#i swear she looks like taeyeon in this one

[perfectsunlight]

21 ⸺ TYPE

warnings: infidelity, angst, swearing

word count: 3.2k

part of the series: LOGICAL

when aeri read it, her heart stopped. she read it again, and then again, trying to make sense of it. somi? with chaeyoung? the two people she trusted most? she hadn’t seen it coming. not even a little. 

at least, that’s what she tried to tell herself. deep down, she always feared this moment would come.

aeri had always felt like she wasn’t enough for somi, but now, seeing the confirmation of her worst fear in that single text, it all came crashing down. 

and all she could think about was how she wasn’t the type of girl somi really wanted. 

or maybe she never had been.

jeon somi had more ex-girlfriends than she could count on her hands. she was tall, blonde, and very athletic—anything a girl could have ever wanted. similar to lisa, girls followed somi around like moths to a flame. whether it was her charming smile or her flirtatious nature, somi had no trouble finding someone new, someone fun. she thrived on the chase, always seeming to have someone wrapped around her finger.

but aeri had been different.

the japanese girl wasn’t like anyone she had ever met. somi usually went for the ones with carefree attitudes and a bit more rough around the edges. tattoos, piercings, and wild nights out were usually her style. 

but aeri was serious, quiet, and more grounded. she was always around the basketball team but never part of the spotlight. as the team manager, she kept her head down, organizing schedules, making sure everyone had what they needed, and barely giving somi a second glance. 

and maybe that was what had intrigued somi in the first place. 

aeri didn’t care that somi was the best center in the league, or that every other girl in the gym was vying for her attention. she didn’t care that the taller girl had a fanclub that waited to take pictures with her after every game, some even asking for her number as well.

to her, somi’s achievements and popularity were irrelevant. 

the first time somi had asked aeri out, she’d been friendzoned faster than she could blink. 

it was after a particularly exciting game against hanyang university, where ygu had won by a massive margin. the gym had buzzed with the energy of the win, the crowd’s cheers echoing off the walls as the team celebrated. the players, sweaty and exhilarated, were starting to disperse, while aeri was methodically packing up the equipment, her focus on tidying up the chaos left behind.

somi approached, her usual confident character on display. her dyed blonde hair was damp from sweat, sticking to her forehead in a way that made her look more approachable. she grinned broadly, the kind of smile that was more than just a bit friendly, and leaned casually against the table where aeri was working.

“hey, aeri,” somi said, her voice bright and casual. “you up for celebrating with the team tonight?”

the japanese girl barely looked up from the clipboard she was scribbling on. with a practiced efficiency, she finished jotting down notes and then glanced at somi with a polite and disinterested thin smile.

“no,” she replied, her tone steady and unflustered. “i’m not interested.”

somi’s smile faltered for just a moment, her eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise. she straightened up, pushing off from the table, but her body language remained open, trying to keep the mood light. “oh, alright. well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

aeri nodded, already turning her attention back to the clipboard. “i won’t be changing my mind.” and with that, she turned on her heel, walking briskly towards coach irene and coach taeyeon who were discussing the game’s highlights.

as she watched the shorter girl walk away, somi’s shoulders slightly slumped in defeat. 

the energy she had carried into the conversation had dissipated, leaving her standing alone, a lingering frown creasing her brow. she watched as aeri moved towards the coaches, blending back into the background of the post-game routine, and realized that the casual rejection had not only stung but had also stirred up a deeper, unsettling awareness of aeri’s indifference.

jeon somi knew she had to try again. she just had to. the first rejection had stung more than she’d let on, but it hadn’t deterred her. instead, it had fueled her determination. she convinced herself that persistence might win out in the end, that maybe if she kept trying, aeri would eventually see her in a different light.

the second time somi asked aeri out, it was during media day, a high-energy event where the team was swarmed by reporters and photographers. the gym was buzzing with the activity of the media, flashing cameras, and the loud hum of excited chatter. the team’s new uniforms were on display, and everyone was in high spirits, mingling and preparing for the season ahead.

somi spotted aeri amidst the chaos, standing near a backdrop where players were taking their promotional photos. aeri was dressed in her usual managerial attire, a sleek blazer over her team polo, her hair pulled back neatly. she was chatting with a couple of reporters, her demeanor calm and professional. somi took a deep breath, steeling herself for another attempt.

with a confident stride, somi made her way over, navigating through the crowd of reporters and camera flashes. she approached aeri with a warm, friendly smile, trying to exude an air of casual charm.

“hey, aeri,” somi said, her voice rising above the background noise. “got a second?”

the dark haired girl looked up from her conversation, her eyes meeting the center’s with a mixture of surprise and a faint smile. she was clearly busy, but she made a polite effort to engage. 

“yes?”

somi took a small step closer, leaning in with a hopeful grin as she clasped her hands together. “i was thinking, with the season starting soon and everything, maybe we could have dinner tomorrow night? just the two of us. what do you say?”

the japanese girl’s smile widened, but it was accompanied by a hint of incredulity. she laughed lightly, shaking her head with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. “you’re really persistent, i’ll give you that.” her tone was warm but laced with a gentle mockery.

the blonde’s grin faltered just a touch, but she maintained her hopeful gaze as she rocked back and forth on her heels. “so, is that a yes?”

aeri’s laughter was soft, almost incredulous. she shook her head again, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “no, i’m not interested. you should know by now.”

somi’s smile dimmed, and she nodded, trying to mask her disappointment. “alright. maybe another time? when do you have some time? what’s your schedule like next week?”

aeri offered a sympathetic smile but turned her attention back to the reporters, signaling that the conversation was over. somi lingered for a moment, the weight of the rejection settling heavily on her. the lively atmosphere of the event felt distant now, overshadowed by the sting of the repeated rebuff. 

as she walked away, she couldn’t shake the mix of frustration and resignation. despite her persistence, it seemed that winning aeri’s affection was going to be far more elusive than she had ever anticipated.

but the more aeri resisted, the more somi wanted her.

by the time she considered trying a third time, somi was determined. she didn’t even care about aeri’s supposed indifference anymore. it had turned into a challenge, something she needed to win. but what somi hadn’t expected was that, somewhere along the way, it stopped being just about winning aeri over. 

she had started falling for her—hard. 

everytime aeri came in for practice, somi lost all focus.  the sight of her managing the team with that efficient grace, the way she interacted with the players, her infectious laughter—it all had a magnetic pull on somi. even the simplest gestures, like aeri adjusting her glasses or brushing a strand of hair away from her face, became captivating. it was as if somi was seeing aeri in a new light, each moment amplifying the depth of her feelings.

one evening, after a particularly grueling practice, somi found herself lingering by the gym’s entrance, her heart pounding with a mix of excitement and anxiety. the players had dispersed, but aeri was still there, packing up her things. somi watched as aeri’s movements were precise and deliberate, her focus intense. it was a side of aeri that somi had come to admire, the dedication and professionalism that seemed to shine even in the smallest details.

taking a deep breath, somi approached aeri, who was now organizing her clipboard and making last-minute notes. somi’s heart raced, not just from the anticipation of asking aeri out again but from the realization of how deeply her feelings had grown. she could no longer deny that this wasn’t just a challenge—it was something much more profound.

“hey aeri,” somi began, her voice slightly hesitant but filled with genuine emotion. “uh, can i talk to you for a minute?”

aeri looked up, her eyebrows slightly raised in curiosity. she set down her clipboard and gave somi her full attention. “sure, what’s up?”

somi took a step closer, her gaze steady. “i know i’ve asked you out a couple of times before and you’ve turned me down. i get that. but i need to be honest with you. i really like you, aeri.”

the other girl’s expression softened, but there was still a flicker of surprise in her eyes. she considered somi’s words, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment before meeting somi’s again. 

“i appreciate your feelings, somi,” aeri said with a sigh. “but i have a lot on my plate right now. tomorrow night, i’m completely booked with team obligations and personal commitments. it’s just not a good time for me.”

somi’s heart sank slightly, but she tried to maintain a hopeful smile. “i understand. i didn’t expect you to be free.” the basketball player rubbed the back of her neck in defeat, trying to ignore the pang in her chest.

the japanese girl began to gather her things, preparing to leave. somi simply watched her, feeling a mix of sadness and resignation. just as aeri reached the door, she paused, her hand resting on the handle. she turned back towards somi with a thoughtful expression.

