#jia's to read later...◝ ✧ ◜

[bangtanbeom]

⋆˚࿔ perfect match 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

୨♡୧ part one / part two / part three / part four / part five ୨♡୧

pairing: rentalbf!soobin x fem!reader genre: fluff, comedy? (debatable), fake dating au summary: desperate to escape your friends matchmaking, a small lie spirals out of control. soobin—your charming, professional, rental boyfriend—the perfect answer. but what if the hardest part won't be fooling your friends and your ex? what if it’s reminding your own heart it's all fake? w/c: ~3k warning: not entirely proofread, fluff (might be cringe), an attempt at humor. a/n: hi! welcome to another story (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ i had this idea for years and recently i've been reading so many fake dating webtoons and it motivated me to finally start writing this one! and i thought soobin would be a perfect fit for the perfect boyfriend image. i'm excited how this one will turn out! enjoy <3

the cafe buzzed with chatter, the scent of vanilla lattes and fresh pastries filling the air. you stirred your iced coffee absentmindedly, half-listening to your friend's conversation—until mina leaned forward, eyes gleaming with mischief.

"so," she said, tapping her nails against the table. "i met this amazing guy at the gym last week. tall, sweet, works in finance. you have to meet him."

you sighed, already knowing where this was going. "mina, no."

"oh, come on!" jia chimed in, nudging your arm. "you ghosted every guy after the blind dates and you're rarely out of the house since you got dumped. it's been months!"

"and i'm fine with that," you said, though the words tasted hollow even to you.

mina scoffed. "liar. you've been buried in work, and your idea of fun friday night is rewatching 'reply 1988' alone. again."

you opened your mouth to argue, but jia cut in before you. "just one more blind date. if you hate him, we'll never bring it up again."

a headache was forming between your temples. you loved your friends, but their relentless matchmaking was exhausting, and you knew they would definitely bring it up again. before you could think better of it, the words tumbled out.

"i am seeing someone."

silence.

mina's spoon clattered against her cup. jia's eyes widened.

"what?" they said in unison.

your stomach dropped. you hadn't planned this—there was no name, no face, just the desperate need to make them stop.

jia recovered first. "since when? who is he? why haven't you mentioned him before?"

"it's... new," you hedged, scrambling for details. "we're taking it slow."

they exchanged glances, and you braced yourself for interrogation—but then mina's expression softened. "well... we're happy for you. seriously."

jia nodded. "but you have to bring him to the dinner next week. you know, the one where he might show up."

your ex. the one who'd made you feel small, replaceable. the reason you'd taken a break from dating in the first place.

a cold knot formed in your chest. you couldn't show up alone. you weren't ready to face him, especially when you were still hurt.

"of course," you heard yourself say. "he'll be there."

as your friends cheered, your mind raced.

what have i just done?

you had exactly eight days to find the perfect boyfriend.

and he didn't even exist.

the moment you stepped into your apartment, the weight of your lie crashed down on you.

eight days.

eight days to produce a boyfriend out of thin air—one charming enough to convince your friends everything's going well, impressive enough to make your ex regret everything, and believable enough to not get caught in your own web.

you groaned and face-planted onto the couch.

"this is a disaster."

your phone buzzed. a text from mina.

mina: can't wait to meet your mystery man! tell me everything about him!!

you stared at the screen, your fingers hovering uselessly over the keyboard. what could you say? that your imaginary boyfriend was tall? kind? had a nice voice? that was all you had—vague traits you'd daydreamed about but had never actually found in real life.

you typed back:

you: haha i'll tell you more later!

and immediately threw your phone across the couch like it had burned you.

the next morning, you dragged yourself to work, dark circles under your eyes from a night spent spiraling. your coworker, yeonjun, took one look at you and whistled.

"wow. who died?"

"my dignity," you muttered, slumping into your chair.

he rolled his chair closer, intrigued. "okay, drama queen. spill."

you hesitated. but yeonjun was the king of bad decisions—if anyone had advice on digging yourself out of a hole, it was him.

so you told him.

his eyebrows shot up. then burst out laughing.

"oh my god. you actually told them you had a boyfriend?"

"shut up." you hissed, glancing around the office. "i panicked!"

yeonjun wiped a tear from his eye. "okay, okay. so just... find a guy to pretend for one night. easy."

you blinked. "easy?"

"yeah! get a friend to do it. or—" his eyes lit up. "oh! rent one."

you stared at him. "a boyfriend?"

"yeah! it's a thing. there are, like, agencies for that. super professional." he pulled out his phone. "look, here's one—'perfect match rentals.' they specialize in fake dates, events, all that."

your stomach twisted. was this really your only option?

yeonjun smirked. "unless you wanna tell them you lied?"

you shuddered. no. absolutely not. they'd never let you live it down. you already dug the hole for yourself—too deep. and let's not start about your ex.

with a deep breath, you nodded.

"fine. let's rent me a boyfriend."

yeonjun swiped through his phone with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store. "okay, let's see what we've got here. perfect match rentals—professional, discreet, and way too many good-looking guys."

you leaned over his shoulder, squinting at the screen. the agency's website was sleek, polished and slightly intimidating. rows of profiles stared back at you—smiling, smoldering, some even holding puppies for maximum charm.

"this feels illegal," you muttered.

yeonjun scoffed. "illegal would be if we were hiring a hitman. this is just... strategic dating."

you shot him a look.

he grinned. "relax. think of it like ordering food. you're just picking the perfect dish for the occasion."

you sighed. "fine. let's see the menu."

yeonjun tapped the first profile. "ooh, check out jackson. 29, business man, speaks three languages. his tagline is literally: 'impress your collegues—or your ex.'"

you squinted at the photo of a sharp-jawed man in a tailored suit. "he looks like he owns a yacht."

"exactly! your ex would hate that."

"yeah, but he also looks like he'd side-eye me for using the wrong fork."

yeonjun snorted. "okay, fair. next!" he swiped. "oh! jaeyun. 25, specialty: 'the kind your mom would love to.' look at his smile! he probably bakes cookies."

you tilted your head. "he's cute, but..."

"but what?"

"i don't need a golden retriever in human form. my ex would think i downgraded to a puppy."

yeonjun groaned. "you're impossible." swipe. "alright, how about taehyung? 27, 'mysterious artist' vibe. look at that smolder."

in the photo, a brooding guy in all black stared moodily at the camera, a paintbrush behind his ear.

you deadpanned. "i don't need my fake boyfriend giving me cryptic one-word answers all night."

"ugh, fine." yeonjun scrolled furter, muttering. "sweet but not boring, handsome but not intimidating, confident but not arrogant..." then he froze.

"oh."

you frowned. "what?"

he turned the screen toward you.

the profile photo showed a guy with soft, warm eyes and a dimpled smile that felt like spring. he wasn't posing dramatically—just leaning against a cafe chair, looking at the camera like he already knew you.

name: soobin age: 24 specialty: the boyfriend experience

your breath caught.

yeonjun's voice dropped to a whisper. "damn."

you swallowed. "he's..."

"exactly what you need," yeonjun finished, grinning.

you hesitated. "but what if he's too good? what if my friends think i'm lying because there's no way someone like him would date me?"

yeonjun rolled his eyes. "first of all, rude to yourself. second—that's the point. he's supposed to make it believable." he tapped the screen. "look at his reviews. five star across the board. 'made my parents adore him.' 'had my ex seething with jealousy.' 'felt like a real relationship.'

you bit your lip.

yeonjun smirked. "so... should i book him?"

you took a deep breath.

"do it."

yeonjun's fingers flew across his phone screen with terrifying enthusiasm. "aaand—booked." he grinned at you, satisfied. "you're officially getting a fake boyfriend."

your stomach flipped. "wait, already? what did you even put in the request?"

"relax," he said, waving his phone. "just the basics—dinner with friends, ex will be there, need someone to make you look like the ultimate glow-up." he scrolled through the confirmation email. "oh, and he'll meet you tomorrow at 6 PM to go over details."

you nearly choked. "tomorrow?!"

yeonjun shrugged. "professionalism, baby. this guy doesn't mess around."

you groaned, dragging your hands down your face. "i can't believe i'm doing this.

"believe it," yeonjun said, slinging an arm around your shoulders. "by the time next week, your ex will be crushed, your friends will be shocked, and you—" he poked your cheek. "—will owe me big for saving your ass."

you swatted him away, but a nervous laugh escaped. "this is either going to be the best decision of my life or a spectacular disaster."

yeonjun winked. "best part? either way, it'll be entertaining. for me."

the glow of your phone screen was the only light in the darkened room, casting long shadows across the piled of discarded clothing thrown over your bed. you stared at the text from mina, the words blurring as your eyes burned from lack of sleep.

mina: omg he said yes?? so he's coming? super funn!

you tossed the phone aside with a groan, letting it sink into the sea of fabric surrounding you. the digital clock on your nightstand ticked over to 1:18 AM, the red numbers glowing in the darkness.

"this is ridiculous," you muttered to the empty room, flopping back onto the mattress. a misplaced coat hanger stabbing into your shoulder, and you batted it away with more force than necessary.

the ceiling fan spun lazy circles above you as your mind raced through the same exhausting loop it had been stuck in for hours.

outfit. story. backstory. cancellation.

a nervous laugh bubbled up as you imagines explaining this to someone.

i'll be meeting my fake boyfriend tomorrow to plan our fake relationship for a dinner where my very real ex will be watching.

your phone buzzed again.

yeonjun: stop overthinking and go to sleep. you have a hot date tomorrow.

you scowled at the message.

you: it's NOT a date. it's a business meeting.

yeonjun: sure. whatever helps you sleep at night.

you rolled onto your stomach, burying your face in a pillow that smelled faintly of fabric softener and regret. the scent reminded you of laundry day, which reminded you of chores, which reminded you of all the very normal, very boring things you should be worrying about instead of this elaborate charade.

the sweater you'd tried on earlier—the soft cream one with the delicate embroidery at the collar—laid crumpled near your feet. it had been the frontrunner before the great wardrobe purge of midnight. classy but casual. approachable but put together. the perfect 'i didn't try too hard but still want to make a good impression' outfit.

not that you were trying to impress anyone.

except, well.

you groaned again, louder this time, as if the sound could exorcise the butterflies staging a rebellion in your stomach.

a glance at the clock. 1:37 AM

with a sudden burst of determination, you sat up and grabbed your laptop. the screen flared to life, illuminating your tired face in the dark room.

"backstory," you muttered to yourself, fingers hovering over the keys. "we need a believable backstory."

the blank document stared back at you, cursor blinking expectantly.

how did we meet?

your fingers tapped out possibilities:

coffee shop (cliche)

mutual friends (vague)

work connection (too easy to fact check)

you deleted them all with a frustrated backspace barrage.

the reality of what you were doing settled over you like a heavy blanket. you were about to pay a stranger to pretend care about you. to look at you with affection that wasn't real. to spin lies so convincing your closest friends would believe them.

your fingers stilled on the keyboard.

maybe you should cancel.

the thought brought both relief and a strange pang of disappointment. you could text yeonjun right now, tell him to call it off. you'd face the teasing from your friends, sure, but at least you wouldn't be living this lie.

your phone buzzed again, startling you.

unknown number: hi, this is soobin from perfect match. looking forward to meeting you tomorrow at 6. let me know if you have any special requests for our backstory.

your breath caught.

he texted like a normal person. no corporate speak, no weird formality.

you stared at the message, thumbs hovering over the screen. what did one say to their rented significant other?

looking forward to being fake-dating you?

before you could overthink it, you typed:

you: hi! likewise, no special requests—just need to survive dinner with my ex.

you hit sent before you could second-guess yourself, then immediately cringed.

"survive dinner with my ex?" you muttered. "what are you, twelve?"

the three dots appeared almost immediately.

soobin: ah, the classic revenge fake-dating scenario. don't worry. i've got plenty of experience making exes regret their life choices.

a surprised laugh escaped you

you: that's weirdly comforting.

soobin: that's what i'm here for. see you tomorrow. try to get some sleep.

you stared at the message, something warm yet nerve-wrecking feeling unfurling in your chest. maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

closing the laptop, you finally turned off the light. outside the window, the city hummed its nighttime lullaby, and for the first time that evening, your mind grew quiet too.

tomorrow would come, with all its complications and charades. but for now, in the dark, you let yourself imagine—just for a moment—what might feel like to have someone like soobin, just someone in general, look at you like you were the only person in the room.

even if it was all pretend.

the cafe was too bright.

that was your first thought as you hovered outside the entrance, fingers nervously adjusting the strap of your bag for the twelfth time in two minutes. the afternoon sun glinted off the glass windows, making the entire establishment look like it was under a spotlight—which, of course, only amplified your growing sense of dread.

this was a mistake.

you checked your phone again. 5:58 PM. two minutes early.

your stomach twisted.

you could still leave. you should leave. this whole thing was absurd. who hired a boyfriend? who pretended to be in a relationship just to save face in front of their ex?

you... apparently.

with a deep breath, you pushed open the door.

the scent of roasted coffee beans and warm pastries wrapped around you as you stepped inside. it was cozy—wooden tables, soft jazz playing in the background, the low hum of conversations. a few people glanced up as you entered, and you immediately stiffened, suddenly hyper-aware of how out of place you felt.

was it obvious why you were here?

you swallowed hard and scanned the room.

then you saw him.

soobin.

he was sitting near the back, one hand curled around a coffee cup, the other tapping idly on his phone. he looked... normal.

not in a bad way. just—human?

no flashy suit, no over-the-top charm oozing from his posture. just a guy in a soft-looking sweater, his hair slightly messy like he'd run a hand through it one too many times.

and then he looked up.

your breath hitched.

his eyes—warm, brown, kind—met yours, and for a second, you forgot how to move.

then he smiled.

not a practiced, customer-service smile. not a smirk. just a small, genuine tilt of his lips, like he was happy to see you.

it threw you off completely.

you forced your legs to work, weaving through the tables until you stood awkwardly in front of him.

"hi," you said, voice slightly too high. "you're soobin, right?"

he nodded, setting his phone down. "yeah. and you must be my date for next weekend."

his voice was deeper than you expected. calm. steady.

you nodded, then realized you were just standing there like an idiot.

"right. yeah. should i—" you gestured awkwardly at the chair across from him.

"please," he said, motioning for you to sit.

you did, gripping the edge of the table like it was the only thing keeping you from floating away.

it lasted approximately three seconds.

three agonizing seconds where you stared at your hands, at the table, at the wall behind him—anywhere but at him—while he just... waited. patient. unfazed.

finally, you blurted out:

"this is weird."

soobin blinked. then, to your surprise, he laughed—a soft, warm sound.

"yeah," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "it kind of is."

the honestly caught you off guard.

"you're not going to pretend this is totally normal?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

he shrugged. "would you believe me if i did?"

"...no."

"exactly." he took a sip of his coffee. "so. let's just acknowledge it's weird, and then move on."

you exhaled, shoulders loosening slightly. "okay. yeah. that helps."

another silence.

"so," you tried again, "how long have you been, uh, doing this?"

"renting myself out as a fake boyfriend?"

you cringed. "when you say it like that, it sounds bad."

he grinned. "about a year. mostly for events like this—dinners, parties, the occasional family gathering."

"do you... like it?"

"it pays well," he said simply. then, after a pause, "and sometimes, it's nice. helping people out, i mean."

you studied him. there was something in his tone—not quite sadness, but... understanding. like he got why someone would do this.

"so," he said, setting his cup down, "tell me about this dinner."

you sighed, rubbing your temples. "right. okay. so my ex is going to be there—"

"right, yes. revenge."

you shot him a look. "it's not revenge. it's just... a lie that got out of hand." you trailed off.

"sounds like revenge." he supplied, smirking.

you groaned. "fine. maybe a little."

he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "i'm listening."

and so you explained—the lie, your friends, the never-ending blind dates, the way your stomach churned at the thought of showing up alone while he got to parade around with his new girlfriend—the same girl he had cheated on you with.

soobin nodded along, his expression shifting between amusement and something softer—sympathy, maybe.

when you finished, he hummed. "okay. so we need a backstory."

"right."

"how did we meet?"

you hesitated. "i was thinking... coffees shop?"

he raised an eyebrow. "like this?"

"too obvious?"

"a little." he tapped his fingers against the table. "what about... a bookstore? you were reaching for the same book, we got to talking..."

you blinked. "that's... actually kind of cute."

"i have my moments," he said dryly, but there was a playful glint in his eyes.

