#Men Fashion Week mode

[clichey]

Valerie Scherzinger by Jean Baptiste Soulliat Alexandre Vauthier - PFW Couture AW22 Book┃IG

[essential-homme]

BALENCIAGA Fall 2023 – Paris Fashion Week

BALENCIAGA Fall 2023 – Paris Fashion Week

[lilhwahwa]

heart swindler - J.WY (Part 2)

PART 1 

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ part 2: After Wooyoung takes you home from the club following a claustrophobic episode, you grow paranoid at the threatening texts sent to you by an anonymous  person. The following week you are extra careful but find the worst of your fears becoming reality. With no one to help you, only a coincidence keeps you and your nephew safe, for now. 

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Female Pronouns Conwoman reader! x Conman Wooyoung! Enemies to Lovers. Angst. Fluff. Smut.

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: 18+ smut themes in the future parts. Mentions of drug abuse. Abusive parenting. Violence. Bi? Wooyoung? Stalking. Slowburn!. Conning? More to be added... This is fiction and does not represent the real idol. 

proof read? - no

words: 8.1K

tags:  @bl3ss3d-curs3d @mayosgrises @k-queen @starrysvn @harusoraa @chiefbananaearthquake @leeknowsalot @toxicccred @yunhorights​ let me know if you want to be added or removed!

MASTERLIST 

---

To say that the new week started on a fresh note would be a lie. Since receiving the anonymous text message, you found yourself becoming hyperaware of details and people in your surroundings. You glanced over your shoulder when walking Jisung to school in the morning and cringed away from your phone every time it pinged with a message.

You considered letting the matter go. It isn't your first time receiving empty threats from men conned by you or their loyal-to-a-fault wives. Most of those threats were nothing but empty words of anger and frustration. Yet, nobody had ever personally come looking for you, let alone sent you a picture from outside your hotel room. Each passing hour of your days sparked dark thoughts that possessed your brain about strangers breaking into your home or sneaking up on you, or worse, on Jisung. Soon enough it is as if your body went into survival mode, planning safety precautions for any situation and scanning rooms and roads for exit routes.

Your paranoia lead you to the decision that it would be the right time to access your emergency cash stacked away in one of Hongjoong's safety deposit boxes. Stepping into LUX on a weekday felt wrong. The calm atmosphere was nothing compared to what it usually was on a Saturday night. First of all, no people were crowding you. There was a sense of security knowing you could be left alone. This instantly brought you back to the memory of Wooyoung carrying you out of the same place you now stood. You tried to avoid thinking back to that situation, seeing as it only reminded you about the sudden overwhelming anxiety caused by crowds. It is human nature to enjoy your personal space, after all. But of course, you couldn't be promised that freedom when you are a con woman. Your breaths were cut short from your lungs, each inhale followed by a burning blaze of anxiety as it settled like a barbell on your chest. Was it really claustrophobia? You refused to assume or even admit that crowds make you anxious. Your work relied on persuading people and standing out in crowds. So how could it be that you are so afraid of it all? And so suddenly?

“Hey Bullet” Hongjoong greets, taking long strides across the polished marble until you meet halfway on the empty dance floor. The hue of the lights is warm and soft, unlike the strobing effect arranged on them during parties. The whole club felt more like a New Orleans-themed old-fashioned jazz bar, decorated with the occasional strip pole here and there that added to the unique aesthetic blend.

“Hongjoong, thank you for meeting me today.”

“Anything for you. Are you perhaps having a shortage of customers lately?” Hongjoong raises a brow as you round the corner of LUX's bar, slipping into a hidden staff area. You mimic Hongjoong's expression. What did he mean? Had he also noticed the number of clients Wooyoung had been bringing in, or was your luck running so low that Hongjoong managed to take note of your pathetically desperate attempts at talking men up?

“Seeing as you are taking some of your emergency money out, that is” he is quick to add once he notices the distant look on your face.

When you first stumbled into Hongjoong’s club, he encouraged you to put away some emergency money in a safe deposit box storage at the club both for his and your safety. It was a good plan seeing as stashing cash in one place could show itself to be risky. If you were to be robbed, all your savings would disappear instantly. And seeing as you have a contract with Hongjoong, you could only guess the businessman also felt safer knowing his partners left some of their money with him as a deposit and promise they would pay their part of the deal. If not, well, they could kiss their earnings goodbye.

Hongjoong pressed his thumb onto a smooth scanning pad which activated the intelligent technology to validate his fingerprint almost immediately. He unlocked the steel door leading into yet another covert room. The room behind the door held multiple large safety deposit boxes. The only other time you had been in here, was when you left the money behind.

-

Your high heels click against the dark marble floor as you hesitantly navigate towards the bar where Hongjoong had instructed you to wait for him. You had visited some clubs in the city area, but none could compare to LUX. Rumour spread that it was one of the hardest clubs to get into which made it much more desirable. Before you even moved to the city centre, dreaming of getting into a place like LUX was a common theme of conversations among acquaintances at your old clubs.

The place lived up to its expectations. A large sign spelling “LUX” is on display on top of a glass, high-rise building, shining light blue as if it was made out of diamonds which is guaranteed to catch any passerby’s attention both day and night.

After standing in line outside, an exclusive elevator takes you to the 10th floor where a bouncer checks your information again. You wouldn’t blame anybody if they told you it felt like going through security control at an airport, but that’s what made LUX so exclusive.

If the inside of the club could be described in one word, it would surely be prestige. Marble floors shine from being squeaky clean as the many professional lights give the room a warm and alluring red hue. Even during the day, Hongjoong made sure to keep a certain vibe inside of LUX.

The bar catches your attention immediately. For a second you wondered if the bottles of alcohol were floating in thin air but then recognized that they stood on shelves made of thin glass. Behind the bottles, water ran down a marble wall to feign a calm waterfall that was accentuated by colour-changing lights behind it.

“Sorry for my delay, I will be seeing Mr Jung out now.” A voice cut through the room as Hongjoong appeared from behind the bar with a man following behind him. You immediately recognized the man. How could you not after his name spread through hushed whispers of customers and employees at various clubs, including smaller ones you had visited for work? Both men and women shamelessly spoke about wishing to cross paths with him, hoping they would possess unique traits that would stick out to him and make him stay. You were inclined to laugh whenever people deluded themselves with such ideas. Seeing people fall for a man in your industry was not uncommon, they are arguably the best charmers. But, getting them to commit? You would be luckier buying a lottery ticket than ever getting a conman to be yours.

You nod your head at the man politely, wondering if he had been working at LUX for while or if he was just starting. Whatever the answer was, there was no good answer. Having Wooyoung as competition would be hell and for a second you wondered if you should pack your bags and move over to another club.

"This is your new "bullet" you mentioned earlier?" Wooyoung asks, eyeing you from head to toe as if you weren't standing right in front of him. You furrow your brows. What had he heard about you? You clear your throat, hiding the sudden wave of insecurity flushing through you.

"Yes, and she will be quite the star, correct?" Hongjoong sends a reassuring smile your way, making you almost want to childishly stick your tongue out at Wooyoung as Hongjoong shuts his sarcasm down.

"I hope so" you reply silently, not wanting to show any uncertainty, but having Wooyoung stare you down wasn't a straight confident boost either. You would have to work on handling his...quirks.

Wooyoung chuckles, shrugging it off as if there were nothing to worry about. And truly, he did believe that. "Don't forget who your real star is, Kim" Wooyoung smirks, cocking his eyebrow at Hongjoong when the elder turns to look at him. Hongjoong clears his throat as the two share a knowing gaze, and you wonder if there is something deeper between the men that you had missed observing. You awkwardly look around the club as Wooyoung finally makes his exit. Despite the open space around you, he chooses to brush his body against you as he leaves, lips turned up in a cocky smirk as he disappears out of sight.

"See you soon" he called out behind him, and you were unsure if he had meant it for me or for Hongjoong, but you knew both of you would be seeing him around anyway.

--

"You are doing alright though, right darling? Wooyoung isn't giving you a hard time is he?" Hongjoong asks as he walks you over to the elevators. You aren't surprised at mentions of the man, seeing as you work together. But something about Hongjoong's tone made your stomach flip slightly. Why were they so familiar with one another?

"No, we're all good" You plaster a fake smile, yet your thoughts jump to possible scenarios of how Hongjoong got familiar with Wooyoung. From innocent scenarios such as getting introduced by friends to ones where they shared a bed. You weren't sure why you cared that much anyway, it's not like you are in any situation with Wooyoung, but the heavy disappointment still sinks to the bottom of your abdomen. "Well, I'll be going so...thank you for the help" You step into the elevator, eyes meeting Hongjoong's as he carefully looks over you with his usual, calm, expression. His eyes seemed to search for an answer to an unanswered question, but he let it go, for now.

You press your bag close against your side as you walk outside, throwing your arm out to attract the attention of a taxi. You had to get back to the hotel and start looking for other options. Moving places this quickly was not the ideal plan, but seeing as your location had been disclosed, you had no choice.

As you reach the hotel, you pay the driver and scramble your way inside. Your eyes scan the proximity of the lobby for any suspicious individuals, the anxiety brewing in your stomach as an unpleasant chill runs up your spine when your brain flashes unwelcomed violent flashes in front of your eyes. You shake it off and take the elevator up to your floor. Perhaps you had been overthinking it too much. It was already lunchtime and you would have to find a new place, pick up Jisung and go grocery shopping. Going back to LUX at night was an option seeing as any extra cash would be helpful. Yet with the factor that your ankle is still healing and the thought of leaving Jisung alone as you work, the idea was quickly erased.

You open your front door, shuffling inside. The sun was bright and lit up the beautiful wooden furniture of the luxurious hotel room you called home. You put your bag down on the couch before suddenly freezing in your spot. The sun. A shiver runs down your spine at the realisation. You could see the sun. Why would you be able to see the sun if you closed the curtains before leaving? That was one of your many safety precautions. Forgetting something like that was not a possibility.

You turn around to face the door again, an intuitive feeling ushering you to leave the room immediately. You decide to listen and step towards the door but it was too late. You hear it before you see it, the squeak of rubber from shoes against your floor as a pair of arms wrap around your torso, trapping your arms to your sides as you start trashing around.

"Let go!" you cry, heart banging against your ribcage with harsh thumps as the adrenaline inside awakens your fight-or-flight instinct. You trash your head and body side to side, trying anything to loosen the tight grip on you.

"Shut the fuck up" you pick up from the person behind you. Your knees grow weaker as you struggle to stand. As a scream began to leave your mouth, a large palm covered your lips to muffle the sound. Sharp breaths through your nose keep you conscious and you realize the person now only had one hand around you instead of two. This opportunity gives you a momentary advantage as you push yourself forward as if losing balance and manage to hook your ankle around the intruder's leg. With a last burst of energy, you manage to land a hit to the intruder's side with your elbow, sending him off balance. When you feel the slightest relief of pressure on your body, you make a sprint for safety.

With shaky hands and wobbly legs, you manage to unlock the door as the person groans in pain behind you. Yet you never turn to look at whoever it was, deciding that running out to the lobby to find any living person would be the best option, seeing as your floor was empty. You wonder if the pain you inflicted would last long enough for you to escape.

Your chest heaves up and down heavily as your body shakes from adrenaline and shock as the elevator door allows you entrance, fingers repeatedly hitting the button for the first floor. Light thumps and a squeak from sneakers could be heard closing in from the hallway, and for a second, you wondered if you had failed to escape. Surely your luck had come to its lowest. With mere seconds left to spare, a black shadow picks up speed and sprints towards the elevator, but the doors close in the nick of time, separating you from the intruder.

The floor in the elevator seems to swallow your body, feet sinking into the floor as you lean on the railing for support. The muscles in your legs spasm from the adrenaline wearing off as the realization of what had just happened caught up to you. Anxiety seeps through your pores and is distributed to your chest and abdomen, making it harder to take a proper breath. The fears you deemed as stupid and irrational were suddenly very real. You clench your trembling fists, desperately seeking a source of comfort, but your hands are slick with perspiration.

You aren't sure which way to run as the elevator doors part with a soft ping, reaching the lobby The security office is right around the corner outside of the hotel. The receptionist on shift was just a young girl who probably wouldn't hurt a fly. A coffee shop is opened right across the street, surely the intruder wouldn't cause a scene there, right? You look over at the other operating elevator as you sprint out from the one you had taken. Would he still be after you? Maybe he'd give up and-

"Oh you are here, I was going to look for you since you forgot your-" what was that? The voice was so familiar, and as you turn to look, you see that you are coincidentally running into Wooyoung. You couldn't stop your legs from moving, seemingly uncontrollably as you walk straight into his body.

The man who you once wished would disappear from your line of sight, was now suddenly the only beam of hope you held onto. His facial expression changes in a matter of a millisecond, so quickly you manage to miss it. His hands grip your arms to stabilize your body as he watches your eyes hysterically run around the room, chest heaving in obvious panic. What the fuck was going on? "Do you feel unwe-" he starts.

"Please we- please take me away from here-" you manage to push out words on the little air you had left in your burning lungs. You would curse yourself for showing such desperation in front of your proclaimed rival. But tears pricked at your eyes as you realize that if don't leave right away, you may not make it out unharmed, or even alive. A ping of the elevator doors opening sends a shiver down your spine, and your whip your head to check whether the intruder was catching up to you. Wooyoung follows your gaze but finds a family of three exiting the tight compartment.

"What's happ-"

"Please, we have to leave, just- please" You beg breathlessly. Though hesitating for a second, unsure whether to question you now or do as you request, Wooyoung accepts that an explanation could wait. He wraps a protective arm around your waist to support your floppy body and sets course to his car parked by the entrance.  

You couldn't seem to make your legs walk, awkwardly hanging onto Wooyoung as he supported your weight on the walk over to his car. The same car he had taken you home in just last weekend. You sink into the leather seat, eyes on the hotel entrance to see whether the intruder would come out that way. Would you even recognize him? What if it wasn't a man?

