against the wall.

“Tell your puppy to put his gun down.” Jungkook muttered.

“Taehyungie…” Jimin started and the guard lowered his weapon. “Go take a walk.” He continued as a smirk placed itself on his lips.

Jungkook wrapped his hand around Jimin’s neck as soon as they were alone. “What are you planning, Park?”

Jimin only smiled and enjoyed the feeling of being choked. “Nothing.” He managed to get out. “And you?”

“I thought you were looking for someone to fuck you right.” Jungkook growled and tightened his grip on Jimin’s throat. “Aren’t you?”

Jimin outright moaned at the pressure on his neck combined with those words and the sound went straight to Jungkook’s pants. The hand was gone in a second and Jimin smirked when he noticed the younger putting some distance between them.

“Why are you backing away, Jungkookie?” He said and pushed said boy against the wall on the other side of the narrow hallway. Jimin bit hard into the soft skin of his collarbone, exposed by his still unbuttoned shirt, and Jungkook hissed. “Weren’t you all confident just a second ago?”

“It’s a bad idea.” Jungkook said, despite the warmth in his stomach and the itch to touch. As a Jeon, being logical was one his main traits and he couldn’t help but see the bad outcome that sleeping with the heir of an enemy family would bring.

“Aren’t you daddy’s good boy?” Jimin cooed and Jungkook’s expression went dark. He held Jimin by the chin and the older man’s eyes were lit up with amusement.

“You watch your fucking mouth, Park.” He pushed Jimin away but he only giggled when his back met a table.

“Maybe if I had something to occupy it with, I wouldn’t be talking so much.” Jimin shrugged and licked his lips slowly. “You came after me, don’t tell me you don’t want me now.”

“I want my knife back.” Jungkook said and clenched his jaw.

Jimin smirked. “Come get it then.” He let out a sigh when Jungkook only extended his arm to him and shook his head. “You’ll have to look for it.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes and splayed his hands on Jimin’s sides, feeling the warmth of his skin seeping through his silk shirt. He locked their eyes as his touch wandered, the hard planes of Jimin’s chest and abdomen twitching under his fingers, until he reached the hem of his pants and found what he was looking for.

Jimin held Jungkook’s wrist before he could untuck his shirt to get it, though. “What do I get for giving it back?”

“You stole it from me, Jimin.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “I don’t have to give you anything.”

“Now, don’t be mean.” The older pouted but there was a glint in his eyes. “I don’t steal.”

“Nah, blackmail and murder are more up your alley, right?” Jungkook said as he roughly lifted Jimin’s shirt and retrieved his knife.

Jimin hummed and wrapped his arms around Jungkook’s neck to press a daring kiss on the corner of his mouth. “You know me so well.” He muttered against the younger’s skin.

Jungkook exhaled slowly before using his own arms to pull Jimin closer to him, successfully flushing their bodies together. “What do you want?” He asked, hating the way Jimin’s lips curled up in a victorious smirk.

“A kiss.” He didn’t even bat an eye. “Maybe more.”

Their eyes met one last time and then they were kissing, hot and heavy, as Jungkook tightened his arms around Jimin even more, a gasp escaping the older’s lips at that. Neither was trying to hold back, not caring about the place they were at and the fact that anyone could walk in on them at any minute, and a hot fire burned in their stomachs, only fueling their desire.

As their tongues slid together, Jungkook trapped Jimin against the table he was leaning on and placed a thigh in between his, one hand going to his ass to give it a firm squeeze. Jimin moaned, head falling back at the friction, and Jungkook took the opportunity to move on to his neck, biting hard enough to leave marks.

Before he could do any more, though, Jimin pulled him by the hair into another bruising kiss, not wasting time to part his lips so that Jungkook could slip his tongue inside his mouth.

A sharp pain in his bottom lip made Jungkook push Jimin away and he hated how the older was smirking at his distorted face. He swapped his tongue lightly over the place Jimin had bitten him and tasted blood.

“So this is why your pets can’t satisfy you anymore?” He growled and gripped Jimin’s hair tight enough to hurt. “Because they can’t handle it?” Jimin moaned when he felt his scalp sting. “Because none of them have the guts to hurt you?”

“Do you?” Jimin still provoked, trying to regain the upper hand.

Jungkook didn’t say anything, merely pulled away and fixed Jimin with a hard stare. He smirked slightly before raising an eyebrow and turning his back on him, going through the same curtains he had come from a while ago.

He didn’t even bother to look back, sure that Jimin would follow him to the car waiting for them outside.

*

Fifteen minutes later found them on Jungkook’s king sized bed, down to their underwear and kissing as if they didn’t need air. Jungkook pulled away for a moment to look at Jimin and felt his boxers tightening at the sight in front of him; he had always thought Jimin was beautiful but looking like this, already a mess underneath him, he managed to be even more stunning.

“What?” Jimin whispered, eyes glazed but still shining. Jungkook sat up, not before kissing him one more time, and went to do something to their right that Jimin didn’t pay attention to.

“Is this okay?” He asked and Jimin only then noticed the open drawer he was rummaging through and the pair of handcuffs he pulled out.

“Fuck, yeah.” Jimin answered, eyes on the dangling metal, and then licked his lips as Jungkook pulled his arms above his head to secure them on the headboard.

“So, you said you wanted to play with this…” Jungkook then said, and reached out to grab his USGladius from the floor; Jimin felt the air leave his lungs at that.

“Yeah…” He breathed out, eyeing the weapon.

Jungkook smirked and changed his position so that he was now straddling Jimin and effectively trapping him in place. He noticed Jimin’s breathing picking up and loved every second of his reaction.

“Where should we start?” He gently let the blade run over Jimin’s cheekbone and the older gasped. “Oh, I know.”

Jungkook brought the knife down Jimin’s face until it reached his neck, just above his pulse point, and stopped. Jimin whined, hands pulling at the handcuffs, and bit his lip when he felt a slight pressure change on the tip of the blade.

“I could kill you right now.” Jungkook whispered as he leaned into Jimin’s space, faces only millimeters apart.

Another whine escaped Jimin’s lips and he frowned at the noise the handcuffs made when he tried to get free again. He lifted his eyes from Jungkook’s chest to his face and the younger was surprised he didn’t find fear in them; only blown pupils filled with lust.

Jungkook sat back again and slowly moved the knife down Jimin’s chest, pressing just enough to leave a thin line of red behind but not enough to bleed and the older shivered, small whimpers leaving his mouth as Jungkook’s hand went lower.

“Look at you, you’re fucking wrecked…” Jungkook said, though his own breathing wasn’t normal. “Does this seriously turn you on this much?”

Jimin’s answer came in the form of a moan when Jungkook let his knife slip down the waistband of his underwear and traced his navel with the sharp tip. “Touch me.” He pleaded and bucked his hips up, nearly cutting himself.

Jungkook thought about torturing Jimin a while more but decided against it when the tightness in his own boxers started getting unbearable. He carefully placed the knife on the bedside table and rid himself of whatever clothes he still had on, doing the same with Jimin soon after.

“I’m going to keep those on, okay?” He asked, just to make sure, and lightly touched Jimin’s wrist so he knew he was talking about the handcuffs. Jimin only nodded, already too far gone to be able to form sentences.

He slowly made his way down Jimin’s body, lips mapping his skin and leaving their mark wherever they touched, a path of blossoming bruises that would remind Jimin of that night for at least a few more days. Goosebumps arose on Jimin’s skin and a thin layer of sweat already started to form; Jungkook loved that he was the one causing it, loved that out of everyone Jimin could have, he was the chosen one.

When he reached Jimin’s thighs, Jungkook decided to take his time. He could hear every little sound the older made and he was feeding off it, swallowing them up like vitamins.

And God, Jimin’s thighs were amazing… Jungkook held on to them as he sucked dark spots on silky skin and squeezed every time his muscles jolted under his hands. All that made Jimin restless, squirming and pulling his arms in a failed attempt at setting himself free just so he could touch.

“Jungkook…” He whined and the younger looked up at having his name called. “Hurry.” Jimin pleaded.

“Has it really been this long since anyone touched you right?” Jungkook teased but still moved from his spot to retrieve the bottle of lube and a condom from the same drawer he got the handcuffs from. “Don’t worry, I’ll fuck you so good it’ll make up for all the useless boytoys you have back home.”

Jungkook spread Jimin’s legs and settled between them, warming up the lube he had just poured on his fingers before circling his hole teasingly. Jimin bit his lip and whimpered in anticipation, stilling when Jungkook finally pushed in and gasping as he started moving his finger inside of him.

Jungkook watched every one of Jimin’s movements, looking for any sign of discomfort on his face before adding a finger and scissoring him open. Jimin let out a loud moan at that, eyes shutting closed; he hadn’t been properly fucked in weeks and just the burn of Jungkook’s fingers inside of him was already driving him crazy.

Jimin’s wrists were stinging from pulling at the handcuffs but he loved the pain and savored every little bit of it; his entire body was overcome with pleasure, the places where Jungkook had bit him still aching in a delicious type of way.

When a third finger was added, Jimin shivered and soon after sobbed when Jungkook managed to find his prostate with a swift thrust. He knew the younger was teasing him, could feel himself ready to take more, much more, but he was being held down and could only do what he was allowed given his vulnerable position.

“Jungkook, please…” Jimin moaned, body arching up from the bed as Jungkook once again found his sensitive spot. “Ah, more!”

“Why should I give you what you want?” His voice was calm, despite his own hard cock demanding some attention.

Jungkook removed his fingers from inside of Jimin and the older complained, feeling empty. He slowly made his way up his body, mouth touching the places he hadn’t marked before and sinking his teeth down until Jimin was sobbing.

“P-please…” Jimin begged, tears welling in the corner of his eyes. “I need-“ He was cut off by Jungkook’s tongue circling his nipple and making him lose track of his thoughts.

“What do you need, baby?”

Jungkook didn’t give him time to answer, though, roughly bringing their lips together and licking inside Jimin’s mouth as if his life depended on it. Their dicks brushed against each other and they both gasped at the contact even if it wasn’t nearly enough.

“You.” Jimin moaned. “I need you. Fuck me.” He babbled on. “Please.”