"okay, bookstore it is," you agreed, "and we've been dating for...?"

"two months. long enough to be serious, not so long that it's weird they haven't met me yet."

you nodded, scribbling notes in your phone like this was some kind of bizarre business meeting.

"what do i do for work?" he asked.

"something impressive but not too impressive," you mused. "graphic designer?"

"perfect. and you?"

"same as real life. marketing."

he grinned. for the first time since you'd walked in, your shoulders loosened. maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

as you wrapped up the details—favorite foods, pet peeves, how you like your coffee—you caught yourself laughing at something he said.

laughing.

with your fake boyfriend.

the absurdity of it all hit you again, but this time, it didn't feel like panic. it felt like... fun.

soobin leaned back in his chair, studying you with an amused expression. "you're not as nervous anymore."

you blinked. "i'm not?"

"nope. your shoulders dropped about ten minutes ago."

you hadn't even noticed.

"guess you're just that good at your job," you muttered.

he smiled—not the polite one from earlier but something warmer. "or maybe you're just not as awkward as you think you are."

you rolled your eyes, but couldn't help but smile.

"so," he said, finishing the last of his coffee, "we good for next week?"

you took a deep breath. "yeah. we're good."

୨♡୧ part one / part two / part three / part four / part five ୨♡୧

© bangtanbeom 2025

[lu-is-not-ok]

Hi! I was wondering what your thoughts were on the relationship between Hong Lu and Xichun. Namely (if I'm interpreting this correctly), how much he seems to care for her well-being. This has been nagging me since Canto 7 but he was so insistent on her being careful or joining up with him. Like you can tell how bothered he was. And HL, while often repeating some form of "my family sucks" doesn't usually let it linger? He makes a joke and moves on. I haven't heard anyone talking about it but this is the first time HL has shown care towards any of his family, even if later he is all "yeah if she dies, she dies, oh well". You're not fooling anyone, you.

You're right on the money with that one! When Hong Lu calls Xichun his 'most amicable sibling', I believe he's very much being truthful about that. Because while yes, she's rude and tends to do everything in her power to push him away, there are small moments that show that their care for each other is in fact mutual.

After all, she herself even points out that if it was any other sibling he ran into, he would have already been taken out. But Xichun doesn't do that. She doesn't kill him, or try to capture him, even though she's clearly aware that their Family is actively looking for him.

In a way, she's similar to Hong Lu in that she's never entirely straightforward with how she feels about things. She often puts on some sort of facade to hide the true meaning of her words, just in her case it's a mask of hostility, likely to defend herself in her position.

There's two moments in particular I feel that exemplify this by alluding to how Xichun actually feels towards Hong Lu, beneath her anxieties and prey animal rage.

The first one is this.

I've already gone at length about this scene from Hong Lu's perspective, how the thought of being an embarrassment to someone else in his Family causes him to shut down and default to trying to nod along and speed through the conversation as fast as possible. However, I think Xichun's response here is likewise notable.

Because she almost immediately backs up. It feels almost as if she's lamenting that he's still dealing with such situations as badly as he did back at home, and after giving one more 'jab' (one that you could even read as a backhanded form of assurance that she is in fact safe for him to be around), she takes the hint and ends the conversation.

The second one is the exchange that leads to them parting ways.

This is perhaps the most obvious Xichun has ever been about her own worries for Hong Lu. She's very visibly showing concern and outright anxiety over the thought that Hong Lu isn't taking things seriously and putting himself in danger. And then I believe she realized why that is.

If you've seen any of my analyses and theories, you know that I'm a firm believer that Hong Lu lied about the reason why he left the Jia household, and that in reality he's a runaway. This moment here is I believe the moment Xichun realizes that he ran away as well, and as such his goal is completely different from hers. As Hong Lu himself later states, "The path diverges, and we must each take the other trail."

After that exchange she continues to show concern for him, if somewhat indirectly.

I don't think she's saying this just to give advice on what Donqui/Sancho might be feeling at the moment. I believe she's implying that she's recognising that Hong Lu himself might be or at some point have been in a similar situation, and is thus attempting to empathize with him. Hong Lu's response here feels like he's taken the hint and is confirming it, clearly speaking from a much more personal place and experience.

And then, of course, is the moment they split up.

Another one of Xichun's backhanded assurances. She might sound rude here, but the essence of what she's saying is clear here. She will come back for him and maybe even support him.

So, yeah! Hong Lu not only cares about Xichun, but has every reason to! She's clearly one of the few Family members he has that actually seems to care about him in return! Even if it is buried underneath her harsh demeanor.

And regarding the one scene you bring up, well, I might as well repeat my own full interpretation of it now that we've gained more insight into Hong Lu after the check-up intervallo.

Note how Hong Lu directly interrupts Gregor here. I believe Hong Lu here is reacting very emotionally, effectively snapping at Gregor for what he implied. Part of it I believe is the implication that the death of a loved one would hold any substantial meaning to Hong Lu, something he is extremely philosophically opposed to due to viewing all kinds of death as meaningless.

But the other part of it is, well, that the thought of someone he loved dying in front of his eyes brings up memories he doesn't want to acknowledge. So he snaps back with as straightforward an answer as he can come up with so as to not give himself the time to dwell on the idea. Because it sure is suspicious he has yet to mention the one other person in his household that is ought to be very amicable towards him, no?

[danmeidiaries]

JITD Theory: The Final Case will be about Pei Su

Before Episode 26 airs, I want to speculate on something. I haven't read Mo Du/Silent Reading yet - so please no spoilers only theorising. But I think Pei Su is going to try and bait Janitor into choosing him as the next Apath to target/reveal

In episode 25, Pei Su points out that the goal of the Janitor's organisation is to expose Apaths with deep roots in Xinzhou by exposing Sunshine Foundation's criminal Apaths. We know that Pei Su's dad was originally a member/founder/sponsor of the Sunshine Fund and one of the most extreme types of psychopath who tried to raise Pei Su the same way.

Luo Weizhao says that it's almost time for the Janitor to reveal his true intentions. When they sit at the desk, Pei Su rubs his forehead as if he's thinking about something very hard.

He then tells Luo Weizhao that he has a lead coming in a few days. I'm wondering if the plan is for Pei Su to pretend to side with the Sunshine Foundation and then try and make the Janitor target him to drag both organisations into the open. In episode 21, Pei Su revealed that the Sunshine Foundation had tried to contact him subtly but he had thus far avoided them. He also thinks that when enough sponsors have been unmasked by the Janitor, they will come to him for emergency financing.

We also know that Pei Su has his own plan going in the works that he hinted to Luo Weizhao right at the end of episode 25. In episode 24, he seemed to show Du Jia something inside the car (perhaps instructions for an as yet unknown task)

But we were in Luo Weizhao's POV looking into the car so we don't see it.

And this line could be just Pei Su reemphasising his previous points to Du Jia in their heart to heart conversation, but could also be him making sure Du Jia understands the next part of his plan. Given that both Pei Su and Du Jia seemingly look down at something, that's my guess. Additionally, Pei Su gives a confirming nod to Du Jia (unseen by Weizhao) as he gets in his car that again could be read as a farewell kind of nod but could also be a - you know what to do - kind of thing.

A little later in episode 24, he makes a phone call after making sure Luo Weizhao has left the house. We don't know who to or what is discussed, but ominous music plays in the background. What if this was part of Pei Su trying to seem as tough he is ready to play along with the Sunshine Foundation and that's who he was contacting?

Also, as much as Pei Su says he is the perfect candidate for recruitment by the Sunshine Foundation, he is also the perfect target for the Janitor IF he was a psychopathic Apath; a well established Apath in the perfect place to cause corruption and manipulate the SID (something Pei Su even points out himself - though in relation to the idea of him being the most likely suspect for the Janitor's identity in episode 21)

Which is something even Luo Weizhao was suspicious of up until episode 21. Pei Su was literally at the centre of his suspect board that he made in episode 15.

Now, as the audience, we know that Pei Su isn't involved in either organization. We also know that the Janitor is somehow aware that Pei Su is part of the 1.3% of Apaths. He says as much in an earlier episode that it would be great if Pei Su joined them but he has flawed genetics. (I tried to find the screenshot but I couldn't remember the episode number.)

Additionally, not all of Pei Su and his family mysteries have been uncovered yet. The Janitor already used a 'Wuthering Heights' reference to pinpoint Pei Su's father meaning he knows how abusive Pei Su's home life was as a child. But there are still flashes of an unknown incident happening in the basement when Pei Su was younger and his mother was still alive.

So what if the last case of Justice in the Dark is centred around uncovering Pei Su's mysteries. Pei Su pretends to be one of the Sunshine Foundation's Apath criminals by being available as a sponsor when they need money (to gain access to their inner circle) which then bring the Janitor in to focus on Pei Su and try and expose him as a dangerous Apath thereby revealing the final mysteries around Pei Su and his past?

Let me know what you think! Like I said, no book spoilers please, this is just some fun theorising before the final 5 episodes air!

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's end ✨ || bts • myg - bonus epilogue

"so eager to be in a headlock again?"

"only if it's by you."

he thought he was done with the criminal life and ready for some peace and quiet. but his plans collapsed in the form of a strange girl who was in trouble. © 2023 | eleni_cherie

»»»

masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to lovers s2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

»»»

a week later

"Ugh, crap."

The thin metallic stick slipped from the lock once again and Yoongi had to suppress a laugh at Soyeon's frustrated scowl.

"Should I try or..?"

"No!" she whisper-shouted and attempted anew to slide the lockpick inside the keyhole. Tongue peeking at the corner of her pouty lips. It was cute how dedicated she was about this.

After a week of supporting Jimin, Arabella and baby Jia - a combination of their names Taehyung had casually thrown in after the two had spent hours on debating as somehow they hadn't thought about any name until the nurses had asked them to write it in the birth certificate and both looked at each other panicked - Soyeon and Yoongi found themselves back in Taipei, outside the building with the storage units. One of them holding her grandfather's secrets.

"You know, I could do it. Or easily just slice it with my sword and be done with it in one second," Yoongi suggested. Arms crossed with an amused smile as he leaned agains the  wall and having observed her trying to crack that lock for the past ten minutes. He was still uncertain if teaching her these skills had been a good idea, but at least it was entertaining as fck to watch her do it.

"No, no, I want to! I can do it!" she objected again. It was a matter of personal pride by now, she knew she could do it. And besides, she felt like it was her obligation to. Her grandfather would've surely want her to be the one getting in there. After all, he had also left the key to the unit in a way for her to find. She only had to get inside this damn building!

When Yoongi had tried last time, it looked so effortlessly and easy so she'd begged him to teach her how to pick locks as well, against his better judgement. Because he couldn't say no to her. Not when these usually sharp eyes got all round with plea.

He sighed, looking around.

It wasn't like he was impatient. He could stand there beside her scrunched figure, observing her attempting over and over again all night long, it wasn't a particular cold night anyway. However, he feared the more time passed the bigger the chances of someone catching sight of them after all. Sure, the buildings around the backyard were offices or warehouses, empty at this time of the day anyway, and the single camera overlooking the backdoor, wasn't hard to disconnect. Neither was the security pad. At least not for someone like him, it might've been for others.

From the area and the constractions around he could guess it wasn't storage units usually rented for high valued possessions. Making it quite genial to hide something valuable here, in his opinion. No one and surely not any law enforcement, would think of looking in a place like this for stolen goods worth billions of won.

His lips parted, about to step forward to take matters into his own hands when the door clicked opened and Soyeon picked her helmet and got up to her feet with a triumphant smile directed at him, gums showing cutely. "See, I did it!"

He couldn't help but smile proudly at her, giving her a nod as he got his own helmet from the ground. "Never doubted you."

She huffed with a giggle. "You're a terrible liar."

"Never pretended being a good one," he deadpanned with a small grin and grabbed her hand, softly tugging her inside and closing the door behind them. She switched on her flashlight.

"Which number was it again?"

"It was down there. Come, I remember," he motioned and she followed him suit, their lonely steps echoing against the corridor until they stepped in front of the familiar door as a week ago.

Soyeon didn't waste a second and got the golden key out, putting it into the lock. But when she was about to turn the doorknob and enter, she hesitated. Her heart beat picking up with excitement and fear.

What would be behind there?

What had her beloved grandfather left there for her to find?

Was she really ready to find out? To face his secret life?

"It's okay, take a moment."

She felt Yoongi's hands on her arms, his warm breath brushing over the exposed back of neck. She swallowed.

At least she wasn't alone. Whatever would be waiting for her there, she didn't have to face it on her own. Yoongi was there. Reassuringly running his arms up and down her arms from behind. It almost made her shudder how soothing his voice was. How distracting his touch.

With a new found calm, she twisted the knob in her fist. The metal door heavy as she pushed it open, using all her force and Yoongi also pressing with his hand. It squeaked open until it clicked into place and stayed still. 

Finding the switch was easier and when the neon lights flickered, they could reconise first shapes. But none she'd expected. "W-" She entered with a puzzled expression, stepping closer to the only two objects in the narrow room. The velvet casket on the table having turned grey by now from the dusk and she clicked her tongue before poking her cheek with it. "Something tells me we're not quite there yet."

Much to her surprise though Yoongi behind her bursted out laughing, earning a confused glare. He stepped in front of it then, brushing past by her and picked the box up carefully, inspecting it from all sides. The knowing grin on his lips never leaving him.

Of course, he thought, he had almost expected it. No true thief would just leave their treasures in the open because even if chances were low anyone would suspect anything of value in a place like this, they were never completely at zero. There had to be something more. Double bottom, double walls, a backdoor, a secret compartment - something to ensure no common burglar or employee would find it.

"Was somewhere another code written?"

Soyeon blinked, seemingly not following him. "Huh?"

He offered her the box and she grabbed it from his grip, understanding what he meant. There was a small padlock holding it closed. And somehow, out of pure instinct she just knew instantly what combination of numbers to put in when seeing it only needed four.

And she smiled fondly when indeed, it fell open immediately. Now Yoongi being the one taking aback. "So there was one?" he asked with raised brows, but she only shook her head. Staring briefly at the silver padlock. 

"No, just a wild guess."

"So you're a psychic now."

She breathed out a laugh. "No, not at all. It was just, a weird.. I don't know. Epiphany. I just knew," she said softly when opening the lid. Revealing an envelop with her name and address on it, which sparkled her curiosity once again. "It was my grandma's birth year. It was the pincode to his bank card and.. and I thought he might've used it for keeping his treasure save as well."

Yoongi breathed, watching her pick the envelop up and resting the box on the table.

That was unexpected, but also incredibly touching. To love someone so much to use their birth date as protection for your possessions. Was that even possible? He'd never thought about it.

The musing sound coming from the petite woman made him perk up. And he silently stared at her reading the letter intently.

"Dear Soy-bean,

I know it must be you finding out my secret and eventually, this place and piece of paper. But perhaps it's just my conceited thinking that grandma always warned me about after all, believing the hints and clues I left were easy to decipher. And yet I know you'd be smart enough to do so. You were always the most clever one - after me of course.

I know it must have been unexpected, even shocking to find out the truth, but know that it never influenced my personal life. It never influenced how I behaved to my family, that was all me. So I hope you don't perceive me and the memories you have of me in a different light now. I am and will always be the grandpa you know and who loves you, your sister, your parents and your grandmother dearly.

You're probably wondering a lot of things though and I can't satisfy that curious mind of yours so easily, but I hope leaving my fortune to you will make up for it.

Don't spend everything all at once though!!

Or do, I couldn't stop you guys anyway!

Love,

your grandpa - Jeon Seongmin"

It was dated a few weeks before his passing. Had he known he didn't have much time left anymore?

Soyeon felt tears well up in her eyes, blurring her vision a little and she quickly wiped them away. She coughed then in an awkward try to shove the sorrow away and turned the letter and envelop around to look at them from all sides. Even holding them against the light for any anew hidden clues. 

"I- I can't see anything, you?" Her voice was shaky but Yoongi understood to pretend he didn't notice. Instead, he shook his head and looked around, not able spotting any suspicious cracks or outlines on the walls or floor. Neither any possible hiding spot considering there was nothing but the table and box in that room. Not even a lonely post-it.

Perhaps there were hints in the letter but he felt like he'd intrude if reading it right now. Whatever was written there was meant for her and her only, not for a bystader, a stranger like him. It was her grandfather's last words to her. And a sting crossed his heart. He wished he had something similar from his uncle.

He sighed. "We can always come back again to search more thoroughful, but right now I think we should call it a day." 