Wooyoung snapped you out of your thoughts as he plopped down into the driver's seat. He wasted no time driving off. You were thankful for the silence that settled over you as Wooyoung drove you to a place he deemed safe. You didn't even think to question your location, putting your trust in his hands. As if it was how it was supposed to be. You notice stray raindrops hitting the car window, eyes following the race between the oval shapes. As they disappear from sight, you look up to follow another race and repeat this until the light drizzle, turned into a pour.

Wooyoung's intuition to observe, caught glances of your shaky hand clenching around a tiny bit of your shirt, probably to calm down. He glances over to you staring out the window with a blank expression. Neither of you has said a word since you left. The tension in the car was becoming palpable, and the rain only seemed to amplify it as the drops violently knock against the window of the car.

The silence stretches on, and you begin to feel like it's suffocating you. You fidget in your seat, trying to find a comfortable position. The rain continues to fall relentlessly and you can feel the tension in your shoulders mounting as you think of what to tell Wooyoung. The truth? A white lie? Your paranoia went as far as to believe he was in on the evil plan at one point.

"Would you like to stop at McDonald's?" he asks as he spots the bright yellow sign through the heavy downpour. He was uncertain why he offered, but since ordering it last, he thought it might cheer you up. Not that he cared to cheer people up for fun, but it slipped out before he could stop to think twice. It came out naturally. Almost as naturally as it was carrying you out of the club in his arms. Or wrapping an arm around your waist to hold you stable.

Yet his words brought on another anxious reminder. Whilst his intentions were pure, he was oblivious that the fast food had been for Jisung and not you. Jisung. He was still in school. Alone and oblivious that the life he had before leaving for school would not be the same again when you pick him up. How would you even pick him up? There was no way you would willingly leave your somewhat safe spot with Wooyoung, but you could not leave Jisung exposed to the intruder. You had to tell Wooyoung. Fuck whatever he would think of you.

"No, but there is somewhere we have to go. Please" you look at him as you speak up, eyes silently begging to not ask further questions. You knew you had asked a lot of him. Hell, he had helped you this past week more than your own family ever had over the span of your life. Wooyoung's eyes met yours, melting into the gaze as thoughts seemingly teleported between your minds. For a long moment, you just stare at each other, neither of you speaking. It's as if words would break the spell that had been cast between you.

Then, Wooyoung reaches for his phone, unlocking it before handing it to you without a glance. You eye him carefully and take the phone into your hands, noticing that the maps application was selected. A warm feeling of relief and gratefulness settles over you as you type the address to Jisung's school without another sound. Wooyoung follows the GPS to the selected location. As stoic as his face seemed, his jaw was tight with worry and theories on what had happened. It had to be something serious for you to end up asking him for help. He wasn't clueless about the dynamic of your relationship if one could even call it one. You so desperately asking him for help already created a picture of what type of situation this could be.

As the car comes to a stop, you realize the overwhelming amount of explaining you were about to do. Both to Jisung but also Wooyoung. The car is as silent as ever as you gather yourself, preparing to step out. Your hands were still shaky, but your heart rate had slowed down, leaving you with a faint weight of where it had banged against your ribs as a reminder.

"Would you like me to go in with you?" Wooyoung breaks the silence, yet his mind was becoming louder with new questions. A school? Why the hell were you at a school? Was this a family matter?

You realize that as much as you'd like to get Jisung by yourself, the little voice in the back of your head reminded you that the intruder could be a psychopath who was now stalking you around the city. Even the rational part of your mind seemed to agree seeing as the break-in you were so paranoid and worried about, did end up happening.

You nod quickly, your body reacting faster than any words leaving your mouth.

"Yes please"

Wooyoung doesn't need to be told twice as he gets out of the car, eyes staying on you as if you'd disappear. He wouldn't call it worry, but something about seeing the pure terror in your eyes as you clung onto his arm desperately sent unpleasant jolts down his spine. He didn't ever want to see that look on your face again. Whatever this behaviour was, it was certainly not something you'd ever seen on Wooyoung before. His seductive and teasing nature would never suggest that a much more stoic and...nurturing character hid inside of him. Of course you didn't expect him to march around in a button-down with his chiselled, toned chest and collarbones all oiled up as he lands all women and men in the ten-mile radius. But you had never seen him calmly cooperating and seemingly sympathetic to your struggle.

The faint smell of cafeteria food lingered in the silent corridors as most classes were in progress after a lunch break. You thankfully remember exactly which room Jisung would be in after lunch and knock on the wooden door. You look behind you to see Wooyoung observing your moves almost like a bodyguard. And frankly, he could become one with how safe you felt. You hear the teacher's voice pause as she opens the door. You recognize the elderly woman with glasses too big for her face as Jisung's English teacher. You had heard stories about her cats and weird obsession with crocheting from Jisung as he begged you to let him skip class early in the morning.

"Hello, I am here to get Jisung. I am afraid I forgot he has a doctor's appointment today that I completely forgot about" You offer your best smile, eyes scanning the room for your nephew. You let out a sigh you didn't know you were holding in as he sits there in one piece, eyes lighting up as he catches a glimpse of you.

The teacher nods and turns to call on Jisung to collect his things. You feel curious eyes linger over you but on a day like today you couldn't give two fucks. Jisung scatters to collect his things, as if being in the classroom for even a second longer would suffocate him.  

"Hey buddy," you say shakily, quickly coughing to cover your nervous tone. Jisung embraces your torso, happily mumbling how he couldn't wait to go home as the teacher shut the door. Although Wooyoung seems stoic, his jaw clenches in shock as he tries to keep his reactions at a minimum. A child?

"Are we going home? Do we have food? The cafeteria had those weird gummy spaghetti again and I didn't eat it..." Jisung whines and turns to leave but soon notices Wooyoung blocking his way. The younger looks up at the man and bows slightly, thinking he was a teacher or somebody here to get their kid.

"Jisung- this is um, my friend Wooyoung. He is kind enough to help me pick you up today and take us-" You start introducing the two but your face drops as you realize you had nowhere to go. The hotel was the last place you'd go, especially alone. You didn't have an apartment and the only place you could think of at the top of your mind was LUX, which is not the right place for a child. "Um-" you struggle, eyes scattering away from Jisung's gaze to think of a lie.

"-To my place for a sleepover. We came to get you earlier so we could go get some food and become closer buddies, you and me. How does that sound?" It is as if something takes over Wooyoung the second he sees the pure confusion on Jisung's face. Hearing you stutter lies to him to keep him oblivious to whatever was happening. It reminded him of his baby brother and how any child should have the right to an innocent childhood, away from the fuck ups of this world. Wooyoung squats down to Jisung's height and holds an open palm for him. "I'm Wooyoung" and as soon as his name is out of his mouth you see the charming smile back on his lips. As if somebody had yelled "action".

The little boy looks back at you, eyes suspicious and if you weren't so worried about your well-being, you'd chuckle at how much he picked up from you. Small quirks and comments from your daily diary. You nod with a small smile, reassuring him it was alright.

"I'm Jisung" he exclaims and places his small hand to drown in Wooyoung's. Even as the older smiles, you don't miss the glance he shoots your way as Jisung happily trots towards the exit.

"We have a lot to talk about" is all Wooyoung says as he follows the younger boy out the door. You freeze in place for a second, watching the scene as if it was the calm before the storm. You take a deep breath and exit the building to catch up to Jisung, who was getting buckled into the backseat by Wooyoung. You did in fact have a lot to talk about.

-

Wooyoung was well off, that was a fact that had engraved itself in your mind since the day you met him. Not that you had any evidence to prove it other than the Prada shirt he'd wear or the van Cleef watch on his wrist. Yet you still find yourself looking around the penthouse apartment in awe. Of course, that jerk had to get a penthouse, he probably even has a playroom to go with it to feed his god complex - is what you would say if you had been here on another occasion, whatever that might be. But having nowhere safe to go and being offered a penthouse really doesn't leave room for complaining.

"This place is huge! Is that Seoul Tower?" Jisung screeches as he runs to look out the tall windows displaying the city. You'd tell him off for his behaviour, but something about seeing him so cluelessly happy calmed your heart. Wooyoung follows the boy, standing behind him to see what he saw. The height difference between them looked almost...adorable? You clear your throat and pick Jisung's backpack off the ground, placing it in the spacious living room.

Wooyoung's interior choices scream rich, modern bad boy protagonist. Whites and blacks along with marble accents. Is he a Christian Grey fanatic?

"Just because you got off school earlier doesn't mean you're free. Get your homework out" you call out to the boy who freezes and almost pretends he doesn't hear you. He'd try that trick but frankly, he's too embarrassed in front of his new buddy Wooyoung. Jisung silently walks over to you and reaches for his backpack. Wooyoung watches the scene with uncertainty. A lot of questions run through his mind, the biggest one surprisingly being your safety.

"Let's go, buddy, the sooner you finish the quicker we'll get to play. You like PlayStation?" Wooyoung palms Jisung's shoulder, patting it in comfort as he shows the younger to the kitchen, which seemed bigger than your old hotel room.

"Set your books here while me and your um..." You catch Wooyoung's eyes, only now realizing he must've thought Jisung was your son all along. You quickly step in.

"Auntie and Wooyoung will just talk about what to eat, get your book out and start okay? I'll come to check your answers soon" You hope Wooyoung catches on but still, you owed him an explanation. Whether it was the full one or a slightly tweaked one.

You didn't need to find an empty room to speak, because merely walking over to the staircase going up to what you assumed were bedrooms, allowed your privacy.

"I owe you an explanation" you speak lowly, unsure of where your confidence had run off to as you couldn't seem to look up at Wooyoung. "Look I don't know how I got tangled up in all of this and why you out of all people involved but I just, I have to say that I-" you struggle to explain, finger locking and squeezing into a palm as your brain seemed to handpick flickers of the attack and of you fainting at the club, flashing them in front of your eyes. 

"Jisung is my nephew. He's been with me since my sister almost killed him and herself" You finally look up at Wooyoung whose face is ever as stoic, but this time you notice that no matter how hard he tried to withhold a reaction, his eyes did not follow. They twitched in worry as they intensely focused on reading every expression associated with your words "I think the guy at the club, who knew my name. I think he's targeting us. He- I was attacked and there is no way I can go back there. I don't even know if I can go outside right now. Fuck- for days I've been paranoid and watching my eyes step but-" the words come out by yourself before you can stop them. And once they start, they don't seem to finish as you go into a frenzy. Your body just couldn't handle it all anymore. Always be responsible for everything in your life, by yourself. Is it really that bad to need support? Even if it was from Wooyoung. What spurred you on more is that he didn't interrupt you. It frustrated you that he didn't act like an asshole even though you needed his help. It all angered you because it would add another problem to your neverending list; you growing fond of him.

Wooyoung reaches out to place his hand on your arm, sort of awkwardly yet so comforting without much effort. You really shouldn't have had a moment of weakness in front of him. For all you know, he could have cameras in his house, recording your breakdown and your secret nephew. Your heartbeat grows quickly as you realize your mistake of ranting and you turn around, as if not seeing him would help you in any way. The familiar cold sweat of panic sweeps over your palms and raises a ring in your ears.

"You were saying?"

"I- I can't stay here. Thank you um, Wooyoung but we can't stay here it was nice of you to offer-" You turn to offer the man a sweet smile but something tells you that this time, the show you put on wasn't close to good enough. And that was enough.

"Calm the fuck down" Wooyoung growls low and sternly, never raising his voice in case Jisung would hear. As much as he wanted to argue in disbelief about what you said when he had offered his home to you and your nephew, keeping you safe and driving you around, something else fueled his argument.

"Don't even try to pretend to be alright or whatever it is you do when you act like some "bullet"” he quotes in the air. "You need help so take it. If I wanted to hurt you, it would've been done ages ago. I'm not that petty and have enough money if you haven't noticed. I chose to help you but now you have to tell me what is going on because I don't have patience for bullshit or whatever crap you're trying to pull right now." And that is the moment you met the real Wooyoung. Not the foxy character at the club. Not even the one who drove you home. It's hard to admit that oftentimes you end up falling for the characters and masks other colleagues put on only to be reminded that they're also real people. This was a serious conversation and fuck, if you really are getting fucked over by him he really is a good actor.

You catch your breath, nodding slowly. Please don't be bad..please don't be bad you silently pray on the inside. You just really needed someone. And if it had to be Wooyoung then so be it.

"I'm being followed. I- I can't trust anybody and you must understand why. I don't have an apartment because moving around is safer. I got a message on my phone threatening me and then...today...when um-" you feel your throat thicken and Wooyoung didn't need further explanation that what you were talking about was the cause for your frightened eyes and desperate grip on him that he couldn't seem to shake off. One he knew too well.

"Breathe, just breathe okay? I know we aren't exactly...best of friends but I don't have intentions of hurting you" he hushes, recognising the rush of panic in your eyes. Those shiny eyes that he'd catch glaring at him from across the bar as he chatted up a client. He wouldn't admit it, but your reactions amused him more than his targets most of the time. The raw look of hatred and hunger for revenge stirred his stomach in exciting ways. When he'd look back and catch you flipping him off when he left with targets was something he even looked forward to. It was never something he took offence to...though maybe he should have.

But instead of the passion, your eyes were wide with terror. They were tired and silently pleaded for help even if your conscious mind didn't mean to make it seem that way. And how could Wooyoung stand watching your eyes become so dull?

"Just- stay here, for Jisung's sake. Figure out what you need and see it as a favour if it makes you feel any better." he finally concludes. Why was he agreeing so easily? A brief moment of silence settles between you. It was tempting but something about this was just too easy. How could one go from barely talking to living together? He is a conman still, and whatever sincerity he might show might just be a planned scheme to mess with you at your most vulnerable.

"Don't overthink it" Wooyoung says and doesn't let you answer as he turns to find Jisung again. Perhaps he didn't want to bruise his ego by becoming so available. Or he just couldn't stand looking into your eyes for a second longer. Whatever it was, it was settled and he has a new task. To help you.

