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makeitmingi · 11 months

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Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 46]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.2K

After meeting with CEO Kim and the legal team at KQ, then going to th police station to give your statement, you entered your apartment with an exhausted sigh. You were tired and drained, you couldn't even unpack your luggage.

'I'll work from home for the next 3 days. - Indigo'

'I think that's a good idea. You should really rest, Indigo. You were working even when we were there. There's no need to rush back to work. - Eden'

You were grateful that Eden was there with you the entire time through everything today, supporting you and accompanying you since none of the Ateez boys were there. He truly cared for you, not just as a senior but as a friend as well.

'I'm home. Going to sleep after to take the day off just like I promised. - Baby'

You sent Mingi a text and left your phone to go shower since you wanted to sleep. Leaning against the wall of the shower, you thought about the events of the day.

Maybe you didn't want to sleep. After your shower, you unpacked your bags and unpacked the miscellaneous boxes from your move.

'We're having a short break now. I already miss you, I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well, baby. - Mings'

Getting changed into a fresh set of outing clothes, you check the train schedule on your phone before leaving the house. You've never taken this train to late before but you knew your heart needed it.

"One ticket, please." You went to the counter.

"Good evening, ahjumma." You greeted as you walked up the steps to the orphanage. She cast you a glance but gave an acknowledging nod. Digging around your bag, you took the envelope of money out and handed it to her. As she looked at the contents, you walked past her and headed inside.

"There's extra dinner in the kitchen." You heard her say as you removed your shoes to go in. Some children were watching a movie on the large projector but Haneul wasn't there.

"Hey there. Do you know where Haneul is?" You asked one of the older looking children.

"Her room." He replied. You went upstairs, leaning against the door as you saw Haneul on her bed, drawing with her crayons.

"Baby." You called out.

"Unnie!" Haneul yelled and jumped off the bed, running towards you. You scooped her up in your arms, spinning around while she laughed. You needed this, you needed to see her.

"You're home. I missed you." She giggled as you set her back down. You hugged her properly.

"I missed you too, baby. So much." You whispered. Haneul was a constant in your life, your touch of normalcy. With everything happening, the threats keeping you away from her, you felt yourself losing that normalcy.

"Did you buy me any presents?" Haneul asked. You pulled away, placing a hand on her head. Of course, she was only a kid, all she thought about were gifts.

"I got you this." You got the stuffed giraffe out for her.

"This is like princess oppa!" She giggled, hugging the giraffe to her chest. You forgot she called Mingi 'big princess'.

"I miss princess oppa and bear oppa." She pouted, shoulders deflating as she remembered the boys. You smiled softly and reached out to stroke her hair.

"He misses you too. All the oppas do." You comforted.

You sat on Haneul's small bed with her perched in your lap. You listened intently as she excitedly showed you all the drawings that she did, including the ones that she wanted to give to boys when she saw them again. She also told you all the things that she has been doing in school.

"You won first place?! That's my girl!" You smiled excitedly as she showed you the ribbon she won during her school's sports meet. Your praise only made her smile grow.

"I want to show oppas!" She jumped up and down.

"You do? I'm sure they will be happy." The time difference wasn't major so you texted the boys if they were available for a quick video call with her.

'For the little bear, we are always available. - Jongho'

'Aww look at the maknae. The kiddo's got you wrapped around her finger. - Wooyoung'

'As if you aren't a sucker for her. - Jongho'

You dialled Jongho's number and it only took a few rings for him to pick up. All the boys tried to squeeze close to him to see the screen but Jongho, not one for skinship, squirmed uncomfortably. He pushed them away.

"But I can't see!" San whined. You sighed and handed the phone to Haneul. She waved shyly to them.

"I won a ribbon! Because... I ran very super fast!" She excitedly showed them.

"WOWWWWW!" The chorus of loud awes and praises were heard on the other end. You couldn't help but laugh as Haneul soaked up all the love from the 8 boys.

"That's amazing! What a pretty ribbon." Yeosang had his face right in front to see the ribbon properly.

"Good job, little bear. I'll give you a prize when I get back to Korea." Jongho promised. Haneul's eyes lit up as she looked at you.

"Jongho, you don't have to..."

"I know I don't have to. But I want to, Indigo. She deserves a present for doing well." Jongho chuckled. You prompted Haneul to say thank you to him.

"Yay, present! Thank you, bear oppa! I love you the most!" Haneul opened pandora's box with that one innocent statement. Because the other 7 protested loudly, all competitively trying to offer presents and bribes to the 5 year old. You face palmed, shaking your head as they tried to be the one Haneul loves the most.

"Okay, I'm taking this back. You're all being too loud, you're scaring the poor girl." You frowned, scolding them. Haneul curiously peeked over the top of the screen before crawling back into your lap.

"We're both princesses right? So we're best friends." Mingi was still trying despite what you said.

"Look who suddenly likes the princess nickname." You rolled your eyes. Yunho snickered, he was the originator after all.

"I love all the oppas." She scratched her head.

"You can love whoever you want, baby. If you want to love bear oppa the most, you can too. Or you can not love any of them." You told her, kissing her temple.

"Hey!"

"Don't encourage her!" More protests came from the boys after hearing what you said. Since you selfishly wanted to spend more time with Haneul before bed time, you hung up with the boys, promising Mingi to call him later.

"But I can't go home with you today?" Haneul pouted as she held onto your sleeve.

"I'm sorry, baby. Not today. Soon, I promise." You shook your head.

"Okay but next time, can we stay with the oppas?" She asked hopefully. It made you soft seeing how much Haneul really adored being with the boys.

"Only if they're not busy." You lightly pinched her cheek. She nodded and pinky promised with you.

"Let's sit together before I go, alright?" You held your hand out. She slipped her hand into yours and followed you out.

You didn't want to leave her just yet so while the other kids were put to bed, you sat in the kitchen with Haneul in your lap as you ate the food that ahjumma left you for dinner. Haneul was more than willing to stay up with you. She hugged the stuffed giraffe, deciding to name it 'Mingming', named after Mingi.

"Are you hungry? Want some?" You held a spoon out to Haneul. She shook her head. You wanted to eat slowly but you knew ahjumma was waiting for you to leave to lock up the place.

"I already brushed my teeth." She said, frowning slightly as she focused on fiddling with Mingming.

"As you should." You patted her head.

"I'm full." You moved Haneul off your lap as you gathered the dishes and brought them to the sink to wash. As you washed the dishes, you felt Haneul lean against your leg.

"You need something, baby?" You stopped to look down at her.

"No, I just want to be with you." She replied, kicking her feet around. You hummed and finished doing the dishes, putting them on the drying rack.

"I'll tuck you in before I go." You said to Haneul. She pouted, unhappy that you were leaving. But she didn't say anything, obediently holding your hand as you walked back upstairs with her. You tucked her under the covers, making sure she was hugging her toys.

"I love you so much." You whispered and kissed your forehead. She held onto your hand.

"Please don't go..." She said sadly.

"I'll take you home with me soon, hmm? I promise. But I'll be here until you fall asleep." You gave her another kiss. Sitting at the edge of the bed, you patted her back.

You watched Haneul try to fight off the sleep but she was too tired, eventually falling asleep.

"Goodnight, baby. I love you more than you know." You said softly. Casting her one last glance, you left the orphanage.

"Sorry for keeping you up, ahjumma. I'll be on my way now, goodnight." You bowed to the lady who was watching television. Quickly, you wore your shoes and left.

"It's never been this hard..." You sighed and looked up to stop your tears from falling. Taking a deep breath, you wore your mask and pulled your hoodie up before making your way to the train station to take the late night train home. You listened to music to try and distract yourself.

'Hey, Indigo. Are you free to talk now? - Jongho'

'Jongho. Yes, I am. I'm on the train, coming back from Haneul... Honestly, I could use the distraction. - Indigo'

'Are you alright? - Jongho'

'I am, don't worry. Today just felt a little harder leaving her than usual. I guess I haven't seen her in such a long time that I wished I had more time to spend with her. - Indigo'

'I understand, that's normal. It's harder that you can't bring her to stay with you like you usually do. - Jongho'

'It is all for her safety. I'd rather her be angry with me than to selfishly put her in harm's way. - Indigo'

'Speaking of, I wanted to ask how the progress of the meeting with the authorities and the KQ legal team went. If you don't mind me asking. - Jongho'

'I don't mind at all. So I went to KQ first, I met with them and the CEO, they walked me through the process. Pressing charges for assault and harrassment against Seyoon. Just in case Seyoon wants to take the case to court and fight it, what the plan is. - Indigo'

'Alright. - Jongho'

'And I'll have to be there is Seyoon decides to press charges against Mingi for assault too. After that, Eden followed me to the police station to give my statement. - Indigo'

'I don't mean to scare you, Indigo. But... do you think Seyoon has to do with the threats you've been receiving? - Jongho'

'I... I never thought about that. - Indigo'

'It's just a speculation. Since he tried de-masking you. Did he make any pass or mention being suspicious about you and Mingi hyung at all? - Jongho'

'No. Yes, de-masking me was one thing. But he seemed like he was just a bad case of toxic narcissim in the way he wanted me to accept his apology and then apologise to him. - Indigo'

'I see. Let's hope this was an isolated incident then. I'm glad that you agreed to pressing charges against Seyoon and that he is rightfully dealt with by the authorities. But at the same time, that means the person sending death threats is still out there and they are working in our company. - Jongho'

'I'll be okay, Jongho. - Indigo'

'I hate this. It feels like we're sitting around and waiting for things to worsen before we're able to take action. - Jongho'

'This is your safety at stake. I'm sure Seonghwa hyung feels the same way as me. - Jongho'

'But we don't exactly have a choice, I barely know the KQ staff enough to suspect anyone. There haven't been any clues that point to a particular person. - Indigo'

'That's true. We'll discuss this more when we get back. Have a safe trip home. And let us know when you arrive home. - Jongho'

'I will. Thanks, Jongho. - Indigo'

Thankfully, the online back and forth between you and Jongho took up most of the long train ride. From the train station, you took a short bus ride back home. Since you had dinner, you didn't need to try and find an open restaurant to get food.

'I'm finally home. You've all worked hard with the last day of filming. Sleep early and have a safe flight tomorrow, boys. I'll see you guys at the office building. - Indigo'

'Thank you! ^^ - Yunho'

'I miss my bed, this hotel bed isn't good. I think I'll sleep for 2 days when I get home. - Yeosang'

'Yes, we've all worked hard. I love filming and performing but I can't wait to see you again tomorrow. I miss you too much :( - Wooyoung'

'Hey, that's for me to say to her. - Mings'

You chuckled as you went to take a quick shower and do another load of laundry from the trip. After your shower, you sat at your work desk. You wondered if you should call Mingi, he might be packing or asleep since their flight home was rather early. But your question was answered when Mingi called you.

"Hi, baby." Mingi smiled. You propped the phone up in the small phone stand Seonghwa got you. You smiled softly, waving to him. Looks like he also just got out of the shower.

"Are you all packed?" You asked, eyes going between Mingi's face and your monitor screen.

"Mhmm, more or less... It's late, baby. You've had a long day and you're still working?" Mingi raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't sleep so I thought I might as well catch up on some work. Plus with everything that's going on, work takes my mind off things." You shrugged.

"Alright. But try to get some sleep later, please?" Mingi

"I will. You should sleep too, you have an early flight, Mings." You chuckled. He let out a loud groan.

"Ugh... Nevermind, I'll sleep on the plane. I'd rather stay up to talk to you." He grabbed a pillow to prop the phone up as he got comfortable under the covers. You chewed on your bottom lip, you wanted to be there with Mingi now, warm under the covers.

"I wish you were here, Mings." You sighed.

"I wish I was there with you too, baby. But we'll see each other soon. And we live in the same building so it'll be easier for me to go to you." He chuckled.