Disappointment washed over her features, but she was obedient for once and nodded. Suddenly feeling quite drained.

»»»

It was late, too late.

Soyeon was sleeping calmly and soundly, nuzzled into the covers. A moment of envy flickered through his mind until his eyes fell on her sleeping self beside him and he stilled.

Cassandra had done a splendid job as always, he thought. Not that he had ever doubted his friend, but he was still surprised that nothing but a small white line was left on Soyeon's forehead instead of a big, remindful scar.

Frankly, part of him was glad she hadn't found her grandfather's inheritance yet. Finding it meant she'd slip through his fingers again and he dreaded the mere thought of that. But it was simple as that. The only reason she hadn't returned to her old, normal life with her family in Seoul yet was because of this. After finding it, there was nothing holding her back there, was it?

Of course his ego urged him not to forget about himself, her boyfriend, he could be reason enough, but was he? He wasn't sure.

His feelings for Soyeon grew stronger with every passing day, with every cheeky smile or stolen glance of these captivating eyes, with every sight of her in one of his shirts, with every silent second observing her doing the simplest things, with every time he held her in his arms and kissed her, with every time her arms wrapped around him, clutching into his jacket when she was sitting on the motorbike behind him and they rushed down the empty streets like the world belonged to them and them only. He couldn't get enough of her presence. Would never get enough of her beautiful face either, he was sure.

For the first time in a very long time he finally got the taste of a normal, ordinary life. With her. He had forgotten how his life looked like on this island before she had fatefully chosen his car to hide, hard to imagine really.

Fck. What was he supposed do when she inevitably left him? 

He didn't know, he didn't want to know.

He closed his eyes. Instinctively he turned towards her, his arm curling around her warmth under the sheets. Sensing her torso moving with each breath. And her sweet scent lulled him enough to eventually slip into a restless sleep.

»»»

The sunlight shining directly onto the door made Soyeon flinch and she stepped back from the left-ajar door to an angle the light couldn't reach her from the slit.

She knew Yoongi must've heard her. Had probably sensed her presence every since her feet had touched the floor when getting up. She knew that he knew that she was standing there in front of the door of his practice room, peeking inside and watching him do his morning routine. And yet she couldn't move, couldn't speak. She didn't want to reveal her presence for the tiniest chance that he hadn't noticed her after all and she could admire him in secret.

His every movement fluent and precise, like waves hitting the shore. Sometimes she practiced along with him and he kept reassuring her that she had progressed a lot. Yoongi was a great liar, she'd only been teasing him back in that storage unit in Taipei.

Maybe with time she'd be able to tell when he was lying. After years of knowing him. Like her parents, like her grandparents, like Yoongi's parents, like Cassandra and Taehyung, like Jimin and Arabella knew each other to the point they just knew, noticing little subtle changes in the other's mimic, gestic, voice. 

How she envied them all. But she liked to think that her and Yoongi could get there, too. If he wanted to. Did he want to?

She wasn't sure. She wanted to believe he wouldn't immediately kick her out the moment they cracked the letter's massage and finally found the loot. They were together for the past three months after all, but perhaps only because she had to stay there. If the reason for her stay vanished, what would happen then?

She wanted to know. She was getting tired of her grandfather's attics, even if his caution was legitimate. It wasn't even the speculated fortune of her grandfather she cared about, because she didn't. Whether it was five won or thousand. But she was a person who needed closure. And everything they and their friends had gone through in the past months, this whole adventure, would feel incomplete without finding at least an answer to it all. Like a cliffhanger. A discontinued show. An unfinished story.

The sudden increase in the blade's tempo cut through her thoughts along with the air it was flowing through and she blinked.

She always liked observing Yoongi's training. He looked so effortlessly cool, so natural. The way the veins on his hands got more prominent with the strong grip around the shaft. And the way his long waves swayed with every movement, falling in front of his eyes, over his sweaty forehead, and back again, always made her weak to the knees. Made her pulse vibrate in her ears. Made her want to run into his strong arms, not caring about interrupting.

But she didn't, she had some self-control and dignity left - much to her own surprise. No, perhaps it wasn't that. She was just patient and respectful enough, that was really all to it because otherwise she'd have already torn off his clothes.

His hearty laugh filled the air then, the unexpected sound of it making her happy.

"Are you stalking me again?"

"I am."

On second thought, perhaps she wouldn't mind never finding whatever her grandfather left her. She'd already found something better.

»»»

With how often they ended up at the rooftop, it was only logical for Yoongi to obtain a key from the building manager's office and get a dublicate made of it. It was easier than always picking locks.

It was another idle evening where the two homebodies sat there on the hard ground with a drink placed beside them, observing the pink and purple of the sky getting chased away by deeper orange and blue shades.

They had spent an hour analysing over the letter, dismantling each sentence and word and yet nothing. Had they been so blind? Was the loot there and they just didn't see it? It was probably very simple, right in front of their eyes and they overcomplicated things. As often.

Soyeon averted her eyes from her phone display where Jimin had shared new adorable photos of baby Jia. He was obsessed with his daughter, everyone could tell. Of course. She looked exactly like a mini-version of himself safe for the bigger eyes which were definitely Arabella's.

"We should consider the possibility of someone else having broken in and stolen it before we even got there," she shrugged, taking a sip from her Ballantine's. The whiskey's mildly sweet taste burning her throat pleasently.

Yoongi took a sip of his own whiskey, shaking his head when putting the glass down. "Don't think so. There were no signs of an intruder. I'd have noticed."

With a sigh, she leaned her head on his shoulder and his fingers curled around their usual spot around her waist, his warm scent in her nose.

"Then maybe there was nothing there to begin with," she mumbled and grabbed the envelope from the ground. Waving it mockingly in front of them when another thought crossed her mind.

Was the letter itself maybe the real gift? The last goodbye? Then why talking about 'not spending it all at once'? And why not just sending it to her then? It was already stemped after all. No, it did't make sense.

"I mean, the only thing of any monetary value are the stamps on this, right?" 

Yoongi only hummed absentmindedly as he was observing the cloudy sky. Trying his hardest to avoid his mind drifting to the consequences of them finding her grandfather's fortune. Only slowly processing her words. His breath hitching then. 

"May I see something?" he said and grabbed the envelop, his blood pulsating. Why were there stamps in the first place? This letter had never got sent after all nor did it look like it was planned to. It wouldn't make sense to put stamps on it, nevertheless so many. Six was way too many. Why hadn't he noticed earlier? But frankly, she'd really ever shown the letter to him, deeming the envelop as unimportant.

Could it be? This whole time? Missing the forest for the trees?

With the light of his flashlight he inspected each one carefully and Soyeon's wonder turned into anticipation when she began to understand. "Y-you think.. the stamps?"

The older guy nodded, there was a chance it had been this simple after all. His history knowledge was good when it came to these things, earning more than enough times the nickname of a grandpa.

She heaved head from his shoulder and watched him slowly lower the envelop, holding it for her to take back. She couldn't make out the look on his face but considering it lacked any kind of excitement, she assumed it was another dead-end.

"Guess that wasn't it either, huh," she giggled lightly, only to see him press his jaw together.

"Actually.. they're of great value. Around two hundred to five hundred million won each." Her grandfather, that genius bastard. He really was of the old school. A true professional. Why having big, voluminous objects laying around when he could just swap it for tiny stamps, easy to hide without raising any suspicion?

He wanted to laugh out of the sheer absurdity of it all while Soyeon almost chocked on air when hearing that.

"Fck," she mouthed and he breathed out a hollow laugh.

"You got that right."

This didn't quite fit her mind, that much money? For her and her family? That was way too much, what were they supposed to even do with this?

She shook her head. "But how would we even get the money from these?"

"There are collectors who'd pay anything for them. They're rare, some even unicums and of historic value."

"But.. but.." It felt like she was searching for reasons this couldn't work. It was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. "But we can't keep it anyway, right? Interpol would get suspicious with such large transactions. Anyone would. It'd be better to just keep them like that."

"Or you could just stay here where Interpol can't get you."

Soyeon giggled, "You only say that 'cause I'd be rich as hell then," she smirked teasingly. But Yoongi remained quiet, face stoic. He wasn't joking when saying that, even if Interpol wasn't the reason he wanted her to stay. He was serious. The hand on her waist tightening.

"You could throw that envelope off the roof and I wouldn't care," he said, his voice not above a whisper, the stern tone of it making her laugh fade, taking her aback.

The younger woman swallowed then, shoulders deflating. "I know, Yoongi. I know you wouldn't care and have more than enough yourself. I was just joking."

"But I wasn't. Stay."

Her feline eyes widened and she realised she hadn't been the only one thinking about what would happen of them after finally finding the fortune. She was speechless in a way, despite having hoped and anticipated for him to say these words.

However, Yoongi was misinterpreting her silence even if it was for mere seconds and he swallowed, not seeing a point of being direct and frank but not spilling everything out. There was no point in holding anything back. So he leaned in, his arm embracing her smaller frame, bringing her closer to his chest. Ensuring they still saw each other despite the fading light.

"I love you, Soyeon. Most foolishly. I know I can't offer you anything interesting besides my affection, but.. I still believe this thing between us deserves a chance. So stay. Here. With me."

He emphasised the last words, his voice growing more and more hushed the closer he got to her lips. Sensing a shaky breath leaving them, sweet and intoxicating from the alcohol.

"Who says I wanted to leave in the first place?"

Oh.. Oh.

"You don't?"

"I hope you don't mind," she whispered then, her words laced with a smirk. She felt quite light-headed as well and surely not from the alcohol as she'd barely drunk any. Hearing the lightness in his own despite the emerging darkness.

"I'm not insane."

"Okay. I'm staying then."

The brightest, most adorable smile spread on his full lips. His eyes averted from her in a brief moment of shyness, looking at the tiny blinking lights in the distance. Now prominent by the lack of daylight.

"Okay."

She pulled back in his arms so her hands could find his soft cheeks, turning his face to meet hers again. Her eyes were sparkling, her lips grinning.

"And I love you, by the way. Most absurdly." 

The whiskey on their lips blended together when they touched. And at last, Yoongi considered himself a lucky guy.

THE END

»»»

thank you all for reading this story! it was fun writing it, so hope you also had fun reading it!

💜check out the whole "thieves collection" series or my main bts masterlist for other members' stories in this universe or in general💜

Don't forget to like, reblog & leave feedback! ♡ It motivates me to keep writing :)

[omorinintendoswitchedition]

anyways heres my take on who lives and dies this Canto, in order:

Jia Mu-Dead. 100%. I definitely feel like she’d get murdered by Qiu to take her throne, or the Sinners could do her in

Lady Wang and Jia Zheng-They could definitely be murdered to try and get a rise out of Hong Lu, or caught in the crossfire when R Corp arrives

Xue Baochai-Feel like she lives, but is an entirely changed person by the end of the Canto

Jia Xichun-Just saw the banner on Reddit, it has Xichun on it and the word Zàijiàn (goodbye/see you again) this really, REALLY depends on if it’s meant to be “goodbye” (death) or “see you again” (lives, but see you again could also be read as “see you again in the afterlife”) I’m leaning more towards lives tbh

Wei-Dies protecting Xichun.

Jia Qiu-Lives in order to give Hong Lu another enemy to face later down the line like everyone else has, but Jia Huan also fills that role so he could actually very well die in a boss fight

Zingzong-Lives/dies for the same reason as Qiu, if Qiu dies so does she

Jia Yuanchun-Lives, not much to say here

Lei Heng-Lives for Canto 9

Xue Pan-Seems pretty canon-foddery to me, he’s gone

Jia Huan-Lives for extended N Corp shenanigans

Xiren-She’s more likely to live but could very easily be killed to get to Hong Lu or just killed in the crossfire

Drunk Guy-Seems like he’s pretty one-off

Lin Daiyu-Dead. 100%.1000%. The season title is “Song of the Burial of Flowers” she’s such a goner (or it could be that she’s already died but Life Insurance brings her back and eroded her personality, also iirc she dies in the source material)

Gubo-Lives for Yi Sang’s arc

[tinesleftnipple]

JITD Episode 22 (non-final) script synopsis

Episode 20

Episode 21

"Chase"

Name changes: Lu guosheng -> Du guosheng. Gu zhao -> Huo xiao

LWZ and Tao ze are interrogating WWC. WWC seems nervous but his only request is to see his lawyer. LWZ leaves the room to answer a call from Pei su. Pei su tells him the location of WWC's birthday party, but warns LWZ to plan before going. They don't want a repeat of what happened with ZKF. Pei su asks LWZ to leave it to him if he trusts him. LWZ tells him to bring XHY later and they will have dinner together with Tao ze.

XHY asks Pei su if LWZ is still angry with him, and wants Pei su to read over his repentance letter to see if there's anything wrong with it. XHY thinks Pei su is very good at dealing with LWZ.

In LWZ's livingroom, XHY sits nervously on the couch. He asks if Pei su lives here. Pei su replies yes. The door opens and XHY watches LWZ haphazardly drop his keys on the shoe cupboard and kick his shoes into the rack. XHY is confused: who's home is this?

LWZ, Pei su, Tao ze, and XHY sit together around a bubbling hotpot. They make smalltalk while locating a listening device and destroy it (blaming it on Pingdiguo). It was in Tao ze's bag. Everyone gets reintroduced: LWZ and Tao ze are Yang's mentees. XHY was raised by Huo xiao. Pei su introduces himself as the family of the traitor who betrayed the "organization". Together they combine and discuss information they have.

WWC's father, Wei zhanhong, is a wealthy businessman. Pei su reveals that within their circle WZH is known to be a lucky man. Early on in his career, his competitors often stepped down for various unlucky reasons, which paved his path to success. LWZ says things would make sense if the Reciters are targeting WZH this time. Even though WWC hasn't yet confessed to hiring Du guosheng, he did admit the rules he implemented in the school were taught to him by the internet username "greetings to shatov".

Inside Long yun cheng, the place where WWC had his birthday party, a waitress called Weiwei sneaks into the security surveillance room. She copies surveillance files on the day of WWC's birthday party.

Pei su receives the security cam videos, and shows everyone. LWZ wonders where Pei su has gathered these people who help him. In the video, Du guosheng is seen meeting WWC. Du guosheng leaves through the employee hallway, and swipes a card to get through. Outside, a black car picks him up. XHY manages to spot a portion of the car's license plate.

LWZ calls a colleague and says his partner's car got scratched, asking if they could help locate the car's owner. Their goal now is to find Du guosheng's hiding place. Pei su picks up a call. LWZ watches him walking towards the balcony, and look down at his own phone opened to an article - Du jia is the younger brother of a victim of the 327 case.

Pei su is comforting Weiwei on the phone. He says this time they are close to catching the bad guys, and ensures her that her older sister is safe. Weiwei says she is willing to do anything Pei su wants her to do, including dying for the cause. Pei su looks at LWZ and says they may never need to reach that point, and smiles.

The students' parents make a fuss at SID, and Du ju calls LWZ, but LWZ ignores it. They've tracked down the car to a place called the Beehive. Pei su tells LWZ he has already arranged a way to find the driver of the car.

Du jia is in the backseat of a car, pretending to be a business man. The driver makes small talk with him and Du jia suddenly starts farting and demands to be let off. While the driver waits for him to do his business, Du jia knocks him unconscious.

Du jia calls Pei su to tell him the driver's information: Sun xin is a conman on the run. He was the one who drove Du guosheng that day. Du guosheng is an "electrician" at the Beehive. Whenever he has a mission, he will go to the Beehive to get driven to and from the mission location. That way, if Du guosheng is being followed, the Beehive gets exposed instead of his living location.

At SID, WZH receives a mysterious text message telling him there was a leak regarding his son's birthday party. He tries to reply but there is no signal. He leaves the room and XHY follows him. In the bathroom, XHY and Lan qiao take him down. They look at the 2 texts WZH was trying to send: "10.16" (date of bday party) and "Longyuncheng" (location). XHY deletes "Longyuncheng" and sends "Fengxicheng" instead.

LWZ receives a text from XHY telling them that WWC had his bday party at Fengxicheng. LWZ realizes XHY is trying to confuse the bad guys. LWZ and Pei su deduce that Du guosheng's hiding spot can't be close to the Beehive. Pei su guesses there is an "employee" transport bus that brings these people from the Beehive to their living quarters.

LWZ asks Pei su why he's so sure there is a bus for the employees. Pei su reveals he overheard a conversation in the basement. Flashback: Pei chengyu complaining about how his money is being used, and telling someone to build a dorm at the final station.

