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Choi Youngmin (E'LAST) Ideal Partner Tarot Reading
Disclaimer:
All readings have purely entertainment nature
I don’t know any of the celebrities personally
Don’t base life decisions purely on tarot readings
I can never guarantee any of what’s said in the reading
Before requesting, read the pinned post and appropriate linked post
Tarot readings are my hobby - I’m not obligated to accept any of the requests nor to complete them, it’s my choice, not duty
Waiting time is long, even several months
If you can’t wait, please, seek other tarot reader
Reading Info:
Rating: 18+
Reading Type: Single - Couple
Requested: Yes - No
Requester:
Deck: The Phantomwise Tarot
Spread: Ideal Partner
Questions:
Body
Heart
Spirit
Soul
Time
Place
Celebrity Info:
Full Name: Choi Youngmin
Stage Name: Romin
Group: E’LAST
DOB: 24.04.2001
Blood Type: A
MBTI: ISTP
Sun Sign: Taurus
Chinese Sign: Metal Snake
Life Path Number: 4
Masterpost: E'LAST
Ko-fi - Voluntary Tip for Readings
Choi Youngmin
Romin (E’LAST) - Ideal Partner
DOB: 24.04.2001 Blood Type: A MBTI: ISTP Sun Sign: Taurus Chinese Sign: Metal Snake Life Path Number: 4
Spread / Question: Ideal Partner
Deck(s): The Phantomwise Tarot
Body - 6 of Swords
Romin’s ideal partner might have gone through a period of time when they were body shamed or they themselves didn’t love their appearance. That’s shifting to more positive self-acceptance now as they start to recognize their own beauty. It’s possible for them to start trying new fashion styles in order to find what suits them the best. They still prefer to keep this transition to themselves, though, not really sharing with others as they are still a little anxious about their looks.
Heart - 3 of Swords
The body image was clearly damaged by someone who also broke Romin’s perfect match’s heart in the past. Maybe they have been through toxic or abusive relationships in the past. No matter the details, their heart is still aching and bleeding but they are aware that the past is over and it’s time to start healing. Romin is probably a patient type of man who can take things slow and help them to reconcile and let go of the past and start trusting people again.
Spirit - XX Judgement
The whole reading speaks of transition and transformation and the spirit of Romin’s special person is no different from that. They are clearly ready to uplift themselves spiritually and let go of what used to weigh them down. They are ready to give their final verdict over the past and release it in order to be reborn anew. I can see a self-esteem boost coming to them, maybe in the form of someone (Romin) to love them unconditionally and the way they truly are.
Soul - XIV Temperance
Deep down in their soul, Romin’s perfect match has found their equilibrium. They have balanced themselves and set up happy mediums in their soul. They found the compromises in order to hold themselves whole and grounded even through the tough times. While treated not nicely, their soul remained intact and unharmed by the outside forces as they always felt the peace and calm deep down.
Time - X The Wheel of Fortune
Meeting his destined lover can be a rather hypnotising experience for Romin. They don’t have to be outstandingly beautiful or impressive in an obvious way, it’s more like a harmony of souls meeting up, the glance into each other’s eyes revealing the divine connection happening by lucky chance.
Place - IV The Emperor
Romin is likely to create a highly safe and secure home for his lover in order to give them a feeling of utter comfort. He might be the one running the home, asserting his dominance and being the master of the show but at the same time, he has the best intentions in mind and creates a true cradle and solid base for them to thrive and develop further. It’s likely Romin’s home is going to be structured and in perfect shape as he’s not really the type to tolerate clutter and mess.
Thank you for reading!
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Saturday Night
Summary: The same ole routine with your friend with benefits on Saturday night. Unless?
Oneshot
Smut, PWP, Fluff?, Friends With Benefits to Lovers au
If you are a minor, please do not read/engage with this post. This is an 18+ work.
Warnings: PWP, Grinding, Dry humping, Slight Possessiveness (m! & r! receiving), Unprotected sex (pls practice safe sex), Marking (r! receiving), Scratching (m! receiving), Degradation (r! receiving), Praise?, (other sexual encounters occur while fwbs but they’re not cheating!), Use of pet names: Baby and Slut (and iterations of them) *And if I missed any pls lmk!*
Word Count: 1,809
Sunwoo X Afab!Reader
[A/n: I’ve had this in the works since Cotton Candy came out- and I had a dream this was posted and I found out it wasn’t. So here it finally is. Bc of the title, I will recommend Saturday Night by The Misfits, not necessary to listen to tho.]
Again, if you are a minor, please do not read/engage with this post. This is an 18+ work.
------
It’s a Saturday night, like it always is when Sunwoo comes over in his black hoodie and gray sweatpants. It’s like clockwork when he turns up. Nothing ever changes your routine. While you try different positions and elements, the end goal is always the same. And you always wake up to an empty bed in the morning. It isn’t the first time you’ve wished for it to be different. It probably won’t be the last. You’d always hope that when you awoke on Sunday morning, he’d hold onto you and never let go. But you knew and lived the reality. It was never going to happen. You were friends with benefits, nothing more, nothing less. You’d have to be okay with that someday or quit seeing him altogether. Neither option ever sounds satisfying, but maybe next Saturday, you’ll know which is best for you. For now, you choose Sunwoo.
You sit down beside him, and you ask him about his week. And he tells you about how he produced a new track that he’s excited to share with his fans. You ask him to send you it when it comes out so you can listen, and he agrees. And that’s when he asks, “Well, how was your little date this week?” You can’t help but smile as you remember, “Oh, with Youngmin?” He hums, and you tell him, “He was so sweet. He brought me flowers and treated me to dinner.” He waits for you to continue, and when you don’t, he says, “Did you go further?” You look down at your sweatpants before he teases, “Oh, you did~ Didn’t you, my dirty little baby.” You groan, “Shut up. I don’t want to talk about it…” He smirks, “Oh, why not?” You sigh, “He was good...” He continues teasing, “You don’t sound very enthusiastic about that~” You look at him with a slight glare, “He did even better than you.” He pouts, “Aw, baby... Don’t play me like that~” You roll your eyes before looking down and scoff, “Like what?” Sunwoo smirks before leaning towards you to whisper in your ear, “Like we both don’t know that I fuck you best.” You roll your eyes, “Sunwoo, as if.” He grabs your chin, turns your face to him, and you refuse to look at him, “Oh, you’re being real protective of him, aren’t you? Why’s that?” He tucks a hair behind your ear, “Was it because he brought you flowers? I could do that for you... all you ever had to do was ask~”
You shake your head as much as you can in his grasp, “No... you made it very clear we’re just friends with benefits... And friends with benefits don’t do that…” He huffs, rolling his eyes, “You and I both know we’re more than that.” You glare at him, “Really, Sunwoo? Because you have a funny way of showing it. You show me endless pleasure, and then you disappear the second the sun touches the night sky.” He gives you a pointed look, “You’re the one who told me to leave before the sun rose.” You sigh, knowing he was right. It was your one boundary, but oh, how you wished he didn’t listen, and he asks, “Well, what if… I don’t want to be friends with benefits anymore. Would you let me sleep next to you in your bed through the morning?” You finally look at him, “What do you mean?” And his voice drops as he asks, “What if we became exclusive? And you became mine? All mine… and no one else’s. Just as I would do for you.” You gulp, “You mean it? You’re not just saying that… Are you?” He locks his eyes on yours before grasping your jaw as his tone turns serious, “I mean it.” You search his eyes as you ask, “You promise?” “Promise.” He seals it with a kiss. And you tell him when you part, “I want to see you there in the morning.”
He drops his hand from your chin, lifts you up, and pulls you onto his lap. You smile as you grind your hips into his. You put both of your hands underneath his jaw and pull him in for another kiss. “Your lips are so kissable.” He smiles as he pecks your lips, “Mine? What about yours, beautiful?” He puts his hand into your hair, kissing you deeply as you grind harder down onto him, desperate for some friction. He lifts you up with one arm around your waist and the other still in your hair, pushing you against the wall. You wrap your legs around his waist as he grinds up against your clothed core. He parts as he looks you into your eyes, “The way you look drives me insane. I want you more than just one day a week.” He captures your lips in a heated kiss as your fingers find their way into his hair. You grind down into his hips, trying to get more friction. And he mumbles into your lips, “My greedy little baby…” And you let out a hum before capturing his lips again. His hips grind harder into yours as he makes out with you, chasing the friction. Your fingers wind into his hair tighter as he draws you closer to the edge. You squeeze your eyes before whispering, “Sunwoo…” He groans, “Wh-what?” “I need you now…” He groans, “Fuck, okay. Yeah… Me too.” He quickly moves you both from the wall and carries you to your bedroom.
When he finally gets inside, he drops you against your bed, devouring your mouth. His fingers take the place of his hips, rubbing over your sweats, and you whimper, “You like that, don’t you, my little slut~” He teases you over them as he gives you a hickey, “You’re going to take all of me?” You nod, and he grinds his palm down as his fingers push into your entrance through the layers. You whine at the lack of friction, and he grins, laying another hickey on your collarbone. As he feels how wet you are through both fabrics, “All of this is just for me now, baby?” You huff, “Shu-Shut up and fuck me already.” His smirk grows wild as he teasingly pulls up your shirt, “But baby, it’s so much more fun to tease you~” You groan, “Sunwoo! If you don’t stop tea-” He cuts you off by kissing you, and your eyes close instantly as you kiss back. You feel his fingers slip up and under your shirt, tickling up your sides, and he breaks the kiss to take off your shirt before he takes off his black hoodie. You let your eyes wander, and he smirks as he makes a little show of shimmying out his sweats and briefs. He shoots you a wink as he finishes, and you roll your eyes as you make grabby hands for him, and he comes back, “You’re so needy for me, baby…”
He kisses you again before he kisses down your neck and whispers, “How did I ever fuck anyone else when I had you…” You sigh and mumble, “I’m not sure how I did either. No one can compare to you…” He chuckles against your skin, “That’s right, baby. I’m all you’ll ever need. And you’ll be all I’ll ever need.” You hum as he makes his way down your arm, laying kiss after kiss before pulling his chin up to kiss his lips again before murmuring, “You best believe it... Now that you have me completely. You’re stuck with me.” His lips curl into a smile, “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He kisses you again before breaking away to pull off your sweats, “You’re so wet for me, baby… Do I turn you on that much?” He rubs you over your panties, grinning at the wet spot, and you sigh, “Sunwoo, please…” He teases, “What do you want, baby~” You groan, “You in me now…” He smiles, taking off your panties before running his fingers over your folds, slipping them inside for a second, and you groan in frustration, “Sunwoo!” He laughs before lining himself up with your entrance and moans as he gets his tip in, “F-fuck…” You whine, wanting him to fill you up already, and he laughs again, “Okay! Okay! I’m moving!” Which makes you let out a little laugh before he pushes in fully. You both sigh in relief, finally feeling complete.
You dig your nails into his shoulders as he thrusts into you faster. He slows down just as you start getting close, and you glare at him. And he asks, “Did he even make you cum?” You shake your head as you whine out, “No.” He tuts as he rubs your clit, “You deserve so much more, honey. And you know I can give that to you.” He picks his pace back up, timing his pace with each swirl of his hand. It has you screaming out, and he can’t help but smirk as you do. “That’s it, baby, scream for me. Let all your neighbors know who fucks you so well.” You cry out as you grow closer and closer to your high, “You getting close, baby?” You nod, and he pulls you down towards him, burying his hips into yours before thrusting even faster. He groans, “F-fuck…” You shake your head, “I can’t…Sunwoo, I’m gonna cum. Please.” He nuzzles his head into your collarbone, “With me, baby. Come on, let’s make this time count.” You nod, “O-Okay… You’re- You’re close, right?” “S-So close, baby.” You cry, and he rubs your clit faster before he says, “Now.” Stars hit your vision with how tightly you close your eyes as cum as Sunwoo fills you up. His thrusts slow down, and he rides your guy’s orgasms out. And you push at his chest as he starts to overstimulate you, and he slowly pulls out. “Fuck…” He lays down over you, “Yeah…”
And next thing you know, it’s a few hours before you should wake up for errands. You look at the clock to feel someone gently nudging you awake. You crack your eyes open to see Sunwoo looking over you, “They called me in early for practice…” “Oh…” He sighs, “Yeah… I want to stay the whole morning, but uh, I have to go in a few.” You nod, and he gives you a long kiss, “Tonight.” You hum, “Tonight?” He smiles, “Let’s go on our first official date.” When it’s time to wake up, you find a bouquet of your favorite flowers in the vase on your kitchen island. You giggle, feeling giddy as you see them, and read the tag, “One of many bouquets I’ll get you from here on out, my dear.” You shake your head as you head out, excited for your date later tonight.
#sunwoo#sunwoo x reader#sunwoo smut#kim sunwoo#kim sunwoo x reader#kim sunwoo smut#the boyz#the boyz x reader#the boyz smut#tbz#tbz x reader#tbz smut#kpop#kpop x reader#kpop smut#smut#sunwoo fanfic#sunwoo fic#kim sunwoo fanfic#kim sunwoo fic#the boyz fanfic#the boyz fic#tbz fanfic#tbz fic#kpop fanfic#kpop fic#pwp#i was determined to finish sth this week and here we are~ enjoy! this is a lot tamer than i imagined it would be but i'm happy with it
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𝔥𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤 - 𝔩𝔧𝔥 || 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔦𝔦
pairing: lee jihoon x female!reader genre: historical au, fluff, angst, smut (later routes), supernatural members: choi seungcheol, wen junhui, kwon soonyoung, jeon wonwoo, lee seokmin, kim mingyu, boo seungkwan, lee chan, xu minghao, hong jisoo warnings: crass humor and language, blood, violence, mentions of suicide, alcohol, minor character death, 660's sexism, crossdressing, medical procedures, political upset, historical inaccuracies for the sake of plot progression word count: 16.6k summary: riding the highs and lows coming from the crown ordered raids and sieges, the hwarang find themselves in deeper trouble when mysterious figures begin emerging and demanding something strange- you.
taglist: @hipsdofangirl
𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔦 || 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔦𝔦𝔦
𝔉𝔢𝔟𝔯𝔲𝔞𝔯𝔶 6𝔱𝔥, 662 - 𝔖𝔢𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔟𝔢𝔬𝔩, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The new year sweeps in not unexpectedly, but with a gust of cold that chills you to your core. Seorabeol sits under a blanket of snow, much like it had when you first arrived a little over a year ago now.
You finish eating breakfast with the captains a little earlier than they do, you excuse yourself to make them some tea before their morning briefing. Thankfully, the halls remain warm, so you don’t need to worry about the winter chill as you make your way back to the main hall, the smattering of captains sitting around.
“Thank you,” Eunseok says as you set down a cup for him, a smile on his lips as he wraps his cold fingers around the steaming cup. You make your way around the hall to give the captains their drinks, most giving you a curt but appreciative nod as you do so.
“The monks at this temple have been nice enough to let us stay here this long,” Jihoon calls out, disrupting your thoughts as he speaks to the captains, “but Shoshin is getting crowded.”
“Especially with all of the new guys coming in,” Mingyu agrees, nodding his head.
“If we could get a bigger space, that’d be good,” Junhui adds, a tinge to his voice as if he’s thinking about how little room there is to move around these days. “Even in the overflow buildings it’s stuffy.”
“Most of these kids are nobles too, not accustomed to living like this,” Mingyu sighs, not vouching for them, just knowing it would take some time to acquaint themselves with their newfound home.
“If we can find somewhere bigger to host us,” Seungkwan says, “I’m sure the newbies would be more appreciative.”
“What about Bulguksa Temple?” The man sitting next to Youngmin speaks up, glancing over to the map hanging in the front of the room.
“Bulguksa?” Suh Kangjoon frowns, looking towards the map, “Isn’t that a bit far?”
“Maybe,” the man shrugs, “But it’s one of the only places big enough to accommodate the Seorabeol Hwarang. And its position would allow a tactical advantage in times of panic, it’s a relatively easy place to fortify.”
After he’s done speaking, the man leans back in his chair to see what the others have to say. Kim Gongmyung had joined the Hwarang on Soonyoung’s excursion to Hanseong in early autumn of last year. His family’s school is quite popular there and his academics gained him notoriety with the nobles of the area. “Besides, it’s closer to the border so if there’s a need to intercept or fend off any Baekje loyalists looking for trouble, it’d put us in the best spot to do so.”
“Those are good points,” Youngmin nods enthusiastically, “An exceptional amount of detail as always, Gongmyung.”
Even if the chief thought it to be a good idea, a few voices rose in opposition.
“Isn’t it a bit… presumptive to do something like that?” Seungcheol frowns at Gongmyung, his hands atop the table, fingers tapping along the wooden grains.
Gongmyung’s smile flickers as he turns to the colonel, “Then would it be better to be negligent of the possibility, the high possibility, that the loyalists are up to something again?” His question leaves little room for the colonel to answer before he begins speaking again, “It’s a lovely thought, thinking that we’re safe now, but we all know it’s not true.” His deflection of Seungcheol’s statement leaves a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths.
“I agree that the loyalists need to be stopped, but to place our personal interest there instead of being directed to do so by the Crown or the council is…” Seungcheol trails off, clearly thinking more inwardly than he was expressing outwardly.
“So, then, what should we do?” Another voice piques up, questioning Seungcheol. “Wait until the bastards are knocking at our door to actually do something about it? Or maybe wait until they’ve actually captured Munmu and have burned the palace to the gro-”
“Dongyoung,” Gongmyung interjects, “Watch your mouth.”
“My mistake,” Dongyoung scoffs after a moment of staring at his brother for interrupting him, “Couldn’t stop myself.”
Kim Dongyoung is the younger brother of Kim Gongmyung by blood, and only by the same father. Dongyoung had joined the Hwarang with Gongmyung in autumn and had accompanied him to Seorabeol.
“He has the tendency to run his mouth like a child still,” Gongmyung explains, “I apologize.” His attention then turns back to Seungcheol and away from his brother, “So, don’t take it too personally, please. I’m sure someone like you is needed to make the Hwarang successful. Even if your arm is unusable in a fight, your smarts and tactical abilities will prove all the more useful.”
You see Seungcheol biting back a retort towards Gongmyung’s sour wording, the tension between the two only cut by another voice.
“I don’t think I heard you correctly, Gongmyung.” It’s Jihoon, his voice low as if he’s trying to stabilize the tone so as to not sound angry. “Seungcheol is smart, as you said. He is not useless and not replaceable, make sure you don’t forget that.” The commander only speaks when there’s something important to be said, having spoken up now means that Gongmyung’s words must’ve gotten to him.
“My arm, though…” Seungcheol mutters out, seemingly unable to finish the thought. Jihoon’s words remind him of what he once was, causing him to frown at the reality of it all.
“I didn’t mean to cause such a disturbance,” Gongmyung sighs out with false sympathy, “I’ll be sure to keep my thoughts to myself next time. Seungcheol is quite a beloved member, I see, it’s nice to see such a tight knit group. I can only hope the new members share that sentiment.”
Jihoon’s eyes seethe with anger as he glares at Gongmyung, but before he’s able to snip back, Youngmin steps in and tries to calm the air.
“For now,” He begins, looking at each member of the opposing parties, “Let’s just keep matters on finding a new headquarter location. Gongmyung, would you mind coming with me? I’d love to continue our earlier conversation.”
“Of course, Chief.” Gongmyung says and rises to his feet at the same time Youngmin does, the two begin to leave the room, quickly followed out by Kangjoon.
“May I join you as well?” The latter asks before the two step out of the hall.
“Of course,” Youngmin accepts, “I’d like you to hear what Gongmyung has to say, it may help you with strategy points.”
“Thank you,” Kangjoon says with an appreciative smile as the three exit, shortly followed by Dongyoung who scoffs at the encounter before slinking out after them.
“Who’s the asshole that invited them to join us?” Seungkwan frowns once the sound of their footsteps falls out of earshot.
“That asshole’s still in Hanseong,” Junhui huffs, “When Soonyoung gets back I might just wring his neck.”
“The Kim’s father is friends with a few pro-military councilmen,” Mingyu muses, “Interesting to see that they’d join us if they share those same beliefs.”
“They’re probably playing some sort of superiority game,” Jihoon says, his arms crossing over his chest. “Just listen to the bullshit that Dongyoung spouts off, and it looks like it’s rubbing off on Youngmin. And that’s definitely not good.”
“Youngmin’s always been like that,” Seungkwan adds, “Easily deceived by those who act nice and appear virtuous but are just vipers waiting for the right time to strike.”
“And Gongmyung’s the deputy commander with Dongyoung in a captain’s position,” Mingyu shakes his head, “They’ve rooted themselves deep.”
Jihoon’s gaze travels to Seungcheol, who’s been staring at the patterns in the wood since his conversation with Gongmyung. “Don’t listen to him,” the commander says to him in hopes of cheering him up.
“Gongmyung is a skilled orator with a proficient education to back it,” Seungcheol laughs dryly, “And not only that, but he’s also skilled with a sword and bow. With a gifted Deputy Commander, the Hwarang have little need for a colonel now.”
“Seungcheol-” Jihoon begins to protest as the colonel rises to his feet and starts to head for the exit. The commander’s voice trails after Seungcheol as he leaves quietly, no one daring to stop him.
“Of all people…” Mingyu sighs out, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair, “Even the wang-do are avoiding him now.”
“Why?” You question and turn to the captain, “It’s not like he’s done anything wrong.”
“It’s his attitude,” Junhui responds in the elder’s stead, “It doesn't matter what you say to him, he takes it the wrong way regardless.”
“Not to mention the smartass tone he’s been taking up,” a twisted frown settles onto Mingyu’s face, “it’s no wonder the men are scared shitless of him.”
Their words confuse you, even though you haven’t been here as long as the other captains, Seungcheol was well liked among everyone in the Hwarang. After he’d received his injury, it seems as if that demeanor has taken a turn for the worse.
“Can’t you come up with an excuse to get Gongmyung the hell out of here?” Seungkwan asks, turning towards Jihoon. “There’s barely been a moment of civility since he got here.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Jihoon’s expression turns sour, “Youngmin’s all over the guy. Besides, he brought in a bunch of warriors from Hanseong, their allegiance doesn’t solely lie with us yet. They’ll pack up and leave the second we tell him to get lost.”
“Fuck him though!” Seungkwan does little to quell the irateness of his voice, “You’re the goddamn demon commander, make the impossible happen!”
Jihoon barks out a snarkish laugh, “Fine, Boo. How about I make you commander so you can kick Gongmyung and his thugs out?”
“Hell no,” Seungkwan snickers, “That’s too much work.”
It eventually comes to fruition that Gongmyung isn’t to be trusted, having no other captains speak out on his behalf.
You’re going around once more to distribute tea to the men when you stop by Hansol, who’d been quiet for most of, if not all, of the prior conversation. He looks up at you, as if he had felt your thoughts wander over to him.
“What are your thoughts on Gongmyung joining?” You ask as he sets down his teacup onto the tabletop.
Hansol sighs as you begin topping off the cup, “As any group begins to grow in numbers, it’ll have more and more people with differing opinions.” You pull the pot away from his cup, staunching the flow of the liquid, “Although, if one intends to be the catalyst for change instead of it occurring naturally, the group will begin to kill itself from the inside out.” His words hang heavy as you stand next to him, unsure of what to say next.
Gongmyung’s acceptance into the Hwarang, from your perspective, wasn’t to tear them apart, but maybe to cause dissension among the members. You’re not fond of him, but his treatment towards Seungcheol and the colonel’s receptiveness to the critiques is what worries you the most. It’s not as if his arm would work again overnight, it would take a miracle to happen, and Seungcheol doesn’t seem like the type to frequent shamans.
Sometime later you find yourself wandering back to your room, the meeting dissipating with little to be done with the newest arrivals. Although cold outside, the setting sun gives off little warmth as you trapeze yourself through one of the gardens. The reddish-maroon of the sinking star unsettling you.
You still have Seungcheol in mind as you pause for a moment, staring up at the shifting hues of the heavens. A conversation you’d heard in the news of Seungcheol’s injury had spurred the conversation of the Furies as well as a serum. By the way they’d spoken of it, it made it seem as if the item was only used in dire circumstances, and it was highly secretive. You weren’t even supposed to know about it in the first place, but Soonyoung had let slip some information on it and now you can’t help but think about it.
If you were to try and learn of it yourself, it’s no doubt that you’d find yourself in a world of trouble. Yet, you are the daughter of a physician, surely you have more medical knowledge than them?
Falling onto your better judgment, you return to your quarters. Even if you’re worried about Seungcheol, you’re not sure that there’s much you can even do for him at this point.
When the sun finally drops below the horizon, it seems as if Shoshin Temple bursts to life with activity. But the sounds aren’t boisterous, not the gaiety induced ones of the captains rough-housing, these were more ominous. You hear footsteps charge past your room, never seeming to cease as the men run off to an unknown location.
Despite trying your best to keep out of it, your curiosity overtakes you, amalgamating in you slowly creeping out into the hall and following the sound of the commotion. The sounds take you to the main hall, the door left ajar so you quietly make your way inside.
“To think that Seungcheol would’ve…” You can hear Youngmin’s voice, a seriousness in it as he comes into view. Jihoon and the other captains stand around him, each looking to be in a different stage of shock or disbelief.
“What the hell were you all doing?!” Jihoon shouts out towards the other captains, his grief seeming to take shape in the form of unbridled anger, “I told you to watch out for Seungcheol! Was there some fucking part of that that you didn’t understand?”
“You can’t blame us for this,” Junhui retorts defensively, “Who would’ve thought that he’d drink that shit? He was also in charge of that stuff so how were we supposed to know he had it?”
“If he’d hidden it in a vial we wouldn’t have known,” Mingyu adds, glancing from Junhui to Jihoon, “And suppose that it does treat his arm… Everyone who took it went crazy. It didn’t work.”
The serum… is that what the captains are referring to? You don’t have enough context on the situation to understand fully, but has Seungcheol taken whatever it is?
“Seungcheol had been trying to improve it,” Hansol interjects, “He’d hoped his arm would heal before it deteriorated too much… Maybe he felt as if there wasn’t any other way. Regardless of that, when he realized his failure he ignored Seungkwan and tried to kill himself.”
“Kill himself?” You gasp aloud, momentarily forgetting that you aren’t supposed to be here. Slowly, all eyes shift to you, Jihoon’s gaze quickly meeting yours.
“What are you doing here?” He asks and suddenly you’re unable to speak. His gaze holds an iciness that causes your throat to clam up, restricting any words that are trying to form. It’s the same way you felt upon entering Shoshin the first time, a mixture of anxiousness, suspicion and animosity.
“Jihoon,” Youngmin says, his hand moving to rest on the commander’s forearm, “I think it’s time you tell her what’s going on. She is Heo’s daughter, after all.”
Your eyes grow wide at the mention of your father’s name. Why is he being brought up all of a sudden?
“I’m going to make this clear,” the commander stares at Youngmin with a grimace, looking back to you after a moment and sighing out lengthily, “The Hwarang don’t need you. There’s a chance that you’ll help us find Heo, but even without you, we’ll find him one way or another. Do anything strange and we’ll have you killed.” Your limbs feel frozen in place as he speaks, you’re able to stutter out an ‘Okay’ before he continues. “I’m going to tell you what’s happening here, but keep in mind that if you tell anyone else about it other than those that are in this room: it’s your own head.”
“Are you… going to kill me?”
“Not yet, but don’t think that means you’re free to run off.”
“We never told you why your father was here in the first place,” Youngmin steps in, allowing you to break your gaze with Jihoon. “He was developing a… treatment of sorts.”
“Like the one Seungcheol took?” Words forming on your lips, testing out how shocked you sound.
The leader of the Hwarang nods solemnly, breathing in deeply before responding, “We first learned of it when one of the Crown’s men brought it to us. They told us it was obtained through trades with merchants in Tang.”
The curiosity of it all, as dreadful it may be, swirls inside of you. Culminating into something you’re not sure you have the words to describe.
“A foreign drug said to augment a man’s healing and bolster their strength,” Hansol sighs out, “Anyone who drank their fill would, supposedly, be able to fight off a guhin with no issue.” His voice serious, despite having alluded to a mythical beast, “Any of their injuries would heal almost immediately, unless they were decapitated or pierced through the heart.
This all sounds like something your father would’ve told you as a child to fuel your imagination, not something that was feasible now.
“Yet, that power comes at a price. It spirals whoever drinks it into an unreturnable madness, they seek out human blood to satisfy their hunger instead of food or drink.” Hansol continues, looking at you with a wary gaze, Heo took it upon himself to try it out on some of the Hwarang so that an attempt to perfect the serum could be worked on.
“My father?” You’re not sure how surprised you sound, something within you twinges but it’s probably the knowledge somewhere deep inside that you knew your father is connected to all of this. Yet knowing that he was using his skills to try and work on this… serum, makes a pit begin to form in your stomach. “So that night where you all found me...”
“We keep the men who’ve taken it to a temple just outside of Seorabeol, if they were kept here people would’ve become suspicious,” The explanation doesn’t tell you how you’d come to find them, but you can infer that they’d probably escaped. “As long as they don’t get any blood they stay relatively quiet.” With the way Hansol relays the information, it makes it seem as this is just a nonchalant topic for him, and it may have very well been. But to you, it’s alien but helps you put together a few things you’d been wondering since your arrival here.