"How does ordering food sound? Maybe we can plan to cook something later instead?" Wooyoung's tone is softer as he addresses Jisung. You hear it from a distance and wonder if he was experienced with kids. If he assumed you were a mother then what if he was...no, now you're reaching for something that isn't true. But why is it that a rock weighs down your chest at the thought of somebody being close enough to Wooyoung to create a family together? You had just stepped foot into his apartment. Apart from him being a con man, there was nothing you knew about him that could increase your attraction to him. Well apart from the physical at least. And if him calming you down from a panic attack and offering his home wasn't enough, seeing him interact with Jisung made it harder to believe all the paranoid lies you made up in your mind about him.

As the day progressed into night, the atmosphere seemed much lighter. You sit comfortably in the corner of Wooyoung's couch as he and Jisung yell over one another, PlayStation controllers in hands as they frantically push the colourful buttons. You were satisfied with just sitting ---there enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Not Before long Jisungs eyes were struggling to stay open. You lock eyes with Wooyoung who seems to have noticed the boy dozing off with the PlayStation controller in his small hands.

"Ji-" you start but Wooyoung raises his hand to stop you from disturbing the younger's sleep. A small smile makes it to your lips at the thoughtfulness Wooyoung displayed. One side of you still reminded you to stay doubtful of his intentions. Sure, he was nice. But this came out of the blue after your little accident at the club. Certainly, people don't change during such a short time frame. You were rivals just a mere week ago.

You stand up as Wooyoung switches the game off. It was a silent agreement to move carefully to not wake Jisung up and as you reach down to pick the sleeping boy up, Wooyoung drives your hands away and instead sweeps the boy into his arms, carrying him over what you assumed was a guest room. The atmosphere that had settled over the apartment was calm and safe. Seeing Jisung in Wooyoung's embrace made your heart skip over a beat as you imagined how this would be if it was routine. No, why would this even be one? You follow Wooyoung through the maze that was his apartment and into a guestroom. He places Jisung on the bed, covering the sleeping boy with a fluffy blanket before nodding towards the door. With silent steps, you make it out of the room without waking Jisung.

"Thank you" your voice is barely a whisper, stuck in your throat from being so silent. You find your way back to the living room but Wooyoung doesn't stop walking, instead walking up the staircase with the expectance that you'd follow.

"If you are showing me to a room you don't have to, I can very well sleep with Jisung-" You stop right in front of a door, one of few existing on the floor.

"You can sleep where you want, but I'm sure sleeping in your clothes wouldn't be too comfortable now would it?" Wooyoung's words are barely heard as he mumbles. He seemed deep in thought about something ever since Jisung went to bed. He doesn't turn to look at you as he opens the lock to his safe space. His room. Judging by how Wooyoung usually would act at the club, his room must see multiple visitors every night. Nobody assumed that on the contrary, it was the only privacy he had left, hidden away from anybody to discover apart from you in this moment.

"Oh yeah- I'm sorry to ask this much of you really- I will bring some of my clothes. Or I'll buy some-" You realize that with the way you're imposing your stay on him and nervously try spit out anything that made sense. "-Only if it's okay that I bring some stuff I mean I don't have to stay here if you don't-"

"Lord, you really can't hold that tongue of yours when you're nervous, have you noticed?" But instead of sounding irritated, Wooyoung's lips are turned up at the corners in a cocky, familiar to you, smirk. "I offered and already told Jisung you'd stay so, take it while I'm being nice" he shrugs, unsure of how to really explain to you that he wanted to help. It's not like he could explain his own sudden interesting in volunteering, not even to himself fully.

For the first time ever you feel a heat settle at the apples of your cheeks, burning as Wooyoung turns around to rummage through his closet. You manage to look around his room. Although clean, it had its own unique messiness that added to or maybe explained Wooyoung's personality. His bed was somewhat made and recent clothes were stacked like a small hill on the back of a chair. Something about it only seems comforting though. It seemed real and like Wooyoung. It was safe. A fresh scent of bergamot and what you assumed was the natural smell of the man lingered in the air, poisoning you deeper into a state of attraction. He looks good, he dresses well, he flirts well and now he smells good too?  

'He's barely above average height' you tell yourself, trying to find excuses that could convince you that this attraction was clouded by loneliness or desperation for something. But even then did your insides not give up their reaction to Wooyoung as he turned around with a shirt and some shorts in his grasp. They weren't folded, but they looked clean.

"Here, wear this for tonight and tomorrow I'll get someone to pick some things up for you and Jisung" he offered, moving closer until he stood in front of you. For someone with average height his magnetic energy sure was large, towering over you as it radiated from him. Especially from his piercing eyes. You hold your breath the second your eyes meet. You can't show him emotions, he'd see right through you and the confusing feelings you had developed for him. If he came just a step closer he would probably hear how your heart had started banging against your ribcage. The hue from a bedstand lamp accentuates the protruding veins on his toned forearms, bobbing whenever his arm tensed up.

For a second, your brain blanks out. Over the years working with men, you had learned to grow accustomed to their looks, affections and flirty ways. It had to be done in order to fully have control over them and complete your job. Whilst there were cases where staying evenminded was difficult, there had never been a case where a man could affect you so deeply just by existing in the same room as you. At some point, there would have to be a man that would successfully slither his way into your heart. Whether it was you growing up or just being a romantic, you knew it was bound to happen. Denying it would be childish. But could it be now? And could it really be with Wooyoung?

"-Unless you want to sleep naked of course" his comment is what brings you back. Wooyoung was now right in front of you. Did you really blank out that hard?

With a scoff, you take the clothes from him but find no strength to move. It's as if one look was enough to keep your body still. You wonder if he feels it too. The tension from the car, the accidental grazes of skin and now this. Blond hair really suits him you think, even more now that his golden skin is glowing so close to you. The urge to lean in and touch him itches at your hands and makes your body tense. As if the only thing that could relax the eager muscles is to finally touch him. You bet his skin is smooth and warm. But the rational voice in your brain reminds you that it would be risky. He could be playing you all along. The reminder of being careful makes your body shift. You look away from him then, scared that if you looked any longer that he'd take control of you. Just like you did to your victims. Just like he did to his. Would it really be that bad though?

"You're doing it again" his voice comes out hoarse, as if he also was struggling within. "You're torturing your brain with unnecessary thoughts". If he was this good at reading you already, what would happen if you stayed with him longer?

There's a long, silent pause.

"How could I not?" you whisper, as if speaking louder would break this moment. You see Wooyoung raise his hand up towards you and in the next moment, its warmth touches the skin of your cheek. Your lips part as breath escapes and you immediately look back at him. Whatever he was thinking about, must've been challenging to overpower. His brows knitted together as his Adam's apple bobs each time he nervously swallows. These were the only indicators giving you hope that maybe he felt something more.

Without saying anything, Wooyoung instead darts his eyes down to watch his thumb soothing circles into your skin. His own skin is slightly rough but it only affected you deeper with every trace. You carefully wrap your hand around his wrist, or at least whatever you could fit into your palm. Without another thought, you press his hand deeper into your cheek, eyes closing to enjoy whatever this moment was. You needed this. He made you feel calm and the past week had been nothing but the opposite. Whatever his intentions were, you decided it would be worth it.

"Look at me," he says lowly, voice thin as if he also feels the need to savour the moment carefully. You open your eyes, reconnecting the gaze and you're unsure if you're dizzy or if he had moved closer but you swore that just one move forward could put your lips onto his. Was this really happening? How could you ever bear seeing him at the club again if you let this happen? With a deep sigh and anxiety rising in your chest, you push his hand away from your cheek, instantly regretting as the warmth disappears.

"I'm tired from today, Wooyoung. I'm going to change and sleep" You force the words out and it's almost obvious by how monotone your voice sounds. Wooyoung clears his throat and looks away from you, nodding slightly to himself as his eyes fixated on a random object in the room.

"Good night, bullet" The nickname coming from him sounded unnatural. You felt like a stranger then and cursed yourself for ruining the moment. But it was for your and Jisung's safety.

"Good night" you whisper and exit his room, gritting your teeth harshly in hopes that it would take tension off your chest. Could you take it back? Turn around and kiss him? Would he accept it if you tried? He was right, you really had a tendency to torture your brain with thoughts.

You change into the clothes he had given you and slide into bed next to a sleeping Jisung, still in his clothes. You don't bother waking him and turn to lay on your side, closing your eyes as you tried focusing on any sound or smell. You blame it on being tired, but slowly reach your hand to bring the fabric of Wooyoung’s shirt up to your nose, inhaling the detergent and the natural smell in his closet. One of the scents that was usually mixed in with his cologne. A small smile spreads over your lips as you play over the fresh memory of him cupping your cheek. He looked at you as if he knew exactly what you were thinking. Yet his eyes never held any expectation over you. He never crossed a line and seemed to sense the exact amount of what was needed. And you wanted it more. He is successfully swindling your heart.

[misch1efmanaged]

(REPOST) heart swindler - J.WY (Part 2)

! REPOSTING ON THIS BLOG TO KEEP CONSISTENCY !

PART 1 

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ part 2: After Wooyoung takes you home from the club following a claustrophobic episode, you grow paranoid at the threatening texts sent to you by an anonymous  person. The following week you are extra careful but find the worst of your fears becoming reality. With no one to help you, only a coincidence keeps you and your nephew safe, for now. 

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Female Pronouns Conwoman reader! x Conman Wooyoung! Enemies to Lovers. Angst. Fluff. Smut.

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: 18+ smut themes in the future parts. Mentions of drug abuse. Abusive parenting. Violence. Bi? Wooyoung? Stalking. Slowburn!. Conning? More to be added... This is fiction and does not represent the real idol. 

proof read? - no

words: 8.1K

MASTERLIST 

---

To say that the new week started on a fresh note would be a lie. Since receiving the anonymous text message, you found yourself becoming hyperaware of details and people in your surroundings. You glanced over your shoulder when walking Jisung to school in the morning and cringed away from your phone every time it pinged with a message.

You considered letting the matter go. It isn't your first time receiving empty threats from men conned by you or their loyal-to-a-fault wives. Most of those threats were nothing but empty words of anger and frustration. Yet, nobody had ever personally come looking for you, let alone sent you a picture from outside your hotel room. Each passing hour of your days sparked dark thoughts that possessed your brain about strangers breaking into your home or sneaking up on you, or worse, on Jisung. Soon enough it is as if your body went into survival mode, planning safety precautions for any situation and scanning rooms and roads for exit routes.

Your paranoia lead you to the decision that it would be the right time to access your emergency cash stacked away in one of Hongjoong's safety deposit boxes. Stepping into LUX on a weekday felt wrong. The calm atmosphere was nothing compared to what it usually was on a Saturday night. First of all, no people were crowding you. There was a sense of security knowing you could be left alone. This instantly brought you back to the memory of Wooyoung carrying you out of the same place you now stood. You tried to avoid thinking back to that situation, seeing as it only reminded you about the sudden overwhelming anxiety caused by crowds. It is human nature to enjoy your personal space, after all. But of course, you couldn't be promised that freedom when you are a con woman. Your breaths were cut short from your lungs, each inhale followed by a burning blaze of anxiety as it settled like a barbell on your chest. Was it really claustrophobia? You refused to assume or even admit that crowds make you anxious. Your work relied on persuading people and standing out in crowds. So how could it be that you are so afraid of it all? And so suddenly?

“Hey Bullet” Hongjoong greets, taking long strides across the polished marble until you meet halfway on the empty dance floor. The hue of the lights is warm and soft, unlike the strobing effect arranged on them during parties. The whole club felt more like a New Orleans-themed old-fashioned jazz bar, decorated with the occasional strip pole here and there that added to the unique aesthetic blend.

“Hongjoong, thank you for meeting me today.”

“Anything for you. Are you perhaps having a shortage of customers lately?” Hongjoong raises a brow as you round the corner of LUX's bar, slipping into a hidden staff area. You mimic Hongjoong's expression. What did he mean? Had he also noticed the number of clients Wooyoung had been bringing in, or was your luck running so low that Hongjoong managed to take note of your pathetically desperate attempts at talking men up?

“Seeing as you are taking some of your emergency money out, that is” he is quick to add once he notices the distant look on your face.

When you first stumbled into Hongjoong’s club, he encouraged you to put away some emergency money in a safe deposit box storage at the club both for his and your safety. It was a good plan seeing as stashing cash in one place could show itself to be risky. If you were to be robbed, all your savings would disappear instantly. And seeing as you have a contract with Hongjoong, you could only guess the businessman also felt safer knowing his partners left some of their money with him as a deposit and promise they would pay their part of the deal. If not, well, they could kiss their earnings goodbye.

Hongjoong pressed his thumb onto a smooth scanning pad which activated the intelligent technology to validate his fingerprint almost immediately. He unlocked the steel door leading into yet another covert room. The room behind the door held multiple large safety deposit boxes. The only other time you had been in here, was when you left the money behind.

-

Your high heels click against the dark marble floor as you hesitantly navigate towards the bar where Hongjoong had instructed you to wait for him. You had visited some clubs in the city area, but none could compare to LUX. Rumour spread that it was one of the hardest clubs to get into which made it much more desirable. Before you even moved to the city centre, dreaming of getting into a place like LUX was a common theme of conversations among acquaintances at your old clubs.

The place lived up to its expectations. A large sign spelling “LUX” is on display on top of a glass, high-rise building, shining light blue as if it was made out of diamonds which is guaranteed to catch any passerby’s attention both day and night.

After standing in line outside, an exclusive elevator takes you to the 10th floor where a bouncer checks your information again. You wouldn’t blame anybody if they told you it felt like going through security control at an airport, but that’s what made LUX so exclusive.

If the inside of the club could be described in one word, it would surely be prestige. Marble floors shine from being squeaky clean as the many professional lights give the room a warm and alluring red hue. Even during the day, Hongjoong made sure to keep a certain vibe inside of LUX.

The bar catches your attention immediately. For a second you wondered if the bottles of alcohol were floating in thin air but then recognized that they stood on shelves made of thin glass. Behind the bottles, water ran down a marble wall to feign a calm waterfall that was accentuated by colour-changing lights behind it.