LWZ asks Pei su how he remembers Pei chengyu's words so clearly, and what Pei su wanted help with last time (ep 21). Pei su replies he will know later.

The people at the beehive realize they've been fooled at the same time LWZ, Pei su, and Du jia are heading to the final station. There they find the dorm area. LWZ calls for backup - from his dad.

At the Beehive, Weiwei stands nervously in the corner watching a Beehive consultant and a crowd of hitmen watch the security cam footage of WWC's birthday party. One of the hitmen point out that 5 minutes of footage has been cut from the tapes.

[coffee-master]

What happened to Ao Bing when he came back to life?? What did he do?

Ok it's going to be a long answer:

After comming back to life Ao Bing was pretty much shocked by his own death and very frightened at the tought of Nezha.

The kid basically cried his eyes out, while his father was holding him. At first Ao Bing was a little unstable mentally, due to his "death experience" [Even though he died quickly it wasn't painless] Moreover, Ao Bing soul came back to his original body, so someone had to put his dragon tendo back inside where it originally belonged. So, the third prince also had a very long rehabilitation, before he could walk again without feeling pain again.

During this time Ao Bing stayed in palace. After his rehabilitaion process Ao Bing also started training with Ao Jia & Ao Yi. His older brothers were making sure that Ao Bing would be even safe on his own, as a capable warrior.

Ao Bing basically he couldn't leave the palace. After the accident Ao Guang didn't let him leave home and the youngest prince was almost always under someone's supervision. (Ao Guang didn't have much trust to Ao Bing, since he knew his nature of sneaking out of the palace as the child and he didn't want to risk)

So, nobody beside the dragon clan knew, that Ao Bing was actually alive and the great dragon family prefered it to stay this way. They didn't want any troubles from outside world.

At first Ao Bing was frightened. He was a little unstable due to the sudden changes and situation.

Later as Ao Bing was going trough the rehabilitation process, he calmed down a little. But still didn't want to talk about Nezha and felt very uncomfortable. (Sometimes he had nightmares and woke up crying)

In teenager years he felt better, tired not to think about Nezha at all and tired to focus on training instead. (Isolation from outside world wasn't helpfull, but he was doing fine)

Later Ao Bing was actually healed. The third pirnce due to boredom was training in his free time or reading books (like a lot, so now he knows pretty uknow and sometimes "useless" facts). Ao Bing was pretty mature for his age and know thought of Nezha as of past mistake- The dragon prince realised that they were just children.

They were children with great power and could be very unstable. They probably shouldn't have been left alone. At some point he stopped blaming Nezha for killing him, because it wa an accident, due to Nezha being an very unstable kid.

BUT- Then, there were some rummous speared around the dragon staff and servants (mostly comming from the human world) that Nezha actually killed Ao Bing on purpose.

"The little pince Nezha actually never thought of Ao Bing as a friend, but just some demon toy he could play with. Once he got bored of him, he killed him and wanted to use his skin as a coat and tendo as new toy. Apparently Nezha never thought of demons and others as equalls and either played with him, because he was pretty or initially withstood his superhuman strength. Once Ao Bing wasn't obedient to him, he decided to kill him without a second thought."

[Rummors obviously weren't true]

Some rummors were passed by humans and later as each new person added something to the rummor it became something worse.

And when Ao Bing heard it.. he didn't take this well...

When he started beliving in them, then he started hating Nezha for thinking of him so low, for threathing him like some sort of pet and even making him belive that he was actually his friend.

And later after many years, they finally met each other again at Fengshen war..

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[muninnhuginn]

Thinking about Luo Wenzhou, Fei Du, and what smoking of all things shows about their relationship.

Their early days confrontational dynamic involved a lot of Fei Du deliberately choosing to irritate/provoke Luo Wenzhou in various ways. Luo Wenzhou would generally fall into the provocation, though as their relationship became more cordial he would vacillate between being overly accommodating and presuming Fei Du was entirely lying to piss him off (e.g. when he thinks Fei Du could be lying about having issues with blood).

So, fairly early on, you get this exchange where Fei Du says he doesn't like Luo Wenzhou smoking and so Luo Wenzhou, despite not being particularly happy about it, still puts away the cigarette. (LWZ makes a point of asking strangers prior to this if they mind him smoking, so this is fairly in line with his previous behaviour. If someone says outright they have an issue, he'll stop.)

(Book 1, Julien VII)

Anyway, after they start to get on a bit better, Fei Du chooses to "admit" he was just saying he minded Luo Wenzhou smoking to troll him. And Luo Wenzhou, who'd given him the benefit of a doubt previously, who'd gone out of his way to accommodate Fei Du's issues with blood, takes that admission at face value.

Fei Du doesn't comment any further on Luo Wenzhou smoking after this.

(Book 2, Humbert Humbert I)

Skip ahead to book five though, and it turns out that, as with most things Fei Du, that "admission" was not a straightforward truth. More likely, it was a technical truth at best, because whilst Fei Du did very much want to needle Luo Wenzhou, it turns out that smoking indoors? He hates it. (Relatable)

(Book 5, Edmond Dantès XXXI)

And the thing that gets me the most about the above is that Luo Wenzhou is stressed here, fully chainsmoking, enough that Lu Jia feels the need to comment. But he still intends to keep smoking after Lu Jia's first comment. He's passed the level of stressed where his basic politeness would have him stop.

And yet stop he does only a couple of paragraphs later when he learns that Fei Du does genuinely hate the smoking. That Fei Du had skirted around that truth, admitted it in a sideways manner then backed down to make peace. It was easier for Fei Du to pretend he wanted to irritate Luo Wenzhou and there was nothing else to it than to admit that he was genuinely bothered. To do so would mean to admit he had an actual issue and risk the peace they'd just started to broach back then. And Luo Wenzhou had just taken him at his word, still halfway to learning how to read him.

So, with no Fei Du present, Luo Wenzhou puts the cigarette away.

He doesn't fully stop smoking after this, but he seems to generally tone it down and he never smokes again in Fei Du's presence (unless there's something I'm forgetting here)

And finally, with Luo Wenzhou aware and Fei Du unaware that Luo Wenzhou knows, we hit this scene:

(Book 5, Edmond Dantès XXXVIII)

Fei Du is not only not commenting on the smoking; he's there offering Luo Wenzhou a lighter. Fei Du himself doesn't smoke. His mother was the only one in the family to do so. And it's hard to think of why he would naturally carry a lighter, given his overall lifestyle. The implication seems to be that he found the lighter specifically for Luo Wenzhou.

Fei Du offers the lighter, despite hating smoking. He recognises it's Luo Wenzhou's choice and he would rather play down his own discomfort.

Luo Wenzhou, in turn, puts away the cigarette. He may be stressed and thoroughly addicted to smoking, but he refuses to let Fei Du silently torment himself any longer.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── THE GLASS PRINCESS // THREE

Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.

Chapter Synopsis: You have your first day at the Royal Fire Academy, where you meet the other girls, including Kaho.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.1k

Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery

A/N: zuko in his letters (sage, wise, cool and collected) vs zuko irl (SOO fucking awkward)

To His Royal Highness The Prince Zuko,

I apologize for my earlier language. In truth, it feels strange for me to speak to you as if you were my friend. I think that it is because you are my benefactor, and a prince besides, so there is a need for formal and proper conduct. We have that kind of relationship, if you can see it from my perspective.

Your offer of help is greatly appreciated, though I am not quite sure what I have done to deserve it. I shall try to solve my troubles on my own, when I can, but if it should come to it, I will try to remember that I have the prince of the Fire Nation on my side. I wonder how many girls at the academy can claim that, indeed!

Anyways, my roommate is nice. Her name is Jia-Li, and she is self-reportedly average, but all told, we get along well enough. I wish I could say the same for the rest of my classmates — barring, naturally, Ty Lee — but I am afraid to report that we already do not get along. There is this one girl, Kaho, who has a specific grudge against me, despite my attempts at avoiding that outcome…but I should not bore you with the details. Suffice to say that not everyone is as kind as Jia-Li and Ty Lee and Mai and you have been. It is as Jia-Li said, though: two true friends are better than ten false ones. It does not upset me (though it might if I am challenged to an Agni Kai!)

Thank you for feeding Bian. She did seem pleased when she returned to the aviary at the academy. I also gave her a treat. By the way, the falconer said she was supposed to be yours. Is that true? If it is, then I do not think that I deserve such a creature, though of course I thank you for giving her to me anyways. She is very beautiful and possesses a gentle heart, which is a solace in the more trying times.

Ever Your Highness’s humble and obedient servant Sincerely, Ursa

P.S. I am sorry to say that I still do not recall anything about my past. I shall keep you updated if that changes.

You were up before Jia-Li, nervous energy thrumming through you in anticipation for the first day of classes. Ty Lee had stayed late into the night, and then you had spent the candle Jia-Li had lit for you writing to Prince Zuko, so you hadn’t had any time to read or prepare for lessons.

“Ugh,” Jia-Li groaned when you threw open the curtains, the rising sunlight filtering into the room, a beam landing directly on her face, which she promptly covered with a pillow. “What are you doing?”

“You’re a Firebender, aren’t you? Don’t you all rise with the sun anyways?” you said.

“I don’t know who told you that, but they were full of bullshit,” Jia-Li said. “I rise after I’ve had a full night’s rest, which I have not yet.”

“Breakfast is soon,” you said, pulling on your shoes. “You’ll miss it if you don’t get ready now, and then you’ll have to go to class on an empty stomach. I’m sure that doesn’t sound appealing.”

“On second thoughts, I miss not having a roommate,” Jia-Li said, though she did toss aside her pillow and roll out of the bed, thudding to the ground and shoving her feet in a pair of fluffy slippers. Her hair stuck up every which way, and there were bags under her half-lidded eyes as she trudged past you to her vanity table. “You can go ahead and meet Ty Lee in the dining hall now, if you want. I’ll come down later.”

“Do you think she’ll be there already?” you said.

“Yeah,” Jia-Li said. “That girl is the epitome of a morning person. She’s probably been anxiously waiting for you for a while now.”

“Then I shouldn’t keep her waiting any longer,” you said. “See you in class, Jia-Li.”

“See you, Ursa,” she said.

As Jia-Li had predicted, Ty Lee was waiting outside of the door to the dining hall, where all of the girls who boarded at the academy had their meals. She was playing with her fingers nervously, but when she saw you, she bloomed with joy, dancing over to stand beside you.

“Good morning! Are you ready for our first day?” she trilled.

“Not at all,” you said. “I didn’t have any time to read yesterday. I don’t know anything. If the teacher calls on me, I’ll be lost.”

“It’ll be fine,” Ty Lee said, putting a piece of bread on her plate and spreading something on its fluffy surface. “We’re new, so we’ll probably get away with sitting in the back and doing the bare minimum.”

“Let’s hope so,” you said, copying her, trusting her to know what was and wasn’t good to eat at the school. She flounced to the end of the table, and you followed her, sitting across from her so that you two could talk.

“Ty Lee!” a girl said. “Come sit with us!”

“No, sit with us!” another said.

“We asked first!” the first girl said.

“So? She obviously likes us more, we’re way hotter!” the second argued. They began to squabble as you gave Ty Lee a bewildered look.

“What is going on?” you said.

“Besides Kaho, almost everyone at the school liked me…” she said awkwardly. “I guess you could say I was popular! Everyone’s happy I’m back.”

“Looks like it,” you said, baffled at just how many people were trying to claim the spot at Ty Lee’s side. Thankfully, none of them tried to take your space, though you got your own share of dirty glares, which you could only cock your head at in confusion.

“Guys, go away. I’m trying to hang out with my friend from the palace, Ursa,” Ty Lee said.

“What was she there, a servant?” one of the girls said. You glanced down at your clothes, which were the same uniform as everyone else, and then you swallowed. Unlike the other girls, with their expensive hair ribbons and jewelry, you didn’t have anything to your name that marked you as a daughter of nobility — because you weren’t one. It was a safe assumption for the girl to make, and it was even one you’d made about yourself in the past, so why did it hurt your feelings that she had said such a thing?

“Hey!” Ty Lee said. “She’s a friend of the prince — I mean, the princess! Yeah, that’s right, she’s Azula’s friend!”

Immediately, the girls scrambled away from you, and the one who had called you a servant paled. Dropping to her knees before Ty Lee, she bowed her head.

“I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean any disrespect to a friend of Princess Azula’s!” she said.

“Apologize to Ursa,” Ty Lee said, chipper again now that she had found some kind of justice for you.

“It’s fine, Ty Lee. I can see why she thought that, so I’m not upset,” you said. The girl took the opportunity to leap to her feet and race to the other side of the table, the others following suit at the reminder of the princess.

“Those girls are all jerks,” Ty Lee said once you were alone again. “I’m sorry she was talking about you like that.”

“It’s not something you should say sorry for,” you said. “You didn’t do it. Anyways, I was expecting it; Jia-Li told me that the girls aren’t that nice, so it’s not a surprise. The real question is why you claimed my association to be with the princess instead of the prince.”

“Oh, that’s an easy one to answer,” she said. “They all remember Azula from when she attended, so she’s a more concrete threat in their minds. Only a few of them have met Zuko, and he’s been banished for a while, so his name doesn’t carry as much weight. Besides, if you’re associated with one member of the royal family, you’re associated with all of them, so I wasn’t technically wrong.”

“Alright,” you said, forcing yourself to chew on your food, even though it felt heavy and leaden in your mouth. It wasn’t a question of taste; somewhere, in the back of your mind, you could tell that you would ordinarily like eating this. It was your nerves which were ruining the experience, which made your tongue stiff and your jaw tight. You knew, though, that you needed food in order to have energy for the day, so you made yourself eat it despite your misgivings, despite the mental labor that even the mere act of swallowing took.

The classroom was small, which made sense, considering there were only a few girls in your year. What didn’t make sense was that the two desks in the very front were left open, though you had an inkling that one specific person had something to do with it.

“Ty Lee. Ursa,” a girl said. Her hair was pin straight and dark, half of it tied up with a white-and-gold ribbon, the rest falling around her shoulders, her midnight eyes reflecting the torches hanging around the classroom. “We saved you two seats.”

“Kaho,” Ty Lee said through gritted teeth. “You shouldn’t have.”

“I know,” Kaho said. “You can say I did it out of the goodness of my own heart.”

“Like I said,” Ty Lee said. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Thank you,” you said softly, not wanting to get into an argument with the very girl Jia-Li had warned you about last night.

“See,” Kaho said. “At least one of you has proper manners. Though, to be honest, I would’ve expected the daughter of a nobleman to be raised better than the girl that the prince found in the trash.”

“She wasn’t found in the trash!” Ty Lee said.

“Wasn’t she?” Kaho said.

“You can let it be, Ty Lee. It’s fine,” you said. “Let’s just sit down before the Etiquette Mistress gets here.”

Your first class was on the proper etiquette to have in polite society. Considering the many subtleties of etiquette, this was something you were nervous for, as you had no idea how to behave in polite society, or what any of that meant in the first place. It seemed that the others expected as much, for there was a multitude of snickers as you sat in the very front and waited for the Etiquette Mistress to arrive.

“Wonderful, everyone is on time!” the Etiquette Mistress said as she walked in exactly at the second class had to start. She was a neatly dressed and perfectly put together woman, with not even an eyelash out of place. “Let’s begin promptly with a review from our last class. Who can tell me what the three pillars of etiquette are?” She scanned the room, but only one girl had her hand raised. “Kaho?”

“Respect, consideration, and punctuality,” Kaho said, smirking as she folded her hands in her lap. The Etiquette Mistress did not frown, but the corners of her mouth threatened to tug downwards, and before you could think about it, you were raising your own hand.

“Ursa?” the Etiquette Mistress said. “Do you have something else to add?”

“It’s a common misconception that punctuality is a pillar of etiquette. However, in truth, it is not a pillar unto itself but rather a natural development and extension of the pillars of respect and consideration,” you said, though you had no idea where the words were coming from, only that some long-dormant knowledge of yours was bubbling to the surface. “The third pillar is actually honesty, madam, though of course honesty does not imply brutality but tact, benevolence, and integrity.”

Everyone in the room was silent. You could feel Kaho’s eyes boring holes into your back, but you stared steadily ahead, waiting for the Etiquette Mistress to react.

She smiled slightly. “That is correct. I also appreciate that you addressed me with a title; it demonstrates an elegant sort of etiquette that a lady must be born with or else have studied in depth from a young age.”