"Do you feel better seeing Haneul?" He asked.

"I did. I think I've been away from her for too long... It was nice to just spend time with her again, even if it was for a short amount of time." You smiled at the thought of Haneul.

"That's good. You've been working so hard, baby. I'm glad you have Haneul there to make you feel better." Mingi smiled.

"I have you and Haneul. And the other Ateez boys too." You smiled softly.

"That's right, baby. We'll all always be here. You're never alone." Mingi said. He didn't notice how your smile faltered slightly as you were looking up at your computer screen. After chatting with Mingi, you hung up, wanting him to get some sleep before the flight. Of course he refused.

"I told you I can sleep on the plane. I want to talk to you and spend time with you now." Mingi argued.

"But you still have to look somewhat awake when all the media take pictures and videos of you, Mings. I'll see you tomorrow when you come home." You chuckled.

"I like the sound of that." He grinned. You raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him.

'Wherever you are, that's my home." He explained.

"Cheeseball." You rolled your eyes. Mingi laughed and leaned forward, as if giving you a kiss. You smiled softly, really wishing he was here to give you a real one.

"Promise me you'll go to sleep in a bit?" He gave you a look. You nodded, holding your pinky up as a pinky promise to him.

"I love you, baby. Goodnight." With a triumphant smile, Mingi bid you goodbye and hung up.

You continued working after that, only stopping when you were done with a section of beat. But you did want to stick to your promise with Mingi and sleep so you got up and turned the system off. When you left your studio to make yourself a coffee, you saw the sun rising.

"Sunrise already?" You scratched your head before checking the time on your phone. When you work, you really do lose track of time. You made a coffee and brought it to your bedroom.

It was around 10 am when your doorbell rang. It was unusual since no one really comes to visit you without you knowing.

"Coming." You yawned, going to the door. You checked the peephole and grew surprised.

"Omonim! What brings you here? Let me help you." You scrambled to help Mingi's mother carry some of her bags into your house. She had 3 big bags with her.

"Sorry for popping by out of the blue. Were you sleeping?" She asked.

"Just snoozing." You lied. You went to grab a hair tie from your room to put your hair up into a bun. Mrs Song began unpacking the bags that she had brought, it was all food items.

"I'll be sure to hand them over to Mingi when he comes home." You bowed gratefully.

"Hand them to Mingi? Silly girl, these are for you! I know you've been busy with moving and work so these food should just make sure that you don't go hungry. All you have to do is heat it up. I'm restocking your kimchi and side dishes stash too." She chuckled. You helped her put the cold stuff into the fridge.

"Really? Thank you so much for doing this, omonim. You didn't need to." You bowed repeatedly, not expecting her to do this for you at all. You were touched.

"I know but I wanted to. We're family, (y/n) ah." She smiled softly. You wrapped your arms around her to hug her tightly.

"I'll put these away. In the mean time, can I get you a coffee? Tea?" You offered.

"Coffee would do." She said. You nodded and brewed her a coffee. She sat on the bar stool with her coffee, watching you put all the food she brought into the fridge, ensuring things were neat and tidy.

"It's nice to talk like this without Mingi hovering over your shoulder. The way he sticks to you remind me of how he used to stick to me." She giggled.

"He's protective. And I'm thankful that he cares more about me than I do of my own self." You chuckled.

"We all care about you, (y/n) ah." She reached over to hold your hand.

Series Masterlist

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mioyeo · 2 years

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8 makes 1 Team

No matter how different, without one of us there is no 8 makes 1 Team

Synopsis : In which 8 boys build a friendship despise of their differences with the help of a psychiatrist

Pairing : psychiatrist! Reader x Ateez (for now )

Warnings : this chapter includes mentions of , depression , crying , yelling , break downs, slapping , secrets being revealed, influential parents , threatening , talks of suicide, arguing , overworking, please tell me if I forget something , and I’m not romanticizing disorders in anyway and this is pure fiction meaning this doesn’t represent Ateez or their families in any type of way

For every new chapter I’ll place this (🟢) beside it in the masterlist so you guys know that the chapter is new and was posted recently

Tag list : @veneziamadness , @hcyaa , @sadcoffeecritic , @aapplepii , @lavishloving , @dogsongy , @acciocriativity , @k33vad3la , @seonghwifey , @hanjihyun23 , @yunhoswrld123 , @cqndiedcherries , @miriamxsworld , @belle643 , @pandyandy71-blog , @mothworked , @kpop-4-ever ,

Also if you want to be added to the tagging list for the next chapter comment so I can add you

Word count : 1,5k

San’s backstory

Evening sky deepened into blue and purple as the wind swayed together with the leaves leaving a calm but breezy feeling against his skin

He had just finished his night self-learning classes and was on the way home

The thing is San didn't want to go home yet , he never wanted to return home and have to hear his dad's rambling about his business meetings

Or his parents praising his sister for being a top student and winning all sorts of awards

The boy was tired already, not only were his parents pushy but everyone and everything was to much for him to handle

His mental health hasn't been improving like how he wanted too , and it wasn't easier to get it to improve with many people expecting him to follow their commands

Crying at night to relieve stress wasn't a thing anymore , after being giving a lecture of how he didn't have the right to cry if everything is being provided to him without hesitation by his parents

Never understood why crying and feeling down was basically taboo in his household , he admitted to being weak sometimes but in the eyes of others it was seen as unacceptable

You can't always expect someone to be always on their best , there a good days just as there are bad days

It's been a long time he's been depressed, nobody knew but himself about his condition

He even had a therapist that he had sessions with secretly behind his parents backs

They'd faint if they found out that their so perfect son was crumbling onto pieces each day , having unpleasant thoughts he didn't wish to have

Grabbing the keys he unlocked the front door seeing everyone at the dinner table enjoying themselves chitchatting

" Ah San you're home , how was school? "

His mother asked without even looking at him making him feel invisible in his own house

" I-It was alright "

He removed his shoes and made his way toward his room but was stopped

" Your sister won a award today for the math championship that was held at your school why didn't you participate? "

Unpleasant stares fixed themselves on him

" It was for the advanced class and I'm not advanced in the math area "

" You should've tried, your sister always gets awards for things while your useless sel-"

" Honey , let him be "

San's dad scoffed as he set his utensils down

" How his he going to take care of the family business if he's useless ?! "

" But he's still just a kid honey "

His mom tried calming down her husband that grew angrier the more he looked at his son

" Haneul started since she was little ! There is no exception for him ! "

The boy teared up as he stood there in his uniform listening as his dad badmouthed him

" I-I'm sorry , but I don't want to be like her , all she does is study all the time and it's tiring "

" How will you get successful one day if you don’t work for it ?”

A loud banging against the table was heard

" I want to be able to enjoy my own life and not be bossed around like Haneul "

He teared up looking into his moms eyes who looked away

" I didn't raise you to do some silly job , you will never archive something in life that way ! "

A glass got thrown towards San making him dodge it in shock

" Honey ! Stop this nonsense "

"Dad , leave him alone he'll study I'll help him "

Haneul stuttered rushing towards her brother that clutched his shirt crying

" He's a disgrace! how will I ever trust yo-"

" I don't want to be fucking trusted with something I don't even want to do Dad ! I can't take it anymore seeing your face every day and having to hear this bullshit you call discipline!"

San yelled cutting off his Dad that widened his eyes since he never expected him to yell

" I'm fucking tired of you Dad , I'm depressed and your not helping my mental health the slightest! all you talk about is your dumb ass business that Haneul doesn't even want to take over as well ! Your egoism is making me sick "

" Look how your talking to me boy ! "

" I won't ! , I'm tired I wish I could've jumped from that building that night but I'm weak like you said I'm that dumb useless child right ? "

Tears burned the boys eyes as his Dad stood up angrily

" But do you know who's the useless one between us Dad ? It's you your weak an- "

" I told you to watch the way your speaking to me boy I'm your Dad ! "

His dad charged towards him landing a hard slap across his face

" Dad ? do you call yourself that ? "

San held his throbbing cheek chuckling

" You're just a sad nobody that takes out his anger on his children because they don't seem to keep up with his stupid morals and standards! "

His sister sobbed silently as her mom looked at her

" You make me sick ! Don't you see that everyone else here is tired of you ? Especially mom and haneul who have been keeping up to you like hungry dogs "

" San honey let's stop ok ? "

His mom tried calming him down but was brushed off him

" I don't want to play the little obedient boy anymore I'm done with this game "

" You must have been out of your mind "

" Yeah I'm out of my mind , I'm mentally unstable because of the type of a Dad I have "

The boy laughed and clapped his hands

" I wish I could've jumped that day and give your little business buddies a show on your birthday , how would the news be I ask myself "

" San stop it please "

" The Son of Choi enterprise jumps from roof because of his Dad , doesn't that sound amazing ? "

" Choi San I'm warning you "

" Maybe I'll jump today to ease your pockets about my education since I'm such a failure right ? "

His Dad grabbed him forcefully and shook him

" Honey let him go ! "

His mom teared up while his sister stood up and grabbed San

" Why are you doing this ! I told you I'd handle Dad so you can get out of this "

“ You didn’t handle anything, you just sat there and watched me crumble in his hands "

A harsh slap was landed on his face making everyone look at her as she cried uncontrollably

" Enough San , you will go get help I'm tired to clean after your mess I have my own issues "

The younger laughed and composed himself

" Oh you mean Dad's rival son you've been sneaking around with ? And that you got k- "

" Don't you dare "

She looked at him in disbelief as he approached her again

" Why don't you tell them that their little princess got knocked up and has been threatening me to keep it a secret huh ? Oops now they know "

" Haneul , what is he talking about ? "

“ Yeah Haneul what am I talking about , want me to show them ? ”

San scoffed and went upstairs towards his room as she yelled after him

“ Why are you doing this to me ? ”

“ What is going on here ?! "

Their Dad entered San’s room looking at him as he retrieved a box from his closet before dumping everything on the floor

“ As you guys can see with the both healthy eyes you guys have , Haneul is pregnant "

“ Tell me this is not true ”

His mother trembled in disbelief as she eyed the tests , sonograms and baby shoes on the floor

“ Not only that but when you guys went on business trips , she used to drug me so I could sleep while she threw a huge ass party here at home "

Haneul clenched her teeth as angry tears left her eyes

“ Is it true ? Is what San is saying true ! ”

“ N-No Dad he’s just making bad jokes , tell him it’s not true San ”

She approached the younger as she pleaded with her eyes for him to reconsider

“ You know I’m tired of repeating the same cycle everyday, I’m tired off feeling empty every single time and moment , I just want to be away from you guys a hot minute without having to worry about anything other than myself ”

Everyone looked at him as he pulled up his shirt showing bruises

“ This is what is been done to me because I’m weak , lock me up somewhere or put me in a mental hospital for all I care I just want to be away from you guys I’m tired I can’t anymore "

He fell to his knees begging

“ Please I’m begging you mom "

Mr Choi looked around in disbelief as he clenched his jaw before pointing at his son

“ I’m telling you this , if I put you in a mental hospital you will never be seen as my son again do you understand ? don’t talk to me , don’t even call me the word dad anymore because I didn’t raise a wimpy child in my house mark my words "

His mom teared up following after her husband that shed tears of frustration

“ I despise you , I hope you rot in there ”

Haneul slammed his door leaving him all alone to himself again , but this time with no one to lean on

#ateez #ateez angst #ateez atiny #ateez fluff #ateez hongjoong #ateez imagines #ateez jongho #ateez mingi #ateez san #ateez seonghwa #ateez wooyoung #ateez yeosang #ateez yunho #ateez x reader #angst

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liquidsmooth · 4 months

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omg first anon!! I've been obsessed with kiof was so excited to see someone who writes them!!