“Are you okay?” Mingyu asks, a tinge of concern to his voice, “You don’t look great.” He stops himself, scoffing inwardly before continuing, “Of course you’re not, this information would sicken anyone.”
“I think we’ve told her enough,” Jihoon interjects before Mingyu can continue, “We need to think about what to do with Seungcheol.”
“I guess…” Junhui frowns, crossing his arms, “But he was practically dead when Eunseok took him out of here.”
“This was a new draught of that shit, though,” Jihoon sounds as if he’s trying to contain himself, to keep his hopefulness on the floor, “we don’t know if the effects are any different from the last batch. And if it’s supposed to do what it's meant to, then that cut isn’t going to kill him.” His eyes flicker to the leader, “Youngmin, can you watch over him? I know Eunseok’s taking care of him but he’s just a kid and I don’t think that-” A pause as he catches himself fretting, he gives himself a second to straighten up, “Tonight will tell us if he’s meant to live or die, and whether he’ll be sane or not by the end of it.”
“Of course, isn’t Seungkwan with him as well?” Youngmin asks before he turns on his heels and heads towards the door.
“He’s guarding the room,” A curt response from Jihoon before Youngmin nods and exits the main hall, the sound of his footsteps dying down after a moment.
“I want you to keep everyone away from the captain’s wing,” Jihoon looks towards Mingyu, a frown dancing on his lips, “Especially Gongmyung’s men.”
“I know,” Mingyu huffs looking to where Youngmin had exited.
“Junhui, go and check on Hwangnyongsa.”
Another order from Jihoon, Junhui nods wordlessly and begins to head towards the main exit of the headquarters. As he passes, you see a glint of the same hostility he’d held towards you on the night of your first arrival. It’s tense and suspicious of you, an itch of gooseflesh overcoming you as he walks out into the night.
“Hansol, go to the inner courtyard, if the Kim brothers or their men show up, keep them busy,” And before Hansol’s even left the room, Jihoon’s gaze settles on you. “I want you to stay with one of the captains.” His concern stems not for the care of your well-being, that much is evident in his gaze, but more to the fact that tonight isn’t a good night to be wandering around alone.
“I’d stay away from Hwangnyongsa, they get rowdy at night,” Mingyu notes, his teeth biting at his cheek.
You nod, thankful for the suggestion, but even with his warning, you’d be limited in where you could go.
“I think I’ll stay here,” you assert to the remaining men, nodding to yourself that this is probably the safest place you could remain within the compound.
It doesn’t take long for Hansol and Mingyu to take their leave, heading for their respective locations around the headquarters before you’re left alone with the commander.
The main hall feels suffocating, mostly from Jihoon’s quietness and the thoughts of what had transpired here merely an hour beforehand. Your gaze shifts from looking out of the main entrance to the commander, his brow furrowing and eyes looking sullen. It’s easy to see that the events of tonight are eating away at him, his concern for his second-in-command utterly gnawing at his very being. His eyes close and he lets out a quiet sigh before speaking again,
“You might think you know who Seungcheol is, but this… It’s not really who he is. He’s an intelligent man who is more than just a sword. The colonel sees the full picture rather than what lies duly in front of him.” Another sigh as if he’s reminiscing, “His guidance helped me through a lot more than I’d like to credit, but his words were always more commandeering than his blade. In a way he was more powerful than me, without him, the Hwarang would’ve regressed to the likes of the Wonhwa.” A subtle smile curling on his lips, “He was like my big brother.” Hands balling into fists atop the table, there is a sincerity that drips from his words bitterly.
“He must mean a lot to you,” you say softly, your own hands falling into your lap, your back hitting the back of the chair as you lean.
“It sounds a little childlike when you say it aloud,” the absinthian smile still clinging to him. He sits, probably thinking the worst outcome for his longtime friend, reminiscing on their past and contemplating what it may mean for the future. Jihoon’s position leaves him unable to divulge this with most others, yet by sharing them with you, he can hold off on the truth for a while longer.
“The only reason we didn’t get rid of that serum is because we thought we could heal his arm with it somehow… Because I thought we could heal him,” the smile fades away, replaced with a grimace. “I should’ve seen this coming.” His own hands fall away from the tabletop and to his sides, a relent in the tension building in his shoulders, “We need Seungcheol. We can’t lose him.”
An anguish coming over him due to the morality of his friend. It’s hard to watch, and you’re nowhere near close enough to him to offer him substantial comfort or advice.
“It’ll be okay,” quiet words leaving you as you straighten up in your chair, his gaze flickering over to you.
“Do you have anything to back that statement up?”
“Back in Toehwa-hyeon, I saw my father treat a lot of people. Most of them believed that they’d recover, and my dad said it was because they had a strong heart,” you say slowly, trying to space out your words coherently. “Seungcheol never seemed like the type to give up fully, and if we all think that he’ll recover then…”
Jihoon lets out a small laugh with a smile and shakes his head, “The Commander of the Hwarang being cheered up by a physician’s daughter. Who could’ve ever imagined this?” A spark igniting in his eyes, returning to the glowing embers and eventual blaze that he so often carries. “You’re right, though. Seungcheol drank the medicine with the intent of getting better and fixing his arm, we just have to believe that he’ll recover.”
𝔉𝔢𝔟𝔯𝔲𝔞𝔯𝔶 7, 662 – 𝔖𝔥𝔬𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔫 𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The night breaks into dawn long after you've retired to your room. A clattering of noise and the rise of voices rouse you from slumber and pull you back to the main hall. Upon entering, you find that the captains have gathered, each in conversation with one another. This scene isn’t interrupted until Eunseok enters.
“It seems as if the hardest part for him is over,” The youngest nods, a collective ball of tension in the room dissipating instantly.
“How is he?” Mingyu asks, looking to Eunseok.
“Still asleep,” he nods, “he was in and out of consciousness the entire night, but he looks peaceful now.”
“Has he gone crazy like the others?” Junhui’s question is blunt as he blurts it out into the space.
Eunseok shakes his head in the negative, “Not seemingly. But we won’t know until he wakes up. But as for now, he looks as he always has.”
Before another captain is able to ask Eunseok of Seungcheol’s status, the doors open and Gongmyung strides into the room.
“Good morning everyone,” A cheap smile painted on his face, “How are you?”
You can hear Junhui let out a soft, “Fuck,” at the sight of him.
Gongmyung scans the faces of the captains after their muffled hellos, “You all look… gloomy.”
“Isn’t it obvious that it’s because we’ve got to see your beautiful face every morning?” Junhui bites with a snicker.
“What a… cute response,” Gongmyung’s quick to brush away the insult as he turns to the other captains. “Is the reason you all look so down because of what happened last night?”
“Ah, actually,” Youngmin begins, fumbling over his words. His gaze hops from captain to captain, looking for someone to relieve him of trying to offer an excuse to Gongmyung.
“Jae,” Junhui’s elbow finds the older’s side as he whispers, “make something up!”
“You see,” Mingyu says after a moment, he too, stumbling over his words, “Well… Uh, yesterday…”
“Didn’t you say you used to act for the nobles in your village?” Seungkwan scoffs at him quietly, “Be quiet and let someone else do the talking.” You think he’s talking about himself, but instead of speaking up, Seungkwan looks to Hansol, who begins speaking almost immediately.
“As you may have heard, an incident occurred last night at the headquarters,” voice plain as he speaks to the Deputy Commander, “We have yet to gain full knowledge on the situation. If we were to make a statement now, it is a risk of polluting fact with falsities. Later this afternoon I’m sure we’ll be able to provide a much more detailed report.”
“Hmm,” Gongmyung mulls over Hansol’s statement for a moment, “I’ll look forward to hearing all about what happened later this evening, then. For now, I’ll return to my men.” He waves everyone on his way out, a strange smile cutting across his face before he exits.
“That was easier than it should’ve been,” Seungkwan huffs, watching the door close with a soft slam.
“What do you mean?” You ask, attention turning from the door and to Seungkwan.
“Gongmyung isn’t stupid, unfortunately,” Jihoon frowns and looks at you, “We shouldn’t have let him in here. The only person missing from our ranks is Seungcheol, it’s not going to take him long to realize that something’s happened to him.”
The Deputy Commander had most likely suspected what had occurred but decided to not press the issue. Before you can think on it for too long, the door opens once more and Choi Seungcheol shuffles in.
A small laugh as he looks at them, his voice sounding a little weak, “Come on, it’s not like I’m some kind of monster.”
Eunseok rushes to him, offering assistance to stand but is waved away by the Colonel, “You should be resting, are you okay being up like this?”
“I’m tired… sore… but I suppose that’s a side effect of my new condition,” Seungcheol’s brow furrows slightly as he looks down to his hand, “Those who’ve taken the serum have found it difficult to do work in the daylight.” His face is a bit pallid, but with the way he stands and moves, it doesn’t seem like he’s hindered all too much. “I’m no longer human,” the words echoing around the room with a chilling effect. Each and every captain fell silent to them.
“Who cares about what you are?” Youngmin speaks up after a moment and steps towards Seungcheol with a bright smile, trying to lighten the mood, “All that matters is that you’re alive.”
“How’s your arm? Healed?” Seungkwan questions, looking down to the colonel’s once bandaged limb.
“I don’t think I’ve fully recovered yet,” Seungcheol notes, flexing his fingers at his side, “It seems to have healed for the most part.”
Despite the disturbance and subsequent chaos of the night prior, it seems like Seungcheol’s wish to use his arm again had come true.
“You can’t go out in the sunlight though, right?” Mingyu asks, voice concerned, and his brow furrowed, “Will you still be able to fight with us?”
Seungcheol nods, slowly moving his head as if he’s mulling over a thought he’d been holding in for some time. “I think you should tell everyone I died.”
“What!?” Junhui shouts out, unable to hold in the burst of confusion. “The fuck are you on about?”
“I should serve in the Corps from now on. It’ll show them, and even more so, us, that success isn’t some far off dream.” Seungcheol says, looking at the frazzled captain.
“Have you lost your goddamn mind Seungcheol?” Junhui’s voice shakes with every word, “Do you know what you’re saying?”
“Of course, I do,” Seungcheol frowns, “The Crown has ordered us to keep the serum a secret, and if I,” a small hum as he postulates his next word, “die, that secret remains so. Researching in secret will give me more ability to track side effects and even give me the potential to remove them. What reason do we have for me not to if we’re going to use it?”
The movements of the captains easily show that they’re against Seungcheol’s idea, although no one but Junhui has said anything against it. None of them wish to banish their friend to a life of hiding and secrecy.
“We were given this task by the late King himself, carried on by his son…” Youngmin trails off, “This may be our only choice.”
“This is what you asked for, isn’t it Seungcheol?” Seungkwan shoots him a look, “You’ve always been the type to take things into your own hands so I can’t fault you for that.”
“Sometimes I think you know me too well,” the colonel chuckles.
Jihoon, who’s stayed silent for a majority of the conversation, scoffs at the remark. “This means moving the Hwarang to a new location can’t wait any longer. If we’re going to hide Seungcheol from Gongmyung and his crowd, Shoshin wouldn’t allow us to do that easily.”
“You’re right,” Hansol affirms, “If the Colonel intends to begin researching again, then we’ll have to expedite our move.”
A nod from the commander as he turns to face the captains in full, “Even though none of you slept well, we need to get to work.” He looks to you, “You should get some rest, I know you didn’t sleep well either.”
You want to stay and help them, but with how fatigued you are from staying up so late you can only nod your head at him before quickly shuffling back to your room.
The same thoughts that had plagued you last night as you tried to fall asleep plague you as you now lie on your bedding. Your father’s work… Are you safe under their pretext of safety still? Thoughts still buzzing around your head as you eventually find yourself drifting off into a dreamless slumber.
𝔍𝔲𝔫𝔢 4𝔱𝔥, 662 – 𝔅𝔲𝔩𝔤𝔲𝔨𝔰𝔞 𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Bulguksa Temple has proven a better headquarters than that of Shoshin Temple, you’d come to this conclusion in the subsequent weeks of your arrival in March of this year. There’s much more room for the men to freely roam and train, and the view was even more astonishing than the last. The only downfall is the longer trek to the city of Seorabeol itself. On some days you still find yourself lost on the winding paths to the temple, but for the most part you can guide yourself around with little assistance from the monks who reside there.
On this particular day, you find yourself wandering the seemingly endless grounds for the Hwarang’s colonel. When you think you spot him standing in one of the shaded courtyards of the temple’s grounds you shout out to him.
“There you are, Colonel,” You call out, a tray held tightly in your grasp. The sun hangs in the sky above you, a slight burn beginning to burgeon on your clothed shoulders as you approach. “I’ve brought you your lunch.”
“Oh, hello,” he turns to you with a smile and beckons you closer, “Thank you.” A bird chirps in the branches of the tree above him, you look up to find the small creature before returning your gaze to him. You offer him a smile before extending out the tray to him.
“It’s really gotten warm lately, hasn’t it?” You note, stepping into the shade once he’d taken the tray. Fingers rising to your shoulders to feel the heat of the sun that had soaked into the fabric.
“It has,” he nods, moving to set the tray down on a stump beside him, “Although the increased sunshine has been more disagreeable than the warmth.”
“Ah, is it?” The sun doesn’t feel but so harsh on you, but the heat that swells around the compound has been making you sweat since the sun broke over the horizon. Yet, to Seungcheol his disposition probably found the light unbearable from his days in the shadows.
Sometimes it feels unreal to call Seungcheol dead, the night where he’d taken that serum to transform him into a creature lustful for blood, feeling more so like a dream whenever you recall it. As he stands before you now, you can hardly imagine it.
A light breeze wafts through the greenery around you, parting enough leaves in the tree from a few beams of sunlight to fall onto Seungcheol. For a moment, his hair turns a silvery white and his eyes seem to turn a deep crimson.
Your eyes widen and you take a step back, unsure if it were a trick of the light or your own imagination.
“Is something wrong?” He asks, his hair now normal and his eyes once again brown. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, and I know I’m not at that point yet.” Maybe you had imagined it.
𝔍𝔲𝔫𝔢 6𝔱𝔥, 662 – 𝔖𝔢𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔟𝔢𝔬𝔩, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Soonyoung had asked you to accompany him on his rounds this morning with an excitedness in his voice that would’ve been hard to turn down. So, now you find yourself briskly walking with him through the crowded streets, the blues of his robes shining brilliantly in the midday sky.
“It’s been a while since you’ve asked me to come on patrol with you,” You note as you pass a vendor selling sickeningly sweet treats.
“I know, right? Hanseong kept me pretty busy.” He sighs out, having only just returned from his trip to the northern city just a few weeks ago. “Junhui and Mingyu didn’t mess with you when I was gone, did they? How was it when I was away?”
“Everything was fine, and they didn’t bother me,” You assure him with a small smile.
“That’s good,” He returns the smile as you continue to walk. “Any updates on Heo though? Did you find any leads?”
“No,” the smile from your lips quickly leaving.
“I see…” His own smile quickly disappears as he watches you, “I stopped by his place with the information you gave me but… It didn’t seem as if anyone had returned.” The somberness of the male begins to transfer to you, a feeling of hopelessness beginning to overtake you momentarily.
“Thank you for taking the time to check for me, I know Toehwa-hyeon isn’t on the direct path back.”
“Don’t thank me for that,” He waves you off, “The fact that you can’t freely come and go as you please is completely the Hwarang’s faul—”
“Soonyoung?” You question as he’d stopped himself mid-sentence. He’d looked glum ever since his return from Hanseong. “How about you, though? I know it’s been a while since you’ve been back in Seorabeol.”
“I do feel like the city’s changed, the people too,” he muses, glancing at the faces that pass by. There’s a solemness to his tone that wasn’t typically there in conversations you’d had with him prior, had something happened in Hanseong? Before you can question him on it, his head jerks to look above the crowd, standing on his toes and waving to someone across the way.
“Find anything over there, Seungkwan?!” He shouts out above the clamor of the street.
“Nope,” the older replies as he saunters over, “Nothing out of order here.” Seungkwan is out for patrol too, but his route takes him through a different path through the city. “Normal for now, at least. Things will change once the king comes back from his family villa. Rumor has it that he’s going to address the Hwarang.”
“Is he really?” You question, brow raising in surprise.
“Yep, it’s got Youngmin all flustered,” Seungkwan chuckles, “Our dear leader really respects the Crown, as well all have to, I guess.”
“I see,” you nod, “I hope it actually happens, then, right, Soonyoung?”
Soonyoung looks lost in thought before he hears his name, stumbling out his words as he responds, “Ah, yeah, right.”
You look to Seungkwan to see if he’s caught on to the other’s oddness. But he’s stifling his mouth with his hand, coughing into it.
“Are you alright?” You question him as his hand falls away from his mouth.
“I’m okay,” he waves you off, “I probably just caught a cold from patrolling late one night or something.”
“Well, try to take care of yourself,” a sigh leaving you. As strong and intelligent as the men were, they hardly ever took care of their basic needs, “I have some cold medicine back at the headquarters, I’ll give you some.”
“Thanks,” Seungkwan smiles, “I guess it is good to have you around at times.” Something catches his attention, and he breaks his gaze away from you and into the crowds of the street.
“Is something wrong?”
“What do you mean ‘no’?” A voice rings out and you follow it to see a man holding the wrist of a woman trying to get away from him.
“Let go of me!” She cries out, trying to pull herself away from his grip.
“We’re soldiers of this great kingdom, fighting hard every day to kick these loyalists’ asses! You owe us some drinks, and maybe even a little company.” The man says, and it’s then you realize it isn’t just him, but two other presumed soldiers are harassing this woman.
“Are you guys seeing this?” You question the two captains.
“Yeah,” Soonyoung frowns, “Stay here.”
Yet, before Soonyoung could step forward, Seungkwan seems to be several steps ahead, reaching the group already.
“Soldiers don’t seem to be what they used to,” he tuts, “throwing that rank aloud doesn’t mean you’re owed anything.” The crowds coming to watch the scene shuffle away from Seungkwan as he hovers his hand on his blade, glaring at the men. As the harassers catch the blues of the Hwarang’s robes they seem to stiffen.
“You’re a Hwarang, aren’t you?” One of them asks, furrowing their brow.
“And you must be the smartest one out of these men,” Seungkwan’s tone is condescending as his hand now rests on the hilt of his sword. “Now, what’s it going to be?” A snide, predatory smile as he grips the hilt, no happiness deriving from the grin as the soldier’s faces pale.
“Why don’t you leave us alone? This doesn’t involve you.” The one presumed to be their ringleader remarks.
“If you really want to get out of here unscathed, you should probably follow your own advice,” Soonyoung scoffs, now saddling up beside Seungkwan.
The sight of two Hwarang seems enough to deter the men from their endeavor. Their faces draining of color before they scamper off like scolded dogs.
“If they’re just gonna run off like that when they see us they shouldn’t have tried to start anything in the first place,” Soonyoung sighs, watching them disappear into the crowds.
“Aren’t you going to go after them?” You ask, looking at them as you walk over.
“And charge them with what?” Seungkwan questions, retracting his hand away from his blade and crossing his arms, “Didn’t think you were the iron fist kind of person.”
Before you can protest that that’s not what you meant, the woman whom the two Hwarang had intervened for speaks up, “Thank you for saving me.” She gives both Seungkwan and Soonyoung a bow, more grace in her movements than you could ever hope to have. Even if you dressed like a girl you’re not sure you’d even come close.
Seungkwan’s hand lands on your shoulder before you’re able to feel any sorrier for yourself. “Seungkwan?” You question as he pulls you forward to stand next to the girl.
“Just go with it,” he says and steps away from the two of you, his hand under his chin as he looks over both of you. You smile softly at the girl, embarrassed as to what the Hwarang is making you do. She returns the smile, beautiful on the outside but there is something almost… strange about it.
“Just as I thought,” Seungkwan nods, “They look just like each other.”
And then it hits you, the girl standing before you looks just as you do whenever you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirrors dotting the headquarters.
“Really?” Soonyoung questions, tilting his head at the two of you, “I don’t think they look alike at all, Boo.”
“Dress ‘em up like a girl and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” Seungkwan insists.
“Captain Boo…” The woman says, looking at you, “She seems troubled.”
She? Had the woman caught on to you so soon? Stuck in your thoughts she smiles at you once more, “I want to thank all of you properly, but I’m afraid that I’m in the middle of something important. My name is Ahro, I hope I’ll be able to repay you soon, Captain Boo.”
And with that she too disappears like a wisp into the crowds of Seorabeol, the strangeness of her presence lingering long after she’s left.
“It looks like she likes you, Seungkwan!” Soonyoung nudges the elder with his elbow.
“Is that really what you think, Soonyoung?” The other laughs, “You’ve got a long way to go before you’re at Junhui’s prowess levels.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Soonyoung shouts at the other, clearly offended by the remark.
Their bickering fades away as you look to a puddle on the ground left from the rain the night prior. Looking into it now you see the resemblance that you and that woman had had. “Ahro…” You hum as a gust of wind causes the water to ripple and distort your figure.
“Let’s get going!” Soonyoung calls, now further down the street as he’d begun walking back to Bulguksa.
“Coming!” You shout out to him as you look up from the puddle and begin to chase after him.
𝔍𝔲𝔫𝔢 11𝔱𝔥, 662 – 𝔅𝔲𝔩𝔤𝔲𝔨𝔰𝔞 𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The main hall of this temple is open enough so that most, if not all, of the Seorabeol Hwarang can fit inside of it with ample room to spare. It’s a little strange to see all of these faces in one place, seeing as at Shoshin, only the captains and a few other members took priority of occupying the main hall. Yet, as Kwak Youngmin stands proudly in front of his men, any thoughts of the prior location escape your mind.
“By now it’s probably not our best kept secret, but King Munmu has asked us to act as his guard as he returns from his family’s villa to Banweolseong.” Youngmin beams excitedly as the hall begins to erupt in chatter.
“Guard him?” Junhui looks shocked as he turns towards Mingyu, “What’s that about?”
“I don’t know,” he shakes his head in disbelief, “I thought we were just going to get the usual ‘Keep up the good work’ spiel.”
“Our work at Wonweol and Ongsan must’ve gotten through to them,” Jihoon nods, a hidden smile pulling at his lips.
“The leadership of Silla resting on us,” Seungkwan muses almost gleefully, “That’s big.”
“Exactly right,” Jihoon agrees, “We’ve got to do beyond our best for this.”
On the opposite end of the hall, you can hear Suh Kangjoon speak up, “Guarding the king… That’s quite the promotion for us.”
“It truly is,” Gongmyung notes with a sigh, “If only Seungcheol were alive to see it. He would’ve been overjoyed.” Another lamenting breath tiptoeing on faux sympathy, “To have lost such an ally…”
Kim Gongmyung and all of his followers had been told of the colonel’s passing. Actually, the incident surrounding Seungcheol’s transformation had been hidden, only a few of the Hwarang knew the reality of the situation.
“I think doing our best to serve and protect the king is what Seungcheol would’ve wanted,” Youngmin interjects himself into their conversation.
“Yes,” Gongmyung nods, “Of course. This is an excellent opportunity for us to gain favor with the masses.”
“We ought to assign roles at this point. I’d like Jihoon, Seungkwan, and myself to—” Youngmin begins before being cut off by Jihoon.
“Sorry Kwak, but do you think Boo can sit this one out?” The commander’s arms cross over his chest as he glances towards the third party.
“Why’s that?” Youngmin questions, confusion sweeping his features.
“His cold hasn’t recovered fully. And despite me telling him to take care of himself, he neglects to do so,” He sighs out, looking back towards Youngmin.
“Is this true, Seungkwan?” Youngmin looks at the swordsman, “Are you alright?”
“Lee’s just babying me again,” Seungkwan says with a dismissive gesture, “I think I’m alright.”
“Don’t give me that shit,” Jihoon frowns, “You nearly coughed up a lung earlier.”
“Are you trying to sell me medicine?” He scoffs, crossing his arms with a frown, “There’s no way in hell I’m taking what your mother’s doctor prescribed anymore. It tastes like persimmons.”
“That’s not what I’m trying to—” a frustrated grunt from the commander, “Just do what I say, for once.”
You recall giving Seungkwan medicine some time ago after he’d been coughing while out on patrol, had it not helped him? It could be dust particles in the air, you know that the buildup of dust in the temple caused you to sneeze incessantly some mornings.
From the corner of your periphery, you see someone raise their hand.
“Is something wrong, Soonyoung?” Youngmin asks, having seen the younger calling for attention.
“I’m uh, I’m not feeling so great either,” Soonyoung frowns, his eyes looking panicked.
“You too?” Youngmin hums in defeat, “You should try and take care of yourself. I was hoping we could all go and guard the king.”
“I’m sorry,” Soonyoung bows his head in apology.
“No, no, don’t worry about it. Your health comes first, always!” Youngmin tries to brighten his tone to detract from the now somber mood. “I’m sure we’ll have another chance to do something great together!”
Jihoon and Youngmin continue discussing the precession that’s to take place, when suddenly, the commander turns to you.
“What’re you going to do?” Jihoon asks, an eyebrow raised as he poises the question.
“What do you mean?” You say as you look to him, “Are you asking if I want to go with you?”
“I am,” He nods and after a moment of silence asks, “Are you?”
“Is that really okay?”
“Of course it is!” Youngmin smiles, “We won’t mind. Besides, you’re practically one of us, I’d love for you to accompany us.”
Another moment of hesitation before Seungkwan laughs aloud, “Why don’t you go? It seems a lot safer than what happened at Wonweol and Ongsan.”
“Yeah,” Soonyoung nods, “I can’t imagine any loyalists would try to do anything when the king’ll be so heavily guarded.”
“I’ll go, then,” you nod firmly towards the commander.
“Alright,” Jihoon nods back with a small smile, “I thought we’d give you the job of running messages when needed. It’s not going to be the easiest job but I figure you can do it.”
Later that day you and the able captains and Hwarang left Seorabeol. Traveling about an hour or two outside of the city as you wait for the king’s caravan to greet you in a small village that you can’t remember the name of. You never actually saw the king, but you follow the Hwarang back to Seorabeol, arriving at the gates of the city just as the sun dips below the horizon. The walk through the city is brisk, and in no time the caravan disbands and you and a few other Hwarang stand outside the palace gates. By now, Youngmin, Junhui and Gongmyung are probably greeting officials and other important members of the king’s retinue.
You shift on your feet for a moment, the sole aching slightly from the trek earlier, but you have a job to do. Jihoon had tasked you to tell the Hwarang when to change their shift and to carry any important messages when needed. It’s something of a glorified page position, but it’s not an entirely useless role… probably.
“You’re the messenger?” A voice says as you approach them, “This isn’t a vacation, you know.”
“I’m not here to relax, Dongyoung,” you sigh as you stand before him.
“Is that right? Then why did we take someone here who can’t even use a sword?” Dongyoung scoffs, the light from a nearby brazier flickering across the sneer on his face.
“I’m here to do what I can,” You state firmly before beginning to relay your message. “The Chief is currently paying his respects to members of the court, everyone else should continue guarding.”
“Message understood,” he says flippantly, causing you to look confused with how he didn’t retort on it. “What? Surprised I actually listened to you?”
“Oh no—I just—”
“It’s a job,” He frowns, “It’s not personal. Now you’ve delivered your message, get going.”
You don’t ever speak much to Dongyoung, mostly on account of his brother being Gongmyung, but maybe he’s more responsible than you thought him to be.
After he shoos you away, you continue to make your rounds, delivering messages to the Hwarang stationed around the castle. They’re easy to spot, wearing their white robes instead of their normal blues. They seem laxer now, maybe because the loyalists had been driven out of the capital for the most part, the Baekje revivalists fleeing back to the territory of the old kingdom.
As you think that, and begin to approach another member of the Hwarang some distance away, your blood runs cold. A prick of gooseflesh running along your spine as your heartbeat reaches your ears. You can taste the blood in the air, looking around the trees encasing the palace and finding nothing. It’s not until you look at the castle walls and the walkway situated on top of it, does your stomach sink. Three figures jump down from the wall, landing on the dirt ground with a cloud of gritty dust.
“You’ve found us, then,” A familiar voice sighs out as they turn to you, stating your name somewhat cooly. The figure, flanked by two others, is haloed in the moonlight as you squint your eyes to try and get a better look at his face. “Not too slow.” Their piercing gaze fires into you, the name ‘Hong Jisoo’ battering through your mind as you remember the distinctive voice and way he carries himself. The last you’d seen him had been at Ongsan, and you face him now with much more dread than you’d had that day.
The two figures beside him must be Hwan Minhyun and Xu Minghao, the people whom other Hwarang had encountered during the battle at the fortress. You know they have ties with the inner court and had tried to stop the Hwarang’s efforts during the battle at Wonweol and Ongsan.
“Why are you here?” You question, trying to keep your voice steady.
“You mean ‘how’ did we get here, don’t you?” the one on Jisoo’s left, questions. “Man made obstacles are meaningless to a Demon.”
“We’re here for only one reason: you.” The other speaks up, crossing his arms.