Jungkook smirked to himself and pulled away to fetch one of the many pillows on his bed, putting it under Jimin’s waist to keep him comfortable and give him a better angle. He placed his cock at Jimin’s entrance and finally pushed in, not holding back the moan that escaped his lips and mixed with Jimin’s incoherent half-sentences.

His pace was merciless from the start, their bodies meeting with obscene sounds that echoed around the room. Jimin was so unbelievably tight even after being prepped, Jungkook couldn’t help but allow himself to get lost in how good it felt to be inside of him; he held tightly onto his hips, well aware that his fingertips would leave their mark there as well.

Meanwhile, Jimin was muttering curses under his breath, wrapping his legs around Jungkook’s waist and successfully changing the angle with which his thrusts went in, taking him even deeper and stretching himself out even wider.

“M-more.” Jimin gasped and Jungkook tightened his hold on his hips; he was about to quicken his pace when their eyes met. “Choke me.”

Jungkook slowed his movements and sat back on his knees, pulling Jimin by the waist and hovering above him as one of his hands made its way to his pale neck. He kept it there for a moment or two, thrusts still painfully slow, until Jimin whined; that’s when he squeezed, hard, and the older gasped as the air left his lungs and Jungkook started moving faster at the same time.

He experimented with his hold a few times, never stopping his hips, and Jimin looked like he was slowly going crazy, overwhelmed with pleasure.

Jungkook had murdered people by asphyxiation before and he knew exactly how much of his strength it took for someone to die in his hands. He was dangerously close to that limit but Jimin didn’t seem to mind one bit, instead looking pleased to be denied of oxygen and his eyes rolled back in his head when that was combined with Jungkook hitting his prostate dead on.

He loosened his grip just enough to allow Jimin some air before tightening it again and now there were tears running down the side of Jimin’s face as he moaned loudly. His body started shaking too much, though, and Jungkook had to retrieve his hand so he could use it to hold the older in place by the hips, fingers fitting on top of the already there forming bruises.

“Let me touch you.” Jimin begged, voice hoarse and hands twisting under the tightness of the handcuffs, wrists bruising from moving against them so much. “I-I need to touch you.”

Jungkook would never admit to loving the way Jimin wrapped himself completely around him as soon as his arms were free – but he did. He loved how he could smell, feel and taste Jimin better with their even closer proximity, was drowning in the sounds he made and in the wet slide of their bodies together.

Jimin’s breathing was even more erratic than when Jungkook was choking him and his nails soon found their place on the younger’s back, scratching deeper as he approached his climax.

Jungkook could feel it, the burning on his skin increasing with every particularly sharp thrust that had Jimin crying out in pleasure, and even though he was never one for pain during sex, it drove him closer to the edge.

Hands tangled in his hair and he was being pulled into a sloppy kiss that was more tongue than anything else. “Slap me, Kook.” Jimin whispered against his lips and Jungkook growled at the request.

Jungkook didn’t waste time in detangling himself from Jimin’s hold and lifting his body from the bed so he could have access to his ass. He kept his movements steady, trusting Jimin’s thighs to keep himself up and wrapped around him, and brought one of his hands down to smack him soundly.

He kept going, alternating between Jimin’s cheeks and he couldn’t deny the older looked beautiful like that, absolutely gone and a mess as he tried to meet Jungkook’s thrusts and keep up with his slaps, bottom lip red from biting into it and voice hoarse with how much he had been screaming out in pleasure.

It wasn’t long before Jimin came with a moan so loud Jungkook was sure even his outside guards heard it. He followed right after, though, the feeling of Jimin clenching around him just the impulse he needed to be finished.

He placed a few soft kisses to the side of Jimin’s face and to his neck, thumbs wiping the tears that were still there as he carefully pulled himself out, both wincing with oversensitivity. Despite the complaint in his muscles and his desire to lie down, Jungkook still went to the bathroom to toss the condom away and clean himself up, not forgetting to take a damp cloth for Jimin too.

The older had his eyes closed when Jungkook sat back down on the bed and he wondered for a moment whether he was asleep or not. He wasn’t, as it turned out, and gladly took the piece of fabric Jungkook offered him to wipe his skin; Jimin threw the cloth somewhere to his right and Jungkook glared at him.

“You’ll deal with it later.” Jimin said with a charming smile and threw himself back on the bed.

Jungkook looked over at Jimin, chest still heaving and covered in bruises ranging from bite marks to hickeys to the shape of his fingerprints around his hips and neck, and let himself smile at the sight.

“So the rumors are false…” Jimin started lazily as he rolled over to lie on his stomach, exposing his ass still red from where he had been slapped earlier, and shot him a shit-eating grin. “Jeon Jungkook does smile.”

[phati-sari]

kashmakash replied to your chat “Khushi: My boyfriend is too tall for me to kiss him on the lips. What…”

LMAO I LOVE THIS! Can you please write an OS based on this? :P

Hi @kashmakash :)

Ask and ye shall receive!!

OS: Steps and Ladders

Khushi closed the doors to the bedroom and leaned against them for a long moment before snatching her phone from the table.

Hai Devi Maiyya, give me strength.

She dialled a number, heart pounding, and jumped a little when her Bua-ji’s shout came through the bluetooth device at her ear.

“Hallo Nand Kishore, who is this?”

“Bua-ji, it’s me, Khushi.”

“Oh Sanka Devi, I was just thinking about you! It’s been so long since you and babua visited, you’ve forgotten all about me.”

Khushi paced the length of the bedroom, twisting her hands in front of her.

“Sorry, Bua-ji. Arnav-ji has that big fashion show this month. He’s been working so hard, he barely has time to sleep and eat, let alone visit Laxmi Nagar.”

Bua-ji huffed, “Well he might be busy but you can still visit!”

“How can I leave him? How would that look?”

“Oh yes? Where was this concern for your Sanka Dev when you were running away from him? Remember the first few months of your marriage, Nand Kishore? You would run to your Bua-ji’s house every chance you got. And he came chasing after you, oh what a good boy.”

Realising that the conversation was circling the ‘Arnav-babua is such a good husband’ speech that Bua-ji loved to give, Khushi hastily changed the topic.

“I’m calling,” she sighed, “because I need some advice.”

“Advice? About what?”

“I … you see … Arnav-ji is so much taller than me.”

“He’s not that much taller than you, bitiya, just the right amount. But what does that have to do with anything?”

She closed her eyes, trying to gather her courage, “I can’t do … things … because he’s so tall.”

“What things, Nand Kishore?”

“Kssg” she mumbled.

“What? Speak up! I can’t hear you!”

“Kissing! I can’t kiss him on the lips!”

She blushed as mortification swept through her. She heard Bua-ji cough a few times as if she’d choked. And then …

“Your Dadi, meaning my Amma, she taught me three things to keep men by your side. First—”

“—Yes Bua-ji, you told me before I got married. Jasmine in my hair, singing, and use my eyes. But I’m not asking about that.”

“No, you’re asking about something else, Nand Kishore.”

“So … can you help me?”

Bua-ji yelped with joy after a short silence. 

“I have it! Hit him in the stomach! When he doubles over in pain, then you kiss him! He’ll forgive you soon enough.”

“Bua-ji…”Khushi groaned, “That’s not really what I had in mind!”

“Well why are you calling me if you aren’t going to listen to my advice?” her aunt huffed.

Just then, there was a loud rapping at the door. “Khushi-ji! Open the door, Khushi-ji!”

“Bua-ji, I have to go, Nanhe-ji is calling for me.”

“Go, go, Nand Kishore, but remember that if you and babua don’t visit me soon then I’ll just have to come myself.”

Ending the call after promising to talk to Arnav-ji about it, Khushi hurried to the door.

“Nanhe-ji,” she greeted, “what’s wrong?”

“Payal-bhabhi is calling for you,” he grinned, “and I thought I would fetch you instead of HP!”

She set the phone and bluetooth device on the table before following her friend into the corridor.

“Is something wrong, Khushi-ji?” Nanhe-ji had noticed her glum mood, “Did Nannav fight with you again?”

“N-no,” she smiled, “Not at all. I just …”

“You can tell me, Khushi-ji, I’m your friend.”

She debated with herself, weighing how much she loved Nanhe-ji’s friendship and advice against how much Arnav-ji would dislike her sharing their private matters with him. But in the end, her need for answers won out.

“I have a question … but it’s … well … It’s about Arnav-ji.”

“Go on …”

“He’s so tall …” Khushi looked up, hoping Nanhe-ji would read between the lines, “and I can’t …”

“… Give him a head massage?” Nanhe-ji offered.

“No!”

“Help him with his tie?”

“I wouldn’t know how to begin with his ties,” she sighed, “Have you seen the way he knots them? This way and that way and all around, hai Devi Maiyya, it gives me a headache just thinking about it.”

“Then what is it?” he friend eyed her quizzically.

Khushi took a deep breath before speaking all at once, “He’s so tall that Ican’tkisshimonthelips.”

Nanhe-ji blinked once, twice, before Khushi saw understanding flare in his eyes. 

“Oh!! Ohhhh!!!” he bounced, “I see!”

She fought her blush, “Do you know what I can do?”

“Easy,” Nanhe-ji waved a hand in the air, “Just tackle him to the ground! There’s no height difference if you’re not standing!”

The hope that had flared in her chest died a quick death.

“Tackle who to the ground?”

Khushi gasped in horror as her sister joined them. “Jiji …”

“I was just telling Khushi-ji that she should tackle Nannav to the ground!”

“Why?” Jiji looked between the two of them, eyes wide with confusion.

“Nanhe-ji—”

“—So she can kiss him on the lips, of course!”

Khushi looked down, feeling her cheeks and neck heat with a blush.

“Oh that’s nonsense,” Jiji giggled, “if your Rajkumar is too tall, Khushi, then you should just leave him.”

“Jiji!” she pouted, hugging her sister, “That’s a horrible thing to say!”

Her sister patted her arm, still grinning, “But the look on your face was priceless. I wish I’d taken a photo for Arnav-ji!”

Nanhe-ji gave Jiji a high-five, both of them apparently enjoying her embarrassment. Khushi tried to ignore them as she started to set the table for lunch, but this only made the two of them giggle harder.

“You need a ladder!”

“Or at least a step stool!”

“What’s so funny?” Di arrived.

