#Bangkok place name

[alienpossession]

Ethnographic Research: Part 2 (Songkran)

It's the biggest holiday of the year for Thai people. Songkran, or Thai's New Year, usually make Thailand filled to the brim with tourist from all over the globe that wanted to experience the festivities. It's crowded, it's loud and it's wet, the whole country especially Bangkok seemingly have no concept of sleeping during the duration of Songkran.

The parade last the whole day, and the party last even longer, creating this illusion of endless party as all of the people seemingly rejoiced the New Year.

So, it's only normal for the Mother Ship to capture that brimming energy from its scanner and deciced that two of the researcher should land in that spot since human seemingly packed the place, especially the very lively Bangkok

The 2 Xarthans should've landed close to each other for easier coordination after the takeover, but due to the technical issues to the pod, it diverted one of them from the planned landing spot.

So while this one comfortably slipped itself into the body of this fit hunk named Gun while he just finished dipping in the swimming pool and getting ready for a full day of partying, the other one have to struggle through the crowded city as it tries to make its way to the designated meeting spot

The less luckier Xarthan decided that the only way he can go undetected with this insane crowd of people is to blend in. It found itself landed near this giant plastic drum filled with water in the backyard of a random house so it dipped itself into it and started to break itself down into microparticles. The splash from the 8 feet tall alien entering the water drum must have alerted the human inside the house as he quickly checked on the drum to find nothing out of the extraordinary. Then, more men swarmed the water drum and revealed the gun-like items they bring with themselves. Not long after, the Xarthan found itself split into 5 water guns belonged to 5 different men, and if the visuals they watched in the Mother Ship turned out to be true, this is actually a perfect way for it to get into more human

---

While the Xarthan that landed on its designated spot already blended in and partied his ass out with everyone in the middle of the city, the adventure just started for the separated Xarthan, now also split into 5 different water gun. Aside from the glimpse it spotted earlier when those men peered into the water drum, it basically have no idea how the men looked like. But it didn't take long for it to finally started its spread as it found itself suddenly having multiple vision. The water shooting has started, and everytime a spritz of the infected water landed in these bodies, that body turned into a vessel right after the water particles slipped into the body either through the navel, the slit of their cock or asshole or even right through the orifices in the human face.

The takeover were quick and almost seamless, the human rarely felt anything as they considered it to be as simple as water trickling into their body. But when that sharp jab of takeover sealed their fate, they usually flinched but that meant it was too late for them to stop the process. The main Xarthan constantly emitted this transmission to keep all the new vessels in check, and they quickly converge in-between themselves so they are not scattered across the crowd. They would abandon whatever original plan of their vessel or the companion that they went together with, or even more sinisterly, grabbed their companion so their companion could also be shot by the infected water gun. What makes the festivity turned out to be a potent way to find good vessel other than the raucous water spray is the fact that for a lot of the time, people shoot water to others that they find attractive or likable, so no wonder that in just below 30 mins, the separated Xarthan found itself ended up controlling multiple different attractive bodies, and not just limited to local people as some of it ended up in tourists bodies too as Bangkok usually flooded with thousands of tourist during peak season like this.

When the sun eventually sets, the newly-minted vessels arrived altogether in front of the main party gate for the festivities. It can sense that the fellow Xarthan is already inside the party ground, so all of the different bodies started to swarm the gate to get themselves inside. Some of the vessels already have the tickets to enter the party ground, but some other unlucky ones decided to take matter into their own hands, either jumping into another host or even takeover security details or the staffers of the festival.

With more than 30+ bodies under control, it should've been an easy search. But the crowd, nearing 40,000 and counting, made it quite a challenging work as the vessels tend to get distracted by random groping and playful kisses landed to them. Eventually, the security details managed to find Gun as their bigger bodies plus the uniform managed to convince the partygoers to give them way. Upon eye contact, Gun playfully winked at the three securities that eyed him, knowing full well its his brothers split particles inside the securities body. Gun then used his mind to telepathically subdued one of the security to join him for some playful fun while the rest of the vessels gathered. It's easy to do so since the split particles definitely weaker in comparison to them staying intact as a singular entity. The subdued security then give Gun a lift, practically letting Gun piggybacked over his broad shoulders. Then, the excited Gun emitted the signal so all the vessels from his brothers can gather around and they can have the best of fun all night long. He's about to be surprised on how many bodies his brother acquired, but for now, he just want to have fun and ride on the energy his vessel exudes

[jenniekrj]

Show {Idol!Bangchan x Idol!Fem!Reader}

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Warnings:Riding,pet names,dirty talk.

A/N:I made this fic just because of this episode of channie’s room (I miss him so much)

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Being in a secret relationship with one of the most known K-pop idols is very difficult as his fans can get angry and ruin your life in a matter of seconds.One of the other difficulties of being in a secret relationship with Chan is that it’s very hard to hide your relationship,especially when you go out on dates since you’re both pretty famous.But,either way you still loved each other,that’s what’s important,right?

It was about to hit midnight and both you and Chan just got back from attending MAMA,which was held in Bangkok,Thailand.You both stayed in the same hotel room together without anyone finding out,of course.He was on live to thank his fans for giving Straykids a very important award.

You had just gotten out of the shower and were already needy,seeing him perform in such revealing clothes made you go in heat the whole night.You sat on the edge of the bed right in front of him while trying to minimize the noise you would make.You sat there,waiting for him to end the live and ask him for a small favor,riding his thigh.You were wearing tiny shorts and a sports bra,just to seduce him,all you could do now is hope for the best.

-

You have waited for approximately 30 minutes and he has already said goodbye to his fans.As soon as he hit the ‘end live’ button you immediately stood up and walked over to him and without hesitation,you sat on his lap.

“Yea,baby? You need something?” Chan whispered in your ear as his right hand wrapped around your waist and his left hand was placed in your hip. “Yeah…” You softly said as you pointed your finger towards his thigh. “Be more specific or you’re not getting it.” He sternly said as he brought your body closer to his. “I…wanna ride.” You mentally slapped yourself right after you said that,for some reason you thought he would be mad or at least shocked..but he wanted this,almost like he was waiting for you to ask.

"Really? My thigh?" He smirked in amusement as he sat back and you slowly nodded as an answer.

“Alright,give me a show then.”

Your head went straight up when he said this,your eyes were wide and filled with excitement.You lifted yourself up and positioned his right thigh in between both of your thighs and lowered yourself onto him.You slowly started grinding back and forth as he maintained eye contact with you.

Chan then grabbed both of your hips to help you out. “Yeah…just like that,you’ll be a slut for anything,wouldn’t you?” He said as his hands traveled to your ass. “Yes,Chan..a-ah.” You managed to answer him in between moans.“Fuck,you look so pretty like this.” Chan said as he eyed you up and down,his mind racing to other things he wants to do to you. “My cock could make you feel so much better than this,baby.”

As you moved faster,you could feel how wet you pussy was through your panties and shorts and that was a sigh that you would cum. “Ch-Chan! I’m cumming!” You almost screamed before you came,riding out your orgasm.

Your head fell onto his chest as you breathed heavily. “You liked that,pretty girl? You liked how my thigh felt on your wet pussy?” Chan whispered into your ear as his hands were massaging your ass cheeks.You couldn’t get a word out because of how good you felt,but he took it as a ‘yes’ anyway. “I know you did,look at how wet my pants are,all because of your horny pussy.” Chan said as a smirk creeped up on his lips.

You propped yourself up and kissed him,which led to a make out.His tongue made its way into your mouth,feeling every corner of it.He pulled back and said “You know…because I made you cum…

how about you make me cum,huh?”

[cutieeva]

Enslave

Female reader

Warnings : Love bombing. Power abuse. Threats. Coercion. Molestation. Profanity languages. Slut shaming. Rape. Violence. Framing. Attempt home invasion. Molestation.

SYNOPSIS

❛ ผู้หญิง ❜ Muse and Seduction, it is a well known name of the most Luxurious Adult Entertainment Complexe in Thailand also the least respected profession (Y/N) works in, not aware it will soon turn into a memory of calm before the storm in form of a man.

Thailand, a country known for its vibrant culture, rich history, and breathtaking landscapes, also has a complex and multifaceted adult entertainment industry. While it's true that this industry is visible and widespread, it's essential to approach the topic with sensitivity and nuance. From bustling cities like Bangkok and Pattaya to tourist destinations like Phuket and Chiang Mai, adult entertainment venues and services are indeed present. These can range from go-go bars and massage parlors to street workers and karaoke bars offering private rooms to many more and despite the shame and stigma associated with these works, many women still engage in this profession due to limited job opportunities and economic necessity. The pay can be more convenient and immediate compared to other respectable jobs, which may require years of education and experience to achieve similar financial stability.

Alike to the above explanation (Y/N) also choose to work in such environment—All for money and did she succced in having what she wanted ? Yes because the place she works in is called Muse and Seduction, one of the top Adult Entertainment Complexes— it's a adult entertainment where almost all of the sexual activities could be done, separately and wonderfully. It has sections of Cabaret : where dancers perform for their male guests. Private room also known as Lounges : where sex could be given if requested and money are fullfilled. Strips clubs : where adult dances or lap dances available. Sex clubs : only available to VIP members for the privacy of their group sex, fetishes activities and message parlor : to offer erotic messages or intimate service and adult theater : to watch porn without shame and more sections based on how well the adult entertainment complexes is going and her complex has it all that even surprised the past self of (Y/N) who didn't had the slightest idea of such things exist—no she wasn't naïve rather in awe to have so varieties like a deck of cards laid out before her. Despite its grandeur, the complex remained hidden from the public eye, accessible only to those who knew where to look letting her past self marveled at how seamlessly it blended into the surrounding landscape, a testament to the discretion and secrecy that shrouded the adult entertainment industry.

Quickly that time she entered not for the sex work she thought could only pay her rents and shield her from her runaway abusive parents rather at the Cabaret where dancers danced contrast to not being the most skilled or pretty, she impressed the manager with her passion and raw talent. Offered a job on the spot, she found a refuge and purpose in the vibrant world of dance and before she knew it she sat on the position of manager of Cabaret section where she once only stared and worked hard.

"(Y/N) !" The (H/C) haired woman turn around at her name call meeting the eyes of the old general manager who's wiping his sweat yet a smile plastered on his lips.

"Yes, sir". Politely she asked having a hint of some excitement news to be heard noticing the uncontrollable smile and fire on his eyes.

The air was electric as he made the announcement, his face splitting into a wide, toothy grin. "Today, a very, very, very special guest is coming!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm infectious yet puzzling.

She raised an eyebrow, her head tilting slightly to one side. VVVIP visitors weren't uncommon in their establishment, but the level of excitement radiating from him was unusual. Whoever this guest was, they must be incredibly influential and wealthy to warrant such anticipation.

Her (E/C) eyes watched him practically bounce with energy, a shiver ran down her spine. She couldn't shake the feeling that this visit might bring trouble, particularly for the women who work here. A nagging sense of unease settled in the pit of her stomach, her mind racing with the possibility that someone might be coerced into doing something against their will.

"Understood". She dry chuckle, darting eyes to her pratice hall and to the general manager.

"That's why you also need to perform today". Ah ! No wonder he came to her because despite being a manager she still performs for the double money she is paid.

"So the party is hosted in here ?" Insinuating her sections making the general manager nod.

"Yes, unfortunately they want entertainment to be amused not pleasure". The grin turn into a scoff merely thought of lost profits, his eyes clouding with disappointment.

"They ? Didn't you just said one guest ?" (Y/N) was confused.

"Oh—actually it's group of men from a wealthy company but in mist of that is the golden egg would be". Oh ! She sink the information so rather than entertainment, it's to secure a lucrative deal. The company was willing to do whatever it took to secure success. What a classic tactic.

"Okay, please state the time, date and all the needed details". He nod giving her the paper written all the instruction. "Well then I goona go". Waving gently she enter her dance hall.

Tomorrow at 8:30 pm with Chinese Silk dance theme.

"So, the man is Chinese ? Or have those liking ?" She thought so for better she would single out the Chinese girls just for their safety to not caught the eyes of animalistic men.

Night descended, darkness enveloped the world, like an inky shroud suffocating all in its grasp. Yet, the moon, now a silver crescent in the sky, cast an ethereal glow, as if to defy the all-consuming shadows. Stars twinkled like diamonds scattered across the velvet expanse, their gentle sparkle a beacon of hope.

(Y/N) stood transfixed, her gaze riveted on the clock's ticking hands, mere moments away from striking 8:30 pm. She inhaled deeply, the air filling her lungs like a promise of new beginnings. "Today has to be perfect" she whispered to herself, a fervent wish born of hope and determination.

In her mind's eye, she envisioned a evening unfolding with grace and harmony, each moment a delicate brushstroke on the canvas of time. No embarrassing missteps, no unwilling participants, just a gentle, pleasant tone that would soothe the souls. The clock's ticking grew louder, a countdown to a symphony of perfection, as (Y/N) steeled herself for the moments to come, her heart beating in rhythm with the night's dark beauty.

"Beauties. Everything has to be perfect and do not worry I am here to protect you okay ?" Once more she reassure the women standing in a row each one a vision of elegance and mystery. Golden jewels encircled their arms, a radiant contrast to their varied skin tones, like sunlight dancing across a canvas of diverse beauty. The traditional Chinese dresses, with their revealing midriffs and flowing slit sleeves, seemed to shimmer in the soft light, as if the very fabric was alive. Their face however remained hidden behind delicate veils, a whispered promise of secrets and allure. The veils, like silken whispers, caressed their skin, casting an air of enchantment and subtle mystery seemed to embody the essence of ancient Chinese beauty, where subtlety and restraint whispered tales of untold stories.

"Yes mam". Each one in unison spoke with confidence knowing their mentor for several years.

"Hey (Y/N) I needed—" A man holding few papers walked in the practice hall when he frozen in his root staring at (Y/N) who turn around giving his amber eyes the look of her dress mirroring the several women however he appeared to be mesmerized by her.

"Oh manager Somchai, is there anything I can help you with ?" Jewels trembled with each her step, unleashing a cascade of sparkling light, like tiny stars waltzing across her (S/C) skin.

"Oh—Ah—I-I-I-I forget". Few laughes escape from the women behind (Y/N) watching the bar manager make a fool out of himself.

"Hush ! It's unladylike". In swept the crowd held their laugh at their own manager's scold yet few roll their eyes knowing it was harmless. "Excuse them". (Y/N) apologies to Somchai who shake his head still unable to part his lips and hide the tip of blush on his ears.

"So, how can I help ?" She repeated holding her own smile, catching his flustered face.

"I-I— it's the list of drinks that the guests should buy for our profits". Quickly he shoved the paper on her hand surprising her and himself at the rough action. "I-I am sorry". Closing his eyes, his tense hands clap together in forgiveness along the rigid fingers intertwined, forming a tight knot, like a prayer offered to the heavens. The sudden, earnest movement was almost comical, yet endearing, making her giggle at the sweet, silly gesture. The contrast between his serious expression and the childish motion only added to the charm, rendering her helpless against the tide of amusement that swept over her.

"W-what happen ?" The way his innocent doe eyes stare at her never would anyone unaware of his profession could assume he works in an adult industry.

"Nothing. You are so endearing". And as she expected his entire face burst into flame creating a teasing ohh from the women who ship them together hard earn a harsh "Shut up". From their senior.

"Thank you". Finally without stuttering he smiled and part his lips to speak when the clock's loud tick reverberated through the air, signaling the precise moment of 8:30 pm.

"Oh—I am sorry I must go". Swiftly she offered apologies, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't be". He disagree, silently encouraging her at their eye contact making her smile wider. Without anymore utters she led the procession of women, their golden jewels glinting in the soft light. At the threshold, (Y/N) paused, her slender fingers fluttering as she donned her own veil at the last moment, the delicate fabric whispering against her skin.

"Everyone ready to go ?"

"Yes". They mutter lightly. (Y/N) take a deep, calming breath as she pushed open the door, and a warm, golden light enveloped them, like a gentle caress. The room was aglow with sensual ambiance, the soft glow of table lamps and floor lights casting a hypnotic spell. The guests, already seated on plush, velvety sofas, turned to regard the newcomers, their faces bathed in the warm, golden radiance. Beers chilled on an opulent, dark-wood table, adorned with delicate, crystal glasses, reflecting the soft light like tiny, shimmering mirrors.

Soft, melodic music whispered through the air, weaving a subtle spell of relaxation and indulgence, as (Y/N) and her companions glided into the room, their veils shimmering like moonlit mist, their long, flowing sleeves rustling softly, like leaves in an autumn breeze. The atmosphere was alive with anticipation, the scent of perfume and the promise of mystery hanging heavy in the air, like the whispered promise of a secret shared among friends.

"Thank you for your services. We shall begin". her voice dripped in honeyed sweetness greeted the awaiting men as her eyes swept across the room, scanning for the golden man the general manager spoken of and then, in an instant, her gaze landed on him—an aged man, with a stomach as round as a full moon, adorned in the finest, most lavish attire, from the glittering gold chain around his neck to the diamond-encrusted watch on his wrist.

Her eyes narrowed. "He must be the one". Sighing deeply she bowed gracefully with a subtle, enigmatic smile, her body begin dancing like unfolding a lotus flower, petals of movement swirling around her. The men's screams of delight and admiration crescendoed, their eyes aglow with hunger and desire, yet she remained an untouchable, ethereal vision. Her dance was a masterful symphony of seduction and grace, each step, each gesture, a testament to her skill and artistry.

As she danced, she wove in and out of the tables, pouring wine with a flourish, her hands moving in tandem with the other women, who mirrored her movements with precision. The liquid gold flowed like a river, filling the glasses, as she continued to enthrall her audience, her body swaying, twirling, and bending in impossible ways.

Regardless of the provocative nature of her dance, she maintained an air of detachment, her skin never once touching the eager hands that reached out to her. Her eyes, like a hawk's, scanned the room, ever vigilant, ensuring none of the men dared touch her or her junior companions. The other women, too, seemed to be under her protection, their eyes locked on hers, moving in perfect synchrony, a testament to their trust and loyalty. The men, entranced by the spectacle, remained at a safe distance, their longing and desire hanging in the air like a palpable mist, yet they knew better than to cross the unspoken boundary. She was a queen, a goddess, and they mere mortals, privileged to witness her glory and forbidden to touch.

Soon the music reached its crescendo, (Y/N)'s dance came to a smooth, graceful close, like a summer breeze gently caressing the skin. The room, electrified by her performance, exhaled a collective sigh of relief and admiration. Though some of the men, entranced by her beauty, had attempted to brush their hands against hers, they had respectfully refrained from any further advances, acknowledging the unspoken boundary. The VVVIP guest, too, had maintained his dignity, his eyes never leaving (Y/N)'s face, yet his hands remained clasped together, a indication to his self-control. With a satisfied smile, he raised his glass in a silent toast, and drank, savoring the moment.

As the final notes of the music faded away, (Y/N) and her companions bowed, their movements fluid and synchronized and they departed like a gentle whisper, a soft breeze carrying the scent of blooming flowers, leaving the men to ponder the memory of their enchanting performance.

Free-spirited and unencumbered, (Y/N) and her companions walk outside the hallway, sharing laughter and whispers echoing down the corridor.

"Today was fun".

"How amazing".

"Thankfully they knew the rules to not mess even the VVVIP was respectful unlike some of the others".

"This is my first time performing Chinese dance ?"

"Really ? Well I am Chinese but never did I also danced so sensually".

"But (Y/N) was best".

"Of course she would be when she is our senior".

Their joys whispered to one another filling (Y/N)'s ears in relief nothing unfortunate occur to one of the women and god forbid— to her. Wiping the line of sweat from her forehead she walked to their resting room passing through the living hall where main events of dances held.

"HELP ! HELP—". A cry of help echoed the room following with a loud thud alike to a slap making all the women wince.

"What was that ?"

"Isn't it sound like a woman ?"

"Also a slap ?"

"I am scared".

A knot of unease twisted in (Y/N)'s stomach, like a pit of pooling darkness, as her mind conjured the worst assumptions. A envision of woman, desperate and trapped, crying out for help in a place where hope seemed lost. The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and without hesitation.

"Girls ! Go !". She commanded her workers to retreat to their quarters, their faces etched with concern.

With a deep breath, (Y/N) steeled herself, her determination burning brighter than her fear. She barged into the lavish hall, the doors swinging open with a soft crash, like a declaration of war. The room, once filled with laughter and music, now seemed tainted, its opulence mocking her. Her eyes scanned the space, searching for the source of her unease, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.

Until her (H/C)'s eyes fell upon a scene that made her blood boil, a tableau of cruelty that seared itself into her mind. A man, his face twisted in a snarl, sat atop a woman, her body helpless and trembling, her clothes torn and disheveled. He laughed, a cold, mirthless sound, as he cursed with his words coated with venom while the woman's cries, like a wounded animal, filled the air with her sobs as the man rape her in front of others.

The room, once a haven of indulgence, transform into a den of depravity. Some men, seated on a large sofa, laughed and jeered, their faces flushed with excitement, while others watched with a mixture of fascination and disgust. A few, attempting to distance themselves from the scene, silently drank their plain disgust by the beers, their eyes averted, however their presence still complicit.

Red. (Y/N)'s vision was consumed by a sea of red, a crimson haze that fueled her fury. In an instant, she sprang into action, her movements swift and deadly, wordlessly she launched herself at the man, ripping him away from the woman with a strength born of rage. The sound of crashing furniture and shouting men filled the air as she hurled him aside, the group scattering in surprise.

Her eyes scanned the room frantically, searching for something to cover the woman's exposed form. But there was nothing —no cloth, no blanket, no shred of dignity left. So, with a swift motion, (Y/N) grasped the nearest ground mat, tearing it from the floor, and wrapped it around the woman's shivering body, shielding her from prying eyes.

That's when the same man lashed out, his hand closing around her forearm like a vice. (Y/N)'s jaw clenched in pain, her eyes flashing with anger, as she gazed straight into the man's raging eyes, their faces inches apart. "Why is he angry ? No—how dare he is angry ?" Complex emotions once more fueling her brain, hatred spite for the man so far her fingers itch to slit his throat and watch him bleed to death.

"No. No. No. No. (Y/N) you can't do it. Stay calm. Stay calm". Her inner rational self repeated after all the power held is by men not women.

"You fucking bitch ! What do you think you are ! Fucking cunt ? How dare you lay a hand on me ?" The man twisted (Y/N)'s arm only for her to stood firm, her eyes blazing with defiance. Pain was nothing new, and she refused to yield, her silence a challenge to his dominance.

Holding her trembling fist—not from fear rather from anger she calmly utter. "Dear customer, this section is cabaret not private room so please refrain from doing sexual activ—".

"Fuck you woman ! You all are slut what happens if I fuck one of you". Tension weighted heavy on his offensive words suffocating even her lungs by the audacity of this man. How dare ? How dare this man found the chest to spoke about them. This illiterate garbage.

"It seems you are illiterate because the meaning of cabaret is dancers in our complex. Pardon us for not explaining actually, we didn't knew an uneducated person would come to our threshold". Blazing her (E/C) eyes into the man, his grip tighten and she felt the heat of his body underneath the fat meat.

"What did you say you bitch—".

"Or are you perhaps deaf too ?" Her voice not a lace with sarcastism or mock. It's purely fill with rage. Rage of being helpless, useless and shame. Because no matter how this man violented the innocent woman and assulted (Y/N), the fact still stands—he is their customer.

Despicable. (Y/N)'s throat felt dry and cracked at the fact, as if the man's crushing grip had drained the last drop of moisture from her body. The pain was numbed by her revulsion and anger, emotions that seethed like a cauldron as she gazed up at his face, illuminated by the eerie purple and pink lights above. His features, once human, now seemed twisted and grotesque, a stark contrast to the inhumane actions that belied his civilized facade. Tears of rage swelled over her vision, casting a blurry veil over the scene, yet she continued to stare, transfixed by the horror of it all. A twisted sense of guilt slithered in, its dark tendrils wrapping around her heart, whispering cruel lies of blame and shame, as the colorful lights above seemed to mock her, casting an otherworldly glow on the nightmare unfolding below.

The door finally burst open again, this time however by the security guards. They finally trapped the man, even tearing his iron grip that left purple bruises—her eyes stare. This will heal, but what about the innocent woman ? The woman's who crimson blood flow out of her private part in front of so many eyes ? (Y/N) will have her untainted skin back without bruises but can the woman have her virginity back she oh so hard frought only to lose. Sorrows finally slide down mourning the unconsciously woman as she bend down, helping the cloth to prevent her nudity from exposing in process her eyes met a onyx eyes, a depthless pool of intensity that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken emotions burning with a fierce inner fire that she couldn't quite decipher regardless of the black spectacles that meant to conceal, only seemed to accentuate the piercing quality of his eyes. Quickly she avert the burning gaze. "He is no different than that man". Snarling her face, she walk not knowing his sight was set on her from the very moment she step inside.

She find herself sit outside the makeshift medical area, her eyes fixed on the curtain that shielded the woman's privacy. Beside her, the private female doctor, a specialist in treating victims of abuse, tended to the woman's wounds with gentle hands as the moonlight's pear through the window shimmering her unremoved outfit. Suddenly, the general manager burst into the room, his face etched with concern. However, he halted outside the curtain, respecting the woman's privacy. (Y/N) rose to meet him, her eyes questioning.

"What happen ?" she asked, her voice low.

The manager's eyes darted to the curtain, then back to (Y/N). "The security told me everything. Is she g-going to be okay ?"

"Yes but—". She paused, expression somber. "Her clit has tore, virginity is take away that's why it will cause her a lot of trauma". The manager nodded, his face set in a determined expression.

"So, she might not able to work right ?" Before (Y/N) could answer the female doctor pull the curtains closed.

"Yes, she isn't at the headspace to do. I am even afraid that it might also cause a trauma of men which is very much about this job". Discreetly (Y/N)'s fingers curl into fist holding the urge to suffer the perpetrater.

"Gosh ! Why did it had to happen in front of the VVVIP man". The man mutter a curse. "Our reputation and woman is lost face in front of him". A frown ink in between (Y/N)'s brows.

"What ? VVVIP ? But he was entertained and happy. We did our job perfectly". Pluzzed she elaborate. "Also sue the man not the innocent woman".

"I never want to sue the woman. It's not at all her fault rather I am angry at the man because that asshole is the one who last minute came here change the perfect schedule of attending your dance instead went to the living hall dance with completely different setting. A modern one".

"What ?" A grasp lip past her.

"Who was it ?"

"A man with black suit, black spectacles and his name is Wang Ji-Hyuk, he is a Korean man but his entire business is at China that's why we choose a chinese traditional theme also it was said by the asshole but he ruined it !" Fumes smoking out of his ears. "I am goona sue him". Bit his lips, he dial the number of the said VVVIP (Y/N) mistook.

"Wait ! So that man from before ?" (Y/N)'s mind reeled as a quick flashback assaulted her senses, transporting her back to the living hall mere seconds ago. She relived the moment when her gaze met the VVVIP's, the intensity of his stare still seared into her memory. But before she could even process her thoughts, the general manager's urgent grip on her arm yanked her back to reality.

"He's still outside, we should apologize," He whispered hastily, dragging her toward the door.

(Y/N)'s confusion deepened as she stumbled alongside him. Apologize? For what? She couldn't fathom what she had done wrong. The VVVIP's behavior had unsettled her of how a man so boredly sat and watched a woman get rape is truly inhumane, what apologize does she own to the VVVIP ? For protesting against the rape ? Protecting a innocent woman ? Or causing a scene unnecessary. Her thoughts swirled in a jumbled mix of emotions as she struggled to keep up with the general manager's rapid pace. Why were they apologizing? What part was her fault? None, she believes. Still the questions swirled in her mind like a vortex, leaving her bitter.

At the reception, they found the said man standing with his back to them, his imposing figure radiating an aura of authority. The soft hum of conversation and gentle clinking of foot filled the air, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside (Y/N).