“Me?” You take a step back, the pounding of your heart unrelenting as you stare at them. “I don’t understand.” How do they know your name? “What do you mean by Demon? Is this some kind of joke?”
Jisoo scoffs, “You of all people are asking that? Maybe you’re the one who’s joking.” He steps forward, toward you, the shadows seeming to cling to his robes as he walks.
When the man you now presume to be Minhyun speaks, it’s soft, almost caring in a way, “When you’re injured, do you heal quickly?” Your breath catches in your throat as he continues, “You heal faster than anyone around you, right?”
This knowledge about you is unknown to almost everyone except for you and your father… How do they know this?
You’re about to try and pull yourself together to defend yourself from the accusations when the other man, Minghao speaks up. “Wouldn’t it be better to just give her a demonstration?” His hand begins to reach for the quiver on his back before Jisoo speaks up.
“Minghao, do you really think I’d let you hurt a female Demon?” His voice slightly agitated as he glanced at the other.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Hong.” He scoffs, “She’s being stubborn, what do you suggest we do?”
Jisoo breaks his glare, only for his eyes to settle on the blade at your hip. “Her family’s name is a demon’s, she carries the Demon of Taebaeksan’s blade. Isn’t that enough evidence?”
“My… name?” What’s wrong with ‘Heo’? His narrative, largely unknown to you, is cause enough for you to continue to panic.
“Then again, it’s not like we need your permission to kidnap you,” Jisoo muses, looking at you with a frown, “Come with us or we’ll have to take you instead.” His hand outstretches towards you like a lure trying to bait in a fish. You step back, away from him, when you feel two figures brush past you.
“Woah there,” Mingyu says as he stops, feet hitting the ground as his hand reaches for and pulls out his sword, “This really isn’t the place to try and pick up a woman.”
“You again?” Jisoo asks as he steps back, a sneer on his lips, “For a noble you really do like to keep it simple.”
“The same could be said to you,” Hansol says to him, also reaching for his blade. He looks back to you, “When we heard you hadn’t given your messages out on time we came to look for you.”
You nod and step back once more, your legs becoming unsteady as if the adrenaline that had been coursing through you suddenly left you at once. A hand catches you before you fall, pulling you further away from the skirmish.
“Stay back here,” Jihoon says sternly, looking towards the trio of assailants. His hand guides you to his side before he lets go of you, reaching for his blade. “I thought you’d be here for the king,” He says to Jisoo, “What do you want with my page?”
“I don’t have any interest in you or this kingdom right now,” Jisoo says, looking past the commander and at you, “This matter only concerns us Demons.”
“Demons?” Jihoon scoffs, narrowing his eyes at the foe. He seems confused by the statement, perhaps hoping there’d be a more coherent and understandable reason for Jisoo’s presence.
“Haven’t seen you since Ongsan,” Minghao notes, looking over to Mingyu and Hansol.
“Looks like it’s fate,” Mingyu huffs out, “not that I’m particularly happy about it.”
“I don’t feel great about this reunion either,” Hansol sighs and pulls out his sword, Mingyu following suit.
The tension lays thick in the air, settling into your throat so that you find it hard to speak or breathe. With the slightest movement that could set them off, you reflexively reach for the blade at your hip so that should anything arise, you’ll be ready.
“Don’t worry about them,” A voice from behind you speaks up. Cloaked in the shadows from the nearby forest, Chan slowly approaches you. “Jihoon’s asked me to escort you back to headquarters.”
“Are you telling me to run?” You ask, gaze shifting from Chan to Jihoon, who’s still locked eyes with Jisoo.
“I am,” Chan nods, reaching out so that you might take his hand, “Even if you stay there’s little you can do.”
You shake your head, his hand falling away back to his side, “I’m going to stay.”
“What do you think you’ll be able to do here?” Chan doesn’t sound condescending, just confused as to why you’d wish to stay and endanger yourself further.
You think to what the three intruders had said to you prior, the want to know more about what they’d called you sought itself out with more priority than your own safety at the moment.
“You have a reason, I see.” The Hwarang shakes his head, not waiting for a response as he sees the conviction already dead-set in your gaze. “I can admire that. But I do have my orders. You may want to stay because you want to do what you believe is right, but I have to do the same.” His hand outstretches towards you once more, a pleading look in his eye as he quietly asks for you to go with him.
Before his fingers are able to brush against the linen of your robes, an arrow whizzes by, buzzing before it lands with a solid ‘thunk’ in a tree behind Chan. Gaze traveling back to where it had been fired, you find Minghao lowering his bow, his hand still hovering over his quiver should he need to take another shot.
“She said she wanted to stay,” Minghao sighs, grabbing another arrow before loosely notching it, “You have to learn to respect a woman’s wishes.”
Mingyu lurches forward with his sword in retaliation for the attack on his fellow Hwarang, hoping to land a blow somewhere on Minghao’s abdomen. The strike though, is easily dodged by the bowman, who merely steps aside and watches as Mingyu’s feet falter as he moves to sling his bow over his shoulder and reach for the sword at his hip.
“Minghao’s temper is going to get him in trouble one day,” you hear Minhyun note with a frown as he witnesses the event.
“Evidently so,” Hansol agrees, sword still clenched in his fist, “You don’t seem like you’re going to stop him, though.” He then moves to strike the unarmed foe, swinging his sword in a downward motion to try and disrupt the lax stance Minhyun was in.
“And here I was,” a clanging of metal as Minhyun seems to unsheathe his sword in a blink of an eye and move it upwards to counter Hansol’s blow, “thinking we could just talk this through!”
“Who the hell are these guys?” Jihoon says through grit teeth as you hover your hand over your blade once more. Behind you, you can hear Chan slip back into the tree line, presumably to go and fetch help for the commander and captains. Minghao and Minhyun are showing much more prowess with a blade than you’d thought, and with Jisoo still standing, you know it’d take more men than the three Hwarang to defeat them.
For now, though, you put your faith into Jihoon and step back from the fight, an action that draws appraisal from the commander, “Good. Don’t be an idiot and draw your sword. Leave this to me.”
“Don’t you remember the last time we fought?” Jisoo frowns and you recall the fight that Jihoon had found himself entrenched in. The way that the stranger speaks of it unsettles you, as if he’s taunting the commander with the memory of it. “Maybe instead of going easy I’ll just get rid of you.”
Jihoon laughs at the absurdity of the statement, “I’d love to see you try. I still haven’t paid you back for killing one of my men at Ongsan.”
The rivalry sparks between them, a fire igniting in their gazes before Jihoon takes the first step. They run towards each other, their swords clanging together and ringing out through the nighttime sky. Blades screaming against one another as they’re pulled apart by the respective opponent, Jihoon seeks to swing again only to be parried by Jisoo with ease.
“What the hell are you?” Jihoon asks as the two part once more, his breathing heaving as it seems as if he’d thrown his all into his last strike.
“Haven’t I already said what I was? A Demon,” Jisoo frowns, barely looking scathed by the short skirmish, “but not just me, or them, but her too.” His gaze flickers over to you for a moment before looking back to Jihoon. “We’ve come to relinquish you from watching over her.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me,” Jihoon snorts before tightening his grip on his blade. This time, it’s Jisoo who strikes out first, their blades greeting each other with a shuddered clangor. They exchange a few more blows, a strand of Jisoo’s hair edging too close to Jihoon’s blade and quickly getting cut away. The cut strands flutter to the ground and settle by his feet. Instead of looking scared at how close a blade had come to his body, Jisoo shows what seems to be the tiniest bit of surprise before lowering his sword.
Jihoon, seeing his opposition falter, lowers his blade as well, taking a step back. Around them, you see that Hansol, Minhyun, Mingyu and Minghao have stopped fighting as well.
“Fighting like this is going to get us nowhere,” Minhyun frowns and looks over to Jisoo, “We’ll only attract more people.”
“I can’t help but feel that that’s targeted at him,” Minghao bites, “I know when to stop, the only one here who’s got an issue with that is—” His gaze trails towards Jisoo as he speaks, biting back a retort.
A deep, almost exasperated sigh from Jisoo, “We don’t have to stay. We’ve only come to verify that the lead was correct.”
“Do you think we’ll just let you walk away?” Hansol questions, his sword still raised towards the trio.
“You three might survive,” Jisoo nods, moving to sheath his sword, “but how many of your men will we have to kill before we escape? Are their lives that expendable?” Jihoon, Hansol and Mingyu remain angrily silent, knowing full well they can’t accept that risk. Jisoo smiles at them, he and the two others begin to make their way to the forest’s edge, but before they disappear completely, their leader turns and says one last thing to you.
“I will be back for you.” Not wanting to meet his gaze, your eyes travel to the embroidered yellow azaleas on his robes before they vanish in the denseness of the forest.
The words whip through you like an icy chill, curling around your stomach with a fear you haven’t felt since you were a child.
“Are you okay?” Mingyu asks after he’s sheathed his sword and takes a few steps towards you.
“I’m… alright,” you nod weakly, clenching your fists so they won’t shake.
“You’re bad at lying,” he laughs lightly, “Just wait here for a bit, we’ll have some other men take a few rounds and make sure those three don’t come back.”
“Thank you,” trying to sound as appreciative as you can, you look from Mingyu to Jihoon, who continues to stare into the darkness of the woods as if to try and spot the three figures.
“Do you have any idea why they came after you?” He questions after a moment, locking eyes with you as if to probe your mind.
“I’m not sure…” you relent, not knowing whether Jisoo’s words were accurate or not. Were you really what he said, a Demon?
𝔍𝔲𝔫𝔢 20𝔱𝔥, 662 – 𝔅𝔲𝔩𝔤𝔲𝔨𝔰𝔞 𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The incident on the night of the eleventh never comes to the attention of any other members of the Hwarang, save for the commander’s most trusted captains. In lieu of that, life at Bulguksa remains relatively unchanged, the usual grumblings from Gongmyung and his crowd continue as usual and the captain’s antics remain unbothered.
On this balmy morning, you walk through the halls, coming upon a line of Hwarang gaily chatting among themselves as they wait. Suddenly a door opens from the beginning of the line and Gongmyung comes racing out towards your direction.
“Never have I felt so violated,” He huffs exasperatedly, coming towards you. “This is absolutely horrendous!”
“Is something wrong, Gongmyung?” You ask with a tilt of your head, wondering what has the Deputy Commander in such a tizzy.
“Everything!” He pants out, a thin line of panicked sweat trailing down the side of his face, “Why am I meant to disrobe in that room of utter brutes!?”
His sentence makes you furrow your brow, what exactly is going on?
“Someone who calls themself a physician who Youngmin met while conversing with the King’s council arrived today,” the Deputy Commander does his best to straighten his robes and adjust his long strands of hair that had gone askew. “He’s holding physical examinations.” With a frown he nods his head towards the door he’d raced out of moments prior, “That monster said I should take my clothes off in front of near strangers! When I refused, he tried to take them off of me himself! And the other captains just stood there! Without doing anything!”
Seeing as your particular… situation might not be the best for a physical examination in a group full of men, you think about returning to your room before you ask, “What’s the doctor’s name?”
“I think it was Namekawa Yasuo, some man from Yamato,” Gongmyung huffs indignantly.
“Doctor Namekawa!” You nearly jump at the familiar name.
The other takes a step back in surprise, “Do you know him or something?”
When you’d arrived in Seorabeol with your father’s letter and a few fragments of some from your father’s collection, his name had been among the signatures. It was your intention upon arrival to seek him out, your father had always called him a trustworthy man. Once in Seorabeol, you found that he’d been away on some patient’s request, and after that you’d quickly gotten swept up into the world of the Hwarang.
“I’ve got to go!” You brush away his question and barrel past him towards the door he’d exited from.
“You’re going in there willingly?” Gongmyung calls out from behind you, shaking his head in disgust.
Almost immediately when you open the door you wish you hadn’t.
“Alright, next,” the man you presume to be Dr. Namekawa calls out, motioning forward a Hwarang. A nearly fully disrobed Hwarang.
“My turn!” Junhui shouts and steps forward, only wearing the pants worn underneath his Hwarang robes. “You’re looking at years of training right here,” he laughs almost comically as he approaches the doctor’s station.
“I think you’re fine, Wen,” Soonyoung scoffs, in a similar state of undress as Junhui, “it’s your head he should be looking at.”
“Are you asking me to beat the shit out of you?” Junhui turns to look at him, a grin split across his face.
Dr. Namekawa rolls his eyes at him before speaking, “Wen Junhui, you’re fine. Next!”
“Hold on!” Junhui says, taking a step closer to the doctor and flexing his arm, “You’ve gotta make sure I’m in prime condition!”
“As healthy as a horse,” Namekawa reels, sitting back in his seat, “I’ve seen more than enough, thank you.”
“You’re holding up the line, Wen,” Mingyu calls out, and you spot Hansol standing next to him, both with unamused expressions on their faces. “For the love of— please get moving.”
“I just don’t think he’s had enough time to fully make sure I’m okay!” Junhui complains, “I’m trying to make sure I can bulk up more!”
“This is supposed to be about finding medical issues, not boasting,” Hansol sighs, his arms crossed over his chest, “Move.”
Your mouth hangs open in shock, it’s now easy to see why Gongmyung had made such a hasty retreat. Shaking your head, you pull yourself from the room and back into the hallway, feeling a creeping heat of embarrassment rise up your neck.
“What are you doing here?” The Hwarang who’s first in line questions, “Is something wrong?”
“Oh!” Turning, you see Chan gazing at you perplexedly. “Hi, I heard Doctor Namekawa was here.”
“Ah, so you want to speak to him?” A tilt of his head. “I’ve been briefed on your situation, so I understand what you’re trying to do… But I’m not sure that this is the way to go about it. I’m sure he can speak to you once the physicals are complete.”
You nod, “I just think they might take a while, some of the captains…”
“I’m aware,” he laughs, “if you want me to, I can try to get things moving a little faster.”
“Would you?” Eyes widening, “I’d be thankful if you could.”
“Of course,” the smile still lingering on his lips, “Just leave it to me.” With that he walks into the room and towards the doctor, “Excuse me, Doctor Namekawa? Please let me look after those whose symptoms are minor, I’m sure you could use a break?”
You stand in the doorway, unable to hear his response, so you step back into the hallway and wait for the doctor to exit. Namekawa Yasuo leaves the room a few moments later, his attention turning to you when you call out to him.
Namekawa’s eyes narrow as he looks at you, inspecting you as if you were one of his patients. “I need to fetch some medicine from my things, would you mind giving me a hand?” He questions, his gaze softening once you nod your head.
On the way towards his things, the two of you walk through one of the courtyards and come across Kwak Youngmin walking towards you. He nods at the doctor before glancing at you, “I see you’ve found her already.”
“Thanks to you,” Namekawa nods with a smile at the leader.
Your brow furrows as you search both of their expressions before the doctor speaks up once more, “I came to Bulguksa to see you. Youngmin told me that Heo’s daughter was staying with the Hwarang.”
“I see,” you realize, your eyes widening as you look towards Youngmin.
“I knew that Namekawa and Heo knew each other,” Youngmin smiles softly, “So I thought that maybe the doctor knew of his friend’s whereabouts.”
Even if the Hwarang wanted to find your father for reasons other than yours, this slight clue was still enough for you to feel happy.
“Thank you,” a bow to Youngmin and one to Namekawa, “both of you.”
Namekawa then goes on to say how you’d left just before he arrived at your father’s clinic in Toehwa-hyeon when you’d gone off to Seorabeol. He’d received the letter you sent but once arriving had no idea of where you’d gone or how to find you.
“I apologize for not seeking you out sooner,” he sounds remorseful, “It must’ve been difficult. If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“About my father…” the words leave you and Namekawa’s face turns grim, you already feel as if you know the answer.
“Unfortunately,” he says once your words have trailed off, “I do not know where your father is residing.”
“Oh,” utter defeat lamenting in your voice as you speak the singular word. You almost feel bad now for feeling so hopeful that Namekawa would have some earth-shattering news about the whereabouts of your father.
“I hear, though,” Namekawa coughs into his hand to clear his throat, “that you’ve become involved with the treatment… You do know what I’m referring to, right?”
“Are you able to explain it any more?” You’d learned of the serum, seen what it had done to those who’d taken it. But why, why is your father involved with it? “I want to know what my father was experimenting for.”
“Heo was working under Crown orders with the Hwarang to create what are called ‘Furies’,” Namekawa’s voice is low as he speaks, gravelly with a seriousness that permeates into you. “Furies are humans with near supernatural strength and speed. They heal incredibly quickly as well.”
“Furies?” The word lingers familiarly on your tongue, it takes a moment, but you realize you’d heard the word before. Soonyoung had tried to explain to you what they are on the night that Seungcheol had been injured last year.
“The contents of the serum are called pimul,” Namekawa crosses his arm, tone still low, “in Tang they call it ‘al iksir’ and in Yamato it’s ‘ochimizu’. It’s meant to grant immortality.”
These words sound like some sort of fantastical fairytale than what’s meant to be real life. Yet, the seriousness of the doctor assures you that it isn’t a sick joke.
“I’ve heard of its healing and strength giving properties,” you nod, “but doesn’t it cause the drinker to go mad?” Recalling the night you had stumbled into Seorabeol and the nobles who’d been attacked by the rouge Hwarang furies causes you to shudder. “And even if that doesn’t drive you insane, the smell of blood can set you off too…”
A heaving sigh as Namekawa nods solemnly, moving then to pinch the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, “So you’re aware of that as well…”
“Why was my father doing this?” You plead more than ask, trying to search the depths of your mind to reason with yourself and come to a believable situation that would’ve caused Heo Jinsang to work with such a vile creation.
“That may have been why he left,” Namekawa suggests softly, “His morals would no longer allow him to work on such a thing.”
“And yet we were given the pimul by the Crown to help strengthen the Hwarang…” Youngmin frowns and looks towards the sidewalk.
“It was an experiment,” Namekawa shakes his head, “and it failed. It’s probably best to leave it behind, I’m sure the Crown has abandoned its ambition with it as well.”
The leader looks up and frowns at the doctor, probably unhappy to hear that Namekawa would question the Crown’s once official decision.
“You’ve seen what it’s done to your men,” Namekawa insists, “It’s inhumane and you know it better than I do.”
Youngmin lets out a huff of air and then falls silent. You know that he knows how detrimental it is to his men, painfully so. Yet, the pimul was given to him on official orders and a secret request from the former King.
“I understand that you’re one of the King’s doctors, yet…” A voice from behind after a moment of silence. Your eyes widen at the sight of Seungcheol in the daylight, knowing that the sun’s rays have an adverse effect on him. “You’re not a member of the Hwarang, you have no right to object to our methods.” His face paling in the light, lost of all color, almost as if he were a walking corpse.
“Are you okay walking around like this?” You ask him quietly, your voice teetering on worry and a whisper.
“You look pale, Seungcheol,” Youngmin frowns at the colonel, “You should be resting.”
“Don’t mind me,” Seungcheol shakes his head and then turns to the doctor. “We use the serum effectively and at our own discretion.” His gaze hardens when they lock eyes, his voice becoming gravely serious, almost as if he’s been offended.
“It’s far too dangerous to—” Namekawa begins before being interrupted by Seungcheol.
“We have and will continue to work on Heo’s research.” His voice, behind the veneer of quiet anger, sounds weakened. “I am living proof of its effectiveness.”
“You may be right,” Namekawa cedes before raising another point, “But that doesn’t mean you’re not forcing your body in ways unseen with the eye.”
“I’m perfectly healthy,” Seungcheol insists, “With continued research and alterations to the serum, we’ll have less casualties and more success.”
“And are you planning on sacrificing your men for your success?” Namekawa frowns, “These men aren’t just common folk, many are the sons of nobles, aristocrats! Sons who will be missed should they just disappear.”
“It’s not as if we’re force feeding them pimul.” Seungcheol’s agitated at the doctor, you don’t know the last time he was able to see his own family since becoming a Fury. “The men who devote and give their lives to the Hwarang are the foundation of my work, they did not and will not die in vain.”
“But—”
“I think that’s enough,” Youngmin steps in before the doctor can say anything else, “from either of you. Let’s discuss this at another time.”
To you it seems that neither Seungcheol or Namekawa would ever come to a civil agreement on the ethics of the serum’s usage. But that was an opinion you feel is best not said at this moment.
The anger in Seungcheol’s face subsides, and the corner of his mouth turns up into a smile before he bows and leaves the three of you wordlessly.
“So…” Youngmin says as Seungcheol recedes back into the headquarters inner buildings, “How did exams go?”
“About that,” Namekawa begins, “It’s a bit troubling.”
“Troubling?” Youngmin asks, confused, “What do you mean by that?”
“What do you mean ‘What do you mean’?” Namekawa frowns, “The amount of injured and ill men you have is nearly a quarter of your forces!”
“That’s—” Youngmin’s voice catches in his throat, “Are you sure?”
“I am not only sure, but it is the definite truth,” A disparaging shake of his head, “What have you been doing to these men? Cuts, lacerations, bowel pains… Need I mention the lice?”
“I’m embarrassed to hear that, I really am,” Youngmin looks as such, his ears pink as he drops his shoulders. “What can I do?”
“Set aside a space for the ill and those needing medical attention, for starters. I can send some pyrethrum powder for the lice,” Namekawa lists off and you can see Youngmin mentally making a list, “Second, this place needs to be cleaned. I can’t help you otherwise.”
“Of course,” Youngmin nods, the tinge of embarrassment still riding his tone, “I’ll have everything seen to immediately.”
And so, the Hwarang are ordered to clean. Those who are able-bodied enough to hold a broom or a rag are sent to the main hall, Youngmin quickly barking out cleaning orders and sending them all over Bulguksa to thoroughly scrub the temple down.
“Why the hell are we doing this?” Junhui grumbles as he sits on his knees, scrubbing at the wooden floors. “I can think of nothing less I would want to be doing right now.”
“Stop complaining so much,” Mingyu sighs and calls him over, “Help me lift up this cabinet, it’s a great way to show off your muscles from earlier.”
You’re walking into the main hall with a bucket of water when you hear Soonyoung cry out, causing you to jump and spill some of the liquid onto the floor and your shoes.
“A RAT!” He nearly screeches, hopping behind Hansol when he spots the gray creature dart out from a bookcase.
“Calm down Soonyoung,” Hansol looks as if he’s holding back a smile, trying to keep the reserved demeanor he usually has, “It’s not that bad. It actually looks like it’s eating that—is that dried up tteok?”
“Yeah!” Soonyoung says, leaning forward to get a look at the rat’s snack, “Who the hell hides their sweets back here?!”
A grumble from the other side of the room, you look over to see Kangjoon holding a boom, “Why are we bothering ourselves with work a servant should be doing? I’m a strategist, not a cleaner.”
“Why don’t you show us your school’s technique, then?” Mingyu scoffs, “You said it’s prized knowledge, maybe it can help us here.”
“Shut it!” Kangjoon says angrily, “The Pohang style wasn’t designed to help with housework!”
“You’re a little bit of a bully, huh, Mingyu?” Dongyoung snickers as he peeks out from behind one of the various shelves, “Those old-timey tactics of his wouldn’t even allow him to hold a broomstick, let alone make a dent in this mess.”
Kangjoon’s stare hardens at Dongyoung, “You should watch your mouth… Compared to the techniques from Tang it may be outdated, but I can assure you it still holds up.”
“Oh,” Mingyu looks past Kangjoon and out one of the doorways, “Youngmin’s coming.”
“Chief!” Kangjoon spins on his heels towards the door, “Look at this, the room was so filthy you couldn’t even walk properly, and with my guidance it’s—” He stops once he realizes there’s no one standing in the doorway, “Where’s Kwak?”
“You’re an idiot,” Mingyu rolls his eyes.
“Damn you, Kim,” Kangjoon spits venomously, “You tricked me!”
“An idiot and a kiss ass,” Mingyu hums, “Quite the multitasker. Don’t you ever get tired being such a two-faced asshole, not knowing which mask to wear?”
Kangjoon fumes and angrily stomps down towards the other end of the hall. You see this as an opportunity to proclaim your findings.
“I brought you all some fresh rags and water to help you clean the floor with,” you announce, holding out the bucket and handful of cloth to the captains.
“Thanks!” Soonyoung says as he bounds over, swiftly taking the items from your grasp and heading back to his work station.
𝔍𝔲𝔫𝔢 21𝔰𝔱, 662 – 𝔅𝔲𝔩𝔤𝔲𝔨𝔰𝔞 𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 “This looks to be adequate enough,” Namekawa Yasuo had arrived early the next morning to check the cleanliness of the headquarters. He now stands in the main hall, a look of approval on his features as he notes the sheen of the floorboards.
“Right?” Junhui beams, “See? The doc can acknowledge my hard work.”
Kangjoon lets out something of a guffaw at the statement, “Compared to the nuances of strategy, it’s not like tidying up is a magnificent feat or anything.”
“All you did was complain,” Junhui frowns.
“Yeah,” Soonyoung nods, “And Seungkwan got to rest all day! Sounds like he was getting special treatment while we worked our asses off.”
“Not my fault,” Seungkwan raises his hands to show he’s innocent from that decision, “Jihoon’s the one being overprotective.”
“It is your fault,” Jihoon snaps at him, arms crossing over his chest, “You’re not taking care of yourself, that’s why you’re coughing up a lung.”
“I will admit,” Hansol say, looking around the space, “It is nice seeing the headquarters put together.”
“It does look different,” Jihoon nods, also taking a moment to admire the cleanliness of the main hall, “I hope to keep it this way.”
“Then we should clean every day,” Mingyu laughs aloud.
“Great idea! Make sure you scrub the baseboards Soonie,” Junhui jokes along with the other while Soonyoung’s eyes go wide.
“But you’ve got the most energy and the biggest muscles, Junhui! Don’t think I’m letting you slide on this,” the younger argues to the two others.
“I’ll help you,” you offer with a smile, knowing that he’d need it.
“Really?” He perks up, “Yeah, we don’t need them anyway, you and me against the world!”
“Hold on,” Junhui interrupts, “I didn’t say that I wasn’t going to help…”
Jihoon lets out a laugh, “Wen, there’s some trash over there, mind taking it out?”
“Hooold on, we’re not starting until tomorrow, right, Soonyoung?” Junhui looks to him for help.
“If you keep flailing your arms like that you’re only going to stir up more dust,” Hansol sighs as he watches Junhui scramble to big up the assorted pieces of garbage.
You laugh at the scene until something catches your eye, you spot both Namekawa and Seungkwan duck out of the room and head outside. Brow furrowing for a moment, you think to follow after them but stop yourself as it isn’t any of your concern.
After the ruckus in the main hall dies down, you grab a broom and head outside to sweep away fallen debris from the walkway leading to the main hall. You’ve just started to sweep the broom across the agate stone when a figure appears before you.
Head turning up from looking down at the azalea embroidered robes, all you can spurt out is a “You!” before taking a step back.
“You’ve got ancient blood running through your veins and yet you clean up after these humans?” Jisoo sounds saddened on the verge of disgust as he looks at you.
“What are you doing here?” You question as the grip you have on the broom handle tightens as he chuckles at you.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to fight me with that?” He shakes his head, biting back a laugh, “Was your family not blessed with brains?”
You don’t respond, instead look around for anything or anyone who could help you. Of course, the entrance lies empty, all of the captains still squabbling somewhere deep in the compound.
“Calm down,” Jisoo sighs, his laughter ceasing, “I’m not here to fight today. I only want to know what, if anything, you have to do with Heo Jinsang.”
Stunned by his statement, your lips part in shock, “My father?”
“…Father?” Jisoo looks surprised by your answer, “Heo Jinsang is your father?”
“Yes,” you nod, “he is.”
The man seems shocked at first, then that emotion melts away as it looks as if he’s putting the pieces of a puzzle together. He opens his mouth to say something else but a voice behind you stops him.
“Sneaking into your enemy’s base alone?” Jihoon’s voice rings out as his footsteps approach, the sound of dirt under foot crunching growing nearer and nearer. “I thought you’d be smarter than that.”
A few other pairs of footsteps and you turn and see him flanked by both Mingyu and Soonyoung.
“In broad daylight too,” Mingyu shakes his head at the intruder, “Figures.”
“Get away from her!” Soonyoung’s more than a little adamant, his hand already hovering over his sword.
“The Hwarang only come in bushels, huh?” Jisoo says, seemingly wanting to egg the men on.
“Watch it,” Jihoon says sternly, the tension between the two becoming more palpable by the second.
Surprisingly, it’s Jisoo who tries to sate it. “If you want to fight, then I’ll be happy to do so… But I’m here for other reasons, more specifically, to issue a warning.” His eyes grow dark and his tone more serious at his next statement, “Stop trying to turn humans into Demons.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jihoon frowns as he watches the other carefully.
“What makes you think that we’re going to listen to you?” Mingyu pokes at Jisoo.
“You’re all idiots,” Jisoo shakes his head warily, “Can’t you see that I’m trying to help you?” He rolls his eyes, “Forget it, it was useless trying to say anything to you.”
“This is our base,” Soonyoung raises his voice, “You should shut up before we decide to do something about you being here.”