“what about the day after tomorrow?” aeri asked, her tone a bit more tentative. somi’s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, her sadness momentarily forgotten. “the day after tomorrow? are you sure?”

aeri nodded, offering a small smile. “yeah, i should be free then.”

somi’s heart swelled with a renewed sense of optimism. she couldn’t help the grin that formed from ear to ear. when aeri finally said yes, after months of persistent flirting and half-serious jokes, somi felt like she had conquered the impossible.

once they started dating, things were a bit rocky. aeri had always felt out of place in somi’s world. 

she wasn’t like the other girls somi had dated, and she knew it. somi had never said it outright, but aeri could feel it in the small, subtle ways—the way somi’s gaze would linger just a little too long on other girls, or the way her friends would make comments about somi’s type. 

aeri had tried to ignore it, tried to believe that somi really wanted her, but the insecurity never left.

maybe that’s what had slowly started to pull them apart.

aeri had always feared that one day, somi would wake up and realize she could do better—find someone more exciting, someone who fit her lifestyle. she had always worried she wasn’t enough, and now, standing in her apartment, staring at lisa’s text, it felt like all those insecurities had been right.

she had never been enough for somi.

son chaeyoung was somi’s best friend since college started. they had met at one of the many parties thrown during welcome week and they clicked instantly. chaeyoung was everything aeri feared she wasn’t—confident, carefree, and spontaneous. where she tended to overthink and second-guess herself, chaeyoung just seemed to live in the moment. 

she fit perfectly into somi’s world, the one aeri always felt slightly out of place in.

how could she not have seen it?

sure, she had known about somi’s history—about the exes, the flings, the friends with benefits. she had always been surrounded by people, and aeri was just always hovering on the outskirts of somi’s chaotic, lively life. but even though aeri had friend-zoned somi more than once, she’d let her walls down eventually, let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, somi had chosen her.

but maybe somi had never really chosen her at all.

she thought about the little things—the way somi would glance at her during practice, the shy, teasing smile that only aeri ever seemed to notice. the way that the taller girl would wrap her jacket around her during winter practices, knowing how cold the gym was. or even how everytime somi scored, she’d make the letter “a” with her fingers and put it on her heart.

was it all a lie? did anything have any meaning?

“aeri,” somi’s voice was heard from outside the japanese girl’s apartment door. “please. let me explain.”

the mentioned girl stood frozen, her hand hovering over the doorknob. somi’s voice, muffled but pleading, cut through the numbness that had settled in her chest. explain? what could possibly explain this? but something in her still wanted to hear it. maybe it was the part of her that didn’t want to believe it was all over. 

maybe it was the part of her that still loved somi, despite everything.

with a shaky breath, aeri unlocked the door and pulled it open. somi stood there, her eyes red-rimmed and glassy, tears streaking down her face. she looked a mess, and definitely heartbroken. but aeri wasn’t ready to feel sympathy—not yet.

somi took a hesitant step inside, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “i—i’m sorry,” she stammered. “i just, look, i didn’t mean for any of this to happen once, let alone twice.”

aeri stayed silent, closing the door behind her. her arms were crossed, more out of self-protection than anything else. “what exactly didn’t you mean to happen, somi?” her voice was cold, a sharp contrast to the trembling girl in front of her. “what do you mean it happened twice?”

the blonde’s gaze fell to the floor, the weight of her confession hanging heavily in the air. “aeri, please,” she took a step forward, her hands raised as if to ward off the distance. “it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

she felt her heart race, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the features on her girlfriend’s face. “what do you mean it happened twice?” she repeated, the tension in her voice palpable. she had known something was wrong, but she had convinced herself that she was just being paranoid. 

she wasn’t.

somi hesitated, her breath hitching as she tried to find the right words. she ran a hand through her hair and sighed deeply before looking back at the shorter girl. “the first time was just a kiss,” she finally admitted, her voice shaky. “i was with chaeyoung, and it happened when we were out celebrating. i was drunk and i didn’t think it meant anything.”

aeri felt her heart drop. she had never known about that. and the fact that the girl she loved kept it a secret for so long seemed to make her feel even worse. “a kiss? you kissed her? and then you slept with her? how is that supposed to make sense?”

“no! i didn’t sleep with her then. that was a mistake, too. but last night? that was different.” somi’s eyes were wide with fear, her voice rising with desperation. “i swear, i didn’t mean for any of it to happen! i was confused. i thought we were okay, and then—”

“clearly, we weren’t okay. you knew we weren’t okay,” aeri shot back, her voice trembling with hurt. “how could you do this to me? i trusted you, somi. i thought you loved me.”

“i do love you!” somi cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. her heart was entirely the japanese girl’s. even if she didn’t show it “you have to believe me. but at that moment, everything got blurry. it was chaeyoung, and she was there, and i didn’t think—”

“didn’t think what?” the brunette’s voice was low and dangerous, her heart racing. “didn’t think about how i would feel? didn’t think about what it would mean for us? didn’t think you were making a mistake?”

somi’s shoulders slumped as she struggled to articulate her feelings. “i didn’t want to hurt you, aeri. i thought it was just a moment, something that wouldn’t change anything between us. but then i woke up next to her and realized...”

“realized what?” aeri pressed, her voice icy. “that you made the wrong choice? that you let someone else in when you should have been with me?”

her girlfriend swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she reached out toward aeri. “i didn’t mean for it to happen. i promise. i wanted to be with you, but—”

“but what?” aeri challenged, her heart aching. “you tell me that you wanted me, but you didn’t think twice about sleeping with your best friend?” somi’s eyes were filled with tears as she shook her head. “no, please don’t say that. i care about you more than anything. but i messed up. i messed up so badly. and i hate myself for it.”

aeri felt a deep pain in her chest, a raw ache that wouldn’t go away. “you think saying you hate yourself changes anything? you’ve already made your choice. and now, you’ve lost me.”

the taller girl stepped back, her face crumpling in despair. “please, aeri don’t do this.” the center fell to her knees, continuing to plead with tear-filled eyes. "i can't lose you. i can't—" her voice cracked, her heart visibly breaking before the japanese girl’s eyes.

her hands trembled as she stared down at the blonde, her chest tightening with emotions she couldn’t entirely suppress. she had told herself not to give in, not to let somi’s tears sway her, but seeing her like this made it so much harder.

“you already have,” aeri whispered, her words making somi’s head spin and her heart shatter into the remaining fragments that were left of it. “i’m done. we’re done.”

the next day at practice, the team manager felt as if she was watching a stranger on the court. somi was clearly off her game, unfocused and distracted, a shadow of the dominant center she usually was. her movements were sluggish, lacking the usual power and precision that made her such a key player. every missed shot, every fumbled pass, only seemed to deepen the frustration etched across her face.

it truly did pain the uchinaga girl to see the girl she loved like that, but somi had done it to herself. 

lisa shook her head everytime the center fumbled a play or missed a shot, leaning over to y/n with a scoff. “she’s a mess today,” the thai girl muttered, her frustration evident as she watched somi stumble through another drill. “she needs to get her shit together.”

y/n frowned, her eyes following the blonde’s every move. “something must’ve happened,” she whispered quietly, concern creeping into her voice. she glanced at aeri and then made a quick glance towards her girlfriend.

because although it was unusual, y/n couldn’t help but feel like her girlfriend had something to do with this, too. 

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[kesujo]

The Parallel Pursuit of Happiness and Acceptance

“…which, of course, meant that I…”

How was Jimin doing? She hopefully wasn’t making too much trouble for the babysitter.

“…but when I said that, he acted all self-important…”

Should I get this boxed? Jimin loves chicken parmesan pasta, she’d probably be delighted to have this for lunch tomorrow. In fact, there’s probably enough for both of us, meaning one less thing to worry about.

“…but he didn’t know that I was—um, are you ok?”

“Hm?” I snapped out of my thoughts, smiling at the woman sitting opposite me. “Yeah, of course!”

“Sorry, was I boring you with my story?”

“No!” Internally, I smacked myself. Why was I zoning out again?“I was just—um, thinking about something.”

I offered an apologetic smile, but I could tell the date was already falling apart. “I see.” I internally cursed at myself. Why did I have to make it so hard on my dates? It wasn’t fair to them. “Are you already done with your pasta?”

“I think so.”

“Really? But look how skinny you are! You should eat more; I heard the desserts here are to die for.”

“Oh, really?”

I really was trying. It wasn’t my intention to reply with a tone so devoid of emotion that she made a face. “But I guess if you can’t finish that, you don’t have room for dessert, do you?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean—” I couldn’t just tell her that I was simply full. How could I salvage this? “—I had a bad experience with an Italian restaurant serving dessert to me, and from then on, I don’t really trust them anymore. But, I swear, I usually have a second stomach for desserts.”

The fake smile, the fake laugh, the fake anecdote, even the fake tidbit about myself … all of it was exhausting. But I had no other choice; the normal me was boring beyond belief and awkward beyond comprehension.  Who would want to associate with someone like the maskless, naked, vulnerable me?

It was only after we had begun to go our separate ways that I realized my date was beginning to outstretch her arms for a hug—but wasn’t it too late already? How awkward would it be if I sheepishly turned around, went back, and hugged her? But wouldn’t it be worse if I just ignored her?

No, I couldn’t end it like this. Not again. She seemed so nice, too. I needed to swallow my pride and anxiety and any semblance of awkwardness. She deserved better.