“Thank you, madam,” you said. The Etiquette Mistress nodded before turning to the board so that she could continue to teach you a lesson on which utensils to use for which meal.

This, too, you excelled in. You were the only student who knew when to use each utensil, even during the trick questions that the Etiquette Mistress threw out to trip you up. With every subsequent test passed, you felt your approval in the eyes of the Etiquette Mistress rising, though it was rapidly falling amongst your classmates, especially Kaho, who must’ve once been the star of the class.

“I thought you said you didn’t have time to study!” Ty Lee hissed once the Etiquette Mistress had left and you all were given a five minute break before the History Mistress arrived.

“I didn’t,” you said.

“Huh? Then how’d you manage to answer her questions so perfectly?” she said.

“I’m not sure. I just knew it already, somehow,” you said.

“Looks like Prince Zuko has a keen eye,” Kaho said from behind you. “To find the diamond amongst the sludge.”

For some reason, even though she was calling you a diamond, it didn’t feel like much of a compliment. Ty Lee seemed to agree, her kind, open face closing into a dark scowl.

“Kaho, you should just shut up,” she said.

“Is that a challenge?” Kaho said.

“It could be, but don’t forget that I’m one of Azula’s most trusted comrades. Is that a fight you think you could win?” Ty Lee said. Kaho seemed furious, but she had no argument, not when Ty Lee was objectively correct.

“The History Mistress will be here soon,” Jia-Li interjected, trying to break the tension. “Let’s forget about all of this and move on.”

“Sozin’s beard, Jia-Li, nobody cares about history,” Kaho said, rolling her eyes. “Just sit in the back and keep quiet like usual.”

Jia-Li stuck her tongue out at Kaho when the other turned away, but you noticed she did not stand up for herself. Ty Lee was the only one who was brave enough to say anything, and even then, you wondered how much of it was false bravado and how much of it was genuine self-confidence.

“Good morning, class,” the History Mistress said.

“Good morning, History Mistress,” you all chorused in unison.

“Today, we will be learning about an event that occurred relatively recently, but will definitely be written down in the history books in the years to come: Prince Zuko’s defeat of Ba Sing Se,” she said.

Ba Sing Se — it was where the prince had found you. You knew that the city had, at some point, fallen to the Fire Nation, but you didn’t know what had happened or how it had happened. This was definitely a topic of some personal interest to you, and you could not help leaning forward in your seat a bit.

“I thought we might go over this, since we now have a personal connection to it in the class,” the History Mistress said. “Namely, Ursa, who was found by Prince Zuko during the invasion.”

The entire class turned to look at you as the History Mistress began to draw a diagram on the board. The weight of their gazes was a suffocating burden, but you did not afford them the privilege of seeing you crumple, for you knew that you had to, in some way, remain strong, lest they pounce upon your perceived weakness.

“During his hunt for the Avatar, Prince Zuko and his uncle, the former General Iroh, found themselves separated from their ship and amongst Earth Kingdom refugees fleeing to the capital city of Ba Sing Se.

“It seemed to be a damning sentence; after all, what place does Fire Nation royalty have in such a city? But our prince is wise and loyal. He and his uncle opened a tea shop in order to bide their time, blending in with the city and learning its secrets.

“Taking a risk, he wrote to his father, telling him he had found a way into Ba Sing Se. The Fire Lord Ozai, who has always had the utmost of faith in his son to do what must be done, sent him the Soldiers of Agni in aid, promising a larger army if the Soldiers of Agni were not enough.

“For those of you who do not recall our lesson from the beginning of the term about the military structures that Fire Lord Azulon put into place, the Soldiers of Agni are the most elite Firebenders in the nation, excepting, of course, the royal family.

“So these proud men, who were the epitome of Fire itself, donned the muddy browns and greens of the Earth Kingdom on the command of their lord and snuck into Ba Sing Se in the same way that Prince Zuko and former General Iroh had. There, they met the prince, who formed their plan of attack.

“On the agreed-upon date, the Soldiers of Agni and Prince Zuko stormed the palace, beginning by executing all of the guards who tried to fight back. The rest of the guards, knowing they were outnumbered, quickly defected, and when the former General Iroh tried to stop them, they took him prisoner for the royal family, allowing the Soldiers of Agni and Prince Zuko to continue their invasion.

“Their main goal was to get rid of everyone who lived in that palace, in which they were successful. Not even the Earth King’s pet bear was spared. He and the rest of the palace’s inhabitants were destroyed, along with an entire wing of the Earth Palace, which the Soldiers of Agni brought crumbling to the ground with their fire and their might.

“Sadly, all of the Soldiers of Agni that fought to take the Earth Palace lost their lives that day. Most of the palace staff were Earthbenders, and they fought back, outnumbering the Soldiers of Agni ten to one. The Soldiers of Agni possessed superior skills, but those were barely enough against such a large quantity of enemies.

“We cannot forget the sacrifices they made. It is through the bravery, spirit, and courage of the Soldiers of Agni that the Fire Nation finally took Ba Sing Se for good. Even in a confrontation where they were at such an enormous disadvantage, the Soldiers of Agni kept fighting for their country, their home, and for the Fire Lord, eventually emerging victorious, though they were unable to enjoy the fruits of their victory. We must always follow this example of duty and selflessness, ever asking ourselves what we, too, can give up for the welfare of the Fire Nation.”

After her long-winded explanation, the History Mistress exhaled, wiping away a tear from the corner of her left eye and then holding her hands to her heart. You all had a quiet moment, presumably in honor of the Soldiers of Agni, and then, tentatively, Jia-Li raised her hand.

“History Mistress, what does all of that have to do with Ursa?” she said.

“That’s something you should ask her, not me,” the History Mistress said, motioning towards you. “Go on, Ursa. Tell us what part you played in this entire tale.”

You gulped. “To be frank, I don’t remember myself what my role was, but I’ve been filled in by Mai and Prince Zuko. Apparently, I was a Fire Nation soldier on the front lines, but at some point, I was taken prisoner by the Earth Kingdom. They were torturing me in Ba Sing Se for Fire Nation secrets. After invading the city, Prince Zuko found me, and he brought me to the palace to be healed. It was there that I woke up without any memories.”

“You were a soldier?” Kaho said, without even raising her hand. She scoffed. “You look entirely too soft to ever have been fighting on the front lines.”

“Kaho, she was in jail for who knows how long,” Jia-Li said softly. “Of course she’s not in fighting shape anymore. Especially if they were torturing her…poor Ursa. You’re so brave for not giving in.”

“That’s right,” the History Mistress said. “We must all endeavor to be like Ursa, as well, who after all of her ordeals is still set upon nothing but improving herself for her country. She truly is the example of what a Fire Nation citizen should be like. Now, let us thank her for sharing her story.”

“Thank you, Ursa,” everyone said. You sat on your hands and hated every second of it. You didn’t like the attention being called to you once again. You just wanted to fade into the background and be forgotten, but more and more, it seemed like that was impossible.

“The topic of prisoners is a great segue into what we’re going to be talking about in today’s lesson. Who can name one historical Fire Nation figure that was also kept in captivity by the Earth Kingdom?” the History Mistress said.

To no one’s surprise, it was Kaho volunteering once more, but this time, she was unchallenged, as you focused all of your energy on writing notes about the material. After all, you didn’t know any of this, and you figured it was likely important that you pick up such things, considering the entirely blank slate that was your mind at present.

The academy’s aviary was only a short walk from the dormitories, and you found yourself frequenting the path already, both because of your correspondence with Prince Zuko and because Bian was one of the few beings that you could say without question was your friend.

“I don’t understand why they already have decided that I am so worthless,” you sniffed, finally allowing yourself to cry in the solitude of the aviary.

Bian tilted her head at you, nudging you with her cold beak. You wiped away your tears before scratching her on her feathery chest.

“I don’t even know half of their names,” you said. “Yet they are convinced that I am someone less than them. Someone worthless. They think of me as waste, Bian — a rubbish girl who does not deserve to be their peer.”

Of course, your messenger hawk was not intimately acquainted with the subtleties of such politics and divisions, but for the moment, it seemed as if she understood, as she let out a low, rumbling coo. It was the most comfort you could dream of, and you bit your lip to prevent a sob from falling past your lips.

“Maybe it’s true,” you said. “You can decorate trash all you want. At the end of the day, you can’t change what it is. Maybe I don’t belong here. I don’t know what Prince Zuko was thinking, sending me to study with these girls.”

Bian nipped your sleeve, almost like a reprimand. You gave her a warning look, reminding her to keep her beak to herself, but all you earned in response was indifference — your reward for thinking a bird could read your expressions and would care about them, even if she could.

“And for some reason, Kaho has a personal vendetta against me,” you said. “I can’t think of anything I’ve done to deserve it. Is it because I corrected her during our etiquette class? But she hated me even before that.”

Jia-Li had mentioned something about Kaho envying you for your closeness with the royal family, but it wasn’t as if you had chosen that. You hadn’t chosen to be saved by Prince Zuko. You hadn’t chosen to lose your memories. You hadn’t chosen to live like this. None of it was in your control, so why did she blame you for it all?

“I just wish I knew who I was,” you said. “Things would be easier if I knew there was someone who loved me. Someone who was waiting for me to come back. If I was a Fire Nation soldier, then my family — they might be nearby, right? I should…I should be trying to find them, not studying at this school!”

You could feel the judgment rolling off of Bian in waves, which was ridiculous, because she was after all just a messenger hawk and was incapable of judging anyone. Still, if she were a person, you fancied she would be judging you at the moment, and your shoulders slumped as you realized how ridiculous you sounded.

“I’m in a position that many greatly desire, and here I am, complaining. I am in an elite institution, my tutelage sponsored by a prince who is only all-too-eager to help me with whatever I need. It is silly that I am so upset, it’s just that — it’s just that I feel like some part of me is missing. Like I lost who I am when I lost my memories, and not just in the sense of my identity. It was something physical. There is something more to me that is out of my grasp, and no matter how hard I try, I cannot reach it,” you said, extending your hand and closing your fist around empty air.

As per usual, there was nothing. It was a futile exercise. No matter how many times you did it, the result would be the same. You would not be able to find that part of you again, not for some time.

“Who am I, really?” you said to Bian. “That’s what I want to know. Who was Ursa? Who were my parents? Did I have siblings? What about friends? What did I do for fun? I don’t know any of it. I feel like I will only be happy again if I can find out. Even if it’s terrible. Even if it means reliving the torture that the Earth Kingdom put me through. I just want to remember.”

But try as you might, there was still nothing. You still had no idea who you were. Although you had had a full day of instruction at the academy, you were in no better of a position than you had been on the day you started.

Ursa,

You really can just call me Zuko. You don’t have to refer to me as the prince, unless you are completely more comfortable with that. Though it is true that I am your benefactor, I am not someone you should defer to. If you can bring yourself to do it, then I should like if you actually think of me as your friend. I would like to consider you mine, and so I will speak to you as if you are until you tell me otherwise.

I’d expect that none of the girls at the academy can claim that the prince of the Fire Nation is offering them friendship, and will be on their side even if they should reject that offer! Anyways, I have no doubt that you will be able to solve any issues that come your way, but sometimes, it is nice to have support. I want to be that for you. Even if it is not me, I hope there is someone at the academy who you can turn to for that.

It is a relief to hear that your roommate is someone likable. I asked Mai about Jia-Li; though she had nothing favorable to say, there was also nothing unfavorable, which is almost more of a compliment, coming from her. It’s good to know that you do not have to sleep beside someone you detest.

And speaking of, I am angered to hear that they have been treating you that way. Please remember that you are worth ten of them in my eyes. You only need to say the word, and I will have them spoken to harshly. Especially that Kaho, who has always been the horrid type (Mai was a little more explicit in her description, but I will spare you the specifics. Just imagine the most obscene expletives you can think of, and then imagine something even worse — that is probably in the range of what she was saying about her). Do not let her get you down; she is a spoiled, sheltered girl whose father is an Admiral and allows her to get away with doing whatever she wants because of his high status in the military. If you stand up to her, then I am sure she will back down. People like that usually do.

Yes, Bian was supposed to be my hawk, but I already have one and have no need for another, so she would’ve just sat in the aviary once I received her. It is for her own good that I gave her to you. If you do not like such an extravagant creature being yours alone, then you may imagine that you are borrowing her from me for the time being (though I will not accept her return — I think that she is attached to you now).

She is an exemplary bird, is she not? The falconer was very proud of her when she hatched. Although, I don’t know if anyone else would agree that she possesses a gentle heart; it’s not something typically said about messenger hawks, which are frequently ill-tempered. It is further proof that she is fond of you and was always meant to be yours, no matter whose name she was hatched in.

My own life has been dreadfully boring as of late. Meeting after meeting after meeting…it is definitely busy, being the prince of the Fire Nation. It’s like everyone wants to talk to me suddenly! But I’m not complaining. I much prefer being home to living on a ship and constantly wondering when I can go back, even if I had considerably more free time back then. 

I cannot think of anything else to write to you about, but I do not wish to stop quite yet, because once I am done with this letter, I will have to attend to some paperwork that I have been putting off. 

It has been sunny recently. The cooks made my favorite meal yesterday. Mai has been moping a lot more than usual (I think she misses Ty Lee). I gave bread to the turtleducks in the pond, and it seemed to cheer their spirits. My father allows me to sit at his right side for meetings nowadays, though as always, Azula is at his left. 

That’s about it. I guess that, as the heir to the throne, I should not keep procrastinating. It’s not very princely of me. 

Yours, Zuko

P.S. Once again, I am sorry to hear that. 

P.P.S. Please keep writing to me frequently, and with as many boring details as you care to include. I like hearing from you will take any excuse to not fill out these ridiculously tedious forms.

[whileiamdying]

All the Films in Competition at Cannes, Ranked from Best to Worst

The twenty-two films that premièred in the 2024 festival’s main program offered much to savor and revile.

By Justin Chang May 26, 2024

The seventy-seventh annual Cannes Film Festival came to a startling and joyous conclusion on Saturday night, when the competition jury, chaired by Greta Gerwig, awarded the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest honor, to “Anora,” a funny, harrowing, and finally quite moving portrait of a sex worker’s madcap New York misadventures. It was startling because the movie, though one of the best-received in the competition, had not been widely tipped for the top prize, which seldom goes to a U.S. film; with “Anora,” Sean Baker becomes the first American director to win the Palme since Terrence Malick did, for “The Tree of Life” (2011), thirteen years ago. And it was joyous not only because the award was bestowed on a worthy and remarkable film but because Baker used the occasion to deliver the best, most eloquent and impassioned acceptance speech I’ve ever heard a Palme winner give.

Reading from prepared remarks, Baker singled out two other filmmakers in the competition, Francis Ford Coppola and David Cronenberg, as among his personal heroes. He dedicated the award to sex workers everywhere, a fitting tribute from a filmmaker who has put their lives front and center, with drama, humor, and empathy, in movies like “Starlet” (2012), “Tangerine” (2015), and “Red Rocket” (2021). He tossed some exquisite shade in the direction of the “tech companies” behind the so-called streaming revolution—including, presumably, Netflix, which came away as one of the night’s big winners; its major acquisition of the festival, Jacques Audiard’s musical “Emilia Pérez,” won two prizes. And, in a moment that drew rapturous applause, Baker delivered a plea on behalf of theatrical films, declaring, “The future of cinema is where it started: in a movie theatre.”

I was fortunate to see all twenty-two films in the Cannes competition on the big screen, projected under superior conditions in houses packed with fellow movie lovers. It’s my hope that, when these movies are released in the U.S., as the great majority of them likely will be, you will seize the chance to see them on the big screen as well—even “Emilia Pérez,” which Netflix may not keep in theatres for long, but whose bold dramatic and stylistic risks have the best chance of winning you over if they have your undivided, wide-awake attention.

I have ranked the movies in order of preference, from best to worst. Here they are:

1. “Caught by the Tides”

Jia Zhangke, a Cannes competition veteran, has long been the cinema’s preëminent chronicler of modern China (“Mountains May Depart,” “Ash Is Purest White”), mapping its social, cultural, and geographical complexities with great formal acumen, and also with the longtime collaboration of his wife, the superb actress Zhao Tao. Jia’s latest work, drawing on an archive of footage shot in the course of roughly two decades, unfurls a story in fragments, about a woman (Zhao) and a man (Li Zhubin) who fall in love, bitterly separate, and have a melancholy reunion years later. It’s an achievement by turns fleeting and monumental: a series of interlocking time capsules, a wrenching feat of self-reflection, and a stealth musical, in which Zhao dances and dances, standing in for millions who have learned to sway and bend to history’s tumultuous beat.