Just as they approached, the head manager's voice cut through the calm, "Ah, sir, I see you're still here."

The VVVIP's back stiffened, and he slowly turned around, his movements deliberate and calculated and he faced them, his eyes locked onto (Y/N)'s once more, the intensity of his gaze making her heart skip a beat.

Time seemed to suspend as their eyes met, the air thickening with tension. The general manager's words of apology died on his lips, and the head manager's smile faltered, sensing the changed atmosphere. Pursing his lips, he nudge her hand allowing her to look away.

"W-we are sorry. Extremely sorry for the lack of professional and such unpleasant scenes to be caused". What ? What was her lips utter ? The way her mouth moved, forming words of apology, as if driven by a force beyond her control. Her voice was barely audible, a mere whisper, as she spoke the words she didn't mean to say. Her head bent down, weighed by the shame that wasn't hers to bear.

She felt like a puppet, her body no longer her own, but a mere marionette controlled by invisible strings. Her limbs moved, her lips spoke, but her mind was a distant observer, helpless to stop the charade.

The man's gaze still held her captive, his eyes burning with an intensity that seemed to strip her of her autonomy. She was a leaf blown by the wind, a feather tossed by the breeze, completely at the mercy of forces beyond her control.

"Yes, we are very sorry". The head manager bow respectfully making the VVVIP tilts his head.

His voice was laced with a jaded tone, as he asked "Are you ?" The words hung in the air, a lazy drawl that seemed to imply he already knew the answer.

"Yes we are—" His gaze shifted, those onyx eyes slicing through the manager like a knife.

"Not you". He said, not hiding the disdain as the manager's words were cut off, left dangling in the air like a severed thread.

His eyes narrowed, returned on (Y/N) solely. "Her" He said, the single word a cold, calculated stab.

A gulp pass through her throat fighting the conflict of emotions ranging all together among his gaze piercing through her like a challenge, a dare to deny the truth he already knew and the air vibrate with tension pressuring her to say something against her will even if it's the truth.

"Yes". No. "We are very sorry for the inconvenience". As soon as they passed her lips, a look of disappointment settled upon his face, like a shadow cast by a cloud. His onxy eyes, once piercing and intense, now seemed to regard her with a disinterest that was almost worse than his earlier disdain. He turned away, his movements economical and precise, as if he had already dismissed her from his thoughts.

The head manager's words, a futile attempt to salvage the situation, trailed after him like a forgotten echo. "Sir, please, let us—" However he didn't so care to offer the head manager a face going out leaving a exhausted (Y/N) from the long journey she endured today. Hopefully he never comes back is what she wishes.

A wish that is bluntly ignored by the gods or heavens above after the next day he shown his face once again like a calm before the storm.

"O my gosh ! He came again !" The manager appeared to be in elated mood. "Also he requested for you specially !"

"Alone for me ?" He nod excitedly as if he were to dance in front of the VVVIP. A tangled web of emotions evocated her like : revulsion, obligation, and fear wrestled for dominance as she was asked to dance alone for the same man whose behavior had disgusted her. Her mind recoiled at the thought, her heart heavy with the weight of conflicting emotions. The memory of his jaded gaze at the living hall scene made her skin crawl, her body trembling with the effort to suppress her true feelings. Uncertainty and powerlessness shrouded her, like a ship torn from its anchor, adrift in a stormy sea. "Understood". As common it was such unfortunate things for women to happen in this industry she learnt the past years to forget those memories as soon as possible.

"What is the theme ?" She asked.

"No theme". He answered. "Also he has bring a dress only for you to wear". He added causing a tension.

"What kind ?"

"You will see once you wear". Giggly he answered.

Soon the answer was present as her feet glided into the room, her (slender/plump/bony) figure draped in a flowing, silvery-white gown that cascaded down her body like a river of moonlight. The dress, crafted from the finest silk, hugged her curves with a soft, ethereal glow, its smooth texture catching the light with every subtle movement and the gown's neckline rose to her jaw, framing her heart-shaped face with delicate precision. Around her chest, layers of flowery, silvery-white fabric bloomed like a whispered secret, adding a touch of whimsy and romance to her overall allure.

While her shoulders were cushioned by puffed sleeves that fell to her forearms, leaving a tantalizing expanse of skin visible beneath. The sleeves themselves were a masterclass in subtle drama, with delicate folds and creases that added depth and visual interest to the overall design. As she moved, the gown's silken fabric rustled softly, releasing tiny whispers of sound that seemed to match the beating of her heart. The hem of the dress swept the floor with a gentle, lapping motion, like waves caressing the shore.

"How can I dance in this properly ?" (Y/N) asked noticing the man's eyes glossing over the material.

He ignore her question. "It must be expensive. Because you of course looked beautiful but now you look drop dead gorgeous". A strained smile came to her lips despite feeling the nagging rings on her stomach.

"Thank you". The old man waved his hand.

"Okay, now go ! Go fast". Pushing her back tenderly (Y/N) was faced to face into a private room with Ji-Hyun.

"Thank you for requesting me, Mr. Wang—".

"You look beautiful". His gazed at her, his voice barely above a whisper. "More than I imagined." His eyes devoured her, drinking in every inch of her being, as if attempting to memorize her contours. His gaze lingered, branding her image onto his soul, claiming her as his own. Time seemed to bend, stretching out the seconds as he feasted his eyes upon her like the world around him melting away.

"Thank you". Nervously she thanked. "So, Mr. Wang, what dance would you—".

"Sit".

"Huh ?" She felt her ears misheard. "I said sit". Perhaps not because her sight followed his palm patting the cushion beside him causing her heart sink.

"I cannot".

"Why ?" Almost like an genuinely question he asked.

"Because I am here to dance not to talk if you want to talk, you can go to the host section where women will talk—".

"I know," he drawled, his tone laced with ennui along his face unreadable. Yet, his next words dripped with intention: "But I want you." The phrase hung like a challenge, freighted with unspoken consequences.

She began asking, "What do you—". But he truncated her inquiry.

"Well, I'm not here to talk, rather to propose something only to you". The hidden meaning behind his words sent her heart racing, as multiple worst-case scenarios flashed through her mind like a chilling slideshow. "That's why sit down". She obeyed regardless of her mind commanding the opposite.

"Good". A smile curve finally. "So, I want you to be my girlfriend".

Silence. For few seconds the words pass her mind registering not to process rather how to defy without offending because he isn't the first person to offer such kind of want from her, many did and will in the future for sure.

"You mean, sir. You want to have sexual relationship with me ?" He must be, because no man in their right mind would offer a cabaret dancer to be their girlfriend for romance unless it involves the sexual favors. Right ?

"I do". She bit her bottom lips. "However I want full ownership of yours. Like partners do. I want to be your boyfriend not just a sexual client to satisfy my needs". Ji-Hyuk with straight face explained, his piercing eyes bore into hers.

"Ownership ?" She is at loss. Truly, because men offered their advances for her services she crearly doesn't work for—never confess their love.

"Yes. I crave a bond that goes beyond mere physical satisfaction. I want to own your heart, just as you own mine." The intensity of his emotions left her breathless, his words echoing in her mind like a promise of forever she didn't ask nor want. Uncomfortable flooded her body, confuse to know the right way to react to a VVVIP guest who suddenly profess his love for her when she met twice or more like met eyes twice.

"What if I reject ?" Her own voice whispered in the almost silent room if overlooking the light pleasant music from behind. Her fingers dug in the cloth that isn't belong to her to earn comfort.

"Why would you ? I have everything a woman needs in a partner so you shouldn't have to reject me". His nonchalant attitude was eerie to her and it gave her the answer she needed. She can't reject him. She shouldn't. Because the way his gaze pinned her, heavy with expectation. The dress, a luxurious trap over her body along his weight with unspoken threats with the air thickened seem to have clear his intention. He isn't here to hear no. Let alone from a woman like her who's expected to be impressed, to be grateful, and to accept thoughtless like a doll to buy and show off.

Still she choose to say. "I am sorry but I can't, sir. I am very very sorry". More than the consequences she fears her freedom stolen, controlled and tramped by a wealthy man she is yet to even know.

"Okay," Ji-Hyuk said, his voice flat and emotionless, like a door slamming shut. He turned and walked away, leaving the dancer alone in the private room, surrounded by the suffocating silence. The soft click of the door echoed through the space, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside her. His abrupt departure left her thoughts reeling, anxiety swirling like a maelstrom, as she struggled to decipher the true meaning behind his enigmatic answer.

Was it a genuine understanding, or a cleverly disguised manipulation? The uncertainty hung in the air, a heavy fog that refused to lift. Soon the head manager burst into the room, his face flushed with urgency, and demanded

"What's going on? Why did he leave so abruptly ?" His voice was laced with a mix of frustration and concern. However, (Y/N) was too engrossed in her own thoughts to acknowledge his presence similar to Ji-Hyuk, who sat in the backseat of his luxurious car, puffing on a cigarette, his eyes gazing into the distance. His mind with how first and hard he fallen in love, and the rejection that came with it. The smoke from his cigarette swirled around him dwelling him to how he fell.

Trash. He thought, the moment these Thailand business men invited him to a Adult Entertainment Complex, he already judged them and cancelled the deal in his mind. Because two types of men are pathetic, one if they are consumed by greed lost rationality and another drown in lust lost control by their lower part that's why he doesn't make deals with entertainment industry, with what tragedy did he accepted their proposal. Huh ? Merely thinking of the chaos he is about to witness create a mirgrane however he still decided to go, why ? Because he wanted some relaxment too however his meaning of relaxment wasn't watching a barely adult woman getting rape by one of the trash from the Thailand worker.

"I regret coming here". He thought drinking the bitter beer. Gosh, he should have ordered wine, beer never suited his taste nor his class what father told him and he was right. Dull the mood has transformed and he outstretched his hand to his private secretary when the door bust open by a woman, a beautiful one and clearly from this industry judging from her Chinese theme clothes marched with pure rage towards the trash.

Intrigue fill his interest, he partly expected the woman to be naïve and display her emotions however he was beyond delightful to find her compose yet fierce personality. The way her eyes twitch yet not a wince slip her lips when he twist her arm, the way her delicate jaw clench in anger and those (E/C)'s burn like flames and the light hues from above shone at her so beautifully, gorgeously, he wished right there and that moment to claim her as his especially given his initial disappointment with her timid apology before departed the complex.

But now, Ji-Hyuk's lips curled into a sly smirk, the cigarette dangling precariously from the corner of his mouth, as he savored the unexpected turn of events. "She rejected me". She isn't as timid as he thought who needed a little push to be claimed instead turn out to be a little firecracker, who knew exactly when to withhold her flames, leaving him intrigued and wanting more. Her rejection was a tantalizing challenge, a hint of a deeper intelligence and inner strength that he found irresistible. A smart woman, one who could match wits and defy expectations, was a far more captivating prize than a naive, submissive one.

"(Y/N)!" The manager's sharp voice cut through her intense focus, snapping her back to reality. She blinked, her gaze shifting from the task at hand to the manager's expectant face.

"Yes, manager? Why did you come?" she asked, her tone measured, but her mind still reeling from the sudden interruption. Lately the manager has been coming to her a lot from the moment that VVVIP's existence came—her throat constricted, memories of the previous day's conversation with Ji-Hyuk flooding her senses.

"What conversation did you had with him ?" Her (E/C)'s eyes stare at his unusual stress expression.

(Y/N) paused, her eyes avert from his.

"So, I want you to be my girlfriend".

"However I want full ownership of yours. Like partners do. I want to be your boyfriend not just a sexual client to satisfy my needs".

"Nothing special". Lies smoothly roll her tongue.

"Is it really nothing special ? Really ?" The manager asked, his voice raising enough for to flinch.

"Why ? Yes, nothing special". In low voice she said, as her palm reached out to placate the middle-aged man. Her hand made contact with his shoulder, a gentle touch that spoke of reassurance. While a quick smile to others who stare at the raised voice.

"Then explain why did not only that Thailand business company cut our services but also all of our Thailand business companies !" (Y/N)'s eyes widened, a mixture of confusion and dawning recognition swirling within them. The manager's words hung in the air like a challenge, forcing her to confront the unspoken questions she had brushed off earlier. Why were there fewer people than usual today ? And now, all of their Thailand business companies? No. It can't be. Why did he leave with such a short "okay" if he was going to take this step ?

"Look ! (Y/N), you are my long term employee, I have watched you from the start of your life in this grey world of lust and men so I know you wouldn't do something to hurt our complex, will you ? No right ?" Immediately she shake her head. "That's why tell me if you said some offense words, we can apologize to him and correct the mistake". Past his calm voice suggesting, (Y/N) could clearly see his trembling hands.

"How did you know it's him. It could be anybody more powerful". She questioned, not want to confront the reality just yet. How could she ? After she rejected him ? If indeed he is behind the work, the cabaret manager can't limit her imagine of how power he has in his palm.

"Because, today every single Thailand client called at the same time, canceling their services. Of course I forcefully asked one of them where he told me the truth that a powerful person ordered them". He revealed. "And Mr. Wang is one of the top business man who has hands all over the Thailand industry even if the companies don't work together, it's easy to pull strings of connection". (Y/N)'s gut twisted into knots, her stomach churning with a sense of foreboding. The weight of the manager's words settled upon her, making her feel like she was drowning in a sea of responsibility. The pressure was suffocating, each breath a struggle as she tried to process the magnitude of the situation.

With a sense of resignation, she nodded her head, agreeing to take the fall for the mistake. "I'll go apologize," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The words felt like a betrayal, a admission of guilt that she didn't fully understand.

"Then let's go ! We must hurry to seal the deal". Excitedly the manager without sparing a look at her, guide her to outside.

Why ? Why ? Why ? Why ? Why ? Why ? WHY ? like a annoying ring on her head spin around making her unconsciously deep her crescent scars on her skin. Like a holding her inner demons to explode. How ? Why ? How can fate always make her the victim of pathetic humans ? Huh ? Why she ? Wasn't her inhumane father trying sell his own daughter for few dollars enough that fate somehow brought a man to toy her entire meticulous bulit like crumble down. Yes, Roman wasn't built in one day but it sure burned in one day.

A cruel reminder that even the strongest foundations can be razed by the whims of fate.

Clenching her jaw, her heavy feet step towards the destiny she very much fears at the same time loathes. That's when a hand hold her wrist spinning her around and her eyes wide seeing the man.

"Hello, Mr. Wang. Thank you very very very much for letting us in. The fault entirely lies on us that's why Miss. (L/N) came to apologize with me". Forcing his hand together he plead in front of the Ji-Hyuk who across him sat lounged on the massive sofa, his casual attire—a light blue shirt with white line strips and grey trousers —a stark contrast to the gravity of the tense situation. One leg crossed over the other, his back leaned against the plush cushions, exuding an air of relaxed superiority while his gaze was fixed intently on the woman beside the manager. (Y/N) herself sat rigidly, her posture a picture of tense contrition. Her head bowed, chin tucked in, and jaw clenched in a tight line. Fingers curled into fists, her hands rested on her lap, betraying the turmoil brewing beneath her subdued exterior. A portrait of contained anguish.

Reading the obvious implication of his attention over her. The manager nudged her arm to which she part her lip. "Mr. Wang, please forgive me if any of my words that I didn't knew held much power offend you personally that's why I am sorry". She bow slightly. "Hopefully you can look past my mistakes and still continue to be in our services".

Click ! The soft scratch of the sliver lighter to a fleeting spark, and the gentle whoosh of flame embracing tobacco. Ji-Hyuk's eyes never left (Y/N) as he raised the cigarette to his lips, the tip dancing with each inhale. He smoked with deliberate slowness, exhaling wispy tendrils of smoke that curled around his words. His gaze, calm and collected, held (Y/N) captive as he spoke, his voice low and even. "So, will you finally accept the proposal you rejected?"

The woman swears she doesn't need a glance to feel her higher up head swirl to her side with perplexed written.

"If I do, will you continue to be in our services and spread good words among other business ?" His eyebrows rise in intrigue and the message clearly send to cut the trouble and make it back to normal.

"This". A gleam of satisfy flicker in his eyes. This passion, fire was he expecting from the woman he desires and he wasn't disappointed.

"Yes. Will you be my girlfriend". He asks, a question from his side however a taunt to her after all, 'no' was never an answer.

"Yes". Finally a smile touch upon his lips along his eyes crinkled at the corners.

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏' 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒌𝒂𝒚

After the chaos subsided and (Y/N), her boss drove out of the mansion by his personal driver, the air was electric with the buzzing of phones. The screens lit up with notifications, a flurry of activity that signaled the return of Thailand's services—and more. New companies, behemoths in their industries, had flocked to Ji-Hyuk's empire, eager to tap into his influence. The sheer scale of it all was suffocating. (Y/N) felt a wave of disgust wash over her as she realized the true extent of Ji-Hyuk's power. He had effortlessly manipulated the situation, bending the world to his whim. The thought made her skin crawl, her anger simmering just below the surface.

She was nothing but a tiny, insignificant doll in his vast playground, subject to his every caprice. He could trample her, walk all over her, and she was powerless to stop him. The realization was a bitter pill to swallow, her resentment growing with each passing moment. Snatching her wrist, she glance at the decorative lights of the cities with moon light donning from above and the next thing she knew she found herself standing in a cramped, dimly lit room, surrounded by the faint scent of perfume and smoke. She was dressed in a revealing theme outfit, her reflection staring back at her from a mirror-lined wall like usual ready to entertain the customer alongside her coworkers, equally dazzling in their attire, bustled around her, their chatter and laughter a cacophony in her ears.

Suddenly, the door slid open revealing Ji-Hyuk and the enigmatic owner of Muse and Seduction she never been lucky to catch glimpse of, stood before her. Mutters ring behind her, reeling her mind and she watched him come near her.

'𝑪𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

"From now onwards you aren't allowed to dance ever again". And her entire world crumble down once again.

"Am I getting fired ?" She swears, (Y/N) swears to not sweep desperation and hurried in her voice however her eyes also betrayed her vulnerably in front of the same man her fate is controlled by.

"No. You are just only allowed to work for me". Ji-Hyuk replied nonchalant as if he didn't taking away her dancing too, the only source of her income and comfort of identity.

𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚

"Can I reject ?" She tries but she was aware of the defeat the moment his eyes racked over her figure and the owner of her complex cleared his throat.

Her answer doesn't matter. Never did and will. How unfair as her (E/C)'s in agonizing slow motion as her juniors slipped away, one by one, into the private rooms without her felt fresh twist of the knife hollow her inside.

Never again.

Suddenly the sanctuary, being to transform into a shrinking cage as its walls closing in with oppressive force, squeezing the last vestiges of hope from her lungs. Suddenly every tick of the clock was a countdown to her demise, suddenly the silence seems to be a uncomfortable noise she can't ignore and eyes of his heavy like a death warrant above.

Softly, she breathed: "Are you satisfied?" Her whisper hung in the air, a fragile question mark, as her gaze remained fixed on the empty space where the women had vanished, their absence a haunting echo.

A smirk lift his lip and with a sign of hand Ji-Hyuk command the owner to leave the couple alone to which he obeyed.

"Yes". Anticipation bumble within him as he stare at her waiting for the gaze to be returned.

She looked at him.

Chill. Straight chills ran through his body the way her numbed eyes bore into his, as if she could see right though his soul. Oh ! The taste of breaking a strong woman is like conquering a fire with bare hands. His fingers tremble to touch her.

So he did. Snake his hands around her waist and tighten the hug almost burying her into him.

𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒘𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏' 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌.

"How about we spend the night together. Alone, only you and me ?" The question mark lingered, a sly taunt, as if daring her to respond but she knew better. Only humans are worthy of consent or choice, not a pig, even the one who is about to be butchered. No one asks a pig if it wants to be slaughtered so does she that's why she nod lifting a smile.

The mini city lights twinkled like diamonds from the car window is once again a wonderful sight yet her inside remained heavy with a numbness that suffocated any spark of awe or happiness. Only pumping heart mechanically, a mere reflex before the slaughter.

𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

His tan slender palm, hold hers on her lap that she dared to glance at him finding his eyes already on her. He was about to speak when the driver announced.

"Sir, we have arrived". The master nod, merely going outside on his own before signaling her and her (E/C) eyes saw the familiar mansion like the previous time of her asking to apologize with her manager—not alone making her wonder if she not come, would her fate had been different ? Perhaps—for worse. She likes to delusion.

His palm finds her and almost drag her inside ignoring few numbers of servents bowing to them walked straight to the white stairs. Only noise of her racing heart and heels clicking echoed the eerie mansion until they arrived at his bedroom—she guess.

He released her hand, only to shed his professional armor, his fingers deftly untying his tie and unfastening his cuffs, the soft clinking of metal and rustle of silk. The cabaret steeled herself, bracing for the inevitable prepared to be used as a merchandise and discard at his whim.

As expected he closed in, his chin whispering against hers, their faces inches apart, the air thickened with anticipation. But just as their lips were about to meet, he detected the slightest hint of defiance—her hyoid bone tensed, a tiny rebellion, and her fist, clenched in a secret gesture of resistance. His onyx eyes, burning with intensity, snapped to hers, searching for surrender, but instead found a spark of refusal that turn him on so hard.

As their lips entwined, he was transported to a realm of pure bliss, his senses ignited by the sweet nectar of her mouth. He felt like a man blessed by the gods, granted the ultimate treasure to savor and devour. Every fiber of his being thrilled with ecstasy, his heart soaring on wings of delight, as he indulged in the tender flesh of her lips. The world around him melted away, leaving only the intoxicating taste of her, a divine elixir that left him drunk with pleasure. He was a king, and she was his conquest, his prize, his heavenly gift.

Unawarely he concerned her to the wall, cornered (Y/N) further than she was trapped. A nausea threat to pile over as she was clawed, touched, sucked into the unwanted torture. Tears swell her eyes, she wanted to bite his tongue and shove him away but against her want she continue to let the starved man indulged because the pig is layed, its flesh inspected, and now the blade poised about to slash its throat, mirroring the brutal violation of her own dignity.

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆

Greedy hands tore at her outfit, exposing her flesh alike the pig's carcass, his onyx eyes devouring the sight of her breasts. His palm fondled one, hunger burning in his gaze, as her fingers instinctively wrapped around his hand, her nails digging deep enough to draw blood, a primal reaction to his violation.

Her breath hitched.

His lustful eyes snap to her.

Oh no. No. No. No. What did she did. She wasn't suppose to protest. She shouldn't be. A mistake—apologize—right she should apologize but why no voice is uttering. Suddenly his gaze burn her bare flesh, shame her.

And to her surprise, he retreat his hand. A displease paint his expression. Not to her intrude as she is thinking rather Ji-Hyuk realize this fire isn't his yet. She still doesn't belong to him.

Body, yes. Mind, yes but heart ? No. A not astonishing information wash cold over him. No, this is not good. No, not at all. He wants her everything. From her body to her fire to her heart—too. He wants her every bit to feast or else she never belonged to him at all.

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

That's why he shifted away. Marching to the bathroom leaving (Y/N) with a command. "You are staying the night".

That night, they lay in bed, a chasm of silence and space between them. He had freshened up, and she had too, separately, as if seeking solace in solitude. They faced away from each other, feigning sleep, but (Y/N) was wide awake, her senses heightened. She felt his gaze upon her, multiple times, as he quietly turned to watch her pretended slumber. His eyes lingered, a silent scrutiny, as if seeking answers in her stillness. The darkness was palpable, punctuated only by the soft rustle of sheets, as they both waited for the dawn, their minds racing with unspoken thoughts. The distance between them seemed to grow with each passing moment, a heavy, unbridgeable gap, as they lay there, lost in their own private worlds.

As the sun's golden rays peeked through the window, casting a warm glow on her side of the bed, she quietly sat up on the soft mattress she rarely gets to touch let alone sleep, her gaze drifting to his peaceful form. His sleeping face, relaxed and serene, is a sight to behold, his features softened without the stiff spectacles that usually framed his eyes. Yet, as she beheld his tranquil countenance, a morbid thought crept into her mind. "Would he look as peaceful, as serene, if he were to die with his eyes closed ?" The question lingered.

"This is the first time you are so eagerly sparing me a look," His sudden, raspy voice sliced through the silence, making her jump as she realized he was awake, his eyes now opened to meet her surprised one. "What ? Why so shock ? Can't a man wake up early ?" He chuckle, sitting up and she shifted away as much as possible. Ji-Hyuk notice it.

"Well, good morning ?" He greeted expected to be returned.

"Good morning". (Y/N) replied.

Then he silently rose from the bed and vanished into the bathroom, leaving (Y/N) alone in the quiet morning light.

A soft knock on the door preceded the entrance of a maid, who curtsied and presented (Y/N) with a neatly folded outfit. "It's the master's order," she whispered, her eyes cast down. (Y/N) nodded, accepting the clothes, and followed the maid to a separate bathroom she used yesterday to freshen up and she changed into the new outfit, her movements were quiet and obedient. After finishing, she made her way to the master bedroom, where he awaited.

The moment she stepped into the room, his face transformed, a warm smile spreading across his features, like a sunrise breaking through the clouds. It was a sight she noticed how frequently he is showning alike she recalled the gentle curve of his lips in the morning, and the soft smile he had worn the day before raising a question is he letting his guard down ? Good then.

"It really did suit you. Looks pretty." His eyes crinkled at the corners, and his voice was low and smooth.

"Thank you". Ji-Hyuk stood up, walked near her.

"What would you like to have in breakfast ?" She narrowed her eyes on his caring question.

"Anything". Meekly she answered.

"Even grass ?" He smirked at her clenched jaw action.

"What ? What was funny ?" She wanted to yell yet knew to keep her mask on of compose and said. "I am sorry. No. Rather I do not have much preference as you like sir, order it". Polite and low her voice sounded however to Ji-Hyuk, it sounded distant and cold.

"Well, what country are you from ?" (Y/N) is confuse at his sudden question session.

"(C/N)".

"Hmm..then order something from your home country". The dancer paused a second to realize why he asked about that and it twist something alike a knife inside her guts of how caring his thoughts might be, it's ironic to his actions and power use he done.

"Understood".

"Ji-Hyuk". He called his name. "Call me by my name".

"Understood—". His onyx eyes burn into her eyes as if waiting for his name to roll out of his name. "Ji-Hyuk". And the sound certainly lighten the mood of the VVVIP due to his wider smile like a boy got his desired candy.

Soon they entered the grand dining hall with they sat at opposite ends of a sprawling, polished table. The long, empty plates stretched out before them like a canvas of fine china, adorned with intricate silverware and crystal glasses. At the head of the table, the private butler from the previous day she seen stood poised, his eyes fixed on her with a silent expectation, his presence exuding an air of refined elegance and discretion.

The butler approached, his eyes inquiring, and asked, "May I take your order?"

She parted her lips to say when under his watch she said her favorite meal from her home country while he opted for the Grilled Salmon. As they waited for their food. (Y/N) felt his gaze without looking the entire until their meals arrived, they ate in awkward silence.

"So, why did you start working in this kind of place". He sliced into the salmon, his knife gliding smoothly as he watched the juice trickle across the white plate.

She paused a quick second to meet his gaze thinking whether she should be honest or lie and as if reading her mind he answered. "I will know about your background anyway". She smiled quitely at his sentence because then why ask her ? It feels like being interrogated by the police.

"To escape my abusive parents". Her eyes then slide to her own meal.

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

"Oh, physically or mentally ?" She furrowed her brows, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked up, meeting his gaze and he simply smiled, seeming to revel in her reaction because he had intentionally asked the question to draw her in, to make her willingly meet his eyes. After all, he had never gone to such lengths for a lady like her— dining together, wasting time, and inquiring about her past, which he could easily access. But he knew that to truly captivate her heart, he needed to understand it first. And so, he watched her, his eyes sparkling with amusement and curiosity.

"Both". He nodded, putting a piece of salmon inside his mouth not averting his own gaze.

"Then why didn't you go to sex work ? It pays more than cabaret do".