Jisoo ignores the captain’s words and turns to you, a coldness in his eyes as he speaks, “Heo is with us now, don’t you understand what that means?” He searches your eyes for a spark of recognition, but it doesn’t seem to click so he elaborates further, “Your father has abandoned the Crown.”
“What…?” You say, still puzzled by what he means.
“Why are you here?” A cold smile to match his gaze creeps onto his lips, “I think you should ponder on that. Carefully.” With that final statement he turns on his heels and seems to disappear into the shadows. You’re not sure if he just did, your mind too caught up in what he just said.
What or who were the Demons? Your father is with them? You thought Hong Jisoo’s family to be just opposing the opposite side of the court that favored the Hwarang, was it a ruse and he’s actually some sort of revivalist? Does this mean that your father is working with them?
Who are these people that call themselves ‘Demons’? And what do they want with you?
“Who are they?” You look at Jihoon, “The Demons?”
“After fighting them, I can say that they’re not like any human I’ve ever fought,” a shake of his head, “Not even close. I’ve fought against people from each kingdom but none of them… They’ve never been that powerful.” He muses for a moment and nods, “I’d say ‘demon’ is a pretty accurate descriptor.”
“If the commander thinks they’re demons, they really just might be,” Mingyu says, his brow furrowing at Jihoon.
“He is the Hwarang’s Demon, after all,” Soonyoung notes, the same concern from Mingyu’s tone riding in his.
“This is serious,” Jihoon looks at them, trying to quell the playful argument. You feel the tension in your shoulders ease after a while, the dread of seeing Jisoo on familiar ground eventually dissipating as the moments pass. With his arrival, and how easy it was for him to come unexpectedly, you’re sure that you’ll have to have a higher guard now as you walk the headquarters.
𝔖𝔢𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 7𝔱𝔥, 662 – 𝔅𝔲𝔩𝔤𝔲𝔨𝔰𝔞 𝔗𝔢𝔪𝔭𝔩𝔢, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Compared to the year before, it seems as if the Hwarang aren’t being called on to do as much. Both the raid on Wonweol and the attack on Ongsan seem like a distant memory as you look up at your ceiling from your bed. In a way, you’re thankful for the peace wrought on by this year. It’s allowed you to take up looking for your father again and help more around the temple. The night rolling in and covering your room in a shroud of darkness, the sound of the crickets outside chirping away keeping you awake.
You push yourself from your bedding and rise to your feet, maybe a walk would help you become sleepy. Right now, you are anything but tired.
Treading quietly across the floor, you open your door, the hinges creaking as you push it open. The halls are quiet as you trapeze through them, in some rooms you can hear loud snoring, in others, nothing at all. You don’t catch sight of anyone until you reach the end of the hall that opens into a courtyard, a figure standing in the shadows as they look up towards the sky.
As you edge nearer to the greenery, you can see that it’s the commander, standing still as the moonlight cascades down onto him. His foot taps in subtle anxiousness, as if he’s waiting for someone.
This isn’t something for you to see, but a quickening curiosity takes over you as another figure approaches the commander from the other end of the courtyard.
“I’m sorry for asking you to come out so late, Jihoon,” Seungcheol’s quiet voice rings out through the nearly empty space.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jihoon turns from gazing up at the stars and looks to his friend with a small smile, “It’s a little difficult to talk during the day.”
You’ve lost all chance to either leave or inject yourself into the conversation, so you just stand and watch their conversation unfold before you.
“How are you doing?” Jihoon asks, his once soft gaze hardening with concern, “Don’t bullshit me, I’ve barely seen you since you went to Hwangnyongsa.”
Seungcheol merely smiles softly, “I’m feeling alright since the sun’s down. If I was going to complain I’d talk about the heat or humidity.”
“I know you don’t like the sun,” The commander notes, “and everybody hates the humidity and heat. But you know what I’m asking, Seungcheol.”
“Are you asking if I’ve gone mad?” The colonel asks simply, his brow raising. “If you’re worried about me, I’ll let you know that I don’t regret taking the pimul; I’ve regained the use of my arm, I’m able to carry a sword when I thought I’d never do so again.”
Seungcheol’s smile doesn’t seem to be the answer that Jihoon is looking for, and a frown overtakes him. “At what cost, though?” His voice low as he asks, pressing further, “When you become a Fury, you lose a part of yourself… Maybe even too much. I’m sorry if I’m not taking this lightly, I’m worried about you.”
“You’ve always worried too much, Jihoon,” Seungcheol says, brows knitting together as he cannot fully understand his friend’s concern. “This was a gift, a miracle, even!”
“One man’s miracle is another’s curse,” Jihoon sighs out with a scowl, “I don’t like the monkey’s paw aspect of it.”
“How scary!” Seungcheol chuckles, “I’d be a fool if I ignored one of your famed hunches.”
“You’d be a fool if you joked about this,” the scowl still present as Jihoon crosses his arms, “I’m not trying to be funny.” His fingers tap along his robes as he shakes his head, “You should be standing side by side with Youngmin and me, you’re a colonel, our colonel.”
“You’re acting odd,” Seungcheol’s lighthearted tone vacating, “Are you okay?” He suddenly looks over to you, locking eyes with yours as a small smile dances along his lips.
Jihoon follows his line of sight and catches you eavesdropping into their conversation. “What are you doing out here?!” He questions as you panic in place.
“I’m sorry,” breaking your gaze with Seungcheol you look to the ground, “I wasn’t sure if I should say something and then the two of you began talking…”
“You’ve got more important things to worry about than me, Jihoon,” Seungcheol sighs out and looks at the commander. “Gongmyung and his men, for starters. I’ve heard he’s been acting stranger than usual these days.”
“I’ve been working on that,” Jihoon relents, dropping his arms to let them fall to his sides.
Seungcheol nods, a gleam of satisfaction in his eye before he gives you a simple nod and walks away into the depths of the compound. You’re about to return to your quarters before Jihoon calls out to you.
“I haven’t dismissed you yet,” he says as you begin to turn. You freeze in place only to turn to face him fully once more. “I know you’re not an idiot so you shouldn’t act like one.” His voice is low, almost a whisper as he doesn’t wish for anyone to overhear him, “The more you know about us, the more danger you’re putting in front of yourself. It’s easy to die around here, you’ve seen that… Do you understand?”
“I’m sorry for imp—” you begin before he cuts you off, raising his voice.
“Don’t be sorry,” his head shakes, “Just be careful and stay out of trouble.” When it seems like he has nothing more to say, he raised a hand to the bridge of his nose and pinches it, quelling some sort of thought before he turns of his heels and begins to walk back towards his room.
“Commander,” you find yourself calling out. Jihoon looks so… dejected and lonely after his talk with Seungcheol, you have to say something. “Can I help with the research?”
“What the hell?” You hear him say before he turns to look back at you, “Of course not.”
“I don’t have my father’s knowledge or expertise… but I want to do something to help,” you insist, feeling responsible as if your absent father’s duties had been passed to you. “I can read his notes and help explain them, he left a lot of research material at his clinic in Toehwa-hyeon… There’s got to be something useful there. I can find something to help.”
“Heo continued his research here, don’t you know that?” Jihoon takes a deep breath as to not fume so much, “Even if we tore his clinic down to the foundations to get any scrap of information, the chances that we’ll find some new research is slim to none.”
“I can do my own research!” You push, hands clenching at your sides.
“You’re not thinking about this hard enough,” His gaze hardens, “Could you accept responsibility for things if they go south?” A sigh as he sees you begin to stumble and scramble for words, “Look, your father’s one of the top doctors in the kingdom with the knowledge of Tang medicine. He couldn’t figure that shit out. Someone like your or me with no outstanding medical knowledge isn’t going to do much better.”
Jihoon’s right and you know it, even if you don’t want to admit your faulty thinking. It’s highly ambitious of you to think that you could find a cure-all to the pimul and what your father had done to the Hwarang. As you look to Jihoon, you try and look as stoic and unbothered as possible to stop him from seeing how heartbroken you feel.
His mouth turns into a wry smile at your attempt, “You want to help and that’s what’s important. I won’t forget that.” Jihoon nods his head to show appreciation, “But you have to wait for now. The Hwarang dug themselves into this hole so that means we have to find a way out.”
Even if his demeanor is cold most of the time, there’s a hidden sincerity behind that face that only peeks through sometimes.
“I get it,” he continues, “your father was a part of the research team and you feel responsible, right? We’re still looking for him, and either we find him, or we don’t, you’ll just have to wait.” When you continue to silently object him, he frowns a bit, “Furies are bad news, in a perfect world we would’ve never gotten involved. But this world is far from it, and they might be our advantage should Goguryeo try and help those revivalists. Only as a last resort though, the cost is still too high.”
A shake of his head, “Never mind that now, though. This is between you and me though, okay?” His words hold the same tinge of threat that you’d heard on several occasions before. You nod almost out of habit at this point. “Also, the next time you take a stroll, be more cautious of who and what you may be stumbling in on.”
#seventeen x you#seventeen x reader#seventeen fanfic#seventeen imagines#jihoon x you#jihoon fluff#jihoon angst#jihoon x reader#jihoon smut#jihoon seventeen#jihoon imagines#woozi x you#woozi x reader#woozi smut#woozi fluff#woozi angst
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hey ♡
i'm based on ao3, but since i realise i have a looot of short drabbles that would be a bit of a waste on ao3, i decided to open this blog to dump everything!
and of course i take requests! i don't mind anything ranging from fluff to smut/explicit content (i'm a little rusty on that one though) so please go ahead and request away! i'm too free for this >_<
#ab6ix imagines#ab6ix blurbs#youngmin imagines#woong imagines#donghyun imagines#woojin imagines#daehwi imagines#ab6ix smut#youngmin smut#woong smut#donghyun smut#woojin smut#kpop imagines#kpop smut
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delicious.
character: im youngmin ; mxm
writer: admin lust
genre: smut (obviously)
summary: youngmin rewards you with his mouth after you help out with his rap
warnings: eating out, a teasing youngmin
word count: 1.9k
a/n: requested scenario! also holy shit this gif u know he really uses it for good use ;)
It was late at night and Youngmin was at his desk writing lyrics for his own song. You were on the bed laying down, scrolling through sns or playing time-killing games. He’s been working on his lyrics for a while now and you’d often see him crumple the paper and toss it in the trash can next to him, scratching his head. It was probably the 8th time since he crumpled up another piece, but this time he just placed his hands on his eyes, resting his elbows on the desk. You got up walking towards him and slipping your arms around his neck, placing a kiss on his ear.
“Lyrics not working out babe?”
Youngmin turned his chair to kiss your cheek before letting out a small sigh. “Yeah… I guess I’m just tired today.” he said looking at the other pages of lyrics that was already written. He grabbed the pages and read over them again. “I don’t know why but the lyrics I’m trying to write after these ones just don’t sound nice together. I even tried rewriting this part to make it blend smoother with the second part.” He glanced at the trash with some of his crumpled papers inside or resting beside it.
“Hey hey, don’t be too hard on yourself. What if I help you with them a little? Hm?” you cooed and gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled and wrapped his arms around your waist to kiss you on the lips. “My number one supporter helping me? I’ll gladly take the help.”
Surprisingly, your ideas helped his thought process flow more. You watched him as his eyes lit up when he felt like some lines fit well together, hearing his small ‘ahs’ of satisfaction whenever he mumbled some lines together. You figured since he was back into his “master rap lyricist” mode, you went into the kitchen and whipped up a small desert as a prize for him. It was just a small bowl of ice cream with chocolate syrup and heart sprinkles. You walked back into the bedroom and placing the bowl next to his arm. He turned his head and glanced at the ice cream smiling while he continued to write the last of his lyrics.
“Just for me?”
You bent down and kissed his cheek. “Of course, who else would it be for besides me?” He huffed a laugh out of his nose and scooped a small piece into his mouth, letting it melt in his mouth as he cleaned up his desk a little. You plopped yourself back on the bed, watching him walk towards you with his ice cream. You just thought he was gonna silently enjoy his ice cream right?
Nope.
He spooned a small amount of the ice cream in his mouth and grabbed the side of your face, kissing you deeply. You felt the coldness of the ice cream melt quickly between your tongues and Youngmin’s hand grabbing the back of your head, pulling you towards him as he kept deepening the kiss. When the ice cream was no longer in either of your mouths, he pulled away and gave you a smug look. Your felt your face heat up and slapped his chest lightly, making him chuckle.
“Wh-what was that for….” you mumbled, pouting your lips and looking up at him with puppy eyes.
“I just wanted to share my reward with you for helping me with the lyrics.” his tone sounding like he didn’t do anything wrong. He scooped another piece of the ice cream in his mouth and smiled cheekily. “I mean, if that wasn’t a good enough of a reward for you I can do something else.”
You saw how his eyes looked darker with lust, his tongue going over his lips either from the ice cream remaining on his mouth or from thinking about ravishing you right then and there. It could’ve been both, really. Your mind wandered to many places, replaying the past times he just had you screaming his name, the feeling in your stomach starting to coil. You leaned back a little and scanned his body. For some reason your attention kept going back to his lips. He could do so many things to you; kiss you deeply to the point where you have to pull him off of you just to regain your breath, leave a shit ton of bruises and bites around your body whether it be around your neck or around your inner thighs– stop. He was staring at you patiently, waiting for your answer. To be honest he was smirking to himself because he knew where your mind was heading.
He placed his hand under your chin and looked down at you with hooded lids. “Well, what do you want me to do baby?” his voice was now deep and raspy as if he just woke up from sleeping. You felt your breathing hitch a little and the same feeling in your lower stomach came back again when you heard his voice. You couldn’t submit now. You didn’t even do anything. You grabbed the collar off his shirt and pulled him roughly to bring his head next to your mouth.
“How about you use that rapper tongue of yours to good use?” you whispered into his ear and immediately pushed him back with a smug look on your face. You leaned your body back the smallest bit, your legs slightly opened a little to give him more of a hint. He cocked an eyebrow and leaned forward to push you all the way down against the bed, placing soft kisses from your lips down to your collarbone, occasionally stopping to suck on the skin a little to leave marks. His thigh was in between your legs, pressing against your heat whenever he pushed his body forward. You just wanted some sort of friction and pushed your body down to rub against it, eliciting a small moan from you. He stopped kissing your body and looked at you with dark eyes again, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
“We can’t get too impatient baby…” he breathed and slid his hands down your body to pull your shirt and bra up, feeling at your breasts softly, his rough fingers grazing your nipples. You let out a small whine and wiggled your hips. It was pretty obvious that you were desperate and Youngmin loved how he was able to make you like this so quickly. He smiled to himself as he started getting lower and lower as he placed wet kisses on your body. Right when he got to the hem of your shorts, he looked up at you, giving you an innocent smile. You lifted your head, annoyed that he just stopped there.
“You said to make good use of my tongue right? How am I supposed to know what’s good if you don’t tell me?” he said, rubbing circles on your hip with his thumb. You inhaled deeply since you didn’t want to give up what little of your ego you had left at the moment.
“Please, just eat me out already!” you whined and started to rock your hips slightly. As soon as you said that, he stood up to rip your shorts off along with your underwear, teasing the folds of your heat with his fingers before going down and sliding his tongue all the way up, stopping at your clit to suck at it roughly. You let out a scream and arched your back, your arms squirming around not knowing what to do from the sudden attack on your sensitive area.
His tongue felt incredibly warm and the fact that it was huge helped with covering everything. He continued to kitten lick your clit, the tips of his fingers teasing at your hole. His other hand slid under to grab your ass, prompting you to buck your hips towards him. He felt you pushing and slid one of his fingers right in, curving it up to rub at your sensitive spot. You let out strained curses and moans as he slowly pumped his finger in you, your eyes rolling back from the amount of pleasure.
He slipped out his finger only to rub the wetness of that finger onto another so that he could shove both of them in, pumping it fast. Youngmin looked up to see you grabbing onto the bedsheets as if your life depended on it. Your chest was rising up and down quickly as you choked out moans, making him suck on your clit harder. He pulled his head away to grab the inner parts of your thighs and spreading them farther apart, flattening his tongue to swipe at your folds before sticking it inside your heat. His tongue reached as far as it could, wiggling it inside, his thumb circling your sensitive bud. Your hips kept rising as you let out quiet pleads and your eyes starting to tear up.
“Pl-please… please Youngmin… I’m so close…” you whined loudly and continued to moan out different curses. You were pushing your heat against his face at this point and he was using his tongue to fuck you. The feeling was drastically different from his dick, but oh he fucking knew how to use it to where you’re pleading him to finish you off. When he heard your whine, he looked up for a second to see the desperation on your face and pushed his body so much that you slid up the bed. His fingers were continuously rubbing large circles on your clit as he tried his hardest to get his tongue as far as he could inside you. As he pushed you farther, his hips pressed against the side of the bed, making him flinch a little since he was rock hard for the longest time. He thrusted his hips softly against the bed as he sped up his actions on you. You felt your core start to coil as he went faster, your legs kicking up and your hands gripping tightly at the bed.
“Oh my- FUCK”
You were screaming his name as your hips shook almost violently, your juices covering Youngmin’s mouth. His hands were softly rubbing at your legs so that they could calm down. He stood up licking around his plump and slightly swollen lips, swiping a hand over it before bending down to place them lovingly on your body.
“Was it good baby?” he said lowly, his cleaner hand going up to push the hair sticking to your sweat covered forehead back and caressing your cheek. You huffed out a quick ‘uh-huh’ regaining your breath. You felt incredibly sweaty and you were surprised you were breathing at all, plus you just felt extra sensitive, your thighs occasionally twitching. He may have just eaten the life out of you but he just had to smile at how you could barely speak because of him.
“I know you’re trying to breath right now but….” he pushed his bulge against your heat which made you whimper from the sensitivity, “I need help with this…”
By then, your breathing was more evened out than before and you had just enough strength to sit up and kiss him. You could taste yourself, but honestly, you were fucked, he’s got an angry dick to be taken care of, and you were ready to get fucked again. You wrapped your legs around his waist to turn him on his back and straddling him. You finally pulled your sweat covered shirt and bra before pushing your hips back against his dick.
“Lay down and let me treat you again yeah?” you said with a breathy voice, making Youngmin’s spine shiver. His hands landed on your waist, pushing you down onto him as he pushed his hips up.
“I can’t wait.”
#im youngmin#im youngmin smut#youngmin#youngmin smut#produce 101 scenarios#produce 101#produce 101 season 2#produce 101 imagines#produce 101 smut#p101#p101 scenarios#p101 imagines#p101 smut#mxm im youngmin#mxm youngmin#mxm im youngmin smut#broduce 101#mxm scenarios#mxm imagines
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Angelic Return
Word count; 1,771
Fandom; AB6IX
Rating; Explicit
Pairing; Reader X Jeon Woong & Reader X Park Woojin
Characters; Park Woojin, Jeon Woong & Lim Youngmin
Warnings; Angst, fluff and Smut, Fingering and Oral sex and Pregnancy Kinks
Notes; Chapter 9/13 earlier Chapters Here
“Hi Hyung,” Woojin replied bowing. You looked at him confused with his slight change in confidence. He refused to look at you as Woong walked up the stairs smiling at you sweetly. “Y/N I’ve missed you,” he said wrapping his arms around your waist pulling you into him. “You look so good,” he said standing back to look you as if he savoured every inch of your view.
“Thanks,” you blushed. Woojin turned to look at you, his unreadable gaze refixed. “I was just taking her home,” he said, his eyes connecting with yours for a mere second, before he focused his eyes on Youngmim, still stood silently at the bottom of the stairs. “Really?” Woong asked sounding disappointed. “I was hoping to spend some time with you while we was here,” he said taking your hand into his. “Hyung she’s not well, she’s depressed here, we even sought doctors advice,” he said without glancing at you once. Woong put his back of his hand to your forehead, “Y/N you feeling poorly?” he asked cupping your face. “Yeah I think it’s being away from my family for so long,” you said smiling at him. Woong looked down towards Youngmin, “can I be excused for a while,” he asked, Youngmin silently nodded and Woong bowed. “Y/N let me look after you, i can drop you home before we go back to Spain,” he said draping his arm round your shoulder. You looked at Woojin who was unmoved, his focus at his eldest brother. You let Woong walk you towards your room, listening to him talk about how he missed you and how Donghyun had filled him in of all the things you got up to.
You reached your bed and he lifted the sheets to encourage you to get in. You silently obeyed as he draped the blanket over and sat next to you. “It must Be weird me suddenly being here,” he asked. “Kind of, we hardly know each other,” you admitted. “Well I’m here for a couple of days it be good to get to know you a bit more, if you let me,” Woong said. “But tell me, tell me Woojin didn’t hurt you?” He asked looking worried for your response. “No like I said on the phone minus those first couple of weeks he looked after me well,” you replied. “I have to hand it to you he doesn’t normally have a good bone in his body, but When Donghyun said he brought you here I knew you had found a way to thaw him out a little,” he said complimenting you. “Well I’m sure that’s not true he’s always surrounded by women,” you said. “Y/N their not his women their his whores. They jump into his bed for the status, why do you think he goes through so many,” he scoffed. “That man’s incapable of settling down,” he added. “Unlike me, I’m always looking to my future, well I did anyway,” he said bitterly. “You mean till you rescued a scared kitten, and found yourself following your family business,” you said for him. “Lost kitten, is that what you call yourself,” he chuckled. “What else would you call me? Suppose anything’s better then Woong’s whore,” you chuckled, his face straightened, “aye daehwi’s good chose of words still remain I see,” he said, as he placed his hands on your knee. “Y/N your special, your not a lost kitten, nor a whore,” he said. “Anyway you must be tired, get some sleep we should hang out tomorrow,” he said kissing your forehead and leaving the room.
Woong had kept his promise, the next couple of days while Youngmin kept Woojin busy in a different location of the mansion. Woong took you for picnics in the grounds, you had showed off your archery and shooting skills to his amazement. You spent evenings dancing to music, him showing off his skills. He was so gentle with you and such a light relief to be around. He was totally different to Woojin. Tonight however, he suggested a movie night but instead invited you to his room. You walked down the corridor when you saw a woman leave Woojin’s room. Your heart sunk, just a couple days ago he told you he wanted you. Yet again he was itching his scratch with someone else. You felt anger bubbling at Woongs words of Woojin’s inability to love choking you. Tears pricked your eyes as you walked past his room to Woongs.
Woong’s face lit up as he opened his bedroom door to you. His large bed tucked behind the door and an array of blankets strewn on the floor. The projector was set up and a tray of delicious finger food in the middle of the floor, all complete with a bowl of popcorn and a bucket of iced champagne. “You came,” he said pretending to sound surprised. “Yeah traffic was bad I almost didn’t make it,” you teased as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. He led you to the blanket mattress he made. “What movie do you fancy?” he asked. “Any I’m happy with anything,” you replied feeling his cheery vibes. You watched a comedy first, both chuckling away as he handed you snacks to munch on. Before you knew it the film ended. “Another one?” He asked, when you nodded his smile widened as he played a horror movie. You both jumped as you hugged into his shoulder. He patted the gap between his thighs. “Hey come sit here I’ll protect you from the scary men,” he teased. “Your just as scared as I am,” you replied smirking but sat between his legs. His arms wrapping around your waist as his head rested on your shoulder. Each scary moment his grip on you tightened, pulling you closer. His hands resting above your breasts as his breathing took to your ear. You felt your heat dampen as you realised you was turned on. You froze at first but remembered Woojin was doing the same, so relaxed into his arms moving your ass back into him more, feeling his bulge against you. He gasped at the contact, the sounds escaping to your hearing making your skin goose-bumpy. You gulped as you pressed your thighs together.
It was then that the power to the house turned off. You both froze as he pulled you closer, his hands resting on your thighs. “It’s ok Y/N it’s just a power cut,” he whispered into your ear. “You sure, shouldn’t we check,” you stuttered. “Y/N it’s fine no one will hurt you,” he said stroking your palms. You then felt his Lips brush your neck. You froze at first but as they continued you melted into his lips. “Y/N can I kiss you?” he asked. “Erm sure,” you stuttered, feeling you had to oblige.
He stood up and took your hands, walking you to his bed his lips touching yours. Unlike Woojin they was more gentle as he stroked your neck, his lips glided over yours. He gently sat you down on the bed straddling you as his lips searched further, his lips remaining absent from yours but made the kisses that much more sweeter when they returned. His hands playing with the hem of your T-shirt. He removed his lips to take your top off. His hands cupping your clothed breasts. “I need to feel those boobs,” he said squeezing them. “Surely you know how to take a bra off,” you teased. With that his hands found themselves to the back of your bra unclasping them in one quick movement. He threw your bra away cupping your bare skinned breasts, softly playing with them as his lips returned to yours. He flipped you so you was straddling him, his lips leaving yours so he could remove his T-shirt. Though you couldn’t see his defined abs, you touched them, stroking the hard marbled body he hid behind his clothes. He moved himself further into the bed keeping you connected to his waist. You brushed against his clothed bulge and gently moaned at the touch. “You sound delicious when you moan, I need more,” he said flipping you again so you was underneath him. He fiddled your pants down taking the underwear with them so you was naked. He raked his fingers down your chest towards your stomach and then down to your heat. He connected his fingers with your nub making circular movements. You moaned into his finger work. He plunged his finger into your hole causing you to arch your back, moaning louder in response. “I could cum just at your voice,” he threatened. He spread your legs his tongue finding your clit, he suckled causing you to moan louder, your hands pulling into his hair. He licked strips across your pussy, juices flowing as he licked it up, your pelvis thrusting to meet his tongue.
“Fuck me Woong,” you panted taking him by surprise. “I thought you would never ask,” he growled playfully. He removed his remaining clothes hovering over you, his mouth returning to yours as your fingers laced together. He rolled his hips against you, his hard member digging against your thigh. He placed his member at your entrance and slammed himself into you taking you by surprise, your moans almost screams. He hungrily greedily sped against you not waiting for you to adjust. You winced slightly but the pleasure took over as your walls clenched around him. “I’m going to make you mine,” he moaned out. “I’m going to put a baby in their so your stuck with me forever,” he moaned, his hands resting over your stomach. “Do you want that Y/N?” he asked. “A piece of me growing in their,” he said, his thrusts fastening as he gripped your stomach. Your walls clenching at his words as you felt your high threaten you. “Woong I’m going to cum,” you moaned encouraging his speed to almost feel unnatural. His tip hitting your cervix causing your orgasm to build up quickly as you screamed through your orgasm. Your nails raking through his back as you shaked through your high. His thrusts remained Unfaulted, slamming into you. Your sensitivity hitting you as you moaned and squirmed at the feeling, his lips finding your neck as he suckled marking you before he filled you. He slowed his pace looking at the cum dribble from your hole. He used his cock to fuck it back into you as you moaned against the feeling. “If that don’t get you knocked up and mine forever I don’t know what will,” he smirked kissing your forehead.
Previous Chapter. Next Chapter
Masterlist
#fiction#kpop smut#kpopidol#ab6ix smut#park woojin#jeon woong#lim youngmin#mafia smut#Jeon woong smut
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sex with woong
(A/N): because moondance did Things to me and I needed to get this out
general
vanilla af
he’s innocent and probably inexperienced so you’ll need to teach him things
but also he’s a dancer and we’ve seen how his hips move so... do with that information what you will
definitely stronger than he looks... be prepared for that even though he’s mostly soft
he likes it slow and romantic and sensual
long, slow strokes but they’re POWERFUL and PRECISE
but also I can see him getting wrapped up in the moment and going super hard and fast and then feeling guilty the next day when you can’t walk
but then other times he can probably be super playful and giggly and it’s just fun and breathless and you can barely kiss each other bc you’re smiling so much
probably a switch, but also I don’t see him really being into that power dynamic most of the time
but also imagine pegging him holy shit
willing to try some new things, but probably gets intimidated when it comes to intensely kinky stuff
speaking of kinky...
kinks
P R A I S E K I N K
since he’s inexperienced he’d probably love to hear when he’s doing well
(also he can be insecure and wants to do well so I feel like he’d work hard trying to learn what you like why am I crying now)
hearing you moan and whimper isn’t enough for him he needs verbal confirmation
asks for it honestly
“do you like that?” “does that feel good?”
eye contact and/or hand holding
does this count as a kink???? let’s say it does
again... he likes it slow and romantic
wants to watch you get lost in pleasure
wants you to hold eye contact with him while he goes down on you
wants to feel as connected with you as possible tbh
overstimulation (giving)
really just wants you to feel good
over and over and over and-
also I feel like he’s got good stamina which contributes to him wanting to overstimulate u
touching
this one is def not a kink I just didn’t know where else to put it but it needed to be said
this boy wants as much bodily contact as possible
I can see him being really into fucking you while spooning wowowow
damn imagine that lazy morning sex while spooning and he’s just pressing kisses all over your neck and shoulder and it’s super soft and gentle and feels soooooo good I need a minute
sounds
not super loud at first
probably mostly breathy moans (see moondance 01:27) and heavy breathing tbh
whimpers
WHINES
can be loud (esp when he’s abt to finish or in the rare cases where you’re going hard)
conclusion
a soft and romantic boy
he’s always focused on putting his partner first
sex with woong would always be full of love
#woong smut#jeon woong smut#ab6ix smut#ab6ix scenarios#woong scenarios#honestly never thought I'd be writing woong smut and yet here I am#also I'm probably gonna do this with youngmin and donghyun too... hmmmmm#not for woojin or daehwi tho they babies to me
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fill me - youngmin smut
requested: Hey! Love your writing!!! ❤️ can I request breeding kink with Youngmin from Ab6ix please?
warnings: smut, breeding, unprotected sex, dom! youngmin
pairing: youngmin x (f) reader
His hand is around your throat with his cock stuffed deep inside of you. You’re pretty sure his was pushing against your cervix, but you didn’t mind, the feeling of pain mixed with pleasure sending you over the edge, once again, making it your third orgasm of the night.