2. “All We Imagine as Light”

As the first Indian feature invited to compete at Cannes in nearly three decades, Payal Kapadia’s narrative début (after her 2021 documentary, “A Night of Knowing Nothing”) would be notable enough; that the movie is so delicately felt and sensuously textured is cause for outright celebration. Winner of the festival’s Grand Prix, or second place, it tells the story of two roommates, Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and Anu (Divya Prabha), who work as nurses at a Mumbai hospital. It teases out their personal circumstances—Prabha’s estrangement from her unseen husband, Anu’s frowned-upon romance with a young Muslim man (Hridhu Haroon)—with a quiet truthfulness that, like the glittering lights of the city, lingers expansively in the memory. (A forthcoming Sideshow/Janus Films release.)

3. “Grand Tour”

The Portuguese director Miguel Gomes (“Tabu,” “Arabian Nights”) delivered some of the most virtuosic filmmaking in the competition—as the jury recognized by giving him the Best Director prize—with this characteristically yet extraordinarily playful colonial-era travelogue. Shifting between color and black-and-white, set in 1917 but full of fourth-wall-breaking anachronisms, the movie tells a story of sorts about a roving British diplomat (Gonçalo Waddington) and a fiancée (Crista Alfaiate) he’s in no hurry to marry. But its true fascination lies in the humid atmosphere and wanderlust-inspiring splendor of its East and Southeast Asian locations, ranging from Singapore and Bangkok to Shanghai and Rangoon. It’s a movie to get lost in.

4. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”

It’s impossible to absorb this blistering domestic drama without thinking of its dissident director, Mohammad Rasoulof, who recently fled Iran after being sentenced to prison and a flogging. (His appearance at his film’s première made for one of the most emotional moments in recent Cannes memory.) Shot entirely in secret, the story follows a Tehran-based husband (Missagh Zareh) and wife (Soheila Golestani) who are increasingly at war with their progressive-minded young-adult daughters (Mahsa Rostami, Setareh Maleki) during nationwide political protests led by women. The result is a thriller of propulsive skill and blunt emotional force, marrying the muscularity of an action film to the psychological intensity of a chamber drama. (A forthcoming Neon release.)

5. “Anora”

The director Sean Baker is near the height of his storytelling powers with this dazzling (and now Palme d’Or-winning) portrait of a Manhattan strip-club dancer (a revelatory Mikey Madison) who impulsively marries the ultra-spoiled son (Mark Eydelshteyn) of a Russian oligarch. Much comic chaos ensues, some of it pushed past the brink of plausibility, but Baker’s multifaceted love for his characters proves infectious and sustaining, as does his belief that acts of unexpected kindness can redeem even the darkest nights of the soul. (A forthcoming Neon release.)

6. “The Shrouds”

Early on in this elegantly sombre yet mordantly funny new movie, which stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, and Guy Pearce, the director David Cronenberg, a master of cerebral horror, unveils his latest invention: a technologically advanced burial shroud that allows people to watch a loved one’s body decomposing in the grave. So begins a drolly fluid inspection of classic Cronenberg themes—the deterioration of the flesh, the instability of the image, the paranoia-inducing incursions of technology into every aspect of life—but imbued with a nakedly personal dimension that the director has noted in interviews; the story was inspired by his wife’s death, in 2017, from cancer.

7. “Megalopolis”

In this legendarily long-gestating passion project, which I’ve written about at length, Francis Ford Coppola posits that our fragile, battered civilization is headed the way of the Roman Empire. The grimness of that prospect is unsurprising from a director accustomed to peering deep into the heart of American darkness (the “Godfather” movies, “The Conversation,” “Apocalypse Now”). For all that, the filmmaking here glows with a particularly hard-won optimism, even a welcome sense of play—borne out by an ensemble of actors, including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and especially Aubrey Plaza, who fully embrace Coppola’s rhetorical and conceptual flights of fancy.

8. “The Substance”

Sympathetic or sadistic? Feminist or misogynist? Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror bonanza, which won the festival’s award for Best Screenplay, has been one of the competition’s more polarizing hits, which is unsurprising; divisiveness should be expected from a story about an aging actress and TV fitness guru who, desperate to regain her youthful bod of yesteryear, effectively splits herself in two. Whether the outlandish premise (think “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by way of “Death Becomes Her”) and its blood-gushing fallout withstand intellectual scrutiny, there’s no doubting the ferocity of the two leads, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, or Fargeat’s sheer filmmaking verve as she pushes her ideas to their sanguinary conclusions.

9. “Motel Destino”

Just a year after the Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz appeared in competition with a surprisingly stiff-corseted English period drama, “Firebrand,” it was bracing to watch him rebound with the competition’s most sexually uninhibited and flagrantly horny title; corsets don’t apply here, and even underwear proves blissfully optional. Set at a seedy roadside motel where the clientele never stops moaning, it’s a feverishly shambling erotic thriller starring three very game actors (Iago Xavier, Nataly Rocha, and Fábio Assunção) in a romantic triangle that plays like James M. Cain with sex toys—“The Postman Always Cock Rings Twice,” as it were.

10. “Emilia Pérez”

A trans-empowerment musical set against the backdrop of Mexico’s drug cartels might sound like a dubious proposition on paper, and, for the many detractors of this genre-melding big swing from the French director Jacques Audiard (“A Prophet,” “The Sisters Brothers”), what actually made it onto the screen was no better. But I was disarmed from the start by Audiard’s quasi-Almodóvarian vibes, his touchingly imperfect embrace of song-and-dance stylization, and, most of all, his three leads: the remarkable discovery Karla Sofía Gascón, a scene-stealing Selena Gomez, and a never-better Zoe Saldaña. All three (along with Adriana Paz) were recognized with the festival’s Best Actress prize, awarded collectively to the movie’s ensemble of actresses; Audiard also won the Jury Prize. (A forthcoming Netflix release.)

11. “Oh, Canada”

After a tense trilogy of dramas about male redemption through violence (“First Reformed,” “The Card Counter,” “Master Gardener”), the writer and director Paul Schrader has taken a gentler turn with an adaptation of “Foregone,” a 2021 novel by the late Russell Banks. (It’s his second Banks adaptation, after the 1997 drama “Affliction.”) In exploring the fragmented consciousness of an aging documentary filmmaker (played at different ages by Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi), Schrader bravely forsakes the narrative fastidiousness of his recent work and takes on grand themes of memory, mortality, and artistic self-reckoning, to formally ragged but sincerely moving effect.

12. “The Girl with the Needle”

This stark and terrifying black-and-white drama from the Swedish-born, Polish-based director Magnus von Horn (“Sweat”) was perhaps the competition’s bleakest entry. Set in Copenhagen immediately after the First World War, it pins us so mercilessly to the hard-bitten perspective of Karoline (an excellent Vic Carmen Sonne), a factory seamstress who becomes pregnant out of wedlock, that we scarcely notice her story shifting in a different, more sinister direction. It’s a bitterly hard-to-stomach brew of a movie, at once hideous and beautifully made, with a chilling supporting turn by Trine Dyrholm as a friend whose interventions turn out to be anything but benign.

13. “Three Kilometres to the End of the World”

The setting of this well-observed but emotionally opaque drama, from the Romanian actor turned director Emanuel Pârvu, is a small rural village where a closeted teen-age boy, Adi (Ciprian Chiujdea), is brutally beaten after being caught in an intimate moment with a male traveller. Pârvu teases out the legal, psychological, and moral fallout with the pitch-perfect performances and laserlike formal focus that have become hallmarks of new Romanian cinema. But, though the movie is persuasive enough as an indictment of small-town religious fundamentalism and homophobia, it proves curiously incurious about Adi’s perspective, to the detriment of its own human pulse.

14. “Kinds of Kindness”

After his Oscar-winning period romps “The Favourite” (2018) and “Poor Things” (2023), the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos scales back—but goes long—with a sprawling, increasingly tedious compendium of comic cruelty. My favorite of the film’s three disconnected stories, all featuring the same actors, is the one where Jesse Plemons (the ensemble M.V.P., as the jury recognized with its Best Actor award) plays Willem Dafoe’s Manchurian candidate; my least favorite is the one where Emma Stone joins a sweat-worshipping sex cult. The one where Stone slices off her finger and cooks it for Plemons falls—much like the movie in Lanthimos’s over-all œuvre—somewhere in the middle. (A Searchlight Pictures release, opening June 21st in theatres.)

15. “Bird”

My admiration for the English filmmaker Andrea Arnold (“American Honey”) is such that I’m eager to revisit her latest rough-and-tumble coming-of-age story and find that I undervalued it. Arnold is certainly skilled at integrating recognizable actors, which in this case includes Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski, into her grottily realist frames, and she has an appealing lead performer in Nykiya Adams, as a twelve-year-old girl who overcomes persistent abuse and neglect. But the story may lose you—as it lost me—with a magical-realist turn that magnifies, rather than minimizes, the tortured-animal symbolism that has often dogged Arnold’s work.

16. “Beating Hearts”

An exchange of insults at a high-school bus stop provides a saucy meet-cute for a good girl (Mallory Wanecque) and a ne’er-do-well boy (Malik Frikah); so begins a raucous and endearing love story for the ages, in which the director Gilles Lellouche, with outsized glee and little discipline, merrily appropriates the conventions of classic Hollywood musicals and gangster flicks. The result is much too long at nearly three hours—the story spans several years, with Adèle Exarchopoulos and François Civil playing older versions of the two leads—but I can’t say I didn’t warm to its rambunctious cornball charm.

17. “Limonov: The Ballad”

Why make a film about Eduard Limonov, the globe-trotting Russian dissident poet and punk provocateur reviled for his pro-fascist sympathies? The filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov never musters a satisfying answer in this muddled English-language bio-pic, despite an energetically uninhibited central performance by Ben Whishaw and a cheeky panoply of filmmaking techniques—jittery camerawork, lengthy tracking shots—meant to catch us up in the épater-la-bourgeoisie exuberance of Limonov’s revolt. Considering his earlier work, I prefer the rebel-youth vibes of “Leto” (2018) and the dazzling cinematic assaults of “Petrov’s Flu” (2021), both of which also screened in competition here.

18. “Parthenope”

Nearly every new picture from the Italian auteur Paolo Sorrentino could be reasonably called “The Great Beauty,” the title of his gorgeous 2013 cinematic tour of Rome. (It left that year’s Cannes empty-handed, but won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.) His latest work remains most intriguing for its ambivalent but still sensually overpowering vision of the director’s home town, Naples, from which springs a modern-day goddess, named after Parthenope, a Siren from Greek mythology. She’s played by Celeste Dalla Porta, a great beauty indeed and an empathetic screen presence, though only fitfully does her character seem worthy of this movie’s epic enshrinement.

19. “Wild Diamond”

Another disquisition on beauty and its discontents, this time from the débuting French writer and director Agathe Riedinger. She hurls us the life and busy social-media feed of a nineteen-year-old, Liane (a terrific Malou Khebizi), who has nipped, tucked, and tailored every part of herself to realize her dream of being selected for a hot new reality-TV series. Part influencer-culture cautionary tale, part bad-girl Cinderella story, the movie glancingly suggests the soul-rotting effects of beauty worship, but it falls victim to the trap that Liane is trying to avoid: in a sea of worthy candidates, it doesn’t especially stand out.

20. “The Apprentice”

Donald Trump’s attorneys have threatened legal action to block the release of this drama about his early rise to fame and wealth under the mentorship of the attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). It speaks to the useless proficiency of Ali Abbasi’s movie that the prospect of such censorship provokes more indifference than outrage. Shot to evoke cruddy nineteen-eighties VHS playback, the movie is well acted by Strong, Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, and an increasingly makeup-buried Sebastian Stan as Trump himself, depicted from the start as a sack of shit that gets progressively shittier. It’s not dismissible, but it’s hardly the stuff of revelation, either.

21. “Marcello Mio”

In this trifling meta-comedy from the French filmmaker Christophe Honoré (previously in the 2018 Cannes competition with the lovely “Sorry Angel”), the actress Chiara Mastroianni embarks on a strainedly whimsical personal odyssey to examine the legacy of her late father, the legendary Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni, and her own conflicted place therein. To that end, she spends much of this overstretched movie in “8½” and “La Dolce Vita” black-suited drag as she navigates a roundelay of industry in-jokes; among the French cinema luminaries making appearances are Fabrice Luchini, Nicole Garcia, and, most welcome, Chiara’s mother, Catherine Deneuve.

22. “The Most Precious of Cargoes”

The French director Michel Hazanavicius continues his uneven post-“The Artist” run with this animated Second World War fable, adapted from a 2019 novel by Jean-Claude Grumberg (and narrated by the late Jean-Louis Trintignant). It has an affecting opening stretch, in which a baby girl, thrown by her desperate father from an Auschwitz-bound train, is rescued and raised in secret by a woodcutter’s kindhearted wife. But when the child’s provenance is discovered, stoking local antisemitism, the movie becomes a bathetic wallow in Holocaust imagery, drowned in an Alexandre Desplat score whose every surge turned my heart increasingly to stone. ♦

[hamsterclaw]

First strike

You meet a stranger at a wedding and discover that there's more of a connection between you than you thought. A Vows story, read the rest here.

Pairing: Yoongi x f! reader

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Swearing

Word count: 1.5k

You’re at the wedding of a distant cousin, you don’t know why your father insists you come to these ‘events’, like anyone would notice if you weren’t there.

You’re with another cousin who’s just gone to get drinks for you, waiting by the edge of the bar, trying not to look too out of place.

A waiter walks past, too close. You register the tug on the strap of your silky gown, watch with mild horror as the strap falls off your shoulder and down your arm. 

You’re lifting your hand to press your gown against your chest, stop it from falling down and exposing you, when there’s a weight over your shoulders.

Warmth, a heady rush of vetiver.

The man who’s put his jacket over your shoulders pulls the lapels close, covering you from neck to hips.

He isn’t touching you at all, just holding on to his jacket. 

You look up into intense dark eyes and the most beautiful face you’ve ever seen on a man.

He’s still holding the lapels loosely.  

You lift the strap over your shoulder quickly and check you’re covered.

‘Thank you,’ you say, grateful. 

He nods. 

You shrug your shoulders out of his beautifully cut suit jacket and hand it back to him.

He puts it back on. He’s still so close to you it seems oddly intimate, like you’ve both been getting dressed together.

You’re helping him straighten his collar, when you realise he might not want you to.

‘Sorry,’ you say.

He laughs a little. ‘It’s fine. Do I look ok?’

‘You look beautiful,’ you say, without thinking.

Then you realise what you’ve just said. 

‘Sorry.’ You fumble for your composure. ‘I’m Y/N,’ you offer. ‘How do you know Jia and Haru?’

‘Haru and I used to work together,’ he replies. ‘Can I get you a drink?’

Just then, your cousin, Mina, returns with the drinks.

‘Here you go, Y/N,’ she says. She looks politely at the man.

He’s never said his name, you can’t call him an acquaintance yet.

He inclines his head. ‘Min Yoongi.’

‘Han Mina,’ Mina says. ‘How do you know Y/N?’

‘I don’t yet,’ he replies, but leaves the explaining to you. 

‘He just did me a big favour,’ you say.

Mina’s curious, but she lets it slide.

‘We should go and congratulate the happy couple,’ she says to you.

You nod.

Yoongi bows his head slightly as you and Mina pass him.

You turn back once.

He’s still looking at you.

You smile, tentative. 

A corner of his mouth curls up.

And then you’re greeting Jia and Haru, but you’re still thinking about Min Yoongi and how his eyes seem to see all the way through you.

***

The dinner is long, multiple courses and you were full after the first five. You excuse yourself and head out into the courtyard for a turn in the night air.

Out here, there’s a fountain, the rush of water keeping you company.

You start when you realise there’s a man sitting on the opposite rim of the fountain.

He’s dressed in black, unlike the silver gleam of your dress. He turns, and you recognise the man you met earlier.

You’ve been caught staring at him, so you smile, nod in greeting and turn back to facing away.

Moments later he’s walked around the fountain and sat next to you.

‘Hey,’ he says.

His voice appeals to you, the rasp to it, the low timbre.

‘Hey,’ you say. ‘You’re missing the food.’

‘I’ll probably go back for the tenth course,’ he replies, straight-faced.