"It's uncomforta—it's uncomfortable to be in pain. As a woman, I always have to be in pain at my first period, my first sex and probably for my first birth that I decided not to have the latter two for the sole sake of pain". His notions paused as slow, knowing smile spread across his lips sinking the realization of her touched and in this moment he knew he had chosen perfectly. "Unlike men". She added noting all his reactions.

"Sounds almost to me you want to become a man".

"No". She chuckle bitterly. She wants to crush men. Cutting her meal she missed the way his eyes glowed in astonishment.

𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

"S-She smiled ?" It's the first time she smiled willingly and it's beauty so captivating that his breath caught in his throat.

"Ji-Hyuk, could I ask which country are you from ?" Her question snap from his daze.

"You already have known it".

"Not from you". Ah ! This wit is what drives him crazy. The challenge is to his liking. Too liking.

"Korea but stayed at China my most childhood due to my father being Chinese and his business in here".

"Then your friends must have celebrated birthdays together". (Y/N) smiled in envy.

"Yes. Very happily". Ji-Hyuk answered. "When is your birthday ?"

"(M/D), yours ?" It created a smile at his lips knowing her interest awaken on him.

"Mine at August 31". She nod noting.

"I would like to celebrate my birthday with you". An order it is she understood from his tone.

"And what about your parents ?" She asked something quickly.

"Well, they are dead. Both died in their arms". Smiling Ji-Hyuk said. "What a love. I want that too". Glancing at her he tilts his head making her look down in uncomfortable.

After that he continued to engage her in conversation, asking about her interests and hobbies. However, she responded with brief, monosyllabic answers while also trying to slip some questions about him.

Finally the breakfast ended with her glancing at the lavish clock attached on the white wall. "Ji-Hyuk, then I should go ?"

"Where to ?" He straightforwardly asked.

"Home". Ji-Hyuk clench his jaw. "Can't this be your home ?" He was tempted to say but he didn't, too soon.

"Okay," (Y/N) breathed, feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she turned to leave. When Ji-Hyuk next words stopped her in her tracks. "But—" Her heart sank, her lungs tightening once more as she turned back to face him.

"Give me your phone," he said, his hand outstretched, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity.

Finding no excuse to refuse with a sense of detachment, her hand reached into her bag and handed over her phone. The VVVIP's fingers closed around it like a vice, his thumbs flying across the screen with a speed and accuracy that made her skin crawl and when he handed it back, (Y/N) felt a chill shiver her spine. Her GPS and location services were now enabled, her every move trackable.

Holding her phone tightly with a bright, empty smile, she waved goodbye, feeling like a puppet on strings as his personal driver escorted her to the car, and she was driven away from the mansion towards her own home.

The driver's silent gaze met hers in the rearview mirror as he pulled up to her apartment building, the unassuming structure a stark contrast to the opulent villa she'd just left. (Y/N) felt a mix of relief and anxiety as she gathered her belongings and stepped out onto the familiar sidewalk.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the hum of the engine.

With a nod, the driver waited until she disappeared into the building before pulling away, leaving (Y/N) to climb the stairs to her apartment with a sense of trepidation.

As soon as she locked the door behind her, she pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number. Somchai, the bar manager.

☾ ───────────

𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏' 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏

Three hours of silence. Three hours of utter disregard the woman he waste so much time isn't caring to pick his call nor seeing his messages making Ji-Hyuk anger seethed, simmering just below the surface as he glared at his phone, willing her to respond. But she didn't. She was ignoring him, dismissing his attempts to contact like he was nothing. The thought sent a venomous rage coursing through his veins. Who did she think she was, anyway ? Didn't she know he wouldn't be ignored ? He should have kept her locked away, hidden from the world, where she couldn't humiliate him like this. Now, he have no choice but to confront her by going to her home, hopefully she isn't with a man being a whore. Just the mere thoughts made his skin crawl, his mind racing with visions of her with another man. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't let that happen.

The business man almost burst out of the car if his driver late to scramble open the door one second and Ju-Hyuk is at this point consumed in rage and jealousy. He reached floor and stood at her door, his hand slamming into the bell three times, the sound echoing through the hallway.

"Bitch ! If there is a man. I will fucking kill him". He swore and the no answer only fueled his anger, he began pounding on the door, his fists shaking with fury. "Open up!" he bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls. "I know you're in there! You can't hide from me!"

And before he thought to break the weak wooden door, it swing open by (Y/N) herself who's surprise cross her expression finding his disheveled appearance, for the moment his heart skip a beat as his gaze lock into her beautiful (E/C) eyes and his anger falter until a glimpse of an unfamilar man behind her sat on the sofa, seems to be waiting for her.

𝒔𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒆 '𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰'𝒎 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔

"Bitch, fucking bitch". He mutter under his breath, staring at the man and snap ! As if the thread of holding his inner demon exploded and all his vision could see was red and his mind the urgue to kill the man alive.

He pushed (Y/N) aside, his hands shoving her away like a mere obstacle. She stumbled, her eyes wide in alarmed seeing him march into the room.

"What is he doing ?" (Y/N)'s confusion dissipated in an instant when the VVVIP's palm curled into a fist, poised to strike her co-worker. Her eyes widened in horror with her piercing screams earning Somchai's attention who now noticed his menacing stance is already too late. Ji-Hyuk fist flew, connecting with a sickening crunch that sent Somchai stumbling backward. The sound of the impact was like a crack of thunder, making (Y/N)'s heart skip a beat on contrast to his satisfaction.

"Stop it ! What are you doing ?" She scream and jumped before him to defense the only man who ever treated her like a human angering him more.

"Move". She shake her head.

"Please tell me why are you doing this ?"

"Because you are fucking having an affair". Flames coating his voice as he narrowed his eyes to her pluzzed gaze.

"What lead you to believe that ?"

"Well, this alone of him being in your room proves that and the reason of not answering my messages and phone calls". She openly for the first time scoff.

"First of all I had no idea of your messages and phone call because it was charging in another room and". She paused, looking at her side. "There are people with me". The table turns and Ji-Hyuk turn to the side with his eyes wide finding two women and another older man standing in horror holding few papers related to work. "They are all managers like me in Muse and Seduction".

His eyes dropped, falling to the floor as the weight of his mistake crushed him. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, his breath knocked out of him. His hands, still clenched into fists, now felt limp and useless, painted with the innocent manager's blood. "Fuck !"

The room fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the managers, who were still trying to process the scene that had just unfolded and Ji-Hyuk's mind is a jumble of emotions, his thoughts racing with the realization of what he had done. All his hard work, all the progress he had made in building trust with (Y/N), had been undone in an instant, all his hard work in drain and now start from square one again. What a fucking idiot. Never did he knew one day his emotions overshoadow his logic that he so thinks is pathetic at the same time a newfound realization set in. He can't anymore bear the loss of this woman. How beautiful yet tragic.

"It was my fault. I-I will pay the bills of his medica—".

"Sir, could you please step a bit ?"

"S-Sir ? Step a bit ? What do you mean ?" For the first time in front of (Y/N), he stutter his words, bewildered by the fact she is choosing a random man over him ? Why is she telling him to leave ? "You want me gone ?" His voice accusing and onyx eyes betrayed feeling the regret of letting the man alive.

"No, sir I meant to—".

𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒕

"What ?" Aggression evade his face and (Y/N) flinch in pain when Ji-Hyuk's grip on her forearm, his fingers digging deep into her skin "Fucking bitch, what ? Cat caught your tongue".

"Ji-Hyuk, I am simple asking you to move so I can grab my phone to call—". He scoff loud to cut her polite request.

"Now you are calling me by my name ? What a clever little mouse you are ?" He twist her arm a little, gleaming to find a hint of change expression.

"Aren't you a fucking whore ?" He twist some more and she clench her jaw brushing off the memories that comes with the pain, bitter memories of the past men repeating the action.

"Aww, is my whore daughter crying ?"

"What bitch ? Spread your leg, why can't you open your legs like a bitch in heat".

"What a little woman we have here ? Listen, woman are submissive, not wild cards".

"Fuck you woman ! You are all slut, what happens if I fuck one of you".

"So, (Y/N) fucking (L/N) talk, do you want to me to leave ?" Bottled anger and resentment simmered, a potent brew of fury and fear the more he speaks. The echoes of past men's condescending voices swirled around her, a cacophony of control and possession that threatened to consume her.

"Talk ! Can't you fucking talk ?" Each word, each phrase, was a drop of water, slowly drowning her, suffocating her.

"(Y/N), answer me !" Her lungs burning, her heart racing, as the weight of their collective entitlement crushed her. And then, something inside her snapped.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP". She exploded and he was silenced. "Yes I do indeed want you to be gone. So please for god's sake go away with your sad excuse of a man". She straight glare at him making him falter a little and without a word he left.

For few seconds she stood silently before Somchai's gently pat on her back bring her to reality.

"I am sorry for the scene". She asked forgiveness to her co-workers who shake their head, brushing off her apologize. "Also I am sorry, Somchai". She said to the man who watched and seen the entire thing and couldn't help feel pride swell his chest.

"Don't be". Shortly making eye-contact he smiled silently telling her it's not her place to apologize.

Gingerly, (Y/N) asked, "Should I call an ambulance or take you to the hospital ?"

His response was nonchalant "No need, it's not my first time." A hint of a reckless past lingered in his words, leaving (Y/N) wondering what kind of life he had led to become a bar manager in this Adult Entertainment Complex along the lines his teenage years, he claimed, were a blur of wild abandon and devoid of serious goals or direction.

The meeting had reached an impasse, with Somchai and the others swiftly exiting, leaving (Y/N) alone to ponder the consequences of her action, sitting on the sofa. She massaged her forehead, trying to ward off the looming headache and speak of the devil, her phone buzzed, a message from Ji-Hyuk, popping up on the screen.

"Make sure to come to my birthday tomorrow". (Y/N) was taken aback by Ji-Hyuk's calmness in the message as she brace herself for anger, resentment, or even threats only to get this ? Her initial unease grew more, scared of unpredictability. When another notification pop. "Or else you have to pay for today". A clear threat despite the indirect words still she felt a twisted sense of relief after all at least she knew he was indeed still mad and have a temper because another one of the lessons she had learned on this job is the unreadable ones were always the worst. It's never known when they would explode or what they were brewing inside the calm facade so, with Ji-Hyuk's overt threat, she could prepare herself, unlike the unpredictable ones who kept her on edge.

"What a headache". She hold her head on her hand and slumped on the sofa not having the strength to move.

Beautiful the color blue is and Y/N looked absolutely stunning in the silk light blue dress sent by Ji-Hyuk this morning. The delicate fabric hugged her body perfectly, and the soft hue complemented her skin tone exquisitely with her hair cascaded down her back like a golden waterfall, with loose strands dancing in the gentle breeze as she stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the taxi to arrive she booked few seconds ago.

"What is going to happen ?" Worried cast upon her face imagining his treatment for talking back at him yesterday. She hated it. Hated being scared of little things, little mistakes makes her reminiscent back to the days of her parents where her mother unnerving, unforgiving eyes follow her around along her father's hating her guts for being merely a female. Her (E/C) eyes stare at the gift she held, a expensive watch—not with much thought she brought but it hurt her to spend her hard worked penny on to someone she doesn't care plus with her finance—the gift is too much for her. Hopefully he doesn't break it into pieces.

She was lost in her thoughts when a sleek, lavish car pulled up beside her, its black windows gleaming in the sunlight caught her attention. "It's his". Shs understood and confirmed more when the window rolled down, revealing the familiar face of the driver, who greeted her with a courteous smile. "Come inside, ma'am."

Wordless she obeyed feeling to step into a world of wealth and power, the scent, the softness, the space all makes the car so much more lavish to sit on, a mix of surprise and curiousity brew inside her soaking on the money she never dreamed to be inside and the door closed behind her with a gentle thud, snapping her out of the admiration.

Soon they pulled up to the grand estate, the driver opened the door, and she stepped out, her smile faltering for a moment as she gazed up at the imposing structure. The familiar mansion loomed before her, its beauty almost painful in its intensity. The sunlight danced across its facade, casting a warm glow that made it shine like a golden palace of the gods.

As she entered, her eyes observed in awe at the opulent interior. Crystal chandeliers refracted rainbow hues, and intricate frescoes adorned the ceilings. The air was alive with the sweet scent of exotic flowers, and the soft hum of classical music whispered through the halls. The decoration certainly more heavenly than before.

And at the heart of this splendor stood her master, his eyes locked onto hers, and she felt the familiar tug of the invisible leash on her neak holding on his hand.

𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

His hand outstretch and she smile like a pretty doll letting him hold it like a prince he is and they walked together towards the private ballroom where faint party noise could be heard and her (E/C)'s glance at him. "Happy birthday...". She tailed off. "Ji-Hyuk". Finally she added making him smile and caress.

"Thank you". He said caressing her hand by his thump. "You look beautiful in the dress I choose".

"Here's your gift". (Y/N) extended her hand, offering the gift bag. "It's not much, but I hope you like it." Ji-Hyuk's eyebrows shot up in amusement as he accepted the bag, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and he opened the packet, revealing a sleek watch with a black leather strap— a luxurious and expensive timepiece indeed, yet to Ji-Hyuk, it was surprisingly plain and almost...tacky.

"This ?" His gaze narrowed, his expression hidden the disdain staring at the color black seemed dull and unrefined to his eyes, a far cry from the sophisticated and elegant accessories he was accustomed to making him wonder about (Y/N)'s taste. Had she really thought this was something he would appreciate? Shouldn't she have at least asked him before bringing something so...pedestrian into his home?

The air was thick with unspoken questions as Ji-Hyuk's eyes met (Y/N)'s, his expression a mask of polite gratitude. "Thank you," though his voice neutral, still his eyes betraying a hint of disapproval. And (Y/N) notice it.

"Your welcome". She look away clenching her fist.

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆

"By the way you are staying the entire night with me". He commanded leaving no room for argument not like she has a tongue to argue. Once was a mistakes. Twice wouldn't be so she bit her tongue.

Then they stepped into the resplendent golden ballroom, the air was alive with the gentle clinking of champagne glasses and the soft hum of conversation. The room was abuzz with people from all walks of life, each with their own agenda, yet united in their anticipation. They mingled and chatted, forming tentative bonds, their eyes gleaming with a shared desire— to curry favor with the elusive Ji-Hyuk.

However beneath the polished smiles and courteous laughter, a different story unfolded. Each guest harbored a secret hope, a dream they dared not speak aloud. They were all waiting for the host, the enigmatic Ji-Hyuk, rumored to possess the power to make their deepest desires come true and once they spot him, a collective hush fell over the room. Ji-Hyuk's arrival was met with a subtle yet palpable shift in the atmosphere. The masks of civility slipped, revealing glimpses of avarice and longing. Eyes gleamed with an unspoken hunger, as if the very presence of Ji-Hyuk might unlock the doors to their wildest ambitions.

"Terrifying". She mutter under her breath, clearly feeling eyes burn her skin along his as the spotlight is on both of them together.

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

As Ji-Hyuk's lips grazed her cheek, a shiver ran down her spine. His gentle whisper, "Let's go, sweetheart". sent a mix of emotions swirling within her. Their steps harmonized, drawing them closer to the crowd, and with each stride, her anxiety intensified. The air thickened, making her feel like she was being slowly suffocated, as if the walls of her lungs were closing in.

The crowd loomed before her, a sea of faces blurring together like a den of hyenas waiting to pounce. Ji-Hyuk's reassuring squeeze on her hand only added to the pressure, a reminder that even the gentlest touch from the most powerful predator could be overwhelming. The thought sent a tremor through her veins, as she felt like a vulnerable prey being led into the heart of danger.

"Welcome, Mr. Wang".

"Oh my friend, long time no see. Happy birthday".

"Happy birthday. Just didn't saw you for few years and you look more younger than before".

"Happy birthday. Mr. Wang, here meet my wife".

"Mr. Wang nice to meet you".

"Mr. Wang, you seem such a busybody ?"

"Mr. Wang, thanks to you the new wine business is going smoothly".

All their voices come mush to her yet when she glance he looks as unaffected rather he looks composed, calm and smiling and answering to each one of them.

"Oh ! Mr. Wang, who is this beautiful lady in your arms ?" This earned her attention holding her breath to hear. A escort ? A girlfriend ? A nobody ? Hopefully he choose one of these.

But her heart sank.

"My soon to be wife". Her eyes wide and breath hitched. Chest racing and almost as if feeling her eyes he slide to meet hers.

What ? Wife ? Wasn't the deal to be his girlfriend ? Why ? What changed ?

As if reading her mind he part his lips speaking wicked words. "And I am proposing to her right now. In front of her".

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

Her body froze, shock and fear rendering her immobile. She couldn't look away, couldn't speak, could only watch in horror the scenario unfolded. A waiter approached, bearing a dark blue box, which Ji-Hyuk opened with flourish as if it's hold a treasure in it, revealing a stunning ruby ring. Without a word, he slid the ring onto her finger, his eyes glinting with triumph.

The room erupted into applause and cheers, the noise almost deafening her. Ji-Hyuk's smirk grew, his lips curling into a cruel smile as he mouthed the words, "You are mine now, forever." Pleasuring from her tears sliding from her eyes the guests that the guests are oblivious to her distress, mistook her tears for joy, or simply chose to ignore them.

Tormented.

Hatred.

Anger.

Is all she felt. Those negative feelings spread thoughtout her body like a poison bit by the snake in front of her a man, who is smiling so wide, so happy she wish to crush it and watch him suffer, cry, beg. Anything but happiness.

"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom". Without hearing his reply she march toward to the escape, gripping her grown and dug her fingers on the innocent fabric she wish to tore it right there and then. While the business man observed her every single little moments and drowning in her torment after all it's her punishment. Her punishment for humiliating and shaming him yesterday in front of those pest. As much as he urged to rip her head off he also realize she was a wild cat without a leash so as a good master he brought a leash on his name and put the ring of forever to always remind the woman she belongs to him in eyes of law and all and she should be submissive. Ah, the pleasure of breaking her fire.

𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆

With arrogance drunk his mind, he mindlessly exchange strings of words to the pathetic men he deems until he frown glancing at his watch to still not find (Y/N) at his side. "Where is she ?" Certainly not ran away because it's stupid and such action from her is honestly disappointing so hopefully she won't sad him. Right ? Right. Because excusing himself he went to their shared bedroom and about to go outside not finding her when his ears perk at the shower water and immediately a smile curve.

His eyes burned with anticipation, his mind consumed by the promise of forbidden pleasure. He shed his tie, his movements deliberate as he walked to find the door unexpectedly open. Sweet, such a two-faced woman. It's really a sign of inviting him isn't it ? And indeed it was beholding a sight that made his heart race because there she stood beneath the shower's gentle caress, her clothes plastered to her body, accentuating every skin, every contour. The water had transformed her outfit into a translucent second skin, making her irresistible. Ji-Hyuk's onyx eyes devoured the sight, his gaze lingering on the way the fabric clung to her, highlighting the softness of her skin that he noticed the subtle stiffening of her shoulders, a whisper of awareness that she was no longer alone. A sly, sensual smile spread across his face as he stepped closer, his movements silent as a predator's. With a gentle, yet possessive touch, he wrapped his hands around her waist, his fingers brushing against her skin.

The water continued to cascade down, creating a sultry melody that accompanied his whispered words "Such a siren you are". His breath caressed her ear, his lips grazing her skin, as he pulled her closer, his body aligning with hers, the heat between them palpable.

Finally she turned, her movements unfolded like a tantalizing dance, each moment a promise of surrender. Her expression remained serene, yet her half-lidded eyes alike to velvet curtains covering her beautiful (E/C) eyes with water continued its gentle caress, dripping down her face, tracing paths of desire and her pink lips, inviting and plump, seemed to whisper a silent invitation, begging to be kissed, to be claimed.

Sending a painful thorb in his pants and without second thought forgetting the party, the people awaiting and everything he descended, anticipating a tender kiss when her grip on his shoulder electrified his body with a sudden, searing pain. She slammed him against the wall, his head cracking against the hard surface, sending a jolt of shock and taken a back through his veins escaping a low groan from his lips yet she showed no mercy, her fingers tangled in his hair, yanking his head back with a fierce cry. His vision blurred, the room spinning around him, as she smashed his head into the wall once more crashing his vision to be lost only seeing glimse of her hateful eyes.

☾ ───────────

𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒘𝒆'𝐥𝐥 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘

As Ji-Hyuk's eyes fluttered open, a throbbing, sharp pain hit him like a sledgehammer, forcing his lids shut again. The harsh glare of the bathroom light bulb pierced through his brain, making him question his surroundings. Why was he in the bathroom ?

Gingerly, he sat up, and the pain struck again, making his head spin. Memories began to resurface, fragmented and hazy, like a dream. He recalled inviting (Y/N) to his birthday party, proposing to her in front of everyone...and then following her when she stormed off.

The memories came flooding back, and with them, the anger and humiliation widen his eyes. She had pushed him, violently, against the wall. The audacity! How troublesome women could be. She thought she could escape him? Ha! He would track her down, and when he did, he would be polite, coaxing her back with a gentle touch...or else she might flee again.

Ji-Hyuk stood up, shrugging off the stiffness in his shoulders and back. He dusted his already immaculate clothes, a habit born of precision and control. He walked outside to the bedroom, expecting to find her gone, "as I thought". A wry smile twisted his lips as he confirmed his suspicion.

Rolling his eyes, he headed downstairs to summon his butler, intending to order a thorough search of the mansion. After all, no one thought to look for a hiding person in their own home, do they? But before he could issue the command, the servant approached him with a knowing look.

"Master, I think I should inform you...she left last night," the female servant said, her voice neutral. "She took her luggage and instructed us not to disturb you."

Ji-Hyuk's laughter echoed through the hallway, a low, menacing sound. "Ah, how delightful. She thinks she can outsmart me ?" His eyes gleamed with amusement, impressed by her audacity.

𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐, 𝒘𝒆'𝐥𝐥 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘

Ji-Hyuk's expression turned glacial, his voice dripping with calm anger. "Find her right now. I want her in front of me within 24 hours." His demeanor had shifted from amused to menacing, leaving no room for failure.

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘)

His butler, usually unflappable, appeared before him with a panicked expression. "S-sir, I-I have something to report..." he stuttered, parting his lips to deliver the unthinkable words: "She's gone forever, sir."

Ji-Hyuk's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with questions. What? How? What did he mean by gone forever" ? He demand an explanation when the door burst open, and a group of police officers entered, their presence a jarring surprise.

The sudden invasion of his private space, combined with the butler's ominous words, made Ji-Hyuk's head spin. He felt a growing annoyance, his control slipping. "What is the meaning of this ?" he demanded, his voice cold and authoritative.

𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃 (𝒘𝒆'𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘)

"Mr. Wang, you are under arrest for tax evasion, embezzling money from your shareholders and series of crime that are still under investigation". He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, his mind reeling with the implications.

"What ?"

𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒎 𝑰 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 (𝑰 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐)

The butler's whisper jumbled words added to the chaos "All of the bank contracts, shareholder agreements and those important evidence are missing...and I've got a message from the bank that all of our money is gone, finished." Ji-Hyuk's gaze snapped to the butler, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and shock. "Someone took today early morning verifying it's you, sir".

𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ?

The butler's voice cut through the chaos, "And I believe it's—" but Ji-Hyuk finished the sentence himself, his voice dripping with venom, "(Y/N)'s work, right ?" The setvant's nod was like a confirmation of the most unpredictable he never imagined.

"And the shareholders are very anger along other companies who's contracts are missing".

𝒐𝒉 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏', 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏', 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚, 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝐫𝐞 𝒔𝒐 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆

Ji-Hyuk's laughter echoed through the room, a cold, mirthless sound. "Ha! She was playing the bigger game, huh? I underestimated her...this time." He felt a wave of fury wash over him, realizing he was not only facing arrest but also financial ruin, all because of the woman.

Ji-Hyuk's smile grew wider, his eyes gleaming with a manic intensity as he muttered, "Oh, such a fierce woman cost me my ruin." The police officer's words droned on, a familiar litany of rights and warnings, but Ji-Hyuk's mind was elsewhere. How classic, he deem men pathetic who lost control by their lower part and here he is the same.

"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you and you have the right to an attorney..." The irony wasn't lost on him —he couldn't afford food let alone a lawyer now. The thought sent a fresh wave of complex emotions coursing through his veins.

His mind was else where though while the police's the cold metal of the handcuffs and the police officer's firm grip on his arm. Still Ji-Hyuk's smile never wavered, even as he was led away in disgrace, wondering where (Y/N), who he was ruined by is.

The sky above seemed to stretch out in endless splendor. The white clouds, fluffy and soft like cotton candy, gathered around the plane, casting a serene shadow over the landscape below. The sprawling cities, once bustling and overwhelming, now appeared tiny and insignificant, a testament to the power of perspective.

She couldn't help but gasp in wonder, her eyes fixed on the breathtaking view. She had never been on a plane before, let alone in first class, and the experience was almost surreal. The gentle hum of the engines, the soft glow of the cabin lights, and the attentive service of the flight attendants all combined to create an atmosphere of luxury and tranquility.

Somchai's voice cut through the hum of the plane's engines, his words dripping with genuine interest. "So, how are you liking it?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers, as if she was the only view worth beholding.

(Y/N) met his gaze, a laughter-filled smile spreading across her face. "Amazing," she replied, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "I've often seen how it looks from phone and TV, but never in real life...due to financial problems." She shared her truth without hesitation, her words unfiltered and raw.

Somchai's expression remained soft, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled, leaning on the seat besides her. "Well, now you won't have to," he said, his voice low and reassuring. The words hung in the air, a reminder of their shared secret— the plan to steal Ji-Hyuk's money, the plan that had brought them together.

Clenching her jaw, her heavy feet step towards the destiny she very much fears at the same time loathes. That's when a hand hold her wrist spinning her around and her eyes wide seeing the man.

"Somchai ?" The least person she expected to see stood in front of her.

"Boss, can I...for few seconds talk to her ?" He pleaded the general manager who looked skeptical however she didn't wanted because the only bit of dignity of her should be remain at her work place.

"No, Somchai. Please let me go". She tug her hand for him to lose yet not go.

"I am sorry, (Y/N) for holding you wrist against your will. But please, please talk to me". The way his eyes begging and brows frows together she nod getting the boss's permission too "Thank you. Thank you". Then only he let go before apologizing to hold her wrist.

After they went to another room.

She asked. "What is it ?"

"You are not really going to apologize right ? After all working in this industry I know this much first it's not your fault". Her eyes flick clenching her heart at the reality how by little humanity from a man seem like a blessing when it's nothing. "And second your life will forever be trapped once you she step foot into his mansion because he wants you".

"I know". Without emotions she lowered her gaze.

"And you are okay risking it all ?"

"Woman never have choice". Bitterly she said and he realize.

"Then how about create a choice ?" Her eyes confuse.

"What do you mean by that ?"

"The entire reason you are force to do this becsuse you lack financially and even if you did not lack it the man is powerful enough to strip you down until you are nothing so why not steal the reasons of your imprisonment ?"

"What ? How ?" She breathed looking at him as if he had horns in his head. However he smirked telling his plan of her pretending to be with him when in reality she is going to find Ji-Hyuk's all documents and papers of bank to steal his money and fly somewhere he can't find her in case he wants revenge or simply her.

"It's risky". (Y/N) shake her head. "And crazy". She added.

"Well it's better than doing nothing also I want to see you smile and free like you deserve". He smiles. "Like all women deserve.

As soon as she locked the door behind her, she pulled out her phone and dialed a familiar number. Somchai, the bar manager.

"Come to my place immediately ! I have gps tracker on my phone and I am sure people will tail me if I go out so come to my place". After that he went to her apartment where she showed him all the detail bank records she took when he was asleep.