“Fuck..” he curses,”that’s it, baby..cum all over my cock”
You squirm underneath him as he continues his rough pace, the feeling of your walls still processing your last orgasm making him moan loudly. His dick twitches inside of you, you lock your legs around his waist, keeping him between your legs as his thrusts become sloppy.
“Gonna fill this pretty little cunt with my seed and fuck it so far into you that none spills out” he growls using his hands to hold your hips up against his.
He cums with a loud moan of your name. His hips pushing directly against yours making you yelp in pleasure, “M-min” you moan gripping the sheet tightly in your hands.
He shushes you, pulling out and settling himself between your legs. He drags his fingers up your slit, collecting the little bit of cum that dripped out and pushes it back into your hole.
“There, now none of it will come out and hopefully this is the one” he says kissing your thigh with a hopeful smile and gets up from your shared bed.
__
“How long do we wait?” he asks sitting next to you on the bathroom floor.
You hold up two fingers, showing that you both needed to wait 2 minutes for the pregnancy test to process and give you an answer. Your heart beat was rapid and your legs shook as your body began to fill with anxiety. This would be yours and youngmin’s fifth time trying for a child, to say you were walking on a thin line of hope was an understatement. You didn’t understand why it was so hard for you to have a child. You’ve been married to youngmin for 2 years now and together for five. Every doctor you’ve gone to see, has said there is nothing wrong with either of you, so you didn’t undertsand, all your other friends have a child, if not one they had a least two and you were the only one struggling.
The sound of your alarm cuts your thoughts short. Youngmin stops it and takes your hand in his.
“No matter what, I love you” he says with hopeful eyes.
You nod, too scared to say anything, and reach for the test. You take a deep breath in and exhale slowly. Here goes nothing. You flip the test and gasp, your eyes fill with tears, and a bright smile takes over your face.
“I-i’m pregnant” you say and look at your husband.
“We’re having a baby?” Youngmin says shocked as his eyes open wide,”Oh my god, we’re having a baby!” He yells and tackles you in a hug.
You both stay there for awhile, crying and exchanging “I love you’s”, finally feeling complete.
#ab6ix smut#ab6ix#ab6ix fluff#ab6ix fanfic#kpop#kpop smut#kpop fluff#kpop fanfic#ab6ix youngmin#lim youngmin#enhypemen#enhypemen masterlist
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CONCEPT PHOTO #4
AB6IX 2 EP 'VIVID'
#ab6ix#wallpapers#ab6ix woojin#ab6ix youngmin#ab6ix wallpapers#ab6ix woong#ab6ix moodboard#ab6ix drabbles#ab6ix smut#ab6ix daehwi#ab6ix donghyun#VIVID#concept photo#4#AB6IX#���이비식스#fondos#woong#woojin#youngmin#daehwi#donghyun
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@midnightloki77 + Romin (E'LAST) - The Power of the Dragon - Them = Dragon Couple Reading
Disclaimer:
All readings have purely entertainment nature
I don’t know any of the celebrities personally
Don’t base life decisions purely on tarot readings
I can never guarantee any of what’s said in the reading
Before requesting, read the pinned post and appropriate linked post
Tarot readings are my hobby - I’m not obligated to accept any of the requests nor to complete them, it’s my choice, not duty
Waiting time is long, even several months
If you can’t wait, please, seek other tarot reader
Reading Info:
Rating: 18+
Reading Type: Single - Couple
Requested: Yes - No
Requester: @midnightloki77
Deck: Dark Mansion Tarot
Spread: The Power of the Dragon - Them = Dragon
Questions:
First Bite of the Dragon (How would they seduce you)
Hunger of the Dragon (Their desire you would feed)
Order of the Dragon (How would they wrap you around their finger)
Shadow of the Dragon (In what way this relationship weakens them)
Fire of the Dragon (In what way this relationship empowers them)
Whispering of the Dragon (Dracula's Relationship Advice)
Celebrity Info:
Full Name: Choi Youngmin
Stage Name: Romin
Group: E’LAST
DOB: 24.04.2001
Sun Sign: Taurus
Chinese Sign: Metal Snake
Life Path Number: 4
Masterpost: E'LAST
Ko-fi - Voluntary Tip for Readings
@midnightloki77 + Romin
Choi Youngmin
Romin (E’LAST)
Deck: Dark Mansion Tarot
Spread: The Power of the Dragon - Them = Dragon
First Bite of the Dragon (How would they seduce you) [13] - 2 of Pentacles
Seducing you would be a piece of cake for Romin. Not that he wouldn’t have to try but he already possesses all the skills and charms necessary. He’s got that perfect balance of mystery and genuineness that makes you fall for him.
Hunger of the Dragon (Their desire you would feed) [47] - 10 of Wands
Romin is a dynamic man in his primes. It’s no surprise he might find many people dull or insufficient. Not you, you can match him when it comes to energy, spark and passion. You are open minded, have stamina and endurance to take what Romin has to offer. You don’t grow tired easily and can keep up with his tempo for as long as needed.
Order of the Dragon (How would they wrap you around their finger) [75] - 9 of Swords
Oh-oh! Romin seems to be a bit of a manipulator. He’s likely to create some illusions in order to keep you close and dependent on him, binding you with fear and insecurity. He’s likely to present catastrophic scenarios to make you believe he’s the only certainty in your life. The point is, he has no real power over you, unless you give it to him yourself.
Shadow of the Dragon (In what way this relationship weakens them) [3] - I The Magician
Romin might start to feel like things are getting out of his hand when he’s in a relationship with you. You are difficult to keep under control for him and it’s something doesn’t suffer gladly. He might become despotic and controllable as a result.
Fire of the Dragon (In what way this relationship empowers them) [51] - 2 of Wands
Romin might start to realise that a more balanced and optimistic approach is needed for a successful relationship. He might start to see that even if he loosens his grip he’s got on you, you will come back. It’s not needed for him to keep you on a leash and secure you with a safety net. The risk is worth it.
Whispering of the Dragon (Dragon's Relationship Advice) [28] - 3 of Wands
Dragon advises you to better consider all the options and routes your relationship could go. Some ways will lead to bliss, but there are also paths leading to despair. It’s necessary to communicate openly and honestly in order to establish the safe grounds upon which you build your relationship.
Thank you for reading!
Hit the Like 💖
Comment! 💬
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Any Feedback is Welcomed ✅
#@midnightloki77#choi youngmin#youngmin#romin#romin smut#romin scenarios#romin imagines#romin elast#romin e'last#elast#elast tarot#elast romin#elast kpop#elast scenarios#elast imagines#e'last#e'last romin#e'last kpop#e'last tarot#e'last scenarios#e'last imagines#kpop e'last#oracle kleo#kpop tarot#kpop#kpop smut#kpop imagine#kpop scenarios
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Reactions | M;F
AB6IX reaction to another member flirting/being too close to their S/O.
Not a request- just for fun*
Youngmin
Youngmin loved having you around and so did the members. So it wasn’t weird that you would hang out in the dorm often. It wasn’t until you were setting the table to eat that Youngmin noticed Donghyun’s eyes linger on your frame for too long. Youngmin realized that Donghyun had a perfect view of your chest so he decided to act. “Hey babe, why don’t you put on one of my shirts. You know how much I love to see you in them.” Youngmin would say sending you a wink causing Donghyun to snap out of it and fiddle in his seat.
Donghyun
Donghyun wasn’t a very jealous guy but he did have his moments. You would be in the living room sitting with the boys, sucking on a lollipop, being super innocent. Well, that is until Youngmin looked over and kept his eyes on your lips. Once Donghyun noticed he would snap back at his leader. “Youngmin focuse on the movie!” He would then take the lollipop from you and whisper in your ear. “From now on, the only thing you’re sucking is me. Understood?” Sometimes his jealousy was welcomed.
Woong
Woong loved that you were a dancer because that’s how you two connected, it was perfect. But when Woojin decided to ask you to be his dance partner and you agreed , he was not too pleased about it. He would be present in all dance practices, keeping an eye on Woojin’s hands. He was fine until the ending part where you would rest your back on Woojin’s chest and Woong lost it. “Woojin, seriously, you guys don’t have to be that close for that long.” He said as he grabbed your hand to head out. “Practice is over and cancelled for tomorrow- since y/n will be too sore to even move.” Woong would add as he looked back at the younger member with a smirk.
Woojin
Woojin is very clingy and loving and he would be all over you every second that he could. But when he saw you and Daehwi in the kitchen laughing and shoving each other playfully, he lost it. “If you two keep this up, the food will never be ready.” Woojin would say as he got in between the two of you. He would send you a death stare while also pouting his lips demanding a kiss. After you kissed him he wouldn’t move from his spot and would even pretend to be helping just to stay close to you.
Daehwi
(Since he is a minor this will be super fluff but still kind of jealous)
“Y/n, why don’t you have coffee with Woong again since you two get along so well.” Daehwi would say with a sarcastic tone making sure you understood he was jealous. Daehwi would be playing the piano as you tried to reason with him but he wasn’t having it. Finally, you would give up and give him a back hug. “Daehwi, do you want to go get food? I’m buying.” You would say causing him to pause his playing. “Fine, but we’re getting ice cream for dessert.” Daehwi would add while flashing his brightest smile.
[CD]
#ab6ix drabbles#ab6ix imagines#ab6ix one shots#ab6ix fanfiction#ab6ix smut#ab6ix fanfic#ab6ix scenarios#ab6ix woojin#ab6ix youngmin#ab6ix woong#ab6ix donghyun#ab6ix daehwi#ab6ix reactions#ab6ix fluff#abnew
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𝔥𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤 - 𝔩𝔧𝔥 || 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔳𝔦
pairing: lee jihoon x female!reader genre: historical au, fluff, angst, smut (later routes), supernatural members: choi seungcheol, wen junhui, kwon soonyoung, jeon wonwoo, lee seokmin, kim mingyu, boo seungkwan, lee chan, hong jisoo, xu minghao, choi hansol warnings: crass humor and language, blood, violence, mentions of suicide, alcohol, minor character death, major character death, 660's sexism, crossdressing, medical procedures, political upset, historical inaccuracies for the sake of plot progression word count: 20k
taglist: @reiofsuns2001, @lovrehani, @hipsdofangirl
𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔳 || 𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔳𝔦𝔦
𝔄𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔩 7𝔱𝔥, 666 - ℌ𝔞𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔤, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Sometime after the incident between Jihoon and you, you begin to move northward, back to Hanseong. Nearly a month after its liberation from the Goguryeo forces, the Hwarang settled on a private estate just outside of the city’s walls. Youngmin had been reluctant to return to the battlefields, but after several conversations with Jihoon, he’d become convinced otherwise.
Until the preparations to siege Pyongyang were in place, you would be set up in Hanseong to train. Hansol had gone to a town some ways south to train in Tang weaponry with one of Wong Kunhang’s assistants, Hao Chujun. Seungcheol and Soonyoung had left with the Fury Corps along the naval route to Bakjak as they were not permitted to travel to Hanseong.
“Do you know where the Gukseon Kwak is?” A voice calls out to you, and you turn to see Kim Dohoon standing there, his eyes wide.
“I think he’s reading in his room,” you have to think of when you last saw him. Weight shifting from foot to foot you try not to look concerned, “Is something the matter?”
“It’s nothing in particular, but…” There’s a peculiar expression on his face you can’t quite grasp. “I can’t shake this worrying feeling like he’s lost the will for us to fight again since the last time we were here…”
“Hmm…” You purse your lips, “I don’t think that’s the case. I can’t say that he’s completely lost his will to fight.”
Dohoon is hesitant to respond as he stays quiet, eventually speaking again, “You’re probably right, huh? I mean, Commander Lee is still giving his all for him. I’m sure he’ll return to his old self soon enough.” With that, Dohoon quickly scurries off, racing back into the depths of the manor.
As you watch him, you can’t help but let his words sting you a little. Youngmin certainly had lost some of that ambitious fire he’d always had in his eyes as of late. If he wasn’t holed up reading in his room, he’d spend time in solitude out in the garden. Yet, you hold on hope that his confidence had deflated only a little after the battle in Hanseong.
Prompted by the meeting with Dohoon, you decide to pay the Chief a visit a few hours later.
“I’ve brought you some tea,” You say quietly as you slide open the door. Youngmin sits behind his desk, nose buried in a bound novel, and he greets you with a smile. “What are you reading?”
“Oh, this is Jemangmaega,” he lowers the book, closing it but saving his place with a scrap piece of parchment. “A collection of poems but more critical than that if one reads further into the text. I practically know them by heart now, but with each time I reread them I find I learn something new.”
“When I was younger I wanted to be just like Kim Yushin– he fought for others, more so than just himself,” his grin lasts for a moment before fading, “But I suppose dreaming about being a great commander doesn’t just make you one… I wish I realized that a bit sooner.”
“What are you talking about?” You tilt your head, “You’ve only just begun.”
“... How’s Jihoon?” He asks, not seeming to have heard your prior statement.
“I think he’s in his room writing something.” You state, “Probably writing orders for Hansol, he’s off with Hao Chujun in Kyeju, you know.”
“Ah…” Youngmin sighs, “I keep giving Jihoon so much to do.”
“I don’t think he’s pushing himself too hard,” you say quickly, “And nothing makes him happier than being able to help you. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
Youngmin chuckles at that, “You’ve turned out to be quite a page to him, haven’t you? I think you know him quite well by now.”
“You think so?” You feel your cheeks warm at his certainty. “That’s right… I was supposed to be his page, wasn’t I?”
“To be truthful, I never thought that you’d be with us for this long…” Before you knew it, the two of you had begun to reminisce about your time in Seorabeol. Back then, you never could have guessed where fate would take you. There have been constant challenges, but you thought that’d you’d eventually return to your lives in the capital.
“I know things will work out. The Commander will get us through this.”
Youngmin responds with a melancholy laugh, “Don’t you think you’re asking quite a bit of him?”
“... What do you mean?”
Before Youngmin has any time to answer, the door opens with a snap, Wonwoo and Jihoon briskly walking inside, their faces tense and drawn.
“We have to go. Now.” Jihoon says sharply, “The place’s surrounded.”
“There’s two, maybe three hundred of them out there. We came in through the back so they wouldn’t see us,” Wonwoo says solemnly.
“If it were only twenty or thirty then we could take them… But we don’t have time to call Hansol and his men. Guess we’ll have to come up with something here. You two take Youngmin and go on ahead,” Jihoon says quickly.
“What?!” You speak up, “Not even you can take on that many people. And it’s still daytime…”
“A majority of the soldiers out there are archers,” Wonwoo says as both you and he move toward the door in an effort to block it should Jihoon try to get out.
Youngmin, having been in quiet contemplation since their arrival, speaks out, “You needn't do that, Jihoon. I’ll go and have them take me to their headquarters.”
“What the hell?!” Jihoon shouts out incredulously, “You might as well just paint a target on your chest!”
“I won’t introduce myself as Kwak Youngmin of the Hwarang, of course,” Youngmin sighs as he rises to his feet, “I’ll tell them that we’re soldiers here to just secure the location. At any rate, it should buy you enough time to get away.”
While you and Wonwoo lay shocked into silence, Jihoon doesn’t relent, “Listen to yourself! You really think they’ll let you waltz in and fuck with them like that?! You know how they work! There’s no way in hell that those bastards don’t hate our guts! They won’t believe that shit about us being soldiers for a second!”
“Well, even if I do get captured, I have the status of a Lord. They can’t just kill me.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” Jihoon’s face is a near vibrant red at the moment, “You think they’ll give a shit about a title you have from the Kingdom they’re against?! You go out there, you’re signing your death warrant. You really think I’ll just let you do that?!”
No matter what the Commander yells at him, Youngmin’s expression doesn’t change.
“I’ve made my decision. Nothing you say can convince me otherwise.”
Jihoons fists begin to shake by his sides. In all your time with the Hwarang, you’ve never seen either of them act like this before.
“No! No! What the hell are the Hwarang going to do without their Chief?!” Jihoon shouts, “You’re coming with me even if I have to knock you out and drag you along! You have a responsibility to the Hwarang! You don’t get to die and run away from that!” He’s screaming at Youngmin, his white knuckled fists now gripping the front of the other man’s robes and his eyes red with held-back tears.
Yet his fury and pleas break across Youngmin’s impassable calm like wind against a mountain.
“This is a direct order!” Youngmin says sternly as Jihoon’s hands drop from his robes, “You will go to Kyeju to meet with the rest of our men. The two of you will accompany him as well.” Jihoon stumbles back a step or two at the force of Youngmin’s voice.
“You’re going to tell me what to do…? What the hell is this?!” Jihoon asks near incredulously.
“Aren’t your Chief’s orders absolute?” Youngmin asks with a tilt of his head, “You’ve ordered men to kill themselves, or to become Furies from disobeying that rule. Are you somehow an exception? Is that the sort of warrior you want to be?”
Jihoon says nothing.
As long as he’d been commander, Jihoon strove to lead by example. He lived by the O Gye and demanded that others do likewise to groom the Hwarang into true warriors. There’s no doubt Youngmin had counted on that fact. He meant to do it to keep Jihoon alive.
Youngmin looks to you and Wonwoo, stepping a few paces in your direction, “I want you to leave with Jihoon. If you take too long, they’ll attack and my surrender will mean nothing.” He gives you two a small shove to get you moving, Wonwoo turns to look at Jihoon.
“Commander… Let’s go.”
He only stands, chewing his lip, until Youngmin lays his hands on his friend’s shoulders, giving him a warm smile.
“Hey, Jihoon… Let it go. Let me go.” Youngmin says softly, “You’ve run yourself ragged trying to earn me the status and fame that I wanted. You even turned yourself into a Fury… It kills me to see you do all of these things for me… I’m not worth it.”
Jihoon doesn’t meet his friend’s gaze, he instead blinks rapidly, trying to hold back tears, and stares desperately at the floor. Then he swallows the lump in his throat, his voice tight and strained when he speaks, “I– If I do this, then what have I been fighting for all these years? I became a warrior, served our Kingdom… I won numerous battles and killed men… All because I thought you’d be there at the end with all of us…”
“I’m sorry,” Youngmin’s voice reflects the softness of the other’s, “I brought you here, I did this to you. Thinking back on it, it was all sort of a dream. We weren’t real warriors yet but we strapped on our swords and went to work.” His voice is warm, but that seems to make it even more difficult for Jihoon to let go.
The room is still before the commander speaks, “Jeon… Send a message to our remaining men. We need to secure an escape route.” His gaze then falls to you, “Stay here. Once we’re ready, I’ll come get you.”
“Okay,” you nod quickly. And with that, Wonwoo and Jihoon leave, and Youngmin and you are alone once more.
“Take this with you,” Youngmin says as he begins to reach for something in his robes. After a moment, he hands you a small cloth bag, it clinks as it rests in your palm.
“What is it?”
“Money. To help you escape. I wasn’t able to do anything for you. This is a token of my appreciation, for all you’ve done for us. Please, take it.” His warmth still lingers on the fabric of the bag, you feel a lump rise in your throat. “You still have time. I’ll tell Jihoon. Once you get away, go somewhere safe and look for Doctor Namekawa… Just forget you had anything to do with us. Marry someone you love and live a peaceful life. Find happiness.”
While you appreciate his kind gesture you cannot find it within yourself to follow his guidance, “No, I won’t run. I want to go with Jihoon. I’m… I’m his page…” Your teeth catch your lip, afraid that if you say any more you may cry. Instead, you look up to Youngmin and do your best to smile.
His eyes are warm as he looks to you, “Our Commander’s been blessed with some great friends. I’ll be counting on you, then. Take care of him for me.”
Eventually, Jihoon and Wonwoo return. They gather you and the rest of the men in an outer courtyard on the premises, including Junghwan and Dohoon.
“What?!” Junghwan shouts, “We’re going to leave Chief behind? Is that true Commander?!”
“Chief’s orders,” Jihoon says sternly, “You’re all going to escape this place and I’ll be right behind you.”
“If he just surrenders, then his cover will be blown immediately!” Junghwan insists, “At least here, I could remain by his si–”
“I said, ‘Chief’s orders’! Or do you have shit in your ears?!” Jihoon snaps, “Don’t you dare put Youngmin’s efforts in vain with your stupid suggestions!”
Junghwan looks as if he wants to respond, but instead he looks down as he tightens his fists and shakes.
Just then, Dohoon says, “I’m going to stay. I understand they’re the Chief’s orders. However, as a warrior of the Hwarang, I cannot abandon the Chief.”
“Kim Dohoon!” Wonwoo raises his voice, only to be interrupted.
“Dohoon you bastard…” Jihoon frowns, angrily tapping the hilt of his sword, “You really want this steel in your gut right now?”
“No! It’s not like that,” Dohoon’s eyes burn with intense vigor as he glares back at Jihoon. “I understand you, more than anyone else, want to remain here. But the Chief entrusted the Hwarang to you, which is why you can’t… So that’s why I want to protect him in your stead, Commander!”
Jihoon curls his lip, staring at him for a long moment before unsheathing his blade at his hip.
“Commander!” As the exclamation leaves Wonwoo’s mouth, Jihoon points the tip of the sword toward Dohoon’s throat.
“You said you’ll protect the Chief, right?”
Sweat trickles down Dohoon’s reddened cheeks, “...Yes, I will.”
“Then you’d better keep your goddamn word. No matter what, your eyes don’t leave Kwak, got it?”
Dohoon’s eyes grow wide, trembling for a moment but soon after brim with a fiery determination, “Yes, sir! I, Kim Dohoon, promise to protect the Chief's life, no matter the cost!”
It seems as if he’s convinced Jihoon, as the latter returns his blade to its sheath. “Let’s go.” His words are curt as he nods quickly before leaving the residence behind.
In a short while, Youngmin and Dohoon will hand their terms of surrender to the Goguryeo army. You find yourself looking back over your shoulder many times as you run. Soon, Youngmin will give himself to his enemies. Perhaps, you think time and time again, if you turn around now, you can rescue him,
Wonwoo seems to feel the same way, but Jihoon never once turns back.
You run and run through the forest to Kyeju. It doesn’t matter how quickly you get there– it’s not soon enough to bring back an army to save Youngmin.
“Are you alright?” Wonwoo asks as he falls in step by your side, “We can rest if you’re tired.”
“I’m alright,” you shake your head, “I can keep going.”
Jihoon, with his back to you, says nothing, but you can feel each pained step he takes away from his friend.
The sun begins to dip towards the western horizon and night starts to fall when your party is stopped by a group of Goguryeo soldiers.
“You there! Stop!” One of them commands, his hand already hovering over the hilt of his sword, “Where are you headed?”
Jihoon only frowns and makes his way to walk past the soldier.
“He said to stop!” Another soldier yells out, “Goddamn it, are you more of those Silla guys?”
“Hold,” the first man pauses, “I’ve seen him before. You’re that bastard from the Hwarang, aren’t you?”
“You mean those guys that offed Yoon?” The soldiers around them begin to scramble for their weapons.
Unfortunately, they aren’t fast enough for Jihoon. His hair snaps white and he shoots forward, toward the soldiers, sword in hand. His strikes are so fast and elegant that the eye barely even has time to perceive what happened before the two men fall dead.
“Wrong day to fuck with me, boys.”
A volley of soldiers rush forward, as well as a few arrows loosened in his direction. One of the arrows pierces his shoulder and Jihoon cries out, swiftly pulling it from the wound. It immediately begins to close as he smirks at them, “That’s how it feels getting shot, huh? Not as bad as I thought.” His gaze sharpens on those left before him, “This is nothing! This doesn’t even come close to what Youngmin’s going through!”
Jihoon launches himself at the nearest of the soldiers, his sword already in motion and his face twisted by grief and anger. Even without Fury powers, Jihoon and Wonwoo could have made easy work of this small troop of men… But rage and frustration boiling over since you’d left Youngmin had erupted in a torrent of violence.
“You can’t use your powers–!” You call out to Jihoon, trying to stop his relentless assault.
“Shut up!” He snarls at you, “Stay out of this!”
He knows what he’s doing, but he’s far past caring. Jihoon leaps from tree to tree, his sword flashing like lightning. Every time it moves, a life ends. Rage, anguish and an unrestrained thirst for blood radiates from him like heat from a blaze from a fire. Blood soaks his face and hands. Still, he cuts and cuts, never satisfied.
You see Wonwoo and Junghwan sweating as they stand silently, watching Jihoon fight as a Fury. They’re mesmerized and you can hardly blame them. Every swing of his sword spills a man to the dirt. He looks like a monster. At last, the only man left alive is Jihoon himself.
Silence falls over the forest once more, save for the birds that have restarted their chatter,
“Wonwoo… Junghwan… Go see if there’s any more of them.” Desperate to distance themselves from the bloodshed, the two depart quickly after Jihoon’s orders. “You. Go with them.”
Normally you would do as he’d asked and followed after them but now…
“What?” Jihoon turns to you, noticing your hesitation, “I gave you an order.” His words cut like a knife but you don’t move.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“I am your commanding officer. I am giving you an order.” He sounds angry, as he oft does, but just behind that there's a deep, miserable sadness. If he doesn’t stay angry, you feel, he’d probably be crying.
“I promise I won’t get in your way, but please, just let me stay here with you.” There’s nothing you can do for him, but you cannot bear to leave him alone.
He turns his back to you– to everything, his face hidden. You have no idea what expression he’s wearing.
You search yourself for something to say, something to ease him, but you find nothing within yourself to better him. And, after a few moments, he speaks.
“What the hell did I do… all of this for?”
How can this be the fate dealt by the gods for two men so honest and determined? It just doesn’t seem fair…
“Was it just so I could give Youngmin to those bastards? I busted my ass to give my friend to the enemy?” His voice trembles with every word, the weight of it all still resting heavily on him, “I was going to make him important. Help him carry himself to his family’s standards. I wanted to see him fight in the kind of battles they wrote about. Like a true warrior… I wanted to see just how far the owner of a school in the sticks could go.”
You’re not even sure if he knows that you’re still here. If he does, it seems as if he no longer cares.
“I thought we were shooting for the same dream. Long as it was for him, I felt like I could do anything. So what the hell am I doing here, alive, while he’s… he’s god knows where?! After all that self-righteous preaching, what did I do?! I turned around and left him to the wolves! He… I’m just like the king. Soon as things get dangerous, I turn tail and leave better men to deal with the mess! God damn it! Why am I alive?!”
It tears you apart to hear him lament his inner machinations aloud. You find yourself stepping forward, wrapping your arms around his back, pressing your face against his uniform.
“Youngmin said… I mean, after you’d left, I told him that you’d figure it out,” you say softly, “and he said that I was asking too much of you.” Tears run hot down your cheeks, “It’s not your fault, you can’t blame yourself… He didn’t want you to die. That’s why you’re still alive. Just… Please don’t blame yourself.”
Jihoon listens, saying nothing. Or perhaps he didn’t even hear you. Why do words feel so powerless when you need them the most? What good are they if you cannot comfort someone at their lowest?
“He did this to save me… but what the hell am I supposed to do without Kwak Youngmin of the Hwarang? The dream of helping him is what brought me here in the first place.” Jihoon’s shoulders shake, “Now that dream has left me… I don’t have anything left. I’m nothing.” He gives a short bark of humorless laughter, “Seriously Kwak… Stop giving me all the shitty jobs.” His voice chokes on a sob and falls silent.
𝔄𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔩 10𝔱𝔥, 666 - ℌ𝔞𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔤, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The days that followed were somber, and eventually your group returned to Ungjin before regrouping with Hansol in Kyeju. When you arrived in the city, Junghwan mentioned he was going to visit a friend of his, and left. However, you think Junghwan’s just trying to be considerate and give Jihoon some space.
Arriving back at the compound, you’re shocked to see none other than Boo Seungkwan waiting for you.
“Evening,” he says as you walk inside, “Who would’ve thought you guys would ever come to visit me?”
“Nevermind that you should be in Sabi– why are you up this late? Just look at you,” Jihoon frowns, crossing his arms.
“I’m a bit tired of sleeping alone, you know?” Seungkwan muses, “At this rate, I’ll never get a chance to shine again… Seems to me it’s time to join you guys.”
“The hell you won’t! What makes you think you can hold a sword with that body?” Jihoons words cut through the air.
“Come on, cut me some slack.” Seungkwan snorts, “I’ve been feeling great lately. So…” As he begins his next statement, he turns to cough into his fist. The fit doesn’t relent until he crouches on the floor, coughing painfully with strained breaths.
“Are you alright, Seungkwan?” You ask, rubbing his back as he tries to catch his breath. Under your palm, you can feel the bones of his back. At first glance, he may look to be improving but he’s lost a lot of weight and it’s almost painful to look at.
