#Get Loan After Bankruptcy

[jay-weller]

Buying A Car After Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Buying A Car After Chapter 7 Bankruptcy - #jayweller #bankruptcy, #Bankruptcyattorney, #BankruptcyLawyer, #Chapter7, #FilingForBankruptcy, #Tampa, #Tips, #WellerLegalGroup - https://www.jayweller.com/buying-a-car-after-chapter-7-bankruptcy/

[freeleyenrashespeakstruth]

By Kitty Werthmann

“I am a witness to history.

“I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history.

If you remember the plot of the Sound of Music, the Von Trapp family escaped over the Alps rather than submit to the Nazis. Kitty wasn’t so lucky. Her family chose to stay in her native Austria. She was 10 years old, but bright and aware. And she was watching.

“We elected him by a landslide – 98 percent of the vote,” she recalls.

She wasn’t old enough to vote in 1938 – approaching her 11th birthday. But she remembers.

“Everyone thinks that Hitler just rolled in with his tanks and took Austria by force.”

No so.

Hitler is welcomed to Austria

“In 1938, Austria was in deep Depression. Nearly one-third of our workforce was unemployed. We had 25 percent inflation and 25 percent bank loan interest rates.

Farmers and business people were declaring bankruptcy daily. Young people were going from house to house begging for food. Not that they didn’t want to work; there simply weren’t any jobs.

“My mother was a Christian woman and believed in helping people in need. Every day we cooked a big kettle of soup and baked bread to feed those poor, hungry people – about 30 daily.’

“We looked to our neighbor on the north, Germany, where Hitler had been in power since 1933.” she recalls. “We had been told that they didn’t have unemployment or crime, and they had a high standard of living.

“Nothing was ever said about persecution of any group – Jewish or otherwise. We were led to believe that everyone in Germany was happy. We wanted the same way of life in Austria. We were promised that a vote for Hitler would mean the end of unemployment and help for the family. Hitler also said that businesses would be assisted, and farmers would get their farms back.

“Ninety-eight percent of the population voted to annex Austria to Germany and have Hitler for our ruler.

“We were overjoyed,” remembers Kitty, “and for three days we danced in the streets and had candlelight parades. The new government opened up big field kitchens and everyone was fed.

“After the election, German officials were appointed, and, like a miracle, we suddenly had law and order. Three or four weeks later, everyone was employed. The government made sure that a lot of work was created through the Public Work Service.

“Hitler decided we should have equal rights for women. Before this, it was a custom that married Austrian women did not work outside the home. An able-bodied husband would be looked down on if he couldn’t support his family. Many women in the teaching profession were elated that they could retain the jobs they previously had been re- quired to give up for marriage.

“Then we lost religious education for kids

“Our education was nationalized. I attended a very good public school.. The population was predominantly Catholic, so we had religion in our schools. The day we elected Hitler (March 13, 1938), I walked into my schoolroom to find the crucifix replaced by Hitler’s picture hanging next to a Nazi flag. Our teacher, a very devout woman, stood up and told the class we wouldn’t pray or have religion anymore. Instead, we sang ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Uber Alles,’ and had physical education.

“Sunday became National Youth Day with compulsory attendance. Parents were not pleased about the sudden change in curriculum. They were told that if they did not send us, they would receive a stiff letter of warning the first time. The second time they would be fined the equivalent of $300, and the third time they would be subject to jail.”

And then things got worse.

“The first two hours consisted of political indoctrination. The rest of the day we had sports. As time went along, we loved it. Oh, we had so much fun and got our sports equipment free.

“We would go home and gleefully tell our parents about the wonderful time we had.

“My mother was very unhappy,” remembers Kitty. “When the next term started, she took me out of public school and put me in a convent. I told her she couldn’t do that and she told me that someday when I grew up, I would be grateful. There was a very good curriculum, but hardly any fun – no sports, and no political indoctrination.

“I hated it at first but felt I could tolerate it. Every once in a while, on holidays, I went home. I would go back to my old friends and ask what was going on and what they were doing.

“Their loose lifestyle was very alarming to me. They lived without religion. By that time, unwed mothers were glorified for having a baby for Hitler.

“It seemed strange to me that our society changed so suddenly. As time went along, I realized what a great deed my mother did so that I wasn’t exposed to that kind of humanistic philosophy.

“In 1939, the war started, and a food bank was established. All food was rationed and could only be purchased using food stamps. At the same time, a full-employment law was passed which meant if you didn’t work, you didn’t get a ration card, and, if you didn’t have a card, you starved to death.

“Women who stayed home to raise their families didn’t have any marketable skills and often had to take jobs more suited for men.

“Soon after this, the draft was implemented.

“It was compulsory for young people, male and female, to give one year to the labor corps,” remembers Kitty. “During the day, the girls worked on the farms, and at night they returned to their barracks for military training just like the boys.

“They were trained to be anti-aircraft gunners and participated in the signal corps. After the labor corps, they were not discharged but were used in the front lines.

“When I go back to Austria to visit my family and friends, most of these women are emotional cripples because they just were not equipped to handle the horrors of combat.

“Three months before I turned 18, I was severely injured in an air raid attack. I nearly had a leg amputated, so I was spared having to go into the labor corps and into military service.

“When the mothers had to go out into the work force, the government immediately established child care centers.

“You could take your children ages four weeks old to school age and leave them there around-the-clock, seven days a week, under the total care of the government.

“The state raised a whole generation of children. There were no motherly women to take care of the children, just people highly trained in child psychology. By this time, no one talked about equal rights. We knew we had been had.

“Before Hitler, we had very good medical care. Many American doctors trained at the University of Vienna..

“After Hitler, health care was socialized, free for everyone. Doctors were salaried by the government. The problem was, since it was free, the people were going to the doctors for everything.

“When the good doctor arrived at his office at 8 a.m., 40 people were already waiting and, at the same time, the hospitals were full.

“If you needed elective surgery, you had to wait a year or two for your turn. There was no money for research as it was poured into socialized medicine. Research at the medical schools literally stopped, so the best doctors left Austria and emigrated to other countries.

“As for healthcare, our tax rates went up to 80 percent of our income. Newlyweds immediately received a $1,000 loan from the government to establish a household. We had big programs for families.

“All day care and education were free. High schools were taken over by the government and college tuition was subsidized. Everyone was entitled to free handouts, such as food stamps, clothing, and housing.

“We had another agency designed to monitor business. My brother-in-law owned a restaurant that had square tables.

“Government officials told him he had to replace them with round tables because people might bump themselves on the corners. Then they said he had to have additional bathroom facilities. It was just a small dairy business with a snack bar. He couldn’t meet all the demands.

“Soon, he went out of business. If the government owned the large businesses and not many small ones existed, it could be in control.

“We had consumer protection, too

“We were told how to shop and what to buy. Free enterprise was essentially abolished. We had a planning agency specially designed for farmers. The agents would go to the farms, count the livestock, and then tell the farmers what to produce, and how to produce it.

“In 1944, I was a student teacher in a small village in the Alps. The villagers were surrounded by mountain passes which, in the winter, were closed off with snow, causing people to be isolated.

“So people intermarried and offspring were sometimes retarded. When I arrived, I was told there were 15 mentally retarded adults, but they were all useful and did good manual work.

“I knew one, named Vincent, very well. He was a janitor of the school. One day I looked out the window and saw Vincent and others getting into a van.

“I asked my superior where they were going. She said to an institution where the State Health Department would teach them a trade, and to read and write. The families were required to sign papers with a little clause that they could not visit for 6 months.

“They were told visits would interfere with the program and might cause homesickness.

“As time passed, letters started to dribble back saying these people died a natural, merciful death. The villagers were not fooled. We suspected what was happening. Those people left in excellent physical health and all died within 6 months. We called this euthanasia.

“Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law-abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.

“No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.

“Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.”

“This is my eyewitness account.

“It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.

“America is truly is the greatest country in the world. “Don’t let freedom slip away.

“After America, there is no place to go.”

Kitty Werthmann

[simpxxstan]

lunch

pairing: elementary school teachers lee seokmin x f.reader

genre: fluff, fluff and some more fluff. a tiny pinch of angst.

summary: as a veteran at sebong elementary school, you don't let any of your juniors get too close to you. the new science teacher, lee seokmin, doesn't seem to get the note, though.

word count: 9.6k words

rating: pg 13 

warnings: use of a few profanities, mention of alcohol and illegal gambling. reader is a bit cold in the beginning. slight age gap.

a/n: SO MUCH FLUFF my body hurts but it was so nice to just write good guy dokyeom after all that angst for wonwoo. i'm sorry to any hyungwon fans who may be reading this though T_T

would love to hear feedback!! reblogs and comments are so so much appreciated <3

this is part of the boys over flowers series featuring booseoksoon + chan! this is the first instalment in that series.

It was a day of much ruckus and excitement. The teachers and students were all waiting eagerly to meet the four new teachers who were joining Sebong Elementary School that day. Children with bright cherub faces peeped from their classroom windows, some crowded in the corridors, and teachers whispered loudly, as they all waited to see the four faces of the new teachers emerge from the Principal’s office. And when they finally did, a loud, collective gasp was heard rippling through every room and corner of Sebong Elementary School. And then the bubble broke, as loud whispers and giggling overtook every other noise, as the four men smiled at the kids and adults gathered through the school. They shone brighter than the tubelights on the ceiling-

“Okay, I think you’re exaggerating, Sohee. I’m sure they don’t have 1000 watt smiles.”

“Oh, Y/N, but they do! Even an ice queen like you is going to melt when you see them. They just exude warmth, kindness, and handsomeness. They look like idols, really!” 

“Now you’re definitely exaggerating. Park carefully, and don’t daydream please. I’ve been nervous from the moment I let you drive my car.”

“It’s a third-hand car. I should, in fact, smash it, so that you can buy something better. The government’s just moments away from declaring it as junk.”

“This is all I can afford, Sohee.”

“Car loans exist!”

“Bankruptcy exists!”

Sohee huffs, and you meticulously check the rear view mirror to ensure she parks neatly. Once done, (read, once Sohee has finished touching up her lipstick and her mascara, and put a few cute hairclips in her long brown hair, cute by her metrics), you both step out of the car. The heat has become harsher, and you’re a little taken aback by the sting of sunlight on your skin. But it feels good to be out again after that stupid bout of fever which had kept you away from school, and consequently, your life. 

You meet several students getting out from the bus in front of the school, some smiling and already chattering with their friends, others shyly holding on to the fingers of their parents. Some of them wave hi to you, others loudly squeal their welcome backs. Your morning grumpiness is slowly wearing away, and you can feel energy bubbling in. It’s barely been the start of the year, and the little ones are very, very gradually warming up to the idea of being away from home for longer than three hours. It’s a trying time for their teachers, and you’re grateful that you don’t teach the youngest class. 

On the short walk from the parking area to the school, and it’s such a miracle that Sohee doesn’t start talking about the four new teachers, because you’re frankly tired of hearing about them. It feels like they don’t exist, and even if they do, they’re going to be massive letdowns compared to Sohee’s descriptions. Sohee does have the habit of hyperbole. 

But you fall headfirst into it as you slide open the door to the staffroom. Everyone stands up and greets you, as you’re one of the earliest members of the staff. You’d like to think that their greetings are out of affection, and not just respect, but you don’t mind. Majority of the staff is quite young, and people look up to you as the sunbae, and it’s a position of respect you crave and enjoy. It’s not like you’re great at showing how you love them either. You can just hope that they get to know about it from time to time, and don’t hate you for not being too affectionate.

As everyone stands up, you bow to the general crowd, and greet them back, but you’re also welcomed by four unknown faces. 

Oh. They must be the new teachers. 

Well, Sohee wasn’t really wrong-

Sohee immediately sparks up and begins talking about how you had really high fever, and every evening she found you lying inside your bed, covered in blankets like a burrito, messy in snot and sweat-

“Okay, that’s enough. Sohee, please spare them the details of my ugly illness.” You’re embarrassed and quite red all over, and out of the corner of your eye, you’re watching the reactions of the four new men. Sure, you may not care much about what other people think, but it’s your first impression after all. Everyone is quite vehemently cooing at you now, and the four men have confused, but concerned expressions on their faces. 

Minseo comes to the rescue, when she diverts the topic to introduce the new faces to you, and you’re grateful for the first time to hear about these new teachers. 

“This is our sunbae, Y/L/N Y/N! She’s one of the first teachers at Sebong Elementary School.” “Aaah, Minseo-yah! You make it sound like she’s old!” Sohee scolds, but you don’t mind. You sure feel old after the way that fever broke your immunity like a twig.

“Aah, sorry. And Y/N Unnie, these are our new joinees this year!” She gestures towards the men, and they bow. You bow in return, and take a full look at them, smiling back at them. 

“Hello! I’m Lee Chan, I’m a ‘99 liner! I’ll work hard and show my best side to you, sunbae!” “Good morning! I’m Boo Seungkwan. Nice to meet you!” “Oh, sunbae, hello! I’m Kwon Soonyoung, I’m also glad to meet you Y/N-ssi!” “And I’m Lee Seokmin! I’ll work hard, please take good care of me, sunbae!” They shake your hands like dominos, and your eyes linger a second too long on the last one, the tall one with the brightest smile. 1000 watt seems about right? “I’m happy to meet you too! Let’s work hard for a long time!” You smile back, and there’s a collective Fighting! through the room, before the school bell rings, and the cacophony of kids entering their classrooms breaks the silence of the school building. 