maybe you could do an ot4 thing of your general thoughts about them as girlfriends :0

- claiming 🦈 anon !

welcome 🦈!!

i just posted it here! i hope u enjoy🩷🩷

i just started getting into kiof so im not all too familiar w them yet but i tried LOL

#⋆｡°✩liquidsmooth #˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ quinn talks #𐙚⊹₊⋆☆🦈anon #kiof x reader #won haneul x reader #han julie x reader #shim belle x reader #anatchaya natty x reader

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ao3feed-ateez · 20 days

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You and I

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/LRAuQyv by MugiwaraPirate0 You and Yunho used to be friends but after a fight the two of you never spoke to each other ever again. Pursuing the dream to become actors. Ending up working together you have to pretend to love your co star in front of cameras. Words: 186, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of SMAU Stories (Kpop Ver.) Fandoms: ATEEZ (Band) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M Characters: Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ), Kang Yeosang, Choi San (ATEEZ), Song Mingi (ATEEZ), Jung Wooyoung (ATEEZ), Choi Jongho (ATEEZ), Julie Han, Natty Anatchaya Suputtipong, Shim Hyewon | Belle, Won Haneul Relationships: Jeong Yunho (ATEEZ) & Reader Additional Tags: SMAU FF, Actress!Reader, Fake/Pretend Relationship, ATEEZ - Freeform, ateez kim hongjoong, Ateez Park Seonghwa, ateez jeong yunho, ateez kang yeosang, ateez choi san, ateez song mingi, ateez jung wooyoung, ateez choi jongho, Kiss of Life, Kiss Of Life Julie, Kiss Of Live Natty, Kiss of Life Belle, Kiss Of Live Haneul, Ateez Jeong Yunho x reader, Ateez Jeong Yunho x actress!reader, Ateez Jeong Yunho x you, Jeong Yunho x reader - Freeform, Jeong Yunho x actress!reader, Jeong Yunho x you - Freeform, yunho x reader - Freeform, Yunho x actress!reader, Yunho x you read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/LRAuQyv

#ao3feed #ateez fic #ateez rpf #ateez fanfic #kpop rpf

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arieswonjin · 4 years

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my go-to (barista/cafe au)

pairings: goo jungmo x reader

genre: fluff, enemies(?) to lovers if you squint

summary: dealing with customers has never been your favorite part of being a barista. especially customers like goo jungmo. and now you have to train him to become one? that’s just great.

word count: 3.2k

warnings: none

song inspo: 커피를 마시고 coffee - reprise

masterlist | request here! | how to request |

"sir, may i ask if you’re going to order or not? you can step aside first if-"

"wait, wait. how different is the iced latte from the iced caramel latte?" says the man while still looking up at the menu overhead, lips parted, eyes squinted, and hands on the side of his neck, mid-scratch. you tapped the cash register impatiently and took note of how his sharp jaw moved as he scrutinized the menu. was it possible to hate someone at first sight? he was only your first customer of the day yet your blood was already boiling. either finals season was getting to you or this guy had a knack for testing your patience.

you walked to your part-time job every day at the break of dawn just in time for you to see most of the commercial establishments opening. people were going about their own mornings preferring to be undisturbed, you included. earphones in, you savored the few peaceful moments you had to yourself before the chaos of a morning shift.

more often than not, your shifts were totally and utterly uninteresting: you would be prepping ingredients to be used for the rest of the day and office employees or the occasional student running late for a 7 am class would be walking in and out to get their morning fix. there was also a bunch of cleaning left for you. the night-shift employee was simply not thorough enough to distinguish which mop to use for the spills. to this, you did your first of many eye-rolls for the day.

that being said, you weren’t exactly the most patient among your colleagues; however, the laid-back atmosphere this friendly neighborhood cafe had when it was not teeming with customers around the early afternoon almost made you forget about your subtle hatred for human interaction.

but today, as you started your shift at 6 am in the morning with your eyes barely open and a man who has been standing in front of you for more than three minutes, you remembered just why.

"well, sir, obviously, the caramel latte...has caramel." you had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes at the stupid question, whispering the better part of your sentence to mask your tone. but as they all say, the customer is always right. what a nonsensical saying.

"give me a second. i’ll just call a friend to ask what to order here.”

to your distaste, the older male leisurely took his phone out from his brown coat and scrolled through his contacts like he had all the time in the world. oh, if he could only hear your inner thoughts.

“wait-” he flashed you a friendly smile while fumbling with the gadget. “hey, serim-hyung-"

the man flinched, almost too dramatically, when you placed both your palms on the counter with just the right amount of force to shake its contents. he expected to see you fuming but instead saw the softest expression on your face which, frankly, was scarier.

"one caramel latte, hot, with an extra shot of espresso and a pump of dark chocolate for?"

"goo jungmo." he replied, suddenly alert, phone still pressed to his ear. the dull sounds of a confused friend on the other line now went unnoticed.

"...goo jeonmo. coming right up," you punched in the order while holding a fake smile that started to hurt your cheeks and exhaled a breath you didn't know you’ve been holding. breathe, y/n, this will be a fine morning. he’ll be out of here in just a few minutes.

“it's actually goo jung-"

"5,000 won, please." you extended your palm to him without making eye-contact.

jungmo just stared at your hand for a few seconds, still dazed with your outburst. could that even be considered an outburst? how strange. "oh. here." and it just started to sink in that you practically made his order for him.

"hey, i didn't ask for a-" he leaned in to take a peek at the monitor, ready to protest against the sudden turn of events. all he wanted was to get a new kind of morning coffee at this new place before walking to the university, yet it seemed like the way you two met was enough to shake the morning drowsiness out of the both of you.

"it's good. it’s my go-to. consider it a secret special," you said nonchalantly and turned the monitor away from him. you handed him the receipt and gestured him towards the claiming counter. "next customer, please."

jungmo slowly slid to the side as he placed his hands inside his pockets. he just shook his head, trying to wipe away the amused smile he now unconsciously had on his face while thinking about the humor in this encounter.

“oh shoot. sorry, hyung. did i wake you? my bad... but i guess you have to get up now, huh?” he laughed mischievously, getting back to the phone call left unattended a few moments ago. “oh, it was nothing! i’ll tell you about it later. it’s funny, really.”

with a quick glance at your nameplate, he started to think about what other interesting encounters would take place in this cafe in the following mornings. maybe he just found his new pre-class route.

the rest of the week was uneventful to say the least. your encounter with the unrealistically good-looking yet annoyingly slow customer was now far forgotten. as per usual, university kept you busy outside of work.

you’ve always thought your part-time job jived well with your college degree. after all, there’s nothing like the scent and taste of coffee to keep a pre-med student awake in front of their brick-like pathophysiology books. all those extra shots of espresso and doses of dark chocolate are enough to keep your eyes open and your mind running for countless all-nighters.

and that was exactly what you were planning to do tonight. clad in your most comfortable sweater which replaced your coffee-stained apron, a cold drink in hand, you made your way to the haneul university library.

seoul started and ended its day just like any other famous metropolis. jungmo observed this everyday as his feet took him to where he needed to be like it's second nature. but that one wednesday when he broke his routine and entered a new side-street cafe, his morning became unlike any other stroll to the university and he was sure to go back.

for two very unexpected reasons.

first, because he was surprisingly offered a part-time job (a funny coincidence. who would’ve thought the cafe owner was his father’s high school bandmate?) and second, well, because he found himself craving your go-to drink. that genius mix really got to him. and to think that he didn’t even order it himself.

he pondered dropping by the cafe before his first day of barista training tomorrow as he stood up to exit the university library. jungmo just spent most of the evening finishing a 10-page world history paper, his last agenda for the day.

“agh… my back hurts.” he stretched before grabbing his jacket and the last of his things from the study table.

“y/n? the book you were looking for was just returned here,”

jungmo involuntarily snapped his head towards the front desk, reacting to the name called out by the resident librarian. he scratched his neck in confusion as he looked for the source of the voice.

“ah, thank you. i’ll take this,”

so it’s really that y/n from the cafe? he followed you with his eyes as you walked back to the library table that you were occupying alone. jungmo, his mouth frozen in a small ‘o’ at yet another coincidence, might just have a change of evening plans. haneul university was truly full of surprises. and good ones.

“long night?”

you abruptly looked up from the stack of notes you were studying intently, unable to properly respond to jungmo’s small talk. nonetheless, the look of recognition on your face was enough to urge him to continue.

“one caramel latte, with an extra shot of espresso and a pump dark chocolate for y/n. but you seem to be having it iced now?” he looked over at the drink on top of your desk, trying to use his wide smile to start a conversation. it’s how people almost always immediately warmed up to the charming and childlike goo jungmo. he silently hoped you were not an exception, even if he straight up just mocked your lines.

“you study here?” you asked when you recovered from the sudden greeting, if you could even call it that.

“well, obviously, i do.” jungmo mocked you again, all in good fun. he successfully replicated the tone you used with him during your not-so-pleasant cafe encounter.

you sighed in defeat. you really did feel sorry for the way you acted. it was a good thing you still even had your job. “i’m sorry for how i acted that morning. i guess it was the stress getting to me. jeonmo, right?”

“goo jungmo, actually.” he laughed, finally succeeding in correcting the mistaken name at which you just facepalmed in embarrassment. “no worries. i was really slow, wasn’t i?” he scratched the back of his head, a tinge of realization crossing his facial expression. you nodded with pursed lips.

“but hey, at least i got three good things out of that morning in bt cafe.” he casually sat on the chair next to you and pulled up three fingers, counting down while he spoke. “the drink was good, and i got a new job there, and...”

“wait, you’re the new recruit i have to teach?! you know i have to work nights now, right?”

maybe it was the way he sat down beside you so comfortably or how adorably foolish he looked with that habitual scratch to the neck, but holding a casual conversation with this jungmo wasn’t hard at all. the first impressions my 6 am-self created are really unreliable.

“you make it sound so sketchy. it’s a cafe job, not some underground cult.”

you rolled your eyes at his joke and scoffed, internally thanking the heavens for his humor that’s making this sudden interaction so light-hearted. he waved the previous statement off and continued. “turns out bt cafe stands for boys in trouble, my father’s band back in high school.”

“your father is mr. kim’s bandmate?! he talks endlessly about his band phase!”

“shhh!” both of you bowed to the librarian who was peering at you through the shelves on your far-left.

“best bandmate, mind you. it’s the reason why i picked up some guitar skills growing up.” jungmo gets immersed in your now-hushed conversation, making himself lean back on the library chair despite not having any work to do. you did the same, unconsciously leaning in to hear more about your boss.

your pending tasks were left undone for the meantime and you and jungmo were subjected to about three more glares from the librarian that night.

night 1: bt cafe

the training starts.

“coffee beans. they all look the same.” now wearing an apron identical to the one you had, jungmo stood in front of the cafe pantry trying to decipher the coffee beans you’ve been introducing to him without their respective labels.

“that’s what amateurs always say,” you teased. from the previous night, you already established how fun it was to see his reactions to even the smallest attempts to irritate him. it was a good thing trainings took place in the early evenings when you actually had the energy for a bit of fun.

“well, i am an amateur. that’s why you’re teaching me, sunbae.” jungmo jabbed back and followed you around the main counter, hands clasped together as he tried to act like a cute and enthusiastic junior.

you pretended to cringe and broke in laughter when he whined. “back to the coffee beans…”

night 7: bt cafe

within a week, jungmo got the hang of working the bulky and stubborn espresso machine. he has yet to produce a perfectly good batch without burning himself, though.

“i’m surprised you even have the time for a part-time job, pre-med.”

“i could say the same to you, mr. pilot. don’t you have plane diagrams to memorize--ow! that’s hot!” you retreated from the hot cup he was handing to you.

“shit, did I burn you?” jungmo instinctively took your hand and started to look for any redness and swelling, turning your hand over in his. “where does it hurt?”