Khushi cut a warning look at her companions, knowing that she’d never have the courage to discuss kissing Arnav-ji with his sister.

“If Chhote is too tall,” Di spoke into the sudden hush, “then you can always kick him in the shins before kissing him.”

“What the—?”

Khushi twirled around, almost losing her balance, to find her husband in the entrance hall, his mouth open in surprise as he looked at all of them in turn.

“Arnav-ji … I … um … you see …”

He strode towards the dining table, “That’s nonsense, you’re all absolutely mad!”

“Chhote …”

“Nannav …”

Arnav-ji ignored them all as he gathered her into a hug. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered.

“Just ask me to lean down. It’s your right, you’re my wife.”

[kjtamuser]

The Bride of the Water God Episode 3 Recap

Yoon So Ah (Shin Se Kyung) watcher her patient, Bong Yeol, loaded in an ambulance that drives away. She’s uncomfortable with the emotion she let loose with Lord Habaek (Nam Joo Hyuk). She asks if he lives at the blow-up castle. He confirms this. She asks if he lives alone. Lord Habaek says he lost his servant, Nam Soo Ri but won’t explain how. So Ah is uncomfortable with his living conditions but she won’t offer to help him personally. Lord Habaek tells her to leave. She starts to leave then he applies guilt because of his support of her moments ago. Then he waves an imperious hand and tells her to go. When she starts to leave she hear thoughts about how ungracious she is. She looks around but no one is there.

Unable to sleep with the odd happenings, she explains to another doctor that she has a patient that can hear flowers, insects, fruits, and water. Her doctor friend, Jo Yeom Mi,  (who is rock climbing) believes that the accusation of ingratitude could be the trigger. Yeom Mi wonders if the patient is feeling guilty that she didn’t help someone in need. Yeom Mi suggests that the patient is a giving person who has suppressed this tendency and feels guilt for not being true to herself.

Soo Ri looks at the phone and asks Lord Habaek to confirm he saw the sea on the device. Lord Habaek confirms it. Soo Ri believes that Lady Moo Ra, a goddess, would not go somewhere casually.  Soo Ri calls her name into the phone. Lord Habaek scoffs. A young boy tells Lord Habaek to give him back his cell phone. The boy can’t believe an adult doesn’t have his own cell phone. He asks the boy where to get one.

At the cell phone store, the choices are overwhelming. They get a pitch from the salesman who provides applications for them to fill out. Of course, without money, it is hopeless.

Soo Ri is just about to leave for his part time job when Lord Habaek’s stomach growls in hunger. Soo Ri gives him rice cakes and scampers to his part time job.  Lord Habaek wants to throw the rice cakes into the river, but can’t. He breaks down and eats rice cakes and drinks water.

Soo Ri offers him a clean shirt.

So Ah wakes from another sleepless night.

Lord Habaek munches food and hides the back when a homeless man stares at him eating.

So Ah finds Lord Habaek by the river. She starts to hear the voices. She begins by apologizing for not being sensitive to his issues. When she stumbles Lord Habaek steadies her. He declares that he can’t get her out of his head. She thinking he’s hitting on her but that is dispelled when he calls her so ignorant he can’t get over it. She starts to leave but knows she can’t. So Ah offers to get him professional help, but he’s not interested. He points out that he’s the only person that implicitly believes and trusts her. He stares into her eyes. So Ah mutters to contact her when he wants professional help. She tells herself she tried as she starts to walk away. Lord Habaek warns that rejecting him will have consequences. She stares at him.

Back at the clinic, So Ah continues to lie that she’s okay. But she can’t stop hearing the plant voices. Nurse Yoo Sang Yoo asks why she’s acting odd lately. He tells her to sleep and get her act together.

Alone in the office she walks to the plants who have gone quiet. She wonders if she’s crazy. She recalls Lord Habaek’s warning. Unnerved she calls her doctor friend who peppers her with questions about Lord Habaek.  So Ah shares the kinds of things that have been happening. She can’t believe what she’s saying and hangs up. Sang Yoo calls to let her know Bong Yeol has a Thursday appointment and Park Sung Chul has requested a meeting. Then he enumerates the bad news; her diamond ring has not been found, the bank increased her loan rate, fixing the wiper has increased her insurance, and the landlord is not demanding a higher security deposit. When Sang Yoo suggest she rub shoulder with rich people at a fund raiser, So Ah storms away.

Soo Ri’s part time job is pedaling guests around the river. He spots a gold covered building and tells Lord Habaek it is real gold.  Lord Habaek chides him for thinking a building was made of gold. Lord Habaek’s stomach growls. He is adamant that soon his powers will return and they’ll have all the gold they want. Lord Habaek thanks Soo Ri for his devotion. He stares at the electronic billboard with the video of Lady Moo Ra. When he tells Soo Ri about the image, another video is playing.

So Ah struggles up the hill to the hotel with the fancy fundraiser. She sits down to adjust her shoes. CEO Hoo Ye spots her and offers her a ride. She declines. He drives away! LOL! At the hotel, she can’t believe her bad luck. She recalls Lord Habaek’s warning. Assistant Min tells him that So Ah probably wanted the ride. Hoo Ye doesn’t believe it, So Ah is straightforward. Ha!

Lord Habaek and Soo Ri go to So Ah’s work but the office is closed. They overhear Sang Yoo say that So Ah is at a fancy hotel.

So Ah runs into Ji Won and two other acquaintances. She hears the bouquet of flowers start talking. As they walk into the fundraiser together they describe the big money donor who helps entrepreneurs. Of course, it’s Hoo Ye. So Ah starts pounding champagne and complaining about Hoo Ye. He walks up to them. So Ah’s friends are surprised he knows So Ah. He explains their previous encounters.

Embarrassed, So Ah walks away. Hoo Ye follows. So Ah blurts out that she needs money but wouldn’t ask for it. She apologizes claiming she’s a bit tipsy. Shin Ja Ya arrives to fanfare. So Ah cringes and tells Hoo Ye she needs to avoid someone so she’ll be going. But Shin Ja Ya catches her and immediately insults her. Hoo Ye overhears. The flowers repeat Ja Ya’s words distracting So Ah. But Ja Ya continues to push her. Irked So Ah retaliates with her own insult. As So Ah turns to leave, Ja Ya ups the ante and asks if her father ever returned. Ja Ya describes how kind to the homeless So Ah’s father was, but in a derisive way. Ja Ya skewers So Ah when she says So Ah’s father put stranger’s happiness above that of his family. So Ah almost hits Ja Ya but grabs the flowers and flings them to the floor instead. So Ah picks up the flowers and turns to leave. Ja Ya grabs her blouse and rips it. So Ah calls Ja Ya an attention whore. So Ah turns and leaves. Ja Ya starts after her but Hoo Ye stand in front of her. Ja Ya brushes him off and darts around him.

Outside the hotel So Ah walks dejectedly. Ja Ya runs after her but Lord Habaek blocks her and does not allow her to dart around him. So Ah turns and sees this. Lord Habaek tells Ja Ya that he knows an unpleasant woman with the name Shim. Ja Ya tries to push Lord Habaek but he’s like stone. Lord Habaek asks why Ja Ya is harassing his woman. Ja Ya can’t believe what she heard. Lord Habaek declares that So Ah is his woman. Ja Ya strides away when others recognize her. Lord Habaek walks to So Ah. She asks how he got there. She cries and admits she’s hearing things. He sees her torn shirt and puts his jacket around her. He calls a taxi for her. As Hoo Ye drives past, he sees So Ah get into the taxi.

During the taxi ride, So Ah doesn’t say much. She flashes back running in anger, not at her father who left her and her mother, but to turn the pain into strength.  She stops on the bridge. The pain overwhelms her.  She decides to let her father go. When present day So Ah passes the bridge, she imagines herself all those years ago. Lord Habaek sees her pain. So Ah looks away to hide her tears.

I haven’t said anything yet but we are at the mid-way point, so I’ll mention I’m enjoying this episode because the emotion content is richer. So Ah’s internal fortitude is astonishing. I’d be a babbling idiot if I were her. Lord Habaek’s aide as swoon worthy. Even though he’s not doing it to be romantic, because at this point he views So Ah as his servant and under his protection, it is the balm she needs and action I love.

Back at the blow-up castle, Lord Habaek can’t believe it when So Ah tries to leave. He says she treats him like “dine and dash”. Ha!

So Ah buys Lord Habaek a cell phone. Soo Ri promises his part-time job will cover the usage costs.

So Ah tells Lord Habaek he saw an electric sign. Lord Habaek explains that Moo Ra is a goddess. Lord Habaek notices that So Ah’s shoes are bothering her. He places her hand on his arm. The walk along the river. They stop to watch the electronic sign. So Ah muses that if Lord Habaek was a god, he could help her. He counters that he she helps him, he will help her. When he spots Moo Ra, So Ah stares in disbelief. She tells him that Moo Ra is called Hye Ra and is a representative of the country. So Ah doesn’t believe that Lord Habaek knows or will meet someone like Hye Ra. Lord Habaek calmly states that he is Hye Ra’s King. Lord Habaek states if So Ah takes him to where Hye Ra lives, he’ll consider her stint as his servant over.

The next morning So Ah can’t believe she drove Lord Habaek to where Hye Ra is. Lord Habaek tells her she was a dreadful servant but she will be rewarded by Moo Ra. When So Ah puts a hand on him as he exits, she asks if she can come too. Lord Habaek tells her that Moo Ra doesn’t like human women. He slams the door in her face. She moans that this isn’t Moo Ra’s house. She tells herself that Lord Habaek must face reality one day. She watches Lord Habaek stop, turn and smile at her. She starts to drive away but stops herself. She can’t believe she can’t leave him.

Hoo Ye passes by So Ah’s car and he sees her frustration. He knocks on the window startling her.

Inside the hotel, Lord Habaek tells himself the house is a nice one. He walks in the direction he senses Moo Ra will be.

Hoo Ye doesn’t think So Ah is sick or came to see him. So Ah snaps she wouldn’t come to see him. Calmly Lord Habaek accepts that they have no relationship. He asks why she’s sitting in her car in front of his hotel. So Ah struggles to ask if Hye Ra is at the hotel. Hoo Ye asks if she’s referring to the hotel’s spokeswoman.