_

It’s lunchtime, and you’ve already forgotten their names. Sohee insists that you sit with them at the same table for lunch, but you’re not hungry enough to take lunch. It’s been a tiring day, and you just want to sip your iced americano and finish the pending work on your desk in the staffroom. Missing a week of school is as burdensome for teachers as it is for students. There are piles of things left to be done, and you assign yourself the task of finishing filling in the register with the names of the students for that lunch break. The staffroom is empty, and you’re happy to work in peace. 

You’re so focused on your work that you don’t even notice when a tall man walks into the staffroom sometime in the middle of the lunch break, peeps at you from his desk at the other corner of the room, and then leaves. 

_

It’s finally Friday, and that’s how you’ve spent the last four lunch breaks. You’re finally getting through the pile of work at a steady pace. On top of it all, the Principal has promoted you to the Head Teacher of Science Department, as the previous head’s tenure is over, and that means all the science teachers have to approve their lesson plans for this term through you and you’re also in charge of allotting field trips for scientific experiments. 

That’s why Lee Seokmin ambushes you when you’re about to leave at the end of the school day. “Sunbae, I was wondering if you could perhaps look at my lesson plan once? Maybe you could go over it during the weekend?”

You halt your actions of packing your bag, and carefully take the folder from the outstretched hand of the tall man towering over your desk. “Umm, I could look through it now.”

“No, I mean! I’m sorry I didn’t know how to approach you earlier, Sunbae. I’m sorry, I don’t want to keep you from heading home, I’m really sorry-”

“Please stop apologising, Seokmin-ssi. It’s not a big deal. It’s better for me to go through it now in your presence, rather than take it home. I’ll be able to discuss it more smoothly with you then, in case any changes are needed.” 

His puppy brown eyes become tiny slits as he smiles wide. You realise that his hair is draping over his forehead in black curls, and the white shirt he’s wearing reveals the column of his neck very elegantly. He does look good enough to be an idol, you think. 

“Seokmin-ssi, come take a seat here. I won’t bite, in spite of what you may have heard-”

“Oh no! The kids are all praise for you. I’m so thankful to be succeeding you in the classes, because you’ve set such a strong foundation for the students. You’ve made my job a cakewalk, truly.”

“I’m just thankful that you deal with the younger ones now. I enjoy teaching them, but sometimes they can…” You smile lopsidedly, and Seokmin grins. “I’ve heard that I have a lot of patience, sunbae…” “And you have a lot of fighting spirit that we tend to have when we’ve just joined the school. You’ll manage.”

And then the conversation halts. It flows in bits and pieces, as you flip through his lesson plan and discuss changes with him, speaking from experience of having taught these same classes six years more than him. His lesson plan book is very colourful, filled with stickers from cartoons, and brightly drawn smiley flowers. Something in you makes you think that maybe he’s not just doing this as a show for the kids, but also because he likes to do it. He’s very animated in every statement he makes, hand gestures all over his face, but he quietens down when he realises you’re no longer looking at his face, and would rather just get through the work quickly. You’re not annoyed at him, no. It’s just a little overwhelming to see all this energy being thrown at you, and it makes you tired, wondering how to reciprocate it. So you just silently finish your task, and bid him goodbye. He offers to drop you home, but then you say you have your own car, so he gives you another smile and with a natural ease, hops on to his electric bicycle and rides off into the road. 

_

Seokmin-ssi, you realise, doesn’t want reciprocation. He greets you cheerfully every morning, whenever you see him in the campus, whenever you’re making eye contact before leaving for the day, and whenever you both arrive at the same time at school. He doesn’t just say hello, but he also asks if you had a good weekend, if you had a good sleep, if you ate breakfast, if you’ve recovered fully from your cold, if you’re taking your vitamins. It makes you more uncomfortable than before, confusing you whether he’s just buttering you up as a sunbae or whether he’s genuinely this nice. It’s also a little worrying because it makes you feel like he’s trying too hard to be close and you don’t want to be a bother for him, so you hope he takes the hint. But he obviously doesn’t, because the next time you walk into the staffroom determined not to leave your desk, and instead enjoy the peaceful solitude of the staffroom to recharge your battery, you notice a very neat lunch tray sitting on your desk with a note attached on top, “Sunbae, please don’t skip your meals!” It takes you aback, and you stare at it for a good four minutes. Finally you realise you’re too flustered to eat it, and you just keep it aside and get back at your work. 

When Seokmin comes back from his lunch break, he makes the mistake of looking at your desk to see if you’ve eaten, and there. He makes eye contact with your razor sharp eyes looking at him from above your reading glasses. He walks up to your desk and says, “You didn’t eat, sunbae?”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I- I- just wanted to-”

“Firstly, Seokmin-ssi, I’m not skipping meals. Secondly, I don’t know if this is normal for you, but I’d appreciate it if we could be harmonious as colleagues. I don’t need you to be my mother for me and feed me. I’m an adult and I know when to eat.”

You can see him gulp and fumble, and for a second, you think you’ve been too harsh. You almost backtrack and apologise, scared that the little light in his eyes is going to go out, but he speaks faster, “I just don’t want you to fall sick again, sunbae. I’m sorry if I was too presumptuous. I’ll do better from now on.” And without another second, he turns and walks out of the room, leaving you speechless. The light in his eyes may not have gone out, but you sure were too mean. Afterall, he was just being nice to you, wasn’t he?”

_

So, the next week, when you’re finally on track and completed all your pending work, you walk into the cafeteria looking to take a lunch break. And you spot Seokmin sitting with Chan on one table on the teacher’s side of the cafeteria. Chan is a sweet boy, and you want to make amends with Seokmin, so you carefully walk across the room to their table and ask, “Can I have lunch with you?” You ask them both, and Chan instantly begins to clear space for you to sit down, but you’re distracted by how wide Seokmin smiles, and you know the ice has melted. He’s forgiven you, so you gently sit down next to him.

It’s a mistake. You hadn’t accounted for how broad he is, and how much he moves his body while speaking. His thighs inch closer to yours with every movement, although very much unconsciously. Even though you’re both sitting, he’s still taller than you, and it makes you shy.

You’re thankful when Soonyoung joins you across the table and you can distract yourself by speaking to him. “Sunbae, it’s so nice to see you in the cafeteria! We rarely ever see you outside the staffroom.” You smile as wide as you can, your mouth full of food. Chan joins in, “Yes, sunbae! Seokmin hyung’s been so-” “We’ve all been worried,” Seokmin interjects, and you’re hit by a pang of guilt. It is pretty natural for coworkers to care about each other. Especially since you’re their senior and they must be looking to make a good impression. 

“I’ve been a little busy with all pending work. The start of the year can be stressful for us senior teachers.”

“I hear Seungkwan hyung is being put in charge of the after-school creche duty?”

“You’ve heard right, Chan. He did apply for it, and given his congenial personality, I think he’d do well if he joined the creche roster.”

“A roster? That means he won’t have duty every day?” Soonyoung asks you.

“Yes, there will be two teachers alternating from Monday to Friday.”

“Oh! Someone lucky gets two days only!”

“We try to ensure even distribution through the month,” you say. “Plus, of course, there can be others volunteering from time to time. So for example, next month, there’s a storytelling week at the creche. Sohee and I will be volunteering for that week as storytellers- that way, the ones responsible for the creche can have a week’s leave from the extra duty.”

Soonyoung and Chan nod in understanding, but you’ve noticed Seokmin is extra quiet, uncharacteristically even. “Do you enjoy the cafeteria food, Seokmin-ssi?” you ask him, speaking softer so that Chan and Soonyoung can’t hear you. It must surprise him, because he looks up at you with wide, boba eyes, and he looks more like a puppy than ever. “I do! The variety is good.” “I’m glad. The caterers recently got changed. The previous ones were seriously falling behind on quality.” Seokmin smiles and eats a big bite of rice and soup, and you chuckle at the comical way his mouth fills up. 

_

You didn’t even think Seokmin would remember. In fact, you’d forgotten that you’d mentioned it yourself. 

But he does. He doesn’t just remember, but he also brings a bag full of old picture books.

You swear your heart stops the moment he enters the hall where the after-school creche is organized and hands you the bag. “These were books my mother had kept for ages even after I’d finished reading them a million times. Thought I’d use them somehow, instead of just letting them gather dust on shelves,” he says as he smiles that pretty, wide smile again. It’s been long enough into the new semester now for you to get used to both Seokmin’s smiles, so you can bask in it. The children bask in it too. Most of the tiny members of the creche know him from the class where he’s teaching about animals, and they squeal in excitement. “Aah, Seokmin-ah, you really didn’t have to. You could’ve gone home and rested for the weekend.” His smile drops, and you mentally slap yourself. You really should take care of your words better, so you rephrase it, “What I meant is… you don’t have to do this out of your way.” “I’m not… going out of my way. I just thought I’d come and watch you, sunbae. I want to learn how to handle little children even better.” 

So he sits in a corner of the hall, Byul and Jiwon sitting on his lap, while his eyes are fixed on you. You’ve taken the storytelling class two days this week, and this is your third day, so you really shouldn’t be so slippery, but something about how he’s looking at you so intently is making you stumble and fall over your words, and your pronunciation often comes out as jumbled as the three year olds sitting in front of you. You’re made even more aware of Seokmin’s presence when snack time arrives, and the kids are too distracted with the picture books to pay attention to their food and eat. Thankfully, Seokmin uses his charm and somehow gathers everyone to sit in a circle around the table. The children have incessant questions, some about the characters they met in the story, and some random questions too, like Are you married, Teacher Seokmin? It doesn’t matter that you pause in your movements to hear his response, a wide-eyed Minhyun looking confusedly at you, wondering why your hand holding his candy is stuck mid-air. It also doesn’t matter that your heart paces up when you see Seokmin glance in your direction before loudly proclaiming that he’s not married. 

The parents arrive soon after that, and then there’s only a crying Byul left, who’s wrapped in Seokmin’s arms as you three wait for her father to arrive. You wonder for a second, how did you ever handle kids, because when you see how Seokmin handles them, you think you’ve done it all wrong for years. He holds her two tiny hands in his own, places her in between his legs and quietly brushes her hair while whispering more imaginary stories about the elephant Byul saw earlier in the picture book. You feel unwanted in this perfect scene, Byul going perfectly silent as she listens to Seokmin talk. But then, honestly, who wouldn’t be in rapture of this beautiful young man?

Byul’s father arrives twenty minutes later, and Byul gives Seokmin a little peck on his cheek before she leaves his arms and goes off with her dad. 

“Sunbae, thank you for letting me be here! I had so much fun, and I also learnt so much from you.” You laugh, “I doubt, though. You’re such a natural with children.” He smiles, “That’s just because I have a lot of cousins. But it’s different handling kids at school. I always have to be extra-careful with them because I’m a complete stranger and not a relative.” “You’re right, and that shows in your care too, Seokmin-ah.” He blushes, and you smile as you lock up the hall and finally make your way to leave the campus. Your back hurts from sitting on the floor for so long and you’re surely glad to go home.

“Sunbae, did you bring your car?”

“Aah, no. Today was Sohee’s carpooling turn, she left early. I’ll just take the bus.”

“Let me drop you home, sunbae! It’s late already.”

You pause, and turn to look at him. His hopeful face, still radiant after the long day. And you feel that same overwhelming feeling take over you. Till now, Seokmin has only given and given, never expecting anything in return. He’s extended a helping hand without you asking for it, he’s reminded you for meals even when you’ve ignored him, he’s been nothing but kind to you. And if he’s doing this even after three whole months of him joining the school, then it can’t be just buttering tactics. 

“I don’t want to get you late, Seokmin-ah.”

“I won’t, sunbae. It’s not a worry, honestly.” He bites his lower lip, his eyebrows furrowed as he asks you again, “Please let me drop you, sunbae.”

It’s been years since a man has been this kind to you. Kind enough without coming off as a creep. A part of you is wary, but something in Seokmin’s eyes makes you feel guilty for ever mistrusting his intentions. 

“Alright, Seokmin-ah. Noona owes you one.” 

You can see the stutter in his eyes even before you hear it in his voice. 

“N-noona? Oh. Noona! I’ll drive you safely!”

And he does. Diligent, puppy-like, kind Seokmin drives you home quickly and safely. For the first time in years, you sleep with a smile on your face.

_

You enter the Principal’s office to find a very nervous-looking Seokmin standing next to the Principal. “Good Morning, Mr. Han. Is something wrong?” “Yes, good morning Y/N. I’ve just received a complaint from a parent, and as the head of science teachers, I’d like you to look into it once.” “Of course.”

Then you turn towards Seokmin, who is standing very upright, but you can see him nervously twitching his feet. “Seokmin-ssi, is the parent here in school, or have you received a written complaint?” Seokmin’s voice is barely audible the first time he speaks, so you take a couple of steps to be closer to him. “Don’t be so nervous. Please tell me everything so that I can help resolve this.” He looks at you, his eyes still wide, and the tension obvious in his face. But he takes a deep breath and says, “They’re here, in my science classroom.” “And can you tell me the gist of the matter?” “I… I… I had asked her daughter to not draw with crayons on the walls of the science classroom. And one time… I’d asked her daughter to bring more nutritious food to class instead of chips every single day.” He says softly, his eyes focused on the blue linoleum tiles on the floor. You take a deep breath. As you’ve grown more senior, you’ve eventually detached yourself from the classes of the youngest students, those below four years of age. So naturally, you’d not gotten into messes like this for a long time. But with your experience, you know just how to deal with such cases. 