“See?” Jihoon turns to look down at him, “What’d I tell you? Why don’t you admit you’re sick for once, and take it easy?”
Seungkwan bites his lips out of frustration, grimacing at the thought of admitting his weakness, he sighs deeply and rises to his feet, “So, how’s Kwak doing? Too busy to visit me again?”
You flinch at the mention of Youngmin, which causes your body to jolt unexpectedly. Jihoon, however, is unfazed by the question.
“He’s a little preoccupied at the moment.”
“How’s his shoulder doing? Isn’t it tough for him to be up and about?”
“That was a while ago. He’s fine.” Jihoon says, “He may not be able to wield his sword but, well, with his promotion, it’s not like he’s charging from the front lines anyway.”
“Spare me,” Seungkwan waves his hand, “You’re bragging about his promotion like it’s you out there and not him. But… that’s good to hear. Youngmin’s okay then.” The Hwarang seems to have eased down. It looks as if Youngmin’s well-being is the only thing keeping Seungkwan invested in his own health.
“Look,” Jihoon states, “I promise I’ll bring him next time. Just sit tight, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll wait. But I’m not holding my breath. You’ve always been a bad liar, Jihoon.”
“Who the hell are you calling a liar? I’ve never lied to you about Youngmin.” The tone of their conversation sounds like their usual banter, but you can understand why Junghwan may have been inclined to step out. You begin to gather that there’s much for them to reminisce on, so you take the chance to sneak outside.
Cool nighttime air whispers against your cheeks as you gaze to the stars hanging above. It seems like tonight would be the final farewell between Jihoon and Seungkwan, you need to let them have this moment to themselves. Being an outside observer to the intimacy of their conversation tells you this, at least.
In the midst of your contemplation, you think you see Junghwan speaking to someone in the distance. You know he said he’d been planning to meet a friend in Ungjin but you don’t recognize the figure.
“Are you sure about that? You’re the Commander’s acquaintance, aren’t you?” You hear Junghwan speak to him as you slowly approach. “You’re already here so why don’t you stop by?”
“I think I’ll pass on that.” The person says coolly.
“Why?” Junghwan questions further, “This may be the last time we step foot in Ungjin.”
“Wasn’t Youngmin just arrested by Goguryeo soldiers in Hanseong?” The person murmurs, “I don’t know what I’d say to Jihoon in a time like this, knowing what everyone’s been through and all.”
Junghwan’s head suddenly hangs, as the words from the conversation penetrate and resound around his head, “You don’t need to mince words. Just, you know, tell them how you feel… talk about what you’ve been up to, or what you’ve seen. Isn’t that good enough?”
“Junghwan…” For a brief moment, the stranger looks unsettled by the suggestion. However, he takes a deep breath and continues, “But I was never one of the Hwarang. I just happened to be around when the newer group was established.”
“Then why did you paint them as Furies?” Junghwan frowns, “If they didn’t matter to you anymore, then you wouldn’t go through the trouble of drawing that? It’s not like it’d make you any money.”
“Well…” The other stops.
“So, are you absolutely sure there’s nothing you’d want to say to the Commander, Colonel or Soonyoung? You’re positive?” Junghwan lists off the names of the Hwarang, only making you question the stranger yourself. Is he a friend of theirs? Perhaps Junghwan had met with him to bring him to your side?
Whatever the case, the stranger’s countenance gives the impression that he’s reluctant to be involved at all.
As you’re thinking of this person, a voice speaks up behind you, “You should go and talk to Seungkwan while you can.”
Jihoon. You hadn’t heard the door open, much less his footsteps approach.
“S- Sure,” you say quickly, spinning on your heels and walking into the house from the darkness.
After making smalltalk for a while, Jihoon rejoins you and begins to say his farewell to him, “We’ll see you later, Boo. Don’t trouble Namekawa too much.”
“I never do,” Seungkwan shakes his head, “The man just worries too much.”
“Forever the smartass,” Jihoon rolls his eyes jokingly, “Whatever the case, we’ll be on our way soon.”
“Leaving already?” Seungkwan asks, eyebrows raised.
“Goodnight, Seungkwan. Please take care of yourself.” You say with a small smile and begin to turn to leave.
“Hey,” Seungkwan calls out to you, “Can I have a word?” He beckons you over with a gentle gesture so you walk to him.
“Is something the matter?”
“I know he won’t admit it, but Jihoon looks like shit. Are things at the front going bad?”
If you speak too carelessly you can give away information– information that can easily hurt Seungkwan, so you fall silent.
“Here’s the thing: I don’t like that man at all, and quite frankly, I can’t give a rat’s ass what happens to him. But… I want you to be by his side. If he goes down, then the Hwarang go down with him.”
“I understand…” you murmur out before Jihoon butts in.
“Are we done here? Time to get going.”
He doesn’t ask a thing about your conversation as he begins walking briskly ahead of you on the darkened streets. Watching him make that promise of bringing Youngmin the next time he’d see Seungkwan… it seems as though that burden of promise, and the potential of it being left unfulfilled, weighs heavily on him.
Suddenly, he stops in his tracks.
“You should go on ahead and go home.”
“Huh?” You pause yourself, “What do you mean? What do you plan on doing?”
“I’m going to speak to the Goguryeo forces in Hanseong,” he turns to face you, “And I’m going to personally ask them to release Youngmin.”
“You’re going now?!” You sputter, “I thought you said they can’t be reasoned with?”
“If we can’t get results, then I can’t say we’ve done everything we could.”
“It’s not safe for you to go there! They could capture you at any moment!” Frantic energy runs in your voice, “If they take you like they did Youngmin…”
Yesterday this idea would have been preposterous to Jihoon, what happened to make him change his mind?
“So you’re telling me to my face that this decision is a mistake?”
“No… No I’m not saying that.”
“Then what is it?” He snaps, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Stay strong.” You raise your voice, nearly shocking yourself, “You of all people know what needs to be done.”
“I decide on what I do. It’s not your place to say.”
“I understand, but what will you do if you’re arrested by the Goguryeo army?”
“So what if I am?” He frowns, crossing his arms, “Sitting here and talking about ‘what-ifs’ isn’t any better than taking action.
“So you’re going to let Chan and Eunseok’s sacrifices go in vain?!”
“What do you know?!” He explodes, and you have to stop yourself from taking a step back.
“E- Even I can understand a little!” You refuse to let your convictions amount to nothing. With a heavy heart you continue, “I was there when they gave their lives for… I saw it with my own eyes. Both of them loved the Hwarang. And they trusted their commander! If either of them saw what I am now, it would crush them.”
“Crush them, huh?” At last, he seems to let go of a bit of the tension in his shoulders. They relax slightly as he looks off into the distance. “Do you believe it to be the survivor’s duty to carry on the will of the deceased?”
“I think so.”At least that’s what it feels as if you’re doing now. The reason you can’t back down, even if Jihoon feels compelled to yell at you, is because you know Eunseok and Chan would have done the same.
“Damn, guess this means all I have to look forward to in life is shouldering more burdens until I die.”
“Jihoon…”
He shakes his head and gives you a short, melancholic smile, “Sorry for yelling at you. You were right. You did know. There’s no point in me being irrational when our situation is already grim, huh? It wouldn;t look too great if there’s nowhere for the Chief to go when he gets out eventually.”
With that last statement, you see that he’s finally regained his composure, and you respond in kind by calming down, “I know I told you to stay strong, but please, don’t push yourself too hard. I noticed you’ve been running around during both day and night time.”
“Where do you have all this time to show concern for every person you meet?” Jihoon sighs out, “Once we leave here, if you so much as collapse on the way out, I’m leaving your ass behind. Brace yourself.”
“Okay!”
You’re happy to have gotten through to him, even if it was just a courteous gesture. He begins walking again and you run right behind him, doing your best to keep up with the swiftness of his pace.
At the entrance of the city, you regroup with Junghwan and Wonwoo, the two greeting you quickly.
“Commander, I need to speak with you urgently,” Junghwan says, looking frigid as he approaches Jihoon. “Please let me petition for the clemency of both the Chief and Dohoon! Surely the Goguryeo forces understand what killing Kwak would detail. If we work hard, I’m sure we can find people to cooperate with us. So please–”
Jihoon stares at Junghwan, who’s bowed over in a sign of respect, and seems to take his suggestion into consideration.
“...You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing.”
“Commander! Then–”
“Jeon, I have a favor to ask you. Take her and head to Kyeju first.”
“What?!” You gasp out.
“We’re going to continue our fight for Youngmin’s freedom. Your presence here is only a burden for us right now.” Earlier he’d given you the same instruction, albeit with a far more aggressive tone. But this time you can tell thoughtful consideration went into it.
You’re worried, of course. But there isn’t anything more you can argue.
“This is an order from your commander. We’ll meet up again soon so get out of here and stay sharp.”
It felt strange to part from them, as if some piece of yourself is now missing– but you don’t have much time to harp on it as you meet up with other troops in Kyeju.
You’re worried about what’s to become of Youngmin, but perhaps because the situation seems grim, no one has brought it up.
𝔐𝔞𝔶 1𝔰𝔱, 666 – 𝔒𝔲𝔱𝔰𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔎𝔶𝔢𝔧𝔲, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Jihoon soon rejoined Wonwoo and you as you resided in Kyeju, only after he’d settled his affairs for Youngmin’s freedom in Ungjin first. Hansol had taken the main body of Hwarang soldiers to Koksan and then onto Bakjak to keep an eye on the Fury Corps. You have just left the small town with Wong Kunhang’s men to hop onto the route to follow after him.
After a while, you manage to meet up with some allied soldiers, but many of them look at you with a strange mixture of curiosity and fear. It’s unpleasant, to say the least.
“Those are the Hwarang, right? The murderers?”
“Yeah, noble dogs that kill men for no reason– even their comrades! Best not to look at them for too long. You never know what might set them off.”
It isn’t difficult to hear the gossip that floats through the ranks.
“They sound like a bunch of old wives spinning those stories!” Wonwoo scoffs, turning to look at Jihoon, “Want me to keep them quiet for you?”
“No.” Jihoon shakes his head, sounding more irritated than usual, “They want to talk, let them talk.”
“Are you alright?” You ask as you walk along, “You don’t look too well.”
“I’m fine.” He says but he clearly seems otherwise. His skin is a pale color, almost blue, and he looks exhausted. Marching during the day is hardly a pleasant walk for a Fury.
Youngmin is clearly at the forefront of his mind. And although you hate to admit it, he has a good reason to be on edge.
“Excuse me, could you let me pass? Ah– apologies, oops…” Someone moves towards you from the back of the column of men, pushing his way through the rest of the marching soldiers.
“Hello,” a man, no older than Jihoon, steps forward and offers a bow, “Are you Lee Jihoon? I’ve heard a great deal about you and the Hwarang.”
“Who the hell are you?” Jihoon asks, puzzled.
“Pardon my rudeness, I’m still not fully functional with the language– my name is Wong Kunhang, one of the commanders of the Tang forces. I’m sure I’ll be talking with the Hwarang a great deal in the future. It’s nice to meet you.”
It’s strange, for the man who claimed to command the infantry of men, he looks more like the son of a wealthy merchant than a soldier.
Jihoon snorts under his breath and turns away, leaving Kunhang to look on for a moment longer.
“Do you have business with Jihoon?” Wonwoo asks.
“Ah, yes. I was hoping to hear stories about the Seorabeol attacks from the Commander of the Hwarang himself.”
“Sure you wouldn’t rather hear some ridiculous rumor from a drunk soldier?” Jihoon bites, “Seems like everybody here loves to gossip.”
“I apologize for them. We’ve been far from home for a while and they’ve only grown more undisciplined as time progressed.” Kunhang shakes his head to continue his original plan, “At any rate, I came here to give you an overview of how our forces are being deployed. We have five thousand soldiers in the advance guard, main body and rear guard. As the highest ranking officer–”
“Wong Kunhang… The Wong Kunhang who took back Hanseong a few months back?”
“That’s me,” he smiles.
“And you lost it.”
“Yes, well… I suppose I did. It was a misstep of my forces and I take full responsibility for it. But I assure you that we will be taking it back, and keeping it this time.”
Jihoon looks as if he’s just swallowed something rotten. He’d only just lost his Chief and it seems as if this newcomer’s trying to force himself into Youngmin’s place. No one, no matter the skill, can replace his friend. Still, Kunhang seems to have been expecting to be rebuffed, and continues, showing no sign of being put off by Jihoon's behavior.
“The advance guard is made up mostly of men from the Silla army. The rear guard, however, is composed of men from Tang. I’m thinking of promoting you to Deputy Commander in order to lead the advance guard. What do you say?”
“Why?”
“I have experience leading my men. And am I wrong to think that the advance guard would take more kindly to a fellow countryman than an outsider?” Kunhang speaks plainly, “Besides, there isn’t anyone on our side or theirs who hasn’t heard the name Lee Jihoon. I can’t think of anyone better suited.” His copious praise does nothing to thaw Jihoon, they just stare at each other for a few awkward moments.
It’s painfully clear that the two of them don’t see eye to eye, and it cannot be a worse first impression.
“Well,” Kunhang claps his hands together, “I suppose I better be on my way. We’ll talk later, and go over some more in-depth plans.” Their conversation ends as one-sided as it had begun, and the Tang general disappears into the swarm of marching soldiers.
Later that night, your group camps a short distance away from the rest of the force. Jihoon, sitting by the fire’s edge, beckons you and Wonwoo over, “We need to talk.” The main bulk of the Hwarang forces are with Hansol heading even more northward, meaning that the only people in the camp were you, Wonwoo, Jihoon and three dozen more Hwarang. “Remember what Kunhang told us earlier?”
“About taking command of the advance guard?” Wonwoo inquires, “What of it?”
“I’ve been thinking about what I want you guys to do. You can’t be in the advance guard, so I’ll have to send you off to fight with the main body or the rear guard.”
“So this means you’re going to take his offer?” Wonwoo shifts as he speaks.
“Yes. You were in Seorabeol. You’d be a good commander for men who’ve never seen a real battle.”
“But…” A frown carves itself on his lips. Jihoon’s reasoning makes sense, but it doesn’t mean he has to like it. It feels as if Wonwoo had grown attached to the idea of fighting in the same unit as Jihoon. Perhaps the commander is insensitive for either ignoring this sentiment, or not acknowledging it at all.
Wonwoo sighs, resigning himself into a period of deep thought, looking up to Jihoon’s gaze, “Understood. Whatever you order me to do, I’ll do it. But first, I want you to tell me something. This doesn’t mean you’re planning to disband the Hwarang, does it? If I fight in this, it’ll be as a member of the Hwarang.”
It seems the two of you feel the same way. Jihoon’s hope may be flickering but yours isn’t.
“Fine. Whatever.” Jihoon seems disengaged.
“I should also point out that I think commanding soldiers is a little more than she can handle.” Wonwoo adds, glancing over to you, “She doesn’t belong on the front line. She’s a page, not a soldier.” He rises to his feet, dusting the dirt from his knees, “Anyways, I’ll go and tell the others what you’ve decided.”
Jihoon and you are left alone with the crackling fire as Wonwoo jogs back to the main encampment. He sighs and his shoulders drop. Suddenly he looks very, very tired.
“Why did you try to order us away?” The question leaves you before you can think it through.
He doesn’t answer, only tilts his head to look at the flecks of starlight dappling through the trees above. As the melancholy silence speaks, you nearly regret asking the question before he laments, “If I knew Youngmin was coming back, then I could go out there ready to give my life to win. Just like Chan said– Youngmin and I were the Hwarang. With him gone, there’s no way in hell I can carry all this on my own.”
When he normally speaks to you, he is oft cruel and rude, you’ve never heard him sound so defeated before.
“Junhui was right, wasn’t he? Remember what he said when we decided to attack Hanseong? He said there was no way in hell Kim Yong would fund us without some sort of hidden agenda.” Jihoon huffs, “He was right. So was Mingyu… You know who was the first to petition for a settlement between Goguryeo and our forces? Kim Yong.”
“...What?”
“He wanted to showcase our defeat as costly and an expenditure of life and resources. Make it abysmally clear that the war is funded on blood, and to keep his own money in his coiffers.” He laughs despondently and kicks at a rock by his foot, “Damn it, how couldn’t I see that coming? If I thought about it, that would’ve never slipped past me. I was desperate for Youngmin to be off fighting big important battles, winning all sorts of glory… But I let it all blind me, we were played and Youngmin lost his spirit…”
The Hwarang had put their lives on the line for the Kingdom. How could the King just let them be pawned around?
“Noble or commoner– we all busted our asses to get where we are. Aren’t warriors meant to be the masters of the battlefield? What the hell have we been fighting for this entire time? Is anything I believed in still true? We believed that we were fighting for something, so no matter the shit we had to crawl through, we did it. Turns out it was just a trench that just circles itself. What are we supposed to do now? What the hell am I supposed to believe in?”
Every word of his punctures you with pain. But the kingdom had betrayed them, their trust. The war had changed and it feels as if the Hwarang had been tossed aside. All that the Hwarang had done is fade away, what could Jihoon do to fix it?
“You lost what you believed in,” you say quietly, “They think as long as you’re there to lead, they’ll be fine and refuse to show fear in front of you. They want you to see the kind of men they are, which means they’ll fight to the death if you tell them to.” If anything, you want to soothe his wounded soul a bit. “But if someone were to ask why I’m here… I’d say it’s because I believe in you.”
Perhaps that’s the wrong thing to say, all you’ve done is give him something more to worry about.
Jihoon looks at you, but for once the light in his eyes is soft, “You’re right. If you lose sight of something the only person who can find it again is you. Besides, we’ve got a big fight coming up. Guess I should be thinking about how we’re going to win that, not whining about my problems.” With a small smile, he turns back to the stars.
You fall silent again, cicadas fluttering and chirping through the night being the only cacophony of sounds around you.
“Are you really going to stick around?” He asks. You know he wants to go alone, but you can’t go with Wonwoo, you both know that.
“Yes, I am.” Perhaps you don’t know how you can help him just yet, but you can hardly leave him alone.
“Fine. Just stay out of my way.”
“I know.” You sit there in the silence of night, you’re just about to return to your tent when he groans out in pain. Almost immediately you know what’s happening, your fears confirmed when his hair begins to turn white at the roots. Quickly you scramble to your feet, urging him to his and leading him to the shadow of a large tree where the nearby soldiers won’t be able to see him.
“Damn it,” he curses through clenched teeth, “Why now?!”
With shaking hands you reach for your collar, and as he grasps your intent he grimaces. Jihoon takes a hold of your shoulders and roughly pulls you toward him, seconds later you feel a dull sting on the back of your neck and then the hot trickle of blood.
His warm breath comes in pants across your bare skin, but after a time his ragged gasps for deliverance begin to steady. And slowly, his grip loosens. Then, without a word, he pulls away from you.
“How long do you plan to keep letting me do this?” He mutters, as you turn to him, worry in his eyes.
“Forever,” you say simply, “As long as you need me, I’ll be here.”
“You’re a stupid woman,” he sighs, “And I’m a man who’s lost sight of what makes him human. How can you just let me cut you open like that and drink your blood? What the hell are you thinking?”
“It’s alright, Jihoon. I really don’t mind.”
There’s nothing for him to say to that.
The next day, along the route to Hanseong, the news breaks.
“So, Goguryeo forces are pulling out of Hanseong?” Wong Kunhang frowns, “That’s… unexpected.” He and Jihoon stop to talk over the news and their next move.
“Unexpected? They’re cocky bastards that think we won’t try to retake the city.” Jihoon scoffs, “It’s the most opportune moment to take it back.”
“I’m not against going into battle,” Kunhang states, “We are leading an army, after all. But the main body and the rear guard are still on their way. All I’m asking is that you wait until they catch up with us. Attempting to lay siege to the city with the men we have is folly beyond folly. We should–”
Jihoon sighs, “This isn’t a theoretical scenario from one of your war manuals.”
“Sun Tzu isn’t just a war manual. The highest form of generalship is balking enemy plans; the next best in preventing enemy junctions,” Kunhang argues, standing his ground, “After that, it’s attacking armies in the field, and the worst of all is besieging walled cities. Therefore, we should only lay siege as a last resort. Attacking head-on is foolish. If you’re determined to be foolish, the best you can do is make sure your army is in the best condition possible and–”
“Though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays! No kingdom benefits from prolonged warfare!” Jihoon offers his rebuttal, “Remember that one? He’s saying that it might get messy, but it’s better to end your battles quickly. Taking your sweet time just comes back to bite you in the ass.”
“Lee… Don’t do that.” Wong Kunhang’s brow furrows, “I’m not asking you to wait long. They should be here in just a few days.”
“And we’re just meant to sit here twiddling our thumbs until the Goguryeo army shows up?” Jihoon frowns, “If they catch us unaware then we’re screwed, no two ways about it.” He must sense that he caught a nerve in the other as he pushes ahead, “You want to miss this opportunity, fine. I’ll just take the advance guard and capture Hanseong myself.”
“That’s suicide!” Kunhang shouts as Jihoon snorts derisively. He clearly has no intention of taking his opinion.
“I guess we’ll see. I’ll take Hanseong by tomorrow.” His lips pull back from his teeth in a feral grin, and he looks off in the distance toward Hanseong.
He isn’t being belligerent. He’s being reckless. With Jihoon like this, can you really win?
𝔐𝔞𝔶 13𝔱𝔥 666 - ℌ𝔞𝔫𝔰𝔢𝔬𝔫𝔤, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔊𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔯𝔶𝔢𝔬 Hanseong is in turmoil. Your forces neared three thousand, while Hanseong’s barely had a thousand. And although the Silla forces easily outnumber your opponents, the guards are able to use their fortifications to great effect, fighting you to a standstill. Arrows fly, swords clash, and men scream in pain.
“We can’t keep this up,” Jihoon sighs out with crossed arms, “This is as good a time as any to attack the enemy lines.”
“Attack?” You look toward him in disbelief, as a nearby soldier cries out, “Their fortifications–”
“Can fall.” Jihoon says flatly, “An arrow or two won’t kill you.” The men around him are stunned into silence, never having imagined they would receive orders like this. Their commander, however, just stares back coldly. “What the hell did you come here to do? You’re here to fight a war. If you’re prepared to fight, you should be prepared to die. Am I wrong? So, when I give the word, you’re going to charge that line!”
The men before him pale, and many tremble. Eventually, one of them snaps, “I can’t do it! I don’t want to die here.”
No sooner had he turned to run, does Jihoon’s sword flash in the daylight, striking the soldier dead. The men watching swallow thickly. For a few moments they stay utterly silent. Commotion breaks out shortly afterward.
“What is this?!”
“Is he crazy?!”
Jihoon lets his cold eyes slide slowly across their ranks, and slowly the mumbling ceases, “Anyone else want to run? If you’re too scared to fight, go ahead. Be my guest. But anyone who runs will die by my hand. So either I kill you… Or you take your chance out there. Up to you.” With one final scowl, he turns back to the battlefield, taking off across it.
He runs through the throng of bodies and hail of arrows, falling upon the men defending the main gate like a vengeful god. His sword drips with fresh blood, you stay in the shadows of the treeline waiting for him to return.
Wonwoo runs to the commander, grime and blood smeared across his face, “With another push we should be able to take the gate!”
“Great!” Jihoon shouts, “I believe in you Jeon!”
As Jihoon effortlessly slices through the enemy, the mood among his men begins to change. A ripple goes through them, a surge of newfound energy to fight. You can’t hear him from the distance, but he shouts something over his shoulder and his soldiers fight with intense vigor.
And soon after the sun passes its zenith, the city gates open, the news of it spreading like wildfire.
The Silla forces sweep into the city soon after, finding relative ease when liberating the streets. Jihoon glances at you with a grin as Wonwoo runs up to him.
“Commander! The men we sent to the town head’s home ran into trouble!”
“What?” Jihoon almost sounds confused, “We haven’t seen any real resistance so far.”
Wonwoo shakes his head, “I’m unaware of the details. Should I go see…?”
“No. I’ll go.” Jihoon stops him, “I’m leaving you in charge here.”
“What would you like me to do?” You ask.
“Come with me,” he says simply, “Don’t want you wandering around. Might get hit by a stray arrow or something.
And thus it was decided. You quickly follow after Jihoon, and even upon approaching the building, you can tell something is wrong. Inside, your men are dead on the floor, their bodies laid out like the spokes of a wheel, and at its hub… Hong Jisoo.
“What are you doing here?” Jihoon asks, more nonchalant than you’d have thought. “Decided you’d take a vacation? You do know there’s a war out there, right? Or maybe you’re just hiding out here, hoping you won’t get hurt.”
“We were acting under orders from the King.” Hwan Minhyun, whom you hadn’t seen upon your arrival, speaks out, “We are here to deliver a secret message. We did not expect to be drawn into battle and we certainly did not expect to encounter you here.”
“Huh,” Jihoon scoffs, “Gaesomun yells jamp and you leap. You sure are dedicated.”
“Well, I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon, Lee…” Jisoo leers with a snide grin.
“And I didn’t think you were so anxious to get your ass beat again. Don’t worry though, I’m happy to oblige.”
Jisoo grinds his teeth and draws his sword at his hip, “Killing you will erase the humiliation I suffered at your hands. You and your dogs have been a thorn in my side since Wonweol. Today, I will have my revenge.”
“... Sounds as if you’ve got this covered,” Minhyun sighs, stepping back once more, “He’s all yours.”
Jihoon just as easily draws his sword, “Guess the face wasn’t enough, maybe if I take an arm you’ll get the message.” He soars across the room at Jisoo, their blades rattling against one another as Jisoo block’s the commander’s strike. Then, the demon pushes back and Jihoon is thrown across the hall.
“You’re not getting away,” Jisoo says coolly, his hair turning stark white, just as Jihoon’s had done at the beginning of the battle. In the blink of an eye, he leaps after his opponent, whipping his sword in a quick slash. Jihoon brings up his blade at the last second before the strike could wound him.
“You’re slow,” Jisoo taunts, “Your movements lack finesse. Don’t tell me that killing humans has tired you out? Last time you said you were a Demon…” Their blades locked together, Jihoon’s begins to shake under the pressure of the other’s force.
Jisoo’s right, though, Even with his Fury abilities, Jihoon is slower than before, too unfocused.
“Ah, I see,” the Demon’s eyes flicker to the open door for a moment, “The sun’s still out. You don’t like it much, do you?” He chuckles, “Don’t worry, I won’t go easy on you just because you’re weak. After all, a warrior always gives all he can, no matter the situation. That is your code, isn’t it?”
“Damn you!” Jihoon jumps backwards, but not fast enough to escape Jisoo’s blade. It arcs down across the Hwarang’s chest, blood erupting from the gash and splattering to the floor. Jihoon drops to his knees, skidding across the hard wooden panels panting heavily as blood blooms across his robes and pools on the floor below him.
Agonizing seconds pass as both you and he wait for the blood to stop, yet it continues to fall through his fingers clenched to the robes hanging from the wound. “What the hell is this?!” Jihoon asks through clenched teeth as he stares daggers at Jisoo standing before him.
Jisoo laughs, almost as if Jihoon had told him a joke, “What’s the matter? Not healing like you should? This,” his wrist flicks upward to show off his blade, which almost looks to be faintly glowing, “is Hwangun’s Blade. It’s been passed down through my family for generations, but… no one had ever thought to test it on a Demon. This is an excellent chance to see what it can do. And you know what? I can use it to put down a fake Demon.”
He smirks, giving the impression that he’s figured this victory is a foregone conclusion.
“You must be pretty desperate if you’re willing to grab your family’s magic sword. Really need something like that to take on a fake Demon?” Jihoon gives his own taunting laugh, but Jisoo’s grin doesn’t falter.
“You humiliated me for the first time in my life. Nothing is too much if it will send you to hell.” With another flick of his wrist, Jisoo sends droplets of gore spraying down onto the floor, “Your abilities can’t heal any wounds from this blade. You became a Fury to defeat me, but now that sacrifice means nothing.”
“So, tell me if I’ve got this right. All I have to do is avoid getting cut by that thing? Hell, before I became a Fury, all I did was dodge swords. This’ll be easy.”
“Does your impudence know no bounds?” The Demon scoffs, “Fine. I’ll put your short lived defiance to the test.” His blade shimmers a blue-white and seems to shiver with his murderous intent. The air is thick, feeling like a struggle to just breathe.
Jisoo slashes downwards toward Jihoon, who’s able to dodge out of the way in time, bringing up his own sword to strike back. But when it arcs upward, instead of hitting flesh, Jihoon’s sword cuts through air. In tandem with the strikes, Jisoo moves too fast for the bare eye to see, Jihoon’s margin for error becoming slimmer and slimmer. With another dodge, the Demon slams his riposte into the Hwarang’s shoulder. Jihoon’s robe is torn away, displaying a fresh wound.
“Good… You’re overthinking on how you might kill me,” Jisoo smirks, “But I want to see more. I want to see your face when you realize that you can’t kill me and that I will win!”
Blood pours from him, but Jihoon brings up his sword to catch Hwangun. Teeth clenched, you know that he’s lost far too much blood to carry on for much longer. Jisoo kicks Jihoon back and as he does, the commander’s hair returns to its natural hue.