Moo Ra is getting makeup applied for a shoot. She senses then sees Lord Habaek. He smiles and tells her it’s been too long. She doesn’t react.

So Ah can’t believe that Hye Ra is really at the hotel. She dashes away and into the hotel.

Lord Habaek can’t believe it when body guards won’t let him approach Moo Ra. She ignores his pleas. Lord Habaek can dispatch the body guards but is stuck when the bodyguards grab him in mass. So Ah arrives and stares. Assistant Min arrives. So Ah pleads with the bodyguard to let Lord Habaek go. Moo Ra turns her attention to So Ah. When a bodyguard pushes So Ah to the ground, Lord Habaek is furious. He warns the man not to touch his servant. He helps So Ah up.

Lord Habaek’s hands on So Ah seems to irritate Moo Ra and she walks towards Lord Habaek and So Ah. She stares at Lord Habaek’s hand on So Ah’s wrist. She slaps him. So Ah yells at Moo Ra for slapping Lord Habaek. Moo Ra asks who she is. So Ah positions herself between Moo Ra and Lord Habaek and declares that she is his guardian. HR assures So Ah that he deserved the slap. So Ah scoffs that Hye Ra is not a real goddess. She tells HR to take care of her mental health. She slaps a business card in HR’s hand and promises a celebrity discount. Ha! So Ah pulls Lord Habaek away.

She orders Lord Habaek into her car. Lord Habaek tells her that she interrupted. He declares that Moo Ra is a flower that will never age. Lord Habaek says they live in different worlds. She offers to have him meets a god. She calls Yeon Mi.

Assistant Min reports the disturbance has been taken care of. Hoo Ye asks if it was So Ah’s patient. The assistant confirms this and indicates he thinks the patient is the same man they saw at the hotel last night. Hoo Ye smiles at So Ah’s devotion to her patients.

Moo Ra orders quiet. Everyone leaves the set. She calls a Lord Bi Ryeon. He’s able ready to sky jump from a building. She yells that there’s no time for that, Lord Habaek is there. That gets his attention. He murmurs that the red water finally came. Lord Bi Ryeon says that Lord Habaek will find him. Moo Ra smirks that Lord Habaek lost the coordinates. That surprises him. Moo Ra says she kicked Lord Habaek out. She reminds him they both are accomplishes to the god stone. She hangs up. Moo Ra looks at So Ah’s business card. She seethes that Lord Habaek found a woman as soon as he arrived in this world.

Lord Bi Ryeon smiles and cheekily tells us the intrigue and suspense begins now, Lord Habaek has come.

Soo Ri, Lord Habaek, and So Ah stare at a tall building. Soo Ri doesn’t believe they’ll find a woman that knows a god in the building. Lord Habaek doesn’t believe it either. Soo Ri takes Lord Habaek aside wonder if another god is at play. He doesn’t understand why “my Moo Ra” was cold. Lord Habaek stares at him. So Ah calls to Lord Habaek to follow her.

As they exit the elevator they approach a glass structure on the empty floor. So Ah introduces Jo Yeom Mi. Lord Habaek and Yeom Mi stare at each other. Yeom Mi pulls So Ah aside and asks if he’s the man that pricked her conscience. So Ah doesn’t answer but instead says that Lord Habaek wants to meet a god. She asks Yeom Mi to help him. Yeom Mi whispers that Lord Habaek is a real god. That surprises So Ah.

Lord Habaek doesn’t understand how Yeom Mi doesn’t know the gods he knows. Lord Habaek declares “I am the god of water, and soon to be king of water country, and emperor of the gods. I am Habaek”.

While So Ah waits she gets a text from Sang Yoo. She tells him to schedule the patient for tomorrow. So Ah considers and realizes that Lord Habaek is from a different world. She tells herself to stop watching over Lord Habaek. She recalls their kiss. Yeom Mi calls her as she exits the building. She left? Where is Lord Habaek? She tells her to send Lord Habaek to a specialist she knows. She hangs up. So Ah can’t believe it.

So Ah finds Lord Habaek staring out the window. He asks if she’s messing with him. He asks if she believes him. He tells her to go. He releases her. So Ah turns and stops. Angrily she declares that she tried her best but his story was unbelievable. Lord Habaek tells her that she can believe him, if she chooses to. She remembers her father leaving them. She runs away. She runs into the stairwell. She wonders what’s important about the truth. A man grabs her and pulls her into the elevator.

Lord Habaek stares out the window.

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Soo Ri plays with the phone. He wonders what is happening upstairs. He sees someone on the roof. He calls Lord Habaek. He tells Lord Habaek that So Ah is fighting with a man on the roof. The man pushes So Ah over the edge. Lord Habaek sees her fall. He drops the phone. He runs through the window. He follows So Ah down. He grabs So Ah and wraps her in water. He lands on ground with So Ah safe in his arms. We hear the high priest intone “It’s fate. He saved this child’s life.” Lord Habaek tells a stunned So Ah that he’s a god.  LOVE IT!

My Thoughts

Great third episode. This series’ story is rich and dialog is verbose. All the words matter, all the details matter. This isn’t a fluff show. I loved the reveal that Moo Ra isn’t good. I loved the reveal that Lord Bi Ryeon is aligned with Moo Ra and that they messed with the stones. Recall Lord Habaek must bring 3 stones together to become the next emperor. I loved that Lord Habaek saved So Ah repeatedly (and as a child). I loved that So Ah put herself in front of Moo Ra. I loved Hoo Ye’s quirky way of communicating, the man has limited emotional intelligence.

Lord Habaek (Nam Joo Hyuk) proved he was a god when he saved So Ah. Joo Hyuk embodies Lord Habaek with stoic assurance of his station in life, but there’s something else that So Ah taps into, Joo Hyuk’s eyes let us know that Lord Habaek feels her pull. I’m a fan of Joo Hyuk’s portrayal of Lord Habaek. I’m a fan of Lord Habaek.

Yoon So Ah (Shin Se Kyung) was once again poster child for “had a bad day”. Her encounter with Ja Ya was uncomfortable. Ja Ya was a witch to her. Her encounter with Moo Ra proved she cares for Lord Habaek, not personally yet, but there is a tie between them. Watching So Ah struggling to reconcile her intellect with her emotional response to Lord Habaek has been fascinating. Wouldn’t you struggle if plants started talking to you and a man declared he was a god and you were his servant? So Ah’s internal fortitude is impressive.

The second song of the OST “Glass Bridge” by Savina & Drone is lovely:

The Bride of the Water God Episode 3 Recap The Bride of the Water God Episode 3 Recap Yoon So Ah (Shin Se Kyung) watcher her patient, Bong Yeol, loaded in an ambulance that drives away.

[romaniassexdungeon]

Ji the impaler

Day four- high school

Pairing: LeoJi

for @rarepairsonice

Most of these are LeoJi like I said. Man this brought back memories of my own shitty sport’s days. Went with javelin for these two because that’s what I competed in. Was fourth in the year, in fact; no one messed with me and my stabby pole. I miss javelin... 

Warning for swearing and inappropriate jokes because DAMN HAVE YOU EVER LISTENED TO HIGHSCHOOL KIDS

As much as I love them as a couple, I’m also really down for pre-couple ‘we flirt but aren’t dating what is even going on between us’ LeoJi.

...

He loved Leo de la Iglesia, he really did, but sometimes the guy could be a colossal bellend.

Not often, mind you, given that he was one of the sweetest people in existence and sunshine personified, but once a year the two of them just descended into an overly-competitive mess that brought out the worst in them. And funny enough, it was not at any figure skating event- because despite everything they would always support each other’s skating careers. Believe in each other. Inspire each other.

But their school sports day? An event that wouldn’t ultimately matter in ten or even two years? Oh they were going all out on that.

Maybe it was the fact that the school always picked the hottest day of the year, leaving Guang Hong a sunburnt, sweaty mess in a perpetual bad mood and less willing to tolerate others, even the love of his dramatic teenage life. Maybe he was sick of the fact that Leo had beaten him in javelin for four years now. There was nothing wrong with second place, and he knew it was pointless and they didn’t even get medals, but he just wanted to beat Leo dammit! This was his last year to succeed, and when he did, he would rub it in his stupid beautiful face. Ah, just his stupid face. His stupid one.

Guang Hong had kind of been hoping their competition would rile up the sexual tension over the years, but everything regarding that seemed tragically one-sided.

Right now the boys’ javelin competitors were milling about on the main field of the sports’ ground, watching the girls already competing, and waiting their turn. And, of course, six bored teenagers standing together with fried brains usually descended into foolishness pretty damn quickly. It was almost impressive.

“Me early man,” Leo grunted, lolloping around the field waving his javelin as their friend Phichit doubled over laughing and JJ joined in dragging his knuckles and stabbing at imaginary prehistoric wildlife, and Yuri and Otabek just looked mildly disgusted at the display; “me kill mammoth with spear, make fire, bring mammoth home to wife!” At that, Leo doubled over to catch Guang Hong by the stomach and lifting him onto a broad shoulder, almost spearing him in the process. Guang Hong squealed and wiggled, kicking out and catching him in the stomach. Leo grunted, but still managed to hold on.

“Oy!” Mr Cialdini, the P.E. teacher barked over at them, “put the poor boy down before you impale him!”

“Sorry sir,” Leo called back, gently setting Guang Hong down. “You okay man?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “but I’m not your wife, I’m the rival chief that’s gonna spear you in the chest and use your blood for my cave paintings.”

“That’s hot,” muttered Leo.

“You’re hot,” Guang Hong replied, half-joking. That was their relationship: some weird blur between romance and friendship that succeeded in confusing pretty much everyone- Guang Hong included- about what was really going on between them. They were the bestest friends in the whole wide world, but Guang Hong was never sure how to interpret all the flirting and gay jokes Leo threw at him, so just went along with it. That fact that he was secretly in love with him didn’t make matters any easier.

Either way, Phichit was convinced he was the third wheel here. In many ways he was, though the three were still close.

“Damn right I’m hot,” and the tension was gone as a pained expression graced Leo’s face, “I’m going to melt! My balls are just stuck to the inside of my thigh like my sweat is superglue or something.” For added emphasis, he tugged at his P.E. shorts. Guang Hong thought he would pass out, had he not been recoiling in horror.