“.....i’m okay.” you looked up at the much taller male and slowly slid away, finding the sudden proximity quite foreign.

“a baristas hands are precious. let me get a cold towel,”

you followed his retreating figure with your eyes, noting how easily he blended in with the rest of the cafe, apron and all. with a shake of your head and a repressed smile, you might have just thought about calling him cute.

night 10: bt cafe

“....then, after that you just let the coffee drip by itself for about 15-20 minutes- yah.”

“hmm?” jungmo straightened up from having his head on his palm, elbows against the counter. “sorry. you kinda looked...cute...when you were focused.” he said softly without making eye-contact as he mimicked the coffee drip set-up you just made. he realized that it was a weird feeling, suddenly being timid like this.

“tch. focus.” you turned your back to place some ingredients back on their shelves, taking this opportunity to smile and recollect yourself before going back to watching jungmo’s progress.

night 14: university grounds

"you really don't have to bring me these to track your progress..." you saw jungmo waiting outside the biology laboratory for the third time this week, thermos clutched in hand. a few days ago, he insisted on buying his own coffee drip set to get some practice at home. talk about being thoughtfully extra.

"i mean, yeah, we're together every night but you have to see how i do it on my own!"

"shh! people will take that out of context, idiot!" you looked around at the waves of people piling out of the laboratory, worried someone might overhear. jungmo just teased you by wiggling his eyebrows, earning him a smack to the shoulder.

night 20: bt cafe

“yes, y/n, to what do i owe this pleasure of a phone call from you?” jungmo answered his phone after several rings. you were beginning to worry that he got into an accident. why was he so late to his training tonight?

“where are you?”

“i might not come tonight. important presentation tomorrow and we might have to pull an all-nighter. don’t worry! i already told our boss. wait, you’re actually looking for me.”

“i mean, you’ve been coming every night so…”

“y/n misses me.” you almost hear his teasing face through the phone lines. jungmo heard your eyes roll in turn.

“uhm, no, thank you. i’m hanging up.” you put your phone back inside your pocket only to retrieve it after a few seconds when you received a message notification.

don’t worry! i miss you too!

night 30: haneul university library

“agh. how am i ever going to save lives like this?” the sound of resignation in your voice made jungmo look up from his laptop. aside from the regular trainings, you and jungmo have arranged regular study sessions. it’s safe to say that you’ve been spending a good fraction of your week with your fellow haneul student, workmate, and, as it now seems, a special friend.

“you’re keeping me alive just fine, though, doc.” jungmo walked over to your side of the library table and ruffled your hair while your face was still buried in your textbooks. his previous statement went unnoticed. “you should go home early tonight. i’ll take you.” he pulled you up by the arm, shaking you to encourage you to stand up as you grunted.

“thanks, mogu.”

he just nodded at you with a smile and held out his arm to drape around you while you walked. “let’s go.”

night 40: university garden

“hey, you never told me about the third thing.” you sat on the garden bench, stopping jungmo’s strides and pulling him to sit too.

"hmm?"

“the third good thing you got from that day at the cafe. you got a good drink, got a job and….?” you urged him to continue, expecting the answer to be something trivial. after all, it was something he told you on the first day you properly met. would he even remember what the third thing was?

“that? the third thing is that..." jungmo took his time and pretended to fix his jacket, intentionally stalling until you glared at him.

"....i met you.” the casual tone in his voice and the giggle that accompanied it made it seem like it was something he said everyday.

"liars go to hell. and you're full of cheese."

"but you love cheese." he shrugged. knowing you couldn’t deny this, jungmo stood up and pulled you by the hand, ready to walk you home like what the both of you have gotten used to.

night 50: bt cafe

“so you sold your coffee drip set to wonjin because…?” you were fixing up the last of today’s orders with jungmo waiting beside you to place them on their cup holders.

“i don’t need to make coffee for myself anymore. you speed up my heart just fine throughout the day now.” he secured the cups and held them out to the waiting customer. “come again!”

“goo jungmo.” you turned bright red and hid your embarrassment by slapping jungmo’s arm. “don’t fool around like that.”

“ey. i just confessed, can’t you be a little more accommodating?” jungmo ran to the door and flipped the cafe sign from open to closed. “should i have written it in latte art or something? i like you. would 8 letters fit in that tiny cup?”

“you call that a confession?” this earned the iconic whine from goo jungmo. "hey, idiot!" you called to him from across the empty cafe and scratched your neck like he always did, for effect. "i like you, too."

night 77: bt cafe

“shift’s over. what are you doing?” you leaned on the counter to take a peek at what jungmo was doing. there were no customers anymore so you were wondering what was keeping him so busy.

“one caramel latte, iced, with-“

“—an extra shot of espresso and a pump of dark chocolate...” you continued his sentence, nodding your head in time with the words.

“...for my y/n,” jungmo finished and handed you a cup with both hands. you took it with a playful squint of your eyes.

you took a sip, keeping your eyes on the expectant jungmo. a moment of silence ensued.

“jungmo. i love you….but-”

“i love you too.” he hurriedly replied without hesitation.

“…but i still make the best version of this.” you smiled victoriously, sticking your tongue out at him before drinking the rest of the latte which you admitted tasted pretty close to your specialty. jungmo just raised his hands up in defeat and proceeded to watch you drink his version of the go-to drink that brought you two together in the first place.

“if i get to see you smile like that, do i really want to get it right?”

#cravitywriters #cravity scenarios #cravity imagines #cravity fluff #jungmo scenarios #jungmo imagines #jungmo fluff #cravity #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop fluff #goo jungmo

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borahebangtan · 4 years

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Moledro (n.) - Chapter 8/?

Summary:- [Soulmate AU]

Moledro (n.) : a feeling of resonant connection with an artist you’ll never meet, who lives thousands of miles away. [Except in (Y/N)’s case, this connection is in the form of a very real tattoo on her wrist.]

Pairings:- Poly!BTS x Fem!Army!Reader | Rating: PG-13 |

Warnings:- One (1) F Bomb, Fluff, Poly + Gay Relationships

Word Count:- 2379 | BTS Masterlist |

AN:- **Clearly Shameful** Reminder: italicized text is being spoken in Korean.

The cold wind softly blew past her as (Y/N) power walked alongside seven boys and towards the exit of Haneul Park. Even though it was relatively late; around 8 o’clock at night, and the party of eight had been there since late afternoon, it seemed like everyone’s energy reservoirs were far from empty just yet.

As such, a mocking (albeit accurate) demonstration provided by Jungkook and Jimin of how Hoseok tended to power walk though airports inevitably lead to a power walk race. Giggling like they were a class of kindergartners on a school trip, everyone started advancing towards their ultimate destination faster by taking hilariously long strides.

That is, until Yoongi- the only poor soul too tired to engage in such childish activities- tripped over Namjoon’s long legs and was somehow sent hurtling into Seokjin’s arms. The poor dear had foolishly expected his hyung to shield his fall (which Jin did, technically) but Yoongi didn’t quite anticipate the other’s fierce competitiveness coming to bite him in the ass. He was more than surprised when Jin picked him up and off the floor to carry him bridal style and continue to furiously power walk his way down the streets of Seoul.

To everyone else the mere sight was goddamn hilarious; the pure confusion on Yoongi’s face priceless, but it wasn’t quite so funny to the boy currently being carried so carelessly. (Even if Jin’s hands were strong and secure around him and he smelled like bottled ocean breeze which Yoongi knew was a fake scent but was comforting to him nonetheless …)

(Y/N), who had given up on trying to keep up or compete with the unbridled athleticism of the maknae and the enthusiasm of the others, slowed and found herself staring maybe a little too long at the way Yoongi slowly settled into Jin’s embrace and soon enough put his head onto his hyung’s shoulder.

As was turning out to be the norm for when she was with the boys however, before (Y/N) could really think about it, she was distracted again. This time, the cause of noise was that Jungkook had won the little race they had impulsively started- and Jimin apparently really wanted to win for some reason.

“Aww hyung, come on! I know you're a sore loser, but-”

“Who’d you call a sore loser, you absolute little cheat?” Jimin fired back at the maknae, causing Namjoon to roll his eyes at the dramatic accusation while the others simply laughed.

“Okay okay, pack it up. Jimin-ah, we’ll let you choose the movie on our next date since you feel ‘cheated upon’. Okay?” It was Hoseok who suggested this, playing the peacemaker while Namjoon explained the little argument to (Y/N) and the hyungs remained preoccupied with each other.

“Really? Even if I make you all watch The Notebook again?” Jimin, the slighted one, raised his eyebrows as he asked he boys teasingly.

“Yes, even if you make us watch The Notebook again.” Namjoon growled out a little in frustration as he replied in English, causing (Y/N) to raise her eyebrows.

“What’s with the movie, suddenly?” She inquired, a little confused at the weird tangent the conversation had gone on.

“My favorite movie,” Jimin said simply, smiling as he moved closer to (Y/N) and held out his hand for her to take; they were all still trying to navigate their way to the where the boys parked their car.

“It’s classic, no?” Taehyung chimed in as well, throwing his arm around his fellow ’95.

“I … I haven't actually watched it yet.” (Y/N) shook her head a little guiltily; she probably should've caved in to Esha repeatedly pleading with her to watch the flick.

“Ah, really? That … seriously unbelievable, right?” Taehyung’s wide eyes got wider as he expressed his disbelief, causing (Y/N) to smile bemusedly at him.

“(Y/N), do you live in bubble? This is … unbeliebubble.” Seokjin's terrible, terrible, dad joke was immediately succeeded by his signature laugh and maybe it was the delirium caused by the beautiful night air but everyone laughed heartily at the his dumb show of humor.

“Aah but seriously, it’s too bad she’s never watched The Notebook- it’s best movie! Very, very good.” Jimin tried his hardest to drive the point home, and he wanted to say that maybe she could watch the movie with them someday, but he refrained, feeling shy enough as it was with his hand wrapped securely in hers as they walked.

As it so happened, Jungkook had the exact same train of thought. The only difference? He decided in a split second that he wouldn’t let his shyness get in the way of expressing his desires, unlike Jimin.

“(Y/N) noona, I- I’ll show you movie in, in my room. On projector.” The not-so-sly bunny made a big gesture to emphasize at the end, struggling slightly with his words but succeeding in ‘casually’ throwing his suggestion out there nevertheless.

“Alright, Jungkook … we’ll watch it together-”

“I wanna watch movie now.” Yoongi, also not-so-sly but a kitty cat this time ‘round, cut in; he barely let poor (Y/N) finish her sentence.

At this point of course, (Y/N) could see where things were going, but before she could fully voice her suspicions, another one of the boys was saying something.

“Come home! Watch notebook … with us.” Jimin had clearly decided that mincing their words wasn’t going to get them anywhere in their endeavors; the blatant truth was their best bet.

And then, suddenly, they were all looking at (Y/N) with so much sincerity in their pleading eyes that she could see clear as day that they genuinely wanted to hang out with her for even longer.

Just that simple fact alone was so mind-blowing to her that she could only sputter a bit when she tried to say something.

“You, you do realize this is technically like- the third ‘hangout’ you’re proposing in the span of a day, right?” Namjoon quickly translated for the others and then out of nowhere, Hoseok was gazing into at (Y/N)’s eyes, a little pouty and a little quiet and a lot of cute as he spoke.

“You don’t wanna?” Shit, (Y/N) could swear that in that moment they saw her heart physically combust into a million tiny pieces because her inner monologue only consisted of ‘Holy fuck he is absolutely adorable; what am I gonna do, say no?’

But then as if Hoseok hadn’t already done enough damage to her heart, one Kim Namjoon decided to join in, placing his hand gently on (Y/N)’s shoulder as his deep eyes seemingly pierced into her soul.