"But there is something else too". (Y/N)'s words earned his attention and his eyes wide seeing even the shareholders and business companies contracts and corruption. "And I think we should leak the corruption and take the shareholders and other companies's money to frame him of stealing money also leaking their private information". Making them plan not only running away but also ruining him for once and all before running away that's why at the proposing day she knocked him out to escape.

"Thank you, Somchai, without you I do not what I could have done".

"It's alright". He simply shrug.

"Well, I am going to my home country where my father earlier transferred from to thailand but—". She side eyed him. "Why are you coming with me ?" And he put a hand on his chest, acting as if he is in pain.

"Ouch ! You wound me. I thought you would be happy".

"I am but..." She tailed off laughing. "You seem to be a romeo helping his Juliet after all. O my gosh ! What am I saying, I do not like that story at all". A disgust expression cast her face.

"Ah ! Why not ? It's such a tragic love story". The bar manager argued.

"Right, love story more like a impulsive infatuation". She roll her eyes.

Somchai chuckled humbly "Also, indeed, I am not a Romeo." He confessed with a sheepish grin, acknowledging his unromantic past. After graduation, Somchai was a free spirit, splurging money with his friends, and living life on his own terms. His days blurred together in a haze of adventure and recklessness until one day he saw a girl, a beautiful girl he swear took his breath and her name is (Y/N) (L/N) and her profession, rather than shocking him, filled him with admiration for her fearlessness and dedication. Unlike his past self, who had been coasting through life on his father's wealth, (Y/N) worked tirelessly, unapologetic inspired him to stop relying on his family's influence, left bad influence and joined the very same complex to protect his secret crush blossomed into love from alongside even if she isn't his, Somchai is proud of her independence as long as he can stay beside her.

"Good because I can't see you becoming one".

"Really ?" Amused he laughed.

"Really". She sweetly said. "Somchai". At her smile his heart swelled with joy, knowing that he was the cause of her happiness making him bliss to simply be near her, to bask in the warmth of her presence, and to watch her shine.

"You really know how to make a person—".

"What ?" (Y/N) cut him off excited.

Laughing he finished "Enslave".

FIN

⌜ This story is inspired and I thought to turn the lines of song ❛ make you mine by public ❜ into my dark thriller. It was fun and hopefully you like it ⌟

[telomeke]

THE SIGN EPISODE 3 – NONG KHAI, NAGA FIREBALLS AND THE DANCE OF ADVERSARIES

Only watched Ep.3 last night and it was a trip in more ways than one; this is another one of those BLs where the hand of the Tourism Authority can be seen heavily pulling the strings, and in this episode it was plugging for Nong Khai – which is especially relevant to the naga mythology underlying The Sign.

The province of Nong Khai is far to the northeast of Thailand, separated from Laos by the mighty Mekong River; its capital city is also called Nong Khai.

Nong Khai is famous for a number of festivals, including the Rocket Festival and the Naga Fireball Festival. The Rocket Festival is referenced in the subtitles at Ep.3 [2/4] 14.41 but this is incorrect, because Tharn's grandmother mentions the date as "the 15th day of the 11th waxing moon" (the Rocket Festival takes place earlier in the year).

This date (a full moon night) is actually the Naga Fireball Festival, when the phenomenon of fireballs launched from the Mekong is supposedly at its peak. (There is as yet no formal scientific explanation for the fireballs, and locals believe they are spat out by the great naga or Phaya Naak who resides in the Mekong.)

‌This is of course the same festival that Phaya, Tharn, Yai and Sand go to watch at Ep.3 [3/4] 2.18 .

And this date (วันออกพรรษา/wan ok phansa) is also the last day of the three-month Buddhist Rains Retreat (พรรษา/phansa, sometimes also called Buddhist Lent). The first day of Phansa (in the eighth month), marks the official start of the rainy season – Phansa is the Thai version of the Buddhist celebration known more generally as Vassa elsewhere, and the word is derived from the Sanskrit varsha (which means rain).

In The Sign this celebration of Phansa is significant because the word is a cognate with the วรรษา/wansa of Tharn's formal first name Wansa and the name of his previous female naga self Wansarat, which are both also derived from the Sanskrit varsha (see this link here for more elaboration). 👀

Anyway, this means that kid Phaya was actually drawn to the Naga Fireball Festival (not the Rocket Festival) and was presumably called into the Mekong by a naga. And he was saved from drowning by a reincarnated naga (Tharn) on the last day of the season that shares Tharn's name.

And thereafter, Phaya would always dream of Wansarat on the date of the Naga Fireball Festival (the 15th day of the waxing moon in the 11th month, also the last day of Phansa/Wansa).

This is why his visit back to Nong Khai coincided with the festivities we see onscreen – he was there to investigate these links to the date and festival.

So far The Sign has been fairly faithful in its visual nods to the naga and garuda mythology that underpins the narrative. There's been a lot of blue and green (very marine colors) associated with nagas Tharn and Wansarat. And there are references to red and the element of fire calling out to garuda Phaya. This scene is an example:

In the scene above the red light on one side is contrasted with the blue-green one on the other, and mirrors the dance of the fiery garuda and the water-dwelling naga. Phaya has just been rescued from the Mekong by Tharn, and he is shivering in a blue-green t-shirt (which is the naga's color, not his).

(above) Sparks erupt behind the garuda Phaya as he seeks to recover his life-force after his near-drowning; the light on his person (as he is facing naga Tharn) is of a cooler tint though

(above) Naga Tharn is also sopping wet but totally at ease; he is also bathed in warm tones as he faces the flaming presence of garuda Phaya

This scene after Phaya's near-drowning is also one of several where we see a swing (e.g., Ep.3 [2/4] 17.02, Ep.3 [2/4] 19.02, Ep.3 [3‌/4] 10.03 and Ep.3 [3‌/4] 11.07). I may be over-reaching here, but for Thai people this may be calling to mind the Giant Swing in front of Bangkok's Wat Suthat, which was once used in an annual Hindu Brahmin ceremony (now discontinued) that was held to mark the moment when the nagas of mythology abandoned their mountain stronghold on land (their coils maintaining stability) and moved instead to their permanent, watery homeland.

Noting that the nagas are shapeshifters, the green-eyed Wansarat enticing Phaya into the water is also likely to be a malevolent naga that has assumed Wansarat's form, seeking to drown Phaya (we've seen glowing green eyes before, on the naga that Phaya saw when he struggled with the Ep.1 water challenge, and also in the greenery of the garden at the bar/restaurant where the boys go to drink).

And in another nod at the naga/garuda conflict, when the abbot Luangpor lights two candles at Ep.3 [2/4] 28.36, the rumbling stormclouds outside (that are harbingers of rain) promptly extinguish the flames before speaking ominously with him.

Nagas, because of their association with all things water, are also custodians and dispensers of rain in Thai mythology. Thus the voice that speaks to Luangpor from the clouds must be that of a vengeful naga, and he has underscored his displeasure with garuda Phaya by snuffing out the flames of the candle (fire being associated with garudas in The Sign).

‌

So one more little salute to the naga and garuda can possibly be read in the matching shirts that Phaya and Tharn don when they visit Wat Phra That Bung Puan at Ep.3 [3‌/4] 11.13:

The warm tones (garuda colors) of the matching shirts contrast with the blue-greens (naga colors) of their shorts/jeans. Meanwhile, the swirling graphics on their tops are likely a reference to the naga fireballs, which reminds us that even though the nagas and garudas are supposed to be at odds, the fireballs are one area of overlap with the flames of the garuda – a kinship also echoed by the matchy-matchy going on with the outfits here (and the premise that Tharn and Phaya are a forbidden but fated naga/garuda pairing). 😍

The culture of Nong Khai also explains why there is so much naga imagery in this episode – a lot of it is to do with the festival of the Mekong naga and its fireballs. But the garuda (Phaya's earlier incarnation) is still referenced in the visuals of Ep.3 – directly at Ep.3 [3‌/4] 15.08, but more indirectly elsewhere.

The many establishing shots of the temple finials called chofa (e.g., at Ep.3 [2/4] 8.19, Ep.3 [2/4] 19.53, Ep.3 [2/4] 23.10 and Ep.3 [3‌/4] 6.52) are actually a visual reference to the garuda:

This kind of chofa (with the curved profile reminiscent of a raptor's beak) is called the pak kruut or garuda tip chofa. There are several other kinds, including a naga finial, but the ones we see here in the establishing shots of the abbot's temple are of the garuda type and are a sly, less in-your-face wink at the garuda (at least compared to the abundance of naga imagery).

Anyway the trip ends with Tharn attempting to distance himself from Phaya because he doesn't want to jinx another of his loved ones (although what that means for Yai and Sand seemed a little rude for Tharn to suggest! 🤣).

True to his naga form a lonely Tharn seeks refuge in the watery realm – his condo pool:

But the flaming red swim briefs about his loins are in the color of the fiery garuda, and belie his divided loyalty.

So when Phaya goes to confront Tharn at the rooftop gym, the dance of the naga and garuda, historical enemies, goes into full swing. Unlike their other physical encounters down at sea level (e.g., the open water challenge of Ep.1 and the Mekong rescue) here garuda Phaya is up in the sky, as close to the sun as he can be, and here he's in his element.

And when the two tussle (as would be expected of a naga and garuda), of course it would be Phaya coming out on top. It's his realm, and his turn, after all:

‌

The naga and garuda are ever-present in The Sign. I'm sure there will be more of this to come!

‌

[hexonthepeach]

dive

pairing: f4!nct dojaejung x fem!reader (past johnny x reader mentions)

genre: hana yori dango/boys over flowers/meteor garden/f4 thailand reverse harem au (mild allusions and characterization only)

warnings: brief mentions of past bullying, dom!doyoung, hopelessromantic!jaehyun, mommykink!jungwoo, reader is a bit of a switch, smut (mmmf, double penetration, oral f & m receiving/giving, unprotected sex, anal, semi-public sex), degradation/humiliation kink (reader), pet names: baby, mommy (reader), puppy (jw)

wordcount: 10k

author's note: i wrote this as a distraction from other projects after listening to perfume on repeat and lamenting the end of promo. intended as a oneshot but i have some ideas for continuation. please let me know if you enjoy it (and more importantly, what you enjoy)

The Bangkok night is warm and thick and redolent with flowers. The expensive vacation home one of your three companions had arranged for your short stay is quietly luxurious, separated from the city bustle but still hazed with light past the high walls and thick foliage surrounding the pool. 

You'd never made a habit of asking who paid for what with your travel companions, but you guess by the mix of old world and new that it was Jaehyun's idea to stay here–perhaps even a Jeong family permanent accommodation. His family's import business had done well in the region, judging by the luxury sports cars parked in the driveway.

Everything about this trip is surreal–worse for the fact that a fourth presence lingers like a ghost in your periphery. 

He should have been here. Indeed, you've taken his place, filling the natural void like a small drop in an ocean-sized hole. 

Everything about this distraction brought you back to him: the rose petals strewn across your pristine bed, the snarling garuda statue lurking across the aquamarine oasis. 

Johnny is 8600 miles away and still very near. 

Jaehyun joins you at the pool's edge, slipping some well-concocted drink near your manicured fingers–most likely Jungwoo's contribution by the tasteful sprig of flowering basil. You'd refused multiple drinks at the club, still flagged from a day of travel and self-conscious of the eyes on your table and you’d finally agreed to one now that you were back safe in your own private enclosure.

He shucks off his sandals to dip his feet in beside yours, nudging you beneath the water to remind you that even with the grief that's hollowed you out inside, you're not alone.

Jaehyun doesn't speak–well accustomed to your need for silence when you've inevitably descended into that space again. 

Unfortunately, Doyoung isn't as accommodating. 

"What did we say about moping, Y/N?" A tall shadow stands beside you, swaying slightly. 

"I'm not moping," you say, sipping from your glass of Mekhong soothed with sugar and soda. "Just thinking."

"Wasn't the point of this vacation to get you to stop doing that?" Doyoung is touching his toe to the warm water when there's a sudden rush from behind you, a startled cry escaping the man before he hits the surface fully clothed. 

"Was he bothering you?" Jungwoo asks, looking completely unfazed about shoving the other man in.

"You bastard," Doyoung says, spluttering up and tossing his hair back as he holds his phone out of the water.

"It's waterproof."

"That's not–"

"I'll buy you a new one." 

"Now you're going to have him trying to return the favor," you say, giving him a sly smile.

"Oh I think I'll be alright," he says with a wink, backing up a few paces before cannon-balling in. If you'd been doused by Doyoung's ungraceful landing you're soaked thoroughly by the splash Jungwoo makes, finding yourself shielded by Jaehyun's torso wrapped around you. 

You hadn’t even thought to protect anything but your drink, your heart stuttering as you find yourself inches from his flushed face and rosy lips.

"You okay?" he asks, wiping water from your face with his silk sleeve. 

"Yeah," you say quietly. "Can't see the tears now, right?"

He blinks at you, believing you by the clouded expression in his dark eyes.

"I'm just kidding. Not crying, see." You smile at him as best as you can muster, hoping your carefully-applied makeup isn't running off your face. 

"Don't you want to join us?" Jungwoo has escaped Doyoung by pressing himself to your knees, shoulders well out of the water at standing level. You shake your head, suddenly shy.

"You should have let those girls come back with us," you say. "All that work wingmanning for nothing."

"Blame Doyoung for boring them talking about tariffs," Jungwoo says, ducking as the other shoves water in his direction. "Besides, we didn't want you to be alone."

"You know I don't mind, puppy." You tousle his wet hair, sipping deeply again. Through the fogged rim of your glass you catch his cheerful expression falter. It lasts only as long as he realizes Doyoung is floating on his back, swamping him with a tackle.

"I asked them to keep it just us for tonight." Jaehyun says, breaking his quiet. 

"Saving the party for Phuket!" Jungwoo shouts in the background, mispronouncing the first syllable deliberately to sound like fuck it.

"Have someone you're missing tonight, too?" Your tease lands with a thud, watching your best friend's mouth crease at the corner as he chews his lip. 

"I'm sorry, that was rude–"

"No," he says. "I know how you feel."

"How far away is Paris?" you ask, not expecting an answer.

"5 hours," Jaehyun says, grinning slightly. It's a callback to so many months of watching him stare out towards the airport from the school rooftop with you, letting you listen while he mused on what she might be doing at that hour, how long it would take to get there. 

You'd encouraged him even as your heart broke–feeling the dwindling embers of a schoolgirl crush on him turn to ash. You would never be as good as his childhood love, even if you had taken up her place as his companion seated beside him on the piano bench when he practiced, or studying beside him as he drifted off into one of his many naps.

It was better this way–more comfortable just being able to be with him without the worry that you could live up to her, your heroine in highschool. But there would always be something there.

Doyoung clambers out to sit beside you, far enough away not to dampen the fuschia Versace metal mesh minidress he'd gifted you earlier. It was the perfect costume to play the part of nouveau riche jetsetter for a girl who lived one step up from a basement apartment. 

No one would mistake you for class, or even an influencer, but in their company no one was looking at you anyway. Most people thought you were Doyoung’s assistant or Jungwoo’s sister. The nasty looks, sometimes worse, always followed when they introduced you as their friend.  

"What can we do to make this a magical night?" Doyoung asks. You find yourself unable to answer, eyes caught on the smooth definition of his chest through the barely buttoned translucent shirt he'd worn out. You note he's lost the matching loose tie, probably still wrapped around a girl's neck on the dance floor.

"It's already so nice," you say, looking up at the blink of stars through the light pollution. "Thank you for including me." 

"You think we'd leave you behind?" 

The way he says you carries all sorts of strange subtext, considering your history. It had been a long journey from being mercilessly bullied and shoved into the dirt you came from, as Johnny had called it, to here. The lap of luxury, attended to by three specimens of wealth and privilege so out of your league you may as well be batting a thousand.

"Well it’s not like I got you in the divorce," you say, knot twisting in your chest. "I guess even now it’s hard to tell if you’re just being nice to me because you feel bad for me."

"First of all, he left all of us," Doyoung corrects. His voice is a little raspy, as if he's controlling his emotions. The admission leaves you questioning. You knew how close they were but they'd never shown any sign of being affected by Johnny's sudden departure.

Maybe you'd just been too busy wallowing to notice. 

“Second, you’re special. Too special to let just anyone play with. If you hadn’t noticed, we enjoy your company.”

"And when have we ever done something nice?" Jungwoo rests his arms on your knees, almost pulling you into the water. Jaehyun pushes him back with his foot, earning a tug on his leg that does little to move his immovable weight. 

"You're a package deal, though. Like a blend," you raise your mostly empty glass to drive your horrible attempt at a metaphor to death. “Even with one ingredient missing you can’t beat the original.”

“Well I won’t deny you're a strange substitute,” Doyoung says, gracefully using your words to make his point. It reminds you of how he’d spent hours drilling you with details of tea ceremony when your ridiculous coworker had asked for a demonstration of his family’s heritage business. 

“But taste requires innovation, and it’s often the unexpected addition that changes the entire flavor profile. You’re new but you’re refreshing, and unique. Not something to be discarded because anyone demands it.”

“That’s a very poetic way of saying you still like me even if I’m an uncultured pain in the ass.”

"Poor little weed," Jungwoo says, hands splaying over your bare thighs before Jaehyun can foist him off again. “Are you insulting Doyoung’s taste? You're the first girl any of us have agreed on."

"I doubt that considering what I saw last Friday. Did all of you sleep in Doyoung's room or did you take turns–"

You catch Jungwoo's scheming look with Jaehyun right before the cocktail glass is plucked from your hand and you're picked up on both sides, Jaehyun lifting you by the waist and Jungwoo taking over once you're free of the edge.

"Let me go," you shriek, folding over his shoulder. 

"Are you sure?" Jungwoo bends his knees until your hem is submerged, not phased as you beat on his back with soft hits.

"At least toss me in so you can get a head start," you threaten. He indulges you, lifting you up out of the water like he's going to help you recreate that pivotal scene from Dirty Dancing only to throw you back and into the deep end. 

You hold yourself in a ball and sink, breath held, channeling your best hello darkness my old friend as you wait for the inevitable. It takes less than ten seconds before Jaehyun dives in after you, pulling you up.

“Got you,” you say, grinning through the trickles of warm water. Jaehyun looks less than amused, lips thinning into a tight line as water drips from his bleached blond hair.

"Don't scare us like that," Doyoung gripes, joining you a few seconds too late. You shoot him and Jungwoo a look over your perch on Jaehyun's arm, clinging to him for comfort.

“Yeah, please.” Jaehyun breathes. 

"Is my makeup coming off?" you ask. He's been staring at you funnily as you float beside him, bodies brushed up in the expansion of his clothing and the occasional contact with his frame.

"What?" Your best friend sounds dazed, water collecting in his dimples as he smiles softly.

"What?" You parrot, teasing, mirroring him in the way your eyes dart to his mouth, not surprised to find his lip trembling. His uplit face is shadowed with hidden feelings you can only guess at. 

That years-old urge to kiss him returns. It could be considered revenge for back when he'd grabbed you and given you a taste of what it would be like that day after he’d come back from his trip abroad. You'd melted into him like it was the most natural thing in the world, the illusion only broken when Johnny had slammed the rooftop door shut on the way back down, flowers for whatever apology he'd half-assed scattered across the dirty tar paper.

You'd slapped him afterwards, surprised to find him smiling. He's in love with you, isn't he? Had to be sure.

There'd been so many times after that he'd played with your feelings you'd lost count, but one constant remained: he would never pursue you fully if he believed it would hurt his best friend.

Your chest feels tight just imagining what might have been, had you changed course back then. But you've long given up dwelling on might have beens.

Jaehyun is less mercurial now that he's older so you’re the one to catch him by surprise, lips pressing to his cheek right beside his mouth–in the smile lines you know too well. It's a quick send-off before Jungwoo can grab his legs and pull him under from below. 

Doyoung takes the opportunity to capture you by the waist, keeping you from becoming a casualty of their underwater fight. He looks just as serious as always, even without his usual glasses.

"Sorry about the dress," you say, working to stay afloat.

He laughs at you, prone to condescension as always. "If you like it we can get you another. But do you really want to wear the same thing twice?"

"Some of us can't replace our wardrobe every week," you huff. 

"Are you under the impression I'm replacing a bespoke suit collection every week? All I'm saying is you should have a new dress for every occasion. Especially if you're with us."

You jab him in the side, surprised at the hardness of his ribs but also delighted by his startled wheeze. 

"I'm not your kept woman."

"Not even if we want to keep you to ourselves?" 

A little shiver runs through you, making eye contact with him as he mouths the waterline. It's said so innocently but you know better. He and Woo had been dropping double entendres since well before takeoff from Seoul.

Flirting was Jungwoo's thing, a silver lining to the dark shadow of a personality that enjoyed being subtly in control. As the future heir to a crime syndicate it was much better than experiencing his hidden anger. Doyoung though . . . as much as he dabbled in shadier scenes and pretended to be a womanizer he's old-old-old money, from a strata inaccessible to anyone who's genealogy can't be traced back to the Goryeo dynasty. 

The idea of him folding you into his life, much less keeping you, is absurd.

“Well that does seem to go against the whole idea of this being a trip to finally get over . . . everything,” you say, deflecting from his intensity. “What happened to letting me live like the F4 for one week?”

“Is this not it?” He quirks an eyebrow at you. 

“What if I want you to play wingman for me? Find me something meaningless to distract me?”

You're not expecting the dark storm that settles over his refined features.

“I think you have enough distractions here to keep you occupied.”

Your pulse picks up, hearing the hidden message loud and clear. He'd heard your laments to Jungwoo about how long it had been since you even thought about being with someone else, how you'd never really gotten to date after three brutal years of school, work, and accidentally making the worst chaebol tyrant in Seoul fall for you. 

Now that you're free for the first time in your adult life, you want to experience what it's like to be just another girl, like the ones they so frequently invited to their tables at function and club alike.

"Are you insinuating you're not going to let me bring anyone back if I find a fling? After I just spent all night singing your praises to a healthy pool of candidates? Double standard, much?"

Doyoung wraps an arm around you to keep your head from knocking against the tiled pool edge. He's backed you into it without you even noticing it. 

"You can try," he says, gripping the wall next to your cheek. "Though I would question the sanity and intelligence of anyone who took you up on it." 

There's his brand of cruelty: casual threats delivered without a hint of remorse. You'd been on the receiving end, perhaps were now, but you're not afraid of him in the slightest.

"You're not reporting all of this to him, are you?" 

Doyoung doesn't answer, nostrils flaring. 

"Or is he only texting 'Woo back?" you ask. 

"Who texted me?" Jungwoo asks with open curiosity behind him. 

Doyoung presses a single finger to your lips in warning, releasing you. 

"Didn't you get the number of that model? Miss Thailand 2016 runner-up?" You toss your head slightly to clear it, still feeling heat suffuse your cheeks from just a touch against your mouth. It really had been too long. 

"Oh she's too good for me," Jungwoo remarks, jokingly. "Besides, I already have a failed beauty queen right here." 

You snort. “In what world is second place a failure when it’s your first time?”

The contest had just been a university charity project but you'd worked hard to earn that spot after Johnny had entered you in as some kind of sick game from abroad. Jungwoo had helped you conquer it–had even got you a side gig modeling when his usual partner had dropped out at the last minute at one of his shoots. You’d just been there to deliver coffee and now you were on a cover being printed in 15 different countries. 

You always liked reminding Jungwoo of his Pygmalion moment because that's when you'd genuinely seen his kinder side–even if you suspected he may have threatened at least two of the judges to land you on the final stage. Losing had been worth it to spend time with the member of the F4 you’d never been close to in high school. 

"Maybe she doesn't deserve you," you say, swimming around him to grab him loosely around the shoulders. “Not many can appreciate having a personal rescue dog to save them from getting wrinkly fingers.”

You're immediately indulged, Jungwoo paddling you back to the shallow end where Jaehyun is lost in thought, staring at white blossoms from one of the trees in the courtyard floating in front of him. Doyoung is just as contemplative. 

It’s probably best to not let it stretch out any longer–you were always a fan of ripping the bandage off quickly even if it hurt. 

"I'm going to go take a shower and call it a night." You announce, hearing Jungwoo groan. "Unless . . ."

"Unless what?" Jungwoo perks. Jaehyun squints up at you where you stand over him. You look at Doyoung instead, as he drags himself out of the water to sit on the ledge beside the stairs.

"Unless you tell me what we really are."

The buzz of cicadas seems to die a little, soft music inside the house drifting out through the glass. 

"Friends, hopefully?" Jungwoo says.

"Well you aren't bullying me anymore, so yes. But friends don't keep their friends from moving on from past relationships."

"That's not at all—" Doyoung begins.

"Let me finish," you interrupt. He's immediately quiet, throat bobbing as he looks beside you at Jaehyun's taut shoulders.

"I'll never fit in with you or your world but we both stopped judging each other for that a long time ago, I think. I like spending time with you, I like knowing you'll still include me even if . . . " You can't bring yourself to say Johnny's name. "Even if I'm just another ghost who's outstayed her welcome."

It was their term for dropped flings and casual encounters, with a whole subset of terminology for the ones who couldn't get the hint (poltergeist), or lost their cool at their dismissal by screaming and crying (banshees). 

It hadn't been like that for you even the second or fifth time Johnny had broken up with you–always for reasons out of your control. You'd shown him the same aggression and cruelty in answer, but you’d never begged for him to take you back, ever, and you certainly had never sought out his friends. 

It had always been their prerogative to spend time with you, and you’d leaned into it your freshman year of university study and singlehood, wanting the support network denied you by being alone and poor in a city you could barely afford. You’d never take their money but you had accepted their company, and had enjoyed it far more than you could have imagined. 

Even if it kept you in Johnny Suh’s outer orbit, what you had with them meant something to you. You didn’t want to lose it when he came back. From the press releases about his recent promotion, it would seem to be soon.

Waiting for that inevitability is like attending your own funeral before you’re dead, pallbearers for company. 

"You're not a ghost," Jaehyun says. "And we won't abandon you, ever."

"You'll just keep me and this dynamic trapped in amber until Johnny changes his mind, then? It's been a year already. I don't want to lose any more of my youth to him, and I don't want to lose you when he comes back and you all act like he's done nothing wrong."

"That won't happen," Doyoung says, sighing. 

"No, because I'll leave before then." You get out of the water, brushing your face free of the hot tears. "Wouldn't want to ruin your fun."

Jaehyun pulls you back, strong enough you lose your footing and sink into his submerged lap. 

"You're not going anywhere," he says. There's no malice or anger in his tone, just quiet assurance. He cleans your face again, blue silk cuff coming away black with mascara. 

"You asked what we are. Remember when you used to come sit next to me under that stupid ad?" 

"Yeah?" you sniff. You'd spent hours with him sitting on a city bench as he stared up at a billboard for luxury clothing with her face on it. She’d been the dream he chased at your urging, the fantasy that had sadly broken with proximity.

"When I was in France, after things became clear, I would go and sit somewhere and pretend like you were there with me."

"I hope it was somewhere fun, like the Louvre," you joke. 

"Too crowded." He shakes his head, smirking. "Would look weird talking to myself."

"Oh you talked to invisible me but you couldn't pick up the phone once?"

He shakes his head again, squeezing you. 

"Anyway. The point is you're stuck with me. And them."

"And Johnny . . .?" 

"Stop bringing up our ex," Doyoung says. Not your ex, our ex. 

"It's a valid concern," you say, adjusting in Jaehyun's hold to rest your head against his damp shoulder. "I'm not going back to him. And I know you'll choose him over anyone else."

"No," Jaehyun says. 

"You're the exception." 

You lift your head to blink up at Doyoung.

"Didn't think you made those."

"Well you just haven't spent enough time with me, then."

"You planning on spending time with me?" You smile lazily, hand drifting to squeeze his leg. It's always fun to see his unflappable face twitch.

"He already blocked off half his itinerary for private tours. Jaehyun had to fight him to split it equally," Jungwoo says. Doyoung splashes water into his face with his foot.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," he says sourly. 