“You’re disgusting!”

“I thought I was hot.”

“You’re both, like sticky melted ice cream.”

“I got something sticky and melted for ya,” Leo laughed at the absurdity of his own joke, “sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Guang Hong waved a hand, “hope you’re still up to giving it your best. I’ll destroy you this time and dance on your grave laughing.” He was going to do it. He was going to leave Leo and everyone else in the dust.

“Please I can only get so erect,” he sure did love giggling at his own words. At least someone was.

“Oy we’re starting now,” called Yuri, “stop being weird and throw some shit.”

Guang Hong was somewhat disappointed- and a little paranoid- that events unfolded in their usual manner: Yuri and JJ scored quite feebly due to heckling from the other and generally attempting to sabotage each other’s performances. Otabek scored decently, then wandered off to separate their inevitable fight behind the ice cream van. Phichit didn’t do so well, because he only signed up for this event to hang out with his friends for the entirety of this pointless day. And then came Leo.

“You’ll keep watching, won’t you?” he asked, voice calm and sober as he made his way to the starting line. His eyes seemed to sparkle with hope at that, casting an anxious glance back over his shoulder at Guang Hong. What was that all about? The boy oozed quiet confidence, like he already knew the world would be watching and that was one of the things that made his performance beautiful.

Even in his stupid bobbly polo shirt and hair soaked in sweat.

Guang Hong threw him a reassuring smile, and that was all Leo needed to get going. He took a run, javelin atop an arm reaching the sky like he was running into battle. With a noise caught between a grunt and a scream, he launched it into the air and fell to his knees as it flew.

The javelin landed with a thug, buried into the baked ground further than anyone else’s travelled. Leo pummeled the air as he gave a cheer.

“So,” he began once he climbed up and made his way back to his friends, “reckon you can beat that, Jiji?”

“Easily,” Guang Hong chirped, “though your posture was swaggie and your throw had yolo so I’ll have to try really hard to beat that.”

Leo visibly winced at that. “Err, thanks, I think.”

“Guang Hong, what the hell are you doing?” groaned Phichit.

“Trying my American.” For when he and Leo were married and living in L.A. and famous.

“You’re trying this American,” Leo joked, “good luck though.”

“Thanks.” This was his moment now. Time to shine. To be fair, he was so sweaty he was already shining like an old man’s bald spot.

He took a deep breath as he stepped up to the starting line, squeezing in one more stretch of his calves before launching into a run. He heaved his arm back before launching the javelin into the sky.

It flew like a missile, glinting in the sun before burying itself in the anaemic grass, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say it travelled further than Leo’s. But he wasn’t about to celebrate before he knew for sure.

Mr Cialdini whipped out his measuring tape to dart after the javelin, giving a thumbs up when he reached it.

“First place! Well done Guang Hong!”

He couldn’t believe it. Guang Hong thought he would pass out from it all. The only thing he could do was grin as Leo and Phichit enveloped him from both sides and Leo wrenched him up to throw him in the air. Once he caught him, he cradled Guang Hong in his arms. The boy span him round once before setting him down.

“You did it!” he cried, “you beat me! I’m so proud!”

“You’re not mad?” asked Guang Hong.

“Not at all! Man, I won four times you really think I’d throw a sulk over you winning this time?” His smile widened as an idea struck him, and he got down on one knee. “May I kiss the winning hand?”

“You two get weirder every day,” muttered Phichit, trying to discretely whip out his phone.

“Sure thing,” Guang Hong beamed, gracefully holding out the back of his hand.

When Leo planted a chaste, wet kiss on his knuckles, Guang Hong thought he would finally vaporize there and then. In fact, he lost all ability to speak or think.

“Well isn’t that just the cutest.” Out of the corner of his eye, Guang Hong saw a flash of green and knew his bright red face as he was kissed would be talk of the school by tomorrow.

[mystlnewsonline]

New Post has been published on https://www.stl.news/latest-stoch-leads-way-ski-jump-training/81994/

The Latest: Stoch leads the way in ski jump training

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea /February 7, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) —  The Latest on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics (all times local):

___

8:45 p.m.

Defending Olympic champion Kamil Stoch showed why he’s a strong candidate to win another gold medal in ski jumping at the Pyeongchang Games.

Stoch finished first in a training run for Saturday’s normal hill final and also had a second- and third-place finish as the athletes got their first chance to test the Alpensia Ski Jumping Center on Wednesday.

The Polish ski jumper won both the normal and large hill events at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and has been in peak form heading into this year’s games.

He won his second straight Four Hills tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria, on Jan. 6 and became only the second ski jumper in the long history of the sport to win all four stages of the prestigious event.

He is currently first in the overall World Cup standings with four titles this season.

Andreas Wellinger of Germany, another contender for gold, also had a first-place finish in one of six practice sessions on Wednesday.

___

8:15 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach is hoping for a repeat of the 2000 Olympics, when North and South Korean athletes made an emotional entry together into Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

As an International Olympic Committee member, Bach says he traveled to North Korea prior to the 2000 Games. He described how talks there were bogged down by protocol, details, and large doses of tedium.

“Some moments were terrible,” he says.

As he tells the story, Bach perks up as he recalls how — at the last moment — South and North Koreans “took each other by the hands and marched into the stadium. This is the Olympic Games. I guess you will see the same here on Friday.”

The IOC is counting on it.

8 p.m.

IOC President Thomas Bach won’t say what he thinks will happen with appeals filed by Russian athletes trying to gain entry into the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Two groups of Russians, 47 in all, have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A decision is expected Thursday from world sports’ highest court, but it could come as late as Friday, just hours before the Olympics open.

The IOC expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes from Russia.” Many more have been barred for the games for doping or suspicion of doping.

“We think we have good arguments,” Bach told reporters. “And now the procedure is on-going, so I will not speculate on the outcome.”

7:15 p.m.

Pope Francis is praising the decision of North and South Korea to compete alongside each other at the Winter Olympics, saying it shows that conflicts can be resolved peacefully through dialogue and mutual respect.

Francis sent a special greeting and blessing to athletes and organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics at the end of his weekly Wednesday general audience. He says the traditional Olympic truce “takes on special importance this year” with the decision by the two Koreas, which will compete together in women’s hockey and march together at the opening ceremony.

He says the move shows that sports can promote peace.

Francis has frequently warned about the threat posed by the nuclear standoff on the Korean peninsula, and has demanded complete nuclear disarmament. He said the Holy See would support any initiative that favors peace and encounter among peoples.

___

7 p.m.

The Pyeongchang Organizing Committee is offering volunteers and staff unsold tickets for Thursday’s curling and ski jumping events.

Committee manager Ji Young Lee says 94 percent of tickets for Thursday’s curling events have already been sold. She says the offer of free tickets gives volunteers who are normally working a chance to experience the Olympics in a different way.

Lee didn’t immediately have information about tickets sold for Thursday’s ski jumping events.

Lee says overall ticket sales were at 77.3 percent for the entire Pyeongchang Olympic schedule as of Monday. She said that’s up from 75 percent for the Sochi Olympics at approximately the same time in 2014.

___

5:15 p.m.

Two leading speedskaters are among six Russian athletes who will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics after their appeals were delayed until after the games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says it won’t hear the case of the six athletes, who claim the International Olympic Committee unfairly excluded them over past doping offenses.

They include Pavel Kulizhinikov, a former world champion in short-track speedskating who was banned from 2012 through 2014 after testing positive for the banned substance methylhexanamine. Also among the six is speedskater Denis Yuskov, who served a ban for marijuana, and the biathletes Irina Starykh and Alexander Loginov, who returned in 2016 from bans for the blood-booster EPO.

The IOC ruled in December that Russians who served doping bans in the past weren’t eligible for Pyeongchang under its vetting procedure.

The court is hearing cases involving 45 other Russians and two coaches in time for the Olympics.

___

5 p.m.

This will be an unusual Olympics for Russian athletes, who are being forced to compete in neutral uniforms with no national insignia as punishment for doping offenses in Sochi in 2014.

In Friday’s opening ceremony, they will march under the Olympic flag in red and gray tracksuits with an “Olympic Athlete from Russia” emblem. If they win medals, they’ll stand under the Olympic flag while the Olympic anthem plays.

The 168-person not-quite-Russian team is still one of the largest in Pyeongchang. They’ll wear hastily redesigned or repurposed uniforms.

To even get here, they had to pass an International Olympic Committee vetting process, with athletes’ names checked against data of possible past Russian drug use and cover-ups.

___

4:45 p.m.

South Korea says the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be part of the high-level delegation coming to the South for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said North Korea informed it Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong would be part of the delegation led by the country’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam.

Seoul previously said the delegation would arrive Friday.

Kim Yo Jong was promoted by her brother last year to a new post within the North’s ruling party that analysts said showed that her activities are more substantive and more important than previously thought.

___

4:30 p.m.

A 229-member strong, all-female cheering section has arrived from North Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The squad, which features women chosen for their youth, good looks and enthusiasm, has been allowed to root for the North’s much smaller contingent of athletes as part of a last-minute arrangement between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Both sides are hoping to use participation by the North in the games to ease tensions that have been exceptionally high over the past year amid North Korea’s stepped-up missile launches and nuclear weapons’ development.

Arriving with the cheering squad was North Korea’s Sports Minister Kim Il Guk, Olympic committee officials and a demonstration taekwondo team that will perform before the opening ceremony on Friday and again later in Seoul.

___

4:15 p.m.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has adjourned for the day without ruling on appeals filed by Russian athletes who want to compete at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The court did not decide on an appeal involving 32 Russian athletes, not did it start hearing a second case involving 13 athletes and two coaches. It will reconvene Thursday at noon local time, the day before the opening ceremony.

The International Olympic Committee turned the Russians down during a vetting process that involved analyzing data about alleged doping in previous years.

Russian athletes who have appealed include Viktor Ahn, a six-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track speedskating, as well as cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov.

___

3:30 p.m.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is trying to assure the 3,000 Olympians entered in Pyeongchang that they will be competing against “clean athletes.”

This stems from the chaos around Russia, which has seen many of its athletes banned from the Olympics for doping.