“Sorry for my delay, I will be seeing Mr Jung out now.” A voice cut through the room as Hongjoong appeared from behind the bar with a man following behind him. You immediately recognized the man. How could you not after his name spread through hushed whispers of customers and employees at various clubs, including smaller ones you had visited for work? Both men and women shamelessly spoke about wishing to cross paths with him, hoping they would possess unique traits that would stick out to him and make him stay. You were inclined to laugh whenever people deluded themselves with such ideas. Seeing people fall for a man in your industry was not uncommon, they are arguably the best charmers. But, getting them to commit? You would be luckier buying a lottery ticket than ever getting a conman to be yours.

You nod your head at the man politely, wondering if he had been working at LUX for while or if he was just starting. Whatever the answer was, there was no good answer. Having Wooyoung as competition would be hell and for a second you wondered if you should pack your bags and move over to another club.

"This is your new "bullet" you mentioned earlier?" Wooyoung asks, eyeing you from head to toe as if you weren't standing right in front of him. You furrow your brows. What had he heard about you? You clear your throat, hiding the sudden wave of insecurity flushing through you.

"Yes, and she will be quite the star, correct?" Hongjoong sends a reassuring smile your way, making you almost want to childishly stick your tongue out at Wooyoung as Hongjoong shuts his sarcasm down.

"I hope so" you reply silently, not wanting to show any uncertainty, but having Wooyoung stare you down wasn't a straight confident boost either. You would have to work on handling his...quirks.

Wooyoung chuckles, shrugging it off as if there were nothing to worry about. And truly, he did believe that. "Don't forget who your real star is, Kim" Wooyoung smirks, cocking his eyebrow at Hongjoong when the elder turns to look at him. Hongjoong clears his throat as the two share a knowing gaze, and you wonder if there is something deeper between the men that you had missed observing. You awkwardly look around the club as Wooyoung finally makes his exit. Despite the open space around you, he chooses to brush his body against you as he leaves, lips turned up in a cocky smirk as he disappears out of sight.

"See you soon" he called out behind him, and you were unsure if he had meant it for me or for Hongjoong, but you knew both of you would be seeing him around anyway.

--

"You are doing alright though, right darling? Wooyoung isn't giving you a hard time is he?" Hongjoong asks as he walks you over to the elevators. You aren't surprised at mentions of the man, seeing as you work together. But something about Hongjoong's tone made your stomach flip slightly. Why were they so familiar with one another?

"No, we're all good" You plaster a fake smile, yet your thoughts jump to possible scenarios of how Hongjoong got familiar with Wooyoung. From innocent scenarios such as getting introduced by friends to ones where they shared a bed. You weren't sure why you cared that much anyway, it's not like you are in any situation with Wooyoung, but the heavy disappointment still sinks to the bottom of your abdomen. "Well, I'll be going so...thank you for the help" You step into the elevator, eyes meeting Hongjoong's as he carefully looks over you with his usual, calm, expression. His eyes seemed to search for an answer to an unanswered question, but he let it go, for now.

You press your bag close against your side as you walk outside, throwing your arm out to attract the attention of a taxi. You had to get back to the hotel and start looking for other options. Moving places this quickly was not the ideal plan, but seeing as your location had been disclosed, you had no choice.

As you reach the hotel, you pay the driver and scramble your way inside. Your eyes scan the proximity of the lobby for any suspicious individuals, the anxiety brewing in your stomach as an unpleasant chill runs up your spine when your brain flashes unwelcomed violent flashes in front of your eyes. You shake it off and take the elevator up to your floor. Perhaps you had been overthinking it too much. It was already lunchtime and you would have to find a new place, pick up Jisung and go grocery shopping. Going back to LUX at night was an option seeing as any extra cash would be helpful. Yet with the factor that your ankle is still healing and the thought of leaving Jisung alone as you work, the idea was quickly erased.

You open your front door, shuffling inside. The sun was bright and lit up the beautiful wooden furniture of the luxurious hotel room you called home. You put your bag down on the couch before suddenly freezing in your spot. The sun. A shiver runs down your spine at the realisation. You could see the sun. Why would you be able to see the sun if you closed the curtains before leaving? That was one of your many safety precautions. Forgetting something like that was not a possibility.

You turn around to face the door again, an intuitive feeling ushering you to leave the room immediately. You decide to listen and step towards the door but it was too late. You hear it before you see it, the squeak of rubber from shoes against your floor as a pair of arms wrap around your torso, trapping your arms to your sides as you start trashing around.

"Let go!" you cry, heart banging against your ribcage with harsh thumps as the adrenaline inside awakens your fight-or-flight instinct. You trash your head and body side to side, trying anything to loosen the tight grip on you.

"Shut the fuck up" you pick up from the person behind you. Your knees grow weaker as you struggle to stand. As a scream began to leave your mouth, a large palm covered your lips to muffle the sound. Sharp breaths through your nose keep you conscious and you realize the person now only had one hand around you instead of two. This opportunity gives you a momentary advantage as you push yourself forward as if losing balance and manage to hook your ankle around the intruder's leg. With a last burst of energy, you manage to land a hit to the intruder's side with your elbow, sending him off balance. When you feel the slightest relief of pressure on your body, you make a sprint for safety.

With shaky hands and wobbly legs, you manage to unlock the door as the person groans in pain behind you. Yet you never turn to look at whoever it was, deciding that running out to the lobby to find any living person would be the best option, seeing as your floor was empty. You wonder if the pain you inflicted would last long enough for you to escape.

Your chest heaves up and down heavily as your body shakes from adrenaline and shock as the elevator door allows you entrance, fingers repeatedly hitting the button for the first floor. Light thumps and a squeak from sneakers could be heard closing in from the hallway, and for a second, you wondered if you had failed to escape. Surely your luck had come to its lowest. With mere seconds left to spare, a black shadow picks up speed and sprints towards the elevator, but the doors close in the nick of time, separating you from the intruder.

The floor in the elevator seems to swallow your body, feet sinking into the floor as you lean on the railing for support. The muscles in your legs spasm from the adrenaline wearing off as the realization of what had just happened caught up to you. Anxiety seeps through your pores and is distributed to your chest and abdomen, making it harder to take a proper breath. The fears you deemed as stupid and irrational were suddenly very real. You clench your trembling fists, desperately seeking a source of comfort, but your hands are slick with perspiration.

You aren't sure which way to run as the elevator doors part with a soft ping, reaching the lobby The security office is right around the corner outside of the hotel. The receptionist on shift was just a young girl who probably wouldn't hurt a fly. A coffee shop is opened right across the street, surely the intruder wouldn't cause a scene there, right? You look over at the other operating elevator as you sprint out from the one you had taken. Would he still be after you? Maybe he'd give up and-

"Oh you are here, I was going to look for you since you forgot your-" what was that? The voice was so familiar, and as you turn to look, you see that you are coincidentally running into Wooyoung. You couldn't stop your legs from moving, seemingly uncontrollably as you walk straight into his body.

The man who you once wished would disappear from your line of sight, was now suddenly the only beam of hope you held onto. His facial expression changes in a matter of a millisecond, so quickly you manage to miss it. His hands grip your arms to stabilize your body as he watches your eyes hysterically run around the room, chest heaving in obvious panic. What the fuck was going on? "Do you feel unwe-" he starts.

"Please we- please take me away from here-" you manage to push out words on the little air you had left in your burning lungs. You would curse yourself for showing such desperation in front of your proclaimed rival. But tears pricked at your eyes as you realize that if don't leave right away, you may not make it out unharmed, or even alive. A ping of the elevator doors opening sends a shiver down your spine, and your whip your head to check whether the intruder was catching up to you. Wooyoung follows your gaze but finds a family of three exiting the tight compartment.

"What's happ-"

"Please, we have to leave, just- please" You beg breathlessly. Though hesitating for a second, unsure whether to question you now or do as you request, Wooyoung accepts that an explanation could wait. He wraps a protective arm around your waist to support your floppy body and sets course to his car parked by the entrance.  

You couldn't seem to make your legs walk, awkwardly hanging onto Wooyoung as he supported your weight on the walk over to his car. The same car he had taken you home in just last weekend. You sink into the leather seat, eyes on the hotel entrance to see whether the intruder would come out that way. Would you even recognize him? What if it wasn't a man?

Wooyoung snapped you out of your thoughts as he plopped down into the driver's seat. He wasted no time driving off. You were thankful for the silence that settled over you as Wooyoung drove you to a place he deemed safe. You didn't even think to question your location, putting your trust in his hands. As if it was how it was supposed to be. You notice stray raindrops hitting the car window, eyes following the race between the oval shapes. As they disappear from sight, you look up to follow another race and repeat this until the light drizzle, turned into a pour.

Wooyoung's intuition to observe, caught glances of your shaky hand clenching around a tiny bit of your shirt, probably to calm down. He glances over to you staring out the window with a blank expression. Neither of you has said a word since you left. The tension in the car was becoming palpable, and the rain only seemed to amplify it as the drops violently knock against the window of the car.

The silence stretches on, and you begin to feel like it's suffocating you. You fidget in your seat, trying to find a comfortable position. The rain continues to fall relentlessly and you can feel the tension in your shoulders mounting as you think of what to tell Wooyoung. The truth? A white lie? Your paranoia went as far as to believe he was in on the evil plan at one point.

"Would you like to stop at McDonald's?" he asks as he spots the bright yellow sign through the heavy downpour. He was uncertain why he offered, but since ordering it last, he thought it might cheer you up. Not that he cared to cheer people up for fun, but it slipped out before he could stop to think twice. It came out naturally. Almost as naturally as it was carrying you out of the club in his arms. Or wrapping an arm around your waist to hold you stable.

Yet his words brought on another anxious reminder. Whilst his intentions were pure, he was oblivious that the fast food had been for Jisung and not you. Jisung. He was still in school. Alone and oblivious that the life he had before leaving for school would not be the same again when you pick him up. How would you even pick him up? There was no way you would willingly leave your somewhat safe spot with Wooyoung, but you could not leave Jisung exposed to the intruder. You had to tell Wooyoung. Fuck whatever he would think of you.

"No, but there is somewhere we have to go. Please" you look at him as you speak up, eyes silently begging to not ask further questions. You knew you had asked a lot of him. Hell, he had helped you this past week more than your own family ever had over the span of your life. Wooyoung's eyes met yours, melting into the gaze as thoughts seemingly teleported between your minds. For a long moment, you just stare at each other, neither of you speaking. It's as if words would break the spell that had been cast between you.

Then, Wooyoung reaches for his phone, unlocking it before handing it to you without a glance. You eye him carefully and take the phone into your hands, noticing that the maps application was selected. A warm feeling of relief and gratefulness settles over you as you type the address to Jisung's school without another sound. Wooyoung follows the GPS to the selected location. As stoic as his face seemed, his jaw was tight with worry and theories on what had happened. It had to be something serious for you to end up asking him for help. He wasn't clueless about the dynamic of your relationship if one could even call it one. You so desperately asking him for help already created a picture of what type of situation this could be.

As the car comes to a stop, you realize the overwhelming amount of explaining you were about to do. Both to Jisung but also Wooyoung. The car is as silent as ever as you gather yourself, preparing to step out. Your hands were still shaky, but your heart rate had slowed down, leaving you with a faint weight of where it had banged against your ribs as a reminder.

"Would you like me to go in with you?" Wooyoung breaks the silence, yet his mind was becoming louder with new questions. A school? Why the hell were you at a school? Was this a family matter?

You realize that as much as you'd like to get Jisung by yourself, the little voice in the back of your head reminded you that the intruder could be a psychopath who was now stalking you around the city. Even the rational part of your mind seemed to agree seeing as the break-in you were so paranoid and worried about, did end up happening.

You nod quickly, your body reacting faster than any words leaving your mouth.

"Yes please"

Wooyoung doesn't need to be told twice as he gets out of the car, eyes staying on you as if you'd disappear. He wouldn't call it worry, but something about seeing the pure terror in your eyes as you clung onto his arm desperately sent unpleasant jolts down his spine. He didn't ever want to see that look on your face again. Whatever this behaviour was, it was certainly not something you'd ever seen on Wooyoung before. His seductive and teasing nature would never suggest that a much more stoic and...nurturing character hid inside of him. Of course you didn't expect him to march around in a button-down with his chiselled, toned chest and collarbones all oiled up as he lands all women and men in the ten-mile radius. But you had never seen him calmly cooperating and seemingly sympathetic to your struggle.

The faint smell of cafeteria food lingered in the silent corridors as most classes were in progress after a lunch break. You thankfully remember exactly which room Jisung would be in after lunch and knock on the wooden door. You look behind you to see Wooyoung observing your moves almost like a bodyguard. And frankly, he could become one with how safe you felt. You hear the teacher's voice pause as she opens the door. You recognize the elderly woman with glasses too big for her face as Jisung's English teacher. You had heard stories about her cats and weird obsession with crocheting from Jisung as he begged you to let him skip class early in the morning.

"Hello, I am here to get Jisung. I am afraid I forgot he has a doctor's appointment today that I completely forgot about" You offer your best smile, eyes scanning the room for your nephew. You let out a sigh you didn't know you were holding in as he sits there in one piece, eyes lighting up as he catches a glimpse of you.

The teacher nods and turns to call on Jisung to collect his things. You feel curious eyes linger over you but on a day like today you couldn't give two fucks. Jisung scatters to collect his things, as if being in the classroom for even a second longer would suffocate him.  

"Hey buddy," you say shakily, quickly coughing to cover your nervous tone. Jisung embraces your torso, happily mumbling how he couldn't wait to go home as the teacher shut the door. Although Wooyoung seems stoic, his jaw clenches in shock as he tries to keep his reactions at a minimum. A child?

"Are we going home? Do we have food? The cafeteria had those weird gummy spaghetti again and I didn't eat it..." Jisung whines and turns to leave but soon notices Wooyoung blocking his way. The younger looks up at the man and bows slightly, thinking he was a teacher or somebody here to get their kid.

"Jisung- this is um, my friend Wooyoung. He is kind enough to help me pick you up today and take us-" You start introducing the two but your face drops as you realize you had nowhere to go. The hotel was the last place you'd go, especially alone. You didn't have an apartment and the only place you could think of at the top of your mind was LUX, which is not the right place for a child. "Um-" you struggle, eyes scattering away from Jisung's gaze to think of a lie.