“We just don’t want this day to end yet … not yet.” She inhaled an embarrassingly deep breath after he spoke before she could force a reply out of her throat that seemed to be closing in.

“Okay. And, just for the record- one pair of puppy eyes would’ve been enough to convince me; you guys really didn’t have to go all out like that,” She couldn’t help but tease the boys a little (not at all with the hope that maybe teasing them would make them forget about her flustered little act just before) as she let out a small laugh.

Even before Namjoon explained what (Y/N) said to them, the rest of the boys were already smiling along upon hearing the sound of her laugh; yes, they were just that whipped.

It was then that the party of eight finally reached the car. Though it was a bit of a challenge trying to fit (Y/N) into the already more than full vehicle, they managed (perhaps with the sheer power of will, but nevertheless). And thus they began their their journey to the boys’ dorm.

For a little while, the only sound to be heard in the car was of Jimin and Taehyung giggling amongst themselves in the backseat about how their Yoongi hyung had blushed entirely red as soon as he was forced to sit besides (Y/N). (Who, by the way, was just holding onto the seat in front of her and trying her best to ride out the rest of the car ride without outright squealing at her current position.)

It was Jin who broke the silence.

“Hey, it’s around 9:30 right now and I’m pretty sure I can hear Jungkook’s stomach growling even from here, so I think we should order in some food when we get home. You should ask (Y/N) what she wants,” The eldest, from the driver’s seat, prompted Namjoon to translate for (Y/N) with a vague gesture.

“It’s 9:30 now and we’re all hungry, so like- Jin hyung said we should get some real food soon. What do you-”

“Real food, huh? So what I fed you guys earlier wasn’t good enough then?” The girl asked with a hint of faux offense in her tone, clearly in a teasing manner.

It wasn’t as obvious to the boys, however, because as soon as their leader translated for them (something that had become as instinctual as a reflex at this point), they began to jump on the apology bandwagon.

“No! Of course not!”

“Why would you even think that?”

“The food you brought was amazing! We would’ve starved without it!”

And this was all while simultaneously glaring at Namjoon for ‘offending’ (Y/N) in the first place. The boy in question could only sputter at the mild chaos in the car, obviously flustered.

(Y/N) couldn’t quite understand what the boys were saying but she could guess they were being apologetic, so she just squeezed Namjoon’s shoulder comfortingly and told him to ‘please translate.’

“I was just joking! And I’m definitely not offended, so you guys should stop side-eyeing Namjoon okay? You’re not very subtle about it anyways,” There was such mirth in her eyes this time ‘round that there was no mistaking her last words for what they were: an affectionate nudge.

And just like that, the car rolled into the parking space and everyone came spilling out of the vehicle.

(Y/N) somewhat awkwardly shuffled behind the boys, letting them lead the way to their apartment. She noticed how all of them walked in step with each other, almost as if in sync, but then again- they had probably walked up those stairs together more times than there were stars in the sky.

(Y/N) noticed as soon as the door to their dorm opened that the Bangtannies seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief; it really felt like they were finally home. It warmed her heart to know that they were so wholly comfortable in their own space, though thinking about the fact that they had to be so tightly wounded everywhere else made her feel bad.

The boys wordlessly began to shuffle about as they settled back in to their home, taking off their shoes and socks and getting glasses of water for each other. It was clearly a dance they had danced around one another for years.

Seeing them like this, (Y/N) also realized that she was grateful to already be someone they could be themselves around. She couldn’t help but think about what a privilege it was to see them this way as she unknowingly stroked their initials on her wrist.

“Our house!” Jungkook was the first to turn to the girl with his ever so endearing bunny smile, the front teeth peeking out to say hi in an ever-so-adorable fashion. (Y/N), momentarily distracted by the cuteness, took the moment to give the space a sweeping glance before she spoke.

“It’s cool … very clean, too!” She praised what she could; she could only really see the kitchen and dining table from where she was, but it still made the maknae line and Yoongi (who were the only four in the room) smile, so she considered it a win.

Then, before anyone could say much more, Hoseok and Namjoon were walking back in to where the others were standing although Seokjin was still nowhere to be seen. It seemed to (Y/N) that the ‘92 liners almost scolded the others about something, and then she was being ushered towards the dining table and gently pushed onto a chair.

Unknown to her because she was busy looking around and admiring the huge chandelier in the room, the Bangtan fairies were hard at work. All of them were running around the house (as quietly as possible, so as not to give the impression to (Y/N) that they were doing anything particularly special), some of them haphazardly cleaning up unexpected messes, others calling up their favorite takeout places to order in, and others rounding up every single comfy pillow or blanket they set their eyes upon.

Almost everyone complained under their breaths about how inviting (Y/N) into their house with zero preparation was the worst decision they could have made; what would she think of them, how would she react if she knew how abhorrently messy some of them could be?

Still, with seven of them hard at work though (and a couple piles of messes being shoved quietly into closets), they managed to make their home presentable enough in a record amount of time.

(Y/N) finished drinking the glass of water that had been kindly offered to her and was starting to debate asking Yoongi about the whereabouts of the others. It was in this moment that, in the single most adorable show of hospitality she had ever had the honor to witness, the Bangtan fairies began offering (Y/N) means of comfort from all sides- be it in the form of yet another fluffy pillow or a scoop (mountainous in it’s size, but something resembling a scoop nonetheless) of ice-cream.

Little quips of “You not hot, right?” or “One more pillow?” or “More water?” kept coming as the girl looked around, flustered at how nice and considerate they were all being. Thankfully though, the boys slowly but surely became more and more comfortable in their familiar surroundings despite the largely unfamiliar addition to their group, and their slightly overwhelming wave of hospitality rolled over.

For what felt like the thousandth time that day, (Y/N) looked around and inwardly found herself unbelieving that this was really her life … and yet she hoped that such moments would never end.

AN:- i honestly feel like the most trash person in the world for posting after so many months, but i figured i might as well since i had it mostly written down anyways. i’ll spare you guys of excuses or reasons for not writing and just hope that you enjoyed this chapter. sadly, i still can’t make any promises regarding updates because my life is about to get a lot more crazy, but let’s hope for the best. i’m sorry you guys, and i hope you have an amazing day

borahebangtan

Tags: [ @multi-fandom-lachimolala @purplelady85 @softchimmee @peachyharmoney @ayoo-bangtan @babymochichimmy @mischiefmakerliesmith5 @missyoueverysingleday @little-diva-gurl @hashtagnarnian @yoongisdumplingcheeks @oii-f-eli-x2 @yourguessisasgoodasminemate @littlewolfieposts @xcharlottemikaelsonx @i-like-puppy-mg @missseoulite @m0chilattae @i-hate-this-name-thingy @livetay84 @reddidh @itsminniekat @supertweetycherry @fyeebangtan @theyoutubemaster @reallysparklychaos @kaithehero @kyoka-jirou @candybeanzkai ]

#ficswithluv #bangtanhq #magicshopnet #btswriterscollective #bangtanscenery #bts #bts fluff #poly!bts x reader #poly bts x reader #poly!au #poly ot7 x reader #bts x reader

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minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong · 6 years

Text

Ephemera Chapter Sixteen

Ephemera: In art, transitory written and printed matter (receipts, notes, tickets, clippings, etc.) not originally intended to be kept or preserved.

Alternatively, things that exist or are used for only a short time.

Description: Nobody knows who Vante really is. Everything about the popular artist is shrouded in secrecy: from his face to his name to everything in between. After years of working for his art gallery, Y/N feels she may just be the closest thing he has to a friend. Between her success at work and her relationship with campus hot-shot Jeon Jungkook, Y/N’s life has never been better. But is Jungkook truly who he says he is? And who will Y/N protect now that she knows Vante’s livelihood may be on the line?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x (f) Reader x Taehyung

Word Count: 5.5k

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Gang!Au, Art History Student!Reader, Film Student!Jungkook, Art Student!Taehyung

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently

A/N: Woo hello! I’ve had a wild few days, but here we are! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. As always, I’m so so grateful for your support and feedback. It means more to me than I’ll ever be able to say. I’ll try to get this chapter up on time, but it might come a few hours early/late because of the way the queue system works on Tumblr. Anyway, please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them! Links will be added later, so for now check my masterlist to find previous chapters!

And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all! And concert videos!!

- Mercury

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Weekly updates: Sunday, 1PM (PST)

My common sense returned quickly and I leapt away from Jungkook, hands touching my mouth. His eyes were wide, lips still pursed like we were kissing, and there was a look in his face like he’d been slapped: shock and betrayal. I watched, nervous, as he opened his mouth to say something, probably something too loud. Before his mind could run circles, I shook my head and approached quickly once more, clamping a hand over his mouth.

“We’re in your headquarters right now,” I whispered tersely.

I glanced around the back corner, suspicious, and thought perhaps I caught sight of movement out the corner of my eye beside the dividers. My whole body tensed and I clenched my jaw.

“If we’re gonna talk more, we’ve gotta get out of here,” I said through my teeth, glancing around.

Jungkook stiffened beneath my fingertips and nodded once. “Let’s go to my apartment,” he mumbled against my palm.

My eyes flashed back toward him, brows furrowed. “And risk running into Seokjin?”

He blinked at me. “Then…yours?”

I swallowed hard, thinking. Was this wise? Was it a good idea to indulge this relationship that would, undoubtedly, end poorly a second time? I wasn’t certain. But I knew from the shy warmth in his cheeks and the way his eyes were already smiling that I didn’t have much of a choice.

I kicked off my shoes and fell against the sofa with a thud, sighing as my legs draped over the arm of the couch. Jungkook chuckled and joined me, sitting properly beside my head. He smoothed his hand against my forehead, guiding my hair out of my face. I wanted to hate it, to hate him, but I simply eased into the feeling and shut my eyes, humming a little.

“So let’s talk,” he said gently, voice soft but strong. Just like him.

I nodded. “What are we gonna talk about?”

He sounded like he was smiling when he replied. “How’s your dad?”

I sighed. “Good. That good-for-nothing punk he hired for harvesting is still slacking.”

He chuckled and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. “You two really are similar.”

“You said that last time,” I mumbled, opening one eye to look up at him.

He smiled and nodded, staring at me from above with a tenderness that nearly knocked the breath out of me. “What I mean is…you two are both really soft on other people.”

“Oh,” I said, sitting upright and pulling my legs to my chest, putting distance between the two of us. I smirked. “Then was I too soft on forgiving you?”

He rolled his eyes and pulled me to his side with a laugh. “Don’t bully me.”

“I’ve earned it.”

He sighed. “Anyway…you’re a bit different these days.”

I was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Yeah.”

“I’m proud of you.”

I stiffened, glancing at him out the corner of my eye. He was smiling gently, looking at the opposite wall like there was something interesting there and not a blank TV screen. He smoothed absent circles into my shoulder as his arm draped across it. The picture of ease, it was almost like the words had escaped without a plan.

I swallowed hard and felt the need to look away, my cheeks flaring. I cleared my throat. “Ah, well…,” I began, smiling at my hands as they sat on my lap. “Thank you.”

“When I was a kid, I won a taekwondo competition for the first time,” said Jungkook with a smile and a nod. “And my dad said, ‘Good. Now do it again so they don’t think it was a fluke.’” He hummed. “Now that you’re here, you gotta keep doing well for yourself to prove that it’s not just a fluke.”

I raised my brows. “Your…your dad,” I hedged, eyeing him from below. He looked peaceful, still unbothered. I exhaled slowly. “You mentioned your dad was a deadbeat…”

He nodded. “Mhm,” he said with a comfortable sigh. “Had a shitty DVD rental shop that went under.”

I watched the patch of sunlight from the window shift with the geometric shadows of a tree branch in the breeze. “Did he open it himself?”