“Um.” Watching the woman’s auburn hair whirl around along with the rest of her body caused a sense of dread that diverted my eyes. “I—” what kind of an apology was this, with me staring at the ground like some antisocial loser? “—I’m sorry. For tonight. I, um, really did have a great time, though.”

Just as quickly as I called out to her, so too did I turn back around and half-walk, half-run off, all the way back to the car I had parked in a nearby parking garage.

Stupid, dumb Taeyeon. Apologies, sincere apologies, were said while looking into another’s eyes. They were also spoken with an open heart, not with that lie that I, for some reason, found necessary to inject in at the end. Why was I so insincere with everyone? What was wrong with me?

The entire car ride home, I could think of nothing but that. Another failed date, huh? What was this, five? What would I even tell Kibum?

Unlocking the door to my apartment and taking my shoes off at the entrance, it wasn’t until I put on my slippers that the babysitter showed up at the door. “Hi Joohyun, how was Jimin?”

“Oh, she was great! We did some vocab and watched some TV; she even ate all her carrots for dinner today. She went to bed an hour ago, and I checked just a few minutes ago to make sure she was asleep.”

“Fantastic!” I could feel myself cringing at the enthusiasm I injected my voice with, but showed no signs of it on my face. “Thank you so much for looking after her again today.”

“No problem! How was the date, if I may ask, Mrs. Kim?”

“It was superb. I wouldn’t be surprised—” No. How many times have I said almost the exact same things to her? Yet here she was, coming over to babysit my Jimin time after time.

“Oh, really?” I could tell—it wasn’t that Joohyun was naïve, it was that she was a kind young lady who simply played along, not questioning the reasons behind why I lied to her so often. “Well, I’m glad to hear that, Mrs. Kim!”

“Thank you, Joohyun. I’ll wire you the babysitting fee tomorrow, ok?”

She nodded gratefully. “Thank you! Well, I’ll be off for tonight—”

“It’s so late, do you want me to drive you home?”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly bother you with such a request, Mrs. Kim.”

“It’s not a problem. It’s dangerous for pretty young girls like you to be walking around so late at night.” I wasn’t sure if she resisted due to a learned politeness or because she didn’t want to be with me for another second. “Take it as part of my apology for taking so long to come home.”

“Oh. Well, if you’re ok with it, then I’ll take you up on your offer, Mrs. Kim.”

Other than the occasional questions about her studies, the car ride was silent. When I returned back to the apartment, I pulled out a beer from the refrigerator and plopped down on the sofa in the lightless living room, absent-mindedly staring at the blank TV screen.

What would she say? How would she scorn me for my rude behavior towards my date today? What of the promise I made to her?

Not halfway into the can, I stood back up, stealthily peeking into Jimin’s room. Sure enough, her sleeping frame, hidden mostly by a sky-blue blanket, laid atop the twin-sized mattress. A smile sprouted on my face, slowly closing the door behind me and walking to the bedside.

“I’m sorry angel, you’re going to have to wait before you can meet your other mommy,” I whispered, leaning forward, brushing the bangs away from her forehead and planting a kiss there.

The action stirred her awake, a light groan coming out of her pursed lips. “Mommy?”

“I’m sorry angel, did I wake you up?”

Her eyes opened, face turning towards me, a disgruntled smile spreading across her lips. “How was your date, mommy?”

Laughter erupted from my lips. “Is Jiminie worried about mommy?” She unabashedly nodded, my laughter growing at the direct nature of my daughter. “The date went well, princess.”

Almost immediately, her lips curled into a frown. “Mommy is lying.”

In the second that it took to gather my thoughts, the concerned expression on her little face was ultimately what caused me to sigh and say, “You’re right. I’m sorry, honey; the date didn’t go well. Mommy messed up again.”

“It’s ok mommy, she just doesn’t understand you. She’s not your soulmate.”

“Hm? Where did you learn that word?”

“From ‘Joey and Kim Versus the World’!”

That must’ve been the TV show Joohyun was talking about—the one that caught Jimin’s attention because ‘it has mommy’s name in it!’ “I’m sorry, Jiminie. Mommy is terrible at dates.”

“It’s ok, mommy.”

Feeling her tiny hand patting my head, I felt my heart melting on the spot. A smile formed on my lips, my head turning up to look at her. “Go back to sleep, ok? It’s late.”

After tucking her back in and watching her fall back asleep, I quietly exited the room, returning to my spot in the living room, grabbing the half-finished can of beer, dumping the rest of the contents into my throat, and leaning against the cushiony back of the sofa.

~

“Um—” She was actually here … now what? I didn’t even know what kinds of movies she liked. Why did I even invite her here? “—did you have a movie you wanted to watch?”

Tiffany plopped down on the sofa next to me, but the proximity at which she did so caused me to jump. Was that intentional, sitting so close to me that her leg was pressing against mine?

I stared at it with a red face, not realizing Tiffany was scrolling through the options on Netflix until she asked, “What type of movie do you like?”

“Um, rom-com, that kind of stuff. I know this sounds cheesy, but basically, chick flicks.”

“Hm…” she mused, going back to the home page and scrolling to that section. However, she stopped short of reaching that section. “You didn’t really strike me as a chick flick type of girl.”

“Oh.” What did she mean by that? “Um…”

“If I were to guess, you like action and thrillers more.”

“Ah—” How did she know?

“You know how I know?” I turned to see Tiffany’s grinning face. “I saw your face light up when this movie popped up,” she said, hovering over a spy-thriller movie whose trailer caught my attention.

“Um…” Was I supposed to admit that she was right? But wouldn’t she hate me for lying? “I don’t—”

“Actually, I think I saw the trailer for this movie. I sorta wanna watch it, how about you?”

There was something about the smile she directed at me that caused me to nod. Her inviting gaze, her warm facial expression, her unquestioning smile, it felt all but inevitable that my mask slid off.

She clicked play and leaned back. I followed her lead, jumping again when I felt her arm intertwining with mine.

“You know,” she said with a giggle, “for someone who asked if I wanted to come watch a movie at her house, you’re awfully jumpy.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, the only thing missing from when you asked me to hang out was saying ‘Netflix and Chill’.”

Realizing what she meant, I felt my face explode in a fiery burst of red. “Oh, I didn’t—I mean, I wasn’t—It didn’t, I mean, I wasn’t, I didn’t—”

“I know,” she said, stopping my idiotic stammering dead in its tracks, “that’s the reason why I agreed to come. Although…” Seeing my brain short-circuit caused Tiffany to explode with a fit of giggles. “I’m just kidding, Taeyeon. You’re so precious, what’ll I ever do with you?”

~

The next morning, as I was preparing breakfast, my phone rang. Seeing the caller id, I felt all color drain from my face.

“Mommy, your phone!” Jimin shouted, running out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, only to find me staring at it. “Oh. What’s wrong, mommy?”

I shook my head. “It’s nothing, angel,” I said, declining the call and turning my eyes back to the refrigerator.

“Was that grandma and grandpa?”

She was seriously too smart for her own good. She must’ve gotten it from her biological father. “No, honey—” I was interrupted again by my phone’s ringtone. I swiftly declined the call again and pulled out a carton of milk.

“Mommy…”

I sighed. Why was I lying to my own daughter? “I’m sorry honey, I just don’t feel—” again, I was interrupted by my phone’s ringtone.

This time, I took a bit longer to stare at the caller id: ‘Hyesook Kim’. “Well, I don’t want to talk to grandma and grandpa either,” Jimin huffed, defiantly turning her head away from the phone.

“Don’t say that, honey. Grandma and grandpa probably really miss you.”

“But they’re so mean to mommy and Tiffy mommy, so I hate them.”

In a childish way, hearing that was vindicating, but I didn’t want my issues with my parents to affect the relationship between my child and her grandparents. “Don’t say that, honey. Here, I’ll pick up the call, ok?”

“No!” she screamed, turning around and running back into the bathroom before I could do anything.

I sighed, accepting the call and walking after her.

“Jimin-ah~”

I almost gagged at the overly-sweet tone my mother used. As if it wasn’t bad enough that she called her own daughter with the expectation that her granddaughter would pick up, as if they didn’t have to send me monthly checks to get me to not block their number just to talk to Jimin, hearing such a fake voice nearly made me want to hang up right then and there. Although, it wasn’t like I really had the right to comment on that.

“She’s in the bathroom, I’ll get her.”

In an instant, the sweet tone disappeared, replaced with the vitriolic, bitter voice I was so used to. “Aish, you dumb child, you can’t even control your own daughter?”

“No, I don’t control my daughter. She’s her own person.”

“Oh Lord and Savior, where did I go wrong in raising this child? You’re too free-spirited. That’s why your—”

“Shut up!” The scream that tore through my throat silenced the ‘la-la-la’ing that Jimin was doing from the other side of the closed bathroom door. “You have no right to speak about her like that! You’re the reason why I turned out the way I did! Have you ever thought to consider that?”