"Like the massage tomorrow morning?" 

This time Doyoung's kick makes waves wash over you and Jaehyun, leaving you spluttering.

Jungwoo takes it, smiling once his floppy brown hair is pushed back out of his eyes again. He grins at you from the water. "You'll take your dog for a walk when you remember I exist, right?" 

"Why not just come with us?" You'd often wondered if there was an invisible tether for how often they appeared together.

Doyoung clears his throat, Jaehyun shifting uncomfortably under you. 

"What am I missing?" You laugh awkwardly, looking between them. 

"I forget the only man you've ever dated never dated anyone seriously, either." Doyoung looks somewhat pleased with himself. "Traditionally when you spend time with someone you're interested in you don't have company–"

Shock runs through you like ice dumped over your head. "You can't be serious."

Doyoung's face is incredibly serious, Jaehyun's proving only a little more relaxed about the disclosure. You turn around to Jungwoo, floating nearby with a humored expression. 

"You're not part of this are you, 'Woo?"

"Of course I am. You deserve a break from stuffy museums and romantic dinners to have some real fun."

His eyebrows lower a bit in some sinister joke, and for the first time a little fear courses through you. It's been a long time since you saw their manipulative and controlling side, but bringing you to a foreign country to date you, their best friend’s ex, without telling you . . . That's a whole new level of it.

"This isn't a competition, is it?" You hide the tremor in your voice. 

"Between us? Of course it is," Jungwoo says.

"And the terms?" You look at Jaehyun, who is unable to meet your gaze. "Let me guess, whoever fucks me first?" 

His eyes widen in genuine dismay, panicking. "No, of course not–we just wanted to give you a chance to decide if . . ."

"If what?" 

"If you liked one of us more than the others," Doyoung finishes for him. 

You find yourself breathing heavily, face flushed. 

"What if I can't choose?" You ask, gaze fixing on Jaehyun's mouth as he bites his lip, still looking guilty. 

"If you decide you don't want to be with any of us, then things stay the same. Nothing changes. We'll still be friends." He says it all slowly, deliberately, almost as if it’s rehearsed.

"And if I choose one of you? Do I get to suffer the jealousy complex of another deeply insecure and emotionally unavailable man?"

That hits them where it counts. They'd all watched Johnny take out his fears on you, masked under bravado, posturing for an audience that more often than not was just you and his friends. His peers had rarely done the same, unless you counted Jungwoo following his enforcement orders like a loyal hound or Doyoung orchestrating clean-ups. 

No, they'd skated clean through multiple horrorshows by simply being there to throw their weight. No one else had the notoriety and resources to cover up the trail of damage left in Suh's wake.

You stand up again, turning between them. "And none of you are worried about Johnny finding out?"

A lump forms in your throat, bitterness about even having to invoke your own personal demon. Yes he'd walked away, but you knew his sense of entitlement would never allow his interests to be compromised by another–especially his closest companions.

And here they are, looking between each other and discussing your fate with the deliberate calm of a business transaction.

Apparently the only consequences were for you.

"Or is that the real game you're playing here," you ask. "Degrade me so far in his eyes he'll want nothing to do with me while you write me off as disloyal trash."

Jaehyun sucks his breath in through his teeth, and you note how hurt he looks. Jungwoo seems even more upset, full bottom lip jutting out.

"I know what you've been through, and I know it will be a long time to forget," Doyoung says. "But we're not him."

You remember an old saying your father had taught you: when you're holding a hammer everything looks like a nail. Better applied to problem-solving perhaps, but you'd also been dealing with one, giant nail-shaped problem since he'd crashed into your life. It was stuck in your heart and time and healing hadn't removed it. Maybe it was permanent, but you still had to live with it. 

"I just don't understand how you think you think this will work."

"You're awfully concerned about what he thinks," Jungwoo says, rising over you. "What about moving on?" 

"I don't give a fuck what he thinks. I'm just looking out for you. You know he'll punch first and ask questions later. What if he does something reckless?"

Jungwoo is laughing at you through closed lips, eyes crescented in mirth. "We have you to protect us, right? Just roundhouse kick him in the face again."

“That was lucky,” you say. “He wasn’t trying to murder me, either. There’s probably an American hitman on his way right now to take us all out and make it look like an accident.” 

“He would definitely hire locally,” Jungwoo corrects you. 

“And here I thought you were braver than that,” Doyoung muses. “Do you think we need his permission? You certainly don't.”

That makes you pause. You look at Jaehyun. Of all the people in the world he was the closest to their former leader. They’d fought even more than he and you had, and Jaehyun had always conceded, taking it on the chin, letting Johnny drag him along in his wake. The one time he'd stood up to him had been for you and it had almost fractured everything irreparably.

His black eyes pierce into you when he looks up. 

“I think y/n can make any decision she wants to,” he says dangerously. “None of us will stand in your way, whatever you choose.” 

“You promise?” you ask, tilting your head to let your wet hair brush over your bare shoulder. 

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Jungwoo says. 

You wait for the others to show visual signs of concession: Jaehyun nodding, Doyoung making the sign of the cross in what is an obvious misuse of the gesture. 

“Good. Because if Johnny finds out what I’m doing on this trip, he’s not the only one who will kill you.”

"I think we should start enacting a punishment whenever she brings him up again," Doyoung says.

"Great idea," Jungwoo says, sweeping you into his wet hold from behind. The chill you'd been feeling exposed to the air dissipates a little, his warm chest against your bare shoulders. You shiver a little at the intimacy, feeling him laugh even if he doesn’t make a sound.

“What will it be?” Doyoung defers to Jaehyun.

He leans back . “She does something to distract herself.”

You purse your lips together, affecting an air of deep thought. "My choice?"

"Always," he says, not breaking eye contact. 

"Rock, paper, scissors, then." You nod at him. He grins, Doyoung groans. Jungwoo's long arms wrap around your waist, hands already in position. 

"Surely there's a better way we could eliminate your options," Doyoung says, almost missing the cue and throwing paper to the other two's scissors. 

"Better luck next time," you tease.

"Kiss it for luck." The back of Jungwoo's hand presses to your mouth moments before Jaehyun initiates. 

Jungwoo loses the second quick round after a draw, crushed by Jaehyun's rock. 

"I should have known you were cursed." Jungwoo pouts, not letting you free until you've ducked back into the water to escape him. You give him a wink as you swim towards the stairs, emerging between Jaehyun's spread legs before he can close them. 

"What are you doing?" he asks, warily, still leaned back against the last stair.

"What I want," you say, blinking drops from your lashes. You move weightlessly on to his thighs, grabbing his soft face in your hands. He's unable to process what's happening quickly enough to respond as you tilt his face up and press a gentle kiss to his parted mouth. 

You ignore Jungwoo's wolf-whistle in the background, partially aware Doyoung has shifted nearby the moment you'd slid into your friend's lap. All that is noise as the gentle sound of the water feature drowns the startled sound you make when you're grabbed and pulled back to Jaehyun's mouth. 

This time it's real: solid and delicious as he crushes against you, tongue sliding across the seam of your lips until you let go of your held breath to softly exhale into his. Small dips of his chin coax you into opening for him, your hands threading into his hair to anticipate his movements as he kisses you like it's the last time in his life he'll ever get the chance. 

"That's enough," Doyoung says, Jungwoo booing him. 

The other two may as well not exist, your thumbs circling Jaehyun's cheekbones as you retreat to inspect the damage. He's usually so composed it feels like peering into a different universe's version of him, rapture and satisfaction warring with concern in his expression. 

"Thank you," you whisper. His eyes focus again, teeth exposed as he tongues them. 

"Any time," he says. It's funny how instantly he regrets the word choice, the pink in his ears and cheeks deepening.

"Not thinking about you-know-who now, are you?" Jungwoo asks, right behind you. 

"No," you say. "But I suspect you wish I'd say yes if only for the consequences."

"That was hot," he admits. "But I don't typically like my prospects thinking about other men." 

"Can I tell you a secret?" You crook your finger, clutching on to Jungwoo's wet patterned shirt when he leans down far enough to be in range. 

"I only made you play for it so we could find out who goes first." You say it in his ear, letting your mouth drag against the shell.

He pulls back, hesitant, nose brushing against your cheek. 

"Really?" 

"Kiss me and find out," you offer. 

He doesn't wait, lashes against his cheeks as he meets you halfway, tilting your head to the side for full exploration of your lips. He's much gentler than you expected, shy almost, tender even when your tongue meets his and you can taste the hint of sticky mango rice you'd had for dessert earlier. 

"Good boy," you say once you've broken free. He smiles in the way you're used to the most, right side of his face crooking with an edge of deviousness.

You turn to find Jaehyun watching, eyes starry with arousal but unreadable. Doyoung is on his feet as if he's preparing his exit, expression stony. 

"Is something wrong?" you ask, meeting his calculating stare.

Doyoung opens and shuts his mouth, water pooling at his feet. 

"Not enough punishment for you?" There's an edge to your voice that you recognize as the tone you'd used many times before, in your idiotic quest to tame one of his own. 

The tension breaks when Doyoung laughs softly, crouching down and crooking his finger. You wade up the steps to meet him, hyper aware of the drag of eyes on you as you emerge from the water, dress clinging to your skin. 

"I planned out such a nice trip for you, and this is what you really want?" Doyoung asks, eyes traveling down your body and back to your face in the kind of assessment that you'd seen other people wither under. 

"Why do you think I agreed to come?"

“Noted.”

He nods, slightly, but makes no move to take what you'd already given the others. You don't let it dissuade you, fingers digging into the hard line of his shoulders to press your lips to his. 

It's like kissing a statue. A challenge you're willing to meet as you delve further, rocking him back on his heels. You pry open his mouth with gentle bites and licks between each kiss, past his perfect teeth until you can explore his tongue with your own. You don't realize your hands are fisted in his wet hair until you're done, finding him collapsed on the wet cement, panting. 

"Was that sufficient punishment?" you ask.

"For you? Absolutely not," Doyoung says, the rare full smile gracing his kiss-swollen mouth. "For them? Yes."

You glance back at your other two companions, clocking that they're both nearer than you remembered. Jaehyun's hand drifts over your hip, as if he's questioning letting you go in the first place. 

"Should we set some rules? Or are you all going to take them as an excuse to break them?"

Jungwoo chuckles. 

"No competition. Equal time, equal attention. And no possessiveness," you state. Doyoung looks up from under his brows with amusement, clearly enjoying your groundless attempt to set boundaries. 

"I don't care what you throw at me as long as you don't walk back what you said about our friendship."

"I think we're something different now," Jaehyun says, voice cracking.

"I know," you say. You run a hand over his head, feeling his temple come to rest against your waist. "But you crossed that line first. I'm just saving you the trouble of playing some silly game to come on to me. I'm not a prize to win. I'm a person who knows you all better than you think."

You turn to Doyoung again, holding your ground. "You said you'd give me the true F4 experience."

"Within reason," he demures. 

"Then lose your hangups and let me have a taste of what it's like to be just one of those girls you have no problem with having fun with. No special treatment, no regrets."

The stunned silence has you feeling a twinge of embarrassment at pushing your agenda this far.

"Impossible," Jungwoo answers. 

"Why not?"

He pulls the hair away from your neck to kiss beneath your ear. Gooseflesh appears on your arms even in the warm air, anticipating his answer, but he's too occupied with trailing his mouth down, sucking lightly over your pulse. You feel dizzy, hand reaching back to hold his head to you.

Once he's had enough of watching you unravel Doyoung jerks you forward, grip tight around your wrist.

It's a familiar gesture, a reminder you are at their mercy. He cuffs his hand around your neck like he's going in for another kiss, stopping at a few inches. 

"You don't get to set all the rules. This one especially. You are not just some girl with whom we engage in forgettable, inconsequential relations."

He pauses, eyes darting to your mouth before meeting yours again. "If we go down this path you're getting the real thing. All of it."

"We know you have experience." Jungwoo adds. 

Oh you knew. They fucked around but they were careful about it, always gentlemen, always above board. NDAs in some cases, mostly for Doyoung. You didn’t know all of their specific proclivities outside of Jungwoo exclusively chasing women a generation older but you suspected whatever they enjoyed was much less wholesome. 

Like Johnny's needs once he'd finally had you. He'd bent that way and much, much more. The difference was he'd never been as precious with you as they were with their little conquests.

If they didn't want the safety of a legal cushion it didn't mean they didn't need it–they just didn't think it would be a problem.

"I'm sure you've heard a lot of things about me," you say. A whisper of rage underlies the words, colored by so many rumors foisted on you well before you'd ever accepted their company–even more when they had. 

Whore. Cockslut. Used goods.

Johnny had always been a contradiction–surprisingly prudish about sex but quick to use the grossest allusions to it when pressed for details by his friends, liberal in his name calling. They'd known him since childhood–they didn't believe him, even if everyone else had taken his words as gospel. You'd had your revenge by proving just how true those words could be in private.

"We don't know anything you don't," Jaehyun says, quickly. 

"Still, I don't think you know what you're signing up for," you say. "If anyone is using anyone in this arrangement, it's going to be me. Or I'm out."

"You worried we can't show you a good time?" Jungwoo asks. It's a funny question with him pressed into your back like he'll push your head down into the water if you answer incorrectly.

"I'm worried you'll chicken out," you say, grabbing Doyoung's wrist to keep his fingers on you, covering them with yours to increase the tension. You'd always been strong.

Doyoung's expression is matched by his lingering hold on your throat, squeezing a little and making your eyes drift shut in pleasure.

"You always did seem to enjoy the humiliation a little more than our other targets. Can't say it wasn't an encouraging factor. You like it, don't you?"

He lets you go with a slight push, registering the way your eyes haze over with reflected lust.

"Yeah. Blame a few formative years of getting my signals crossed. Just part of the damage." There's no shame in your voice, another casualty of their efforts.

"You're not damaged," Jaehyun remarks.

"Not beyond repair," you agree, gaze burning into Doyoung's. His regard is a thousand times more revealing than a kiss, most especially the tic in his cheek every time Jungwoo decides to leave a mark with his tongue and teeth on your throat and you reward him with a moan.

"Should be fun seeing which one of us can push past your comfort zone, then," Jungwoo says, breath cooling the last bruise he's left on the back of your neck. "Find out if you have one."

"You're not dropping the competition?" 

Nervous anticipation gives you butterflies, different than the ones springing up being teased by the three of them. Not one of them accepted being outclassed.

"No." Jaehyun says it well before the others. His hands drop to your legs to hold you steady as Jungwoo continues his assault on your neck. "But equal opportunity. I think we can all agree on that."

"Don't worry, we'll play fair," Jungwoo says, biting your shoulder. You jerk in his grasp, vaguely aware of fingers at your hem. Doyoung continues to watch, tongue darting over his lips.

"I hope not," you say. "I won't."

It's all the permission your captors need.

Your breath stutters as Jaehyun's hand slides up your inner thigh, circling the wet skin absent-mindedly. You whine a little, teased by the first intimate touch you've had in months.

"You better stay quiet. We do have neighbors," Doyoung says, voice pitched low.

"Think you can shut me up?"

He takes the hint, sliding his legs back over the ledge, letting you finish unbuttoning his shirt to expose his creamy skin. You spread your fingers over his firm abdomen, flicking aside the sheer fabric. He's intoxicatingly sensitive, muscles tensing as you follow the path of water down his long waist.

"You sure you want to play this game?" Doyoung asks, hand resting on your shaking fingers as you struggle to unbutton his damp jeans.

You look down at Jaehyun, smiling at him when you find he's still enraptured by your upper thighs. You wait until he looks back up, head cocked for permission.

"You alright with sharing me, tonight?"

Miles are crossed, bridges are burned as he contemplates the ask, returning to his shy efforts at warming your naked skin, lifting your hem to dangerous territory.

"Wouldn't dare stand in your way."

Jaehyun's approval is the best thing you've seen in a long time, even more so when he adjusts to be eye level with your now exposed underwear, back pressed to Doyoung's leg. 

Jungwoo tugs at the strap of your dress playfully. 

"Can puppy wait his turn?" you ask, looking up at your other torturer. 

Jungwoo kisses you over your shoulder, messily, before casually breaking one of the thin straps of your dress where it's attached to the delicate gold cherub adornment. The night air pebbles your skin, exposed nipple hardening more as he trails a fingertip lazily around it.

"As long as you need." 

He angles you down a bit towards the other man, just as Jaehyun's mouth finds you through the thin fabric of your lingerie–hot and perfect. Your knees are already weak and you have to catch yourself on Doyoung's thighs as you're touched and kissed and licked, still partially submerged and torn between warm and warmer.

There's a bit of menace in Doyoung's face, watching you unzip and find his length. He adjusts a little when you tug down the elastic waistband of his underwear, his cock already mostly erect despite the water. He's not as big as Johnny but perfectly sized, long and veined as he hardens in your hand. 

You experiment with laves of your tongue against his flushed head, watching him for a reaction through your lashes.

"Sucking me off before I can even take you on a proper date." He tsks, the sound changing when you lower your head, tongue folding around his tip to devour him whole. 

"You look so good with my cock in your mouth," he says. "Wish I could take a picture–"

You cut him short by taking him deeper, feeling him press at the back of your mouth. It's been awhile since you tested your gag reflex.

Thankfully Jaehyun has compromised on watching you while pushing your underwear into your sticky folds, Jungwoo playing with your breasts in the most maddening way possible with soft flicks and tugs. 

Both of them are sending you skyrocketing to a level of joy yet unexperienced this lifetime, much less this year. You have to concentrate on Doyoung to keep from falling apart too quickly.

Jungwoo's long fingers help clear your hair from your face so you can breathe, giving them all a better view as you choke, letting drool slip from your mouth as you take it deep and hard. 

The noises coming from your throat are nowhere near as obscene as the sounds Doyoung makes, angled back and thrusting weakly with each moan. You always thought his voice was beautiful, scratchy and breathy, but hearing him say your name in between gasps has your entire body enflamed. 

"Fuck, you're good," Doyoung says quietly, angled back on his elbows. 

Jungwoo holds your damp hair back, wrapping it in his fist to help guide you more gently. You relax your throat and take it, tears leaking from your eyes. If touch had you vibrating before, the sensation of being debased in this way has you dripping, your arousal exposed by Jaehyun's fingers slipping your panties down to the water.

"She's soaked," he says, running a single finger through your folds. You answer with a groan, other hand in his hair to hold him back before he can dip in again.

Jungwoo tests you, too, giving you a few swipes to collect your slick. He brings his fingertips to your mouth when you finally take a breath, letting you clean them.

It's delightful how Doyoung is unraveling already, arched back, eyes glassy. He drinks in the sight of you sucking two of Jungwoo's fingers until your cheeks hollow.

"You think you can finish what you started?" you ask.

"I don't think I'll ever want it to end," he admits.

"How about coming on my tongue?" You ask, pumping him slowly. You chase the taste of yourself with kitten licks of the beads of white on his head, going lower to trace his veins. 

"Only if you want to swallow everyone tonight," Doyoung says. The offer is tempting. You hesitate long enough that he reads you like an open book, adding an edge of threat. "Or do you want to be stuffed like the little whore you are?"

The affectation has you seizing up in long-withheld gratification. Jungwoo grinds against your ass as Jaehyun ignores your hold to finally lick long paths up your inner thighs, chasing trails of slippery arousal and water to dive in, fingers spreading your legs wide.

It's impossible to find a retort, sinking back into Jungwoo's embrace as you're attacked from below.

"I think you should only fuck me if you can make me come," you counter. "And it's still Jaehyun's turn–"

Your words are punctuated by a cry, Jungwoo's hand clapped over your mouth as Jaehyun pumps into you with two fingers, hooking into your g-spot.

"Ooh," Jungwoo says over your head. "Guess you'll have to wait." 

Doyoung sighs, taking over with his hand when you're bodily dragged back, Jungwoo lifting your dress to take it off. 

"Leave it on," Doyoung says. "The ravaged look suits her." 

You shoot him a look, unable to maintain your expression when Jaehyun's mouth works likes he's devouring you in turn, teeth scraping as he explores every inch of you, teasing your clit with darts of his tongue. Jungwoo frees your mouth to let you breathe, babbled words of praise spilling from you in between small cries.

"So good, so right, god, fuck–fuck." You're inarticulate as Jaehyun pumps his fingers slowly, spreading you and pressing right below his languid tongueing. Jungwoo's attention returns to your sensitive breasts, gently twisting each bud between his fingertips. 

"Keep it down," Doyoung warns, but it's impossible. 

Electric tingles spread down to your toes, tipped against the smooth pool floor. You let yourself relax in Jungwoo's hold, curling over your lover's head. Jaehyun is incredibly careful with you even as you're brought deeper, water lapping at his collarbones as he holds you spread and licks you in broad swaths. 

"Need a hand?" Jungwoo asks, somehow catching Jaehyun's nod mid-effort. You're unmoored by the hand that slips in from behind, fingers curling into you shallowly, water lapping your immersed buttocks. Jaehyun gives up control but he's still also buried in you, drawing wetness out of you with each stroke of his fingers.

Jungwoo matches his speed, knuckle to knuckle, as Jaehyun moves up to apply pressure to your clit again. 

"You two can get her ready. I want her after she's been used," Jungwoo says. 

"Of course you do," Doyoung says, dropping back in the water, demanding your attention. You indulge him with your hand, pumping him loosely beneath the surface. It's hard to coordinate as Jungwoo's hand fucks you into the pressure of Jaehyun's grip tight on your upper thighs, each circle of his tongue on your clit making your vision shimmer. 

"She's so close. Bet we can make her squirt." 

"No," you say, automatically self-conscious. 

"Did you hear that? She thinks she has a choice." The heel of Jungwoo's palm smacks wetly against your ass as he finger-fucks you, already too much before Jaehyun seems to pull you towards him, pressing hard into your walls. It's unlike anything you've ever felt, completely at their mercy as Jaehyun applies suction to your clit to bring you to the brink. 

"Come for us," Doyoung says. He's pressed to your side, rutting against your waist while taking your mouth to keep the shriek building inside your throat muffled.

There's no controlling the powerful waves tearing through your core, your legs shaking and buckling as the orgasm begins and doesn't seem to end, torn from you between all three of them. A hot gush of liquid coats your thighs as you throb around their fingers, pleasure morphing into pain until you're begging for them to stop. 

Jaehyun is the first to let you go, rising to share your release with a crushing kiss that takes your breath away, Jungwoo's fingers still reaching deep inside you.

"Good girl," Jungwoo says. "Was that your first time?"

You nod, cheeks hot, forehead pressed to Jaehyun's. You cling to him, still not quite down to earth from your climax. 

"Thank you," Jaehyun says, laughing slightly. "Was that too intense?"

"No," you shake your head. "Just hold me, please."

"Forever," he says, lifting you to straddle his hips. He manages the stairs to collapse on the deck, wrapping you tight in his arms as you kiss him deeply, cleaning his face of your release with gentle swipes of your fingers.

"You sure you don't want to go inside?" he asks, when you begin to unwrap him from his shirt. 

"I need you so much," you say. "I can't wait another moment."

He grins, shyly, kissing you as you help him out of his undershirt to reveal his swimmer's frame, triangular torso buckling into visible abdominal muscles. He's breath-taking, even more beautiful when you help him out of his pants and underwear to find his thighs flexed beneath his hard cock, shorter but thicker and so perfectly full and ready for you to sink down on. 

He doesn't question taking you raw–brow furrowing in concentration as you adjust to his girth slowly.

"We'll do this without an audience soon," you whisper, hoping he can still hear you as he bottoms out in your heat and his eyes flutter shut. 

"Yeah," he says, breathily. He's not moving, soaking in the sensation of having you completely wrapped around him. "I couldn't wait, either. You feel just as perfect as I imagined."

"So good," you assure him, moving for him. The lingering effects of coming harder than you think you ever have in your life aren't stopping you from bearing down on him, taking him harder and deeper with his wide shoulders for leverage. 

"Fuck, baby," Jaehyun growls. "I'm not gonna last like this."

He takes control with a firm grasp on your waist, pumping up into you. Soon he's bouncing you mercilessly into his hips, laid back on his wet clothes.

You haven't forgotten about the other two men, not when Doyoung's kneeled behind you, straddling Jaehyun's legs to stroke himself against the swell of your ass. 

Jungwoo grabs your hand to wrap around his own exposed cock, letting you feel him before you can even take in the sight of him bobbing over your head. Your finger and thumb can barely connect around his shaft, length too much to fit half of it in your mouth before you know it will be in your throat. Now you understand why the screams you'd heard from his room always sounded on the borderline of pain. 

"Too much for you?" He asks, angling the velvety soft head to catch on your open lips. Jaehyun slows down his thrusts to let you ease into taking the other man, pumping Jungwoo's base as best as you can as you sloppily accept the suffocation.

"Must have had a lot of practice getting your throat fucked to take me so well," he says, angling your head to move past the back of your tongue. You can't answer so you squeeze his balls instead, applying just enough pressure with your nails to have him groaning in appreciation. 

You lose your rhythm when you feel spit drip down your back, Doyoung collecting your earlier release from your thighs and mixing it with his saliva to rub his fingers against your puckered hole.

"Are you gonna be a good girl for all of us?" he asks, pressing a digit into the ring of muscle, causing you to choke on the heavy weight in your mouth.  

Jungwoo pulls out, saliva trailing from your lips as he gives you a break to adjust. You press your forehead to the sheer tank separating you from his flat belly as you look over your shoulder.

"I can take it," you say, trying to relax. Doyoung inserts another slender finger, making you clench around him and Jaehyun until the other man is panting. 

"I didn't ask if you could take it. I asked if you were going to be good."

"Fuck me and find out," you taunt. He's not like the others–he denies you anything but the wedge of his fingers into your ass, adding a third to stretch you when you're not loose enough. 

Jaehyun fucks against the intrusion, holding out until you're closer as he twines his fingers with yours and watches you work Jungwoo's oversized cock in your mouth and hand. 

"Knew you were a little slut who wanted to have all her holes stuffed. One of us wasn't enough for you, you had to make us share. I'm the only one who gets to fuck this tight little ass, though."

Doyoung drops another gob of spit on the dimple at the base of your spine, letting it slide over the gape left when he slides out his fingers. You cry out at the first intrusion of his cock into your barely-lubed hole, fighting to stay on top of Jaehyun as he works in with shallow thrusts, inch by agonizing inch.

"Keep forcing me out," Doyoung says. "I'll just fuck you harder." 

As if to prove his point he grabs on to your ruined dress at the back, arching your spine for you and making you take him deeper. The burning pain blurs into delicious aching pleasure–you needed this more than you could have even imagined. Jaehyun grunts inarticulately, palming your breasts and squeezing them in time to the ecstatic shudders rolling through your body as you're filled. 

"Open up for me," Jungwoo says, cock back in your gaping mouth. You let him hold you by the hair to fuck into your mouth, spit and tears mixing to splash on your breasts. 

When they resume their individual efforts you feel yourself being pulled apart by sensation, only able to manage sharp breaths through your nose to keep from drowning as tears leak from your eyes and sobs rip from your throat. 

"No cumming until she creams herself on Jaehyun," Doyoung says, reaching around to press hard into your clit. It's a hard ask with how overstimulated you already are but you can feel your muscles tightening against your will. Doyoung and Jaehyun's uhhs and mms mix in your ears, Jungwoo softly praising you when your jaw relaxes to swallow him despite the rock of your body against the other two. 

"Fuck she's so tight," Jaehyun says. "I don't know if I can wait."

"Wait." Doyoung orders, picking up his pace. "She's close. Make sure she remembers to breathe."

Jungwoo groans, pulling out with a last slap of his head on your tongue, letting you lap at the precum leaking from him. "You two are useless." 

He kneels down beside you, wresting Doyoung's hand away from your sore folds and rubbing soft, tight circles around your nub. It's not the stimulation as much as his mouth on yours, kissing with as much care and intimacy as you'd felt before, that carries you to a peak again.