So you excuse yourself from the office and walk down to Seokmin’s homeroom, gesturing him to enter as you both walk into the classroom. It is deserted, except for a very grim-looking gigantic woman standing next to a tiny girl with even tinier braids. “Good morning. I’m Y/L/N Y/N, Head of the Science Department.” “Yes, well, I’m hoping you’d be more competent about it all rather than Mr. Lee here.” 

You forcefully smile tightly and ask, “Please let me know the details of the matter.” “Where do I begin! Mr. Lee has been… very dictatorial with my daughter. First he forbids her from colouring, and then he forces her to starve herself! It’s absolutely ridiculous that a teacher can do such things!” Out of the corner of your eye, you see Seokmin shrink further away into the corner, his eyes wide. 

“Based on how well I know Mr. Lee, I can’t imagine him forcing a child to starve themselves. Correct me if I’m wrong, but did he ask her to bring a different set of food for lunch, rather than chips?” “Yes, but-” “And that was purely based on nutritional concerns, Ma’am. As teachers at Sebong Elementary School, we want to ensure our students receive proper nutrition at their growing age. And I can assure you that chips are not the most nutritious food your daughter can eat every day.” “I’m a working mother-” “I’m sure you can buy a fruit or toast a single slice of bread along with a slice of cheese along with the chips, if you’re so busy.” 

 The woman in front of you stands speechless for a second, before continuing in her boisterous tone, “But who are you to dictate what I feed my child?” “Nobody, truly. But Mr. Lee is a kindhearted man, who cares for every child in this school, and even his colleagues and peers like me. As a teacher, he has the best interest of his students in mind, you see.” “Certainly can’t be more than that of her mother.” “Of course, which is why I’d advise you too, as would any other paediatrician, that only chips is not the diet a four-year old child should be exposed to on a daily basis.” 

The woman takes a step back. Her grip on her daughter’s fingers loosen, and the child takes a step forward. “Miss, I really like the grapes Mr. Lee gave me the other day! That’s why I’ve stopped eating Eomma’s lunch!” She smiles at you, and you bend down on your knee to meet her at eye level. “Is that so? But darling, you should always eat what your mummy’s giving you. Good girls don’t skip meals, understood?” She nods her little head very seriously, so you pat her once on her head. Then you stand up again and look at her mother. “I see your daughter does enjoy eating grapes. Perhaps you could buy her some fruits for lunch.”

She tilts her head a little bit, looking fully like a kid who’s been punished for being too outspoken, and honestly you’re glad to have made that effect. Some people can be so entitled and so rude, and it leaves such a harsh impression on softer teachers like Seokmin. Which is exactly what you see when the parent does leave with her child a few minutes later, as the man, who hasn’t spoken a single word since entering the room, comes up to you gingerly. 

“Noona, thank you so much. I was so- so scared.” You smile at him as warmly as you can, “Please don’t be. It wasn’t your fault at all that some parents can misunderstand even the best intentions of teachers. It’s pretty common- as time goes on, people will just find more flaws, whether it be in your teaching skills or your child-handling skills. You just need to be less nervous when things like this happen. If you ever need help in these things, of course I’m always here… as are your other seniors. But it’s best if you learn to handle these things without taking them too much to your heart, unless you see there is genuine room for improvement for you.” He nods throughout, and his eyes have become round like a puppy’s eyes again. “I will introspect, Noona.” He laughs a bit, “This honestly isn’t the first time someone’s misunderstanding my intentions. But I will try harder to be more clear and not … not be presumptuous,” he says, looking deep into your eyes, before he bows and leaves the room.

As you stand there in the classroom, alone you realise that the situation oddly reminds you of a similar conversation you had with him at the beginning of the semester. When you’d asked him to keep his distance and not interfere … all while, he was just trying to be kind. Oh god. You’d been just as rude as the parent had been today, hadn’t you? Oh dear god. No wonder he’d looked so downcast and rejected after that.

_

Sohee’s thousand-day anniversary at the school is coming up so Minseo’s put on a surprise party at her house. It’s not a surprise to just Sohee, but also to you. “Oh, why didn’t you let me know earlier, Minseo-yah?” “We would, but you’ve just been so busy with the end of term reports and grades that we didn’t want to bother you.” “Well, that’s not something only I’m doing. I’m sure you all were busy too.” “But none of us are head of departments, you know?” She giggles, and you know it’s not a jibe. But it still feels bad to not be able to contribute when everyone is contributing in some way or the other. 

So you order a six-pound blueberry cheesecake for the party, knowing blueberry to be Sohee’s favourite flavour. And, as expected, it’s a party hit. It turns out to be the favourite flavour of a lot of people, even Seokmin, who helps himself to three slices, and you’re just glad to see them all enjoying it. There’s drinks, pizza and music playing in the background. And although the teacher community at Sebong Elementary School is not too big, you’re a lot of twenty-six people, and you’re thankful that Minseo comes from a rich family that has a big house. And yet, it feels cosy and familiar. You barely attend parties or social gatherings,  and unless it’s family occasions, having been out of the dating scene for years. But this type of party seems fun to you- perhaps it’s you growing old, perhaps it’s you no longer finding staying up late exciting, perhaps it’s you realising that getting wasted is not as interesting as you used to think it was in college. So you settle for being the woman who’s dressed in a sweater although it’s barely autumn, already mentally classified as a spinster for almost everyone you meet, thirty and with no life outside of work, and you’re happy. You’re happy right now, sipping a cocktail and eating the fried chicken Minseo’s airfrying and constantly supplying to the party, celebrating your closest friend, Sohee. You know that although Sohee’s a couple of months younger than you, and definitely has a more active love life, she’s just like you at heart, and she’s the sister you’ve never had. As she gets drunk (you can tell it’s the first time in a long time by the way she’s getting tipsy even faster than she usually does), she leans over to smooch you loudly on the cheek, and you laugh and give in to her. It creates a loud wave of cheers across the room, but it’s such a warm moment. She clinks her glass with yours and rests her head on your shoulder, while raising a toast to the teachers at Sebong Elementary School. There’s another round of cheers, and then your phone reminds you it’s ten pm, and you should be heading home because it’s a school day tomorrow. The buzz feels good, and you want to stay longer, but you’re not drunk enough to forget your responsibilities. And so the party gradually disperses. You hug Minseo and thank her for organising the wonderful party, and somehow Sohee manages to stand up on her feet steadily. Seungkwan takes the duty to drop Sohee home as he lives near her house, and before you can say anything, Seokmin takes on the responsibility of dropping you home. 

“I don’t want to impose-” “But I insist, Y/N Noona.” “Why do you always insist, Seokmin? I feel like I’m a burdensome sunbae, not a nice sunbae.” You try not to pout when he leads you to where his car is parked and opens the door for you. He giggles, his face red with the dopamine (and drinks) from the party. “You’re just fishing for compliments, Noona. You know I never think of taking care of you as a burden.” 

Perhaps drinking that third cocktail was a mistake. 

But you did drink it, so you lean over the centre console of the car and say, with a soft giggle, “If you say things like that, Seokmin-ah, people are going to misunderstand and think you like like me.”

“But I do like like you, Noona.” 

You almost miss his words while waving goodbye to the other teachers standing on the pavement in front of Minseo’s house, waiting for their rides. 

Almost. 

“What?” You spin your head so fast it gives you whiplash, and you feel like you’re instantly sober, the way you become alert instantly. Seokmin’s looking at the road as he drives into the main road, his eyes bright by reflecting the street lights. “I do, Noona.”

“No- no, you can’t. Are you serious, Seokmin-ah? Because if you are, you can’t.” 

“Why?” 

There’s a red light, and he’s looking at you, the street lights shining on his face and the gentle handsomeness of his features are glowing in their full glory. This isn’t the first time you’ve found him awe-strikingly beautiful, but right now, he looks positively angelic. His eyelashes form delicate shadows on his cheeks, and the way his hair gets swayed by the wind coming in from the open car windows makes him seem even prettier. 

“Because… you’re so… young. And fresh, and beautiful. And I’m thirty, I spend my days working and my nights reading romantic classics, and I’m so boring a-and you deserve better.”

His mouth twists bitterly, and he says, “But none of that is true, Noona.”

“It is, Seokmin-ah. You barely know me.”

“But I want to. I’m just asking for a chance.”

You stay silent for a long time. In the sparse traffic of the night, you’re reach your house quicker than you’d thought. 

“I don’t want you to make a mistake, Seokmin-ah. I shouldn’t be someone you like more than simply as a sunbae.”

He pauses, then replies, “If you don’t want to give me a chance, that’s okay Noona. I can make peace with it. But you can’t ask me to stop liking you, Noona. My feelings are mine.” 

You don’t say anything on the rest of the journey. You don’t have anything else to say. You can’t even be harsh to him because what he’s saying is logical. You cannot take away his right to like you, even if you don’t think it’s the right choice for him. You’re an adult, he’s an adult, you both have your own opinions and choices. 

It’s only when the car does reach your house that you attempt to say something. 

“I feel sorry for making you come all the way to my house to drop me. Do you want to come in to eat something? I had some dakgalbi made for tonight’s dinner before I got to know about the party.”

He looks at you for a long time. You can see the wheels turn in his head, before he says, “Okay.” 

_

Your flat is on the third floor, so you’re patiently climbing the stairs. Seokmin makes light conversation, breaking the ice, and you actively try to respond. You don’t want him to feel dejected, but you also don’t want to feel like you’re taking him to your house because you pity him after you outright rejected him. 

Your efforts go to waste when you see a figure sitting on the floor in front of the door to your apartment. 

“Hyungwon?” 

Seokmin pauses behind you, as you stand stunned on the last staircase before the landing, and the man you addressed looks up at the two of you. Even in the dim light of the single bulb lighting up the stairwell, you can see that he’s very wasted. “Y/N-ah! I- I’ve been waiting for you.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you haven’t changed, have you? Straight to the point. No hellos, no-”

“Yes, Hyungwon. What are you doing here?”

He sighs as he stands up. “I missed you.” 

Your head starts to spin. It’s like you’ve been transported back to 2022, when Hyungwon had confessed to you that he’d gambled away all your money, and that he’d been doing so for the last seven months, and that was where he was spending all his evenings at instead of the evening college you’d enrolled him into and whose fees you thought you’d been paying.

Your head spins again, and you’re stumbling back until someone catches you midway before you tumble down the stairs. 

“Noona!” that someone whispers in alarm in your ear, and you realise it’s Seokmin. 

Fuck. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck, not Seokmin. 

Why does Seokmin, out of all people, have to see this?

“Seokmin-ah, leave-”

“Ooh, who’s that?” Hyungwon takes a step closer, and takes a drink out of a soju bottle he’s holding in his left hand. “Boyfriend? You’re still into pretty boys, aren’t you?”

Seokmin pulls you closer to him, your back nearly touching his chest. “Who are you?”

“I’m Hyungwon, Y/N’s first love. You better get out of here, kid.”

“What do you want, Hyungwon? Don’t bullshit with me about missing me. No apology, no regrets, and now you’re suddenly at my doorstep?” You carefully break away from Seokmin’s gentle clasp, and walk towards your ex-boyfriend. “You want my money again.” The lanky man in front of you grins, that fucking lazy, pretty grin you’d fallen so hard for in college. 

“Y/N, where’s the love gone, jagi? Why are we talking about money?”

“Fuck off, Hyungwon. The love was gone long before I even broke up with you.”

He lifts his free hand and tries to reach out to you. “Jagiya-”

“I’m not your jagiya! Hyungwon, I’m not giving you anymore money, so you should just leave! And stop coming to me every time you want money, for god’s sake! We’re done, Hyungwon.” 

The man in front of you falls to his knees, “Please, I’m begging you, Y/N-ah! I’ll get into serious trouble if I don’t repay this debt by the end of this month! Y/N, for the sake of old times-”

“Hyungwon, please don’t! I’m not giving you any of my money, no matter how much you beg.”

His hand wraps around your leg, “Y/N-ah, please, just hear me out once! I am sorry for everything I did, and I’m so willing to amend my ways-”

“Please leave, Hyungwon-ssi, you’re making Noona uncomfortable.” Seokmin suddenly says from behind you, and you walk backward down the stairs until you’re again close enough to him that you can feel his body heat on your back. It makes you feel oddly safe.

“Who are you to say anything about Y/N, huh? You don’t even know her for long, I bet! Y/N and I dated for seven years!”

“It doesn’t matter how long I’ve known her, Hyungwon-ssi. What matters is that right now, she feels safe with me, and not around you. So please leave, Hyungwon-ssi.” You don’t even realise when his hands have come to wrap gently around you, not quite touching your body, but caging you away from the man who’s looking at you both with frantic and desperate eyes. You don’t know he knows that you’re feeling safe around him, but you’re so grateful. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll have to call the police, Hyungwon-ssi.”

The man in front of you gulps. “Fuck! I’ll be back, Y/N-ah. And then I’ll see where this boyfriend of yours will be!” And he storms down the stairs, cursing under his breath, and you’re still shaking in Seokmin’s grip. 

Five minutes pass before he asks you, gently whispering in your ear, “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” You slowly turn around and face him. You’re awfully close to him, and as you stand on the higher staircase, you’re eye-to-eye with him. “I’m so sorry you had to see that, Seokmin-ah.”