"-To my place for a sleepover. We came to get you earlier so we could go get some food and become closer buddies, you and me. How does that sound?" It is as if something takes over Wooyoung the second he sees the pure confusion on Jisung's face. Hearing you stutter lies to him to keep him oblivious to whatever was happening. It reminded him of his baby brother and how any child should have the right to an innocent childhood, away from the fuck ups of this world. Wooyoung squats down to Jisung's height and holds an open palm for him. "I'm Wooyoung" and as soon as his name is out of his mouth you see the charming smile back on his lips. As if somebody had yelled "action".

The little boy looks back at you, eyes suspicious and if you weren't so worried about your well-being, you'd chuckle at how much he picked up from you. Small quirks and comments from your daily diary. You nod with a small smile, reassuring him it was alright.

"I'm Jisung" he exclaims and places his small hand to drown in Wooyoung's. Even as the older smiles, you don't miss the glance he shoots your way as Jisung happily trots towards the exit.

"We have a lot to talk about" is all Wooyoung says as he follows the younger boy out the door. You freeze in place for a second, watching the scene as if it was the calm before the storm. You take a deep breath and exit the building to catch up to Jisung, who was getting buckled into the backseat by Wooyoung. You did in fact have a lot to talk about.

-

Wooyoung was well off, that was a fact that had engraved itself in your mind since the day you met him. Not that you had any evidence to prove it other than the Prada shirt he'd wear or the van Cleef watch on his wrist. Yet you still find yourself looking around the penthouse apartment in awe. Of course, that jerk had to get a penthouse, he probably even has a playroom to go with it to feed his god complex - is what you would say if you had been here on another occasion, whatever that might be. But having nowhere safe to go and being offered a penthouse really doesn't leave room for complaining.

"This place is huge! Is that Seoul Tower?" Jisung screeches as he runs to look out the tall windows displaying the city. You'd tell him off for his behaviour, but something about seeing him so cluelessly happy calmed your heart. Wooyoung follows the boy, standing behind him to see what he saw. The height difference between them looked almost...adorable? You clear your throat and pick Jisung's backpack off the ground, placing it in the spacious living room.

Wooyoung's interior choices scream rich, modern bad boy protagonist. Whites and blacks along with marble accents. Is he a Christian Grey fanatic?

"Just because you got off school earlier doesn't mean you're free. Get your homework out" you call out to the boy who freezes and almost pretends he doesn't hear you. He'd try that trick but frankly, he's too embarrassed in front of his new buddy Wooyoung. Jisung silently walks over to you and reaches for his backpack. Wooyoung watches the scene with uncertainty. A lot of questions run through his mind, the biggest one surprisingly being your safety.

"Let's go, buddy, the sooner you finish the quicker we'll get to play. You like PlayStation?" Wooyoung palms Jisung's shoulder, patting it in comfort as he shows the younger to the kitchen, which seemed bigger than your old hotel room.

"Set your books here while me and your um..." You catch Wooyoung's eyes, only now realizing he must've thought Jisung was your son all along. You quickly step in.

"Auntie and Wooyoung will just talk about what to eat, get your book out and start okay? I'll come to check your answers soon" You hope Wooyoung catches on but still, you owed him an explanation. Whether it was the full one or a slightly tweaked one.

You didn't need to find an empty room to speak, because merely walking over to the staircase going up to what you assumed were bedrooms, allowed your privacy.

"I owe you an explanation" you speak lowly, unsure of where your confidence had run off to as you couldn't seem to look up at Wooyoung. "Look I don't know how I got tangled up in all of this and why you out of all people involved but I just, I have to say that I-" you struggle to explain, finger locking and squeezing into a palm as your brain seemed to handpick flickers of the attack and of you fainting at the club, flashing them in front of your eyes. 

"Jisung is my nephew. He's been with me since my sister almost killed him and herself" You finally look up at Wooyoung whose face is ever as stoic, but this time you notice that no matter how hard he tried to withhold a reaction, his eyes did not follow. They twitched in worry as they intensely focused on reading every expression associated with your words "I think the guy at the club, who knew my name. I think he's targeting us. He- I was attacked and there is no way I can go back there. I don't even know if I can go outside right now. Fuck- for days I've been paranoid and watching my eyes step but-" the words come out by yourself before you can stop them. And once they start, they don't seem to finish as you go into a frenzy. Your body just couldn't handle it all anymore. Always be responsible for everything in your life, by yourself. Is it really that bad to need support? Even if it was from Wooyoung. What spurred you on more is that he didn't interrupt you. It frustrated you that he didn't act like an asshole even though you needed his help. It all angered you because it would add another problem to your neverending list; you growing fond of him.

Wooyoung reaches out to place his hand on your arm, sort of awkwardly yet so comforting without much effort. You really shouldn't have had a moment of weakness in front of him. For all you know, he could have cameras in his house, recording your breakdown and your secret nephew. Your heartbeat grows quickly as you realize your mistake of ranting and you turn around, as if not seeing him would help you in any way. The familiar cold sweat of panic sweeps over your palms and raises a ring in your ears.

"You were saying?"

"I- I can't stay here. Thank you um, Wooyoung but we can't stay here it was nice of you to offer-" You turn to offer the man a sweet smile but something tells you that this time, the show you put on wasn't close to good enough. And that was enough.

"Calm the fuck down" Wooyoung growls low and sternly, never raising his voice in case Jisung would hear. As much as he wanted to argue in disbelief about what you said when he had offered his home to you and your nephew, keeping you safe and driving you around, something else fueled his argument.

"Don't even try to pretend to be alright or whatever it is you do when you act like some "bullet"” he quotes in the air. "You need help so take it. If I wanted to hurt you, it would've been done ages ago. I'm not that petty and have enough money if you haven't noticed. I chose to help you but now you have to tell me what is going on because I don't have patience for bullshit or whatever crap you're trying to pull right now." And that is the moment you met the real Wooyoung. Not the foxy character at the club. Not even the one who drove you home. It's hard to admit that oftentimes you end up falling for the characters and masks other colleagues put on only to be reminded that they're also real people. This was a serious conversation and fuck, if you really are getting fucked over by him he really is a good actor.

You catch your breath, nodding slowly. Please don't be bad..please don't be bad you silently pray on the inside. You just really needed someone. And if it had to be Wooyoung then so be it.

"I'm being followed. I- I can't trust anybody and you must understand why. I don't have an apartment because moving around is safer. I got a message on my phone threatening me and then...today...when um-" you feel your throat thicken and Wooyoung didn't need further explanation that what you were talking about was the cause for your frightened eyes and desperate grip on him that he couldn't seem to shake off. One he knew too well.

"Breathe, just breathe okay? I know we aren't exactly...best of friends but I don't have intentions of hurting you" he hushes, recognising the rush of panic in your eyes. Those shiny eyes that he'd catch glaring at him from across the bar as he chatted up a client. He wouldn't admit it, but your reactions amused him more than his targets most of the time. The raw look of hatred and hunger for revenge stirred his stomach in exciting ways. When he'd look back and catch you flipping him off when he left with targets was something he even looked forward to. It was never something he took offence to...though maybe he should have.

But instead of the passion, your eyes were wide with terror. They were tired and silently pleaded for help even if your conscious mind didn't mean to make it seem that way. And how could Wooyoung stand watching your eyes become so dull?

"Just- stay here, for Jisung's sake. Figure out what you need and see it as a favour if it makes you feel any better." he finally concludes. Why was he agreeing so easily? A brief moment of silence settles between you. It was tempting but something about this was just too easy. How could one go from barely talking to living together? He is a conman still, and whatever sincerity he might show might just be a planned scheme to mess with you at your most vulnerable.

"Don't overthink it" Wooyoung says and doesn't let you answer as he turns to find Jisung again. Perhaps he didn't want to bruise his ego by becoming so available. Or he just couldn't stand looking into your eyes for a second longer. Whatever it was, it was settled and he has a new task. To help you.

"How does ordering food sound? Maybe we can plan to cook something later instead?" Wooyoung's tone is softer as he addresses Jisung. You hear it from a distance and wonder if he was experienced with kids. If he assumed you were a mother then what if he was...no, now you're reaching for something that isn't true. But why is it that a rock weighs down your chest at the thought of somebody being close enough to Wooyoung to create a family together? You had just stepped foot into his apartment. Apart from him being a con man, there was nothing you knew about him that could increase your attraction to him. Well apart from the physical at least. And if him calming you down from a panic attack and offering his home wasn't enough, seeing him interact with Jisung made it harder to believe all the paranoid lies you made up in your mind about him.

As the day progressed into night, the atmosphere seemed much lighter. You sit comfortably in the corner of Wooyoung's couch as he and Jisung yell over one another, PlayStation controllers in hands as they frantically push the colourful buttons. You were satisfied with just sitting ---there enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Not Before long Jisungs eyes were struggling to stay open. You lock eyes with Wooyoung who seems to have noticed the boy dozing off with the PlayStation controller in his small hands.

"Ji-" you start but Wooyoung raises his hand to stop you from disturbing the younger's sleep. A small smile makes it to your lips at the thoughtfulness Wooyoung displayed. One side of you still reminded you to stay doubtful of his intentions. Sure, he was nice. But this came out of the blue after your little accident at the club. Certainly, people don't change during such a short time frame. You were rivals just a mere week ago.

You stand up as Wooyoung switches the game off. It was a silent agreement to move carefully to not wake Jisung up and as you reach down to pick the sleeping boy up, Wooyoung drives your hands away and instead sweeps the boy into his arms, carrying him over what you assumed was a guest room. The atmosphere that had settled over the apartment was calm and safe. Seeing Jisung in Wooyoung's embrace made your heart skip over a beat as you imagined how this would be if it was routine. No, why would this even be one? You follow Wooyoung through the maze that was his apartment and into a guestroom. He places Jisung on the bed, covering the sleeping boy with a fluffy blanket before nodding towards the door. With silent steps, you make it out of the room without waking Jisung.

"Thank you" your voice is barely a whisper, stuck in your throat from being so silent. You find your way back to the living room but Wooyoung doesn't stop walking, instead walking up the staircase with the expectance that you'd follow.

"If you are showing me to a room you don't have to, I can very well sleep with Jisung-" You stop right in front of a door, one of few existing on the floor.

"You can sleep where you want, but I'm sure sleeping in your clothes wouldn't be too comfortable now would it?" Wooyoung's words are barely heard as he mumbles. He seemed deep in thought about something ever since Jisung went to bed. He doesn't turn to look at you as he opens the lock to his safe space. His room. Judging by how Wooyoung usually would act at the club, his room must see multiple visitors every night. Nobody assumed that on the contrary, it was the only privacy he had left, hidden away from anybody to discover apart from you in this moment.

"Oh yeah- I'm sorry to ask this much of you really- I will bring some of my clothes. Or I'll buy some-" You realize that with the way you're imposing your stay on him and nervously try spit out anything that made sense. "-Only if it's okay that I bring some stuff I mean I don't have to stay here if you don't-"

"Lord, you really can't hold that tongue of yours when you're nervous, have you noticed?" But instead of sounding irritated, Wooyoung's lips are turned up at the corners in a cocky, familiar to you, smirk. "I offered and already told Jisung you'd stay so, take it while I'm being nice" he shrugs, unsure of how to really explain to you that he wanted to help. It's not like he could explain his own sudden interesting in volunteering, not even to himself fully.

For the first time ever you feel a heat settle at the apples of your cheeks, burning as Wooyoung turns around to rummage through his closet. You manage to look around his room. Although clean, it had its own unique messiness that added to or maybe explained Wooyoung's personality. His bed was somewhat made and recent clothes were stacked like a small hill on the back of a chair. Something about it only seems comforting though. It seemed real and like Wooyoung. It was safe. A fresh scent of bergamot and what you assumed was the natural smell of the man lingered in the air, poisoning you deeper into a state of attraction. He looks good, he dresses well, he flirts well and now he smells good too?  

'He's barely above average height' you tell yourself, trying to find excuses that could convince you that this attraction was clouded by loneliness or desperation for something. But even then did your insides not give up their reaction to Wooyoung as he turned around with a shirt and some shorts in his grasp. They weren't folded, but they looked clean.

"Here, wear this for tonight and tomorrow I'll get someone to pick some things up for you and Jisung" he offered, moving closer until he stood in front of you. For someone with average height his magnetic energy sure was large, towering over you as it radiated from him. Especially from his piercing eyes. You hold your breath the second your eyes meet. You can't show him emotions, he'd see right through you and the confusing feelings you had developed for him. If he came just a step closer he would probably hear how your heart had started banging against your ribcage. The hue from a bedstand lamp accentuates the protruding veins on his toned forearms, bobbing whenever his arm tensed up.

For a second, your brain blanks out. Over the years working with men, you had learned to grow accustomed to their looks, affections and flirty ways. It had to be done in order to fully have control over them and complete your job. Whilst there were cases where staying evenminded was difficult, there had never been a case where a man could affect you so deeply just by existing in the same room as you. At some point, there would have to be a man that would successfully slither his way into your heart. Whether it was you growing up or just being a romantic, you knew it was bound to happen. Denying it would be childish. But could it be now? And could it really be with Wooyoung?

"-Unless you want to sleep naked of course" his comment is what brings you back. Wooyoung was now right in front of you. Did you really blank out that hard?

With a scoff, you take the clothes from him but find no strength to move. It's as if one look was enough to keep your body still. You wonder if he feels it too. The tension from the car, the accidental grazes of skin and now this. Blond hair really suits him you think, even more now that his golden skin is glowing so close to you. The urge to lean in and touch him itches at your hands and makes your body tense. As if the only thing that could relax the eager muscles is to finally touch him. You bet his skin is smooth and warm. But the rational voice in your brain reminds you that it would be risky. He could be playing you all along. The reminder of being careful makes your body shift. You look away from him then, scared that if you looked any longer that he'd take control of you. Just like you did to your victims. Just like he did to his. Would it really be that bad though?