“Yeah, asshole had no business opening a shop,” he said with a sigh. “He’s a drunk, you know? So he’d always go into the store hammered and drive customers away. When I was young, I used to help out around the shop, but every day I watched him sit behind the counter like a prop or something. He rarely spoke to the customers, rarely stocked the shelves. Just…an all-around shitty owner.”

I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder. “You picked up the slack?”

He hummed. “Yep,” he said, then I felt him shrug. “Wasn’t so bad. You learn a lot when you’re working young. How to be responsible even when adults aren’t,” he chuckled. “Mom used to scold me for going there after school instead of coming home and doing my schoolwork. But I told her I wanted to be a taekwondo champ so I didn’t need an education anyway. Said I might as well help Dad.”

“Was it stressful?”

“No,” he said with a sigh. “Scary sometimes, since Dad gets loud when he’s drunk. No, like…aggressive. Just loud and stupid.”

I nodded. “You took on a lot as a kid.”

“Wasn’t ever a problem until it started interfering with my taekwondo,” he said. He ran his fingers up and down my arm. Like a comforting gesture. Like I was the one who needed comforting. “I had to start skipping practice to work since Dad wasn’t pulling his weight and eventually I had to quit. Mom was pissed, but she thought I might focus more on my grades.”

“Wait, you had to quit just like that?” I asked, stunned. I sat up and looked at him head-on, eyes wide.

He laughed and raised a hand to pat my head, smoothing my hair down. “Just like that.”

I furrowed my brow. “That’s not fair at all.”

“Life’s like that sometimes. Only the lucky ones expect it to be fair,” he said, then shrugged and guided me back to his side. “It’s pretty lucky though, because since I was spending so much time at the DVD shop I got to watch a lot of movies. Got really interested in film.”

“So that’s how you found your passion,” I said with a nod.

He smiled. “Cute,” he said, chuckling as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “I guess you could put it that way.” He exhaled, long and slow, and rested his cheek against my head. “Seeing all those directors, watching the art they made from the ugly, everyday parts of life…it was definitely inspiring in a weird way. Made me feel like even if I was miserable, at least it would make for good film.”

The more I heard, the more similar Jungkook and Taehyung seemed to me…

I laughed. “That’s dark, Jungkook,” I said, sighing. “Edvard Munch said that art comes from both joy and pain,” I began, eyeing him with a smile, “but mostly pain.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Edvard guy’s right,” he said. “I guess…when the shop went bankrupt it was most devastating for me. Probably because of all the films we’d have to destroy. The life we’d have to destroy. Maybe it’s because I was a teenager, but it kinda felt like everything I loved was running away from me and there was nothing I could do to hold onto it.”

I nodded. “Is that when you started selling drugs?” I asked, and immediately regretted it.

He stiffened, eyes wide. “Who told you about that?”

I shook my head. “Seokjin mentioned it while I was…uh…kidnapped,” I said, voice trailing off.

Jungkook sighed, raking his fingers through his hair, and nodded. “I mean…it’s better for you to know anyway I guess.” He leaned back into the couch with a pout. “Anyway, yeah. My mom didn’t have a college degree so she could only find shitty work. Waitressing and stuff. And Haneul was just getting into middle school, so we needed the money. He was doing really well in his classes and his teachers thought that if he started taking it seriously, he could get into one of the SKY universities. So…my mom and I started pulling the family up by the bootstraps I guess.”

“Your mom knew you were dealing?” I asked, leaning away to get a better look at him.

There was an old shame in the set of his eyes, the clenching of his jaw. He nodded. “She figured since I was already behind, it didn’t matter what I did as long as it helped the family. We kinda staked all our hopes on Haneul,” he said, shrugging. He wouldn’t look directly at me. “I wasn’t pulling in good money, Dad stopped working altogether and started drinking more, Haneul was trying his best but he was stressed, and my grades were…depressing.”

“But…you got into college…?” I urged, scanning his face.

He chuckled, knotting his hands. “Ah, yeah. Barely. By the time I was applying, Seokjin had found me on the streets and he pulled a few strings. My test scores were just good enough for them to overlook my grades, and with Jin’s help I got in.”

“Jin helped you into college?” I asked, something odd tugging at my heart.

He nodded. “Jin believed in me. Thought it was wrong for me to be selling at my age. I mean, I was eighteen and all so don’t worry, but…,” he sighed. “Anyway, he wanted me to make a better life for myself and he offered me work.”

“So the money you make with Bangtan…,” I began, watching him carefully.

His eyes fell to the floor, face flush. “Uh, yeah. It’s…it’s all going back home.”

“Is Jin letting you live with him for free then?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah…”

“And if I succeed and Jin loses everything…”

He turned to me abruptly, eyes wide, and shook his head, grabbing my hands. “No, no! Don’t think about that. I’m already looking into jobs and I’ve got some interviews coming up in a week or so. It’ll be fine.”

I swallowed hard, heart racing, and nodded. But if Jungkook’s reasons for joining the group were so heartbreaking, I didn’t even want to imagine what the others’ were…

Quietly, I reached my hand out and pressed my palm against his jawline, pulling him toward me. I pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and pulled away, throat tight, with a smile. “You’ve done well, Jungkook.”

His eyes went a little misty, welling up as his lower lids went red. He scanned me for a moment that felt endless, glassy eyes flashing between mine, before he slowly pulled me against his chest and held me tight in an embrace that felt desperate. I slipped my arms around his back and squeezed.

I rocked backwards and forwards on my heels as I stood beside the gallery doors. It seemed that the chaos that Taehyung’s reveal had caused was slowly dying, as traffic to the gallery had slowed significantly. The space itself, however, held remnants of the stampedes. The lightwood floors still bore the scuffs of numerous feet and several frames were nicked and chipped from being bumped.

The relative calm and quiet was welcome to all of us, as Yuri and I worked opposite one another. She sat at the desk, half-asleep as she stared blankly at the computer screen. A few patrons walked past me and I offered them a smile and a bow, waiting until their footsteps had receded to raise myself up once more, making absolutely sure that my hair was settled properly in its bun.

“Y/N, good morning,” said a voice from beside me.

I nearly, jumped, but collected myself and turned to see who had greeted me. Standing slightly shorter than me, Mr. Kwon held his hands latched behind his back, a smile on his face. Seeing him in such a good mood was curious and unusual, but rather than risk incurring his frustration I kept my observation to myself and opted for a simple smile and a bow of my head.

“You seem well today,” he remarked, nodding once.

I smiled. “Yes, Sir.”

“The recent influx in customers has been…disarming for you employees, hasn’t it?” he asked, eyeing me.

I raised my brows. “Ah, well…I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I would say it’s been a sizable challenge.”

He nodded. “I thought so,” he said with a sigh. “I only ask since you seem rather in touch with your coworkers.”

I stiffened, clasping my hands in front of my thighs. “I do?” I asked.

He smiled slightly, a rare sight, and nodded. “After our discussion of dress code, I started wondering if I was just out of touch with you all,” he said, huffing a little as he adjusted his suit jacket. “Everyone’s performance improved once dress code slackened. I realized that you seemed to understand your coworkers well.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can accept that compliment, Sir.”

He smiled again and nodded. “You have a good sense when you speak up,” he said, exhaling long and slow. Surely, he’d just gotten some good news. This was entirely too out of character to be organic. “I told you once that people only have the power you give them. I think you’re doing well protecting your power.”

I stiffened, swallowing hard. How many of these affirmations could I get? Everyone was saying I’d changed. And if someone as dense as Mr. Kwon could notice, it must have been pretty obvious. Why, then, did something in me feel slightly dissonant? Like it wasn’t lining up just right.

I supposed, when I really thought about it, could I take credit for any of the changes I’d made?

After all, if it weren’t for Taehyung and Jungkook…would I have even bothered to change at all…?

“I’ll be having a meeting with those Japanese philanthropists from a while back,” he said, then smiled again. Unnerving. “The ones you sold to before.”

I nodded. “I remember,” I said with a small, contained grin.

“We’re having some big talks with them moving forward, so please be on your best behavior if they send anyone to the gallery,” said Mr. Kwon with a bow.

I knew I shouldn’t, but my curiosity got the best of me and I grabbed for his cuff. He turned to me with wide eyes. “Uh…what sort of talks are happening?” I asked.

He smiled and put a finger to his lips, a playful bid for silence, and I felt even more unsettled. “Confidential. But when things are set, I promise you will be the first employee to know.”

I raised my brows. “Me?”

He nodded. “I’ll tell you more as we know more,” he began, swiveling on his heel before snapping his fingers and turning back to me. “Ah! Would you grab the new print from the back and place it in the photography section?”

I stiffened. Taehyung started working again? Slowly, I smiled and nodded. “Certainly, Sir.”

“Keep up the good work, ladies!” he called over his shoulder before walking back down the hallway.

Yuri and I exchanged puzzled looks before I shrugged my shoulders and followed suit, wandering down the hall until I reached the back room. A flood of memories rushed over me as I stepped inside the dark, dusty storage space. It felt like a lifetime had passed since I was following Jungkook back here, discovering Taehyung’s workroom, nearly getting caught…

I sighed and picked up my step, grabbing the covered print and removing the white sheet. I folded it and set it atop a shelf, turning back to the piece. And as I did, my confusion and unease only grew.

There in black and white was the familiar scene of Taehyung’s living room, blown up massive. The shot framed the side of his couch from the angle of the floor, leading the eye right toward the window and the monochrome morning light streaming in in shafts and spots. And, dangling off the edge of the couch, was a hand that didn’t look like Taehyung’s. I took a peek at my own fingers and, slowly, pressed them against the photo, matching them with the one in black and white.

A perfect match…

Pulling my jacket up around my shoulders, I walked slowly out onto the sidewalk, bracing the chill with a shiver. I ambled out along the concrete for a moment, my mind absent in my body. Why had Taehyung taken that photo of me? And furthermore, why had he decided to display it for sale in the gallery? Beyond confused, I was…unsettled. Had our relationship ever been that intimate? Had I been sending him signals that I didn’t mean to send?

Or…did I mean to send them?

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I jumped to answer it. “Hello?” I asked, plugging my free ear to block out the city noise.

“Y/N?”

I sighed, leaning against the front of the building, and gripped the bridge of my nose. Of course he had to call right now. “Namjoon…”

He chuckled, like something was funny, before replying. “The one and only,” he said, then hummed. “Although you don’t sound thrilled to hear from me.”

I shook my head. “Sorry. Kind of…a weird day. Lot on my mind.”

“Understood,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not that this topic isn’t fascinating, but I actually called for an update on your work.”

“Work…,” I breathed before it made sense. “Ah, yeah. Well, not much to update yet.”

He was quiet, pensive, for a beat too long. A beat that made me tap my foot on the floor, restless. “Well that’s…unfortunate.”

“Sorry.”

“Have you been trying to infiltrate?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m in and everything. Just…can’t get that information you need. They keep their documents locked up in a basement that I don’t have access to, especially with all the eyes on me there. There’s no way in from the sides and no way to sneak in during the day.”

“Well you’re gonna have to get access.”

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “I’ve already got a plan, Namjoon.”

“Unless it involves you dropping from the ceiling in the middle of the night and dangling from a wire, I don’t really know if it’ll work. You said this basement is strictly monitored,” he quipped with a sigh.

I nodded, exhausted, and scratched my arm. “A recording,” I said.

“And you think this leader is just gonna spill everything to you?” he asked.

I shrugged, picking at my nail. “I can steer the conversation.”

“You can steer it toward revealing trade secrets?”

I chuckled. “You underestimate how stupid he is.”

He sighed. “I hope so…,” he said, quiet once again. “Well…I guess I’ve just gotta leave it to you then.”

“I guess so.”

“Well…I won’t keep you then. Get to work.”