“No, Noona. I’m just upset thinking of what would happen if I hadn’t come up with you here tonight.”

“No, don’t be. He’s… harmless. He’s all talk and no action.”

“Has he been here before?”

You bite your lip. You don’t want to tell him things which will involve him deeper into this. He doesn’t know anything, he’s a complete stranger to it all, and yet, he is right, you do feel safe around him. But that doesn’t mean you burden him any further.

“Seokmin-ah, I don’t want you to get worried about this. I can take care of myself, it’s just Hyungwon. Like I said, he’s only bark and no bite.”

“Noona-”

“I’ll be fine, honestly! I’m sorry you had to see all this happen.” 

He opens his mouth to say something, but then he becomes silent again. 

“Do you want to come in-”

“No, Noona. I’ll just leave. I won’t take any more of your time. Have a good night, Noona.”

“Seokmin-ah, pl-”

“Goodnight, Noona. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And then he walks away, and you’re left there, unarmed, uneasy and all alone, swimming in your own thoughts. You feel like you should run after him like in the movies, and stop him from leaving, but your legs feel like lead. There’s a sinking feeling in your heart and a sense of emergency, and it’s not because your ex-boyfriend came up to your door asking for money to waste again.

_

You don’t go to school the next day. The day after that is a Saturday, thankfully a holiday, and you can spend a day moping in regret, stuffing popcorn into your face and pretending like you’re not an adult anymore and you can live without worrying about responsibilities and keep time standing still. 

It doesn’t work. 

Sohee arrives to your door on Sunday morning, sunglasses perched on her head. “Where have you been, sweetie?” She doesn’t wait for you to respond and shoves herself into your flat. 

“Nowhere, Sohee.”

“You’re pouting, your bed isn’t made, and I can smell caramel popcorn. Something’s up. Tell me, baby.”

She sits down on the couch, pulling you down next to her, and taps twice on your shoulder prompting you to spill. So you do spill. 

You tell her every thought that has crossed your mind these last 48 hours. How Seokmin confessed that he likes you. How you’d turned him down instantly. How Hyungwon had turned up at your door and ruined the night after the party. How you’d practically shooed Seokmin away although he’d been nothing but protective and helpful to you. How you’d wallowed in regrets since then, having realised that you’re such a coward. 

“Yeah, you are a coward. In what right mind would you turn down Seokmin when you’re so down bad for him?”

“Huh?”

“Dummy. You can’t even realise your own feelings, and you act like you’re so mature. Age is truly just a number,” she sighs before digging into your bowl of popcorn. 

“I don’t… I don’t have feelings for Seokmin.”

“What makes you think so?”

“He’s… he’s just a hoobae.”

“So are Chan and Soonyoung and Seungkwan. Why do you always blush when you talk to Seokmin, even if it’s over something as mundane as lunch? Why do you so often go to his classroom and aid him in his lessons during your free periods, even though he doesn’t necessarily ask for it? Why do you talk more to him than to your other hoobaes?”

You stay silent for a second. 

“Y/N-ah, think carefully about this.”

“I shouldn’t think of him in this light… he’s so much younger.”

“You’re just three years older than him, Y/N! Stop acting like you’re so old!”

“But…”

“Oh fuck, this isn’t about age, is it? You feel like you’re going to be to him what Hyungwon became to you? Predatory?”

You’re left silent again. Sohee understands from your (lack of) actions, and jumps across the couch to hug you. “Oh, Y/N-ah. Stop beating yourself up for that. It’s been so, so long. Stop blaming yourself for something that’s not even your fault.” 

“But Seokmin deserves better, don’t you think?”

“And you deserve better than beating yourself over an ex like Hyungwon. You deserve a second chance at love too, baby.” She hugs you tightly, and you don’t know when tears have started rolling down your cheek.“I’m a coward, Sohee. I can’t get the courage to even accept my feelings.” “Then let Seokmin help you. Honestly, with the way he always looks at you like you spin his earth and you’re his god, I don’t think he’ll have any issues waiting for you to realise your feelings.” You blush and hide your face in her neck at her sly words. She’s too outspoken for her own good. 

“What if it’s just a crush for him, that’ll pass soon? There’s not much about me that will keep him interested in me after a few months.”

“You’ve got to stop being so pessimistic. Again, just because one guy was stupid and decided to rip off your hard-earned money and your blind trust in him, doesn’t mean another guy will! I’ll say it again, you deserve a second chance!”

The doorbell rings right then. You get up to open the door, to find a letter on the doormat. 

“It’s from the local police station.” You pick it up and show Sohee, who’s equally confounded as you are. “Well, open it, girl!” 

It’s a letter stating a level one restraining order has been requested for your protection against Chae Hyungwon, who has repeatedly disturbed you while drunk, and demanded money for illegal gambling purposes. 

And the request has been made from Lee Seokmin.

“So you just have to sign it and that’s it? Hyungwon out from your life forever?”

You nod, unable to reply, you’re still shocked by the letter. So is Sohee, it seems. Because all she can manage is, “Wow. Y/N, you’ve gotta marry him.”

“Who?!”

“Seokmin, of course. If this is his level of devotion-”

“You don’t think this was unnecessary?”

“Y/N, are you for real? He’s literally looking out for you and doing what you should’ve done ages back, and you think he’s overstepping boundaries? He’s one gem of a person seeing that he’s doing all this without even you prompting him and even after you literally rejected his confession.”

You take a deep breath. She’s right. She’s so right that your heart hurts and you want to bend down on your knees because your body feels limp. How much more does Seokmin have to give you for you to be able to start giving back to him? One voice in your head chastises you. Love isn’t quid pro quo! You fight back. Fair. But at least you’ve started admitting it is love. The voice laughs at you, leaving you vulnerable. 

“Well, he said yes.”

“What?” You spin your head to look at Sohee who’s holding your phone in her hand. 

“Seokmin. He said he’ll meet you at the park near school. In about an hour.”

“Did you just text him from my phone?”

“I did, for your own good. Because if it were up to you, you would have overthought yourself into a hole you’d dig for yourself and not made a move at all even when he’s literally played all his cards and proved his commitment.”

“Aishh, you’re so annoying,” you playfully shove her. 

“Your annoying friend just wants to see you happy,” she pouts cutely, and you laugh at the face she’s making. 

“Okay, now go get dressed. You have to finish this game now, Y/N. I’ll drop you to the park.”

_

When Sohee drops you a little far away from the park, kissing your forehead and wishing you fighting!, you find Seokmin already sitting on a bench on a relatively empty side of the park. He looks up at you as you get closer, and you wave at him. You feel so timid, so nervous, just walking up to him, his handsomeness hitting you with full force as you see him in more casual clothes than ever before, knowing that this man, this beautiful man likes you. And he wants you, and he’s proved how far he can go to care for you, even when you’ve rejected his care.

“Noona, how are you? We were worried after you called your day off on Friday.”

“I’m sorry… I wasn’t sick or anything.” You laugh awkwardly. “Just, taking some time to ponder over things myself.”

“Oh.” He sits down on the bench, the loose end of his checked shirt gently swaying in the breeze. 

“And I regret how I acted that night. I’m sorry for being so harsh-” he starts to say something, but you gently put a finger on his hand, and that makes him shush. “I’m not just talking about Thursday night. I’ve been harsh to you ever since the beginning of the year. You’ve been nothing but kind and generous to me. But… time has made me unnaturally wary and I find it so hard to accept attention or even kindness easily. Thus, time and again I’ve pushed you away, yet you’ve kept coming back. It’s true that I didn’t realise your intentions earlier, but I know, deep down in my heart, that I’ve liked you too for quite some time.”

His eyes are wide, and you move an inch closer to him on the bench.

“I thought it was silly, to have a crush on a man so obviously young like you. I’m thirty now, turning thirty-one in a few weeks. I’ll always be older than you, less energetic, more boring and to be honest, I think it’s not even age but just experience which has made me like this. And I denied myself your attention because I thought you deserved better. And I still do. You sent a restraining request to the police on my ex-boyfriend on my behalf. You… you’ve gone out of your way so many times, even when I’ve been so harsh with you. You’re the one who’s precious, you’re made out of stardust. I’m just a broccoli that’s stacked in the corner of the fridge because no one wanted to eat me when I was fresh and no one should eat me now because now I’m stale.”

“That’s a ridiculous comparison. Even Soonyoung comparing himself to a tiger is better than you comparing yourself to a broccoli.” He finally says, and you laugh before you realise it. 

“Stop calling yourself old, Noona. Three years of an age difference isn’t a big deal. If the reason you’re holding yourself back is Hyungwon-ssi…”

“It is, I won’t lie. Hyungwon and I started dating when we were in college. We were so good, for so long. Until the pandemic came and took his job. That’s when he started getting into these bad habits. He took to gambling, and to stop him, I enrolled him into an evening college, hoping he’d get more productive and use the time we were stuck at home to get himself more educated and get a better job soon. It turned out he was wasting all my money on gambling, again. Every fees I’d paid to him had actually gone down the drain at a local club. And he even had the audacity to refuse me when I told him I want to break up with him.”

“Well, but he eventually did. That didn’t stop him from coming to my doorstep ever three or four months, asking for cash. Sometimes I’d drive him away, sometimes I’d give in if I was too tired to argue with him and if he was sober and dangerous.”

“Would you have given him money that night… had I not been there?”

You look down at your hands in shame. “I may have. I don’t know.”

“Do you still have feelings for him, Noona? It’s okay if you do have feelings, you know.”

“God, no. I don’t have feelings for him. It’s just that… we were together for seven years. We’ve grown up together. Seeing him in a pitiful state like that makes me sad. And I hope each time, that this will be the last time he’s at my door asking for money.” You look away, too ashamed to look at Seokmin. But he uses a hand to gently grip your chin and turn your head towards him. 

“You’re too kind for your own good, Noona.” You blush at the proximity, and the gentle way he’s touching your face. “This is why I like you. Because you’re so human in a world where everyone is plastic. I don’t like you because you’re a sunbae I want to impress. I don’t like you because boys like me find older women hot. Well, I do find you hot-”

“Seokmin!” You haven’t heard someone call you hot in so long, and it makes your skin burn. 

He giggles, and slowly flattens his palm to cup your cheek. 

“I think the restraining order should do the trick, then. He’ll not harass you any longer.”

“Thank you. You’ve been brave when I’ve been a coward.”

“That’s what makes us a good team, Noona.” 

You finally make eye contact with him, gazing into his doe-like brown eyes which are crinkled at the edges with a hint of a smile and wide with hope. 

“Your eyes are so pretty, Seokmin-ah. Just like the rest of you. Especially your heart.”

“It’s pretty because it belongs to you, Noona.”

You blush harder, and turn your face away from him. “I’ll not like you any more if you’re cheesy like this.”

“But it feels good to make you blush like this. How dare you compare yourself to a broccoli, huh? You have no idea what you do to me- when you enter any room, you light it up with your aura, you make it so much warmer, so much brighter. And then a fucking broccoli?”

“Stop! I didn’t mean it to be so deep. It’s just what I ate for lunch because that’s all I had in my fridge.” He giggles again, and you giggle along with him. You realise you’ve both moved closer to each other on the bench, until your thighs are touching. 

“Then you’ve got to have lunch again. No one should exist by eating just broccoli.” 

“With you?”

“If you’d like that.” He cups your other cheek with another hand, and you can feel your skin on fire. His eyes are gently inching towards your lips so you slowly close your eyes. “If you’re going to kiss me, know that I don’t have much experience in that. I’ll be your hoobae in that regard, sunbae.” You hear a soft giggle, and the kiss doesn’t arrive, so you open your eyes again, just to see him blush all over. “God, you’re so pretty, Noona. I could look at you all day.”

“How about you tell me when you started liking me?”

“Umm, I think that time you came to eat lunch with us for the first time? I think it all started with me just trying to get you to eat meals on time. Good girls don’t skip meals, as I heard someone once say,” you playfully hit his chest lightly, and he laughs. “I don’t know, maybe it was before that. But that afternoon, I realised my crush on you was so serious. I was getting tingly all over every time our shoulders touched.”

“Oh! Well, thank goodness it wasn’t just me.”

“Really? From so long ago? Oh, Noona, if you’d just told me earlier…”

“Shh!” You giggle, “I didn’t even realise anything. I was just desperate to get you to forgive me.”

“But I was never angry at you. I could never be.”

You smile again, and he pulls you closer until your entire body is touching him. “So are you giving me a chance, Noona?” 

“Yes. I like you, Lee Seokmin, and I’m still shocked that you like me, after everything you’ve had to see.”

“Well, I do. I like you so much that I might be seeing stars over your head every time you come into my line of sight.”

You giggle again, your insides turning to mush. “Will you be my girlfriend, Y/N Noona?” His voice is, oh, so soft, like a melody. And his eyes so earnest, like an autumn leaf. “I’d be very honoured to, Seokmin-ah.” “May I kiss you?” You feel yourself getting red with anticipation as you quietly nod your consent. 