In an open letter on Wednesday to Olympians, the IOC Athletes’ Commission says “we want to give you the assurance that every measure has been taken to ensure that you will be competing against clean athletes.”

The International Olympic Committee is expecting 168 Russians to compete in Pyeongchang under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Dozens of Russian athletes have failed to pass IOC vetting.

The letter says “we believe it is important to respect and treat each of these athletes equally.”

It also encouraged athletes to avoid distractions, saying, “We believe it is time for you to focus on your sport and what you have worked so hard for over the last few years.”

___

2:30 p.m.

Cases of norovirus at the Pyeongchang Games have officials scrambling on the eve of the biggest event in South Korea in years.

Olympics organizers say the norovirus spread began Sunday when private security workers staying in the Jinbu area of Pyeongchang started complaining of headaches, stomach pain and diarrhea.

About 1,200 people were kept in their rooms during tests for the contagious virus. Games organizers said Wednesday that 32 workers are being treated and are in quarantine.

Because the sick workers handled security, 900 military personnel have been brought in to work at 20 venues until the sick and sequestered can return to work.

___

2:15 p.m.

Two Olympic gold medalists are among the latest group of 15 Russians who have launched an appeal seeking late entry to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the 13 athletes and two coaches include cross-country ski gold medalist Alexander Legkov and skeleton gold medalist Alexander Tretiakov, as well as speedskating silver medalist Olga Fatkulina.

They were all banned last year over doping at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, but those verdicts were overturned at the CAS last week. They’re now seeking to force the IOC to invite them to the Pyeongchang Games.

The court is already hearing a separate appeal by 32 Russians who were denied invites on what the IOC said was evidence linking them to past doping.

The court didn’t say how quickly it will issue decisions.

___

12:45 p.m.

Fifteen more Russians have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, seeking to be admitted to the Pyeongchang Olympics.

They join 32 Russians who appealed a day earlier. John Coates, who heads the court, says decisions on some appeals are expected Wednesday.

Coates gave few details and did not give names of the Russians who appealed Wednesday. The games start Friday.

The 32 who appealed on Tuesday failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, which was imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry, causing last-minute chaos.

___

11:45 a.m.

Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics say they’re having no problems raising cash.

International Olympic Committee member John Coates, head of the IOC coordination commission for Tokyo, says local organizers have raised $2.9 billion in national sponsorship money.

He provided the update to about 100 IOC committee members gathered in Pyeongchang for meetings prior to the games there, which start Friday.

Coates called the money-raising effort “extraordinarily successful.” He says Tokyo now has 47 local sponsors, and this excludes long-term IOC sponsors like Bridgestone, Panasonic and Toyota.

The sponsorship money will help fund the $5.5 billion local operating budget, which Coates says is not expected to need public money.

The total cost of preparing the games is about $20 billion, with the rest of the money coming for the city of Tokyo and the national government.

___

10 a.m.

The Pyeongchang Winter Olympics open in two days, but the issue of which Russians are in — and which are out — is dominating the agenda of IOC President Thomas Bach.

As Bach presides Wednesday over meetings with roughly 100 IOC members, the Court of Arbitration for Sport — sport’s top legal body — is expected to decide appeals by 32 Russian athletes seeking spots in the Games.

The 32 failed to pass mandatory International Olympic Committee vetting, imposed as a result of Russian doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee expects 168 Russian athletes to compete under the neutral banner of “Olympic Athletes From Russia.” Hundreds more have been barred, and many have gone to court seeking entry and causing last-minute chaos.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

___

[gwynne-fics]

Becoming Royals

a walk

Eun-Sang was not doing well with her pregnancy sickness and Rachel tried not to fret for her. Hee-Nam gave her expert care and professionally handled all of her daughter’s duties without blinking. 

It left Rachel with very little to do, so she sat at Eun-Sang’s desk and wrote letter to her mother. She tried to keep it as vague as possible as she asked for her opinion on how to politically handle Young-Do’s absence. As she signed the letter, her heart ached. She wished talking to her mother in person wasn’t treason.

Rachel had Bok-Joo take the letter to Myung-Soo. He would know the best way to get it to her. She went over to Eun-Sang’s bedside and crouched down beside her. “I promise, all of this stops once you quicken. Just a few more months.”

“At least I don’t get it in the afternoon like you did,” Eun-Sang said weakly as Hee-Nam helped her drink some water. “Where is Hyo-Shin?”

“Standing guard. He’s about to take me to court.” Rachel glanced over at Hee-Nam and smiled. “Please make her eat something once her stomach settles. I don’t want her to lose weight or risk her baby.”

Hee-Nam bowed deeply and went to the kitchens. Eun-Sang watched her go with a faint smile. “She doesn’t like Hyo-Shin. She doesn’t trust noblemen. Not after what happened with my father.”

“You’ve talked about it?”

“Yes. Thank you for bringing her here. I was reluctant at first but knowing her...is very special.” Rachel bent down and kissed her cheek. “She has good reason not to trust Hyo-Shin. I believe he can do it. The wedding is in a week. Ji-Sun keeps checking in on me. She says she’s made sure my room is close to hers and she’s looking into finding me the best wet nurse. She overwhelms me sometimes. This will be a happy story.”

“We both deserve happy stories.” Rachel kissed her forehead and then went to court. Young-Do sat down beside her, smelling clean and sweet, as he took her hand.

“Siege tactics?”

Rachel shrugged. “No one expects women to know siege tactics. Why not?”

Before he could respond, Queen Kyung-Ran was announced. Rachel was a little surprised as the court bowed to her while she sat down on the throne. “Our king is ill this morning. He’s instructed me to run the court through its necessary procedures. Young-Do, we’ll start with you.”

Rachel only listened to the court matters with part of her mind. When court was dismissed, she waved Hyo-Shin over before looking up at Young-Do. “You need to spend the afternoon with Myung-Soo. I will join you once the women’s court finishes. There is something I need to do but I can’t do it with you nearby. It will send the wrong message.”

His eyebrows went up. “Is this about Da-Kyung?”

“Yes.”

He ran his hand over his mouth and nodded. “I know of at least one man who is unhappy she is my concubine but I’m mostly sure he’s been in the capital for the last six months pursing his family’s interests.”

“Who?”

“Ma Jung-Woo.” Rachel thought about that for a  few seconds and then shrugged. “Rachel...The best I can do is put her away after I become king. She is the daughter and wife of traitors. I have no idea how far her collusion goes. There are two children I have to make my foster children simply because I refuse to execute babies. I might have to pretend her unborn child is mine just to save face. Even if she wants to be in a relationship with Ma Jung-Woo, I cannot allow it.”

She wrinkled her nose. “The only way you deter her from finding a lover once she’s ready is to be her lover. We will discuss this later. I must do damage control now.”

Before he could stop her or say something to remind her that the world she wanted for all women was so far away, Rachel turned aside and walked away from him. Hyo-Shin almost struggled to keep up.

He announced her when she arrived at Da-Kyung’s rooms. She looked mildly upset and Rachel tried not to automatically pity this woman. Da-Kyung rose to her feet and bowed but did not hold it for long. “Where are my children?”

“Come take a walk with me.”

Rachel did wait for Da-Kyung to acknowledge her command. She headed out into the chilly garden and tried to breathe in the fresh air while Da-Kyung caught up. Hyo-Shin remained a respectful distance away. “Are they Kim Won’s children?”

Da-Kyung didn’t answer right away. “Yes.”

“And the one you carry?” Rachel caught the pain in her eyes. She looked away quickly. She did not want to pity this woman.

“I don’t know.”

Rachel took a deep breath. “I now have a low opinion of two men if that is true. You had twins. That couldn’t have been an easy labor or recovery.”

She gave a bitter laugh. “It happened very quickly, princess. I didn’t tear and I healed quickly. It was two months and I didn’t think I would get pregnant again so quickly. It didn’t hurt like you’re thinking.”

“Then you are the envy of men loving women everywhere.” She briefly closed her eyes. 

“Will I have to abort? That’s customary for noblemen when they take another man’s wife. I’ve been waiting for the tea since the physician left me alone last night.”

“I don’t know. The queens are deciding that. It is not my palace yet.” They arrived in Queen Kyung-Ran’s garden to a warm fire pit, blankets, and hot drinks.

“You are being modest, princess. I haven’t been here a day and I know that is categorically untrue.” Then she brightened when she noticed the cradle with her twins. Rachel watched her rush to their side and tried not to be angry.

She didn’t want to like Yang Da-Kyung, but she did.

[gwynne-fics]

So...this came about in a weird way. Through a series of private conversations and public replies over the last few months, I’ve thought a lot about an alternative universe for Becoming Royals. When the request game came up, one of the people I’d spoke to privately, @jeonjuns, hungry for a secret romance, asked me if they could request two prompts based on some of the things we’d talked about. 

They caught me at just the right moment, (late at night with a low blood sugar and exhausted from kungfu ^^;;;) because I said yes, when I should’ve said no and offered them extra requests instead ^^;; 

In order for the two prompts to make sense, it will need this prologue. This is not a new story I’m starting. It will be Request Only (assuming there is any interest in it ^^;;) Becoming Royals is already a major undertaking and this is just a peek into a different way I could’ve done it.

Stolen Throne: Prologue

Rachel remembers the day her father, the king, died so vividly it gives her nightmares. She is barely eight years old and it is her birthday. Her brothers are there, teasing her before they give her gifts. Myung-Soo gives her a complicated puzzle toy and Young-Do gives her a knife concealed as a binyeo.

Father is sick so he isn’t at the party. Rachel doesn’t care. She doesn’t like Father. He is mean to her brothers. Grandfather is there and gives her a promise of a horse now that she knows how to ride. She ends up playing tag with her brothers, the game only stopping when the head physician delivers the news to Mother and the other queens. 

There is a change in the air between the queens and it turns Rachel’s stomach. “Ji-Hyuk,” Mother says her personal bodyguard, “Take Rachel to her room. You must protect her from the princes.”

Captain Kang picks her up, much to Rachel’s confusion, and obeys her mother. Her brothers might tease her but they would never hurt her. She knows that Mother is the first queen, even though she was chosen last. She knows she was supposed to be a prince but isn’t. She knows that Young-Do is supposed to be king if Father dies, unless Mother has a baby boy. She thinks all of this is true until Captain Kang locks her in her room.