“I don’t remember teaching you that it was ok to take in a random man’s sperm. When did I ever teach my daughter to be such a slut?”

“If you ever listened to me for once in your life, it was a sperm bank!”

“Why would I listen to someone who wasn’t even capable of making a man fall in love with her?”

I didn’t know why I bothered. Every time I spoke with her, my blood boiled, and I swear I could feel my blood pressure shooting up. “You’re so—”

“Ah, whatever, you put me in a bad mood.”

The dial tone that followed made me want to throw the smartphone across the room. How could a mother treat her own daughter like that?

“Mommy?”

Hearing the warbled voice of my own daughter blew away all semblance of anger. I wiped away the tears coalescing in my eyes, turning towards the bathroom. “I’m sorry honey, are you ok?”

“…is it all my fault?”

Hearing the uneven speech and the wailing erupting from her lips, I felt a new onset of tears building up in my eyes. “No! Of course not!”

“Liar! M-Mommy’s lying! It—It was all because Jimin was a bad girl, right?”

“No, Jimin—”

“It was all b-because Jimin didn’t want to talk to g-grandma and grandpa, right?”

“Jimin, it wasn’t—”

The wailing from the other side of the locked door grew louder. I shook my head, my forehead pressed against the door. “I’m sorry, mommy…” How could I do this to my own baby? How could I make her cry like this?

I felt I could barely gather myself together, the churning, twisting, tight sensation in my chest causing my heart rate to skyrocket. “Jimin, open the door, please.”

“No!” she screamed, voice still shaking with the sob echoing about the apartment.

“Mommy’s not mad, Jimin-ah. Please open the door.”

~

“Taeyeon?”

Tiffany’s sweet voice was almost instantly drowned out by the ugly wailing coming from me.

“Please open the door, Taeyeon.”

Why? Why did this have to happen to me?

Was this God’s punishment to me for being a lesbian? Or was it His punishment for lying to my parents for so long?

“Taeyeon, let’s talk.”

“What—What is there to talk about?” I hated it. I hated myself. Why was I yelling at her? She didn’t deserve it. She was the last person who deserved it, especially after learning what she just did.

“Then we don’t have to talk. I just want to be there for you.”

Why did I even lock myself in my bathroom? Why was I hiding from her? If anything, I should be the one trying to comfort her.

“B-But, I-I, I can’t, I can’t—” just trying to get the words out caused another burst of tears, that ugly wailing sound echoing all around the room, inside my ears—stop it. Stop it! Go away!

“Taeyeon…” Hearing her weakly calling for my name, everything stopped all at once. “Taeyeon, please…”

I rushed to the door and flung it open, Tiffany tumbling onto the bathroom floor. “Fany?” I dropped to the ground, gingerly picking up her head. When I saw the tears running down the sides of her face, I felt my tears come back in full force.

“Taeyeon, w-what am I going to do?” I shook my head, cradling her head in my lap and arms, my forehead pressing against hers. “There’s so much I want to do with you…” her voice, which was usually so energetic and full of life, was reduced to a quivering, shaking mess, “… I want to celebrate all your birthdays with you … I want to proudly see our Jimin become a beautiful young lady … I want to see your first gray hairs and wrinkles on your face and tell you how beautiful you are even still…”

~

With how emotionally charged the morning was, I had decided to call in sick, which soon proved to be a questionable decision as I was left with nothing to do. So, with the memory of last night’s date in mind, I called Kibum.

“Hey Taeyeon! How was the date?” It barely took him a second to see my face that he was able to glean the answer. “I see. That bad, huh?”

“Yeah. And, I had to talk to my mom again.”

Seeing Kibum physically cringe was, again, in some childish sense of the word, vindicating. “That old hag, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry. That must’ve been horrible.”

“It was.”

“Are you at home? Do you not work today?”

I shook my head. “I took today off.”

He nodded. “Well, do you wanna come over then? I’m making lunch right now, but I can make an extra portion for you.” I thought about the pasta I had portioned for myself for lunch earlier in the day, but figured I could just let Jimin have it for dinner.

“Yeah.”

“Great. See you in a bit.”

~

“Taeyeon?”

It was something I could never get used to, hearing her voice so weak. Not when its volume was something I used to jokingly complain about to her. “Hm?”

“Promise me something.”

I almost recoiled at the feeling of her frail, bone-thin arm brushing against mine. I used to love leaning against it, feeling her soft skin against my cheek. I even slept against it once while on an overnight train. But now, I was afraid to even touch it, fearing doing so might cause her arm to shatter.

“Anything.”

The upward curve of her dreary eyes, the inverse curve of her pale lips, a smile that had changed so much yet never lost its beauty. But, seeing it made my heart ache all the same. I could tell from the slight twitches in the corner of her eyes that she was fighting through immense pain, all because she refused to saddle me with the additional costs that it took to treat it.

“Promise me you’ll love again after me.”

No.

“What are you saying?”

“You said ‘anything’.”

“Fany…”

“Promise me—” she was interrupted by a coughing fit. I shot straight out of bed, rushing for the ‘call nurse’ button.

“Tiffany, hold on—”

She grabbed at my sleeves, weakly attempting to look at me. However, all I could see was the hacking cough wracking her entire body. “Tae—”

“Aish, don’t speak! Where’s the nurse?”

She tugged at my sleeves again, but I ignored it, staring at the door. “Taeyeon…”

Her voice was faint and pained, but was thankfully finally devoid of the cough.

“Tiffany, don’t—”

“Taeyeon, promise me.”

In the second I took to answer, a nurse burst through the door. “Mrs. Tiffany, did you need something?”

“Can you give her some morphine? She was just coughing really badly.”

“No!” Tiffany’s weak, yet firm, protest caused the nurse to freeze. “I don’t need it. I’m fine.”

“Fany, it’s ok. I can—”

“I don’t need it. You may leave.”

“Are you sure, Mrs. Tiffany?” When she nodded, the nurse stepped away, towards the door. “Alright. If you—”

“No, she’s just saying that because she’s afraid of the cost. She really needs it, please…”

“Is that true, Mrs. Tiffany?”

But she stubbornly shook her head. “My wife is a worrywart. I’m fine, Ms. Kwon. I’ll—”

“No, she’s lying! I-I mean, clearly, she’s not of sound mind and body! I’m her wife, can’t I give you permission to administer the morphine?”

I stopped upon feeling her frail hand reaching out to mine. “Taeyeon, I’m fine. Ms. Kwon, I’ll be sure to call for you if I need anything.” The weak smile she sent the nurse off with made me grit my teeth. Weren’t nurses supposed to help their patients? How could they refuse treatment their patient so obviously and desperately needed?

“Tiffany—”

“Taeyeon, promise me.”

“No!” Seeing her saddened expression only pained me more, but, as she proved time and time again, she was the one person I could not lie to. “How can you even say that?”

“Please.”

“No! I—” my hand shot to my mouth, quickly turning away to hide the tears that were now flowing down my face, “—my heart, my soul, every part of my being belongs to you. How can I give someone something that isn’t even mine?”

“You deserve to be happy, Taeyeon.”

“But—” I gulped, swallowing the lump that was forming in my throat, “—But you are my happiness. Without you, I have nothing.”

“You have Jimin.”

Jimin. With Tiffany now living in the hospital, I had no choice but to send her to live with my parents. All I could do was hope that they wouldn’t turn her against me; I was prepared to go to court to get her back, as I have so many times in their numerous attempts to steal her from me, the most recent one being after learning of Tiffany’s fate.

“If you can’t do it for yourself, if you can’t do it for me, then can you do it for Jimin?”

I didn’t even want to think about it. What would that be like? Getting back into the dating scene, talking to other women, hoping they saw through my mask of deceit like Tiffany did … but how could I ever love again when I loved Tiffany this much? Just the thought was terrifying enough, but … could I do it? Could I wake up next to someone else? Could I smile and celebrate another woman’s birthday like I did Tiffany’s? Could I share my Jimin with another lover?

No.

I shook my head again. Just the thought of life without Tiffany, of never being able to see her again, of never being able to say how much we loved each other again, of never being able to hug her again, it was all enough to make me want to throw up.

I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t want her to leave. I didn’t want to imagine what my life would be like without Tiffany in it. I wanted to be by her side, and her by mine, until we became old ladies. I wanted to celebrate our 80th, 90th birthdays together, to continue to laugh and love each other until we couldn’t physically open our mouths any longer, and still try to communicate it with our hands or our eyes. Every time I thought about growing old, it was always with Tiffany by my side.

So how could I ever do all of that with anyone else?

“Fany, I just can’t. I spent everything I had in loving you, and—”

“Taeyeon, what does it mean to love someone?” I shook my head, still refusing to look at her. When I didn’t answer, she continued, “It means to wish for the greatest amount of happiness for that person, right?”