And so he kisses you. Like your very own Prince Charming, he kisses you, one hand on the back of your neck, and the other cupping onto your cheek, first gentle and slow, and then a little more passionate, as you pull him closer by holding on to his slender waist. “Fuck, Noona. You taste so sweet,” he says while taking a breath, and then attacks your face all over by placing tiny pecks all over your nose, cheeks and forehead. “I like you so much, I think I might die from it.” You laugh once again at his words, unable to say anything else because he’s effectively shut you up through his incessant kisses. When he finally moves his face away from yours, his 1000 watt signature smile bright on his face, you say to him, “Not before we have lunch together, though.”

a/n: read the stories of the other three boys here! lmk your thoughts <3

tagging: kokoiinuts

[frogchiro]

hii!! i suddenly have a pierro brainrot that i have to share to you!!

it's a royalty au and i kinda imagine the setting to be like historical manhwas.

y/n's father is a noble but he has some debts to the throne. the harbingers are nobles who serves the throne directly. so y/n's father sold y/n as a betrothed for one of the harbingers expecting for her to be matched with either childe/pantalone/dottore. but turns out she's betrothed to pierro who's way older than her

i hope this makes sense 😭 ik it's rather cliche sorry

and if this emoji is not taken already can i be 🌸 anon? thank uu!!

hi love!! AND YES I LOVE THIS THANK YOU THANK YOU <333 also i think that this emoji is already taken :(( maybe you could come up with something different?

fem!reader, tiny bit of mentions of violence, age gap, shitty fathers and noble pierro thirsting after you

imagine that it was actually pierro who was secretly pulling some threads from behind the scenes. he knew that your father wasn't a very capable businessman and made some...questionable investments and deals and now he's indebted to the throne. the many loan papers stacked on his desk and the threat of the regrator finally calling in for the money looming over him, and while your father might not be the brightest he's very much aware that it will mean your family's bankruptcy and ultimately, your downfall.

if you're drowning you'll grab even the blade of a knife; when he was finally called into the palace about the repayment he was panicking, pleading his case,

'just a few more months i promise!' but his desperate words fell on deaf ears as everyone had enough of his worthless wailing.

this is where in the heat of the moment he blurted out that he has a daughter, a young daughter that's just of marrying age and he'd be more than wiling to graciously present his darling only daughter to one of the most esteemed harbingers in exchange for more time.

frankly speaking pierro thought it was pathetic, basically selling his only daughter like some cattle to settle a debt he himself got into.

the white haired man frowned, deep in thought. he knew about you, saw you on one banquet or two while accompanying your father and he had to admit, you were a true beauty. beautiful soft (s/c) skin, glossy well kept (h/c) hair, doe like (e/c) eyes and those beautiful luscious lips that kept him awake more often than he'd like to admit. and yet what truly captivated him was your personality; soft spoken and polite with a quick and witty mind, the round of chess he invited you to play with while won on his part, was the most difficult one he'd had in a long time.

'yes' pierro thought, 'she'll be perfect, my precious future lady wife'.

the man almost smirked at the bewildered look on your father's face when he announced that he was the one to take your hand in marriage, the fool looked like he was about to piss himself. pierro was no fool, he knew very well that he was getting old and your father dearest probably hoped for someone younger like that brat childe or even pantalone.

but no, absolutely not. pierro was a terribly jealous and possessive man, if he wanted something he'd get it no matter the cost. frankly, it wasn't that hard to get your papa to agree to his demands, the vivid vision of breaking him on a cross, cutting fingers off one by one or whatever dottore has in mind definitely helped him make the right decision.

pierro allowed himself to smirk only when he returned to his chambers for the night. soon he'd have you as his perfect little wife here with him to keep him company, warm his bed on cold snezhnayan nights and finally have someone to return to after a tiring day of harbinger duties.

and all it took was one ridiculously high loan.

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

Barry takes his glasses off and presses the heels of his hands against his eyes. He’s been staring at his computer for far too long today. The computer in question sits on the couch next to him, screen obscenely bright in his dim living room.

He’d been ignoring the emails that infiltrated his inbox with growing frequency and urgency, all of them riddled with subject lines like “Payment Plans for Upcoming Semester,” and “Payment Due Soon,” and “Seriously, You Owe Us Tens of Thousands of Dollars and We Aim to Collect.” You know, normal stuff.

He’d always figured that actually doing the coursework would be the hardest part of grad school, not figuring out how to fund it without owing his soul and first-born child to the federal government. But the fact of the matter is that he’s reached a dead end; most of everything his mom left him was used to pay off his undergrad loans some years back. His university has mentioned scholarships and work study but he’s convinced the scholarships are a myth and also his university declined to mention that the work study they offer doesn’t actually pay him in money, rather they just pay for three course credits. Don’t get him wrong, that’s better than nothing but that doesn’t help pay his rent or buy textbooks.

Once again he mourns the fact that the only applied arcane theory program that accepted him just had to be a private university many states away.

He returns his glasses to his face and pulls his laptop closer to him. He’s about three modules into his ten-module long loan counseling. It’s basically an online program that explains in excruciating detail just how deeply the federal government has his future in their pocket. “Oh, hey Barry! If you Ever fall behind on your loans, we can garnish your wages that already probably won’t be able to pay for a studio apartment in Neverwinter and also you’ll be paying these back for anywhere from ten to twenty five years! You also cannot declare bankruptcy because you live in hell!! Only way to get off the hook for these is if your school shuts down before you get your degree or you die! Now sign on the dotted line after you hyperventilate a little when you look at just how much money you’re going to be responsible for!”

The whole process makes his stomach hurt; there’s no good reason education should be this much. He’s going to be saddled with loans worth more than any yearly salary he could hope to have and now he’s gotta pay them back or die.

Wait.

He rereads the loan forgiveness terms. “If your loan servicer receives acceptable documentation of your death, your federal student loans will be discharged,” he reads to himself. He's got it.

He lets loose a laugh that borders on maniacal and roots around for his phone. It rings once before someone picks up on the other end.

“Lup!” He whoops.

“Bear? What’s up? You sound extremely excitable right now.”

“Okay, remember when you wanted to get married for tax benefits?”

“I do! I also remember you turned me down because you didn’t want to our marriage to be for convenience.”

Barry laughs to himself. “Yeah, I still stand by that.”

“You sap,” she sighs fondly.

“Well, I think I found a way to scam the federal government through a loophole.”

“Gods I love when you talk dirty to me!”

“We can talk more when you come home but I can almost promise you neither of us are paying off our student loans.”

“Barry, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about and I can’t wait to hear your devious plan. Love you!”

“Love you.” He clicks end on the call and looks around for his theoretical necromancy notes from a few semesters ago.

[1americanconservative]

@wendyp4545

I want to make sure that you understand what is about to happen so you can prepare. Biden canceled all of the Alaska drilling on Federal land. At the same time he stopped allowing liquid natural gas from being transported by train. That leaves the only mode of transportation by trucking. About 2 months ago the largest trucking company went out of business: Yellow, one of the nation's largest freight and trucking companies, announced it is shutting down, leading to one of the largest mass layoffs in recent history and potential shipping cost increases. The company is in bankruptcy just three years after getting a $700 million loan from taxpayers. So that is going to create a massive supply chain issue of liquid natural gas which means your utility bills as well as the price of gas is going to skyrocket. Biden used 300 million gallons of gas from our reserves to keep the gas prices artificially low. They can't do that anymore. They have set us up in every way to purposely make gas prices and utility prices skyrocket so fill all of your gas cans, buy propane ect NOW while you can still afford it.

[winterxgardener]

Hey! I wanted to let those who may not know that the first story in today's episode had quite a few more updates they didn't get to. It wasn't attached to the one reposted, so they might not have seen it. A LOT went down.

I sent @winterxgardener a rundown summary of what else happened, but if those of you are curious, they are u/Scared-Weakness-6250. There are about seven or eight more updates.

It's a bit of a read, but also very interesting if you felt like you wanted more to the story.

I wished they had seen it as it would have been cool to hear their thoughts and reactions. Maybe they could do an episode called "Updates We Missed" or something like that going through previous stories and the updates that came after the episodes were taped?

Anyway, I hope all of you are having a great morning, noon, or night!

Kudos to @thisisatakenusername for updating us regarding the first story for the Reddit story. Whoa! Be prepared; it's a lot of information to handle. ⬇️

Basically the OP installed a lot of security measures and put in cameras and signs. They ended up cutting through the massive lock with an angle grinder and broke in. The police and the property manager came and caught them and they thankfully didn't resist arrest or no charges could have been dropped.

The damages were $5000. He planned on suing them for damages and especially the money they made off renting it illegally. The parents pretty much want nothing to do with the place now and OP understands but is sad because it was originally intended for them.

He ended up getting a sincere apology from the two brothers in law and it really meant a lot to OP. One of the brothers had to pay for both their bail and they were able to pay for the damages but not OP's legal fees. He assumes this only happened once they realized how f*cked they were

They basically were going to do anything and everything to make sure it goes away because they could lose their jobs as one of them has security clearance. They made an agreement for no contact and a lot of other legal stuff and things ended up working out ok. The actual break in event was a mess for OP as he was away with his wife’s family and didn’t have their phones on them for a bit.

One of the two families ended up having their truck repossessed and had to pay to break their lease on their SUV. They were $125k in debt on high interest credit cards, no home equity and two personal loans that were probably under false pretenses to begin with

The dad refused to help but the mom eventually caved. The parents had no house payments and lived off social security and pensions with a small emergency fund. That sister finally got to them, they ended up needing to borrow a car from them that could barely hold them and their three kids and the parents were paying for their groceries and the car insurance

They also filed for Class 7 bankruptcy and technically have nothing at stake if they break the agreement, so he is hoping they don't end up reaching out

The other brother-in-law also lives separately from his wife and kids because he is done with that family dynamic which I honestly don't blame. That sister was the one pressuring him to do everything and never wanted any part in it.

He is finally able to go there worry-free and his parents have also enjoyed it. It seems it is all behind him now

I tried the best I could to sum it up and left out some other details like meetings with his lawyer and the DA's office up at the house, but that is essentially what happened.

Me after reading it:

[twitter-today]

Seeing that Elon is speedrunning Twitter's downfall at a rate much faster than any one of us has expected, do you think that he is crashing Twitter on purpose to get out of having to pay off his loans? I don't really get bankruptcy, but if Twitter goes bankrupt (as opposed to Elon Musk declaring personal bankruptcy) will he effectively have written off his $44B debt without impacting himself too much?

Honestly, I don't think it's intentional. I think Musk operates mostly as a con-man: He needs acolytes that believe his messianic message to operate, so he doesn't get any push-back and rules as a king-god over his companies. At the end of the day, the only reason he's "the richest man in the world" is Tesla being massively over-valuated, in part because he has been lying publicly about the company's future (no, there won't be full autopilot by the end of 2023, he has been promising it 'by the end of the year', quite literally, since 2014) but somehow he has convinced a good chunk of the public opinion of him being a genius that could make his outrageous claims actually possible (spoiler: They aren't). And the side-effect of that is that he has been surrounding himself only with minions for years and he has probably been disconnected from the reality outside his circle of yes-men for years.

So what I think is that he actually expected some resistance from the twitter employees. In part, that's why he came down so hard at them, firing half the staff just a week after landing: That was a power move, trying to scare those who weren't going to be willing sycophants. I think he expected the surviving 'tweeps' to be a mix between "musky boys", enthusiastic about the chance of working for him, and non-so-enthusiastic-but-scared-of-losing-their-job everyone else.

But what he's finding out is that very few people were enthusiastic about him as a boss, and his power moves, instead of inspiring fear, inspired rage. And now ... he may be running the company with just a few hundred employees. Without any kind of knowledge transfer from those who left.

I think he VASTLY overestimated his capacity to 'get people in line' behind his plans. And now he has caused a problem he may not be able to solve.

[thelittlearanarathatcould]

Don’t Touch What Isn’t Yours

Childe X female reader

Warnings -> Pre-relationship, mild spice, protective Childe, violence, reader has a bruised wrist, drunk man flirts with reader

Lifeless blue eyes stared into your soul, the air around him thick with danger and dominance. You should have known he was capable of making such a lethal expression; how else would he be as powerful as he is if not for such bloodlust? Still, a year of working with the man has muddled your image of him into someone more light and playful, not the hostile figure standing before you now.