Bored, she plays with her new puzzle toy until it is easy to solve. She tries reading her favorite books, until she hears a knock on her window. Rachel carefully opens it up and both Young-Do and Myung-Soo climb in.

She gives a quiet cry when she sees that their hands are bandaged. They both hug her tightly but Myung-Soo goes to the door to listen and keep watch while Young-Do explains why they are hurt.

“Queen Esther asked for a blood drop test,” he says. “To prove that we are princes. We failed. The king isn’t our father. The ministers will be here soon to do it to you, too. We have to leave the palace, Rachel.”

“No!” She wrapped her arms tightly around him and began to cry. “I can’t be king. I’m not a boy. I’m just a princess. I’ll talk to Omma! You can stay.”

“We can’t,” Myung-Soo said bitterly. He came and tried to pull her off of Young-Do. There was sounds of fighting in the hallway and once she had let go of Young-Do, he pulled out his sword. At twelve, her brothers were already on their way to becoming warriors. They were trained by their bodyguard, Go Nam-Il and Rachel is jealous no one tries to train her. “Queen Esther will have us killed if we try to stay. Our mothers are taking us into exile. We just had to say goodbye.”

“Orabeonim...” There was a crash and her brothers pushed her behind them as the door opened to reveal Go Nam-Il. Captain Kang was on the floor and Rachel could see blood. His face is screwed up in pain so it doesn’t look like he’s dead.

“No,” Myung-Soo said. “I heard Omma tell you to kill her. No.”

“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Young-Do says. “Until today, she is our little sister. We will leave with you but you can’t hurt her.”

“I would never kill the princess,” Go Nam-Il says. “She is a child. You are children. Put her in her closet and hide her there. Princess, you must stay quiet and hidden. Lee Chan-Hyuk is trying to take the throne.”

“Captain Kang is supposed to protect me.” Young-Do picks her up and Myung-Soo opens the closet. They stick her inside but she refuses to let go of Young-Do’s clothes as she starts sobbing.

“Minister Lee Chan-Hyuk’s people are trying to find you. If they kill you before you are tested and proven to be the heir, he will be able to put himself on the throne. I killed two men who had overtaken Captain Kang. He is fine and back on his feet. Boys, your mothers are waiting at the garden wall. You must go. I will protect the princess.”

“No,” Rachel cries. “Orabeonim!”

Her brothers hug her tightly. Myung-Soo leaves first but Young-Do tries to calm her down. He kisses her forehead and squeezes her fingers as he pulls her hands off of him. “You will be a good princess.”

“Come back,” she sobs. “You have to come back to me. I don’t want to be princess without you and Myung-Soo. Promise me.”

“Prince Young-Do, that isn’t wise.” Go Nam-Il says it quietly just as two soldiers burst into her room. One goes for Young-Do, the other Go Nam-Il and the two quickly dispatch them. Young-Do ends up vomiting in one of her plants. “Leave, my prince. Now!”

“Orabeoni...” She shrieks when Young-Do slams the closet doors shut and bars them with something. She starts pounding on it but she’s locked firmly inside.

“I’ll come back,” he promises. “I’ll help you be a good queen. But you have to stay quiet. Promise me, Rachel. Not a sound until it’s safe.”

“I promise.” Then he’s gone and she cries into her knees as she pulls them into her chest. She listens to the sounds of the fighting in her bedroom. It feels like hours until she hears Mother’s voice.

“Rachel? Rachel! Ji-Hyuk! Open the closet now!”

She sniffles and wipes her eyes. The room is bright when Mother pulls her out and hugs her tightly. Mother’s dress is torn and there is blood on her face. “My queen,” the old man standing next to her says, “We don’t have much time.”

He’s holding bowl with water in it. Mother takes Rachel’s hand and pricks her finger with a knife as several other ministers come into the room. Grandfather is solemn as he watches. Everyone seems to be holding their breath as the old man drops some blood out of a vial into the water and Mother squeezes Rachel’s blood into the bowl.

Rachel doesn’t understand what is going on until there is a sigh of relief. “Princess Rachel is the king’s daughter and only living heir. She will be the crown princess until she comes of age and then she will be queen. Queen Esther will be the Queen Regent and Queen Mother. Long live the Queen.”

Grandfather says it so firmly and the other men murmur their assent. Rachel looks up at her Mother to find her smirking. “Omma?” She asks it quietly. “Where are my brothers?”

“Young-Do and Myung-Soo were false princes,” Omma says as she kneels down to Rachel’s level. “They are not your brothers anymore. They are gone and not coming back. It has been a long day and you are traumatized. I want you to come sleep with me and get some rest. You are the crown princess now, the only true heir to the throne.”

“I want my brothers back. Young-Do protected me. That means he can’t be false.”

There was an uncomfortable murmur among the ministers but Mother just stood and held onto Rachel’s hand tightly. “This is why we have Queen Regents. The crown princess is tired and needs rest. She will understand your loyalty tomorrow.”

Rachel obediently follows Mother to her room and numbly let’s the court ladies fuss over her. She is cleaned and let’s Mother place her into her bed. She doesn’t chide Rachel for quietly crying. Mother strokes her hair and kisses her forehead. “It’s alright now. All the bad men have been killed. I made you safe.”

“I miss my brothers,” Rachel whispers. “When can they come home?”

“Listen to me very carefully,” Mother takes her face in her hands. “Queen Jae-Kyung and Queen Kyung-Ran were bad women who let another man into their bed who wasn’t the king. The king was not their father. They were not your brothers. That was a lie. They had to leave because they did not have royal blood. That test with your blood proves you are royal and only a royal can sit on the throne. These next few years will be hard, Rachel, but you will be the queen when you come of age. We will build a strong kingdom and our people will love you. But you have to forget about the false princes. You have to stop talking about them. You have to give up their memories. You will never see them again. Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” Rachel lies.

Her nightmares do not.

She comes of age when she is seventeen and the marriage negotiations start. So many noble sons trying to woo her makes her restless and she sneaks out of the palace to clear her head. She’s done this enough times that her bodyguard, Lee Bo-Na, knows to be waiting for her at the crack in the garden gate.

“How many Crown Princess said in that aggravating tone do you think I’ll get if I demand to become Queen before I settle on a Prince Consort?”

Bo-Na giggles and pats her hand gently as they make their way through the busy night market. “If you did that, your mother would be very proud of you. Your grandfather would absolutely support you. Is it true that she’s allowing Lee Hyo-Shin to come out of exile?”

Rachel smiles sadly. One thing she asked for, since she couldn’t protect her brothers, was for her mother to grant mercy to the children of those that rebelled against their family that day. Lee Chan-Hyuk and his wives were executed but Lee Hyo-Shin was exiled and given a steward to watch over him.

He was her friend and she missed him. She wrote him often and he wrote her back almost as often.

“He’s on the husband list,” Rachel says and wrinkles her nose. “The Queen Regent thinks that is a good way he can repay my mercy.”

Bo-Na sighs softly and squeezes her hand. They don’t talk much as they walk through the streets before Bo-Na asks, “Is Kim Won on the list?” right before there is an upset with a cart horse a few stalls down.

Bo-Na immediately yanks her out of the way when the horse bolts down the street and pulls her into a small alley. At least, Rachel thinks it is Bo-Na until she looks up and sees...

“Orabeoni. You’re alive!” She recognizes him from the eyebrows and his eyes. His gentle, gentle eyes. Everything else is different. He towers over her, his shoulders broad and strong. There is a scar bisecting his lips and another cutting one of his eyebrows. His hands are rough as he pushes her against the building wall. Rachel stares up at Young-Do and almost starts laughing. “Are you trying to rob me?”

“Fuck.” He hisses it and his voice is so different than the child she remembers. He is very handsome, she decides, and is surprised (pleased) that his hair indicates he is still unmarried.

“Unhand her.” Bo-Na’s sword slides easily over his shoulder and kisses his throat. He stills but she can see that look, the one that all warriors get right before they’re about to rush into a fight, flash through his eyes.

“Don’t,” she whispers. “You can have my purse. You can have whatever you want from me.”

“Don’t make an offer you can’t keep, princess.” He says it darkly and it cuts into her. He lets go of her and takes several steps back. Bo-Na immediately comes between them. “The rumors are true. The princess is stupid enough to mingle with commoners. I could’ve taken you and no one would know.”

“How else will I know if my ministers are telling me the truth? This is the safest city in the kingdom. Do you live here? Is Myung-Soo with you?” His face twists angrily and she supposes he hates her now. She looks away and tries not to cry. His life must be hard if he thought to rob a seemingly helpless woman. “You kept your promise.”

Young-Do lets out a pained chuckle and shakes his head. “No. You weren’t supposed to recognize me.”

“Orabeoni--”

“I’m not your brother. Surely the queen told you that when she stole the throne from me and my mother.” It felt like he slapped her. She could barely breathe now. “My mother trusted her and she betrayed us at the first opportunity. She broke their agreement Rachel. I would be king and you would be my queen. Everyone would be safe that way and she stole it from us.”

Rachel looks away. Mother explained everything to her when she turned fourteen. That was the last time she asked about why the princes had to be false. “Is that why you’re here? To take revenge on me?”

“No.” He snarls it angrily. “This was an accident. Will you tell the queen?”

“No. I will be queen soon enough. It’s time to make my own decisions.” Her heart feels like it is melting. She takes out her purse and lets it drop to the ground. She tries to spend the tax money that makes up her allowance back in the marketplace whenever she can. His clothes say he isn’t well off. If he ignores her charity then perhaps some orphan will find it and put the money to good use. “Thank you for keeping your promise. I hope you and Myung-Soo are doing well.”

She turns to leave, Bo-Na guarding her back, and tries to maintain her composure as she walks away. She gets all the way to the palace and into her room before she sinks to her knees and cries.

[gwynne-fics]

[Twisted to a Fault Chapter 97— banner by mrshobbes]

Lexi has made me lovely banners for some of the chapters. She’s complied them all for us. Please take a look! They are fabulous and she is amazing!