"Oh fuck," Jaehyun says, lifting you with a last upwards jerk of his hips and spilling inside you. The rush of warm heat is so good you chase it, overworked muscles unable to hold against the sensation and twitching powerfully around both of their cocks buried deep inside you. 

Just as quickly your knees give out, collapsing half on Jaehyun and Jungwoo. Doyoung's shallow movements turn violent as he no longer bothers to keep you locked on Jaehyun, thrusting a few more times into your throbbing heat before emptying himself and pulling out to rub the last few spurts onto your skin.

"Shh," Jungwoo says when you continue to whimper, sniffling from the tears sliding down your cheeks. "You're almost done."

You shake your head half-heartedly, clinging to his shirt. You're dizzy, adrenaline fading and leaving you boneless and blotted out.

"Please. Maybe just a breather?" you beg. "My legs . . ." 

Jaehyun lifts you, and you hiss at the raw pain of your abused knees, grit brushed away by someone else's hands.

"Poor baby." Doyoung says. "Should have done this in bed but you just couldn't wait."

"'S fine," you mumble, swimming in the glow of your last orgasm. "Bed sounds nice."

"Get a towel," Jungwoo says, and Jaehyun rushes to grab one for you. Instead of cleaning or drying you off Jungwoo carries you to the edge of the pool, slipping in and cramming the soft fabric under you as he lets your legs dangle over the edge and into the water.

"What are you doing, puppy?" You manage to ask, holding on to his neck.

"Don't worry. I'll be careful," he says, palming himself between your legs. "Someone want to keep her head up? I need her to watch." 

Jaehyun adjusts to embrace you from behind, spreading your limp legs so they can all see the steady leak of cum from your gaping holes. You hear the telltale click of a picture being taken, distantly aware Doyoung's phone is still–obviously–working.

"What . . . ?" You ask drowsily, acquiescencing to the pull of your dress over your head and off of you. You shiver deeply, warmed by the body heat of the man behind you as the other strips in front of you. 

"You're going to come for us one more time," Jungwoo says, rising out of the water to pump himself at your leaking core. "I'm not letting you go until I can wring every last drop out of you."

"Fuck," you protest, writhing as he pulls you almost off the hard deck and onto his ready length. Jaehyun holds you tight, arm under your breasts as Jungwoo slides into the mess of cum and slick between your thighs. 

"That's right, take it," Jungwoo says, pinning you against Jaehyun. "Breathe, baby." 

"Too much," you sob, finding he's not even fully sheathed when the familiar ache in your belly of being hit too deep whites out your brain. 

"You don't want your puppy?" Jungwoo can barely speak, ramming in deeper with each rock of his hips. "Don't want to be a good mommy and take all of me?" 

Jaehyun is already semi-hard against your back, and you catch Doyoung's approval before he replaces it with a feigned look of disgust, slipping into the water to watch you both. You can see his arm flex, jerking himself underwater, the other holding his phone up. 

"If we'd known you were such a whore we would have fucked you sooner. It looks like you'll need some more breaking in."

You cry out, stretched tight around the thicker root of Jungwoo's cock, letting him wrap your legs over his shoulders for maximum depth. Whatever pain you feel is so merged with the fullness and perfect hit of him against your walls that you don't mind it, you can't help but slip into a dreamy state of bliss. 

"You're doing so well," Jaehyun says into the hair at your temple. "Can't wait to treat you right. Make you come on my tongue again as many times as I can before the sun rises."

"No, no, no," you moan.

Jaehyun pinches your nipple to wake you up, Jungwoo gasping when you manage to clench around him. 

"You both got her pussy first. You should let me take her tonight. Keep her awake by fucking her as soon as she falls asleep." Doyoung threatens, pulling your leg aside to get the best angle of you being impaled and stretched fuller than you'd ever thought you could be. 

"No one's getting her if she doesn't come again," Jungwoo says. He meets your tear-filled gaze, eyes half-lidded. "Is that what you want? To fall asleep on my cock and let me warm you all night until you're ready to fuck me?"

"Please, come for me, puppy," you manage to bite out, touching yourself in earnest to try and fight back. "So big for me, fill me up."

He takes the bait–you're folded in half, legs bent to your chest as he drives in, balls slapping wetly against you. When you're pliant again he readjusts his strokes to press into your upper walls with each rotation of his hips, and for the first time in a long time you realize you're getting close on cock alone. 

Jaehyun seems to feel the change in you, grinding against your back as his hand holds your throat so you can't turn away. The pressure makes you practically feral, crying out for more. 

"Just like that, like that, please please please," you moan over the lap of the water.

"Feel you sucking me in," Jungwoo says, face flushed and sweaty over you, hair dripping water onto your curled belly. "Let go for me so I can come in you so deep you can taste it."

"Yes, yes, please." You buck with the sudden electric tingle of another climax, steady tempo leading you to softer spasms than before. It's fine if you can't tell where you're at or what you're feeling because Jungwoo can, one final snap of his hips dropping you into fucked out darkness. 

When you come to again you're wrapped around him in the pool, gasping at the sensation of his cock still slowly pumping the last of his release into you.

"Trust me," he says, hands under your backside, lowering you into water suspended between the night and the warmth below. 

Doyoung spreads a hand over your breasts, Jaehyun beside him to hold your neck like he's teaching you to float. You let your mouth fall open and your eyes clench shut, tasting pool water before one of them–Doyoung probably, by the sounds--releases thick, white stripes across your tongue. Jaehyun follows suit, cockhead nudging against the underside of your breast as he paints your torso with molten heat. 

"Fuck that was incredible," Jungwoo says, slipping out of you finally so you can sink into the water. You submerge as much as you can to lose the coat of stickiness, until Doyoung decides you're done, pulling you out and against his chest.

"That was . . . a lot," you admit, shaking against him. 

"You did so well." He soothes you with a hand on your head, clearing your hair from your face delicately to press a kiss to your forehead.  The gesture is so at odds with his recent persona that you can't resist burrowing into it, relaxing fully against his naked chest. "Not bad for an initiation."

"I'm one of you, now?" you murmur. 

"Always were," Jaehyun says. He doesn't dare take you from Doyoung but he does lean down to kiss you deeply, hand running broad circles over your spine.

"Just think of all those red cards as an invitation." Jungwoo jokes, sinking down to eye level to caress your cheek. 

You remember scraped knees and busted lips, cafeteria trays dumped on you by entire tables of jealous girls and sycophantic boys. Johnny humiliating you, ordering you to clean his shoe with his tongue when you'd taken the place of your weaker friend who'd spilled on it. 

But you also remember the small moments of acknowledgement–the way Jungwoo had lingered outside your work waiting to get off when you closed to walk you home at night, or how Doyoung had bought out the entire store when you'd used the shitty part-time job as an excuse to duck out of being his date to a formal dinner you had no business being at. 

And most of all, all those hours spent sitting beside Jaehyun in your rooftop retreat, silently appreciating the late afternoon sun turning the city brilliant as you shared one half of a wired headphone.

Maybe having your heart ripped out was worth it, if it meant having this.

"Which one of us do you want to take care of you tonight?" Doyoung asks. 

You smile into his cool skin, melting into the knowledge that you've earned a place very few had shared. You'll enjoy it as long as it can last.

"Play for it."

[outro-jo]

wayv saying “i love you” first

pairing: wayv members x reader

type: scenarios 

summary: the wayv members and when they can’t help but say those three words

warnings: mentions of food, also bella for those afraid of dogs, dejun being bullied a little in yangyang’s, use of their actual names, fluff

masterlist | info

—————————

kun- the boys were exhausted. their comeback was pushed back for a third time but they continued to train and practice like it was still happening as scheduled. your boyfriend had texted you earlier that they were at the dance studio all day and that he may not get to see you today. little did he know that when he and the boys walked back into the dorm that you had other ideas. upon entering, the whole place smelled of incredible food and each of the boys walked in, breathed deeply, happily groaning in excitement. “hi!” you greeted them from the kitchen. kun made his way over to you as you explained, “i made all your favorites!” you started listing them but was cut off by the impact of kun falling into your body, pulling you into him. “thank you, baby. i love you.” he sighed out. he said it without a second thought. he was so worn out and so grateful that you not only cared about him but the other boys too. your generosity warmed his heart. kun didn’t think much of it as he said it but he noticed you were stiff against him and pulled back. “oh, baby, i’m sorry. i didn’t mean—“ now it was your turn to cut him off, but with a kiss this time. “gross. can we eat now?” you heard yangyang say followed by a smack from ten. 

ten- chittaphon was beyond excited for this concert. wayv was getting to perform in bangkok which meant he got to see his family again, and you were getting to go with him. the downside was that he only got to be home for less than twenty four hours. they were flying in, performing, and then leaving on an early flight. but he would take what he could get, especially if they were letting you come along. he was giddy in the days leading up and the flight there. he called his mom as soon as they landed and headed to the venue. a smile was permanently etched on his face and his hand held yours every opportunity he was allowed. though some would think it might have been too early to meet parents but with the distance chittaphon would take any opportunity he could. also he knew you were the one from the moment he met you so it didn’t matter. his phone lit up again while he was getting dressed. “they’re here! can you go meet them at the door and bring them back here?” he asked you. the nerves began to bubble up in your stomach again but you smiled and nodded. when you returned, chittaphon heard your voice but hearing you speak a language he’d never heard you speak before. the two of you usually spoke english or korean when you were there but when you were speaking thai with his family he froze. he watched from the other side of the room as you and his family smiled and conversed. his heart raced and a love struck grin spread across his face. the fact that you learned his native language to speak comfortably with his family was so heartwarming to him. of course you struggled some but you took it in stride and he found it so endearing. after a few moments he joined all of you. the group reunited with hugs all around and catching up on the time missed for as long as they could until it was time for chittaphon to take the stage meaning you all had to take your seats. it all ended too soon and before you knew it the amazing night was coming to a close. you and chittaphon sat in the back of the van with your hand in his once more as you gushed over the performance and shared about your time with his family, still riding the high of the show. chittaphon watched you with what others could only describe as heart eyes because of how full his heart was from the evening. it couldn’t have been more perfect for him and he couldn’t help himself. “i love you.” he said in his native language making you stop mid-sentence. you knew quite a bit of the language and your certainly knew that phrase, you just weren’t quite sure he even said or meant it. “what?” you looked at him wide eyed. he scooted closer to you in the backseat of the car and reached up to caress your cheek. “i love you.” he repeated louder and more assured. you knew it was for real, just as you had learned it. he really did know how to take your breath away. you softened from your surprised, rigid state and smiled back at him. “i love you too”

winwin- he definitely didn’t mean to say it as soon as he did but the poor guy was so sick and tired. you could tell days before that he was staring to come down with something but a few days later when he texted you he was sick, you rushed right over to take care of him. kun had been doing the best he could until you got there with all the supplies you needed to care for him. though sicheng preferred being taken care of by you, he still fought you once you arrived, insisting he would be fine and you shouldn’t risk getting sick. you of course ignored him and went right to work. you made sure he was propped up, given the right medicine, warm enough, and even started making his favorite soup which you fed to him when it was done. he was honestly so touched at the way you cared for him and tried so hard to keep it together. once he was fed his eyes started to feel heavy and droop. you helped him get settled and tucked in when you headed him say it. it was so soft and with the rustling of the bed sheets, you almost missed it and sicheng was so tired he went right to sleep before you could even ask him to clarify. he looked so peaceful and beautiful in his sleep, you started to understand the way he felt. you smiled to yourself softly before brushing his hair back and placing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “i love you too, sicheng.” you whispered. when he was recovered he doesn’t really remember saying it and even later on in your relationship he denies that he was the first to say it, but you’ll never forget it. 

xiaojun- you paid attention to pretty much everything dejun did but he never realized how observant you were. he just assumed you were like most everyone else and the little things he said and did went unnoticed to you. boy, was he wrong. when he came home from a long day of practice, he collapsed on the couch. suddenly bella came running into the room and hopped on to the couch next to him. he rubbed her back but began to notice she looked cleaner than she did earlier that day and she smelled nice too. as he looked around, he also noticed that the living room was a bit cleaner than before and the poster they’d bought months ago was finally hung on the wall. a few more things were put into place and projects they had put off in their living space were done. before he knew it, you came into the room. were you always here? he wondered. “baby, when did you get here?” he asked. “oh, yangyang let me in while you were gone!” you smiled and kissed his cheek. “ok, bella is clean, i got some stuff done in here, your clothes are folded and on your bed. i’ll go ahead and start dinner.” you rattled off the checklist to yourself out loud. dejun looked up at you confused and reached out for your hand to stop you. “wait, wait, you did all of this?” “well, yeah, you were saying the other day how some stuff needed to be done but you didn’t have time. i thought i’d help you out.” you shrugged. his eyes softened at he looked at you and he stood to his feet to pull you into a hug. “i can’t believe you did all this for me. i love you.” he’s so sentimental. “awe, jun, it’s nothing. i love you too” you pecked his lips and went off to the kitchen. 

hendery- when kunhang entered your apartment that evening, he was worried when it was full of smoke with the detector going off. “ohh no!!” your loud groan filled the apartment. “y/n?!” he called out, worry lacing his tone. “in the kitchen.” before coming to find you, he opened the window in the living room to air the place out. “are you hurt?” he asked, fanning around the smoke alarm with a book he grabbed off the coffee table. “no, but our dinner is.” you said sadly. it was finally clearing out enough so that he could see you. he walked over and wrapped an arm around your waist as you looked down at your burnt meal. “what where you cooking, baby?” he chuckled lightly. “it was supposed to be your favorite. i called your mom for the recipe and everything. i wanted to do something special for you because you were a little homesick.” you spoke in pout. to kunhang, you were so adorable. you worked so hard to try and make him feel better and even though you failed it was still touching. he leaned down and kissed your lips then rested his forehead on yours. “i love you for trying.” his fingers laced with yours. “c’mon, i’ll take you out.”

yangyang- it really didn’t take much. as much as he tried to deny it, he was feeling it pretty much from the moment he met you. he tried so hard to push it from his mind and take things slow as not to freak you out. in all honesty, it freaked him out too that he was feeling like this. one afternoon you were with him and the rest of the boys of wayv in their apartment. he was already swooning because all of the pets loved you from the jump. bella currently laid in your lap, dozing as you rubbed her head and it was pretty much the cutest thing he had ever seen. if that wasn’t enough, you also managed to get in a clever, well-timed jab to dejun that earned the respect from all the boys. combine all that with just how gorgeous you looked in the hoodie your stole from his room, he was pretty well smitten. after another well executed joke, the laughter had died down and before he even knew it, yangyang let out an “i love you” with a sigh. all the boys looked around in confusion and then the teasing began. “ahh our little baby is in love!!” his older brothers gushed, reaching to pinch his cheeks. yours burned and you tried to hide the smile on your face. yangyang did his best to play it off but it was far too late for that. after quite a bit of teasing you got up from your spot and sat down in the youngest boy’s lap and kissed his lips, silencing the room. “i love you too.” you told him. the boys started hyping him up but he wasn’t even pay attention. all he could see was you.

[jinitak]

Rant about the book Jom is reading

The book Jom is reading from is Khan Chang Khan Phaen, a Thai literary classic. It is folklore from Siphon Buri and was only written down long after it was conceived.

The story by modern standards is quite problematic, I have summarised the story below but there is a TL;DR below this paragraph;

Khun Phaen (previous name, Phlai Kaeo), Wan Thong (previous name, Pham Phi La Lai) and Khun Chang were childhood friends, Shun Chang is handsome whilst Shun Phaen is balding. Wan Thong would fall in love with Khun Phaen and Khun Chang would fall in love with Wan Thong and they marry but he was sent to command an army to Ching Mai. During his absence, Khan Chang came up with a scheme to get Wan Thong to marry him, by lying that Khun Phaen was killed in action, it worked and Wan Thong was unwillingly married to him. When Khun Phaen came back, he found what happened and tried to get Wan Thong back, despite him finding a wife in Chiang Mai already. He kidnap Wan Thong from Khan Chang, getting a 3rd wife in process. Each side would kidnap Wan Thong back and fourth a couple times which led to a trial by Phra Phanwasa (meaning the Queen mother), the matriarch of the Kingdom, which ended in Wan Thong being executed for not wanting to commit to either men.

TL;DR a woman gets stuck in a love triangle between a man she loved which betrayed her trust and a man she didn't love who treated her well but their relationship was based on lies. In the end she was executed for not committing to a relationship. (Who could blame her to be honest)

Parts of this epic is actually mandated in Thai schools (I had this for one of my Thai midterms, lol) and in the education system, they focus on the literary rather than the historical context behind the epic.

Many scholars such as Sujit Wongthes believe that this epic is actually a story about a fictional hero of the Suphannaphum Kingdom, one of the kingdoms that would become Ayutthaya in the 14th century. The Suphannaphum dynasty would rule Ayutthaya for much of its early history, which might explain how the story is so widespread.

Sujit believes that many aspects of the epic is representative of the early history of the Suvarnabhumi (not the airport) region, such as

Khun Phaen being a name for the Hindu god of creation, Brahma

Khun Phaen's magical sword, the "Fa Fuen" is named after an ancestral god of the Nan and Luang Prabang region.

When presenting the "Fa Fuen" to Phra Phanwasa, she placed it next to the Chai Si sword, which is representative of the Lao-Khmer origins of Ayutthaya.

All in all, Sujit argues that this folklore is more rooted in the ruling classes than the popular folk. This analysis of Khun Chang Khun Phaen is not present in the episode though, as this would ruin the mood of it so much.

But its inclusion even though it seems out of place (Suphan Buri is in the central parts of Thailand whilst the story is set in the north), is actually not that weird. In the period of the series, Bangkok has just had a major reforms to local administration, ditching the Mandala system in favour of western style centralisation based on colonial administration in the Dutch East Indies. This had the effect of Bangkok suppressing Lanna culture and a "Siamisation" of Lanna. Yai's family who I presume is local administrators sent from Bangkok shows this very cleary, he doesn't try to blend in with locals, he speak the central (Siamese) tongue and reads Siamese literature.

The inclusion of this epic rather than using something most Thai people already know to create the scene, it also creates the historical backdrop in which the series is set.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. I might talk about Sunthon Phu, which Yai recited whilst drunk and also talk about the historical context behind the series too. Please tell me if you are interested.

[therethatstar]

pondphuwin au where phuwin seems to be having a bad day or at least that's what pond thinks. he's been mostly quiet the whole day, keeps it to himself. they're shooting for something and between each break, phuwin is either on his phone or sleeping. which isn't odd for phuwin since he barely has time to rest. but something is off and pond can tell the moment he saw phuwin in the morning.

once work is done, pond asks if he needs a ride home. phuwin waves him off, saying that he's going straight to his condo which is only a few bts rides away. but pond insists so phuwin gives in eventually. once they're on the road, pond goes, "go somewhere with me. promise you, it's going to make your day." and phuwin just kind of raises his brow at him to which pond just grins back at him. soon enough, they're at the house that's a little bit on the outskirt of bangkok. once he parks his car, pond turns to glance phuwin who looks a bit perplexed with their whereabout.

"this is the house where i adopted parker from. come on."

parker seems to recognize pond right away the moment the door is open, running straight to him. after greeting with owner, she tells them to feel free to bring parker outside to play so they end up on sitting on the grass as parker runs back and forth between phuwin and pond. pond keeps stealing glances phuwin and phuwin knows this because nothing slides for him when it comes to pond. that's what happens when you're around someone so much. he knows pond wants to ask but he also knows pond respects his boundaries more than wanting to know. pond knows that if phuwin wants to talk he'll come to him first. so phuwin kind of just sits there quietly, playing with parker whenever he comes to him.

eventually at one point, pond has parker on his laps as he talking to puppy, introducing him to phuwin. "parker, this is phuwin. you're going to see him often so remember his face okay." he points parker towards phuwin and phuwin can't help the way his lips curled upward. "he's a really nice guy but he can be a bit quiet sometime. and you'd think he might be mad at you but then maybe you're just overthinking everything. but give him alot of affection, he says he doesn't like it but i think he actually really likes it. he's just tightlipped that's all." pond doesn't look at him as he says those things, but phuwin keeps his eyes on him. "he has a cat named hana and she's super cute. almost as cute as the owner. almost." phuwin rolls his eyes at that but the smile on his face can't be helped at this point. "you're going to meet her later so remember to be nice to her cause she's little scared with strangers at first."

they end up spending most of the evening playing with parker and end the night after having dinner together. pond drops him off at his condo later, before asking, "better?" phuwin watches him for a moment before he says, "i wasn't mad at you. in case, that's what you think." pond smiles, "i know." phuwin nods at that, presses his lips together, "just a little stressed with work. but i feel alot better now. thanks for today."

pond chuckles lightly, "yeah. parker kind of has that effect. these days, i don't even want to do anything. just want to go see him until i can bring him home."

and phuwin wants to tell pond that yes, parker is part of the reasons why he's feeling much better now. but while it has something to do with parker, he wants to pond that it has everything to do with pond, himself. and once phuwin is in bed that night, he wonders what it would be like once pond actually has someone in life. if he'll be placed in the backseat in pond's life then. if pond won't be paying attention to him as much or the mood that he's in. he can't help but envy the person who's going to occupy every part of pond's mind. and he knows today's evening wasn't a day but it sure felt a little too much like a date and for once, he allows himself to wonder what it would be like to actually go on a date with pond. to be so enamored by pond that he simply doesn't know what to do with it.

[airenyah]

joongdunk vampire bl when??

maybe you've already seen my post "reasons why i need a sexy joongdunk bl". and if you have, then maybe you remember the bonus vampire section at the end

well, i've decided to start collecting vampire mentions here in this own separate post. here i will collect instances where either joong or dunk actually utters the word "vampire" but i will also include things somewhat adjacent to vampires (looking at you, lol fanfast 2023 dum dum neck biting action 👀)

i'll keep updating this post with every future vampire mention that i happen to come across. if you happen to find a vampire mention that is not yet in this post but you think it should be on the list, then do feel free to send me a link to it and i might just add it!! some of them, esp the vampire-adjacent things will be added based on vibes (my vibes, that is. it's my post so i get to put in it whatever the fuck i want)

like this one for example:

[hidden agenda ep12 pt4 (3:25); (24.09.2023)]

like yeah i know this one doesn't really count bc those are just some lines in a series from one fictional character to another fictional character that just happens to be played by dunk but like!! is it not true!! being a vampire (on tv) is dunk's dream job, is it not!!!

1. they WANNA play vampires

no but seriously tho, dunk wants to play a vampire, he explicitly said so:

[dunk x tops; (30.09.2023)]

and so did joong, for that matter:

[l'officiel hommes thailand: "the act of being myself" | translation; (08.12.23)]

[joong's 23rd birthday event; (17.03.2024)] (extended gifset here)

2. dum dum

now, the dum dum performance deserves it's own little section lbr. bc seriously wtf was all that:

[LOL fanfest D1; (24.06.2023) | LOL fanfest D2; (25.06.2023)]

[arm share ep131; (02.08.2023)]

oh and make no mistake, it's not me who's making the dum dum performance about vampires, no, dunk is:

[let's talk bl s4 ep07; (16.08.2023)]

no seriously, let 👏 them 👏 play 👏 vampires!! they've already got experience in biting each other's necks!!!!

3. collection

ok from here on out i think i'll stop with the babbling and just have a collection of gifs with random vampire mentions that i'll just continue to add to this post whenever i come across more bc why the fuck not

[instagram live; (09.10.2023)]

[hidden hangout ep2; (14.11.2023)]

[original twitter thread | translation 1 | translation 2; (18.12.2023)]

context: joong asked what kind of plots fans would like to see him and dunk play

Translation/Summary:

Fan🗣️: In their past lives, Joong and Dunk were enemies who hated each other deeply. One day, a situation arose where one of them had to kill the other. However, the one who was killed (Joong) didn’t die permanently—it was more like his soul was temporarily sealed. He's been there ever since, even up to the present time. Joong☀️: Oh~ Is he still resentful? Fan🗣️: Yes, he is. He’s been sealed in the same spot for a very long time. Joong☀️: So, it’s like the vibe of an old Thai drama, right? starts singing an old Thai series opening theme Fan🗣️: Right, that kind of vibe. But this one is a fantasy genre. His soul is sealed, and we can say he became a vampire. He’s still alive but trapped—he can’t go anywhere, so he keeps living until he can earn a wealthy life. Joong☀️: How does a vampire live his life in Thailand? Fan🗣️: He has to stay in the same place. He can’t leave the restricted zone, and he can’t be exposed to sunlight. Joong☀️: If he lives in Thailand, where would he stay? Thonglor? (a road in Bangkok known for nightlife) Fan🗣️: More like Sukhumvit. (known for luxury malls) Joong☀️: Sukhumvit Vampire? Fan🗣️: Yes~ Joong☀️: Alright, we’ve got the name of the story, everyone. Sukhumvit Vampire 😆 Fan🗣️: So, one day in the present, Dunk comes into the zone controlled by Joong, the same place where Joong’s soul has been sealed. Joong☀️: You mean Sukhumvit? Fan🗣️: Yes. And when Joong sees Dunk, he thinks, "Isn’t this the person who killed me?" Joong☀️: Oh~ So Dunk has been reborn, and Joong’s like, "The person who killed me gets to be reborn, but I’m stuck here." Fan🗣️: Exactly! It’s like, "I’ve been stuck here for so long, while the country has advanced so much, and I’m still trapped." Joong☀️: So I’m the vampire, right? Fan🗣️: Yes, and Dunk killed you. But you can switch roles if you want, I’m not strict about it. I just want this kind of plot. Joong☀️: So, the story is that when they meet, Joong wants to kill Dunk for revenge. But then suddenly, he realizes, after Dunk's rebirth, that Dunk is actually pretty handsome! HAHAHAHA 🤣🤣 Fan🗣️: He believes that killing the person who killed him will break the curse and free him from the place where he’s sealed. Joong☀️: Will monks come at the end and tell us not to seek revenge anymore? 😆 Fan🗣️: No, at the end, they just stab each other to death. Joong☀️: Huh? Really? Do they actually kill each other, or do they hesitate because they’ve fallen in love? Fan🗣️: Actually, I was planning for them to kill each other, but then they realize there was a reason why they have to kill each other in the first place (since their past life). So, the reason is… Joong☀️: Fighting over bubble tea. Fan🗣️: Okay, Joong. Delicious 😂

[joong twitter space (back-up link); (22.09.2024) | translation 1 | translation 2]

[matan4il]

We got a pic of Apo with Ball, a dancer who performed with him in Man Suang. Based on Apo's clothes, it's probably from the same day we saw in the pic shared on Nov 6 and the vid shared Nov 7.

Apo committed the crime of killing the entire fandom by sharing this pic of matching wedding rings. They're set with yellow gems (Apo's fave color), so it feels very much like he's relating this to himself.

This comes not too long after he announced he feels like using Mile's last name...

*laughs in "it's okay, I didn't want my sanity anyway"*

Meanwhile, Mile posted a few pics last night. One of them is of a jazz bar. We know Apo and Mile both like jazz. Last time Mile posted from this place was Oct 7 (he posted a cocktail while there, that he posted again today):

Another pic was of Bangkok's Democracy Monument:

Apo posted the same view exactly a year ago, on Nov 8, 2022:

On the same night, Mile also shared a pic of driving around:

Coincidence? As usual, you decide. Just keep in mind they've said Apo likes to be driven around, and Mile loves to drive. The song Mile was listening to in the car was a romantic one (I Only Care About You), and the vinyl record he shared afterwards was also along the same love theme.

On that same day they also had this Twitter exchange about growing together (since they hit another IG followers milestone):

Okay, one last silly thing. Mile tweeted a pic of this Halloween candy today. He's been posting about getting back in shape recently, so did he eat it? Or did he get it for one candy loving kitten?

(for my daily Kinnporsche/Mileapo posts, click here)

[m3loria]

AN OUT THERE VIUSAL ! ── ❛ a paradise, full of lies ❜. member 001, kasemchai shinawatra !