“It’s your call, girlie. What do you want me to do?”

~~~ Earlier ~~~

Northland Bank seemed to echo in the last few moments of the day. The light in the lobby was dimmer, as if the entire building was getting ready to sleep for the night. The last remaining staff were wrapping up the last of their duties, and as soon as the clock struck six, Andrei locked the grand front doors.

“Closing time, guys. Get out of here.” He said, waving everyone a farewell on his way towards the back room.

Ekaterina, who had just finished checking the vault’s security mechanisms were functioning, glided over and leaned against the tall filing cabinet you were digging through. “Mister Qi, Vlad and I are going out for dinner before hitting up a tavern. Wanna come with?”

You looked up and flashed her an apologetic smile. “Wish I could, but I have some things to take care of first.”

She rolled her eyes, but her smile was friendly. “Must be hard, being a Harbinger’s personal errand girl. Well, if you change your mind, we’ll be at Wanmin Restaurant.”

With that, Ekaterina spun on her heel and followed the others out the back door. In all honesty, you wanted to accept the offer, but your dedication to your job came first. Being a secretary wasn’t the most complicated job, and you could very well come in earlier tomorrow morning and finish these tasks instead of tonight, but your boss was good to you and paid you more then this position probably deserved. The least you could do is have things ready so he can grab what he needed and go.

It didn’t take you long to find the documents you needed, and once they were in your hands, you headed down the hall and entered the furthest office on the left. You set the stack of papers down and split it into two piles: one that contained the information of clients who’s debts were officially overdue, and one for clients who’s loan deadlines were coming up next month. He didn’t need to worry about the second pile - you’ll go through it tomorrow and write the reminder letters yourself.

“Should I start paying you overtime?”

You yelped and jumped a foot in the air. Whirling around, you caught sight of a familiar man standing beneath the doorframe with his arms crossed and a light smile on his lips.

Letting out a heavy exhale, you placed a hand over your racing heart. “When did you get back? I didn’t see you return.”

Childe shrugged and walked towards the desk. “Not surprised, you have tunnel vision when you’re working. What are these?”

“This month’s overdue loans. I know it’s not your favourite job, but it needs to be done. You can leave the notices for next month to me.”

The man sighed and shook his head. “All my skill, and this is what I’ve been reduced to. A lousy debt collector.”

You rolled your eyes and patted his back. “You’ll survive.”

A year ago, if anyone had told you a day would come where you comfortably worked beneath the direction of a Fatui Harbinger, you would have told them to jump off a boat and wrestle Osial with their bare hands. Sure, you lived under a rock sometimes but even you knew the Fatui was bad news. Still, you were desperate - the business you used to work for closed due to bankruptcy, the rent had gone up and although other places interviewed you, no one hired you. The secretary position at Northland Bank was your last hope, and honestly, it hasn’t been that bad. Naturally, you walked on eggshells for the first couple months but after that, work was just work and Childe was just Childe.

“Hey.” You snapped out of your thoughts when the man standing next to you suddenly took hold of your wrist. “What happened here?”

As he gently turned your wrist over in his hands, you remembered what happened that afternoon. “Oh, that? It’s not a big deal. A man came in screaming about being screwed over and grabbed me. Vlad dealt with him, don’t worry about it.”

Childe’s eyes, which already were naturally dull, darkened. “Who?”

You shrugged, missing the venom that laced his voice. “No idea, but it doesn’t matter. Andrei banned him from the property so he shouldn’t be coming back.” You smiled and pulled your wrist free. “Childe, really, I’m okay. I can handle a bruise.”

Ekaterina’s offer rolled around in your head again. It’s been a while since you’ve gone out with friends, and if you hurried you should still be able to catch them at the restaurant.

“Childe?” Your mouth moved before your brain could keep up. “I’m planning to hang out with the others tonight. Do you want to come along?”

It was too late to take it back. It’s not that you didn’t want to invite him along, but was it appropriate to ask your boss to hang out with you? He is around your age, and when was the last time he went out and did something with friends?

Childe crossed his arms. “I have something I need to take care of, but thanks for the offer. Maybe next time?”

“Oh, sure.” Your own disappointment surprised you. “I’m going to head out, then. Goodnight.”

He smiled and gave a light nod. “Goodnight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You managed to snag the others just as they were leaving the restaurant. You weren’t feeling super hungry so instead of making them hang around the restaurant even longer, you decided to just order some bar food with your drink. Not long after arrival, Vlad and Mister Qi jumped into a game of beer pong, leaving you and Ekaterina to hold down the table.

“So~” She sang, wiggling her eyebrows. “How did it go after we all left?”

Her question confused you. “Fine? I just laid out tomorrow’s paperwork, said goodnight to Childe, and left.”

“Really?” She didn’t sound convinced, but what was there to convince her of? “I thought for sure you were going to ditch us to go on a date with him.”

You had lifted your glass to your lips, and upon hearing that, you choked. Slamming the glass onto the table, you covered your mouth and coughed as if sand had just been thrown into your lungs. “Wh-What?!”

Ekaterina rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on! You expect me to believe there’s nothing going on between you two?”

You stared at her, dumbfounded. “There’s nothing going on between us. He’s my boss, Eka.”

“So? Office romances happen all the time. Besides, if you saw the way you look at him, or noticed the way he looks at you, you’d believe it, too.”

There’s no way. There’s just no way. You don’t see Childe as anything more then a sometimes serious boss, and please, the possibility of him seeing you as anything but a workaholic secretary is laughable. You don’t know him outside the office, and he doesn’t know you.

Still, Ekaterina’s statement shook you, much so that you claimed to need some water and hastily ran from the table. By the time you reached the bar counter, you felt sick to your stomach. What if you have been making heart eyes at Childe? What if he lied about having something to do as a means of escaping you? Were you making him uncomfortable? No, that can’t be it. If you were really fawning over him, he would have teased you about it by now.

Yeah… you’re in the clear.

…But you did invite him out on a whim and rationalized it to yourself that you were worried about him.

…And you did enjoy bantering with him throughout the day.

…And you treated his wounds whenever he was being too stubborn to see a doctor.

…And you saved him some snacks from the break room whenever someone brought in a bulk for everyone to share.

Your heart beat faster whenever he smiled at you and praised you for your work.

You liked standing near him because his cologne smelled good - a cologne you bought him as a gift over the holidays.

With a shake of your head, you waved to catch the bartender’s attention. The bracelet hanging from your wrist caught your attention, a dainty silver one that you never took off unless it was time for bed. A bracelet Childe gave you the same holiday you gifted him the cologne.

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no!

“Heyyyy, I- *hic* I recognize youuuu.” The man sitting next to you, very clearly drunk, snapped you out of the abyss you were spiralling into.

Turning your head to look at him, you tensed and wrinkled your nose. He reeked of alcohol, but that wasn’t what put you on edge. You recognized this man’s face, and for a moment, the bruise on your wrist throbbed. This was the same man who threw a fit in the middle of the bank.

“Hello.” You said, being polite but firm and dismissive, hoping he would take your tone as a sign to leave you be.

Either he didn’t care, or he was too drunk to notice. “You’re the woman from the bank! Ya know, *hic* I-I’m really sorry about gra-grabbin’ ya’ like that. Not v-very gentlemanly. *hic*”

“It’s alright, forget about it.” Archons, please let him stop talking.

He planted an elbow on the counter and leaned his cheek into his palm. “Y-You’re real pretty, little miss. *hic* L-Lemme buy you a drink to show ya’ how- *hic* how sorry I am.”

Now, you felt very uncomfortable. “No, thank you. Goodbye, now.”

“H-Hey!”

You turned, failing to notice the way the man reached out to grab your arm. Someone else did, though.

Like the waves of an undertow, Childe’s rage crashed onto shore and his self control was pulled out to sea. This man - no, this living, breathing scrap of garbage laid a hand on you once and now he dared to do it again.

Childe’s hands are covered in blood. He’s killed, he’s tortured, he’s manipulated, but the one thing he’s never done is leave a mark on your skin. That makes him infinitely more innocent then the scum who stared you down as if you were made to be preyed upon.

And that, he will not allow.

A loud ‘thud’ nearly had you jumping out of your skin. Gasps and confused shouts exploded throughout the tavern, and every person you looked at had their eyes fixated on something behind you.

“What the hell, man?!” That was the drunken man’s voice.

You whipped around. The drunkard was still sitting on the stool, but his upper half was bent over the counter with a hand on the back of his neck forcing his head against the wood. One of his arms, the one closest to you, was pinned behind his back and twisted at a nauseating angle. If it wasn’t already broken, it very easily could be.

“I advise you to be careful while you struggle. Move the wrong way, and something might snap or pop out of place.”

Your tongue felt like sandpaper, each beat of your heart like thunder in your ears. “Ch-Childe, what are you…?”

The harbinger looked up and for a moment, you didn’t recognize him. His ocean eyes were as dark as the deepest depths of the sea, threatening to swallow someone and drown them in his anger. The shape of his face was sharper then ever, his expression dangerous enough to stop a raging Lawachurl in its tracks. The position he held over the man was dominate and unyielding, like a predator playing with its prey before delivering the final blow.

A small breath of air escaped you. This is what Childe looked like as a harbinger.

“I-I didn’t do anything! Wh-What’s your problem?!” The man sounded more afraid then he did angry, his face noticeably paler. Beads of sweat where gathering on his forehead.

“Oh, you didn’t? I could have sworn you were about to touch this woman without her consent. That just won’t do.” Childe sounded like he was teasing, but something sinister underlined his tone. “I think an apology is in order, wouldn’t you agree?”

The man’s face twisted in agony as the hand on his neck tightened its grip. “I-I’m sorry, Miss! I really, really am!”

You were about to call out to Childe, but he looked up and spoke first. “It’s your call, girlie. What do you want me to do?”

Your breath hitched. All this power he has, the strength he wields, and he’s asking you how you want this to end? He looked as sincere as he did vicious, not leaving any room for doubt. Whatever you chose of this man’s fate, he would see it through.

All eyes in the tavern were on you. Swallowing your nerves, you looked him in the eyes. “I want you to let him go.”

There was an intense pause, but true to his word, Childe let him go. The man tumbled off the stool, scrambled to his feet and bolted from the tavern. Everyone else averted their eyes and feigned minding their own business, reigniting the chatter and boisterous atmosphere from before.

“Are you hurt?” Childe asked as if nothing had happened.

Still stunned, you shook your head. You suddenly felt suffocated, and it would probably be best to get him out of here before the Milileth showed up. Unable to find words, you ducked your head, grabbed his hand and dragged him outside.

A gorgeous full moon hung in the sky, turning the surface of the ocean silver. The cool air felt nice on your heated skin, and though you would normally take a few minutes to appreciate the beauty of Liyue Harbor at night, you were too anxious to do it now.

As soon as the tavern’s door swung closed behind you, you released the harbinger’s hand and wrapped your arms around yourself. You couldn’t find the courage to turn and and face him, so you slowly started to walk in a random direction. His quiet footfalls was enough evidence that he was following.

“I thought there was something you needed to take care of?” You asked, staring at the ground so you wouldn’t trip over anything.

“There was. I just did.” He didn’t sound as hostile now, but he seemed… cautious. Unsure, and that was strange because Childe was the most confident man you knew.

“So, what? You’ve been tracking his whereabouts this entire time?” Hearing shouts in the distance, you turned down a narrow alley. “I didn’t think someone throwing a tantrum in the bank would offend you so badly.”

When it took too long for him to respond, you finally turned to face him. It’s only when he’s standing this close that you remember how much he towers over you. Even if the height isn’t that bad, his sheer presence alone left you the size of a mouse.

“No, you’ve got it wrong.” Childe took a step forward, and you took one back. This dance only lasted two strides before your back hit a wall and there was no where else to escape to. He planted his hands on the bricks, caging you between his arms. Shadows fell over his form, but a streak of moonlight made his eyes glow. “Want to guess again?”

The answer was clear as day, but part of you was still in denial. “What else could have bothered you so badly?”

He searched your face. Was it just you, or was he leaning in closer? “Do I need to spell it out for you?”

“You shouldn’t answer a question with a question.” Your eyes kept darting back and forth between his eyes and his mouth.

Your knees started to shake as he ran his tongue over his lips. “Fine. I’ll show you, then.”

He kissed you, softly at first and when you didn’t push him away, he came back with the vigor of a man who’s been waiting too long. You squeaked into his kiss as he lifted you, hands supporting you beneath your thighs as he held you against the wall. You wrapped your legs around his waist, arms looping around the back of his neck and shoulders, hands losing themselves in the orange locks of his messy hair. You weren’t sure if it was Childe or the drinks, but something had drawn a boldness from you and you didn’t dare shy away now.

Childe broke the kiss when the shouts you heard earlier came again, sounding a lot closer this time. “How do you feel about continuing this elsewhere?”

Breathless, all you could do was nod and hold on.

[popolitiko]

Could Donald Trump go bankrupt?

He owes more than half a BILLION dollars.

Chris Cillizza Feb 17, 2024

Donald Trump owes more than a half billion in legal fees. Can he afford to pay them? Answers below! 👇

Here’s what Donald Trump currently owes in legal penalties:

$454 million to the state of New York

$88.3 million to E. Jean Carroll

$400,000 to the New York Times

That’s $542 million. Which, is, um, a lot. (That’s a technical term.)

The real question here — in the wake of a series of adverse legal ruling for the de facto Republican presidential nominee — is actually two questions:

How much is Trump actually going to have to pay?

How much does Trump actually have?

Let’s answer those questions one at a time.

On the “how much does he have to pay” question, it’s bit complicated.

Trump has already put $5.5 million in escrow — the amount (plus interest) that he was initially told to pay Carroll following a jury decision that he was liable for sexually assaulting her. (Carroll alleged that Trump raped her in a high-end department store in the 1990s.)

Trump is faced with having to do the same for the $83.3 million he was penalized for defaming Carroll. If he doesn’t want to pay that large sum, there is another option. As the Associated Press notes:

“He could secure a bond and pay only a portion up front — though that option would come with interest and fees and likely require some form of collateral. Trump would have to find a financial institution willing to front him the money.”