“B-But…”

“You’ve given me so much happiness, Taeyeon. More than any one person could ever receive in their lifetimes.” I continued to shake my head, unable to stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks, dripping off my chin and hands and onto my week-old pants. “All the love you’ve given me, I can feel it. And it’ll never go away, Taeyeon, and I’m thankful for that.”

All I could do was shake my head. “Stop…” It was too cruel. How could God do this to me? How could He do this to Tiffany, the purest, most sweet and loving and caring angel on Earth there was?

“So, what kind of a bad wife would I be to not wish the most amount of happiness to the one I love? Even if I won’t be the one giving you the happiness, I still want you to have it. I want you to be the happiest woman in the world. Knowing that, when I’m gone, you’ll take my place as the happiest woman in the world is what would make me happy.”

The hum of the hospital’s air conditioner. The occasional beeps of the machines attached to Tiffany. The slight sniffles from the tight feeling in my lungs and the uncomfortable lump in my throat.

“You want me to be as happy as possible, right?”

I nodded.

“Then, promise me, Taeyeon.”

“I—”

“Promise me that you’ll never forget me, and that you’ll always love me, and, because you love me, you’ll fall in love with someone else so that my love can be rewarded with your own happiness.”

A selfish, childish part of me wanted to scream out, to tell her that I would never love again, that she would take my heart and my soul if she ever left my side. But, I knew that wasn’t what she needed. Of all the times to argue with her, right now was not the time. Right now, I needed to do everything I could to quell her concerns so that she could pass on with as few regrets as possible.

“I-I promise.”

“Say it.”

“I promise, th-that I’ll never forget you and that I’ll always love you, and because I love you, I’ll come to love again to make sure the happiness your love has given me will be worth it.”

That was the first time I successfully lied to Tiffany.

~

"I think you should give Jessica another chance.”

“Hm?”

I looked up from my bowl at Kibum, who held a steady gaze at me. “I said, I think you should give Jessica another chance.”

I scoffed into the bowl. “It’s not me who needs to give her another chance, it’s the other way around.”

“Hm, that’s not what I got from her text.” I looked up at him again, prompting him to continue. “She told me about how she regretted the way she acted and begged me to set you two up again. Although, she did say to not tell you, so—”

It was only halfway through his third sentence that his words started to sink in. “Wait, what?”

Kibum shrugged. “She didn’t really seem to want to give me the details, but she sounded really apologetic. So, I’ll go back to what I initially said: I think you should give her another chance.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “No, you have it mistaken. I was really rude to her during the date, and didn’t even hug her before turning around and walking away from her.”

“Funny you say that, because the one detail she did give me was how your apology as you began walking away from each other made her realize that she might’ve misunderstood you.”

“I don’t—…why are you so insistent on this, anyway? Is this you, like, pitying me or something?”

“Hey,” he said, holding his hands up defensively, “you know I don’t interfere with your dates. I just set them up and leave things be.” I had to admit that was true; the other four women he introduced me to were a testament to that fact. “But I have a good feeling about Jessica. I think, maybe, she was able to see the considerate, loving person you are underneath.”

I thought back to the promise I made to Tiffany. I remember how badly I wanted to be sincere in making that promise, but in the back of my mind, it just felt impossible. Of all the people in my life, no one has been able to see through my mask unless I took it off myself—not even my parents. Making that promise and noting to myself that it was the first time I’ve ever lied to her was a result of that thinking. It wasn’t like I was as against the idea as I was when she first brought it up, but that it just simply fell outside the realm of possibility.

But, if what Kibum was saying was right, and Jessica really did want a second date despite how the first one went, then maybe the reason why Tiffany was satisfied with the promise was because she knew me better than myself. Maybe, the lie that hung over my head as the one regret I thought would never go away wasn’t actually a lie.

Inspired by ‘Promise’ by kimkimsara and also my own mother, who was brave enough to find love again.

[vlance]

♪Heart to Heart♪

(Prologue)

-summary- Y/N is the 5th member of Aespa and is going to be collaborating with Le Sserafim’s Yunjin and Chaewon for a special stage. She is excited to be able to perform with two people she's been looking forward to meeting but also has the worst case of gay panic ever so when she's around two pretty women she can't help but develop a little crush on both of them.

-warnings- swearing, kms and kys jokes, inappropriate jokes, mentions of sex

Hearing the rushed footsteps of someone approaching mine and Ningning’s room wasn’t the first thing I was expecting when I woke up on my day off today. The door to the room burst open and there is our leader herself standing there. “Karina” I lifted my head up and look at the said girl standing in the doorway. “Have you read the group chat” she looks at me with the biggest grin on her face.

“With the way you are smiling at me I don’t know if I wanna look” I gave her a look of skepticism. “It’s not that bad you’re gonna like it I think” she just keeps giving me the biggest grin I have ever seen in my life. “Okay I’ll look but stop giving me that face you look like that one meme of Dreamcatcher Sua sunbaenim as pennywise” her smiles drops and she gives me an offended look as I can hear Giselle laughing from the other room.

She rolled her eyes and left the room as I picked up my phone from the nightstand. I opened it to see thirty unread messages and a missed call from our manager. I called my manager back because I was too lazy and tired to read it the messages in the chat.

“Hello Y/N”

“Yeah hi what is Jimin unnie telling me I should call you back on” I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

“Oh yeah right…we were just talking about a special stage you’re gonna be having at music bank”

“Not again I literally embarrassed myself so fucking hard last time” I groan and sit on the edge of my bed.

“You looked so cute though with your puppy eyes staring at Taeyeon” She gave a small laugh.

“Can you blame me…I had the biggest case of gay face ever I forgot to sing my line and mumbled pretty into my mic for the whole studio to hear” She proceeds to laugh and me while I sit there listening to her.

“Who is it with anyway”

“Le Sserafim’s Chaewon and Yunjin” I hear the names of the two girls I’ll be doing a special stage with and pause.

“Y/N…..Y/N” She calls out my name but I’m too much in shock to even respond. I looked over to the signed album I practically got on my knees and begged for when Jimin unnie and Ningning went on Euncahe’s Star Diary. I remembered watching produce 48 and being the biggest fan of Chaewon and Yunjin.

I got so sad when Yunjin was eliminated. I have a bunch of old IZ*ONE albums and photocards that Giselle always jokes that the only reason I became a kpop idol was to one day meet them.

“Y/N” she practically yells in my ear.

“H-huh…yeah?” I blink out of the daze I was in.

“God you’re so gay…as I was saying you’re gonna be going to hybe next week to meet and figure out what songs to preform and other things like that okay”

“Yup…hear you loud and clear” I’m practically already sweating from nerves.

“Okay” She hangs up the phone and I slowly bring the phone down to my lap. I sat there for a second then grabbed my pillow and proceeded to scream into it. I stopped screaming after a bit and had the biggest shit eating grin of my and face started jumping around.

“Ha Minjeong owes me 10 bucks” Giselle said while scrolling on her phone. “Why” Ningning looks up from her phone to look at Giselle and Jimin on the opposite couch. “Because I bet that Y/N would scream into her pillow and start jumping around and Minjeong said that Y/N would start crying” I looked over at Ningning and she start laughing cause she can hear Y/N yelling.

“It’s not my fault I thought she would cry because remember that one time she started crying when she met Irene Sunbae and thought she was so pretty and called her mommy straight to her face without thinking” Minjeong stated and Ningning started dying on the floor from laughter and I could hear Jimin unnie next to me laughing.

“Y/N is such a homosexual I swear” I laughed to myself and went back on my phone.

-Note- well the first thing that will officially post I’m excited and nervous cause this fic seems like it’s gonna be boring by just the prologue idk if I’m satisfied but yeah let’s see how this goes.

[soshiharin]

magnetic moon

summary: in which harin surprises tiffany on tour

set: 10 nov 2019

word count: 2.9k

warnings: swearing and i think thats it

an: note to self: write fics while listening to white noise. i was so productive like omg. words in bold are korean. feedback and reblogs are much appreciated💐

harin’s masterlist

Harin picked up her bag, making sure she had everything she needed, before leaving her hotel room. She walked down the hallway to the elevator, shifting the poster that was tucked under her arm. She pressed the button to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive before getting on.

She soon exited the hotel, getting into the taxi that the doorman hailed for her. Tapping her foot as the driver drove to the venue, she couldn’t quell the excitement bubbling in her chest.

“We’re here,” the driver said when he pulled up to the concert venue.

Harin dug around in her wallet for money to pay him. “Thank you so much.” She opened the door, taking her things with her before leaving.

Walking to the entry of the Brooklyn Steel, Harin took a picture of the sign that had her members name on it.

“Wah, Hwang Miyoung,” she muttered, smirking, “you’re incredible.”

She walked into the building, showing the security guard her ticket before entering the main hall. When she got in, she was surprised to see that there was still space in the front. She immediately made her way forward, squeezing her way through the crowd to reach the barricade.