ぅ( FILE ONE ) ## BASIC INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ birth name : kasemchai shinawatra. ( เกษมช��ย ชินวัตร )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ preferred name : chaiya. ( ไชยา )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ name meaning : kasemchai. ( of thai origin, meaning "a victorious celebration". )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ nicknames : chaimi, semi, kachai, chiya, chaimin ( his close friends. ) side chick king, fuckboy wannabe ( meliora , specifically junmin. ) mr taxi, tea harbinger, tea warrior, meliora's dream guy ( his fans. ) the weirdo, straight shooter, no-bullshit chai ( his fans. )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ date of birth : july 2, 1999.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ legal age : 25 years old.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ zodiac sign : cancer.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ lunar zodiac sign : rabbit.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ place of birth : chiang mai, thailand.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ hometown : chiang mai, thailand.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ nationality : thai.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ ethnicity : thai.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ residences : chiang mai, thailand. ( 1999 —— 2017 ). bangkok, thailand. ( 2017 —— 2020 ). seoul, south korea. ( 2020 —— present ).

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ spoken languages : thai ( 100% , central thai ). english ( 100% , standard english ). korean ( 97% , gyeonggi dialect ). mandarin ( 20% , basic mandarin ).

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ gender identity : demiboy.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ pronouns : he / they.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ romantic orientation : panromantic.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ sexual orientation : pansexual.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ relationship status : taken.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ height : 183 cm ( 6' ).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ weight : undisclosed.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ blood type : o+.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ natural eye color : dark brown.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ natural hair color : black.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ current hair color : black.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ body modifications : 2 piercings ( left ear ). 4 piercings ( right ear ). 6 tattoos.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ face claim : jeff satur (actor).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ speaking claim : jeff satur (actor).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ vocal claim : lee 'hyunjae' jaehyun (the boyz).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ dance claim : huening kai (tomorrow x together).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ rap claim : lee 'hyunjae' jaehyun (the boyz).

ぅ( FILE TWO ) ## CAREER INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ stage name : chaiya. ( 차이야 )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ explanation : he simply wanted a name that was catchy and pronounceable, simply not his birth name. it was an amazing fit!

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ agencies : louvix audio (2020 —— present). sonata media (2020 —— present).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ former agencies : n/a.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ training period : 4 months.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ years active : 2020 —— present.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ occupation : singer-songwriter. model. kpop idol.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ group : meliora (2020 —— present).  ̟ ˖ ⁺ debut date : may 1, 2020.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ debut age : 20 years old.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ position : lead vocalist, sub-rapper, visual.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ representative color : silver ( #e6e6e6 )  ̟ ˖ ⁺ representative emoji : 💋  ̟ ˖ ⁺ individual fandom name : cherub ( originally it was going to be "venus", his favorite planet, but he went with cherub because he has an interest in angels and especially religious angels, also the word cherub is "super fucking pretty" in his own words, he loves how it looks )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ instagram : kachiat ( personal , 903 posts , 2.8m followers , 3 following )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ known for : his insistence to flirt with the members. having the shortest training period out of everyone in the group. only having dating rumors with men. responding to dating rumors by only creating more rumors. his abnormal side quests between comebacks. his imitation of yohan that almost got him punched in the face. his terrible luck. his insane energy. having a fear of nothing but bugs. losing all the mafia games. his emotional attachment to his silver ring. (allegedly) giving birth to taro. being proclaimed "the least funny".

ぅ( FILE THREE ) ## PERSONAL INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ analyzing the mbti : enfp // campaigner. is someone with the extraverted, intuitive, feeling, and prospecting personality traits. these people tend to embrace big ideas and actions that reflect their sense of hope and goodwill towards others. their vibrant energy can flow in many directions.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ strengths : curious, perceptive, enthusiastic, excellent communicators, easygoing, good-natured.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ weaknesses : people-pleasing, overly optimistic, restless, disorganized, overly accommodating, easily bored.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ family : father. mother. older sister.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ family dynamics : their relationship is an increasingly normal family relationship, occasionally their insults seem to hit a little too deep, they all love each other.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ household history : chaiya was born as the second child of two 23 year olds- niran and chariya in 1999, and two years before, they already had his older sister kannika in 1997. the two were messing around up until it bit them back and they ended up with two kids before even graduating from university, but they somehow were able to manage, night jobs and constant night shifts aside. it took a while for them to get up off their feet, two kids in their arms and just barely out of university, chaiya doesn't remember much of his early childhood, but his parents were simply always worried, kannika became a semi surrogate parent for him while they worked late nights in search for jobs their degrees could support. they got married in 2003, the pieces of paper finally became something useful, and the two could support themselves as well as their children. chaiya's childhood was relatively.. fine, there was occasionally fighting about bills but dad and mom always loved each other, their love for their children was spread equally. he was raised in a very happy household.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ father : niran shinawatra, born january 2 1976 in krabi, thailand, resides in chiang mai, thailand, employed as a physician assistant, father of 2.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ mother : chariya pravat, born march 17 1976 in surat thani, thailand, resides in chiang mai, employed as a marketing manager, mother of 2.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ older sister : kannika shinawatra, born december 20 1997 in chiang mai, thailand, resides in bangkok, thailand, employed as a film director.

ぅ( FILE FOUR ) ## TRIVIAL INFORMATION

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ habits & mannerisms : scratching his cheek, biting his tongue when he's anxious, knocking his knuckles together, swearing whenever he drops something, tossing stuff instead of passing it, hugging everyone in sight, cupping everyone's cheeks, carrying his members as a display of affection, frequently reminding everyone of his love for them.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ hobbies and skills : playing video games, noting down his improvement every month, reading comic books, making gifts, speaking three languages at the same time, watching shows kyrie acted in just to laugh at them, sewing himself new blankets, creating specific playlists, bending his body in simply terrifying ways, sight-seeing, traveling to go sight see.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ likes : meliora, his hair, cats, musicals, babying people, theater, singing, soft blankets, cold colors, learning new things, neon lights, affection, venus, science, space, silver, silver jewelry, puppies, butterflies, pearls, flower fields, photography, imitating yohan, sleeping early.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ dislikes : his moms parents, milk, staying up late, math, the ocean, sports (sort of), being underestimated, not having time to talk, puzzles, milk chocolate, getting yelled at, having to be serious, mistreatment, smoothies, milkshakes, most dairy, chalk, swimming.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ phobias : thalassophobia ( fear of deep bodies of water )

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite colors : silver, dark blue.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite seasons : summer.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite animals : butterflies, cats specially tuxedo cats.  ̟ ˖ ⁺ favorite numbers : 12, 17.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ personal playlist : 200%, akmu. o sole mio, iz*one. earfquake, tyler the creator. pov, ariana grande. teen idle, marina and the diamonds. candy man, brown eyed girls. mr taxi, girls generation. binz, solange. comme des garçons, rina sawayama. twilight, boa. snap out of it, arctic monkeys.

 ̟ ˖ ⁺ close friends : choi yeonjun, choi soobin, tomorrow x together. ju haknyeon, the boyz. cho miyeon, nicha yontarak, song yuqi, (g)i-dle.

ぅ( FILE FIVE ) ## FACTUAL INFORMATION

001 ▬▬ chaiya's personal account is basically a dumping ground for the random stuff in his camera roll. it's amazing how much he doesn't post himself, it's always pictures of the other members, or his puppy, or literally anything but a selca.

002 ▬▬ chaiya adopted a golden retriever named sarai in 2022 and that is literally his daughter. his emotional attachment to her is insane, she's basically the star of his instagram account.

003 ▬▬ chaiya is deathly allergic to dairy, he proclaims that it's the "worst thing about him". he found out for the first time when he ate ice cream and had a near death experience. he now has a terrible attachment to dairy free products.

004 ▬▬ chaiya is the member with the most consisting dating rumors, but especially with other male idols. the company has forbidden him from commenting on his own rumors because whenever he does he just makes his situation worse.

005 ▬▬ chaiya's cooking is okay. he can't make eight course meals like yohan, hwan or kiro but he's not half bad, he's practically keeping haneul alive.

006 ▬▬ he has a collection of souvenirs from every single place he's traveled to. he usually travels to other countries to collect souvenirs and eat the food, maybe pick up some recipes. as of 2024, he has souvenirs from taiwan, singapore, sweden, and greece.

007 ▬▬ it's become a whole inside joke that louvix audio isn't paying him correctly because he always gets caught with odd side jobs in between comebacks. the funniest instance of this is when a fan went to a cafe and he was their barista. the inside joke is so well known that the company themself had to release a statement, but most people don't take anything they say seriously.

008 ▬▬ his newest interest is photography, he often goes to photo exhibits to admire them whenever the group has even a sliver of a break. his partner has a huge interest in photography and he picked it up after them.

009 ▬▬ the reason netizens usually have problems with him is because of his, and i quote, "clear lack of media training". sometimes it's funny because he swears once in a livestream and they throw a hissy fit. he often says things that are out of line, constantly getting in trouble for the insurmountable dick jokes he can't resist making.

010 ▬▬ chaiya will fight for meliora. he'll literally bruise his knuckles for the members he doesn't care. he will square up with any meliora anti, because even though the members usually give him shit, he still won't let any bad talk step aside.

[nayeonline]

Ari's K-Pop Roundup: June 2024 (LISA, Red Velvet, NAYEON, NewJeans, KATSEYE, CHUU + MORE)

Hope everyone had a nice pride month - I unfortunately was chained to my textbooks for the brunt of it and didn't do anything pride related, but I did see Taylor Swift, so I guess it wasn't all bad. This is the 5th installment of this series - genuinely didn't think I would make it this far - you can check out last month's roundup here, or see my full masterlist here. Enjoy :)

ROCKSTAR - LISA (BLACKPINK)

It's very rare that we see a kpop idol's pure, unadulterated vision for the music they release due to the manufactured, consumerist nature of the industry, but here we have Lisa, arguably the most popular female kpop idol of all time (at least internationally) free from the company that is widely known for formulaic, repetitive music. Will she stick with the brand YG has created for her and reinforce the box Teddy has placed her in sonically, or will she forge her own way?

Right from the teasers, I knew we were in for something a little different. Although conceptually the chrome, futuristic vibe is nothing new in kpop, seeing Lisa without those god forsaken white washing filters was very exciting. And the fact that k-netizens are taking to it very well?? Lisa is here to rock the boat. 'Rockstar' is only a single with no mini album, but hey, it's Lisa, meaning she doesn't need to boost the length of her releases to snatch those extra sales, she do well commercially regardless. Usually a single album would annoy me, but BLACKPINK are back to releasing music, so today I will let it slide.

With a Kendrick Lamar 'Humble' visual reference in the music video, a Tame Impala sample, and a sneaky little writing credit, Lisa clearly wants to reshape her framing in the industry - with 'Rockstar' she's rejecting the somewhat diminishing 'idol rapper' status, and seeking that 'rapper rapper' reputation. She wants to sit at the table with Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, and 'Rockstar', in my opinion, does a decent job at securing her seat.

You can't reference Kendrick and not put in a double entendre in your lyrics, and Lisa (and her fellow writers) delivered in that category with quite a lot of success actually. In the line 'been MIA, BKK so pretty, Every city I go to is my city' 'MIA' is used to mean either 'missing in action', referencing how absent Blackpink has been from the music industry thanks to YG's interesting management choices, or as a reference to the Miami IATA airport code just as BKK means Bangkok, Thailand - in this context its an allusion to Lisa's multilingualism and her international influence as a member of Blackpink. It's a really good line, is what I'm trying to say.

Most of the issues I have with 'Rockstar' stem from the songs length. With the base track clocking in at 2 minutes 18 seconds (oh my god what have we come to), the song feels like it's just begun when it's all over. Excluding the choruses, hooks, and pre-choruses, and pasting what remains together, we are left with one singular, honestly quite short verse. Yeah it's a pretty good verse, both in flow and lyrical content, but one verse in what is clearly trying to be a rap song is unacceptable.

'Rockstar' is frustrating to me because while it has its genuinely great moments, like when 'lala' is used in reference to singing and to Lisa's real name when bounced onto the next line, a lot of that greatness gets eclipsed by the track's shortcomings (pun somewhat intended). However, although she's done solo work before in YG this is undoubtedly something of a debut, and through that lens, while it is flawed, the track shows potential. 'Rockstar' knows exactly what kind of song it wants to be, and even though it doesn't quite measure up, it's still a step in the right direction. I'm very excited to see what Lisa does next with her career. At the very least, 'Rockstar' was fun, for sure.

Cosmic - Red Velvet (Cosmic)

When I write these reviews, I try to describe the feelings and emotions and energies the song in question evokes, and I have found that when I struggle, the song is good - and I mean exceptionally good. 'Cosmic' is one such track - I fucking love every part of it - it's so addictive to the ninth degree, from that gorgeous music video to the low and slow verses to that utterly euphoric chorus. From Joy's slightly psychotic edge to her lines that she perfected in the 'Peekaboo' era, to Seulgi's vocals in the hook, and Wendy's high note pulling us into that final chorus; everything about 'Cosmic' WORKS. Lines like 'I'm riding on your rhythm through the solar system' and 'love is cosmic' work both in their catchiness and emotiveness. This era is obviously inspired heavily by the 2019's 'Midsommar', a visual feast of a horror film about a disturbing Scandinavian cult, and let me tell you, if 'Cosmic' is a cult, consider me initiated. Not to spoil my end of 2024 ranking or anything, but as for right now, 'Cosmic' is taking the cake for the best kpop song of the year, no questions asked.

Red Velvet b-sides always hit, and the 'Cosmic' mini album delivers as expected. 'Sunflower' furthers that 'i just took an edible and i found my way onto Spotify' energy, and that hook of 'OOH WOW FEELING SO FUN FUN FEELING SO FUNNY' is hilariously good, this is a standout for sure. The other b-side I want to highlight is 'Night Drive', the album closer. With elements of citypop and 80s synthpop, 'Night Drive' feels like exactly that - a 3am drive around a city you hardly know with people you know better than yourself. It's a celebration of music, and that's putting it lightly.

SM might be working up to shunting Red Velvet into their peripheral vision, what with the new 12 member girl group debuting soon, but 'Cosmic' proves their legend status once and for all. We freaking love you RV, never change. (And I would in fact join a cult if Seulgi was my fearless leader xx)

ABCD - NAYEON (NA)

Look, JYP may be my op until the day I die, but I'm not going to sit here and lie - he knows how to write hits when he wants to, and 'ABCD' is a HIT.

2022's 'POP!' was just that - pure, unadulterated pop music, exactly what was trending in Korea at the time - the image of modern kpop. And don't get me wrong, I loved it, but when it came for Nayeon's first comeback, I was worried she was again going to pull from the current trend cycle, and right now that means airy, Pinkpantheress type beats with a UK garage adjacent vibe - and that's not Nayeon. Her voice is full and powerful and rich in colour and flavour, a song like that just wouldn't work for her. I was nervous, for sure, but when the teaser dropped, I knew it was going to be good. In 'ABCD' Nayeon is rejecting the trend cycle almost entirely - it still flaunts that 00s vibe unabashedly, but here we are pulling from a trumpet fueled 'Crazy In Love' Beyoncé energy, and oh boy does it work. The lyricism in this song goes crazy, that chorus is masterfully written and unbelievably catchy, and that post chorus build up is INSANE. Nayeon's range is on full display here, and she sounds incredible.

The rest of the mini album is pretty amazing too. 'Butterflies' has some super interesting vocal layering, and many great moments like 'a little mental picture, every time I'm with ya' - and although it's pretty clear this was supposed to be a TWICE track once upon a time, with Nayeon even appearing to imitate the members' styles of delivery (it's like I can hear Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung on this track clear as day) it's still an easy hit that I can't help but love. 'Heaven' doesn't quite work for me, it's not unlistenable, but the feeling that it has simultaneously too much and not enough energy perserveres, unfortunately. 'Magic', the song that my girl Julie features on is pop perfection, and these girls work so well together - Julie's interjections are so catchy and her parts steal the show entirely. 'Magic' is a bonafide hit. 'HalliGalli' is very AKMU (as to be expected), but I can't help but feel like it's a little immature, both for Nayeon and this album. It has some fun elements, but the complete track just isn't it for me. 'Something' is a fun pop song, if a little dull at moments, but that post chorus is a stunner. 'Count It' brings down the tempo of the album a little, in a groovy track with some beautiful vocal production - it's exactly the punch up the tracklist needed after the weaker couple of tracks that precede it.

Nayeon is my blog namesake, and she has done me proud on this album. Yes, some tracks were on the weaker side, but the overall product is strong, with Nayeon's oustanding performance on every track, and a killer title song in 'ABCD'. In terms of other TWICE members getting solos, I would love to see how Sana approached a song on her own, or even Tzuyu, who despite being the maknae and visual, tends to get lost in the sauce of a lot of TWICE releases. We will have to see, I suppose.

Right Now + Supernatural - NewJeans

God, I sound like a stuck record every time NewJeans drops some new music, but holy hell is it always good. Following their 2nd single album 'How Sweet' earlier this year, the girls are dipping their toes into the Japanese market for the first time with two tracks - 'Supernatural' and 'Right Now'. NewJeans have captured the attention of all of South Korea pretty much, it's now time to look further afield.

'Right Now', drenched in sassy lilting vocal runs, is bedroom pop at it's finest. The up-and-down choral melodies evoke the energy of a 2am gossip debrief at a sleepover with your best friends. The dichotomy of Minji's languid repetition of 'I don't care' with a chorus that speedy and spirited is humorous and perfectly captures what it is to be a teenage girl with a crush. NewJeans know who their audience is, and are making music directly for that.

'Supernatural' came next, embracing that New Jack Swing sound wholeheartedly - its very 'early 00s street dance movie'. It's quite a bit more mature than 'Right Now', the girls decorating those gorgeous synths and groovy instrumentation with a genuine collected confidence. As always, it pushes the boundaries of the y2k trend and thematically pulls from the era itself, not other people's recent interpretations of the era. It's experimental for NewJeans I think, which works for a debut, and while it takes a lot of the right risks, and makes a lot of the right choices, the chorus leaves a little something to be desired. The melody and hooks are perfect, I have no issues with them, but the vocal direction needs tweaking. A song like this demands a chant style chorus with all the members in my opinion, and while the vocal layering of the individual members singing attempts that anthemic feel, it comes off as slightly limp-fisted. I'm kind of dramatizing this issue because to be frank, it is rare I find something in a NewJeans track that I can pinpoint as a problem. The song is still of a supremely high caliber, and to be honest, any thinness in the chorus vocals just inspires the listener to fill in the gaps themselves with an impromptu karaoke session.

Lyrically, both 'Right Now' and 'Supernatural' break the kpop-takes-on-the-Japanese-market formula by including not only a blend of Japanese and English lyrics, but some Korean lines too. I find it quite clever, like saying 'this is NewJeans' debut in Japan, but they will always be a korean pop group first and foremost'. While some groups like Girls' Generation and Twice find their discographies split into 2 - kpop and jpop, NewJeans are clearly making an effort to unite both markets under 1 discography.

As a debut, this works. Two tracks united by classic NewJeans production and differentiated by themes and tone. It's really been a rough year for these girls, what with the whole Min Heejin vs HYBE drama and with Hyein's injury leaving her out of promotions for both single albums altogether, but there's a light at the end of this tunnel, and as long as the music stays consistently high quality as it has been, I will have no complaints.

(sidenote: the fact that I wasn't at Bunnies Camp in the Tokyo Dome is a little sick and twisted.)

Debut - KATSEYE

I mean, maybe expectations were unrealistically high since KATSEYE is HYBE's first real stab at the western market, but come on, we all deserved better than this. A half-hearted pop song that fails to innovate in every sense of the word, and they have the audacity to not even make it three minutes. IT'S BARELY EVEN TWO MINUTES. Kpop companies pulling from PinkPantheress constantly is truly a double edged sword, on one hand we get fucking incredible songs like 'LOOP' and 'Super Shy', and then on the other we get every kpop company waking up and deciding that actually it's totally okay to release 2 minute songs and act like it's a completed product. As a British girl, seeing the effects of the recession and the cost of living crisis on the people around me in real time is one thing, but seeing fucking SHRINKFLATION weed its way into pop music as well is like the burning cherry on top of my cesspit sundae.

I genuinely don't know what happened in the production of this song, like they got Ryan Tedder, who has contributed so much great music to this world, and then somehow the end product was so dull and uninspired.

The worst part is these girls are absurdly talented and they are getting served dirt. HYBE - that mini album coming later this year better be good istg. Ok, I'm done ranting.

BUT OH MY GOD TWO MINUTES AND THREE FUCKING SE-

Strawberry Rush - CHUU (Strawberry Rush)

(obligatory note: if you want to stream Chuu's old solo tracks, or any other old loona songs, please stream via the loona podcast or the twelveM account on spotify in accordance with the boycott)

Having the LOONA girls free from that cesspit of a company is one thing, but getting new LOONA music this often is certainly an unprecedented win for me.

Following her re-debut under ATRP in late 2023 with 'Howl', Chuu is back for her first comeback with 'Strawberry Rush'; a mini album drenched in electric pink and cherry red and sunny yellow. Chuu has an innately magnetic quality and Strawberry Rush as a title track takes full advantage of that. It's an utterly adorable song that I genuinely can't imagine anyone not loving. That disco synth thrumming the song's heartbeat is reinforced with a killer baseline, and Chuu's gorgeous vocal colour gives the track even more energy than it already has. The intro and opening are perfect at punching up the mood and setting the scene for the chorus, but it's when Chuu comes in with 'packing that heat, packing that heat, packing that PEW PEW PEW' that the song truly swings into motion and you know that this is going to be a fun one.

The mini album doesn't quite match the energy of it's title track, with it maintaining a more relaxed vibe, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. 'Honeybee' is an acoustic track decorated in summer daisy chains and buttercup bouquets, and it works wonderfully with Chuu's more airy vocals. 'Daydreamer' follows a similar sonic theme to 'Honeybee' but with a more late night nap with the cicadas vibe - Chuu's ability to switch between powerful, call-to-action vocals in 'Strawberry Rush' and featherweight tones in the b-sides is truly commendable. 'Lucid Dream' comes next, a perfect midpoint between 'Strawberry Rush' and 'Daydreamer', heartfelt and addictive. It's a real stand out on the album for sure. 'Chocolate' was released as a single a while back, and I enjoyed it then absolutely, but it makes so much more sense on this album - somehow it just got even more catchy.

Effortlessly adorable, effortlessly catchy, effortlessly perfect - Chuu, you have done it again.

MINI REVIEWS:

Boom Boom Bass - RIIZE: absolutely no notes, im obsessed. I've literally never loved a boy groups music like this before. wow.

Inner Dance - tripleS Glow: tripleS' ability to establish their own sound and musical motifs so early on in their career has served them very well, and 'Inner Dance' shows that clearly. Light and casual and airy, it's the perfect backtrack to your summer break.

Summer Festa - IVE: I usually don't dignify these type of advertisement songs with a review, but this one is actually kind of a bop. A little bit 'Espresso' coded; it's something fun for the summer that inadvertently encourages getting blackout drunk at the hotel bar in Bali. I'm still not drinking Pepsi though. Or Coca Cola for that matter, NewJeans pipe down.

BADVILLAIN - BADVILLAIN: (requested by @a-moth-to-the-light) Although apparently capturing the eyes and ears of seemingly the entire kpop community, this one wasn't hugely to my liking. This might be controversial but my first impression was in fact 'wow this sounds like something babymonster would release' - I can see the appeal but unfortunately these songs just aren't meant for me. I do enjoy the classical influenced production and for the most part the vocal performances were fun too, but with the hook I wish they had bumped up the high note at the end of 'villain' another octave - that's such a nitpick I know but the thought struck me immediately when I heard it. '+82' on the other hand impressed me immensely, such a powerful, call-to-action type song. That background production is a killer, and perhaps I just have Kendrick on the brain from my Lisa review, but the beat feels somewhat along those lines. And holy fuck can these girls dance - wow.

Sabotage - Kwon Eunbi: Can Eunbi release a flop title track? Turns out, once again, no she can't. I love 'Sabotage', it's so hilarious and catchy, and singing along feels like accusing an imaginary boyfriend of gaslighting lol. Woollim giving this song to Eunbi feels a little ironic, considering since she left IZ*ONE, it seems all they've done to her career is sabotage her with poor promotions. The song is fun, and Eunbi sounds excellent as always, with 'Sabotage' boasting many a vocal riff, especially following the bridge. Give this one a listen, and whilst you're there, go check out the rest of my girl's discography, she's truly a hidden gem.

[haeseolar]

the gaze of the angels

guild hunter au - kinnporsche / archangel!kinn, hunter!porsche

rated G, 2.7k words

twitter

based on a scene from the first book in the guild hunter series, angels' blood. for context, angel's create and handle vampires as they work under them. porsche as a hunter tracks any unruly vamp who has escaped and brings them back to their 'owners', in this case, the arch/angels.

----

“Give me one good reason I should be talking to you on my day off.”

“Well, hello to you too, Porsche,” Arm, the director of the Hunter’s Guild, says, his voice no less sarcastic even through the phone line.

Porsche snorts, kicking off his boots into a heap by his front door. He’ll fix that later; right now, he has one thing on his mind: to relax.

“I’m waiting,” Porsche replies, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He’d never hang up on his best friend-cum-boss, but the temptation grows as he wanders into his apartment - his haven, his sanctuary - and feels in his gut that whatever Arm is about to tell him won’t be anything good.

“Well,” Arm begins and then goes so quiet Porsche has to check to make sure they’re still connected. “Your holiday is being cut sh-"

“No fucking way!” Porsche cuts him off, coming to stand in the middle of his kitchen.

The marble top island is more cluttered than he’d like it to be, but he’s been nonstop working for the past 3 weeks on one of the hardest hunts of his life. A rogue vampire had gone insane, slaughtering more people than he could count on his fingers. Despite being a crazy lunatic, the bastard had been smart, and led Porsche on a wild chase until he finally caught up and sent him back to his angel owner for her to deal with. He’d barely had time to sleep, let alone clean.

“Porsche,” Arm’s voice is hard - stoic and with no room to argue, taking the tone that the director of the Guild should have. This wasn’t a friendly chat - this was a business one through and through. “You’ve been requested.”

Porsche scoffs, “That’s nice, but -”

“By an archangel.”

Porsche feels his whole world go quiet. “It’s not April Fool’s Day, Arm,” He says shakily.

“I know, and I’d never joke about this, but…” Arm sighs, and it’s a frustrated one. “We’re between a rock and a hard place. I tried to deny his request and said you’re off duty for the foreseeable future, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

Fucking archangels, Porsche thought, the voice inside his head spiteful. He’d never be able to say it out loud without dire consequences, but in the privacy of his own brain, he’ll curse them out as much as he wants. They’re selfish creatures, living in their high-rises to look down upon all mortals, ruling over the cities they claim as their own without a care in the world. As long as they’re happy, nothing else matters.

“What does he want?”

“They wouldn’t say. His lackeys who called up were very secretive, even with me,” Arm grumbles something under his breath with the same amount of disdain Porsche feels. The archangels are famously hard to work with. “I’m really sorry, and I will do all I can to make this up to you - but you have to meet him tomorrow.”

“Which one?” Porsche asks, mind going a hundred miles an hour. He went through all the ones he knew - the ones he’d already worked for. He’s had to clean up more of their messes than he can count, but of course, they do nothing but deposit a grand sum of money in his bank account and go about their day without even a simple thanks.

“Archangel Anakinn.”

The name cut off all of Porsche’s internal ramblings. That name had fear instilled into it, each letter dripping with the promise of death if you defied him. The archangel of Bangkok wasn’t exactly known for his niceties; even Porsche, who had fought rogue vampires twisted with bloodlust beyond any form of rationality, who stood up against anyone or anything not caring about the consequences, starts to feel anxiety creeping in.