Then there is the legal payment required in the wake of Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision Friday that Trump had knowingly committed fraud for decades by overestimating his assets to secure favorable loan conditions from banks.

Engoron said Trump is liable for $355 million — plus interest on that money. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the case, said that the interest adds up to $99 million.

Trump will, of course, appeal that ruling. But, Trump will have to either a) come up with the total ($454 million) or secure a bond for the total within the next 30 days, according to the New York Times.

Which leads us to the second question: How much money does Trump actually have (and how much of that is in ready cash that he could pay off such large judgments against him?)

According to Forbes, as of September 2023, Trump was worth $2.6 billion. Most of that wealth is tied up in the various real estate properties he owns. Forbes also estimated that Trump had “cash/liquid assets” of $426 million.

That is broadly consistent with what Trump himself has said he has in cash. In an April 2023 deposition with James, Trump estimated that he had $400 million in cash — which he called “a lot for a developer.”

Which is, um, less than he currently owes. (Math!)

But, liberals should hold off rejoicing over Trump’s impending bankruptcy. Because, remember, that Forbes estimates that he is worth more than $2.6 billion. Which means he has the wealth to pay these fines — even if he doesn’t have the available cash on hand this minute.

So, how could Trump get the money he needs? A few ways:

Get a loan. It’s not immediately clear what financial institution would loan Trump several hundred million dollars after he was just found guilty of lying to banks about his wealth but, hey, who knows?

Sell stuff. Trump could sell stocks and the like or — and this would probably hurt him more — a building or three. (Forbes estimated that Trump has $690 million in New York City real estate.)

Raise the money. Trump can’t use money raised for his presidential campaign to pay legal bills and penalties but he CAN use money raised for affiliated super PACs to do so. Last year alone, Trump used $50 million(!) in donations to pay his legal bills.

So, Trump isn’t going to be declaring bankruptcy any time soon. But, there is NO doubt that the current legal penalties hanging over his head badly complicate his financial future.

Especially when you consider what else we know about Trump’s finances. Thanks to the New York Times, which got a hold of a decade’s worth of tax information for Trump, we know a few things.

First, Trump has benefited — hugely — from a $72.9 million tax refund that the Internal Revenue Service is currently auditing.

Second, Trump is personally responsible for more than $400 million in loans — the vast majority of which are set to come due by 2025.

Add it all up and it’s clear — even to this non-accountant — that Trump’s personal wealth is going to take a MAJOR hit.

Which is not an insignificant thing. As I have noted before in this space, Trump derives a huge amount of self-definition and pride from being wealthy.

It is WHO he is. It’s why he spends so much time inflating his wealth and talking about it.

Losing a chunk of that money, which Trump now seems nearly-certain to do, will have a real psychological impact on him. Even if he doesn’t have to declare bankruptcy. Again.

[martiny0rk]

I’m going to rant for a moment and explain why I haven’t been writing

My mom has been struggling financially and we have had to sell our house to pay off the bankruptcy and we don’t know if we have a house or anything as they lied to her saying she could get loan after she paid off the bankruptcy and that what we were going to use to buy a house but now they are saying she can’t get loan so I may not have a house and on top of that we don’t think I have a scholarship for me to go back to the private school I’m at for my senior year. I’m to the point of just doing something I will regret. Im also worried about college and everything with applying.

[siriannatan]

Float

This one was sitting in my notes for a long time, unfinished, I read it, and I had to finish it.

I just randomly picked Float by Call Me Karizma from Youtube's recommended as the title...

Scott was not having a good time lately. His whole life has been falling down around him and no matter how much he struggled he could not stop it. All he spent so much effort, energy, time and money building crumbled around him.

His fiance left him mere weeks before their wedding. The company he worked so hard climbing the ladder of suddenly announced bankruptcy. Just after he had to take a massive debt to cover all expenses of cancelling a wedding. His ex was all but gone. No sign of him. No excuse. No apology. No help with this mess.

Over the last month, Scott felt more and more like he was in a hole that was slowly filling with water. Chained to the bottom of it. Only able to powerlessly watch the distant clouds over his head.

When he thought things could not get worse he learned his ex took a massive loan from the mafia to pay for the wedding just to run away with the money. And he put Scott down as a guarantor for said loan.

How did Scott find out? When said mafia group came and grabbed him from his new, mostly empty and terrible apartment. "Boss wants to talk about lover boy and when he can start paying back," they said as they pulled him out and into a back car with tinted windows. 

Scott practically forgot how to speak from how afraid and confused he was. Debt? He thought he paid back all his debts but the one. About halfway to their destination, he realised they weren't normal debt collectors but the mob. And felt even worse. It was a miracle he didn't puke.

Once the car stopped Scott was once again dragged. He didn't struggle hoping there was a way out of this. Maybe I'd he explained he wasn't with that guy anymore 'boss' would let him go? No way...

He was prepared for death the moment he was told to kneel on the uncomfortably hard wooden floor. And left to wait under the watch of four guards. As if he could even move with how scared he was.

A cold shiver went down his spine when he heard the door open. He could only stare at the floor, too terrified to look up as someone moved around him. "So, this is that idiots guarantor?" Cold but nevertheless attractive voice mused. "Look up," the voice ordered and Scott forced himself to look up at the source.

He was met with the cold blue eyes of an undoubtedly handsome man in a dark suit. Copper hair gathered in a ponytail at the back of his head as he whispered something to the tall brunet next to him. Those blue eyes didn't leave Scott for one second. Freezing him in place, unable to explain himself as they leveled him with disinterested curiosity. "I made up my mind," the boss smirked, his entire attention back on Scott. "Everyone out," he ordered, "I want to talk to him alone," he added, sitting back. Relaxing in his seat. "Not like he can hurt me in any way," he rolled his eyes as the guards dragged their feet a bit too much for his liking.

Scott watched in fear as all other people left the room leaving him alone with possibly the most dangerous person in the building. And the hottest but that part of his brain should shut up. It was not helping at all.

"Not going to beg I forget the deb?" The man asked lips forming an amused smirk.

"What would it do? You likely already know what you want to do with me..." Scott shrugged. There was no escape. Why else would he send his men away? "I don't know where my ex is. Why he did do it. When..." Scott froze as time man shifted and removed his blazer. Did he not want Scott's blood on it?

"I see," he hummed, eyes glancing away for just a second. "I want a drink, brink me one," he suddenly grinned, pointing to where he glanced with his chin.

Scott scrambled to follow the order. Who else would he be asking? Where he was pointed was an elegant, likely very expensive mini-bar set-up. Glasses for various drinks. Various bottles with expensive labels. "What would you like?" Scott asked even if he'd prefer to run away.

"One Bloody Mary," the man requested as if it were simple to make. 

Scott nodded, feeling his hands shake. How long was it since he was a bartender? College was a long time ago. Luckily he occasionally practiced at home. Nothing as crazy as he was asked now but he used to be able to make a good Mary. With deep focus, he got to work.

He was pretty proud of the result as he brought it to the man on a silver platter. He watched with held breath as the man took a sip to then... 

Spill it over Scott.

"Good enough," he grinned as Scott blinked away shock. Biting his tongue to not snap at the man as he set the now empty glass away. "You're wet. Strip."

Scott could not move for a second. Strip? As in naked. No way... With those cold eyes narrowing he slowly got to it. It beat dying, right?

"The name's fWhip and unfortunately for you, while I tend to avoid human trafficking I like your face so I decided to keep you," the man grinned as Scott fought the urge to curl up and cry. Keep him? Like a pet? "All you have to do is be pretty, stick close to me and be fine with being touched. A lot. Don't worry I'm not the type to share his toys." 

Scott shuddered at his words. Toy. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he let his shirt slowly slide down his arms before working on his jeans. At least fWhip didn't mind the slow pace.

"Stop looking like I'm about to kill you, as long as you behave you're very safe," fWhip hummed. His tie was gone and he was slowly opening his dark red undershirt. Scott's breath hitched. He wouldn't... It wasn't part of the... A lot of touching... It absolutely was. He absolutely was about to be fWhip's sex toy. With that realisation, tears started to slowly flow for real. 

fWhip sighed and stood up. "Stop," he said grabbing Scott's chin shockingly gently for how annoyed he looked. "I don't think any got in your eyes... Are you really so scared of me touching you? Fucking you?" He asked, not letting go of Scott's chin.

"Yes..." Scott said with a simple nod being out of the question. 

"Unfortunately, I do not care how you feel about this whole thing," he grinned petting Scott's cheek briefly before returning to his seat. "But be sure that as long as I'm happy with you, no one is allowed to harm you." Scott nodded, thankful that fWhip's hands were off of him. "I'm more of a jealous type, don't like to share, as I said." 

Scott just nodded and hurried to finish undressing. He never felt as naked as with fWhip's eyes taking him once all his clothes were a messy pile on the floor. "How about you make me another drink? Martini perhaps?" fWhip requested, his shirt mostly undone. Comfortably lounging in his seat.

Scott nodded and went back to the bar with the tray and the empty glass and set to make the best martini he could while naked and observed constantly. He focused so much on the drink he missed fWhip stood up and walked up behind him. He froze as he was pushed into the minibar. "Is it done?" fWhip asked, breath tickling Scott's ear and neck.

"Nearly," he managed to choke out.

"Carry on then," he could almost feel fWhip's lips against his ear in that drawn-out whisper.

With shaking hands, Scott finished the drink. He hoped fWhip would back off once it was done. "Grab my blazer and follow me," he said instead, grabbing the drink and quickly leaving Scott's personal space.

Scott really hoped they were as alone as they seemed to be. Not one person was in sight as Scott followed fWhip's leisurely pace through elegantly decorated corridors with hardwood floors and occasional soft carpets. He really hoped fWhip wouldn't keep him naked forever. If he was as jealous as he was saying then he surely wouldn't... Would he?

Eventually, fWhip stopped and opened a door motioning for Scott to walk in first with the so-far untouched drink. What did he even want it for?

"Is there a problem?" fWhip hummed, once more far too close as Scott froze. He was led right to a bedroom. "Keep moving, blazer on any chair," a cold hand pushed him forward.

Scott slowly walked deeper into what had to be fWhip's bedroom. Dark curtains hung ominously around most of a giant bed with dark red bedding. All windows were covered by more heavy curtains. Scott hung the blazer over one of the chairs upholstered with red and black flowers. "Come here," fWhip gave him no time to look about or overthink. Motioning him to a door he missed as he looked for chairs and avoided looking at the bed.

fWhip dragged him to a bathroom of dark tiles and gold details. Fluffy white towels lined one level of the only shelf Scott could see. Next had some bath products and third a mysterious basket. "Bathe," fWhip ordered, setting himself on a stool. 

Scott waited for a second. In case he decided to leave him alone. fWhip stayed in his spot, finally taking a sip of his drink. "Go on, I already see everything anyway," he encouraged with a cruel smirk. Eyes taking in Scott's exposed form. "Everything you need is on the shelf."

Shuddering in shame Scott collected what he needed and brought it to the already filled with warm water massive tub. He'd much prefer the shower but he had a feeling that fWhip wanted him in the tub. And it covered him for at least some time.

"What exactly do you want from me?" Scott asked, his back turned to fWhip. There was no argument against it.

"In general? Make me good drinks, be sexy next to me, and spread those pretty legs when I tell you to," fWhip listed off and stopped. Likely for another sip. "Don't worry you'll be dressed at least most of the time," he added, a voice suddenly close. 

fWhip was indeed right next to the tub, fully shirtless, and insisted on washing Scott's hair. Not that he stopped on just his hair. His hands slid down to Scott's shoulders and his chest. 

Noticing that fWhip had no intention of ceasing to touch him Scott blurted out he was done. Realising too late it likely meant worse things. Like fWhip helping him dry out faster just to drag him to the bed by his wrist.

To his shock, all fWhip did was cuddle him. Naked, yes. But that was it. Could fWhip decide he freaked Scott out enough for one day? When did it get late enough for sleep anyway? It was evening when Scott was pulled out of his apartment. And the ride took a while. And there was the whole thing with fWhip's drinks and everything... It wasn't like he had to decide when he wanted to sleep anymore.

Refusing to overthink it Scott did his best to fall asleep. And shockingly did so rather quickly.

He woke up more rested than he did n a while. About since his fiance vanished... His joy of a nice sleep was quickly gone as he felt lips on the back of his neck what had his eyes snapping. Dark sheets and curtains instantly had him remembering fWhip's cold blue eyes. "Morning, hot stuff," fWhip's voice had his shuddering. Was it memories of it tickling his neck was up to debate.

"Mornin'..." Scott muttered not sure what to do with himself. He tensed up as fWhip got in his last cuddles before pulling Scott to have a shared shower. 

After the shower Scott was presented with clothes for the day. When did fWhip even have time to arrange it?

"I have a few meetings, nothing should go wrong so I'm taking you along," fWhip announced as Scott eyed the white button-up, black, really short shorts, garter belt, knee-high socks and shining oxfords. Was he really supposed to go out like that? With a sigh, he started getting dressed.

"And what would I do if you're suspecting there might be trouble?" Scott asked, he really hoped fWhip would not drag him to dangerous places.

"Well, if trouble is expected I'll leave you at home," fWhip shrugged. It was unfair how well he looked in suits. "Someone will bring your stuff and set you a room for such cases," he added pulling on a dark forest green shirt. Dark grey and green looked annoyingly good on fWhip. But it was nice to know he'd be getting at least some of his stuff. He was not dumb enough to think he'd get all of it.

"Am I allowed to let my family and friends know I'm alive?" slim chance but he might as well ask. fWhip certainly had ways of getting cops to not look for Scott even if someone reported him missing without Scott being involved.

"You're free to do anything as long as you don't try to run away," to Scott's shock fWhip didn't mind.