You giggle, and he smiles. 

‘Maybe the cake?’ you suggest.

‘Maybe the cake,’ he agrees.

He lifts his drink to his lips, amber liquid swirling in his glass.

He tips it to you. ‘Want some?’

Your fingers touch as he hands you the glass. 

You take a cautious sip. It goes down smooth, a mellow heat down your throat. 

‘Do you have a date?’ he asks.

‘Apart from Mina, no,’ you reply. ‘Do you?’

‘I do,’ he says.

You hadn’t expected him to say that. ‘Where are they?’

‘She’s probably looking for me,’ Yoongi tells you.

‘You’d better go back before they send out a search party,’ you tell him, serious.

‘They’re more likely to send one out for you,’ Yoongi replies. He smiles crookedly at you. ‘Let me escort you back inside.’

As soon as you get back to the foyer Yoongi’s approached by a beautiful woman who looks vaguely familiar.

‘There you are,’ she says. She glances your way curiously, then extends a delicate hand.

‘Park Gyuri,’ she says, and in a flash you realise why she looks familiar.

She’s an actress who retired from acting and earned an MBA before working for the largest conglomerate this side of Asia, Min Holdings. 

Which means that the man you’ve just met is one of the Min family. 

Min Yoongi is chaebol royalty.

Somehow you’re not surprised.

You recover in time to shake her hand and introduce yourself in turn.

You look up at Yoongi just in time to see the way his expression’s changed at the mention of your full name.

You can’t think why. You’re chaebol too, but your family’s shipping business is small fry compared to Min Holdings.

You smile at Yoongi and Gyuri. ‘It was very nice to meet you both,’ you say, stepping to one side to let them pass. 

You watch them go, and it’s only because you’re still looking that you see Yoongi turn back to you.

Your eyes meet, and for a moment you think he’s going to come back to talk to you again.

Then he turns, and you’re more disappointed than you can say. 

***

The group of groomsmen are downing shots at the bar, and you’re trying to get past when a tall dude, you think his name is Minjun, says your name. 

‘How are you? Come and have a drink,’ he says, touching your shoulder. 

You’re smiling, trying to decline the shot he’s holding out to you, when Min Yoongi walks by.

‘Can I speak to you, Y/N?’

You let Yoongi lead you out of the ballroom.

‘Thanks for rescuing me,’ you say, smiling. ‘Minjun and those dudes go hard.’

Yoongi gives you a half-smile. ‘You strike me as someone who can look after herself.’

You can’t disagree.

‘I’m leaving soon,’ he tells you, ‘but I wanted to speak to you before I left.’

‘Yeah?’ you ask, oddly flattered.

‘Have you heard about my family?’ Yoongi asks.

‘I think everyone’s heard of the Mins,’ you demur, wondering where he’s going with this.

Yoongi’s looking intently at you. ‘Has your father mentioned anything to you, about us?’

Now you’re confused. 

Yoongi seems to be in the midst of an internal debate.

Finally he seems to come to a decision. 

‘There’ve been discussions between our families,’ he says. 

Realisation’s dawning, and you’re not sure you like where this is going.

You laugh because it’s ludicrous. 

‘What? Next you’ll be saying we’re going to be married.’

It takes you a moment to realise you’re the only one laughing.

Yoongi’s still looking at you, expression unreadable.

‘Is this a joke?’ 

‘I wish it was,’ Yoongi sighs.

Something about his resignation stings.

You think about his beautiful date, and you realise you’re not the only one who’d be affected by this.

‘We don’t have to agree to it,’ you say, touching his arm.

Yoongi looks at your hand. 

‘You should speak to your father,’ he says, quietly.

‘You haven’t agreed to it, have you?’ you ask.

‘I don’t think the terms are unreasonable,’ Yoongi replies.

His lack of emotion makes you feel even more wound up.

‘It’s not a business contract,’ you snap. 

Yoongi scoffs, runs his hand through his hair. 

‘That’s exactly what it is.’

‘We don’t know each other.’

‘We have time to get to know each other,’ Yoongi points out.

‘You have a girlfriend,’ you protest.

‘Gyuri and I used to date,’ he concedes.

The words come out of your mouth before you can stop them.

‘Did she dump you because you’re a cold hearted robot?’

Yoongi blinks at you. 

‘If I were a cold hearted robot I could have not told you anything.’

‘Honest cold hearted robot,’ you amend.

Yoongi scoffs.

‘Is this what you’re going to be like?’

You’re stung, again. ‘Yeah. Better get used to it.’

‘Shit, we’re going to need a big house,’ Yoongi snarks. ‘So we don’t have to see each other.’

‘Yeah, sounds like a perfect marriage,’ you say, bitterly.

Yoongi huffs out a breath. ‘Can we start over?’

‘Nope,’ you snap. 

You turn on your heel and start walking away. 

When you turn back, he’s still looking at you.

‘You were right about one thing, Yoongi.’

His expression tightens, but he doesn’t say anything.

‘I can look after myself.’

You whirl and nearly crash into Minjun as he leaves the ballroom.

So much for your dramatic exit.

Yoongi’s snicker echoes in your ears long after you’ve left him.

Author note: The next part to this series is the final part, and I’m all in my feelings about these two. I love them to bits. I’m going to miss them!

[lu-is-not-ok]

Hiya!! I came to a realisation and I wanted to discuss it with someone...

I don't know if you've read Distortion Detective, but DD mentioned another type of distortion that we I don't think we've seen anywhere else yet - distortion spaces? The room with the washing machines, chapter 31, The Laundry of Dreams.

So... stupid idea, probably, because I'm not sure how these distortions work? But what if that's Hong Lu's land of Illusion. What if that space is his distortion.

So fun fact, I only recently read Distortion Detective, so a lot of the stuff that happens in it is very fresh in my mind!

Distortions not only taking on the appearance of a location, but also actively spreading to their surroundings even when they in themselves aren't a location (such as the Photographer's room or the Mermaid's aquarium) is an interesting concept that Limbus hasn't really touched upon in depth just yet.

Like we've seen some Distortions affect their surroundings by having unique Battle Backgrounds (though for most of them that did take place in Fathoms of the Ego, a space that already gets heavily affected by emotions even without adding Distortions into the mix), but it wasn't ever really acknowledged as a thing in the story.

And, while we haven't seen any other Distortion Spaces outside of DD as of yet, we have seen E.G.O that take on the appearance of locations - the Library itself is revealed to be Angela's E.G.O after all.

The Land of Illusion turning out to be a Distortion Space later on into Canto 8 isn't that stupid of an idea honestly. Hong Lu's foreshadowing towards his own Distortion is the most obvious out of all of them, so it makes sense that when he does we might end up exploring a Sinner's Distortion a lot more in depth than we did with Heathcliff.

Hell, a Distortion Space Land of Illusion might be the perfect way for PM to incorporate a dungeon into Canto 8 even if the Jia Household itself has no direct connection to a Lobcorp branch, so that we don't have a repeat of Canto 6's lack of a dungeon in Wuthering Heights.

[grubus]

is there any "what ifs" that you would explore with syonr? like when it's finished, would you write aus of the aus? i've seen some writers do that and i find it so interesting.

yes and no! I have a lot of "what ifs" ideas in my head, but I think there's only one I would ACTUALLY write out? But because I too love aus of aus, let me list a few of them uwu

*clears throat*

What if Shen Yuan had never left Lady Jia? This is the idea I want to write at some point! Would still be BingYuan, with some intense gender fuckery going on <_<

Some others are;

What if Shen Yuan reincarnated as a girl? if you think SQQ is overprotective now, you have seen NOTHING. Binghe would be fighting for his goddamn life. SY would fight for her own dignity, because OBVIOUSLY she has to become a WIFE, but SQQ is weird as fuck about Sweet Girls Under His Protection and the only reason LBH isn't already dead is because SY is frantically wielding her "i'm your widdle baby girl!" powers at SQQ to shield him. There would be no roomie situation. RIP. But NYY would be hyped about having a sister! And SY wouldn't have any trauma from Zhao De, because MF would be like !!!!!!!!!!!! DONT BULLY A GIRL!!!!!!!! which means Zhao De sticks around and focuses his bullying on MF instead. Lovingly. If you guys haven't read "Toxic" by Prim the Amazing yet, well..............

What if Yue Qingyuan managed to take Shen Yuan? This would basically just be PIWD. SQQ would not take it nicely at all, seeing his Qi-ge taking in a mini-SJ and spoiling him rotten. SY would NOT be allowed on Qing Jing at all, but SY is also Binghe-obsessed and Binghe is in turn SY-obsessed. The only reason SQQ would not abuse SY out of pure jealousy and self-hatred is because SY isn't under his control. YQY would be an adoring fool but also SY would probably not feel 100% safe considering he knows that YQY always yields to SQQ in canon... On top of that, SQQ would most likely treat Binghe much like he did in PIWD. There are perhaps a FEW things that would, maybe, make him treat Binghe better out of pure spite but it would take many twists and turns for that. In the end, BingYuan in this would be Romeo and Juliet romance that would end in insane tragedy for all involved and CQM in flames. Unless Binghe manages to run off to Bai Zhan Peak. A big If.

What if Shen Yuan had met *** while at Lady Jia? Well SY would have brought *** with him to CQM instead! Or *** would have helped him escape and then years later............... hmm but that's a different arc.

There's more but :D

[theside-b]

Spoilers for the novel (and my review for the Live Action) ahead :

The boys do get together, but that act ends with their break up when people find out that Tian and Wang are romantically involved, unlike in Unknown where everyone was ok with Qian and Yuan getting together in A Certain Someone the fact that they are 'brothers' plays a huge role at that stage of their relationship and the eventual demise of their first attempt at a romance. Their break up lasts 6/7 years, don't remember exactly, but its a long time...

A lot more happens, but the show made some fundamental changes to both characters. It takes A LONG time for Tian to come to terms with his own feelings, that scene where he sees his father with another man in bed tints his whole worldview from a very young age — he develops quite the internalized homophobia; he is fine with other's queerness but it's his own that he cannot accept since he sees his father sexual orientation as the reason for the destruction of his family.

There is a tense moment between Tian and his father, where his dad says "we are more alike than you care to admit" hinting that he knows of what its happening between the boys and mind you Tian is still trying to sort out what he feels for Wang. The show sugarcoats quite a lot, novel's Tian would never initiate a kiss with Wang or even play along like he did in the show, at least not at that stage of their relationship.

Speaking of which, Wang is also different in the books. In the show he reads as pretty open minded, curious about anything and everything. In the novel he's pretty straight (at first), the journey really begins as a bromance until the feelings start to change. There is a lot of push and shove between the two of them, and is veeery slow.

The show pretty much burns bright the part where Wang tears Tian's emotional walls. Which I don't mind, otherwise it would take 50 episodes to wrap the first act. I honestly thought they were going to draw an original route for the show, but they are slowly adapting elements they left behind so they can follow the book.

Now for the review:

All in all, I think the show did a good job all things considered: production began in mainland China where Liu Dong was cast, but censorship hinders lgbtqia+ productions there so pre-production moved to Taiwan and there the rest of the casting was done. It's hard to tell how much of that interfered in the script but I assume Tian's father core plot was removed in the first draft and got re-integrated once production moved to Taiwan (Chris Lee's casting was one of the last to be announced which probably means he was also one of the last to join filming). Considering that productions like The Spirealm got pulled for much less is understandable that they would avoid the more thorny subjects under China's homophobic gaze.

(Educated guess here: considering all the publicity push, I imagine either Andy Cheng or Stan Huang were the choices for Wang, but since Liu's casting was an order from one of the financial backers they got smaller roles — it's a common move in taiwanese productions — by the way, there is a 'love triangle' later, is a sad thing since there is no-way you can split the main couple, but the show made me wonder who is going to be playing the third party in the live action).

As I always say about taiwanese shows: you have to watch the live play. The On1y One is much like it's local peers, it works wonders in small doses, but as soon as you see the whole picture you start to see the cracks. It reminded me a lot of Kiseki: Dear to Me in the sense that the main couple story is the emotional backbone, with a somber approach with brief moments of humor but everything surrounding it is slightly unhinged.

Everything that happened at that school was insane. The amount of crimes committed in the school grounds was ridiculous, the fact that Qi Jia Hao didn't ended up behind bars after ordering thugs to attack Wang and assault the english teacher is crazy. The whole side-plot involving the teachers was head-scraching by the way, much like everyone else I assumed that Zhao Xi and Benny were married when they were introduced.

Imagine my surprise finding out that not only they were not married but at one point Zhao Xi thought Benny could be interested in the english teacher (speaking of her, why the hell did she sounded dubbed? Is that not her real voice?). This whole story felt so disjointed from everything else, and it came at the tail end of the season(?), so not only it took some much suspension of disbelief for me to buy that these 40-year old gays were that emotionally impaired but also demanded patience since they spent very valuable screen time which could've benefited the main couple.

That is all to say that while I was having a blast while watching, the more I stop and think about it critically the more problems I see in this show. And again, that usually happens with taiwanese productions, experienced the same with Kiseki and Unknown, two shows that I adore, flaws and all, and now the same happens with The On1y One.

[tama-journey-to-inspiration]

Elder Sister Tang.

Technically non an OC, but a "character"I needed to include within my stories (and I'm including my rotmhs inspired novel) since I first read about her:

"Yet although the Tang Sect is common in wuxia fiction, it is actually ostensibly based on a real person. The original source is a martial arts manual anthology written by Wan Laisheng 萬籟聲 in 1926 called《武術匯宗》Collected Schools of Martial Arts, in which Wan Laisheng compiled information about many different martial arts techniques he had learned. In this book he mentions "Elder Sister Tang" of Sichuan:

有操五毒神砂者，乃鐵砂以五毒煉過，三年可成。打於人身，即中其毒；遍體麻木，不能動彈；掛破體膚，終生膿血不止，無藥可醫。如四川唐大嫂即是！

There are those who use Miraculous Five Poisons Sand, which is iron sand refined with five poisons and takes three years to make. When it makes contact with a person's body, that person is poisoned. Their whole body goes numb and they can't move. If it breaks the skin, pus and blood will ooze nonstop. There is no antidote. Elder Sister Tang of Sichuan is one such user [of this poison sand]

You can read more about it here:

To me, she's the Tang clan's founder, but I'm adding a bit more about her character, and because I actually watched "the house of the flying daggers", I made her a former disciple from this gang, and later she started the Tang *Sect*, that eventually became the Tang clan. Making very ironic the fact that they are so sexist in the first place.

I added some resemblance to Tang Soso's design, Zhan's eyelid, the asymmetric bow beneath her chin is a reference to Bō's hairstyle, the hair from my other Tang OC... Aaaand a detail I'm sure everyone will notice.

[dairyminki]

Inked By Fate - TWO

↬ pairing/s: park seonghwa x fem!reader, choi san x fem!reader ↬ genre: soulmate!au, racers!ateez, rivalry, angst, romance, fluff, pining ↬warning/s: lots of profanities, illegal racing ↬wc: 3.6k ↬a/n: early update (this is where the fun starts)! bcos i might be busy next week hehet. this wasn't proof-read so i'm sorry for the errors if there are. i would also love to hear your thoughts abt the story so far, thanxx!

*reblogs and feedbacks are much appreciated!

・・・・・★

Waking up to the smell of cooked eggs and bacons, you quickly sat up on your bed, brows furrowed.

Is your sense of smell fooling around with you?

Someone's definitely cooking in the kitchen. But who could it be?

Oh no.

What if it's an intruder - making itself at home knowing that you were dead asleep?

If the person sees my tattoos, will that be enough to scare them?

With that thought in mind, you went out of the comfort of your bed and slipped into your fuzzy slippers, praying that whoever was inside your apartment was someone your own size, who you can actually fight, or you'll be dead meat.

On your way, you took the baseball bat that was placed just in front of your room's door. But when you see who was moving inside the kitchen whilst humming to a song, you halt in your steps. It was a guy.

Should I hit him now? or should I wait when he turns around so I could hit him right in the face?

With your hand still raised together with the baseball bat in the air, the person turns around, nearly dropping the plate of newly cooked baconstrips when he flinches.

"Motherfucker, you scared me!"

"Yeosang?!" You exclaimed in disbelief. You stared him up and down. Oh, so that's why you didn't recognize his back like you always would, he's got his hair dyed again - this time it's light ash blonde.

"Yesss, it's me! Now, if you could just...lower that bat down...please?" Yeosang asks gently, not wanting to anger you further because of his sudden appearance inside your humble abode.