“Is this spot taken?” She asked a group of people that were standing by the barricade.

One of the people, a girl, turned her head to Harin. “Oh, no it isn’t. We’ve been wondering when someone would come stand here,” she said.

“Cool.” Harin moved to stand next to the girl. She put her poster down by her feet, resting her hand on the barricade.

“Oh my god, I love your jewellery!” One of the other girls complimented, staring at Harin’s rings.

Harin flexed her hands. “Thanks, one of my friends got me them.”

“Your friend has amazing taste.” That comment came from a boy.

“I’ll make sure to tell her.”

The first girl turned to fully face Harin. “I’m Samantha,” she introduced herself.

“Harper,” Harin responded, using her English name instead of her birth name.

“This is Riley–” she pointed at the other girl– “Luke–” she pointed at the boy– “Anna–” she pointed at another girl, who waved– “and Maddie–” She pointed at another girl, who was staring at his phone.

“A big group you got there,” Harin commented.

Samantha smiled. “We’ve been friends since we were twelve. We bonded over our love for K-Pop — and Girls’ Generation of course! — and we’ve been friends ever since. My bias is Hyoyeon, Riley’s are Seohyun and Yuri, Luke’s are Taeyeon, Harin and Yuri and Maddie’s are Sunny, Sooyoung and Tiffany. What about you?”

Harin smiled at Samantha, trying to come up with a response. “Um, mine changes all the time. But right now, it’s Yoona.”

“Oh my god! I forgot to mention, but she’s my bias wrecker,” Samantha added, putting a hand over her chest.

Harin continued to make conversation with the small group until the concert started. They all cheered as the intro to Run For Your Life started playing, cheering even louder when Tiffany came on stage. Harin held up her poster — it read Love you Fanny Pack —, making sure she didn’t block the people behind her.

As she watched her member perform, Harin felt herself tear up. Knowing how much Tiffany worked to be on that stage, she was so proud of her. She managed to hold herself together until she heard the beginning of Run Devil Run. She put her sign down, wiping the few tears that began to roll down her cheeks.

Focusing on Tiffany, Harin didn’t notice how Riley kept looking at her and then down at her phone. Riley showed her phone to Maddie, both of them looking at Harin again, this time with recognition in their faces.

Harin continued singing along to the songs with everyone, having the time of her life. She held up her poster again as Tiffany began to sing Magnetic Moon, making sure she’d be able to see it properly. When Tiffany went to her side of the venue, she waved her poster as she sang along, hoping to gain her members attention. Unfortunately, Tiffany didn’t notice her and instead went back to the centre of the stage. She continued to sing the song until it came to the instrumental part.

“Give it up for my dancers!” She told the crowd, causing everyone to cheer. “And for my wonderful band,” she added, gesturing to the musicians on the stage with her. “And one more time, for yourselves, thank you Brooklyn.” She bowed to the audience. When she raised her head again, she caught sight of Harin’s poster, looking down to see her member. “Oh my fucking god!” She exclaimed, genuinely shocked. “What are you doing here?” She asked excitedly.

“I’m here to watch my Fanny Pack,” Harin answered, causing the crowd to look at her, some people cheering when they recognised her, others struggling to.

“Guys, um… Oh my gosh, Harin’s here,” Tiffany announced, causing the venue to erupt in cheers. She walked to where Harin was standing and crouched down on the stage. “You should’ve told me you were here,” she complained, “we could’ve sung Run Devil Run together.”

“Babes, when I tell you I burst into tears when you sang that song, I mean it,” Harin admitted with a laugh.

“Aw, were you ugly crying?”

Harin stopped laughing. “I have dignity. I would never ugly cry in public. I’m so offended, right now.”

Tiffany squealed. “Girl, come on stage right now!” She looked at one of the security guards by the stage. “Can you open the barrier for her?”

The guard opened the barrier, letting Harin through before closing it again. As Harin walked onto the stage, she caught a glimpse of Samatha’s group’s shocked expressions, causing her to laugh. Making her way on stage, she hugged Tiffany tightly when they reached each other.

“I’ve missed you so fucking much! Oh my god,” Tiffany said when they pulled apart. She watched as the drummer passed her a microphone. “Is this why all of you have a mic on you? Because you knew she was coming?”

“Everybody knew, but you darling,” Harin told her.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Oh my god, I need to introduce you to my little group,” she said, remembering the group of friends she was standing next to.

“For those of you who can’t understand her accent,” Tiffany started, knowing that Harin wasn’t going to repeat herself in a clearer tone, “she said that she’s gonna introduce me to her little group.”

Harin rolled her eyes. “So we’ve got Samantha, Riley, Luke, Maddie and Anna,” she said, pointing at the different people, who started freaking out. “You’re Maddie’s favourite member.”

“Aw, thank you Maddie.” Tiffany put a hand over her chest. “I hope you enjoyed today’s concert, as chaotic as this ending is.” She looked at Harin. “You do know what you being here means, right?”

“I don’t, sorry.”

“We have to sing Into The New World!” Harin stared at Tiffany blankly, causing the singer to sigh. “You don’t remember the lyrics, do you?”

The crowd started laughing as Harin thought. “Saranghae and then…”

“Just Google it, oh my god.”

“Cool.” Harin pulled her phone out, searching for the lyrics to the song. “Okay, you start singing, I’ll do the harmony.”

“Okay.” Tiffany started singing the chorus, Harin joining in to do the harmony that she and Seohyun do in the studio version. When they were done, Tiffany smiled as she addressed the audience, “Okay, um… Thank you for coming to the concert today, guys. I love you so much and goodnight!” The two women bowed before walking off stage, Harin looking back to make sure that she had all of her things.

When they reached backstage, Tiffany took off her microphone and talked with the staff members. Harin hung back, standing against the wall as she took photos of her member. After finishing speaking with the staff, Tiffany went to Harin’s side, leading her member to her dressing room.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she said, switching on the light. “Would you like water or anything?” She asked, going to a mini fridge in the corner of the room. She pulled out two bottles of water, holding one of them up in question.

“Yeah, thanks.” Harin nodded, sitting down on the small couch in the room.

Tiffany nodded, going to sit down next to Harin and handing her water. “So, how’s life?” She asked, shimmying her shoulders.

“Good! Wrapped The Eternals safely, visited Harrison and when I go back to Korea, I’m gonna have dinner with Dongwook’s parents.”

“Why would you have dinner with Dongwook sunbaenim’s p–” Tiffany’s eyes opened comically wide as she gasped. “You guys are back together?” She shrieked.

Harin bit her lip, fighting a smile. “Yeah. We got together again early this year. Seeing each other so often… brought up some emotions. Anyways, today isn’t about me. It’s about this girl I know, who just performed in the Brooklyn Steel. Do you know her?” She asked, Tiffany gradually blushing the more Harin spoke. “I think I’m in a group with her, but I can’t really remember h–”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Tiffany interrupted. “You wanna change the topic, I got it,” she playfully rolled her eyes. “But thank you so much for being here,” she thanked, voice full of gratitude. “It means a lot. Seriously.”

Harin rolled her eyes. “Of course I came! I love seeing the members doing their things. It wasn’t even a question of whether I was going to come or not, you know that right?”

“Totally,” Tiffany said, giving Harin her signature eye smile. “Ah! I’ve missed you so much!”

Harin nodded, untwisting the lid of her water bottle. “It has been way too long,” she agreed. “Should we end the hiatus?” She asked, referring to the hiatus that Girls’ Generation was on.

“We should, right? It’s just not, like, the same without the members. It’s still fun, but it’s kind of lonely,” Tiffany admitted, taking a sip of water.

Harin hummed as she drank her water. “I know what you mean. I was on the phone with Yuri the other day, and we ended up just crying about how much we missed working together… But it’s also very fun, like, doing this by ourselves.”

“Yeah, it’s like… we’re in charge of it? Kinda. Like, instead of the songs being Girls’ Generation’s sound, it’s Tiffany’s sound.”

“Yeah.” Harin sighed. “As sad as it is not having the members around all the time, it’s also very refreshing. Not saying I hate them or anything!” She said, realising how what she was saying sounded. “It just has given me a lot of time to, like, get to know myself better.”

Tiffany nodded enthusiastically. “Me too! Like, I devoted a lot of time to just figuring out who I am, and what I like, and what I need to do when I feel sad. It’s like I’m being myself more instead of, like, limiting myself to make other people comfortable.”

Harin groaned. “We did that a lot. Producer’s would ask us to tone it down, which is understandable because we needed to be palatable to the general public, but we also wanted to just be ourselves. Especially because we didn’t really know who we were.”

“Yeah. I think all of us are figuring out who we are right now. Like we’ve had bits and pieces of ideas of ourselves, but now we’re going in depth and finding out…”

“The nitty gritty,” Harin finished for her friend.