"You're doing it again" his voice comes out hoarse, as if he also was struggling within. "You're torturing your brain with unnecessary thoughts". If he was this good at reading you already, what would happen if you stayed with him longer?

There's a long, silent pause.

"How could I not?" you whisper, as if speaking louder would break this moment. You see Wooyoung raise his hand up towards you and in the next moment, its warmth touches the skin of your cheek. Your lips part as breath escapes and you immediately look back at him. Whatever he was thinking about, must've been challenging to overpower. His brows knitted together as his Adam's apple bobs each time he nervously swallows. These were the only indicators giving you hope that maybe he felt something more.

Without saying anything, Wooyoung instead darts his eyes down to watch his thumb soothing circles into your skin. His own skin is slightly rough but it only affected you deeper with every trace. You carefully wrap your hand around his wrist, or at least whatever you could fit into your palm. Without another thought, you press his hand deeper into your cheek, eyes closing to enjoy whatever this moment was. You needed this. He made you feel calm and the past week had been nothing but the opposite. Whatever his intentions were, you decided it would be worth it.

"Look at me," he says lowly, voice thin as if he also feels the need to savour the moment carefully. You open your eyes, reconnecting the gaze and you're unsure if you're dizzy or if he had moved closer but you swore that just one move forward could put your lips onto his. Was this really happening? How could you ever bear seeing him at the club again if you let this happen? With a deep sigh and anxiety rising in your chest, you push his hand away from your cheek, instantly regretting as the warmth disappears.

"I'm tired from today, Wooyoung. I'm going to change and sleep" You force the words out and it's almost obvious by how monotone your voice sounds. Wooyoung clears his throat and looks away from you, nodding slightly to himself as his eyes fixated on a random object in the room.

"Good night, bullet" The nickname coming from him sounded unnatural. You felt like a stranger then and cursed yourself for ruining the moment. But it was for your and Jisung's safety.

"Good night" you whisper and exit his room, gritting your teeth harshly in hopes that it would take tension off your chest. Could you take it back? Turn around and kiss him? Would he accept it if you tried? He was right, you really had a tendency to torture your brain with thoughts.

You change into the clothes he had given you and slide into bed next to a sleeping Jisung, still in his clothes. You don't bother waking him and turn to lay on your side, closing your eyes as you tried focusing on any sound or smell. You blame it on being tired, but slowly reach your hand to bring the fabric of Wooyoung’s shirt up to your nose, inhaling the detergent and the natural smell in his closet. One of the scents that was usually mixed in with his cologne. A small smile spreads over your lips as you play over the fresh memory of him cupping your cheek. He looked at you as if he knew exactly what you were thinking. Yet his eyes never held any expectation over you. He never crossed a line and seemed to sense the exact amount of what was needed. And you wanted it more. He is successfully swindling your heart.

[teach463146]

https://www.welt.de/iconist/mode/article247930494/Matthew-Goode-ueber-Maennermode-Der-moderne-Gentleman-will-nicht-bequem-sein.html

Google translation of German article.

On screen, actor Matthew Goode often slips into neat men's clothing. In his private life, he also thinks more of tweed and pinstripes than jersey and hoods. But how do old clothing standards become contemporary for modern men? A conversation.

Fans of the Windsor knot can dab a tear of relief with their pocket square: "Dressing smart doesn't go out of style," says actor Matthew Goode, who regularly slips into tailored suits for his roles. In the Netflix series "The Crown", the 45-year-old, as Princess Margaret's husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, wears black suits with notched lapels - Chelsea boots, rolled-up sleeves and a loosened skinny tie when he is not visiting Buckingham Palace. In “Downtown Abbey” you see him as racing driver Henry Talbot, who stubbornly fights for the love of Lady Mary Crawley in the classic three-piece suit in earth tones or in a tailcoat with a white bow tie.

Although sweatpants and hoodies dominated men's fashion last year, the suit is a survivor, as seen at this summer's Paris men's shows. Giorgio Armani showed jackets with low shoulders, Dior double-breasted coats and suits in cream colors, with the shirt not tucked into the trousers - this is how old clothing norms are modified and made fit for the present. The basic idea is that the stylish gentleman is not a discontinued model - as long as he keeps up with the times. This is how Goode sees himself, who is the face of the new campaign for the British men's tailor Hackett London. Via video call from his couch, he tells us what today's stylish man looks like - for once, not in chic evening wear, but in a cozy Troyer knit sweater.

Talk about modern man

The suit is perhaps one of many men's costumes, says Adriano Sack. Gerhard Elfers defends the style and seriousness of the classic combination with a draw

PROS AND CONS

Is it silly for men to dress well?

WORLD: For many of your roles you slip into a classic suit. The characters you portray are often set in a historical time - how can elegant men's wardrobe become more modern.

Matthew Goode: The nice thing about suits is that they give you a different attitude. When I wear a suit with a white tie and tailcoat, my upper body automatically straightens and I move differently. It makes me feel like I'm in an old portrait in the National Gallery in London, which is very useful for developing my characters. Today's youth have become brave. Timothée Chalamet, for example, wears a suit without a shirt underneath and with a bare upper body on the red carpet. I always think, "My God, that's brave, especially in March." Still, I wouldn't predict the end of the classic suit just yet. Bill Nighy (the scruffy rock star in “Love Actually”, editor's note) is one of the most elegant men, stylist William Gilchrist is a master of fashion for me. The suit will always remain - it changes from time to time, for example the length of the jacket or the shape of the collar, but the wheel will not be reinvented.

WORLD: It sounds like you prefer the classic suit.

Goode: My style is pretty conservative. I enjoy dressing up - not every day, but when I wear a tailored suit and I haven't gained ten kilos, it gives me confidence.

WORLD: How often do you wear a suit?

Goode: During awards season, this can happen for seven days at a time. But I'm a father of three, and when I'm not working I spend most of my time as a glorified taxi operator or dog walker. So I dress more practically during the week.

WORLD: What does a practically dressed Matthew Goode look like?

Goode: I look like I'm ready for all seasons because I live in England. If I know it's going to be windy, rainy and stormy, I would probably wear ski gear (laughs). Otherwise, I'm a fan of corduroy pants and a nice tweed jacket. I was born in the country, I remain a country bumpkin at heart.

Matthew Goode (r.) as the new campaign face of Hackett London

Matthew Goode (r.) as the new campaign face of Hackett London

Source: Hackett London

WORLD: Do you wear shorts in summer?

Goode: I'm actually wearing one right now because I had a meniscus repair and because of the huge splint I haven't been able to wear long pants for the past few months.

WORLD: What makes a good suit for you?

Goode: I pay particular attention to the quality of the fabric – and the cut. Suits I bought 20 years ago look boxy. Today they are more tailored to the body. Or I play with the lining of the jacket and the underside of the collar, perhaps with a bolder color. It's the way my wife - she's an interior designer - would design the house: nice, conservative colors and then pops of color through pillows. So my socks could be flashy, but everything else could be reserved. A good tailor can then see how the suit can make even more use of the body shape, for example with shoulder pads it looks like I've been to the gym.

WORLD: A tie with a suit – still mandatory today or already dispensable?

Goode: I still need to build up the confidence to wear scarves and bandanas the way Gilchrist does. Until then, I'll happily put on a tie.

[watari-apologist]

top 10 attractive traits of watari, GO

ON IT, BOSS

10. extremely rich

the man is Absolutely Fucking Loaded. like if we take "L: wammy's house" as canon, we are talking multi-millions or -billions kind of rich. he owns real estate. if you're going to fuck him for no other reason, fuck him for the fact that he will shower you with expensive gifts

9. impeccable fashion sense

every outfit we ever see him wear in canon is FIRE. the trenchcoat + hat + mask combo? mysterious. alluring. if he had only ever worn this in canon, the death note fandom would have been shipping him with L from DAY ONE and never stopped. his suit? simple yet effective. he knows it's a classic for a reason. whatever the fuck that attack helicopter outfit during the higuchi chase was? literally So Cool. my man CANNOT MISS

8. good manners

he's a gentleman through and through. will keep your secrets, discreet as all hell. unfailingly polite even if he's torturing you for information

7. tall

according to "how to read 13", watari is 5'9" (175cm for people like me who don't know the imperial system) which makes him slightly shorter than L, but i categorically disagree with that. like, this book also tried to tell me that he weights 51kg/112lbs compared to L's 50kg/110lbs estimation and i REFUSE to believe that watari, a well-built elderly man, weighs only slightly more than a 24yo twink with an eating disorder. like come the fuck on. those numbers are all made up. watari has the vibes of a man who is 6ft, and tall men exist only to be climbed like a tree

6. loyal

he will die for you without question or complaint, and otherwise protect you with his life. anyone who tries to harm you will end up mysteriously disappearing within a week tops, never to be heard from again. no amount of money or persuasion would ever convince him to betray you. it's like marriage, but more romantic

5. the voice

i don't know how to explain this one to you. if you don't already get it, i fear you never will. but an endlessly calm, soft-spoken british accented voice can be Everything - and it is. to me. ALSO since we are on the topic of voices, this is my chance to mention lutz mackensy, who plays watari in the German Death Note Audio Drama (reset the clock, i mentioned it again). he obviously doesn't have a british accent, but he DOES have the sassiest and most INEXPLICABLY HORNY watari performance to ever exist. the heavy breathing and Forceful Dom Voice "Komm schon" during misa's torture scene have been living rent free in my brain since the moment i first heard them and i will Never Recover

4. really good cook

sweets, pastries, cakes, chocolates - you name it, the man can make it. according to "L - the prologue to death note: spiraling trap" (or whatever we're calling it these days), he makes ALL of L's sweets and is in fact so famous for his sweets making skills that he has a whole mysterious alias associated with it (phantom patissier my beloved). feeding L sweets to gain his affection is LITERALLY a game mechanic in communicator mode and watari has been doing it for like a decade before your fbi agent showed up on the premises. seduction via food is his modus operandi

3. really good cock

some people say that sex with an older man is gross, but those people are cowards. don't let them fool you. watari has decades of experience under his belt (literally) and will gladly show off his skills. he knows where the prostate is. he knows where the g-spot is. he KNOWS where the clitoris is. additionally, he owns two hands and one mouth and a wide variety of expensive sex toys if the dick isn't quite the right thing for your pleasure. you are not walking away from that encounter without At Least three orgasms (unless you're into that, in which case he will edge you within an inch of your life and then just fuckin leave lol)

2. handsome

i mean...

i could elaborate, but i don't feel the need to. as brian david gilbert once said: "i don't know what to tell you. if you're not attracted to this, you're wrong"

and finally, the NUMBER ONE ATTRACTIVE QUALITY that watari possesses:

1. problematic

he owns orphanages all over the globe and at LEAST one of them is a front for a super-detective training agency that traumatises children. he works for L, a guy who has zero qualms about violating human rights, and is in fact not only complicit in kidnapping, but is seen actively participating in ACTUAL TORTURE when ordered (watari_pulling_on_gloves.gif my beloved). he shoots a sniper rifle at an occupied, moving vehicle in the middle of tokyo without a SECOND'S hesitation. something is Deeply Wrong with this man. i couldn't fix him if i tried, but honestly? whatever is wrong with him is way more fun and interesting anyway, so i might as well hang around to watch the ensuing train wreck <3

[lamaery]

oh no, a murder happened and everyone is kind of suspicious! edgebanter has initiated a cosmere fashion month on instagram and the topic is mystery à la mode.  the first theme is #whodunnit and it somehow turned into a Knives Out crossover. (Because among other things I really liked the costume design of the movie). next week: Masquerade. ID by the lovely Priscellie [ID: irst image: Sadeas slumped on a decorative rug, bleeding profusely from a head wound mercifully hidden from the viewers. There is a small "2" crime scene evidence thingy nearby. 

 2nd image: An assemblage of main characters in stylish, affluent modern clothing, arrayed in a living room with plush red furniture. Dalinar, Navani, and Ialai sit and the others stand. Front row, left to right: Shallan is standing, holding an iPhone and looking super shady. She wears one black driving glove on her safehand, a white blouse, a long grey skirt, and purple flats. She wears her long red hair down.  Next, Dalinar sits on a loveseat with Navani. Dalinar looks like my grandfather, wearing a blue blazer with subtle white vertical and horizontal lines, a sky blue tie, charcoal pants, and brown loafers. The way he's sitting reveals his socks.  Navani wears a pink power suit and glasses, and her braided black hair hangs over one shoulder.  I'm assuming the next person is Ialai, wearing a yellow dress with tall, strappy gold heels.  She wears a red glove on her safehand, and she has a deeply unpleasant expression. Back row, left to right: Kaladin wears a brown suede-looking jacket over a sky blue checkered flannel and blue undershirt. He wears his hair in a ponytail, but scandalously, it is NOT hot.   Next, Rlain wears a red and gold argyle sweatervest, and I am THRIVING. He has a topknot and a goatee, because Honor still lives in the hearts of men. He wears a white collared shirt under the sweater vest and a purple-black blazer over it.  Very close beside him is Renarin, looking magnificently leeklike, wearing the same, except with a dark red sweater vest with gold details, and with glasses, yessss. Then there's Jasnah, looking super stylish in a dark blue power suit with shoulder details. She looks like there are twenty different places she'd rather be, and this is wasting her time. Then finally Amaram, wearing a green army jacket and brown pants, with shoulder-length hair. 

Image 3: Adolin wears a fabulous white sweater and sits in a red armchair, chin resting on his steepled hands and legs crossed at the knees. He has one eyebrow raised as he contemplates how to proceed.]

[curejiraiya]

Thinking about it, fashion dreamer would have been a FANTASTIC $10 game. We're in the time of crazy inflation so really $25. I could see a greedy company pricing it at $35. Any more thought and it's just not worth it.

I love fashion dreamer, but there's not a lot of content. What is there is fun, but in like Style Savvy even without the story you'd still get to do characters hair and makeup and nails and pick out bags for them and scarves and bracelets and give them a WHOLE look. In fashion dreamer you JUST give them outfits.

The scoring system in fashion dreamer IS REALLY bad like it's not at all clear what counts for what category. Which is frustrating when it was crystal clear in style savvy.