I scoffed. I’d just gotten off work and already-

I managed a tight-lipped smile and nodded once more, though he couldn’t see. “Sure thing,” I said before hanging up and shoving my phone roughly into my bag.

He didn’t strike me as a bad man. Perhaps a little eccentric and enigmatic, but not mean-spirited. But the guilt was starting to get to me. If exposing Seokjin meant ruining the lives of the people working under him…

Could I justify my petty revenge plot?

I rubbed my chin and stewed over it, so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Nara standing beside a pillar, coat pulled up around her neck, chin buried in her shirt, eyes down and sniffling. But when I did see her, I nearly jumped out of my skin and without a second’s pause, I rushed to her side and grabbed her by the upper arms.

“Nara!” I said, gasping as she looked at me properly. Her silver hair was disheveled and her skin was red, eyes puffy and cheeks wet from still-falling tears. No makeup, just the natural blush of crying. “Oh my God,” I said, and she fell into my arms like she was falling into a warm bed.

She hugged me tightly, holding tightly to my back. So tight that it almost hurt. I wrapped my arms snug around her shoulders and ran my hand along the back of her head, cooing her softly.

“Hey, hey,” I said gently against her hair. She sniffled, crying quietly like she always did. “What’s going on, hm?”

She shook her head against my chest, dampening my shirt. “I…,” she began, then shook her head once more and clutched my back tighter.

I smoothed her hair, shushing her, and nodded. “It’s alright. It’s okay,” I said, guiding her toward the nearby bus stop.

Thankfully at this time of afternoon, it wasn’t too busy. I sat her down on the bench and took the spot beside her, creating a barrier between her and the rest of the world. Still crying, she hugged her legs to her chest and leaned against the side of the bus stop awning. I took her hand in mine and urged her to look at me.

Bloodshot, her eyes were practically shaking as they danced around my face. “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.

She rubbed her nose and nodded, eyes on the crack in the concrete like it might swallow her up and she might let it. “I lost my job,” she said, voice weak, quivering.

My heart lurched. “Y-you what?”

She nodded, sniffling. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

She sighed and rubbed her arms. “You know that one customer who comes in a lot? The one who saved the stray?” she asked.

I stiffened. Min Yoongi. Swallowing hard, I glanced at her and saw nothing but broken pieces, barely adhered together, of the girl I knew. Cautiously, I nodded my head. “Yeah…”

“Well, he came in looking for a proper food bowl since he’s been feeding that cat out of tupperware or something,” she said, shaking her head. “And he looked, like…like he couldn’t afford it, you know? Like ten bucks on a bowl wasn’t in the monthly budget.”

“Nara…,” I began, groaning.

She sobbed. “I know!” she said, crying into the tops of her knees. “It’s so stupid!”

“Did you just give it to him for free?” I asked.

She nodded. “We break those shitty things all the time at work. Like, bumping the shelf and one breaks. Or sweeping and the broom knocks one down. They’re breakable and cheap,” she said, shaking her head. “So I figured that if I just said I broke it, it’d be fine.”

“Nara,” I said again, brows knit as I rubbed her back.

“I know,” she said. “My boss has been really crazy about the records lately since something keeps happening to the schedule. And on top of it since the shop’s not doing well, he needs to check the video if anything breaks and he saw me giving it to him.”

“Wait, something’s happening with your schedules?” I asked, the wheels in my brain beginning to turn in an unsettling direction.

She nodded, wiping her eyes. “He accused me of doing it since it’s usually my schedule that ends up getting changed. That’s why I haven’t had closing shifts these days,” she said, woeful. “I’d be thankful for a closing shift now…”

I sighed. “Why did you do that, Nara? That guy doesn’t-,” I began, then stopped and shook my head. “He probably doesn’t even need the charity.”

She rubbed her neck and shrugged. “I dunno…,” she mumbled.

I gaped. “Nara,” I said, shaking her arm so she’d look at me with those red, worried eyes. “You didn’t do it just because you have a crush on him, did you?”

“No!” she answered, too quick. I raised my brows and she cried again, crashing into my chest. “Maybe a little bit!”

I rubbed her back despite my frustration and sighed. “Let’s get you home. I’ll find a way to fix this.”

“What?” she asked, pulling back and revealing her tear-stained, red-cheeked face. “What can you do?”

I shook my head. “I’ll explain it some other time. For now just…cry it out,” I said, guiding her back into my side. Even though my motions were gentle, rage was seething in my stomach. And I knew just how to address it.

“Min Yoongi, what the fuck did you do?”

Yoongi jumped as I approached his work desk at the HQ, eyes wide. He pulled his big headphones off his ears and lowered his laptop screen. He was dressed sharper then usual, crisp white dress shirt tucked into nice black slacks. His hair was styled out of his face, and his shoes looked polished. What had he dressed up for anyway? I scoffed. Poor, my ass.

He blinked up at me. “I-what? What do you mean?”

I crossed my arms, furious, and sighed. “Nara lost her job because of you.”

Yoongi stiffened. “What?” he asked, and in his eyes I caught a flicker of genuine shock and guilt.

“She gave you that dog bowl,” I said, then scoffed and shook my head. “But no. That’s not enough for her boss to fire her on the spot.”

Yoongi swallowed hard. “She…”

“Her boss thinks she’s been messing with the schedule to shift it in her favor,” I said, turning my eyes down toward him. He stared off into the middle distance, like his mind was someplace else. “Now, who do we know who can hack into a pet shop’s online schedule and change it, hm?”

Yoongi shook his head and stood up, staggering toward me with one hand extended, palm up like he was asking for something. “Give me her number. I’ll fix it.”

“You’ve done enough,” I said, shaking my head. His eyes flashed toward mine. My stomach clenched. Guilt. I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Listen, I know you had good intentions.”

He nodded. “I-I just wanted to help her…,” he said, eyes getting faraway once again.

“I know. But…this is Nara’s livelihood on the line, you know? You can’t just stick your hands in someone else’s life like that and expect no consequences,” I said, sighing. “It’s just shitty that the only one having to take responsibility for this is her.”

Yoongi glanced at me like I’d hit a nerve and I almost wished to take it back, but I stood firm. Keeping my eyes on him without wavering. Not even once. “I…Y/N, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll take responsibility.” He repeated it like a mantra, like he wasn’t talking to me anymore. Not really.

I nodded. “I want to believe that, but…I don’t know if I can trust you to do that,” I said, sighing. I gave his shoulder a pat. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Seokjin breezing in through the front doors, and once he noticed me he made a beeline. “You can’t run away though, Yoongi. You’ve gotta face it, okay? No hiding behind a computer screen,” I said, angling my body so Seokjin wouldn’t see my hand sliding into my bag and grabbing my phone as he approached. I quickly pulled up the recorder app and began recording, turning back to Yoongi whose eyes were wide on me. I held a finger to my lips and nodded. “Consider this part of you taking responsibility,” I whispered before shoving my phone back in my pocket and turning to face Seokjin.

He smirked when he saw me. “Huh, would you look at that. And here I thought you were never gonna fulfill your part of the deal,” he said with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. “Kim Seokjin,” I said, making sure I enunciated every syllable. Even if I felt guilty doing it. “I’ve got a bit of info if you want it.”

He raised his brows. “You don’t say? Well, let’s head down to my office,” he said with a broad smile, sweeping his arm toward the stairs.

I nodded and followed him. We walked in silence until we were in the safe confines of the basement and I settled in the chair in front of his desk. I crossed my legs and watched him carefully, like a deer watching a cougar. Cautious, alert, ready to flee at any moment.

But as he settled into his seat with a contented sigh, I remembered who I was dealing with. “Tell me your news!” he said, clapping his hands once.

I cleared my throat. “I’ve been having meetings with his parents. Turns out his dad owns a law firm and his sister is in the US studying law.”

Seokjin cocked a brow. “Huh,” he said, nodding. “That’s pretty good. Two possible angles.”

I nearly scoffed. What could he possibly do with such vague information? I offered a smile and nodded. “He comes from a pretty wealthy family, so I don’t think taking a financial approach will work,” I said with a nod. “He’s got more than enough money.”

“Right,” said Seokjin, rubbing his jaw. “I’ll think of something.” He paused and glanced back at me, raising his brows. “Is there more?”

I shook my head. “That’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll keep digging though,” I said with a nod.

Seokjin sighed. “Well, nonetheless thanks for the help. He’s a tough guy to crack. Even Yoongi’s having trouble pulling up personal information on him. It’s good that we have you around.”

I stiffened. “Are you…complimenting me right now?” I asked, nearly laughing.

He rolled his eyes. “No,” he said, then cleared his throat. “I’m just saying that I appreciate you doing this. Whatever your motivation is…you’re helping us a lot.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, eyes falling to the desk between us. “I know we don’t have this kind of relationship, but I’m curious,” I began, eyeing him to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. “Why is this job so important to you?”

Seokjin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb. “The stakes,” he said with a nod. “They’re…really high. Our client isn’t someone to mess around with.”

“And if you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain?”

He looked up at me seriously, brows furrowed. “The consequences…will be severe,” he said. It was the most serious I’d ever seen him. And in his eyes was a small measure of fear.

I swallowed white hot guilt down my throat and nodded. “I…I see…”

“It’s why Jungkook wanted you to stop involving yourself,” he said with a nod. “It’s remarkably dangerous.”

I nodded. “Yoongi said something similar,” I said.

Seokjin laced his fingers and rested his hands against his lips, eyes focused on something on his desk. “Yeah,” he said. “You’re…not really the sort of person who should be involved in all this. You know, corporations are competitive. They’ve gotta be. Markets shift constantly, so you’ve gotta keep an edge.”

“You seem to know a lot about this,” I remarked.

He smirked. “Grew up around it. Silver spoon kid,” he said, sighing. “Growing up in a household like that, I saw how ruthless big companies can get. I realized that corporations are just legal criminals. Figured I could at least get a cut off the corruption.”

My eyes went wide. “All corporations are like that?” I asked.

He shook his head and sighed. “Not Ori,” he said with a nod. “It’s a shame we’ve gotta ruin them, since they’re one of the only good ones to get big.”

“Do…do you have to?” I asked.

He ran fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “Like I said, our client is no joke. If we don’t keep up our end, we could lose a lot more than just money,” he said.

“So you’re being coerced?”

“No,” said Seokjin with a chuckle. “You think really diametrically. Things are rarely that absolute.”

I sighed. “But you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared of anything.”

“You’re scared of your client.”

He was quiet for a moment, before meeting my eyes severely. “You would be too if you knew who they were.”

I raised my brows, heart racing as I neared the elusive piece of crucial information I’d been seeking from the start. “Try me,” I offered.

He took a deep breath, shut his eyes for a moment, then looked at me dead on. And without him saying a single word, I felt his anxiety. I felt his uneasiness. I felt his fear. I felt it all. He inhaled sharply and lowered his gaze. “Our client,” he began, and my legs bounced with anticipation, “is Sanyo Industries.”

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writingpei · 2 years

Text

wicked games (l.m.) - chapter two

previous chapter series masterlist next chapter

pairing: lee minho x reader genre: academic rivals to lovers wc: 3k words

off to the races

fearing that her ears had played a trick on her, she had to ask the school nurse to repeat what she just told her once more.

"hello kitty, over there" the older woman tore her eyes off of the computer's screen behind chunky glasses and pointed to the end of her desk where the packet of hello kitty bandaids stood. "it's the only one we have right now, honey."

y/n has always been an essentially practical person. she had no problem handling things using the tools thrown at her, whether she liked them or not. however, she could not shake the feeling that some bastard in heaven had set aside the day just to make her life miserable, given it was impossible that a train of consecutive bad things could just happen in such a small interval of time.

she wanted to scream and tear her hair out, but she was a composed girl nonetheless.

sucking it up and making it brief, soon she was out of the cubicle, a hello kitty bandaid on each knee.