“Fuck me,” Porsche let out, leaning against the counter to keep him up. His knees felt weak. “Let me guess, I’ve gotta go on my own, too?”

He could feel the wince through the phone as Arm answered, “Yep.”

Double fuck, Porsche curses. “Ping me the time and location.”

“Porsche -” Arm began, but Porsche hung up before he could finish, not in the mood to talk anymore.

He glances around his apartment, at the warm woods and white accents, at the trinkets and paintings spread around that he’d collected in his travels, and breathes in the scent of incense to try and ground himself. There’s no use in avoiding the inevitable, so he looks outside his window at the hotel situated opposite his apartment building. It towers above him, each window lit with shadows of activity behind them. It’s a building that never sleeps, with all sorts of goings on happening in the secrecy only immortals had the pleasure of knowing.

Porsche’s phone pinged with the details of his meeting for tomorrow.

Director Arm:

Tomorrow, Theerapanyakul’s Hotel, 09:00 am sharp.

Memorising the information immediately, Porsche knows that if he takes a few steps forward, he’ll be able to see the rooftop of the hotel - the Theerapanyakul’s Hotel. It doesn’t have any railing or safety bordering it, as there would be no point. It’s a landing and takeoff point for angels, and they could fly, their giant wings sprawling outwards so wide that even to this day, Porsche finds himself pausing whatever he was doing to stop and watch. He’d spent countless hours since he’d moved into this apartment spying on them, watching them come and go, equally fascinated as he was repulsed by their royalty in society.

Each angel had their own set of wings, and no two were the same. One pair had caught his attention the most out of all he’d seen, and he’d seen plenty at this point. Porsche recalls ones that were so wide that they had almost blocked out the entire sky, so dark in colour that it seemed as if a black hole had opened up in their place, if not for the red tips of the feathers that were visible even from so far away. Porsche has never met Archangel Anakinn - but he knows him. He’s seen him, watched him, studied him the best he could from afar as he admired each descent and take-off from flight, the beauty of his wings too tempting to look away from even for a second.

Porsche walks forward, eyes rising upwards until he can finally see the rooftop, hoping to catch a glimpse of them. To his dismay, the rooftop is empty, so instead he imagines what it’ll be like when he is up there tomorrow, and if he’d survive the meeting long enough to continue admiring the view of the angels he so frequently indulged in

-----

“Alright, alright! I get it, no need to push,” Porsche says, wrenching his shoulder away from a heavy-handed vampire. 

The impudent thing just glares at him, his fangs poking out, just begging for the hunter to act up within the hotel. Everyone knows that you behave when in a general radius of an archangel, let alone when you’re in one’s territory. The vampire looks young, but the smell radiating off of him could only mean age - and Porsche doesn’t mean a few years, but hundreds. He looks overly serious, with his perfect ponytail and miserable atmosphere, which only makes Porsche want to prod at him even more to see if he can get a reaction out of him instead.

“Get in.” The vampire orders, shoving Porsche into an open elevator. 

“Does your boss not teach you any manners?” Porsche mutters under his breath, nose scrunching up in distaste at the vampire’s scent now clinging to him. 

Each one smells different, much like each angel’s wings - it’s part of their DNA, their defining feature. This one smells sour, his scent warped with internal rage and something sad, almost as if he’s left it so long that it’s gone off, twisted and rotten. It’s clear that he hates Porsche, so much so that it’s leaking out of every pore.

“What did you say, guild hunter?” The vampire snaps, eyes narrowed in malice.

“I said, did your boss not teach you any manners?” Porsche repeats, enunciating each word clearly, not caring about the consequences. 

“Why, you -” The vampire begins through gritted teeth until the elevator doors open and let in a gust of wind so strong it threatens to knock him off balance.

Porsche blinks, his eyes drying out immediately as he takes in the scene before him. He hadn’t even noticed they’d made it to the top, caught up in the brewing fight. The vampire grabs his arm, dragging him out and practically throwing him forward. Porsche’s senses are all going off, each one struggling to acclimate to a slew of incoming smells, sounds, and feelings. 

“Khun Kinn, he’s arrived.”

“Thank you, Big. You may go,” A voice replies, so smooth and luxurious that Porsche’s stomach clenches. 

He watches as the vampire - or Big, he supposes - bows and takes his leave, looking like nothing more than a trained puppy in front of his master. Porsche holds back the urge to sneer, but he reigns it in.

 

Even though he’s completely open out here, the wind is strong and loud, it’s warmer than he expected, the sun shining directly into his eyes. He squints, trying to gather his bearings as he looks out across the expanse of the roof, focusing on a shadowy figure at the opposite end. Even without fully seeing him - Porsche knows who it is. 

Archangel Anakinn.

There’s no doubt in his mind, no second guesses, as his mere aura alone is enough to suffice. The great span of his wings flutters, rising and blocking out the harsh glare of the sun, bringing everything back into focus. Porsche blinks, black spots dotting around his vision as he adjusts until he can finally see who he is truly facing.

His breath catches in his throat, eyes widening without his permission as he takes in the archangel. Anakinn’s hair is perfectly styled, not a hair out of place except the purposely left-out strand that catches on his eyelashes, even with the harsh winds that are whipping Porsche’s clothing and hair around relentlessly. It’s as if the earth has stopped moving, stopped existing, covering Anakinn in an eternal peace where he’s untouchable. Porsche’s eyes carry on moving, desperate and wanting to take the man in. They follow his masculine brow bone and down the gentle slope of his nose, cataloguing each mole and curve, straight angle and harsh cut of his jawline. 

Even hidden, Porsche can sense the sheer amount of strength hidden within his body. It’s not all physical, although he doesn’t doubt that he is just as strong in that sense as he is in any other, but the archangel naturally exudes such a vibe that Porsche feels dizzy. Anakinn’s clothes are simple - a white shirt that stands out starkly against his black wings and is open enough to show off the cut of his pecs, along with a pair of tight slacks. He mustn’t feel the chill, either, as any sensible person would at least wear a jacket up here.

 

Porsche’s eyes flicker back up to meet Anakinn’s, and where they are a natural brown colour, there’s nothing normal about them. It isn’t just one shade, but hundreds, maybe even thousands, that meld and entwine amongst each other in his irises, glowing almost golden with how rich they are that Porsche fears if he looks for too long, he will lose himself forever amongst them. 

“Done looking, Hunter Porsche?”

Porsche visibly jolts at the address, shuddering back into reality as he snaps out of whatever daze he is in.

“It’s not often I find myself face-to-face with an archangel,” Porsche retorts, willing the heat on his cheeks at being caught to fade away.

Anakinn smiles, barely a tilt of his lips, and yet Porsche feels he’s being treated like a child. It’s humouring - demeaning - like the angel opposite him sees him as nothing more than a toy to entertain himself with. It wouldn’t surprise him if that’s exactly what was happening, but it pisses him off either way. 

“We’re a private bunch,” Anakinn replies simply, gesturing to the table to the side. Porsche follows his hand to the breakfast spread laid out for them. “Shall we have something to eat, and then begin?”

Porsche shrugs, too stiff to be casual, but it at least forces his muscles to loosen, “Sure.”

Anakinn waits until Porsche moves first, and even with his back turned, he can feel eyes following him with each step. Before he can drag a seat out for himself, Anakinn asks from right behind him:

“Did Big treat you well on your way up?”

Porsche spins around, not having felt or heard anyone creep up on him. His heart is in his throat, his hand on the knife that was hidden in his jacket sleeve, the blade peaking out as he’s ready to attack. It’s lucky he just about caught himself from stabbing the archangel, too on edge from nerves.

Anakinn glances down, catching sight of the knife, “I see you weren’t checked for weapons.”

“I was,” Porsche replies instantly, and even though it’s delayed, he finally gets a waft of the archangel’s scent. His mouth waters - it’s not like anything he’s smelled before. It’s sensual, sweet, and musky - cloying and addictive. “Your people just underestimated me.”

“Oh?” Anakinn’s eyebrow raises, and it’s so unfairly attractive that Porsche feels a pulse of violence rise in him. “I assure you, no one in this building would dare do such a thing.”

“You don’t need to flatter me,” Porsche says cuttingly, sliding the blade back into its rightful place. “I know you chose me for a reason, and I’m damn good at my job, whatever it may be.”

Anakinn hums, eyes appraising as they trace over his face and down his body, and back up again. Each bit they cover leaves hot trails behind, burning his skin even through layers of clothes. “What if I wanted to flatter you?”

Porsche’s heart seizes, his throat clicking as he swallows. “Just add a couple thousand onto my pay check, and we’d be good.”

Anakinn steps closer, boxing Porsche in, pushing his lower back into the chair behind him. It digs in at an uncomfortable angle, precariously balanced on something that could move and leave him unmoored and unstable in his stance. Their chests are almost touching, and Anakinn’s scent gets stronger, sweeter, and more enticing. Porsche can see Anakinn’s wings out of his peripherals, and the feathers look even softer than he could’ve ever imagined. He wants to reach out and touch, but he doesn’t dare.

“Only a couple thousand, hunter?” Anakinn tilts his head to the side, deceptively innocent, “I think you’re worth more than that.”

“You haven’t even tried me yet,” Porsche replies, and he’s not sure what he’s talking about - whether it’s the hunt he’s about to be debriefed on, or something else. Even worse, he’s not sure which one he’d rather be discussing.

“We can change that,” Anakinn says, voice low, words rich and honeyed, as his eyes drop to Porsche’s lips. 

They linger, only for a moment, and then they’re gone, along with Anakinn’s presence. Porsche gasps in shock, turning back around to face the table, where the archangel is now sitting down, poised as if he’s on a throne and not a garden chair. 

“So, you’re not a cheap worker, hm?” 

Porsche drags his seat out, watching as the screeching sound of the metal against the concrete doesn’t make the man flinch. He flops down onto it, relishing in the plush softness of the cushion beneath him. 

Folding his arms over his chest, Porsche replies: “I’ll rinse you dry, but I’m worth every penny.”

Anakinn’s eyes search him again, this time more intense, not even bothering to hide the roaring desire and attraction in them. “Then I suppose I look forward to working with you, Hunter Porsche.”

Porsche smirks, shifting in his seat, leaning into the warm bubbling sensation caressing his skin at such a gaze directed at him, the base of his spine tingling with it. He can’t wait to see what Archangel Anakinn has in store for him.

[tender-ministrations]

Shep has disappeared on his honeymoon. Of course.

As a virgin COBBster, I'm looking forward to publishing the full story with the lovely @louvsona very soon.

I love seeing the pictures from the Omaha trip (y'all made it to The Bookworm!). I'm having to make do with trips to Costa here in the UK.

Back to the story:

Of course Shep has found trouble in Thailand on his honeymoon with Penny. She calls our boys in the middle of the night:

Simon POV

I sit up, pulling the duvet away from Baz. He throws an arm over his face and groans, “What’s he done now? Left Penny for a Thai demon?” “Possibly,” I reply. “What?” He jolts up next to me, and I put it on speaker. “He loves it here. He’s made friends with everyone. The old ladies selling Pad Thai in polystyrene boxes on the street. The cool guys who converted a VW van into a cocktail bar . . . all the Tuk Tuk drivers knew his name within 24 hours. You know. That was all before we even left Bangkok.” Next to me, I feel rather than see Baz roll his eyes. “We took an overnight train up north. Then he found a leaflet for this backpacker place Off the Beaten Track. He thought we could see some of the ‘real Thailand.’ Go hiking in the hills and stuff. Find interesting Maybes. Then he met some bloke at a temple here who promised to show him some amazing magickal Thai something or other. Shep left at dawn to go meet him . . . . and I haven’t seen him since” “I kept thinking he would show up,” she sobs. “You know, maybe dirty and worse for wear . . .” “With new tattoos,” mutters Baz. “Where exactly are you?” I ask.  “On the outskirts of Chiang Rai. Near the border with Myanmar and Laos.” Baz looks at me. I shrug. No idea either. There’s a pause. And then in a quiet voice, Penny says, “Guys, I’ve tried everything. I think I need your help.”

Thanks for the support and tags @blackberrysummerblog @brilla-brilla-estrellita @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs

[moirtre]

‎ ‎ ⋆⠀⠀&.⠀⠀٬⠀⠀❝ 2 : 33 AM :   EVERGREEN. ❞  ‎ ‎ ┉       

one day, i will stop falling in love with you. some day, someone will like me like i like you. until then, i'll drink my coffee, eat my pie, pretend that we are more than friends. then, of course i'll let you break my heart again.⠀–— from, “Let You Break My Heart Again - Laufey & Philharmonia Orchestra”

&.⠀⠀CHARACTERS⠀⠀┉⠀⠀*⠀NAIRA CHRISTIANSEN, CARTER KIM. &.⠀⠀WORD COUNT⠀⠀┉⠀⠀*⠀2.7K &.⠀⠀WARNINGS⠀⠀┉⠀⠀*⠀suggestive content, manipulation. &.⠀⠀NOTES⠀⠀┉⠀⠀*⠀apologizing in advance. it's not heavy but it approaches being heavy. carter (derogatory) can be found at @genav0s. naira's (unfortunately) a little dumb in this one but i really can't blame her! not proofread bc i never proofread anything <3 takes place in 2019 when both of them had way too much time on their hands.

Naira feels the buzz of her phone before she can process its awakening by her side. 

Her hands, covered in the gray mush that rests on her wheel, scramble to grab onto the towel that lies discarded beneath the carefully sectioned block wrapped up in plastic. The mush splatters onto her cotton overalls as the wheel comes to a halt. The music playing in her ears mimics the wheel, ceasing to play as her ringtone fills her ears through the white headphones attached to the jack of her phone. 

She huffs in frustration as the towel sticks to her hands. Pressing against the material, she silently prays she can free up a few fingers before the call disappears. 

It’s 2am in Seoul, midnight in Bangkok. 

“Must be important,” is what she tries to rationalize in her mind as she continues the scramble.

The ringing ends before she can put the towel down. With a low curse under her breath, she relents to cleaning her other hand. Before she can pick up the phone, it buzzes with a notification.

thought i was special :(

A scoff leaves her lips, her hands clamoring to answer the melodramatic man on the other end of the text. 

it’s 2am carter

She responds, fighting off a smile that pulls at her cheeks and warms her skin. 

The late-night texts from the Canadian were nothing new between the pair. In the month or so since the two had begun whatever this was, Naira had found herself in conversation—or in his sheets—more times than she would readily admit to the other members of their respective groups. A part of her found it a bit embarrassing; how easily he could draw her in with his empty words and blistering kisses. But they were good together. So good she’d forget her name and giggle a bit too loud at his half-assed flirtations. 

It takes a simple, come over, for Naira to pull herself away from her wheel. She smiles a bit too widely and moves a bit too quickly. With a glance towards her reflection in the mirror adorning the left side of her entryway, she grabs her keys with one hand while fluffing her hair with the other. 

He doesn’t try to text her again as she makes the drive from her apartment to his penthouse on the west side of the city. Naira’s not sure she would even notice a text coming from him with the way her imagination runs wild. The embarrassment of the situation is lost on her. She can’t bring herself to worry about the chances of getting caught when she can practically feel the warmth of his body and the drawl in his voice pulling her in gently. 

Her hands shake in anticipation as she twists the key—one he’d taken her to get a copy of last week. His foyer is dark, devoid of both light and life. He had just moved in the day before she had gotten her copy of his key. She remembers the box tossed to the side of his couch; the same box she had tripped over as she lied to Sanghyuk and Romeo about her presence in the kitchen that early morning. 

The fading smell of cigarettes draws her to his room where he stands over his record player. His favorite ashtray sits on the small nightstand next to the wall of vinyl she had organized for him—by genre and artist—the last night she was here.

“What am I doing here?” 

Naira rubs at her face. The cold from the blistering wind battered at her nose, chapping her lips during her walk from the parking garage to his door. 

Her accent blends familiarly into the consonants. The English leaves her lips with the subtlest twang of uncertainty; though she’s fairly sure he senses it from the way he smiles graciously. 

They always spoke in English. Carter never cared enough to pretend to learn Thai for her. She had asked him about it once during one of their early encounters on a company trip to Tokyo back in September. He had looked away from her naked face as he told her that he felt safe around her—vulnerable might have been the word he used back then. 

Naira wasn’t quite sure she bought it then. But she couldn’t think much about it after the words left his mouth. And how could she? Not when his chest was so warm underneath her blossoming cheek. Not when his hands wandered slowly beneath the covers shielding her bare chest. Her mind let go of the thought just as quickly as she perceived it. 

She never asked him again.

Carter barely spares her a glance before motioning her over to his side. Sensing her wariness of the lit cigarette resting in the ashtray, Carter chuckles, taking a slow drag before stubbing out the flame in the tray it once lay in. With a release of her shoulders, Naira carefully crawls into the mess of his sheets, perching herself against the headboard to watch as his tanned hands skim over his collection of records.

“What are you doing here?”

He laughs at her question.

It was one of the things that annoyed her about him. Everything seemed to be a joke to Carter Kim. That distinct, perfect laugh he always managed to release made her feel smaller than she already was by his side. He’d throw his head back. His perfectly browned, floppy hair mirrored his movements; falling back, perfectly, over his face once he was done. She’d get caught up in the shine of his perfect teeth—another thing that annoyed her about him. 

Carter Kim was always perfect.

“I can’t answer that for you, hon.”

Hon. It was embarrassing the way she sucked in a breath at the release of the pet name he had chosen for her. If Carter noticed, he never said a word, continuing on in that perfect Canadian drawl he added to the ends of his sentences. 

“I called, you didn’t pick up. I asked you to come over, and you did. Don’t know why.”

She rolls her eyes playfully at that, leaning up to shove at his shoulder. 

“You know why.” She mutters slowly. 

Her hand caught in Carter’s as he continued to skim his collection. With a tug, she’s pushing herself off his bed and onto her feet. He guides her hands to the player. Having finally picked an album to play, her fingers nudge the play button at his will. French Exit’s opening track soothes out of the player so low Naira strains to recognize it. 

With a turn, Carter finally faces her. A shared glance is all it takes before her hands are on her waist—hers crawling from his shoulders to the nape of his neck—and his lips are on hers. In what feels like forever, Naira lets go of any clever quips loaded to bite back at the Libra. 

“I knew it,”—he’s deliciously breathless between kisses—“you’re obsessed with me.” 

Naira groans into his mouth, pulling away to shake her head. He’s pulling her wrist to his lips before she can think of any words to say. 

That was simply all it took for her to lose herself in him. That was what it always took. A tug of her waist, a caress of her neck, the sweeping off of her feet. 

Naira was aware of the absence of rationality every time she let him draw her in like this. She was aware of the way he tugged at her boundaries, pushing them a bit farther every time he summoned her with a text. She was aware that she knew next to nothing about him—instead, he would distract her from any personal details the same way he lured her to his bed in the first place. She had known all these things, but all of a sudden she was aware.

He bites at her neck—something he never did—and it rouses her out of her Carter-induced haze. With a jump, she pulls away from him, suddenly too aware of all the things she knew before. All the things she chose to ignore. His eyebrows furrow as the record changes to the next song. The silence between the two of them cut away at any notes lifting from the player. Their eyes catch in a deadlock, Carter’s firm hands unmoving from their place underneath her shirt, her own pulling into a fist from their place on his chest. 

“I’m obsessed with you.” She whispers. The edge of her lip twinges in realization, and his eyes remain fixed on hers. Unrelenting and emotionless. 

“Hon,” he sighs, finally breaking eye contact. His arms bring her in closer as he tries to distract her once more, “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?” 

He laughs again. Naira grits her teeth, turning her head away from him. 

“Yes, Carter.” She snaps. If he was taken by surprise at her outburst, he doesn’t let on to it. 

“I’m obsessed with you and that’s a fucking problem.” 

His eyebrows raise as his hands loosen their hold on her body. Naira frees herself from his grip, suddenly feeling uneasy in his presence. Her anxious pacing does nothing to tick Carter off. Instead, his eyes slowly track her movement away from his side to the other side of his room. 

“Why are you doing this?” Carter groans, his hands resting on his hips. Eyes continuing to track Naira’s pacing figure. 

“Because you…” Her words fail her with a groan. She can feel the words on the tip of her tongue but they don’t connect to her brain. And it frustrates her. 

“Because I what, Naira?” His voice rings out once again, this time much harsher. She makes contact with his eyes through the mirror laid out in front of her. She can just make out the furrowing of his eyebrows and the irritation set in his hardened jaw. 

“Because you’re not obsessed with me.” 

The words connect with her brain in Korean. 

The switch visibly knocks Carter off of his chilly pedestal, the shock marked in his face striking Naira. She—admittedly—had never conceived Carter could process any other emotions beyond being smug and just okay. The shock held a bit of fear she could not begin to recognize amongst his features. It was odd how quickly it all happened. How quickly he became an entirely different person altogether. How quickly she could knock him off balance and a version of himself she was sure not many people could get to.

“I don’t understand,” He resorts to English once more. Though Naira understands what he truly means, she refuses to meet him there. With a shake of her head she mutters, “Of course not.”

His arms cross over his chest, guarding himself from Naira’s words. The pensive anxiety in his eyes brings Naira to turn to face him. He refuses to meet her eyes. 

“You know, there’s only a few things the girls can all agree about recently.” She trails off, drawing herself closer to his guarded figure. “And I should’ve listened closer when they said you were a problem.”

Stoic as ever, Carter takes one step closer to Naira, towering over her as he does so. His eyes held a darkness she had never seen in him before, different from the general emptiness they usually held whenever they met up on their late nights.

“How am I the problem, hon?” He hums, his hands reaching out to brush the hair away from her face. Pulling her hair into a makeshift ponytail held in the fist of his hand, he tugs her closer to him; her legs following the yanking of her body. 

With a whine, Naira shuts her eyes.

“Can you tell me? Why am I the problem?” His voice is impossibly deep, oozing with both venom and lust in a way that shakes Naira out of her anger and back into that trance. “What happened, hon? You were so worked up a minute ago. Telling me that I’m the problem.” 

Naira sucks in a deep breath, attempting to hold on to the last amount of autonomy she can muster. It’s all too much. His voice and the way it surrounds her. It swirls in her mind, envelops all of her thoughts, and chases them off leaving nothing but him. She can smell the mint and nicotine on his breath. A smell she had come to associate with the late nights in his sheets, covered only by the thin silk and his warm hands. 

Then his lips are everywhere. Attaching themselves to her clavicle, his body bending down to meet her height. His hair tickling at her skin, his familiar clean shampoo flooding her senses. Trailing up her neck with his hands holding her to him in their impossibly tight grip. Undoubtedly, leaving a slow trail marking where he’d been along her side. Then they press against her jaw, drawing what little will she has left. 

“How could I be the problem, hon?” He hums against her skin. “I’m spoiled by you. You’ve ruined me for anyone else.” Her breath escapes her as he speaks against her lips. Low and controlled, steady in a way she could never begin to pull herself away from.

“All I can do is live and breathe you. Only you.” 

His hands move again. Falling away from her hair as if offering her release. When she doesn’t take the opportunity, they pull her body closer to his. Those wandering hands traveling down her arms and bringing them under his control. They pull hers to their familiar place on his chest. He’s a furnace, burning at her hands but so inviting she falls into line with him.

“I couldn’t let you go if I tried, hon. I’m yours.” His face cradles itself into her neck, his whispers slowly crawling into her ears. 

“I’m yours.” 

Carefully controlled desperation leaks into his tone, furrowing Naira’s eyebrows as she fights against her better interests. Sure that he’s sensed this, her hands ball into fists once more, pressing against his chest as if begging for her release from the hold he’s captivated her into. 

“Relax for me, hon.” He soothes, all too familiar to her ears. “Open those eyes for me, pretty girl.” His words pull at her will, ripping her away from her judgment and leaving her waiting for his next words. 

As if in control of her reflexes, her eyes pry themselves open, receiving the sight of his own gazing intently into hers. It’s all too much for her; his voice, his commands, his heat, his presence. It consumes her control over her own body and it relinquishes its autonomy to him without much of a fight. Her hands relax from their bounding tightness, her voice loses its edge, and tears begin to flow from her eyes. It’s all too much for her.

“There’s my girl,” Carter hums. His forehead presses to hers, a hand lifting her chin to keep her eyes on his.

“I can’t be the problem. Not when I make you feel this good.” 

All sirenic, his voice seeps into her psyche, pulling her out of her own body and leaving her defenseless. Then his lips are on hers and everything melts away. All her anger, all her control, all her confusion. Left in its place is a yearning for his touch, a desperation for his kiss.

Effortlessly, he carries her to his bed. Laying her down as he hovers over her.

She can barely breathe as he pulls at her shirt. Her mind carried away in a sea of loss. All she can think and feel and do is him. It leaves her in a daze that disconnects her mind from her words. And despite it all, she can’t push him away. 

She can’t bring herself to let him go.

[intocupid]

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ BASICS.

STAGE NAME . cupid

BIRTH NAME . virunpat "cupid" rirermkul

KOREAN NAME . aera, meaning love

BIRTHDAY . april 17, 2001

ZODIAC . aries

BIRTHPLACE . bangkok, thailand

HOMETOWN . bangkok, thailand

NATIONALITY . thai

ETHNICITY . thai

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ CAREER.

YEARS TRAINED . six, 2014 - 2020

DEBUT . november 16, 2020 with black mamba

REDEBUT . december 3, 2022 with 28 reasons

COMPANY . aurora labels

FORMER COMPANY . sm entertainment

FORMER GROUP . aespa

FAN NAME . arrows

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ PHYSICAL.

FACE CLAIM . natty, kiss of life

HEIGHT . 167 cm, 5'7

BLOOD TYPE . o

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ HISTORY.

in 2014, a 13 year old virunpat rirermkul, cupid, left bangkok and never looked back. she had previously auditioned for several different companies and went through six different rejections before finally, she was accepted into sm entertainment. her vocals were her strength, and with visuals too match, a solid personality, and plenty of room to improve, sm took her in.

briefly, sm humored the idea of adding her to red velvet alongside yeri in 2015. however, the plan was almost immediately scrapped, with the company deciding she was still much too young and that more training was in order. cupid went through much more rigorous training, and in 2016, she was revealed to the public through the predebut training team, smrookies, alongside her future member ningning.

debut didn't come easy, but eventually, in november 2020, cupid debuted as a member of aespa with their hit single black mamba. throughout their rookie days, cupid described debuting as "a dream come true". despite the hate aespa often received, cupid was happier than ever.

as the group continued with their career, fans were quick to notice cupid's declining health, both mental and physical. fimhers were pointed every which way, with people blaming the company, the fans, the antis. however, nothing was ever confirmed and it's all considered speculation til today.

eventually, in november 2021, a month after the release of savage, sm announced that cupid would be placed on a "professionally advised" health hiatus. some fans considered it abrupt and some said it was bound to happen, but either way, cupid practically disappeared from all content. the girls, however, still mentioned her often. in february of 2022, giselle claimed that cupid was doing healthy and that she would hopefully be back soon. two months later, sm announced that cupid would be departing from both aespa and the company, after they had came to a "mutual agreement".

this shocked both mys and kpop fans alike, considering how it had seemed that cupid truly would be returning to the group soon. fans begged for explanations, theorized what could've happened, blamed everyone they could— but nothing ever came to light. cupid hasn't mentioned sm since leaving, and the company has returned to the favor.

in june of 2022, aurora labels announced that they had signed cupid and that she was currently preparing a solo debut. this was met with mixed reactions— many were happy she was redebuting, others were angry it was so soon, and others wished she hadn't chosen a "nugu company", with only two groups to their name. nonetheless, cupid redebuted a soloist in december of 2022. her mini album twenty-eight was a hit, and she solidified the fact that many were afraid of: she wasn't going anywhere.

cupid has since been met with her fair share of fame and controversy. she's well loved internationally and often considered an it girl, however, in korea, she is often met with criticism for her every step. too childish, too sexual, a pick me, a try hard, a backstabber.