"Oh, right. Sorry." You smiled sheepishly. You put back the bat to its original place, then came back to the kitchen to join the latter for breakfast.

He didn't burn the kitchen this time. Wow, Jia must've rubbed off her cooking skills on him.

You wait for Yeosang to fill your plate with food, before you straighten up on your seat, arms-crossed.

"Now, why are you here dear brother?"

Yeosang looks up from his plate, raising his perfectly sculpted eyebrow at you. "What? I can't visit my own sister now?"

You scoffed at this. "Sure. But just so you know, this is so out of the blue, Kang Yeosang. If I remember clearly, I haven't seen your face for like what? Two years? So why now?" This time, it was your turn to raise an eyebrow at him, suspicious at his sudden actions.

Yeosang continues munching on his food first, before he places down his fork, sighing. "Okay, okay. You got me!"

With a triumphant smile, you leaned on the table, your elbow rested on top as you propped your chin on your palm.

"Jia told you, didn't she?" You muse, looking at him dead in the eye, which sooner turned into a staring battle between the two of you.

Of course, Yeosang lost.

"Ugh, she told me not to tell you this though. But you're a smart bitch so I guess it's not my fault." He shrugs, but you know yourself that your brother's going to have a scolding from his girlfriend later.

Yes, Jia is Yeosang's girlfriend. What a small world right?

"Well, thank you dipshit." You fire back, grinning, but he just rolled his eyes at you. And then he turns serious.

"Also, to answer your question, yes, Jia told me." He says, eyes now looking solemn. "But seriously? Eight tattoos in a week? What is your soulmate? A masochist?" Yeosang huffs, to which you just glared at.

"Yeo, my soulmate doesn't know." You said sharply. Wanting to prove a point to him.

"Sure, they don't. But that doesn't change the fact that you're always in pain because of that piece of shit."

"Yeo, tone down your language!" You hiss.

"Fine!" He exclaims.

Soon the table was filled with a tense silence, neither of you chose to look at each other, blood boiling because of different reasons.

You know that Yeosang is just protective of you, his only sister, his only family left. But it doesn't mean he can go around and curse your soulmate like that, your soulmate is still your other half.

"Alright, I'm sorry Y/N." Yeosang breaks the silence first. Your brother isn't really one who is fond of doing apologies first, given his high-walled ego. So you just nod.

"Look at me, though." Yeosang pleads, and without looking, you know he's already sporting that pouty face of his.

Imagining him looking silly, far from his usual cold and cocky facade, you break into a smile.

"Now, that's what I like." You heard him say and when you looked at him he was already smiling at you.

"Okay, so as I was saying, Jia told me about your sufferings, and it pains her to always see you like that, so..."

"So?" You repeat, raising one of your brows.

"She asked me to convince you to take a break from the flower shop first."

"Break? You know I can't do that, Yeo." You pout, just imagining how boring your life will be if you'll just spend the rest of the following days inside your apartment, probably just repeating the same routine. Wake up, eat, sleep, and repeat.

Working in the flower shop was the only thing that you looked forward to, and now you're asked to take a break?

Was it because you accidentally forgot to wear a shirt that was long enough to cover your tattoos? Did it scare a customer and they end up telling Jia about it?

Before you knew it, you were already overthinking, luckily though, Yeosang was quick to notice it and eventually snapped you out of it.

"Y/N, Jia has the purest intentions, believe me. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? We just want what's best for you." Yeosang reassures you, stroking your cheek gently. You leaned into his touch, nodding your head.

"Alright, I'll take a break..."

"Good. Then you better be ready tomorrow because I'm picking you up." He states, making you move away from him to look at him in the face.

"And where exactly are you taking me?"

"Weren't you curious about where I work? I'm bringing you there tomorrow." Yeosang smirks.

You don't know why, but you feel like this will be a bad idea, but at the same time, you were kind of excited?

"Yeosang?" You say, uneasiness slowly creeping into your system.

"Relax, it's nothing that illegal-well, who am I kidding? Of course it's illegal - anyway, I assure you it'll be fun!" He chuckles, relishing in the idea of finally bringing you to see his world.

But say what - did he just say illegal?!

"Kang Yeosang I swear-"

"Oh trust me, you'll love it dear sister."

・・・・・★

"You work at a club?" You turn to your brother who's behind the steering wheel of his red chevrolet camaro.

Yeosang merely shakes his head, then the car slows down, his side of the window rolls down, and the next thing you knew, he was talking to a buff guy, who seems like a bouncer to you.

You see the buff guy throw you a look before he tells you to reach out your hand.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Just reach out your hand, Y/N." Yeosang tells you, and you do oblige, because the guy outside the window is scaring the shit out of you already.

The guy straps a leather band on your wrist, and just like that, he was out of your sight, and the camaro was rolling back on its wheels.

Although confused, your mouth opens in awe when you realize you weren't headed for the luxurious club. Instead, a passageway opens just at the side and Yeosang has led the car through it.

So now you're like inside of a tunnel, a tunnel that felt endless as Yeosang drove. But then you see it.

The lights.

And then you hear noises.

And that's when you see the big silver ass of a sign.

KQ-STRIP

"Y-Yeosang?" You mutter, your eyes never leaving the sign.

"Hmm?"

"Where are we?"

You hear your brother chuckle before you look at him, only to see him wearing that devious of a smirk on his face.

"Welcome to the world of underground racing, sister."

・・・・・★

When Yeosang said his job is illegal, you totally didn't expect to find yourself standing inside the walls of an underground racing facility.

Seriously? Illegal speed racing?? This is what he does for a living? Can you even consider it as a job, when it's more of like a dangerous hobby?

Still, you know your brother gets paid tons for this shit, seeing how the place looks so unrealistically expensive, so you're just gonna shut your mouth like the good sister you are.

"Does Jia know?" Is the first thing you asked him when the two of you walked further into the venue where you could already see the racing track and the expensive looking cars all scattered around.

"Of course she does. You know that I could never lie to that woman."

"You've got a point there." You say and then you let your eyes wander around.

The place was filled with people, either walking inside the area, or up in the bleachers. Some were even holding huge placards with what you presume were the racers' names. The place was humongous, lots of varying lights brightened up the race track.

Are you perhaps...dreaming?

Because there's no way something like this exists? And you only knew of it like, now??

Where on earth was Yeosang wandering that made him able to discover this place?

"If you've got questions, go ask now." Yeosang tells you.

You have lots of questions in mind, but you don't know what or how to start. This information for just one night is too overwhelming, it almost made you speechless.

"Have the authorities found out about this place? Or like, did you get arrested once?"

You admit this place might be considered close to utopia for some, but you can't also deny the fact that this, whatever this shit your brother is doing is illegal. Not to mention, the potential harm it can cause to everyone involved with it. To think he managed to bring you here...in his world...should you be scared?

Yeosang did say he wanted you to take a break and that he wanted what's best for you. So is this the solution to that? When this whole thing is close to giving you anxiety? That any minute now, a police might barge into the place and then-

"Kang Y/N!" Yeosang spoke with so much power in his voice that it was enough to bring you back to reality.

"You're doing it again, you're overthinking." He says, gently this time.

Yeosang moves closer, gripping his hands on both sides of your shoulders, looking you in the eye. "I promise you, you need not worry. I wouldn't bring my precious sister here if I knew it wasn't safe enough for her."

"Endangering you is the last thing I would ever do." Yeosang tells you, and it was enough of a reassurance.

Right, when has Yeosang ever broken your trust? Never. Though the two of you fight like cats and dogs every single damn time. But yes, you trust him.

"Plus, not to brag, but our higher officials have never ever slipped even once. The reason why KQ-STRIP has been underground for almost a decade." At that he's back to his cocky self, and you had every urge to roll your eyes at him, but you don't.

At a distance, you hear screeching tire noises, and then three cars; green, blue, and orange come into view, pulling up beside your brother's red camaro.

"Ah, speaking of them devils. They're here." Yeosang clasps his hands. You turn to him, puzzled, but he just loops his arm with yours and drags you with him to the three newly arrived vibrant looking cars.

At that moment, the three drivers went out, and you had to suck in a breath. The first one was tall with black hair, he had soft facial features but he screamed manly, nonetheless.

Meanwhile, the owner of the green car had light brown hair, slicked back, and had dark glasses on. Just like the first, he was tall.

Lastly, the owner of the blue car steps out, and unlike the two towers, he was smaller, even a tad smaller than your brother.

Despite his height though, he displayed the same cockiness as Yeosang and had platinum blonde hair, with some fringes dropping to his forehead.

They were gorgeous alright.

As if Yeosang knew what you were thinking, he nudged you ever so lightly.

"They're my friends, and no you're not hitting on any of them."

"I wasn't planning to." You grit your teeth. They're gorgeous, yes, you give them that. But you're loyal to your soulmate alright?

"Well, well, who do we have here?" The short one says, examining you up and down.

Tonight you wore a black leather jacket just like your brother and the rest of these guys. Yeosang told you it's a part of the dress code.

"Hongjoong hyung, this is my sister, Kang Y/N."

"Sister you say? She's pretty!" The one with the black hair exclaims, then he sends you a warm smile, enough to make your insides all fluttery.

"And hot!" The one with the glasses adds, whistling. Of course, you had to look away to hide the blush on your cheeks. "Well, thank you." You say quietly.

"Mingi, I didn't bring her here for you to hit on." Yeosang glares at the taller man.

"Alright, alright. Geez, I was just merely giving her a compliment." Mingi defends himself, and when he catches you looking at him, he sends you a wink.

And now, the other tall male was hitting him, telling him to tone down his flirty antics.

Then you hear someone cough.

"I'm sorry about them, they can be pretty handful sometimes. Anyway, I'm Kim Hongjoong." The blonde introduces himself, and offers his gloved hand in front of you.

You were about to accept his hand when another hand came into sight, pushing the former away.

"And I'm Yunho, Jeong Yunho!" He says, catching you off guard.

"It's nice to meet you, Yunho." You say, chuckling, as you shook his hand.

"The disrespect." Hongjoong mutters at the side, but then he turns to your brother.

"Why bring her this time, Sang?" He questions.

"Dunno. Just thought this would be a perfect place for her to have her break and distract her for the time being. Plus, she would be able to see her handsome brother at work." Yeosang says, winking at you.

"Ooh, ooh! Does that mean you'll bring her the following nights too?" Mingi chirps in, looking expectantly at your brother.

"Well, I guess? If she ends up liking it here. Then why not?" Yeosang shrugs.

Then as if something in you shifted, your focus wasn't on their conversation anymore, your system feeling like it's burning with anticipation and excitement...?

Because just at that moment, three other cars entered the scene, all black in color.

And when the first car door opens, revealing a tall man, clad in all black from head to toe, your breath hitches and you can't find it in you to look away. Even when his eyes met yours for a brief second and then turned his back.

You tug your brother's sleeve, whispering, "Yeosang...who is that?"

"Oh. That's...that's Park Seonghwa. And he's someone you shouldn't go near to Y/N."

・・・・・★

"Why?"

"Because he's the King, the King of the tracks. And he shouldn't be messed with." Yeosang supplies, and then Yunho suddenly appears behind you two, saying, "But you can mess with his two friends, they're nice and funny! On a second thought- no, they could break your heart if you get too attached with them."

"Also Inferno is our rival, therefore they're not a friend, but a foe." It was Hongjoong who spoke this time.

Inferno?

"What do you mean by Infer-" Before you could even finish your sentence, Yeosang cuts you off, grabbing a hold of your wrist. "That's enough info for the night, so why don't we just go and-"

"Elysium, my friends!" A voice cuts through the air, halting you and your brother in your tracks.

"Piece of shit." Yeosang grumbles under his breath, and the two of you turn around only to see three males clad in black approaching you and Yeosang's friend group.

The way they carried themselves screams confidence with a slight arrogance in their steps.

The guy in the middle was smiling and the other on his left was smirking, his gaze falling on your figure, while the one on the right- the tall man you saw earlier- Park Seonghwa - was wearing a blank face, stray strands of his midnight black hair fell on the other side of his face.

Then your wrist begins to itch. When you look at it, it's exactly on your soulmate mark.

"Oh, and who is this?" The same high-pitched voice speaks, and you look up to see the three of them looking at you while Yeosang was glaring at them, his hand still gripping your other wrist tightly.

"None of your damn business." Yeosang says through gritted teeth, making the latter laugh.

"You're so funny Kang. I haven't even done anything, yet." He says much to his amusement on seeing your brother steaming in anger.

"What's your business, Inferno?" Hongjoong speaks up this time, his voice calm and collected, as well as his face, so unlike your brother who's close to bursting.

You know Yeosang is protective, but not this protective. Then that just means that Inferno guys are really bad, bad.

"What's her name? Is she Yeosang's sister?" The same guy speaks, shamelessly checking you up and down. He's really talking like you're not here, huh? How rude. You're starting to not like him already.

So you speak up.

"That's right, I am. Got any problem with that?" You raise an eyebrow at him as you step forward, crossing your arms.

"Ooh, feisty." You hear Mingi say from the side, but Yunho was quick to shush him.

The guy in front of you laughs, and that's when you notice that his hair's colored half black and then blonde underneath at the back. What a bold choice of color, and it seems like his personality is too.

"You're just like your brother. But oh gosh, where are my manners? My name is Jung Wooyoung, and you are?" Wooyoung offers his hand in front of you, like a gentleman.

"I'm Kang Y/N."

"It's nice to meet you Y/N-ie." He says, catching you off guard. So you're on a nickname basis now? This guy is surely something.

Then he turns to the others behind him and introduces them.

"This guy here is-"

"I'm Choi San." The guy with the black hair and striking green streaks steps forward and kisses the back of your hand.

You hear Yeosang gasp. "Oh you did not jus-" Hongjoong and the others calmed him down, holding him in place, while Choi San merely smirks. Then he goes back to his place.

Wooyoung laughs again, then turns to the almost stone-cold like person on his other side.

His face was void of any emotions.

And you don't like it.

"This is our Seonghwa-hyung." Wooyoung introduces him. The said male just looks at you for a brief second, nodding his head in acknowledgement and says nothing.

While the others showed interest in you, he didn't. And it sparked up an unknown flame inside of you.

You're suddenly irritated.

So you turn your back and walk away.

"Hey, wait up!" Yeosang says, trying to catch up with you.

His friends followed suit. Mingi, questioning you first. "Why'd you walk away, angel?"

You don't answer him though. Instead, you ask, "When's the race starting Yeo? I'm about to get bored just walking around here." And talking to some jerk, who doesn't give a fuck about your existence.

Why are you so pressed anyway? Why are you so worked up over Seonghwa not giving you even the slightest interest?

Also what a perfect timing for your wrist to itch - the cherry on top, to your flaming annoyance.

"How about you three, including Mingi, go find seats, while me and Yunho go get ready for tonight's match?" Hongjoong proposes. And so the five of you separate.

・・・・・★

The race was already starting, one of the competitors being; Hongjoong and Yunho from Elysium; which you just found out to be the name of Yeosang's gang, and Wooyoung and Seonghwa from Inferno.

You like cars, you're okay with watching races, but tonight, you just can't help but keep sending glares on the innocent race track, plus your wrist was still itching for who knows what reason.

So you decided to excuse yourself and told Yeosang that you'll go to the comfort room, and thank god you were good with directions cause you immediately found it.

After doing your business and washing your hands, you head out, only to squeak when you find a familiar male leaning by the doorway.

"San?" You say, unsure, because he had his head hung low. But when he looks up, it indeed is him.

"Oh, I see, you're finished." Unlike his smirk earlier, he's sporting a dimpled smile.

"Yes…? But what are you doing here?" You ask, looking at him and then at the sign on top of you that clearly says 'female'.

"Waiting for you of course. What else?"

Okay? He's very straightforward.

"But why?"

He removes himself from the wall and faces you, both of his hands placed inside of his pockets.

He leans in up to a point where it was almost uncomfortable, but surprisingly it wasn't uncomfortable for you in the slightest. In fact you even close your eyes.

Then he speaks, his breath hovering over your lips, his fingers brushing away some of the fringes from your face.

"If I asked you to go on a late night drive with me, would you go?"

You opened your eyes and found yourself staring back in his dark brown eyes, so deep that it made you weak.

And when your knees gave up on you, San was quick to hold you by the waist and steady you.

After a few seconds, you mutter in a soft voice, "Yes, I'd go with you."

・・・・・★

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