“What the hell?!” Jihoon cries out, still in a defensive stance.
“Reached your limit, I see,” the Demon chortles, inching closer, “Even a false Demon is better than this pathetic existence! You might as well be an insect.” His laugh echoes through the hall, gloating over the near unconscious Jihoon, “I want to hear you cry! Scream! Beg me for your life! You and your filth have stood in my way for too long. I’ll kill you and the Hwarang!”
Jihoon’s head twitches, “Kill…the Hwarang? You?” It’s almost as if he’s keeping himself upright with sheer force of will at this point. “After we left Youngmin and the Hwarang fell to me, I felt like there was no way I could do all that by myself. I was just about ready to give it up.” Suddenly, the hair on his head shifts back to its demonic white, “...But now, when you say you want to erase everything we did… I’ll be goddamned if I let you destroy the Hwarang!”
Ichor continues to fall from him and you know that if he’s to continue like this he’ll most certainly die.
“Jihoon, no!” You cry out, “If you don’t stop you’re going to die!”
His eyes flick to you and you can already see the resolution in his gaze, then he gives you a grin before looking back to Jisoo, “You really think I care about how much of my future I’ve gotta burn to get this bastard? I can’t let him kill me here. I can’t let this bastard and his damn sword get the best of me now!”
Relaxed now, Jisoo speaks once more, “You’re practically dead already. What do you intend to do? This charade is pathetic.” Almost lazily, he swings his sword again.
Jihoon cries out in pain, not having the strength to lift his sword entirely to block the blow. Then Jisoo’s sword slams into his right shoulder. Jihoon’s clothes are soaked in blood, his skin the color of parchment.
“I hoped you might be entertaining, but I suppose it’s time for me to say goodbye now. Shame you don’t have enough energy to talk. I miss that dry wit,” Jisoo sighs, “What’s the matter? Can’t hold your sword anymore? Where’s that warrior spirit?”
Even though he struggles to draw breath, Jihoon musters what little strength he has left to reach for his sword. The point of the blade tips and weaves in the air as blood pours from his body, but he stands. Jisoo lifts his sword slick with the commander’s blood, and smiles.
“At last! I can kill you with my own hands and erase the humiliation you gave me!”
Before he can land another blow, the building shakes as an ear splitting crash barrels through somewhere on the estate. Smoke rapidly fills the room, making it hard to see.
“What is this?!” Jisoo spits, distractedly turning from Jihoon to find the root of the interruption.
“Fire! Fire!” Cries scream out from deep in the building, and you can ascertain that one of the trebuchets aligning the fortified walls had been turned against the city for some reason or another in a last act of defense.
The fire from the lit fodder spreads quickly, roaring around the room and licking at the sides of the hall. Black smoke pours into the room, irritating your eyes and throat. Even as the room plunges into a near unbearable heat, the two men don’t lower their swords.
It’s only when the ceiling begins to give way does Jisoo remark, “Damn it, this place is falling apart.” Not wanting to endanger himself, he shoves his sword back into its scabbard angrily, glaring across the smoldering wreckage at Jihoon. “I’ll let you go this time. We’ll finish this duel another day. And you will die.”
He disappears shortly thereafter and you run to Jihoon, “Are you alright?!”
Waxen skin and face writhing in pain, he doesn’t respond as he drops to the floor. And as he does, the near forgotten Minhyun walks toward you from his corner, unbothered by the flames around him.
“The Demon clans no longer intend to involve themselves in your governmental squabbles.”
“Why?” Jihoon asks, sweat beading on his forehead.
“We owed favors to Goguryeo. We feel those have now been repaid.” Minhyun shrugs, “Besides, even you must know that they will soon fall, regardless of the efforts of my kin.”
You spot a bitter smile creeping along Jihoon’s lips, “... Yeah.”
“And I suppose you intend to watch that ship sink?” Minhyun asks, “Silla never gave your Hwarang the recognition it so desired, and pawned you off when they had nothing to lose. Why do you still fight?” The truth of his words drive a knife into Jihoon’s heart, and you see his face fall.
“We’re knights of the Crown, we fight for them no matter what, right?” Jihoon says with ragged breaths, “What I’m fighting for now isn’t Hanseong or Pyongyang, or any of those bastards that call themselves ministers. What I– no– What we’re fighting for is the bond in our hearts. The bond that we joined the Hwarang with.”
His hand clenches to his chest and he lets out a small ‘fuck’ before continuing, “It’s not easy, not by a long shot, but… I’d feel like a real asshole if I died before Youngmin came back.”
Minhyun closed his eyes while Jihoon spoke, he now stands silent, “If Jisoo chooses to involve himself with either of you again, he will have betrayed the moral code that binds all of our kind. He will no longer have the support of the clans. He will be on his own.” He looks to the building around him, “I imagine this will be of little concern to him, but I ask you to hear his mind when he next tries you, he is not doing so at the behest of the Demon clans. He is, I fear, your problem now.”
Then, he turns and disappears. As you look to where he once stood, you hear Jihoon thud to the floor, collapsing from relief or exhaustion, you cannot tell. But, he’s fallen unconscious, and if you cannot escape soon, you’ll burn to death.
“Hello?! Are you here?!” A figure bursts into the hall, shrouded in smoke but with a voice you recognize.
Wonwoo had come to the rescue in your most dire hour. He quickly helps you lift Jihoon so you can shoulder the weight of his body together as you leave the estate.
Hanseong, the town Jihoon had fought tooth and nail to overtake, only remained in Silla custody for a few days. As an army of Goguryeo soldiers came within the following week to recapture the city, leaving your commander’s mission for naught. After the battle, Wong Kunhang’s army, along with the remaining Hwarang, set off to Koksan. Jihoon had somehow miraculously survived, but by no means has he recovered. For days he drifts in and out of consciousness, settling in at a small residence in Kyeju for him to recover.
𝔐𝔞𝔶 20𝔱𝔥, 666 - 𝔎𝔶𝔢𝔧𝔲, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Since you’d arrived in Kyeju, you’d buisied yourself with taking care of Jihoon. As a Fury, most normal means of healing and medicine have little to no effect on him. So, most of your nursing consists of fervently hoping that his natural strength and tenacity would bring him through. Fortunately, your prayers begin to pay off and in time his wounds begin to heal.
Although those made by Jisoo’s blade did not do so easily, or quickly. You find yourself thinking of the battle of Hanseong. After watching Jihoon, many of the reluctant soldiers came around to clash swords with the enemy. They had told him it was an honor to fight alongside the Hwarang, for they were true warriors.
You replay that fated battle several times over the course of your day, you’re just about to do it again as you open the door to Jihoon’s room, set to change his bandages. Yet, you don’t have the chance, as when you peer in, you see him sitting at his desk. He’s healed enough to move and speak without pain, but he’s still meant to be confined to his bed.
“You shouldn’t be up,” you say quickly, walking inside and shutting the door behind you, “When I said you were healthy enough to get up, I didn’t mean you were healthy enough to work!”
“It’ll be only a minute,” he murmurs, looking over a few papers before him, “I’m going back to bed as soon as I finish this.”
“You nearly died! You need rest!” You rush to him, setting the bandages down on the tabletop.
“Died?” He laughs once, dryly, “Me? Hah. That was nothing. Barely a scratch.”
“Barely a– Do you know how long I’ve been taking care of you?!”
“Fine, fine,” he relents with a sigh. “Just a bit more reading, that's all I ask.”
You sigh too, reaching for his blanket he’d strewn aside when he awoke. Moving to stand behind him, you drape it over his shoulders, “At least let me put this on you. You’re going to catch a chill.”
“Hm, I’m sure even if I said I don’t want it, you wouldn’t listen to me.”
“I’m glad you see how this works,” you say with a smile, “Now, as soon as that’s done, it’s straight back to bed.”
At last he turns to look at you, his face quirked in a small, bitter smile, “Alright, fine. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Huh?” You stare back at him intently.
“Guess I should be thanking you and Wonwoo, huh? Well… I appreciate what you did. Thanks.” His thanks are rarely unaccompanied by cynicism, sarcasm or outright derision but this is different. Noticing your baffled expression he speaks again. “Something wrong? Did I say something funny?”
“Oh! No no no,” you quickly assure him, “It’s not that.” It’s more you’ve never seen him act so nice.
After that, you leave him to his work, checking back an hour later to make sure that he’s asleep and not working himself to the bone. Once doing so, you return to your quarters for another few, quiet hours, before a visitor arrives in the night.
“I thought I’d come and pay him a visit…” You hear the voice of Wong Kunhang speak out as you approach the common area, you also note Wonwoo standing next to him.
“He’s resting at the moment–” You begin, but stop when you hear movement behind you.
“Commander–!” Wonwoo says, rushing to Jihoon’s side, “I’m glad to see you standing! For a while, I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen.” His eyes begin to tear up and he blinks rapidly to clear them.
“C’mon, don’t give me that,” Jihoon gives a short laugh, “You really think I’d die so easily?”
“I’m sorry, you’re right,” he rubs his hand across his face awkwardly, trying to brush away the tears that refuse to stop forming.
“Jihoon,” Kunhang says solemnly, “I’m going to be honest with you. You fought like a Demon back in Hanseong, I’ll give you that. Morale is through the roof. The whole army won’t stop talking about you. But your actions were dangerous and idiotic,” the once calm demeanor of the general turns angered. “You are a commanding officer, not a soldier! You don’t belong on the front line!”
“General Wong, he’s only just recovered… Don’t you think you’re being a bit too harsh–” Wonwoo tries to quell the other’s discontent.
“No! I’m going to give my piece, I won’t let him slide out of this one!” Kunhang shouts, “Listen to me, Lee Jihoon. Combining our men isn’t just about new clothes and new titles, we have to change about how we think about war. We have to learn new tactics. The commander charging at the front of the army does not show that we are improving our strategy!”
Flustered at this point, Kunhang struggles hard to keep his composure, “If the soldiers are the hands and feet, then their commanding officer is the head. Without a head, the body is a useless mess! This war will be lost if we succumb to our own pride!”
Jihoon’s eyes go wide. The words similarly mirror one of the last things that Chan had said to him. Keeping his head on so that the body can move forward…
“Chan’s ghost back to haunt me,” Jihoon sighs out with a weighted smile, a faraway look in his eyes.
“Is something funny?” Kunhang frowns, “This is serious! Don’t you understand how worried I was about you? Hell, how worried the whole army was about you?!”
For a few moments, Jihoon simply stares at him.
“Say what you want!” Kunhang stands his ground, albeit a bit taken aback at the commander’s attitude, “It won’t change my mind!”
“You’re right, Wong. Sorry for worrying you.” He follows his surprisingly genuine apology with a similarly surprising bow.
Kunhang has clearly prepared himself for a variety of reactions from Jihoon, but this had been none of them. For several moments he stands there, too flabbergasted to speak.
“My apologies to you too, Wonwoo. I hear you helped carry me all the way here.”
“Oh no!” Wonwoo shakes his head, “No, it was nothing. Anything for you, sir.”
𝔍𝔲𝔫𝔢 19𝔱𝔥, 666 – 𝔎𝔬𝔨𝔰𝔞𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 Summer blooms from the remnants of spring in full fury. Rumors and news about the intense fighting floats in and out of the town, and you grow uneasy thinking about the loss of lives on each side. In the subsequent weeks following Wong Kunhang’s visit, he’s once again able to take Hanseong and keep a steady hand over keeping it in Silla's grasp. And although he hasn’t completely healed, Jihoon has decided to leave Kyeju as soon as he is well enough to march with Kunhang who’s now stationed in Koksan.
The way there seems longer than you'd ever thought possible. At last, you’d caught up with the main body of the Hwarang.
Hansol’s at the door to greet you the moment you arrive at the estate.
“Commander,” Hansol says with a small smile, “I’m grateful to see you alive.”
“Glad to see you’re alright too, I hear you’ve been doing well.”
Although Hansol looks relieved to be reunited with Jihoon, he frowns and rubs his hand to his forehead. Perhaps fatigue from the battles occurring is beginning to get to him.
Jihoon looks past him to the people standing behind him, “Junghwan, Dohoon, nice to see you’re still around. Was starting to get worried about you two.” Despite their commander’s voiced appreciations, both wear glum expressions.
It’s Dohoon who begins to shake before breaking down into tears, his voice quivering violently, “You entrusted me with Chief’s safety, b-but– I wasn’t strong enough! I couldn’t protect him!”
Although hearing his words, you cannot get yourself to grasp their meaning. For him to be this distraught can only mean one thing.
“We have been told that at the end of last month that Youngmin was… beheaded in Pyongyang.” Hansol steps in after Dohoon fails to compose himself, being ushered aside and consoled by Junghwan.
‘Beheaded.’ You swallow at the word. Youngmin had been killed like a common criminal, and you know it would have been pure humiliation for him.
“Hm, didn’t even let him kill himself,” it almost seems as if Jihoon had expected this. His voice is controlled and unsurprised, but within his eyes you can see a bottomless, yawning despair.
“It’s my fault he died!” Dohoon exclaims, “Please commander, I deserve to die as well!”
“I as well!” Junghwan adds, “I begged you to let me fight for his freedom, but I– I wasn’t successful! I’m a failure!”
“You idiots! Look around you,” Jihoon frowns, “There’s no goodman way we have a single Hwarang left to spare! If you’re so prepared for death, then don’t give me your cheap words. Prove yourselves on the battlefield!”
The two fall silent after a quick, “Yes sir.”
Later that night, both Seungcheol and Soonyoung come to visit Jihoon.
As members of the Fury Corp, they had been resting when you’d arrived earlier in the day.
“Your arrival has the men in something of an uproar,” Seungcheol muses, “It woke me somewhat earlier than usual.”
“I heard you got hurt pretty bad, Commander. Didn’t think we’d see you again so soon,” Soonyoung says, almost scanning for wounds on the elder.
“Well, I couldn’t just sit on my ass once I heard there were battles happening all over the place,” Jihoon says, sounding calm and relaxed. You know that isn’t how he’s feeling on the inside though. If you have been feeling depressed since learning of Youngmin’s passing, you cannot begin to comprehend how he must be feeling.
“We should be on our way then, our work begins at night, after all,” Seungcheol notes and begins to head for the door. Soonyoung nods and heads after him before Jihoon speaks up.
“Soonyoung, do you think you can tell Hansol to come by?”
“Huh?” Soonyoung looks back, “Uh, sure… I’ll go and get him now.” Before he leaves he says one more thing to Jihoon, “I know you only just got here. But you should really rest tonight.”
With both of them gone, the room falls into an awkward silence. Jihoon hasn’t told you to leave, but it seems unlikely that he’ll start talking to you either. Just as you’re about to break the quiet, Hansol opens the door and steps inside.
“I heard you had business with me. Can I help you?”
Without even waiting for him to settle in, Jihoon says, “From now on, I’ll be commanding from the front line.”
A strangled gulp treks down your throat as he says this out of almost nowhere. If he were to fight on the front line, the violence would be intense and he still hadn’t fully healed.
“Do you intend to die in battle?” Hansol asks simply.
“No,” Jihoon shakes his head, “I won’t go out that easily. You’ve been out there. Only right for me to take that burden off you, right?”
His presence would raise morale among the men but if he died, the Hwarang dies with him.
“You raise an excellent point, sir. If you mean to take my place, however,” the air grows thick as Hansol’s hand falls to his sword, “I must ask you to defeat me first. If you cannot best me, then only death awaits you on the front lines.”
“Getting a little full of yourself without me, huh?” Jihoon’s lips turn upward into a grin as his sword slides from its scabbard.
“You shouldn’t be doing this!” You cry out as Hansol’s blade is also released, the blade glinting in the glow of the lanterns.
“Stay out of this!” Jihoon says and locks eyes with Hansol. Seconds linger as they remain unmoving, just then they leap towards one another, swords struggling against one another. After a bit, Jihoon is thrown backwards to sprawl across the floorboards.
“What?!” He looks surprised. Even only partially healed, he still has far greater strength than a human, and he isn’t the type to go easy on a friend.
“This war is not so easy that you might rush to the front line without your full strength,” Hansol says and as you look back at him your eyes grow wide.
“Hansol…” With his now reddened eyes and white hair, there’s no doubt that he’s a Fury. “You drank the pimul?”
“Don’t worry about me, I made my own decision.” The simple fact that he’s decided this path says more about the battles he’s been fighting than words ever can. Hansol looks to Jihoon, who’s rising to his feet, “I understand why you wish to fight, that is why I cannot allow you to.” He straightens himself and sheaths his sword, his hair returning to normal. “Perhaps you might be able to forget your pain in the midst of battle, but I cannot afford to let you do that. You cannot be permitted to turn a blind eye to our problems.”
Jihoon slowly puts his sword away, “Because I’m the Chief now?”
“Because you’re the only one who can unify the Hwarang.” After hearing that, Jihoon sighs, only allowing Hansol to continue. “Leave the front line to us. You, Jihoon, should remain here and plan our strategies.”
“Fine. The front line’s yours until my wounds heal.”
An honest, “Thank you” leaves Hansol, and then he turns to you. “I’m leaving him in your care. Don’t let him out of your sight until he’s healthy again.”
You nod and give him what you hope to be a reassuring smile. He inclines his head to you, turns to Jihoon to give a short bow, then leaves. As soon as the door closes, Jihoon’s face darkens and his brows draw together.
“Damn it… He’s gotten to the point where he doesn’t trust me and thinks I need you as a babysitter.”
“He’s just worried about you, that’s all,” you try to justify Hansol’s actions.
Jihoon gives a bitter laugh, then stops suddenly. He gulps out a noise and clutches his stomach in pain, his body and hands shaking as his hair and eyes begin to change color. With the bloodlust taking hold, he begins to groan out in pain.
“This way,” you quickly take his arm and lead him to a room off of the main hall. In the open, anyone is privy to catch him.
As he settles in the room, you set out towards him, and he has a look in his eyes as if he already knows what your next move is. You tug at your collar, loosening it like you’d done before. He leans toward you and you feel a sharp prick on your neck, you stay as still as you can as he bites down onto you. His hot breath panting along your neck, drinking slowly as he begins to calm.
Eventually, he pulls back. There’s pain on his face but not from the bloodlust.
“This can’t go on forever…” His face turns upward into a half sour smile, “You. Me. This war. Everything…”
“Jihoon?” His eyes are distant and he doesn’t seem to hear you. You can’t describe it but something feels strange, wrong, even.
𝔖𝔢𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 6𝔱𝔥, 666 – 𝔎𝔬𝔨𝔰𝔞𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 By the time Jihoon’s injuries heal, it’s early autumn. Battles still rage along the fronts, and Silla inches nearer and nearer towards its goal. Jihoon hasn’t received any orders of late, but you feel that that’s about to change when you hear Wonwoo storming down the hallway.
You’re settled in the main room with Jihoon, Seungcheol, Soonyoung, Junghwan and Dohoon when the doors burst open, Wonwoo shouting, “I have news from Wong Kunhang! He says were to launch an offensive against Pyongyang.”
“Pyongyang? That’s the capital….” Junghwan says seriously, glancing towards Jihoon.
In other words, this may be the push to finally close in on Goguryeo.
“What now then?” Dohoon looks to Jihoon as well.
“We’ll need to get there as soon as possible. No doubt Kunhang has some elaborate plan to route out their forces.” You haven’t seen Jihoon this excited in a while, and the others in the room pick up on his energy.
“Our ships have already been sent to Ongjin, they will be able to converge on Pyongyang once the situation up north has settled.”
“Then I should go to Ongjin first,” Seungcheol says, “We should establish a stronghold for when the main body of men arrives.”
“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to have our representative be someone from the Fury Corps?” You postulate to the group.
“My father’s family is from Ongjin, you know.” Seungcheol says quietly, “I have a few connections there. I feel I am most suited to lead the advance guard. There’s… Something else that’s been bothering me as well.”
“Bothering you?” You question but all he does in response is nod and smile.
“Seungcheol… you’re supposed to be dead, aren’t you?” Soonyoung interrupts, “Seems like that might be an issue.”
“A minor detail,” he waves it off, “easily dealt with.”
“In that case, he’s probably the best choice,” Wonwoo murmurs.
“No,” Jihoon disagrees, “The Fury Corps isn’t cut out for that. You still can’t stand up during the day.”
“It’s difficult, certainly, but not impossible.” Seungcheol argues, “I don’t see any reason to just follow behind the rest of the army, and I’d be glad to push myself for this.”
You don’t doubt his ability to do that, but you do question the validity of his motives.
“There’s… a bit more to his message,” Wonwoo says after Jihoon and Seungcheol have been staring at each other for a moment. “Kunhang will be leading his men to Tagok Pass in hopes of stalling the Goguryeo reinforcements. I believe he means to buy time so that our allies can sack the city without interference. But…”
“The pass is on the front line right now,” Soonyoung drums his fingers along the hilt of his sword. “I understand what he’s trying to do, but I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as he thinks it’ll be.”
“That’s a good point,” Junghwan sighs, “The enemy’s getting desperate, and we don’t know what else they’ve got up their sleeves.”
“If we want Kunhang to come back alive, we need to send some reinforcements to go along with him,” Jihoon ascertains.
“I disagree.” Seungcheol frowns. “If we are to win in Pyongyang, we must arrive there at full strength.”
“Are you saying we should abandon Kunhang then?” Hansol asks.
“Well, if both of our forces are wiped out by Goguryeo, there is hardly any point at all.”
The men all shoot glances at one another, formulating their own thoughts and responses before Hansol speaks once more, “I will remain with Wong. Without their aid in previous battles none of us would be here. I will go to Tagok Pass. Jihoon, please take the rest of the men to Ongjin.”
“Hansol, you–” Jihoon’s eyes grow wide.
“Then I’ll go and prepare to depart.” Before giving Jihoon a chance to respond, Seungcheol stands quickly and leaves the room.
Soonyoung doesn’t seem particularly happy about the way things have gone either, and after a moment of furious thought, he stands as well, “I guess I’ll go with him. Don’t really want to let him out of my sight, you know.”
“Yeah,” Jihoon nods, “That’s probably smart.”
“Be careful, Soonyoung,” you say as he walks past you. He gives you a small smile and a wink, then dashes out the door after Seungcheol.
“Jeon,” Jihoon looks at the man still at the door, “I need you to go and tell Kunhang what we’ve decided.”
“Understood,” Wonwoo says quickly, “I’ll be off as soon as I can.”
Once he leaves, Hansol turns to Jihoon. Whether or not he was waiting for the room to be cleared, you’re unsure.
“Please survive. No matter what happens.”
“What’s the matter?” His brow furrows as he looks to the other, “That came from nowhere.”
“In the Hwarang, you and Youngmin upheld the path of a true warrior.” Even when slanted by their own kingdom, they had never compromised what they stand for. “Our standard of truth is a banner for everyone who fights. We lead the way.”
Hansol and Jihoon look at one another silently, before Hansol continues. “As the man who made the Hwarang into what it has become, it must be your duty to carry that standard. Every Hwarang before you and after is relying on that.”
“You make it sound so easy.” Jihoon replies with his thin lipped grin. “I’ll promise you this though, I’ll stick around until the Hwarang’s dead, or I am.”
“Thank you, Chief.” Hansol smiles, eventually turning to you, “I leave Jihoon in your care.”
The words are few but hold great emotion behind them, “We’ll be fine. I’m sure of it… After all, I don’t think he could die even if someone killed him. I’ve seen him on the verge of death many times, but he always pulls through. So,” your jaw locks and you look directly into Hansol’s eyes, “Please don’t die, Hansol.”
The battle at Tagok Pass is sure to be an intense one. Many lives, you’re sure, are going to be lost.
“I won’t die even if I get killed?” Jihoon’s eyebrow piques, “That’s quite a statement. If you’ve got time to worry about me, maybe you oughta be worrying about yourself too, Hansol.” He’d said it as a joke but there’s no mistaking his underlying sincerity.
“I won’t die easily either. After all, I will be fighting in the name of the Hwarang.” Hansol says calmly and then addresses you, “Thank you for your kind gesture.”
And so, you accompany Jihoon to Ongjin. He’s still gravely concerned about Hansol, thus he’d ordered Wonwoo to remain alongside him at Tagok Pass. Leaving them both turns out to be much more difficult than you’d imagined. All you can do is pray that they survive, and that you will meet again someday.
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 1𝔰𝔱, 666 – 𝔒𝔫𝔤𝔧𝔦𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 As winter takes hold, the cold wind blows down on the main body of the Hwarang as they arrive in Ongjin. The trip had been impeded by several small snowstorms, but now upon your arrival a new problem is encountered: Seungcheol and the Fury Corps were nowhere to be found. Soonyoung, too, had been unheard from.
From the townspeople in Ongjin, you hear disturbing rumors that murder has been on the rise in recent weeks.
Upon reaching the regional minister’s house, you’re met with a man who splits a grin as soon as he sees Jihoon. “Long time no see, Lee. How are you?”
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Qian.”
Later on, you learn that this man is Qian Kun, the Tang navy’s second-in-command. When the Yamoto forces had fired upon Sabi some years earlier, Kun had been in command of the Tang ships that aided the Silla forces on land. While Jihoon hadn’t been at the battle, he was able to speak with and befriend the man when he visited Seorabeol some weeks later.
“Have you already heard about Youngmin?” Kun frowns,as Jihoon nods. “I apologize for having been unable to help. Your kingdom has truly lost a great man.”
“He would’ve been happy to hear you say that,” Jihoon says with a bitter smile, “But he wouldn’t want us to stand around crying about him. He’d want us to get to work. Can you give me a rundown of what we’re working with?”
“Unfortunately I don’t have the greatest news,” Kun says, “While we’ve secured the city, there is something… wrong occurring. I have requested a meeting with the newly implemented officials but I haven’t received any form of response. To top it off, there’s a suspicious group of men running around Ongjin. Well, there are rumors, at least.”
“Suspicious how?”
“Well murders have increased, and a few rumors report the assailiants running back to the minister’s home.”
Suspicious men running around, possibly murdering civilians… Seungcheol and the Fury Corps unreachable… It isn’t hard to put two and two together.
Jihoon and you lock eyes, no doubt thinking the same thing.
“If this continues we may become sidetracked here from our main goal,” Qian states, “Perhaps if we could arrest these murders and restore peace in this area…”
“Kun, think you could leave the murders to me?” The other man opens his mouth to protest, but something in Jihoon’s gaze makes him change his mind and he nods.
“Alright, I’ll leave this one to you. No more questions from me.”
Once Kun returns to his men, you turn to Jihoon, “Do you think it’s Seungcheol…?”
“Can’t say,” Jihoon sighs out breathily, “You heard the same things I did. No way to know for sure but if it is… I’ll have to kill him.”
“Jihoon…”
“He got pretty freaked out when he heard about where a Fury's power comes from. Might be he’s pretty depressed right now. Maybe crazy.” He shakes his head and looks to the minister’s house, “Strange things are afoot in Ongjin. We can’t be careless.”
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 2𝔫𝔡, 666 - 𝔒𝔫𝔤𝔧𝔦𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The next day, Jihoon begins his investigation. Despite your attempts to convince him that he still needs rest, not the stress of a murder investigation, he presses on. And so, that is how you find yourself lounging around the rooms the Hwarang are occupying while Jihoon goes off on rounds with the rest of the men.
You’re engrossed in reading over some medical papers Namekawa had left you with when you receive an unexpected visitor.
“Where were you this whole time?!” The papers drop from your grasp as Kwon Soonyoung steps into the room, “We couldn’t contact you, we were all so worried…”
“Do you know where Jihoon is?” He doesn’t answer your question, but rather jumps straight to the chase.
“He’s off doing rounds at the minister’s estate…”
“Ah,” Soonyoung looks a bit crestfallen, “Can you give him a message for me? I can tell you everything since we got here. Just make sure you pass it on to him.”
You gulp, waiting for him to open up. “The minister isn’t being cooperative. Chances are they're being pressured by the enemy somehow. At least that's what Seungcheol thinks. So, we looked around a little more and while we were doing that we found out that Heo is actually here.”
“What?!” You cry out at the unexpected revelation. Your father had been forced to do research on the Furies by the revivalists before the war broke out, or at least that's what you thought.
“Yeah… and… he seems to be leading a unit of Furies for the Goguryeo forces.” Soonyoung frowns, “Well we figured we could just let that slide so we started watching their Furies, you know, where they go and stuff and well… I saw Seungcheol meeting with Heo.”
Soonyoung explains that Seungcheol told him they'd be more likely to get spotted if they moved together and went off on his own. This is pretty peculiar on its own but sometime after they split up Soonyoung witnessed Seungcheol meeting with your father.
“I don’t know anymore… I don’t know what Seungcheol is thinking.”
“It doesn’t mean that Seungcheol is connected with Goguryeo, does it?” Your brow furrows.
“If that were the case then there wouldn't be a need for him to lie to me though, right?” Soonyoung says frustratedly, “Doesn't act like he's got any plans to contact the rest of the Hwarang. I just didn't know what to do…”
You’re not sure what else to say and just before you open your mouth you hear a commotion happening at the entrance of the building. The door to your room is kicked open and several strange men suddenly leap inside.