Scott decided he was done talking to fWhip so he stayed silent. And close to his... what should he call fWhip? Boyfriend? That'd do for now. It beat alternatives. And made the situation sound more sane. Even if he was sticking close to a literal mafia boss... He chose to not think about that element too much. If fWhip was telling the truth then all he had to do was be a clingy, cute boyfriend. Which was honestly, the best that could happen to him in his situation.

fWhip took him to breakfast which was served by staff Scott would expect to see in a high-end restaurant. Not private breakfast area - it was too small to be the proper dining space of fWhip's house - overlooking a lush garden full of mostly all kinds of roses. It was also rather intimate. Scott chose to sit as close to fWhip as he could on the comfy loveseat fWhip chose over the no doubt comparably comfy chairs. A kiss to his jaw told him the other was happy.

"Not so scared today?" fWhip hummed as coffee and tea - as per Scott's request - were served.

"I was rather shocked yesterday, I thought about it a bit and... I guess I don't mind being your boyfriend or whatever you want to call it," Scott found himself only partially lying. He'd need some more thinking to decide if the boyfriend part was true. He certainly didn't mind being safe from any other secret debts his boyfriend put him as guarantor for. He just had to stay on fWhip's good side.

fWhip hummed with a small smirk. Clearly pleased as one of his hands found an exposed part of Scott's thigh and lightly squeezed. "I should get you in a maid outfit sometimes," he hummed as the frankly big for just two breakfasts was served. He was likely trying to shake Scott, to make sure he was not lying to him or something like that.

Too bad for him, when not shaken up and tired Scott could easily play along. "It'd certainly look good in one," he hummed and sipped some tea. He could certainly play along if keeping fWhip happy meant he lived longer.

That seemed to pass the test. As fWhip didn't press too much for the remainder of breakfast. After which Scott was led, fWhip's arm alarmingly low around his hips, to a familiar-looking dark car with dark tinted windows. Apparently business was taking fWhip outside his house. Scott made sure to sit as close to fWhip as seatbelts allowed him.

At the first meeting, with two dangerous-looking blondes - Jimmy and Tango as fWhip called them - Scott made a possibly dangerous decision. He ignored the lack of a seat and just sat in fWhip's lap. Lucky for him it was a good decision as it made everyone else uncomfortable and fWhip visibly happy.

They were out the whole day. Whenever Scott even looked at a storefront fWhip bought - had someone go in and buy - whatever Scott even glanced at. And when Scott even muttered something about being hungry they ended up in the best restaurant in the area with fWhip encouraging him to pick whatever he likes. Was fWhip trying to get Scott to genuinely like him with gifts?

Well. When they were back fWhip was, unlike their first evening in the mood to get to know Scott... closer. And was rather rough in the process. Leaving Scott covered in bites, scratches and bruises. When Scott was sure fWhip just left him to clean himself up he was picked up and gently taken care of. Apparently, fWhip left him to get tea and a warm bath ready. And was more than willing to clean and spoil Scott until he passed out from exhaustion.

And he didn't stop there. No. Scott woke up to breakfast in bed. "Today might be a bit dangerous so you'll be staying home, I can carry you to your room if you'd like," fWhip informed him as he got dressed in an all-black suit. "Someone will bring you all your meals and if you need anything just tell someone and they'll get it," he added as Scott considered how confident he was in his ability to walk after last night.

"Fine, I'll stay at home," Scott pouted. Shocking even himself with how genuinely upset he was fWhip had to go. At least fWhip had the decency to promise he'd be back as soon as possible after he carried Scott the short distance to his room. Amount of guards and other staff present had Scott glad he wrapped himself in a blanket.

A whole day without fWhip was shockingly boring. Scott called his friends and family to assure them he was safe. Just going through some life changes. He avoided giving out too many details just in case. But with that done he had little to do. He reorganised his closet. Bossing fWhip's 'staff' around has provided some amusement.

But by the time the fWhip and his unfairly sexy suit were back, Scott was ready to scream at the 'guards' to tell fWhip he was lonely. At least with fWhip around he wasn't bored. Having hardened criminals scared of him was only fun when he was fWhip's pretty showpiece—not locked in his room.

So of course as soon as fWhip was back Scott jumped him demanding they redo the last night. He did take the offer of it being gentler but after just an hour he was whining and begging for a proper repeat. Who needs gentle when he can have fWhip's tooth marks on him for days after?

[naturalrights-retard]

This is not just a credit crisis. It’s the beginning of a downturn that will change our lives. The credit crunch is about to trigger a huge spike in bankruptcies in the United States, and millions of Americans are likely to lose their jobs as a result. That’s according to Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street banks that warned about the impact of the Federal Reserve’s disastrous policies this week.

Right now, the largest banks in America are extremely worried about rising loan delinquencies and defaults. That’s why they are borrowing less money from U.S. businesses and consumers. At such elevated interest rates, the probability companies and individuals will end up falling behind on their loan payments is really high, and so is the risk of banks facing even bigger financial losses.

They’re trying to preserve their integrity after the meltdown that shook the industry back in April, especially as more indicators point to increased turmoil in the next few months. By cutting lines of credit, these banks are trying to stop the bleeding before it gets worse. But on the other hand, they are setting the stage for an unprecedented spike in business bankruptcies as they cut an important lifeline for struggling companies. Since the pandemic, Main Street has been feeling the pinch of conditions that haven’t improved materially up until this point.

Data from the S&P Global shows that 2023 corporate bankruptcies are rising at an alarming rate. Researcher and economist Peter St Onge blamed the problem on one key facet: “It’s simple. Banks aren’t lending,” St Onge said. Just in the first half of 2023, the number of corporate bankruptcies in the U.S. shot up by 216%, the highest year-over-year increase since 2008. A UBS report also found that bankruptcies worth $10 million or more had a rolling average of about 8 per week.

Meanwhile, Bank of America is concerned about what will happen to the U.S. consumer as a result of these policies. In March, analysts warned that the Fed would push consumers to the “point of pain” in order to tame inflation. And now, according to Bank of America’s CEO, Brian Moynihan, that time has come.

During an interview with CNBC, Moynihan said the way consumers are acting is consistent with the behavior seen right before crises erupt. In a given year, Bank of America customers spend $4 trillion dollars — be it using a debit or credit card, writing a check, confirming a bank transfer, or taking cash out to spend. From 2021 to 2022 that spending went up by 10%, Moynihan revealed, and began dropping to 9% in the first quarter of 2023.

[beardedmrbean]

Sam Bankman-Fried, once hailed as a genius in cryptocurrency, was found guilty Thursday of all fraud counts against him, a year after his exchange, FTX, imploded and practically wiped out thousands of customers.

The verdict was reached around 7:40 p.m. ET, about four hours after the federal jury in Manhattan began deliberations.

Bankman-Fried, a co-founder of the digital currency exchange FTX, was charged with seven counts of wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering that swindled customers of FTX and lenders to its affiliated hedge fund, Alameda Research.

Bankman-Fried “perpetrated one of the biggest financial frauds in American history,” Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said after the verdict.

“The cryptocurrency industry might be new; the players like Bankman-Fried might be new,” Williams said. “But this kind of fraud, this kind of corruption, is as old as time.”

Bankman-Fried faces up to 110 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for March 28.

FTX and Alameda quickly collapsed in November 2022 after some of their financial liabilities were exposed. The fact that Alameda had taken billions of dollars from FTX's customers and that much of Alameda's balance sheet comprised digital currency assets it had created, was central to the case against Bankman-Fried.

Unnerved by disclosures about the firm's financial position, many of FTX’s customers tried to get their money back. That set off the equivalent of a bank run.

The value of Alameda's investments crashed, and FTX couldn’t return much of that money because it had been given to Alameda. Some went to the fund’s lenders, and billions were spent on sponsorships, commercials and loans to top executives. That, too, was a major part of the case against Bankman-Fried.

Many of FTX and Alameda's leaders were also charged after the firms went under. Former Alameda CEO Caroline Ellison, FTX co-founder Gary Wang and FTX head of engineering Nishad Singh all pleaded guilty. They agreed to cooperate with the prosecution and testify against Bankman-Fried in exchange for lighter sentences.

While Bankman-Fried testified in his own defense, it didn’t appear to have the same weight as the insider testimony against him. The prosecution, in its closing argument, said Bankman-Fried had answered “I can’t recall” 140 times while he was being cross-examined.

Bankman-Fried’s lawyers contended that he did not intend to defraud anyone and that the government was looking for someone to blame after the failures of FTX and Alameda.

Bankman-Fried was asked to rise and face the jury as the verdicts were read Thursday, and he did so. He showed little emotion as each verdict was read.

His father slumped in his seat, hunched over as each guilty verdict came in. His mother was visibly emotional.

Mark S. Cohen, Bankman-Fried’s counsel, said in an emailed statement Thursday that Bankman-Fried’s legal team respects the jury’s decision but that they are disappointed.

“Mr. Bankman Fried maintains his innocence and will continue to vigorously fight the charges against him,” he said.

Forbes had once estimated that Bankman-Fried's stakes in Alameda and FTXwere worth $26 billion. He was 29 at the time. But after the bankruptcies, that was gone. Criminal charges followed weeks later.

He also faces another trial on charges of bribing foreign officials and other counts. That trial is scheduled to begin in March, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On Thursday, Bankman-Fried was found guilty of two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

Williams, the prosecutor, said Bankman-Fried’s conviction should send a message to others.

“It’s a warning, this case, to every single fraudster out there who thinks that they’re untouchable or that their crimes are too complex for us to catch or that they’re too powerful for us to prosecute or that they could try to talk their way out of it when they get caught,” he said. “Those folks should think again.”

[nuevacash]

Say Goodbye to Debt with Fast Cash Loans Online

Due to their monthly salary being insufficient and their lives involving significant expenses, a lot of people struggle with money every month. The best way to get money faster is to apply for fast cash loans online if you have an urgent need for cash and are looking for an immediate solution. With no security offered to the lender against the authorized loan, you can get the necessary funding.

With a variable payback time of two to four weeks, anyone can obtain an amount between $100 and $1000. In addition, the fast cash loans online can be used to pay off other expenditures like groceries, home loan installments, credit card debt, unexpected auto repairs, child's tuition or school fees, and so on.

Whether you are dealing with negative credit issues such as arrears, foreclosure, late payments, CCJs, IVAs, or bankruptcy—feel better! Here, you can get same day payday loans without having to go through the credit check procedure. It is necessary for you to fulfill the terms and conditions before submitting your application. Regarding the requirements, you must be a resident of the United States, provide proof of residency, turn 18 years old, and have a current checking account with a valid Social Security number.

You do not have a lot of time if you intend to personally fill out a same day funding loans application. If so, completing an online form and submitting it to the website requires you to enter your real information, including your full name, residence, bank account, email address, age, phone number, and job status, among other things. After that, you must submit the online form for confirmation. Money is directly deposited into your bank account on the same day of application if all details are verified.

Can I Repay a Payday Loans Online Same Day Before It's Due?

If you pay off your payday loans online early, Nueva Cash will only charge you for the period that you actually had the payday loans online same day. This is because financing costs are accumulated every day. Penalties for early payments are absent. Payday loans and installment loans have certain similarities, but it's crucial to know the differences. Both loans provide you with fast cash to cover unplanned expenses, but there are differences in how they must be repaid.

Payday loans online same day are transactions with a single payment. When you get paid next paycheck, the whole amount you borrowed is due. Conversely, payday loans online are repaid over a predetermined length of time through a series of payments. Online payday loans are available from Nueva Cash, and they are fully repaid over a period of six months.

Anytime, for whatever reason, you can pay off any of our same day payday loans. You never pay costs for a day longer than necessary because we base our rates on a straightforward daily interest rate, and there is never a prepayment penalty. Because they are more flexible, online same day loans are also more user-friendly.

https://nuevacash.com/

[tomorrowusa]

Trump's problems with the law are not limited to the 91 felony counts in the four indictments mentioned in the cartoon.

Trump’s business empire could collapse ‘like falling dominoes’ after ruling

According to Michael Cohen, his former attorney and fixer, Trump is already effectively “out of business” in New York after Judge Arthur Engoron on Tuesday rescinded the licenses of the Trump Organization and other companies owned by Trump and his adult sons, Eric and Don Jr. “Those companies will end up being liquidated … the judge has already determined that the fraud existed,” Cohen told CNN, hailing Engoron’s pretrial ruling in a civil case brought by Letitia James, the New York attorney general. On Wednesday morning, in a confrontational post on his Truth Social website that branded the judge a “political hack”, Trump said Engoron “must be stopped”. At a hearing on Wednesday afternoon, Trump’s legal team asked Engoron if his ruling meant Trump’s assets and businesses must be sold, or if they could continue to operate under receivership. Engoron said he would address the issue at the non-jury trial beginning on 2 October, and extended to 30 days his original 10-day deadline for both parties to suggest names to act as receivers for the various companies. The lawyers have said they will appeal the rescinding of the licenses, the appointment of receivers, and Engoron’s assertion that Trump and executives lived in a “fantasy world” of routinely, repeatedly and illegally overvaluing property values and his personal net worth to gain favorable loan terms and reduced insurance premiums. But if the appeals are unsuccessful, the collapse of the Trump empire, upon which the former reality TV host staked his reputation as a successful business tycoon, could be imminent.

Trump's undeserved reputation as a brilliant businessman has more to do with his defunct TV show than with real life. So-called "reality shows" seldom have anything to do with everyday reality.

Trump's had six bankruptcies – and if he didn't get a huge amount of money from his wealthy father, he'd be lucky to own even a bodega in Queens.

At least in New York State, the Trump Organization may now be going out of business.