Tiffany clicked her fingers. “Exactly. Like I’ve found out so much about myself and it’s great! Like this is Tiffany Young.”

“We grew up well,” Harin commented, causing Tiffany to snort.

“You sound like your mom,” she explained as she continued laughing.

Harin chuckled before remembering something. “Oh my god, that reminds me!” She picked her bag up from the floor, digging around in it before retrieving a jewellery box. “This is for you.” She handed it to Tiffany, who gasped in surprise.

“Really?” She asked, accepting the box.

“How could they let me come here without a gift for their favourite daughter?” Harin joked, mentioning how her parents see all the members as their kids.

Tiffany opened the box, gasping when she saw a diamond necklace. On top of the necklace, was a note written by Harin’s parents. She read the note, smiling softly. “This is so touching, omo.” She stared at the necklace. “This is totally my style.” Frowning, she sighed. “I’m so thankful. Seriously.”

She suddenly looked up at Harin. “Let’s go live. On Instagram. Just talk with the fans and shit.”

Harin shrugged. “Okay.”

“We should do it on your account because I feel like if they get a notification that you’re live, it’ll be like ‘What the fuck is going on right now?’, you know?” Tiffany asked, closing the jewellery box and placing it next to her on the couch. “But if I went live, it’s like’ Okay–’” she shrugged dismissively– “‘she’s live.’ Like, there’s nothing crazy about it.”

“Okay, okay!” Hair exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “We’ll go live on my account.” She unlocked her phone, going to the app. “Where are we gonna put the phone?”

Tiffany looked around the room. “Um, let’s take those chairs–” she pointed at two chairs next to the couch that had her makeup bags on them– “and go to the vanity. We’ll have great lighting.”

The two women moved the makeup bags off of the chairs, moving the chairs to the vanity area. They sat down as Harin started the livestream, chatting amongst themselves as they waited for people to join.

“Everybody’s coming in all at once!” Tiffany noted as she looked at the screen. “This is truly a once in a lifetime event.”

Harin rolled her eyes. “I use Instagram… when I feel like it.”

“But not enough.” Tiffany giggled, before addressing the viewers again, “Hi, everyone.” She waved. “If you were at today’s show then you know Harin was too. And now we’re going live because, why not?” She smiled, crinkling her nose. “How did you arrange everything?”

“I DMed one of the dancers and just asked if she could help me surprise you,” Harin said, “and then she got everybody in on it, I guess. Thank you so much, Delia.”

“Seriously, thank you Delia,” Tiffany echoed, making a heart with her hands. She leaned forward to read some comments. “‘Harin, solo comeback when, queen?’” She read out. “A lot of the comments are asking about new music.”

Harin stared at the screen with a shocked expression. “Um, I’m not really… Like, I haven’t made any plans for one. I’m not really working towards a comeback, as of right now. I just… am focusing on acting and want to work more towards that,” she admitted.

“Okay, then, by what year will you have released more songs?” Tiffany asked. “You gotta give them something to work with.”

“Let’s say… 2021. In two years.” She decided, seeing as the comments sped up. “I’ll make sure to arrange my schedule so that I can comeback in 2021. Just for you, SONE.”

Tiffany cheered. “We have a date, people! Mark your calendars.”

They continued to talk with fans, adding Yoona to the livestream when they noticed she was commenting a lot. There were many times where they had to remind each other that they weren’t on FaceTime whenever one of them almost revealed something private. For the fans watching, it felt like a catchup session with friends.

“I have to go now,” Yoona said with a sigh after forty minutes.

“I should also get going now,” Harin echoed, checking the time.

Tiffany blew a kiss and waved. “Thanks for coming, Yoona.”

Yoona pouted as she waved goodbye to everyone. “Bye, everyone,” she said before leaving the livestream.

“This has been fun, right?” Harin asked. “But now I have to go and I think Tiffany’s also going to have to go, so… Thank you for watching this.” She turned to Tiffany. “What do you say when you end a livestream?”

Tiffany burst out laughing, much to Harin’s confusion. “Just say bye!”

“Okay, bye everyone!” Harin leaned forward as she tried to end the livestream. “Is this the one?” She wondered as she pressed a button, groaning when the camera flipped instead of ending the stream. “Bloody flipped it ‘aven’t you?” She muttered, her Goerdie accent coming out thick. “Yah, help me!” She called out to Tiffany, who was laughing at her member’s struggle. Eventually, Tiffany helped Harin end the livestream.

“It was lovely seeing you, my lover,” Harin said as she stood by the door when she had collected her bag. “Until next time.”

Tiffany stepped forward, engulfing her friend in a hug. “Until next time,” she said, squeezing Harin tightly. They pulled apart soon after. “Wait, don’t forget your poster.” She moved to fetch the poster Harin made, but was stopped by her voice.

“Keep it. To remember me by.”

Tiffany groaned. “You’re so dramatic, oh my gosh.” She waved goodbye to her member. “Bye, Harin.”

“Bye, babe. I’ll text you when I get to my hotel.”

“Please do.”

“Yeah.”

Harin walked out of the building, catching a taxi back to her hotel. Just as she promised, she texted Tiffany when she arrived at the hotel. As she lay in bed after doing her night time routine, she scrolled through Twitter, seeing all of the tweets people had tagged her in. She liked some, and retweeted some, laughing to herself when she saw a specific one.

luke’s holiday night @scrtlovesong

can’t believe i was sitting next to my queen @jangharin_ and didn’t realise it

Harin @jangharin_

Honey, I’m everywhere

Harin Commented:

@scrtlovesong: can’t believe i was sitting next to my queen @jangharin_ and didn’t realise it

tagging: @moongrlz

©️ jang harin

[itzynabi]

that’s so evie episode 38

posted: 15 dec 2023

word count: 1.5k

warnings: mention of crimes, kind of swearing, anger management, discussion of mental health

an: another episode out RAHHHH. insta post found here. words in [] are captions. feedback and reblogs are much appreciated 💐

eve’s masterlist // that’s so evie

“Hello and welcome to That’s So Evie,” Eve greeted from inside the studio. “Today’s guest is an ahjumma,” she said, Taeyeon’s laugh being heard off camera.

“She’s the First Ahjumma. Like, you know the First Lady? She’s the First Ahjumma,” she explained.

“Cut it out!” Taeyeon complained from offscreen.

Eve nodded. “Okay, okay. Please come in!”

[Veteran idol with unrivalled vocals, Taeyeon!]

[Coming back November 27 with a new mini-album, To. X]

Taeyeon walked into frame as the staff cheered, bowing as she approached Eve. She sat down on the left of Eve, crossing her legs. “Hello, everyone! I’m Taeyeon,” she introduced herself.

“Can you introduce your album now?” Eve asked. “Our activity for today relates to it.”

“Okay. I’m making a comeback with the mini-album To. X with the title track of the same name,” Taeyeon said. “The song is about the aftermath of a relationship after realising the other person was controlling and manipulative. Please give it a lot of love.” She waved at the camera.

“In front of us here, we have writing equipment–” she pointed at the sketch pads, markers, pens, and highlighters– “and we will be using them to write a letter To. X,” she revealed, Taeyeon gasping.

She brushed her hand against Eve’s arm. “Do you have an ex?” She asked, her lips jutting out in a pout.

Eve shook her head. “No, no. We won’t be writing to an ex, necessarily, but instead to somebody who has wronged us. You’ll write a letter to someone that wronged you and I’ll write one to someone that wronged me.”

“This will be easy for you because you don’t forget anything.”

“Nabi’s very forgiving, though,” Taewoo, one of the camera directors, said.

“Nabi?” Taeyeon looked at Eve, who was trying her hardest not to smile. “You’ve done a good job at fooling everyone,” she teased the younger girl before looking at the camera again. “I don’t know of anybody that she’s forgiven. She doesn’t even talk to them anymore.”

“But,” Eve started, “just because you forgive someone, doesn’t mean that you have to invite them into your life again. I can forgive someone and never talk to them for the rest of my life and there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that. The reason people are hesitant to forgive is because they think that they have to speak to whoever hurt them and be friends with them again, but they don’t. Nobody is entitled to be in anyone’s life.”

“That’s very wise,” Taeyeon agreed, nodding her head. “With that being said, have you ever forgiven someone?” She asked, pointing at Eve.

Eve cleared her throat, feeling cornered by her friend. “Let’s get started on our letters,” she said. She gave Taeyeon one of the notebooks — ignoring her laughter at Eve’s behaviour —, taking the other one for herself. “You can write a letter to any person you want to. You don’t have to read it out or show it to me, you can keep it to yourself and do whatever you want with it.”

“So it’s like journaling,” Taeyeon commented, opening her sketchpad.

Eve snapped her fingers in agreement. “It’s exactly like journaling.” She opened her sketchpad and reached for one of the markers. She took the lid off, getting ready to write.