The UI is clunky.

WTF were they thinking with "Type A" and "Type B"???? I'm not the only one to complain about this. But seriously it was done so poorly. It's clearly just men and women but late in development someone said "fuck make it gender inclusive". but they didn't change anything but the wording used. Ideally they would have not had types at all. But if they wanted to keep types they needed to make two versions of every item when modeling them. Some misinformed people are saying this isn't possible or is more work. But news flash, every item in this game was made from scratch. It was THEIR CHOICE to make completely separate items during modeling. They very well could have had their employees make two versions of each piece. Someone on the directors board didn't want it that way. Yeah they can't change it NOW but it's frustrating that they're pretending to be inclusive when it's very clear that from the games launch this wasn't in its design.

The game lags when you get more items, but also encourages you to get as many items as possible, but also has a 5000 item cap because of the lag.

I hate the online component lol I wasn't expecting this to be a 100% social game where you're missing content if you're not online ig. I just do notttttt want to interact with strangers in a game like this.

At the same time customers are currently pissed because the first event broke the servers so they took it down and it's been weeks and it's not back up. IMO limited events in a full price game like this is FUCKED, but they're ALSO online mode exclusive (that's so fucked!) so I can't even access the content.

It kinda seems like the reason it's not back is because staff went on Christmas break. If so ..... ooof

ALSO items from the event are fucking SINGLE USE. ?????????? this is a paid game what the fuck. Why are their single use anything? Why are events time limited? If you buy the game late you'll never get these items despite PAYING for them.

I wasn't really expecting much from the updates but really we should treat them like they don't exist. The first one just had two QOL features that should have been at launch. And with that in mind this is not a full priced game. It's not worth more than $25. This isn't the first time we've gotten a shallow, unfinished, and presumablypresumably rushed game from marvelous. and it probably won't be the last. I officially do not trust that team whatsoever. I doubt synsophia provided anything for the game other than the fashion itself, and maybe the NPCs, because the rest of it doesn't feel like their product in the way style savvy or PriMagi arcade does. I wish they didn't partner with them.

Like obviously me and everyone else wishes this was a style savvy game instead. But even without that, I wish this game had more soul. I also wished it felt finished? The actual gameplay loop feels finished but the UI does not. Not having all of the basic sort functions from Style Savvy (color / Item type / style) makes the game feel like a beta test. I stopped playing because someone will ask for red shoes and I have to scroll for 45 seconds to find them while I watch everything slowly pop in.

The removal of money and buying items in quantities is a blow to depth too, because in Style Savvy someone would ask for a cool shirt and you have to hope you still have one in stock. Meanwhile in fashion dreamer this is only a problem for the first hour before you have enough of everything.

Like style savvy had more AND had a story. frustrating. Again I don't mind no story, I get that that's better for modern audiences. But they lost me because of lack of depth everywhere else. ugh

I don't hate this game! I think it's a cute small play once a week or once a month pickup for 2 minutes game. But that's NOT how it's priced. I also think they're REALLY REALLY REALLY fumbling how they're handling events. If they wanted to handle events the way they are right now they game needed to be free to play.

[divinekangaroo]

in your latest fic, tommy and lizzie have an exchange after he falls deliberately into the bath about the clothes he’ll wear home, and he mentions a specific outfit of hers. Now i know people had fewer clothes back then, but he had to have been paying attention to notice even the color of the shoes she wore. What’s your reasoning, for this, considering he was married and obvi into Grace at the time? Or even just your opinion on Tommy and Graves relationship and how lizzie fits into that?

I was wondering how people would read that line! Long post warning!

I wrote it in to convey an amalgam of the following:

Tommy is highly observant of small details when they're important to him and for reasons below, Lizzie's appearance is important to him

Tommy likes looking at pretty women who dress well irrespective of his marriage

Tommy pays intimate attention to fashion because appearance is how to craft the first layer of illusion as to who you are - Tommy likes to think he is all across impression management. (He also pays attention to Ada's lipstick and what it means. And he bought Polly lipstick in New York, suggesting his combination of detail orientation, observation of women and fashion awareness, he can even pick the right tone of lipstick. (I also headcanon he planned and organised the entire wedding, because Grace only ever talks about the Institute - that wedding in my mind was 100% Tommy going full dictator mode over ever micro detail)

Lizzie's slowly increasing confidence and glow-up over time in his office has been giving him the warm fuzzies to know 1) she's becoming the woman he always saw in her somewhat gauche youthfulness, and 2) he enabled her glow up/confidence and therefore he owns it/her/another beautiful, valuable thing, and 3) her looks reflect on him and his rank/status when other men interact with her in her role as his secretary, where she might be the first impression someone has of Tommy Shelby Managing Director. In combination these three mean he pays attention to Lizzie's appearance as representative of *him*, irrespective of any sexual attraction/his marriage vows.

Tommy is comfortable expressing criticism (don't like the burgundy) but is very uncomfortable with giving complements (i do like it when you wear the green). These throwaway lines are Tommy using subtext to give complements - Lizzie looks great in green and he remembers that. Lizzie is usually oblivious to subtext.

Tommy is unconcerned that Lizzie might be one to two inches taller than him in normal heels but PARTICULARLY does not like the burgundy because they make her four inches taller than him, so he notices them as he would a nemesis walking into his office, eyes narrowed and glaring at them as they go past. Also, in Ch 3 of the melting point of gold, I wrote a reminiscence of her wearing them while they were having sex over his desk in the old days, and they put her too high for him to penetrate at the right angle. So he remembers them for all the wrong reasons. XD

So what does this mean that all of the above observations happened during a time he was married to Grace? I feel that being married and in love and him choosing to behave monogamously doesn't turn off all the thinking and feeling that might occur around other women. Given he would have been around Lizzie at least 5 days a week, all of this is like a background process in his mind. He doesn't act on it while he's with Grace. But now that she's passed away and thanks to Tatiana, he knows he can't do what he wants to do (be abstinent in grief similar to fasting in grief), so that background process throws all that recorded data up into the foreground.

While Grace was alive, I don't think Grace would have picked up on anything overly heated between Tommy and Lizzie, in part because both Tommy and Lizzie turned off any sexual part of their relationship well before Epsom, but also because of how rigorously Tommy would have divided his lives and functions and kept Grace separate; the suggestion that he'd probably encouraged Grace's 'obsession' with the Institute project and all its little details so she didn't have the time to focus on his. Grace did start to break down those walls at their wedding but that didn't have time to unravel before her death.

Lizzie and Grace probably would have spoken together in Tommy's office or over the phone whilst arranging/coordinating matters around Tommy's schedule, but Grace would have treated Lizzie sort of like Mary ('staff'). Lizzie would have been professional about it as best she could -- noting that given most of Tommy's business structure is family, there's that very strong layer of unprofessionalism and also clique-formation/status jockeying that would have had Lizzie set her mental hierarchy as Tommy at the top, Polly next, then Ada, then Arthur, then John, and only then Grace, Linda and Esme. Plus the complexity that if one of them is given a specific order or a specific remit by Tommy, then in that field only do they speak 'as' Tommy and leap up the hierarchy. But any slighting of or friction with Grace wouldn't have been because of past sex with Tommy, it would be because of family hierarchy and the fluidity of how that might flex in response to Tommy's delegation of authority within limited spheres to those family members. Like, I can see a very specific scenario where Tommy disappears into the night to do something highly illegal and Grace is trying to insist Lizzie gives her information on where Tommy is, and Lizzie protects Tommy and frustrates Grace.

Lizzie also wouldn't have acted to try to start something with Tommy either. I have very strong headcanons on Lizzie's fetishising of marriage as a fallen woman very much unlikely to ever marry, and Tommy and Grace were like a sweeping textbook fairy tale; as much as Lizzie wishes it were her, she and Tommy never quite fit into the fairy tale. Lizzie quietly and secretly idolises Grace x Tommy *together* as creating this untouchable romantic story. Lizzie also knows what's said about the kind of woman who breaks up those kinds of marriages in both stories and real life, and she's not going there again on top of her prostitution history. (Lizzie's jealousy of May is something entirely different at a different stage of life/relationship.)

If Grace had lived, I do think Tommy would have eventually been adulterous but without any particular intimacy, and because of that he probably never would have gone back to Lizzie for sex as his conscious effort at risk management, because of their working intimacy and past history. However, he would have merrily continued entertaining himself with maybe-libidinous-but-definitely-possessive thoughts of Lizzie which would have come out in non-sexual ways, similar to the rest of his immediate family.

[shesthespinstersimmer]

Tagged by the illustrious @cinamun (thanks friend!)

🎼Getting to know yooooooouu 🎶

1. What’s your favorite sims death?

I can tell this is gonna be a tough list already. Lol. I don’t have a favorite sim death as I have a very hard time with letting go of my sims.  I guess the only time I’m less affected is in THE DEEP DOWN, where victims were collateral damage. Still, I had control over that. Random Sim deaths? Traumatized.

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Absolutely both. Maxis mix all the way.

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? 

This is an interesting question. Usually, no. But if the character tends to be fit by nature, and I come back and they’ve gained weight, I’ll cheat for story continuity. However, in gameplay mode, I’ll just have them work out.  If they are not into fitness, I just let it go and see where it leads. 

4. Do you use move objects?

Without a doubt

5. Favorite mod?

 Tossup between Basemental and Wicked. Because, reasons.

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

Whatever the first one was. I just got the first one when it came out. 

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

Alive.

8.  Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? 

Jude Mann from WEIRD & WONDERFUL. (Secretly in love with Drucilla Bathory from THE DEEP DOWN, but I realize she’s toxic ☠️)

9. Have you made a simself?

No - I think I’d take it too personally.

10. What traits do you give yourself?

Loner, adhd, bookworm, creative, music lover

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color?

Before I started using cc, it was always the teal or the light gray swatches (the black swatch was never dark or consistent enough)

12. Favorite EA hair?

The snowy escape buzzcut - I give it to sooo many men & townies lol

13. Favorite life stage?

Young adult

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? 

I secretly wish I was a builder, but the process stresses me out too much.  I like to decorate when I don’t have the mental bandwidth for writing (I find it calming).  Gameplay is fine, but the curveballs, get to me sometimes. 

15. Are you a CC creator?

As I am currently struggling to recolor something right now (and gave up), I’m going to go with no. #sendhelp

16. Do you have any Simblr friends/ a sim squad?

My mutuals, NSFT discord, and the readers that keep me going 🖤

17. What’s your favorite game?

The Sims 4 is the only thing I play right now; I have the Sims 3, but only half of it on digital. So even though I loved it, I haven’t bothered  to fix it.

18. Do you have any sims merch?

No, but I wouldn’t be opposed.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims?

No, but I kick the idea round from time to time.

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I’ve always loved playing with fashion and fantastical looks / characters, but as my storytelling has grown, I am enjoying making more “everyday” sims. My latest obsession is middle aged and elder sims.

I started off very alpha, but the sound of my laptop weeping softly in the distance made me reevaluate.

21. What’s your Origin ID

Pleading the 5th on that one (it’s a mess)

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Also pleading the 5th (Not sure who’s problematic and who’s not right now 😬)

23. How long have you had a Simblr?

At least five years, probably longer. I had another Simblr a while back and then started over when I got serious about posting my story. I had one for years and didn’t even post anything; I just read stories and looked at cc (I didn’t even use it then).

24. How do you edit your pictures? 

Gshade, Studio and Procreate

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? 

That’s a tough one. I’ve always loved city living, but if I’m being honest, I do love the world of Tartosa, even though we all know the gameplay is tragic. I’m loving growing together though.

26. What expansion/games/staff pack do you want next? 

I try not to think about it; sad that every new pack elicits such anxiety. New packs = week of playing my vanilla save, then another week of rebuilding my main save, then finally seeing if the pack is even worth it. Okay, rant over.

Whew! I feel laid bare.

Anyone else wanna share? Tag, you’re it!

[clichey]

Loane Normand by Jean Baptiste Soulliat Azzedine Alaia - PFW Couture AW22 Book┃IG

[longlistshort]

There are currently two exhibitions in New York celebrating Richard Avedon's photography. At The Metropolitan Museum of Art is Richard Avedon: Murals. Pictured above are two of the large murals included. The first is of Andy Warhol and members of The Factory and the other is of members of the Mission Council in Saigon.

From The Met's website about the show-

In 1969, Richard Avedon was at a crossroads. After a five-year hiatus, the photographer started making portraits again, this time with a new camera and a new sense of scale. Trading his handheld Rolleiflex for a larger, tripod-mounted device, he reinvented his studio dynamic. Instead of dancing around his subjects from behind a viewfinder, as he had in his lively fashion pictures, he could now stand beside a stationary camera and meet them head-on. Facing down groups of the era’s preeminent artists, activists, and politicians, he made huge photomural portraits, befitting their outsized cultural influence. On the centennial of the photographer’s birth, Richard Avedon: MURALS will bring together three of these monumental works, some as wide as 35 feet. For Avedon, the murals expanded the artistic possibilities of photography, radically reorienting viewers and subjects in a subsuming, larger-than-life view.

The murals are society portraits. In them, Avedon assembles giants of the late twentieth century—members of Andy Warhol’s Factory, architects of the Vietnam war, and demonstrators against that war—who together shaped an extraordinarily turbulent era of American life. Presented in one gallery, their enormous portraits will stage an unlikely conversation among historically opposed camps, as well as contemporary viewers. The formal innovations of Avedon’s high style—of starkly lit bodies in an unsparing white surround—are best realized in these works, where subjects jostle and crowd the frame, and bright voids between them crackle with tension. Uniting the murals with session outtakes and contemporaneous projects, the exhibition will track Avedon’s evolving approach to group portraiture, through which he so transformed the conventions of the genre.

About Andy Warhol and members of The Factory-

Avedon fantasized about throwing an annual fete for New York society and watching the group evolve over time. This mural is his downtown take on such a party, featuring a new "smart set" of sexual revolutionaries. They were affiliated with Andy Warhol’s Factory, the studio and gathering place for a coterie of avant-garde filmmakers, artists, and socialites. Avedon summoned them to his own studio, where they met over a series of weeks. Working in his most directorial mode, he arranged his subjects—including transgender actress Candy Darling and adult film star Joe Dallesandro—in a lateral frieze across adjoining frames, the fracture and repetition of their bodies in space suggesting the filmic passage of time.