Twisted to a Fault Master List

Chapter 97: 2215 words

=====

Rachel sat in a quiet club, on a cold metal chair, with her jacket and Young-Do’s suit coat wrapped around her as police officers asked them questions. Young-Do didn’t say anything besides, “Watch the CCTV footage,” over and over when they tried to get him to admit to breaking an arm, a nose, and a wrist. They’d been waiting for an hour to be released and her heart hadn’t stopped pounding.

Young-Do moved so quickly she could barely tell what he’d done. All that mattered to her was that he’d done it. She had a bruise on her wrist, along with a few small cuts from her bracelet. She was just so cold.

“Agassi.” She jerked at the sound of Go Nam-Il’s voice and looked to find him kneeling down in front of her. “We can go now. It’s handled.”

She looked for Young-Do. He was finally speaking with a police officer but there was a man who was clearly a lawyer standing next to him. She looked back at Go Nam-Il and was surprised when he gave her a soft smile. “You’re in shock, Agassi. I have a doctor waiting for us at the officetel to treat you. I’ve locked down this incident as best I can. Unfortunately, I did have to inform your mother. She is sending your driver to pick you up in the morning.”

“No. Young-Do and I are going hiking tomorrow. We’re going to the top of a mountain and not coming down until after the sun sets. No.”

“Yes, Agassi.” He stood and offered to help her up. Rachel let him. She didn’t know why the news of her mother insisting she return to Seoul made her cry. This was something that could’ve easily happened in Seoul. She looked at Young-Do again and caught him watching her. His eyes were wet for few seconds before he turned his attention back to the more important questioning.

They were almost to the door when one of the officers tried to stop them. Go Nam-Il simply turned around and stared down at the smaller man. “Call your supervisor. She will explain to you that you are to let Yoo Rachel submit her statement through RS International on Monday morning. I will wait.”

The officer snorted but pulled out his phone. “Acting like she’s helpless. Yes, Lt. Kim, this is—“ He frowned and gave both of them a startled look. “Of course, Lt. Kim. I understand.”

He hung up. Go Nam-Il didn’t wait for his apology. “Yoo Rachel’s testimony should be superfluous given the CCTV footage. The cameras here were already set up to watch the restrooms, which mean this establishment is aware of the issue that presented itself tonight. Choi Young-Do was protecting his girlfriend from an entitled predator. I expect your report to reflect that.”

Go Nam-Il put his hand on Rachel’s back and continued to usher her out of the club. There were no cameras and for that, she was incredibly grateful. Mother wouldn’t forgive her if there was a scandal like this at a club. Go Nam-Il got into the car with her, sat in the middle bench of the SUV that faced her, and to her surprise, began taking her pulse.

“Agassi, I would like you to lay down and I will elevate your feet.” She nodded and let him arrange her in the best possible way. He covered her with Young-Do’s jacket when she started shivering again. “You can close your eyes, but try not to fall asleep. I want to commend you on that elbow drive. You hit your attacker right in the solar plexus. The reason his nose broke when President Choi threw him is that he did not have enough air going to his brain and that is because of you.”

Rachel gave a desperate little laugh. “Are you trying to make me feel better?”

There was amusement in his tone when he answered. “I’m trying to keep you awake. I’m not worried about a head injury but I think you will feel better when President Choi joins us. Even soldiers go into shock after their first experience with real violence. This is the second attack on your person in less than four months, Agassi.”

Rachel squeezed her eyes shut. “Am I too paranoid to think it won’t be the last?”

He was quiet for a moment. “Would you like the truth or something that will help you sleep easier tonight?”

“The truth. I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight anyway.”

“The man who attacked you was not a regular at the club. He had a picture of you and President Choi on him. I believe it was a deliberate attempt to create a scandal. It’s all circumstantial but—“

“Han Ji-Hoon.” It hurt to breathe. “He’s not going to stop.”

“He rightfully sees you as the threat to his power and control within the company, Agassi. He’s trying to scare you. I suspect he will confirm my suspicions to you personally at the next event you meet him at. He will not go out of his way to deliver it. But he has what he wants now.”

“Young-Do getting violent to defend me. Are you certain the board won’t like it?”

Go Nam-Il was quiet again before he answered. She liked that about him. He always thought about his words and managed them carefully. “There are twelve members of the board of directors, including President Choi and Vice President Han. Of the remaining ten, only three are women. Your mother and President Ma will see President Choi’s actions as necessary. Song Hye-Won might. She wants her daughter to marry President Choi. Half of the men belong to Vice President Han, the remainder are coming around to see President Choi as a legitimate leader. I don’t know how this will sway them. Regardless, this will throw the board and shareholders into chaos right before he leaves on his enlistment.”

“What was he supposed to do?” She winced at the hysterical anger in her voice. She wasn’t angry at Go Nam-Il and didn’t want her to think she blamed him for telling her the truth. “Allow two men to attack me before the bouncers and security took care of it? He is my boyfriend! That’s what he should do!”

“It is,” Go Nam-Il said calmly. “He absolutely did the right thing, Agassi. My team is working on making sure that’s the narrative that gets out. Vice President Han is going to try to make this as public as possible. You need to be prepared for that. That is why you need to go home to your mother tomorrow.”

“No.” It was petulant and she knew he was right but it just made her cry.

“Of course, Agassi.”

Rachel gave a bitter laugh. “I suppose you’re used to prime ministers throwing tantrums. A girl like me isn’t that scary.”

“I am going to tell you a secret, Agassi. When men make it impossible for women to hold the obvious, tangible kinds of power, women will often find a way to overcome that barrier. One of the greatest reforms of the last fifteen years was brought about by a Prime Minister’s wife. That is why Vice President Han fears you. He knows President Choi listens to you. That is why he is attacking you as if you are just his wife. But, Agassi, you are not his wife. You will be an acting president and that is much more terrifying because it is tangible.”

There was a knock on the window. One of Go Nam-Il’s security officers opened the door and Young-Do was let into the car. He sat down beside Rachel and put her legs in his lap. He vibrated with unreleased fury. The security chief tapped on the partition after they were all buckled in. Rachel zoned out while they drove back to the officetel and Go Nam-Il caught Young-Do up.

“President Choi,” she caught. “I suggest you go to the officetel’s gym and work on the bag while the doctor treats Designer Yoo. I do not wish you to scare her further. She is in shock and might misinterpret your anger.”

Rachel felt Young-Do still before his shoulders slumped. “I will.”

She ended up in bed with her feet elevated and an IV in her hand to make sure she didn’t get dehydrated. Rachel wanted to check in with Young-Do but he went to go punch the bag out of her sight, so she was cranky when her phone rang and it was Mother.

“I don’t want to come home,” she said. “Young-Do and I have plans for tomorrow. It’s important—“

“I’m already getting questions. I’ve seen the video. Are you alright?” Mother’s question was gentle and Rachel almost told her the truth. She hesitated too long and Mother sighed softly. “Of course, you aren’t. Did Choi Young-Do teach you that move?”

“Yes. We practice together sometimes. Omma, I don’t want to leave early.”

“We have to lock this down before it becomes too big.” Mother paused and Rachel heard her take a deep breath. “Rachel, is something going on between you and Choi Young-Do that is more than just…dating? This…” Mother sighed. “Is there something else you want to tell me about?”

Mother knew. Rachel’s stomach almost bottomed out but she held onto her racing heart tightly. The question was deliberately worded. Rachel wasn’t ready to trust Mother. Not with Young-Do’s company.

“No. There isn’t anything else I want to tell you.”

“If, at any time that changes, please come to me.” Mother whispered it. “I cannot help you unless you tell me what is going on. The car will be there at nine tomorrow. Get some sleep. You can tell Acting President Choi that I will send a token of my appreciation soon. Please, remember, you are my precious daughter, my only heir, and your safety matters to me and our employees.”

“Yes, Omma.”

“I know you do not like this, but we have to be practical about your statement. You have to be here to give it to our attorney. Rachel, the next time you go out of town to visit your boyfriend, I want to know your itinerary. I do not want to be blindsided by Choi Young-Do’s security chief. Do you understand?”

Rachel’s stomach twisted and she hated that Mother was right. “Yes, Omma.”

“The car will bring you to the estate. We will have lunch together tomorrow. You do not have to stay the night here, but if you are followed, I want it to be to our home.”

She swallowed the painful lump in her throat and tried not to start crying all over again. Her magical romantic weekend was ruined all because an old man couldn’t handle answering to a young woman. Her blood began to burn hotly.

He would have to kill her. That was the only way she would back down. He might be willing to kill her.

“Yes, Omma. I will see you tomorrow.” She hung up and turned off her phone. A few seconds later, she pulled the IV out of her hand and swore loudly at the pain. Rachel found her shoes and a robe. There was no one to stop her from going down to the officetel gym and looking for Young-Do.

Two of his security detail stood outside the doors. Both men bowed to her and immediately opened the door. She went inside and found Young-Do pounding on the bag. He was drenched in sweat and his guttural yells almost convinced her to turn around and leave him to his frustration.

She stayed out of his range and watched him. Finally, she said, “I’m jealous. No one lets me do stuff like this. They stick a needle in me and tell me to be calm.”

Young-Do stilled and turned around. She couldn’t read his face. Finally, he went over to the nearby bench and picked up an extra set of hand wraps. “Come here.”

Rachel walked up to him and took off her robe. She wore one of his shirts with her spanks but he didn’t even look at her. Young-Do took her hands and quickly wrapped them so she could punch the bag without hurting herself.

“I have to leave in the morning.”

“I know. We’ll go hiking next week. We’ll celebrate getting the Pearl back on track then. You can leave our gear here. I’ll take care of it.” His voice was hoarse and she almost laughed when tears from both of them hit her hands. “I’m sorry. I should’ve waited for you by the bathrooms. I know better and—“

“Normally, we have Myung-Soo watching our backs,” she whispered. “Normally, it isn’t an issue because the clubs we go to are better. I’m sorry. I should’ve just gotten away and run.”

Young-Do shook his head. “No. You did the right thing. That was an amazing elbow you gave him. I was so proud of you. Come on.”

He brought her over to the bag and she immediately relaxed into the loose fighting stance he taught her. “Jab. Cross. Roundhouse. Go.”

Punch. Punch. Kick.

Next time, she would do this first.

Because, she knew, without a doubt, there would be a next time.