“Who the hell are they–?! Shit!” Soonyoung shouts as they unsheathe their swords and lunge after him. He dodges the attack easily drawing his own sword as he moves. He strikes out at one of the men before he has a chance to recover. The man laughs and the spot where Soonyoung had struck him is beginning to heal immediately. Suddenly, the man's eyes begin to grow a deep crimson you understand what you're up against.
“Furies…!”
“Get behind me!” Soonyoung reaches out and grabs your wrist, pulling you backwards.
“Now, there’s no need for that,” a new voice says from the entrance. You feel your eyelids footer incredulously after hearing a man's voice. It's familiar… nostalgically so.
“Father?!” You’re frozen in place as Soonyoung continues to fight the Furies.
“What the hell!? Who are these guys! It's broad daylight! How are they moving swiftly?!”Although he's Clearly they're superior regards to swordsmanship, he's outnumbered and the daylight had weakened him. He's slow and his strikes are unsure.
Your father maintains his cool composure, and he mutters under his breath as he observes the events, “Aren't they wonderful? Furies no longer restrained by the cycles of day and night.”
“You…” You stare at him, mouth agape, “You did this?”
“Of course, my child. I am unsure if the news has reached you yet but I was captured by the Goguryeo Army, and in this captivity I continued to research the pimul.”
“Father– you need to stop them!” You look to your friend fighting, “At this rate he’ll–”
Heo Jinsang’s eyes widen as if he’s only just remembered and he looks over to Soonyoung with a smile. “Ah, yes. I don’t know how to thank you. Without you, it would have taken much longer to find my daughter.”
“You followed me?!” Soonyoung spits through grit teeth.
Ignoring him, your father looks back to you and speaks with a soft voice, “I’ve come to get you. At last, we’ll be able to restore our clan.”
“Clan…? You mean the Heo family?”
“With these superior Furies, restoring the glory of our clan will be child’s play.” Heo laughs, “Once the kingdoms bear witness to the potential of these breakthroughs, they cannot ignore us! We can even wipe out the Demon clans who rejected our plea for help, avenging our kin!”
“You’re planning on using Furies to restore the Heo lineage to power?”
“Yes, I am. Everything I have done was for you.” His voice evokes the same tone he had used to speak to you when you were a child. You shake your head to combat it and his eyes narrow. With a few swift footfalls, he closes in, “You’ve been with the Hwarang for too long. They’ve corrupted you.”
No… It isn’t you who’s changed, it’s your father.
“Goddamn it! Get off me you bastards!” Despite being out of breath, Soonyoung manages to swipe at the Furies with his sword, giving himself space. However, no matter the amount of wounds he’s able to inflict on them, they heal immediately.
“Father…”
“If we just sit down and talk this through, I’m sure you’d understand.” Your father’s face lies in a stony demeanor.
“I–!” Before you can say anything else, he drives his fist into your stomach. Stars leap before your eyes, the world grows dark and you slip into unconsciousness.
When you awake, you’re in an unfamiliar room.
“Where…” Your hands gripping your head as you sit up, “Where am I?”
“You’re at the minister’s estate.” A voice says before you and you widen your eyes.
“Seungcheol?!” You cry out before noticing the figure next to him. Beside him stands your father.
“What’s going on here?” You say as you scramble to your feet. “Why are you two together?!”
“I met with Heo secretly here in Ongjin, and we’ve agreed to work together in order to do Fury research.” Seungcheol explains, resting his arm on the hilt of his sword.
“Then… You’re working with Goguryeo? You’ve betrayed Silla… Betrayed the Hwarang…”
“Is that what you think?” Seungcheol raises an eyebrow, “Interesting…” Explaining himself had never been one of Seungcheol’s strong points.
“How are you feeling, my child?” Heo asks sympathetically, “I apologize for the rough treatment. I hope you aren’t too hurt.” His tone is intimate and caring, you feel yourself wavering towards the father you used to know.
“I suggest you make no attempts to escape…” Seungcheol says calmly but with more intimidation than you’d seen from him before, “We could make that difficult. In any event, it was reckless of you to bring her here, Heo.” He glances at you before continuing, “Jihoon is no fool. Her disappearance will surely mean that he will be onto our plans. I expect him at any moment.”
“You told me that if I wanted to know where my daughter was, I just had to follow Kwon to the Hwarang.”
“Yes. I did.” Seungcheol’s lips curve into a frown, “But I never suggested to kidnap her. Alas, what’s done is done. No point arguing about it. We need to be thinking about what this could mean, and plan for it.”
“I’m sure the Furies I left to deal with Kwon will return to the estate soon, you needn’t worry about the future.” Heo shrugs.
“What did you do to Soonyoung?” Your voice nearly breaks.
“I doubt he survived. After all, I did bring quite a few of them.”
Your whole body shakes. You want wholeheartedly to not believe it, but the Furies that your father had brought were unlike any you’d ever seen before. Soonyoung had already looked pale and weak even before he’d started fighting…
“You just have to assume I’m dead?” A voice says from the open doorway, “C’mon, that hurts my feelings…” He’s leaning against the frame and someone brushes past him, glaring at Seungcheol and your father.
“You alright?” Jihoon asks as he looks at you.
“I am!” You nod vigorously and he lets out a snort of laughter.
“How did you find us?!” Heo asks incredulously, “I’ve made so many improvements on my Furies. How could you have destroyed them all?”
“Improvements? If you say so, but if you want to take out the Hwarang, you’ll need about ten times what you sent.” Jihoon smirks.
“I figured you’d be here soon,” Seungcheol murmurs, “You didn’t bring any of the men, though… Well, I suspected you wouldn’t. Still, doesn’t it seem rather reckless for the two of you to charge headfirst into unknown enemy territory?”
“Explain.” Jihoon’s eyes narrow at Seungcheol, “Why didn’t you contact us?”
“There’s nothing for you in Ongjin.” Seungcheol says simply.
“I was given orders by Yeon Gaesomun to come here. They told me to take my Furies and kill the traitors who reside here. However, I found such a plan unagreeable when so many test subjects reside here…” Heo sighs out.
“We found common ground in our distaste for Goguryeo,” Seungcheol explains, “and thusly decided to seize Ongjin for ourselves.”
“So you’re not fighting with our enemy…?” You struggle to piece together everything.
“I’m on your side, child. I have no intention of taking part in mankind’s disputes.” Your father says as he crosses his arms, “Let us bring retribution to the humans who destroyed our clan and the Demons who betrayed us. It is in our destiny to forge a new Demon kingdom with our own hands– no, we will be the only Demon clan!”
You recall Sooyoung explaining how the Heo village had been destroyed by humans. Even then, you can’t get yourself to agree with your father.
Just then, the sound of footsteps loudly resound out from the hallway. Furies pour into the room as Seungcheol smiles, “Ah, they seem to have noticed our intruders.”
“Hey–!” Jihoon’s eyes widen as he notices their faces, “They’re the Hwarang’s–!”
“Not only does this castle hold the remnants of Goguryeo’s Fury army, but also of the Hwarang’s Fury Corps.” Seungcheol crosses his arms, “All of the Furies that exist in both Kingdoms are gathered here.”
Red eyes surround Soonyoung, Jihoon and you. No humanity resides in their gazes.
“Please give us your help,” Your father calls out to you, “We need you to lead us. You must command the Furies and restore the Heo clan.”
But you don’t care about restoring the clan. You don’t want to create more Furies so that blood can drive them mad. You don’t want to see more suffering.
“Father… you’re wrong.” Heo’s eyes go wide when you speak. “Building a kingdom on the corpses of others isn’t right! I can’t agree to it!”
Human or Demon, every life is precious. Just because your home village was destroyed doesn’t mean you can oppress humans.
“I believe Heo was saying that he’d be willing to assist the Hwarang.” Seungcheol interjects, looking at Jihoon. “What do you think, Lee? Would you like to lead this army of Furies against Goguryeo?”
“You know the answer.” With Jihoon having been against Furies from the very beginning, you doubt he’s changed his mind about them.
“So I suppose that ends our negotiation.” Seungcheol sighs, slowly drawing his sword from its scabbard. “Very well…”
You stiffen, yet Jihoon doesn’t move towards his own blade. He remains still, cooly contemplating Seungcheol. Almost as if someone’s dumping white ink on it, Seungcheol’s hair slowly changes to white and he raises his sword.
Instead of swiping at Jihoon though, he cuts down a Fury standing nearby him.
“All a Fury exists for is battle, and now we’ve taken that away from them…” Seungcheol shakes his head with a sigh, “The least I can do for them is let them die here, in battle.”
The room falls silent. Then it explodes in noise– the enraged cries of the Furies and the rattle of swords being drawn.
“Soonyoung–” Jihoon says quickly.
“I know!” The younger shouts and drops into a fighting stance, slipping his hand around the hilt of his sword. A grin splits on his lips as his hair turns white, “Seungcheol, this is way too badass for an old guy like you! Why didn’t you tell us?!”
“Well,” Seungcheol chuckles, “as they say, to fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends.” Their swords whistle and spark through the air, Fury after Fury falling before them. “Besides, doesn’t the hero’s right-hand man make the best villain?”
Jihoon responds with a bark of wry laughter and draws his own sword in a flash of silver light as his hair turns white as well. The men get into their stances and face the Furies as Furies themselves.
“The hell are you talking about?” Jihoon says with a grin, “Still means the hero gets stuck cleaning up the damn mess.”
As their three swords spin and hiss through the air, blood gushes and spatters, painting the walls of the estate a deep red. Wave after wave conquered, they drown their foes in a sea of blood. You notice that your mouth has gone dry, your hands beginning to shake. In the corner, you spot your father sitting down.
“Everything you told me was a lie?” Heo asks Seungcheol. “You said you wanted to do more research on the Furies in the kingdom of Demons… Why?”
“I saw the end.” Seungcheol answers, “I was trying to discover a way for Furies to live past their… limits. Our short lifespans made me impatient. To continue my research I even dirtied my hands.” Every suspicious thing he had done had been in the service of a single goal: saving his fellow Furies. “We have no future as Furies. You know this as well as I do, Heo.”
“No matter how resistant you make them to sunlight, they will push themselves too hard, and their lifespans will shrink and the bloodlust will drive them mad.” Seungcheol confirms the truth you’d all suspected: there is no way to save the Furies. “We are a mistake: a failed experiment. Furies are not something that should exist in this world. Let’s end this.”
Seungcheol’s true intentions leave you surprised, as does his admission that the Furies are a failure. Is he right? Can they not be saved? Has all hope been lost? You let your mind drift for a moment, and then you see a shadow move in the corner of your eye– A Fury only feet from you, his eyes red and mad with bloodlust. You reach for your sword but it’s too late.
Before your hand even touches the hilt, you see the Fury’s blade sweeping toward you. Blood splashes down onto the floor before you, but it isn’t yours. A figure standing before you had taken the blow in your stead.
“Father?!”
The Fury pulls back for another swing but then it freezes, gurgles oddly and slides neatly in half, a blade glistening in the center.
“Turn your back on us in a fight, will you?” Jihoon spits as he looks down to the halved Fury, “Idiot.” He shifts his eyes up to your father’s wound, and you see his face twitch. Immediately, he moves closer and turns his back to the two of you, sword held at the ready.
“Are you… alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” Your father asks as he turns to look at you. There’s blood splattered all over his chest. The wound, now that you can see it, is undoubtedly a fatal one.
“Yes, yes. I’m fine. I’m not hurt at all,” you say quickly. His hand reaches out and grasps your shoulder, he falls to his knees and you follow after him. Quickly you lay him on his back, clutching at his hand.
“Our research was a… failure. I knew there was no future for the Furies…” He murmurs out as tears begin to well in your eyes, “But I couldn’t give it up… I wanted to bring back your clan, your family.” Ever since you were young he’d always tried to do what was best for you. “It seems my fate is to die with the Furies… I have committed terrible sins. This is for the best, please, don’t cry.”
You nod your head knowing that if you’re to open your mouth the tears would never stop. He gives you one last smile, sighs a calm breath and is gone.
After what seems like an eternity, you look up. The battle is over. The Furies that came to fruition by the Hwarang and your father lie dead, scattered around the room.
“Kind of a waste, isn’t it?” Seungcheol says as he looks at the bodies, “That many Furies could have been awfully useful… The Hwarang could have used these men.”
“You don’t win battles by thinking you’ll lose them.” Jihoon says.
“Well, you don’t win by thinking you’ll win either,” Soonyoung snorts with laughter, then coughs to cover it up.
It’s true, the Hwarang had lost a lot of Furies but their unity had grown stronger.
“Ack–!” A sudden burst of pain wipes the grin from Soonyoung’s face. Seungcheol, too, has doubled over in agony. Their hair which had returned to normal goes back to stark white.
“Looks like we’ve reached our limit,” Seungcheol says through grit teeth.
Minhyun’s words suddenly flash to you. The Fury’s power isn’t a gift from the gods. You’re only borrowing life that you would spend decades on.
Soonyoung sees your eyes go wide and gives you an awkward sort of laugh, “We were some of the first Furies.” They’d been in more battles as Furies than anyone else, and all of the strength and healing they’d enjoyed ate away at their futures until there was nothing left.
���Did you know…?” The question leaves Jihoon as a whisper.
Seungcheol smiles and then gives a slow nod, “What warrior doesn’t know his own body?” His legs suddenly shake violently and he falls to the floor, Soonyoung soon following.
Jihoon drops to his knees and takes both of their hands in his own.
“Jihoon… Do you remember?” Seungcheol remineces weakly, “Back when we were at Kwak Hall, we would spend all night talking.”
“Yeah,” Jihoon nods, “We would say that Youngmin would never be content with being just the heir of a small school. We promised to do what we could for him…”
“Who would’ve thought he would leave this world before us?” Seungcheol frowns and his voice grows quiet, “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but without you, we couldn’t have built up the Hwarang.”
“Same goes for you too…” Jihoon says with a small smile, “You were the one that always calmed me down whenever I’d start a fight with Yixing.” He’s doing his best to act tough so that Soonyoung and Seungcheol won’t worry.
“Looks like we’re taking the lead this time… Don’t be in too much of a hurry to catch up though, alright?” Soonyoung adds in a bright and kind tone, “I mean, you barely had any time to rest since you joined the Hwarang.”
Jihoon just nods.
“I’m having a hard time buying that ‘yes’. You’re a little too short-tempered to keep a promise like that…”
“Shut it, you little brat. You really think I’m gonna take that crap from you?”
Soonyoung’s face relaxes as Jihoon snarls back at him. Even in this moment, Jamein’s tender and kind for the benefit of his Chief.
“You must go south.” Seungcheol suddenly says. “Heo said he used water from Tamna when he was refining the pimul.”
Your eyes widen– perhaps there still is hope. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance something south can repair the curse of the Fury to these men. Seungcheol’s last words are the fait muster of hope for the fate of the Furies.
“Jihoon… Don’t… don’t lose sight of what matters, alright? Being reckless doesn’t work out so well.” Soonyoung’s voice has grown rough and raspy. Jihoon’s knuckles whiten as they tighten around his comerade’s hands. But with a sound like sand pouring over a stone, their hands crumble into ash. In moments, they are no more.
“Jihoon…” You call out but he doesn’t answer. He only stares, silent, at the twin piles of ash that sit where his friends were only moments before. There aren’t any tears in his eyes, but even so he’s somehow crying.
You’re not sure how long you sit there before he stands up. The room that includes only you two is devastatingly quiet.
“Let’s go.” He says quietly, his voice curt and clipped. Yet, when he turns to you, his eyes suddenly go wide. “Hey, no crying.”
You nod, trying to stop, but it’s no good. The tears don’t pause, regardless of how much you wipe them away. In one day– an hour– you’ve been forced to say goodbye to Soonyoung, to Seungcheol… and the father you haven’t seen in over a year.
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 17𝔱𝔥, 666 – 𝔒𝔫𝔤𝔧𝔦𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 The events of the magistrate’s house resonate with you for a while, and after some time has passed you find yourself alone again, standing in front of the estate. Wisps of snowflakes fall around you, wind hitting your cheeks and chapping your lips.
“They sure took their sweet-ass time,” Jihoon quips as he exits the front gates of the building. His worn expression indicates a worried tiredness.
“Hello,” you greet him, “How was the meeting?”
“How? Hmph.” He shakes his head, “Those idiots north of Pyongyang don’t like any of the plans we’ve proposed, even with Kunhang and I poking around as often as we are. Apparently with the incident here and continuing at Tagok, Munmu doesn’t trust us yet to act. That’s the bullshit they relayed! Can you believe that?”
Jihoon paces the front gate, arms crossed and breath puffing in the air, “They act all high and mighty on their capital in the north, but pussy out when it’s time for the final push. It’s pathetic, Munmu hasn’t done shit and is relying on the Tang for everything.” He frowns, “Whatever. Let’s head back to the inn, the sun’s really beating down today.”
“Okay…” A cloud of frustration seems to follow you as you return to the inn, most notably in Jihoon. “We’ll be there soon enough, hang in there.” His skin looks pale and watching him in silent agony makes your heart ache.
“Don’t worry about me,” he sighs, “How about you? Are you holding up alright?”
“I’m… fine. I mean, I’m pretty resilient.”
“How can you say that?” He lets out a dry laugh, “You stay up all night just to tend to me…”
“I’m tough.” You smile back, “When you finally fall asleep, it gives me the peace of mind so that I can rest easily too.”
Jihoon’s lips curl and he doesn’t seem satisfied with your answer. Instead, he just stares at you. He turns his head gradually to the hues of red and orange covering the winter sky in the distance. You follow his lead and look towards the horizon.
“Huh…?” Your vision suddenly blurs.
“Hey, what’s the matter?” Jihoon’s right next to you, but yet his voice sounds so distant.
Before you know it, your body collapses to the ground.
“Hey!” Jihoon shouts out, “You alright?! Hang in there!”
When you regain consciousness, you discover yourself tucked snugly in bed.
“About time you woke up,” Jihoon says as you look around the room. “Do you know where you are right now?”
“Ah! Jihoon…” Once you realize that it’s him, you snap out of your daze. “I’m sorry, I–”
“You idiot!” He shouts, causing you to jump. “If you weren’t feeling well, you shouldn’t have gone outside. You should’ve rested!”
“I’m sorry…” It feels as if a stone has dropped into the pit of your stomach as he scolds you, and you can only look down at your hands.
“Uhm, well… I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on you,” Jihoon sighs. “You’ve barely had any chance to rest, especially after what happened with your father’s passing… I can’t really be surprised that you would push yourself to act like everything’s normal.”
But he’s lost people too, and if you’re suppressing how you’ve been feeling you can’t imagine the turmoil happening within him,
“Until further notice, you don’t have to join me when I meet with members of the war council. You’re going to stay here to rest.”
“What?” You shake your head, “No, I’m fine. Today was just a lot to handle. So, please… I’ll be careful. I won’t let this become a problem again in the future.”
“Why? Because Youngmin, Chan and Eunseok asked you to watch after me or something?” His head tilts, “None of the men who died for us would have wanted you to look after me at the expense of your own health.”
He does have a point. But that isn’t the only reason you’re still here.
“I… I want to be by your side, Jihoon.”
“Yeah?” His brow furrows, “Why’s that?”
“What do you mean ‘why’?” I, um…” You can’t continue. Of course, you know the true answer but to admit that is a bit too much. There’s no way you can tell him your feelings. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
“Well, fine. Whatever,” he waves it off, flashing his usual sense of detachment, muttering to himself, “If you don’t want to tell me, I don’t care.” Caught up in his own thoughts, he mutters something shortly, “You were close with Namekawa, right?”
“I wasn’t close with him… My father was, though.” You admit, “However, he did watch after me frequently.”
“I see. He’s a good man, but I just can’t seem to put my full trust in him.”
“Okay…?” You can’t quite grasp the point Jihoon is trying to make.
“If anything happens while we’re out here, I want you to find him and stay with him.” Jihoon states, “Even if Goguryeo catches you, they won’t touch you as long as you’re with him.”
“What? Why would they–”
“Look. When you’re at war, you can’t just prepare for victory. Gotta consider your defeat as well.” Jihoon crosses his arms, “I’m sure Doctor Namekawa will show up here any day, so when that happens…” He falls silent. After a while, he shakes his head tenderly, “Nothing. Forget it. I’m just rambling.”
In the empty space of your conversation, you try to sift through what Jihoon’s trying to say. All you can do is pray that this brief, peaceful reprieve will prolong itself for a bit longer.
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 21𝔱𝔥, 666 – 𝔒𝔫𝔤𝔧𝔦𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 In the following days Kun and Jihoon make another trip to the war council stationed in the minister’s home. Although they hope their audience with the officials will be fruitful, it turns out to be less than eventful.
“Yeah,” Kun sighs, “It’s no use. The water’s going to be frozen over soon enough, I get that. But waiting until it thaws in the spring…”
“It’s idiotic,” Jihoon agrees. “Guess we should kick back and relax until then, huh?”
“Even if you’re joking it’s not funny.” Kun frowns, “We’re only giving them more time to reinforce Pyongyang.”
“Sure,” Jihoon says, “But it’s not like they’ve got anyone else to come in and save them. They’ll be holed up in the city, waiting for a reprieve. If they’re smart they’d have surrendered by now.”
“Knowing Gaesomun, it’s not like he’ll have a shortage of ideas of how to turn this around. For fuck’s sake he killed their last king to wrest power from him. I suppose we’ll refrain from making any rash decisions until we reunite with Boo.”
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 26𝔱𝔥, 666 – 𝔒𝔫𝔤𝔧𝔦𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 You find Jihoon in his apartments when you approach him, “I hear our forces are gathering in the north of the city… Are we leaving?”
“The Hwarang serves two things:” he sighs, “the King and the Kingdom. That hasn’t changed.”
“The Hwarang show the way, right?” You point out.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? All this time, we had those lords and ministers looking down and judging our actions. Now look at us.” You can almost recall Youngmin’s grin as Jihoon smiles.
“Well, that’s one more reason not to die, then.”
It’s a burden on him, undoubtedly, but Jihoon has seen many of his friends lay down their lives for the Hwarang and what it represents. Knowing what it had meant to them, he can’t allow himself to die.
“As long as the men believe in what we stand for, I can’t let the Hwarang die.” The doubt you’d seen in him weeks before is gone. He’s accepted his place at the head of the Hwarang. “I have to protect them.”
He looks over to you, his gaze warm, it makes you feel better than you have in a while. Just being next to him is enough to make you feel like everything is right in the world.
𝔇𝔢𝔠𝔢𝔪𝔟𝔢𝔯 30𝔱𝔥, 666 – 𝔒𝔫𝔤𝔧𝔦𝔫, 𝔎𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔡𝔬𝔪 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔞 A few more days pass and the men you’d left to go to Tagok Pass finally reach Onjin. Unfortunately, bad news comes with their victory over the pass.
“Hansol has fallen in battle,” Wonwoo reports, his head bowed, “His last words were ‘Leave the rest to Jihoon’...”
Ever since this war started, you’re unsure of how many times you’ve seen this expression on a warrior’s face. You bite your lip until it almost bleeds.
Jihoon puts his hands on Wonwoo’s shoulders, giving him some words of encouragement, “I’m sorry I put you through that, Jeon. I’m just glad you made it back alive.”
Wonwoo’s eyes grow wide and he looks overcome with emotion, “Th–Thank you sir!”
Soonyoung and Seungcheol lost their lives in Ongjin, and Hansol at Tagok… This means that Jihoon is the only Fury left among the Hwarang.
“It’s been hard already, but I’m pretty sure things are going to get worse,” Jihoon crosses his arms, “You’ve all fought enough, so…”
Wonwoo sets his jaw and looks back at Jihoon, “I’ve given my life to the Hwarang, it just hasn’t been lost yet. We’ll follow you to the end of the world and back, sir.”
“Me too!” Junghwan says firmly, “I’ll follow you all the way!”
“Let me accompany you, no matter where it takes us!” Dohoon adds.
“You guys…” Jihoon’s almost at a loss for words.
“We want to fight as the Hwarang, not as foot soldiers of Silla. We want to fight for the justice we believe in.” Wonwoo smiles at him reassuringly.
You’re sure that if Youngmin were alive, he’d be crying. The Hwarang united in body and mind. A great happiness wells within you and suddenly you can’t hold it in any longer. Tears spill forth from your eyes.
“... Idiots.” Jihoon’s face twists into a sneer, but there isn’t any hiding the warmth in his eyes as he looks out over the men. They know the coming battle will not be an easy one, but there is no doubt in their mind: their place is with Jihoon and the Hwarang.
#svthub#seventeen fanfic#seventeen imagines#seventeen x reader#seventeen x you#jihoon fluff#jihoon smut#jihoon x reader#jihoon angst#woozi x you#woozi x reader#woozi angst#woozi fluff#woozi smut
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You are my night There are thousands of reasons behind these feelings
[01:46] Comfort met discomfort in these moments. Drenched in sweat, heart racing and breaths coming faster. Ease met unease as your fingers dug into the mess of sheets on the bed, giving you something to hold onto, something to find purchase in.
Familiarity, an old pattern. Aron’s hands holding your hips like they had countless times. His hips thrusting, deep and rough. Your legs thrown up over his shoulders as he gazed down at you with heat in his eyes. The same heat you had seen so many times as you gazed up at him from the bed.
“You look so fucking good like this, babe,” you had heard that same roughness before as he spoke. But just like every other time it never failed to make arousal rush through you. His gaze never failed to entrance you. The same pleasure he had brought you before that you were addicted to. You could never get enough of him.
Surety, bliss, pleasure.
Impossibility.
You and Aron didn’t work. You and Aron would never work.
Your back arched off the bed and his hands kept your hips still as he thrust into you harder.
Tried and failed, it was never as perfect as it should have been.
His name fell from your hips as you squeezed your eyes shut, pleasure filling you as the coil inside you curled impossibly tight.
The sex worked, but that was about the only thing that did.
You cried out, your body shaking as your release crashed over you. Bliss flooded your senses and coursed through your body as you panted, trying to catch your breath.
Of the complicated feelings between you, love was never one of them.
#nu'est imagines#nu'est smut#aron imagines#aron smut#aaron imagines#aaron smut#aaron kwak imagines#kwak youngmin imagines
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**ATTENTION ALL ABNEWS!!**
To celebrate AB6ix’s new comeback, I’m going to do name ships! Drop your name (or nickname) in my asks and I will ship you with a member! Yes it’s ot5! Also if you have not, please go stream their new comeback!
youtube
#kpop#kpop scenarios#kpop ships#idol life ships#kpop imagines#idol life ship#kpop moodboard#ab6ix#ab6ix imagines#ab6ix scenarios#ab6ix smut#abnew#youngmin#ab6ix youngmin#lim youngmin#woong#jeon woong#ab6ix woong#donghyun#ab6ix donghyun#park woojin#woojin#ab6ix woojin#lee daehwi#ab6ix daehwi#daehwi#Youtube
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Absolute Heartache
A Two part series of Y/N’s Journey when she happens to fall in the grasps of a Mafia Family.
Caught between Dangerous but intriguing Woojin, unpredictable emotional Woong, Bitchy Savage Daehwi & the Gentle Protective Donghyun Y/N finds herself tangled in a love triangle that changes her future forever!
Part one 13 chapters
Dark Angels
Death Grip
Deal breaker
Prison keeper
The Burning Sun
Cold Revenge
Blood Spill
Be Mine
Angelic Return
Jealousy
Family Affairs
Letting Go
Heartache
Part two 12 chapters
New life
Defiance
Frilly dresses, Danger & Doom
Unpredictable
Ghosts
Sam Chon
Hideout
Unexpected arrival
Protect at all costs
Mafia Queen
Abeoji
Absolute Heartache
Masterlist
#ab6ix#fiction#kpop smut#kpopidol#Ab6ix smut#ab6ix donghyun#ab6ix woojin#ab6ix daehwi#ab6ix woong#ab6ix youngmin#park woojin#jeon woong#lee daewhi#kim donghyun
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﹣︫︦(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭︎᩿⠂🎁⃞▒᤻:::᪻᪻︎ 𝓂︬ℯ︬𝓇︬𝓇︬𝓎︬ 𝒸𝒽︬𝓇︬𝒾︬𝓈︬𝓉︬︬𝓂︬𝒶︬𝓈︬ ⠈ܼ⊹⢀❄️⠈ܼ
╭╾╯︎︎⃜▒⃞🎄 ﹫youngmin moodboard . ⊹☃️⢀ . ⊹⢀
╰╾╮⃜▒⃞🎅🏼 like or reblog if u use ⊹⠈ܼ ⛸️ ⢀
╰﹫agatha or ﹪wongcoffee︎︎╮ ⠈⢀🤶🏼⠈ܼ
#youngmin icons#ab6ix scenarios#ab6ix woong#ab6ix layouts#ab6ix reactions#ab6ix smut#ab6ix#ab6ix icons#soft packs#kpopdetails#kpopicon#kpopsoft#kpop#kpopicons#kpop bands#kpop merch#bg soft icons#kpop bgs#xmas bg icons#kpop bg icons#bg post#bg tumblr#bg icons#kpop bts icons#kpop vsco#kpop vsco icons
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