The culmination of much trial and error, the mural’s composition took　time to perfect, as evidenced by session outtakes displayed nearby. Avedon later praised the professionalism of his cast but joked, "You couldn’t keep the clothes on anybody in those years.　.　.　. Before you could say ‘hello,’ they were nude and ready to ride." If this unabashed undress tests gallery decorum, it is a provocation grounded in art history: in the central panel Avedon presents a male version of the "three graces," riffing on a gendered tradition in allegorical painting with an ironic, Warholian wink.

About The Mission Council, Saigon, South Vietnam-

Avedon knew he would have mere minutes to photograph the U.S. generals, ambassadors, and policy experts who ran the war in Vietnam—not the weeks he spent refining his first mural. Planning in advance, he requested the heights of the men known collectively as the Mission Council and mapped out their positions, with careful attention to rank and influence. He rigged a makeshift studio at the embassy in Saigon, and recalled that once assembled, they “lined up like high school boys. They all wanted to be in the picture.” This is true of all but Ted Shackley, the camera-averse CIA station chief known to colleagues as the Blond Ghost, who begged out of the sitting for “a meeting,” leaving a void in the rightmost panel.

As blunt and procedural as a police lineup, the mural recalls Avedon’s first photography gig as a teenager in the Merchant Marine, where he made mugshot-style portraits of new recruits. Here, scrutinizing the faces of the war’s top brass, Avedon invokes their unseen operatives and victims. When the work was later published, one critic deemed it “a terrifying picture of business as usual.”

This exhibition closes 10/1/23.

For a more comprehensive look at Avedon's career, Gagosian's Chelsea location is showing Avedon 100, "a collection of Avedon photographs was selected by more than 150 people—including prominent artists, designers, musicians, writers, curators, and fashion world representatives—who elaborate on the impact of the photographer’s work today."

The gallery's website has a video of the installation that is well worth checking out, especially if you can't see the exhibition in person.

This exhibition will close on Friday, 7/7/23.

[docrotten]

I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF (1957) – Episode 153 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“All right now, we’ll move in stagger fashion. We’ll circle the outer edges first and keep going round and round till we meet in the center.” And that’s called a “search grid?” Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Doc Rotten, and Jeff Mohr – as they go for the winning combination of mad scientist and teenage angst in I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 153 – I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

A troubled teenager seeks help through hypnotherapy, but his evil doctor uses him for regression experiments that transform him into a rampaging werewolf.

  Director: Gene Fowler Jr.

Writers: Herman Cohen, Aben Kandel

Makeup Creator: Phillip Scheer

Selected Cast:

Michael Landon as Tony Rivers

Yvonne Lime as Arlene Logan

Whit Bissell as Dr. Alfred Brandon

Charles Willcox as Jimmy (as Tony Marshall)

Dawn Richard as Theresa

Barney Phillips as Detective Donovan

Ken Miller as Vic

Cynthia Chenault as Pearl (as Cindy Robbins)

Michael Rougas as Frank

Robert Griffin as Police Chief P.F. Baker

Joseph Mell as Dr. Hugo Wagner

Malcolm Atterbury as Charles Rivers

Eddie Marr as Doyle

Vladimir Sokoloff as Pepe the Janitor

Louise Lewis as Principal Ferguson

S. John Launer as Bill Logan (as John Launer)

Guy Williams as Officer Chris Stanley

Dorothy Crehan as Mrs. Mary Logan

A young Michael Landon, just a few years before rising to fame as “Little Joe” Cartwright in Bonanza, stars as Tony Rivers, a troubled teen struggling with anger management. Whit Bissell is featured as Dr. Alfred Brandon,  a psychologist (or mad scientist) with ulterior motives. Yes! Oh, yes, indeed! It’s the AIP/Herman Cohen campy classic, I Was a Teenage Werewolf. The Grue-Crew is in full Drive-In Theater mode for this one.

High-quality versions of I Was a Teenage Werewolf, streaming or physical media, are not available, but there is a reason. Susan Hart, the actress and widow of AIP co-founder James Nicholson, owns the rights to eleven AIP films outright: It Conquered the World (1956) and its remake Zontar, The Thing from Venus (1966); Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) and its remake The Eye Creatures (1965); I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957); I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957); The Amazing Colossal Man (1957); Terror from the Year 5000 (1958); Apache Woman (1955); The Oklahoma Woman (1956); and Naked Paradise (1957). She frequently negotiates rights for merchandise and theatrical showings, but physical media has not been updated for release in decades. You can, however, purchase a VHS tape of the movie.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by Chad, is The Wasp Woman (1959). Yes, they’re sticking with 1950s B-movies, but moving from AIP/Herman Cohen on to Film Group/Roger Corman!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for watching and listening!”

Check out this episode!

[alara-kahya]

Character Chart

Mentions: @emiri-tezel, @zeynepdemirci @nathanial-donovan, @taliah-tezel, @dianabrooks, @logandonovan

Character’s full name: Alara Kayha

Reason or meaning of name: Alara means water fairy in Turkish & her mom is called Caria, which means she who flows like water.

Character’s nickname: 'Lara

Reason for nickname: No reason

Birth date: 28th May 1993

Zodiac: Gemini

--

Physical appearance

Age: 30

Weight: 54kg, 8st 3 pounds

Height: 5' 5"

Body build: Slim

Shape of face: Perfection

Eye color: Brown

Glasses or contacts: Glasses for reading

Skin tone: Ivy

Hair color: Brunette

Hairstyle: Long

Voice: Hot

Overall attractiveness: Elite

Usual fashion of dress: Expensive

Favorite outfit: Her Doctor Who Tardis blue onesie bc her son Kian has one too, so they match

Personality

Good personality traits: Loyal, Intelligent, Generous, Humble

Bad personality traits: Short tempered(usually with men), Impulsive, Untrusting

Mood character is most often in: Calm

Sense of humor: Top class

Character’s greatest joy in life: Her son

Character’s greatest fear: Something happening to her son

Why? Because he's her whole world

What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Same as above

Character is most at ease when: She's painting or curled around @nathanial-donovan

Enraged when: Men mansplain or invade her space unnecessarily

Depressed or sad when: She deals with her dad in a bad dunk mood

Priorities: Her son & her business

Life philosophy: Never cruel or cowardly, never give up, never give in

If granted one wish, it would be: Bring her bestie Jayden back to life

Why? Because he deserved so much more than the fate he got

Character’s soft spot: Animals

Is this soft spot obvious to others? Probably if they've seen her trying to catch strays to take them to shelters

Greatest strength: Her ability to endure

Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Letting people past the walls she's built to protect herself

Biggest regret: Never punching her ex square in the face

Biggest accomplishment: Establishing her business ground up all by herself

Character’s darkest secret: Thather dad is a nasty drunk but she still buys his shopping every week, or she knows he won't eat

Does anyone else know? Emiri Tezel & only recently, Nate.

Past

Hometown: Turkey

Type of childhood: Typical

Pets: A field mouse she rescued from a cat and named Squeaker & two hamsters named Fred and Frank

First memory: Watching her mom painting on the balcony as the sun set

Most important childhood memory: The time her brother went missing at a friend's party and Alara, aged 4, insisted they stop at an abandoned house, and sure enough he was hiding from the rain in there with a broken ankle.

Why: Because she feels a little like she saved him that day, and that set the tone for their relationship as they got older

Dream job: Does it

Finances: She never needed to want for anything

Present

Current location: Tonopah

Currently living with: Her son Kian

Pets: 1 dog called Toast

Occupation: Artist

Finances: She rich bitch

Family

Mother: Caria

Relationship with her: Very close

Father: Kaan

Relationship with him: Terrible

Siblings: Zeki

Relationship with them: Twin, very close

Children: Kian

Relationship with them: Thick as thieves

Other important family members: Emiri (technically family)

Favorites

Color: Lilac

Least favorite color: Maroon

Music: A little of everything but she does really enjoy Stevie Nicks

Food: Pizza, burgers, McFlurry's

Literature: Stephen King

Form of entertainment: Music, Dancing

Expressions: Resting bitch face

Mode of transportation: Car

Most prized possession: The first flower her son ever picked for her. It's a Daisy she got dried and encased in resin so she could keep it forever

Habits

Hobbies: Ice-skating, dancing, painting, binge watching Doctor Who

Plays a musical instrument? Piano

Plays a sport? Not anymore

How he/she would spend a rainy day: In a onesie, in bed with snacks and hot chocolate

Spending habits: What she wants, she buys

Smokes: Only if she's drunk, so socially

Drinks: Yes, favours vodka and rum

Other drugs: No

What does he/she do too much of? Cleaning, forever cleaning

What does he/she do too little of? Take a night off just to chill

Extremely skilled at: Art, obviously

Extremely unskilled at: Darts

Nervous tics: Finger tapping

Traits

Optimist or pessimist? Bit of both

Introvert or extrovert? Bit of both

Daredevil or cautious? Daredevil

Logical or emotional? Logical

Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? Methodical and neat

Prefers working or relaxing? Working

Confident or unsure of himself/herself? Confident

Animal lover? Yes

Self-perception

How he/she feels about himself/herself: Has faith in herself, she knows what she's worth and won't settle for less respect than she deserves

One word the character would use to describe self: Milf

What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? Loyalty

What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? Lack of trust

What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? Eyes

What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? Nose

Relationships with others

Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others? Never

Person character most hates: Macho men who think they have the right to a woman's body

Best friend(s): Emiri, Taliah, Logan, Diana, Zeynep

Love interest(s): Nate Donovan

Person character goes to for advice: Emiri

Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Her dad

Person character feels shy or awkward around: Also her dad, he has a horrible way of belittling her and making her almost believe him when he says she's worth nothing

Person character openly admires: Her mom

[madamedupigeonsalon]

La Fashion week paris

Juste avant, c était la Milan week et maintenant, c est la parisienne. La plus chic , chouette et choc ! Un mot pour la décrire : provocateur ! Entre Ludovic de saint sernin qui devient de plus en plus un jeune prodige de la mode. ( mais surtout pour moi à jean Paul Gaultier). Ensuite , Dior homme et femme ont été comme toujours des défilés de l élégance à la française. Comment oublier !! Schiaparelli !!! Avec doja cat et Kylie jenner comme invitées de marque mais surtout les tops models comme Naomi Campbell ou Irina shaykh qui portent des animaux sur elles . Quelle prouesse ! Mais surtout quel talents !

Ce que j aime dans la Paris Fashion week c est l opulence et l’espace que l on choisit toujours aussi bien. J aime beaucoup car c est la Paris Fashion c est la tante ou grand mère chic , friquee qui a plusieurs appartements dans paris à qui on peut tout demander même sa Porsche 911 couleur pomme foncé . Au détour d un défilé ami paris , vous pouvez vous faire draguer par héritier d une grande maison pharmaceutique française qui a un jet au Bourget qui l attends pour rejoindre saint tropez le week-end, la bas, il a une villa vue sur la mer. J ai envie dire… normal c est la Paris Fashion week.

Après il y a des shows qui sont réservés à certaines personnes comme Dior ou Chanel . Pour dire vrai, c est shows c est toujours un spectacle créé pour vendre du rêve et des étoiles. C est la capitale de l amour donc chic et élégant sont les mots. Mon nouveau chouchou est Stéphane Rolland. Je ne le connaissais mais il me tarde de voir ses futures collections solaires … en tout cas … ça promet un show aussi inoubliable !

Alors pour résumer paris Fashion week janvier haute coute 2022, c est électrique et sublime à la fois. On a envie de tout essayé . Moi c est la robe de Schiaparelli avec une tête de lion qui m a le plus touché ! D ailleurs , je pense que Kylie Jenner est d accord puisqu elle portait la robe ! J ai hâte de voir Jean Paul Gaultier x Haider ??? Une merveille qui va nous laisse sans mots sans doute puisque le génie de ces deux maîtres de la mode se marient à merveille !

Et vous ? Vous en pensez quoi de la Fashion Paris haute couture ?

Just before, it was Milan week and now it's Parisian. The most chic, cool and shock! One word to describe it: provocative! Enter Ludovic de saint sernin who is increasingly becoming a young fashion prodigy. (but especially for me to Jean Paul Gaultier). Then, Dior men and women were, as always, parades of French elegance. How to forget !! Schiaparelli!!! With doja cat and Kylie jenner as distinguished guests but above all top models like Naomi Campbell or Irina shaykh who wear animals on them. What a feat! But above all what talent!

What I love about Paris Fashion Week is the opulence and the space that we always choose just as well. I like it a lot because it's Paris Fashion, it's the chic, frisky aunt or grandmother who has several apartments in Paris who you can ask for anything, even her dark apple-colored Porsche 911. At the bend of a fashion show friend of Paris, you can be flirted with by the heir of a large French pharmaceutical company who has a jet at Le Bourget waiting for him to join Saint Tropez on the weekend, there, he has a villa with a view of the sea I want to say… normal, it's Paris Fashion week.

Then there are shows that are reserved for certain people like Dior or Chanel. To tell the truth, it's shows, it's always a show created to sell dreams and stars. It is the capital of love so chic and elegant are the words. My new favorite is Stéphane Rolland. I didn't know him but I can't wait to see his future solar collections… in any case… it promises such an unforgettable show!

So to sum up Paris Fashion Week January haute couture 2022, it's electric and sublime at the same time. We want to try everything. For me, it was Schiaparelli's dress with a lion's head that touched me the most! Besides, I think Kylie Jenner agrees since she wore the dress! I can't wait to see Jean Paul Gaultier x Haider??? A wonder that will undoubtedly leave us speechless since the genius of these two masters of fashion go together perfectly!

And you? What do you think of Fashion Paris haute couture?

Kevin Ngirimcuti

[newtypezaku]

P-P-P-Power Rankings!!

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Aiming for eight each week cuz eighters gonna eight. [Full Watch List]