“senior students, please report to the school auditorium. an important announcement about the start of classes will be given by the principal” the shrill voice rang through the halls, making her ears buzz.

the sea of agitated students and the loud combination of voices helped give y/n a headache, along with the timid burn that grew on the flesh of her knees at every step she took.

thanks to dumb and dumber that caused her to go to the ward, she was late, and there were few free chairs. almost contorting herself through the mob of students, she finally sinks into the first free chair she can find, the movement of people on the auditorium stage hurrying her to withdraw.

when the principal appears on stage, he doesn't even wait for the conversations to die down. rivers of silence wash over the juvenile crowd due to the strange energy he brings wherever he goes. his face was always closed off, a sharpness on his cheekbones that could cut a finger that touched them, eyes wild in a way she could only describe as discreetly animalistic. his suit was dark black, and even though she never came into contact with such a thing, she managed to deduce that it must be an expensive set. the calm voice that he propagated through the silence of the hall was nothing but an addition to the cloud of unsettlement he harbored on his shoulders. he looked like an utterly tired man, but all his tiredness translated into silent violence that one could not quite put their finger on. he made her feel terribly uneasy, and she always did her best to avoid him during all her years in the institution. she was fierce and sharp, yet she never dared to look at him in the eyes when they were in the same room.

the principal approaches the microphone when silence engulfs the space. "good morning, senior students. it is with great pleasure that the school welcomes you with open arms for a year that is fatefully important for the future of each and everyone present in this auditorium today. with age, changes come, and it is necessary that we adapt to them in order to move forward and fight for our ambitions. this has always been the mantra of haneul high school, a space open to individuality, which stimulates the knowledge and effort of all those who have the pleasure of studying here".

she hears a scoff coming from behind her.

"because of such values and philosophies, our school has managed to partner with none other than seoul university", the people around her were immediately more interested in what he was talking about, and y/n was no exception. her ears were keen and her attention was quickly captured. "through this partnership, we established an agreement program with the university, and they provided us with direct entry to any course that will be won by the student with the best performance throughout the entire school year, academically speaking, of course. believe when i say i understand it is not an easy task, but it is a goal that will positively affect your entire life if you manage to achieve it." his eyes swam across the wave of chairs filled with students like a hawk, gaze stopping at someone right behind y/n for a few seconds and then breaking the cold stare. if the shiver that passed down her spine hadn't caused such discomfort on her skin, she would have thought that it had just been a figment of her imagination. "so, for those of you who are interested, this is the year for you to push yourself like never before in order to ensure that spot at the best university in the country all for yourselves."

it was like all the air was pulled from her lungs manually, and y/n felt like she was in another dimension, seeing stars.

direct entry, best performance, entire life.

those words were flying through her brain and she was practically on the edge of her seat, the previous discomfort of his fleeting gaze so close to her long forgotten, giving way to her self absortion. the solution to all her problems was right there, served to her on a silver plater, wrapped on a pretty ribbon. all the dreams she kept herself from fantasizing about during sleepless nights had a real chance of coming true.

over the years, she had adapted impressively well to the constant competitive environment that minho had provided for her. if she had not proven herself as a good candidate only through the never-ending rivalry that was part of her high school career, she would have no choice other than to turn into an academic beast. nothing - nothing at all, not even lee minho's pompous ass - is going to make her lose that scholarship for whatever reason. it needs to be in her hands and under her control. she needed to start on the right foot to ensure that she would come out on top, the first move always needed to be a meticulously calculated one.

“wow” minho says, looking at the back of her head from his seat right behind hers. “i always thought that senior year would be a year to remember, but i didn't imagine this. this is going to be some tough fun, isn’t it?” he looked over at yongbok, who had the straw of his juice box in his mouth, both hands holding the box in place.

“presumably” the boy softly answers, taking another sip. “but i really don’t want to be by your side to witness it. i almost got murdered today at 7 in the morning, and it wasn’t cool at all...”.

“i know, i know you are scared. such a horrible human being she is, but don’t fear, i’m here to protect you from that terrible monster, always” minho patted his head softly, eyes darting once again to the girl who was practically jumping up from her seat in front of both, hands tightly grasped onto the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. his eyebrows raised. minho liked when she was fierce, it showed him she was ready for a challenge, and he was not ashamed to admit that he deeply enjoyed gambling with her.

y/n was already on her way out of the auditorium by the time the principal walked offstage, but her mind was elsewhere, floating through the possibilities of the future she had been just tempted with. so much so, that she doesn't even notice a body moving quickly toward her in the hallway until someone is already knocking into her shoulder purposefully, making her stumble back a bit.

"oh, oops, sorry" minho smirks at her, only to imitate in an exaggerated and idiotic way the way she had fallen earlier that morning. it's obvious he would try to get payback for his pet rodent he would call a friend, but she wasn't going to let herself be shaken.

determined not to let him ruin the fraction of good mood she regained during the announcement, she just keeps walking along her path, toward the office, in order to find out her class schedule.

"this is an interesting partnership, isn't it?" he starts walking with her side by side, determined to get her attention. "i think very unusual things will happen in its name. i was really longing for a good old match with you, it always gets me out of boredom. the holiday was rather boring not having you to skirmish whenever things got dull".

"shut up, minho. stop berating me, i'm in a great place up here and your voice makes me imagine myself committing arson" she interrupts him, pointing to her head.

“it's so sweet that i have such an intense impact on you! why have anything else in this world when i can have your complete and blind hatred?" he hums, bouncing to a complete stop in front of her, preventing her from walking ahead.

she simply sighed deeply until she felt her lungs burn slightly, realizing that she wasn't going to get rid of his presence so easily if she didn't give in and give him what he wanted.

"you have exactly 15 seconds to tell me everything you want to tell me, otherwise i'll kick your balls like i did when we were 13".

his face contorted, remembering the pain he must have felt that day, and his reaction even five years later brings a wave of immense satisfaction to y/n, and she doesn't regret it one bit.

perhaps she should do it again, just for the shits and giggles and the sake of remembering old times.

"1..." she started counting when he made no motion of starting to speak.

"i just wanted to wish you the best of luck, you animal," he says, pulling himself together, eyes narrowing at her as if she really had kicked his precious balls. "you'll need it, after all".

the corner of her mouth twitches slightly in sudden irritation, but she doesn't let the sag of her entire body at what he said be all that noticeable. "you're not thinking about-".

"i'm not thinking about anything," he interrupts, smugly, placing a hand on the wall beside him. "you know i'm one to do my best in whatever i decide to get myself into, and we have a very special occasion here, don't we?"

"you have absolutely no creativity whatsoever, don't you?" her hands shook slightly at her side, struggling to keep the burning desire to slap the smile off of his face herself.

sometimes she felt like minho didn't allow her to have anything. if he caught wind of her desperately wanting something, he would be racing before her to get it just for the thrill of it, the thrill of holding her hostage to him using the things he took from her as a means to keep her around, grounding her with his constant, incessant presence. she should have known that this opportunity would be no different, and he was already opening his cards out for her, because lee minho was never one to play silently. he played by his own rules. he was the type to dissect his strategy to her and proceed to perform it as though she never knew his plans the first place, because he never won through scheming.

what put minho at any podium had always been his audacity. she hated it as much as it gave her fuel, and she liked to think that it moved her forward just as it did him.

either way, what she came to hate the most about their game was that he was an immature bastard, and he made her immature as well. the prospects of their relationship not striding further the spectrum of one stealing the other's toy in a playground and proceeding to tussle one another until the weaker one cried and gave up on the prize, the stronger one relishing the taste of the new toy under their arm.

"it's going to be crazy to compete for this spot with you", he just smiled fakely at her, teeth white and fucking perfect. "may the best win".

minho reached his hand between the two of them for them to give each other a fair handshake, but y/n - naturally not giving credit to such old-fashioned and idiotic customs in the name of fairness and parity - would rather amputate hers than touch his, so she just rolled her eyes and walked around him, heading to the office.

"good thing we both know i'm going to win then," she shots back, assured.

"aren't you confident enough, huh?" she hears him trail, now farther behind her. “never pegged you as a hello kitty fan, by the way!”

sooyoung was a woman who made people lose their composure when she walked past them.

she had long hair as dark as night, rosy cheeks, and a slim figure. she looked young enough to make people who saw her have the urge to ask her what in the world was she doing working in a high school office, an environment withholding such dampness it could be compared to one of the 7 circles of hell without much exaggeration.

y/n had known her for a long time through her trips to the office to receive information, certificates of extracurricular activities, and test scores. she always felt a kind of fondness for the blooming secretary behind the counter, her sweet smile managing to rub off even the "colossal heartless bitch", as certain people found appropriate to call her down the halls.

"sooyoung, do you have the seniors' timetable?" she asked as soon as she stepped foot into the room.

"yes, of course! just a sec" and there was, the huge smile on her lips. y/n didn't like people who smiled too much and looked overly happy, but sooyoung really didn't bother her at all. "here you are! ready for your senior year? aren't you excited?" sooyoung squeaked as a teenage girl would.

"practically running up the walls like a freak" she replied, with no apparent humor in her voice. still, it was possible to get a genuinely candid laugh out of the woman in front of her. "but aside from the schedule, there's something else i wanted to consult with you. i'm sorry, i don't want to waste your time, i know the first day is always consuming".

"what? don't worry! ask what you want".

y/n leans on the counter, leaning closer to sooyoung as if she's getting ready to reveal a nasty secret. "about that seoul university direct entry thing that the principal talked about just now..." sooyoung, who also approached closer to her and rested her arms on the counter in the same way, nodded, encouraging her to continue. "do you know if all courses are truly included?".

"what do you mean?" the woman in front of her frowned in confusion.

"even medicine?" y/n concludes, the words spilling out forcefully, and sooyoung's frown quickly dissipates.

"ah yes, of course! when they say 'all courses included', they're not exaggerating. they're all available," she clarifies. "but, if i were you, i wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. your academic record is practically perfect, they'd be dumb not to do the opposite and actually beg on their knees for you to get into their college."

"i hope you're right, but i think this year is going to be heavier. i have a pebble in my shoe that, no matter how hard i try, i can never get rid of" and this pebble has brown hair, a snub nose that contributes to his arrogant appearance, and the worst personality that has ever existed among all living beings in the midst of thousands of years of history.

"don't worry, i know you can do it", she smiles again, swaying on her feet behind the counter. "i think you better go to class soon, you don't want to be late on the first day".

"thanks, sooyoung" she says sincerely, and receiving another smile to her chest like a bullet.

"settle down now, settle down!", she can hear mister kim exclaim before opening the door to his first period of lecture. when she opens the door, she is able to see the short, chubby old man with a distinctive mustache at the front of the room, trying his best to contain the students who are chatting between themselves endlessly.

"sorry i'm late, sir" y/n runs to the only free bench left in the room.

she would never openly exclaim that she liked physics. honestly, she believed that anyone who had enough pride and confidence to admit aloud to having infatuation with the subject must have a peculiar taste for masochism. “liking” was too strong of a word already. now, “enduring” was perfect and did its job effectively.

"calm down kids, calm down" he says at last, finally ceasing the side conversations and starting the class. "as you heard the principal say, this year will not be smooth to do well, you will have to work giving your absolute best. that's why i decided to institute another form of evaluation in addition to the tests and work in my class: at the beginning of each class, you must bring me a report of all the content we saw in the previous one. if you do not give me any, know that 1 point will be deducted from your final grades, and i ask that you do not test me on this, i will not give in and you will regret it."

sighs and muffled complaints filled the room in a chorus of dissatisfaction.

"i know, i know, but it's necessary. let's start today's class with kinetics…" y/n wasted no time and soon pulled out her notebook and case from her backpack. she couldn't get carried away, this was her year. she is going to win.

stay tuned for chapter 3! ☆

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