“You already know who you’re writing about?” Taeyeon gasped, reaching for a pen. “I’m still thinking about it.”

Eve sighed. “It’s not my fault the most annoying people keep getting sent my way. There’s literally nothing I can do about it.”

Taeyeon laughed. “Okay, okay. Why don’t I have anyone that annoys me?” She muttered. Eve wrote the title of her letter, Taeyeon peeking over her shoulder to look at it. “Omo sesange!” She exclaimed. “Is she allowed to write things like that?”

“What did she write?” Jiho, one of the lighting staff, asked.

“The title of her letter is–”

[This is a family program]

“The title comes from my heart,” Eve said, not looking up when everyone gasped.

Taeyeon cackled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “Which part of your heart does this come from?”

“The bitter part. Stop laughing and write your letter,” she lightly scolded.

Taeyeon hit her thigh as she finished laughing. “I’ve thought of someone, so I’ll start writing mine now.” She uncapped her pen, writing a title. “At least my title is fine,” she childishly bragged.

Eve peeked at Taeyeon’s paper. “What’s fine about–”

[This is a family program]

“Yah, at least it’s better than–”

[This is a family program]

The next scene showed them both focusing on their letters, signifying that some clips had been edited out. They weren’t speaking as they wrote their letters.

“Nabi,” Taeyeon called out. “How do you deal with your anger? Because I know you’re a very angry person.”

“Uh, I don’t really do anything with my anger. I don’t act on anger or anything like that, I just… ignore it.”

“How do you ignore it?”

Eve frowned cutely, looking up at Taeyeon, who was still focused on her letter. “Let’s say my phone is taking a long time to load a website, I’ll feel a murderous rage and see a vision of me throwing my phone violently against the wall or out of the window. But if I act on my impulse, I’ll have to fix my phone or buy a new one, but most importantly, I’ll have to explain why I did what I did.”

“Explaining why you did something makes you realise how trivial the reasoning was?”

“Yes.” Eve nodded. “If I could do things without having to explain myself, I’d be unstoppable.”

“Normally, I tell people to express their anger and not to keep it in, but you should keep it in,” Taeyeon said, chuckling lightly. “Because if you expressed your anger, you’d be arrested.”

“What do you think I’d be arrested for?”

“Arson or aggravated assault,” she answered without missing a beat.

At that point, they had forgotten about their letters, instead just talking to each other.

“Do you remember?” Taeyeon suddenly asked. “At one of the award shows in… 2015, all of my hair accessories were from you.”

Eve stared at Taeyeon blankly for a few seconds before gasping. “I remember. Taeyeonie called me and asked me to bring all of my hair accessories to the SM building, so I got into a taxi and helped style her.”

“It was because my hair stylist was suddenly sick and all of the other hair stylists at the company were busy,” Taeyeon explained. “I had to get my hair done, but there wasn’t anyone there to help me, so I thought to myself, ‘Who do I know that has hair accessories and can do hair?’ and I thought of you. You did my hair for me that day.”

“I should add that to my resumé,” Eve joked. “One time hairstylist of Kim Taeyeon.”

“You did a really good job,” Taeyeon praised Eve. “I really liked it.”

“That’s good.”

“And I remember, when you were preparing for your audition for JYP Entertainment, I asked you why you didn’t join SM. Do you remember what you said?”

Eve shook her head, struggling to remember.

“You were like, ‘Well, the thing with SM is… there’s always something going on at that company. I don’t know how many times I’d be willing to do damage control.’ That’s what you said!” Taeyeon said, dissolving into a fit of laughter.

Eve clapped her hands as she also laughed. “I was truly onto something back then,” she said. “I was right, wasn’t I? There is always something happening at SM?”

“You foresaw the future,” Taeyeon agreed, comedically shaking her head. “How did you know?”

Eve leaned back, placing her arms behind her to lean on them. “I didn’t choose this life, this life chose me.” She momentarily zoned out before snapping out of it. “We’re supposed to be writing our hatred letters,” she suddenly remembered, picking up her marker again.

“Oh, right,” Taeyeon muttered, uncapping her pen again. They continued writing their letters, talking every so often. They talked about Taeyeon’s trainee days, Eve’s workload and both of their mental healths.

“I’m being so, so, so, so serious when I say this,” Eve said, waving her marker around as she spoke, “the main people that help me with my mental health — other than my therapist, of course — are Taeyeonie, Jonghyunie and Kibumie. I have old letters that they’ve given me and I read them and they give me strength, they’ve given me lots of advice and words of wisdom… They’re fun people.”

“Thank you.” Taeyeon bowed her head slightly, staring at her letter. “We’re going through similar things, so it’s nice talking to each other about it and exchanging different coping mechanisms,” she added. “Since we understand what the other is going through, we’re able to personalise it and try help each other.”

“Right, right,” Eve agreed, finishing off her letter. She looked to her left at Taeyeon, seeing how far along the older woman was. Within five minutes, Taeyeon had also finished. “Okay, everyone, we’re done. I’m not going to show my letter because… Well, I don’t think it can be broadcasted. As I was writing, I could feel all of my anger transfer to the paper.”

“I’m also not going to show my letter,” Taeyeon said.

“Thank you for watching another episode of That’s So Evie. Please check out To. X. I love you!”

reactions

tagging: @seolboba // @ateezivy // @ateezjuliet // @cafemilk-tea // @smh-anon // @alixnsuperstxr // @cosmicwintr // @girlzwfun // @txt-yaomi // @moongrlz

©️ kim nabi

[foolish-clown]

Hello, I hope that you're doing well! May I please request SNSD's reaction to realizing they are in love with reader?

A/N: You know I wasn't expecting to get an snsd ask so soon after putting them on my list, but I certainly ain't complaining.

Warnings: Swearing

Maybe it was the small things you did; taking care of her while sick, or just remembering her favorite snack when she's not having a particularly good day.

What ever it was, she loved you for it, and the day she realizes it will be one she will never forget.

It was a quiet realization for Taeyeon

She was just kind of staring at you while zoning out, and her thoughts were about this and that until it came to a small, almost inconsequential things you had done that day for her

And then her thoughts just kind of spiraled into the other things you have done for her over the time you had known each other

And then it progressed to what that made her feel

A small smile coming to her face once she figures out just how much you mean to her

For Sunny, it would definitely be an "oh shit" moment

Like, this woman is usually very sure of herself, but since the emotion was a gradual thing, she didn't realize until you said the words first

And then it was like, "actually, that makes sense"

You were her favorite person, the first one she will go to no matter what

The only change would that there would be deeper meaning when speaking her love

Tiffany is the type of person to say she loves her friends at every moment possible

And you were used to hearing that from her, that obviously didn't stop it from meaning something to you

But the moment she realizes that she was in love with you, the way she said it changed

It was like you were physically hit with the words, like the tender way she looked at you whenever she said them struck deep

Tiffany would figure out the shift in emotions pretty early on

Would not know what to do or go about it

Do... do people talk about these things?? Does she need to sit you down and have a conversation about it??

Her struggle may lead her to become somewhat distant and elusive

And she hates that it happens, but she wants to figure out what is going on with herself before she approaches you about it

Is an awkward mess when coming clean, but you would have it no other way

Just kind of... accepts it after figuring it out??

Like she would take you places, and in her mind they're dates but she doesn't actually specify??

Doesn't tell you she loves you that often, as she prefers showing you physically, but when she does say it, it's with the brightest smile

Didn't take extremely long when deciphering what she felt for you

And once she knew it wasn't like a "big thing" more just casual acceptance

Realizes it at the best of times... while drunk

You're both having a nice meal out one evening, and after a few glasses she just turns to you with wide eyes after you've finished laughing at something she's said

"what?"

"I'm in love with you"

Safe to say, while the ending of that night went in a direction you could never dare hope to dream, it was still one of the best

She's not reserved about it per se, but she doesn't jump to tell you either

At first she wants to see if there is anything that lets her know that you may feel the same, because opening your heart to something you don't think shares the same sentiment sounds like torture

She's not quite sure what it ends up being in the end, perhaps it was your never-ending supply of affection and consideration

But she tells you

And it's one of the best moments of your life

Logic is definitely fighting with emotion

To the point where she begins questioning why you do the things you do

Taking care of her if she's sick, asking if she's taking care of herself ect

In fact it's her listing off all the considerate things you do that leads her into realizing that she was indeed in love with you

And so she tells you, in a quiet place where you both feel safe

[yutafrita]

The Eternal Tragedy- CHAPTER ONE

Chapter ONE/ TWO/ THREE/ FOUR/ P/ B

⋆☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡°✩🪐°. ⋆ ･: ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡°✩⋆ ･:

ARE YOU LIVING IN THE REAL WORLD?

Pairing(s): Mafia!Yuta x Reader, Mafia!Sungchan x Reader Reader Pronouns: She/ Her Genre: Angst, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Chapter Word Count: 7.4K Warnings: Graphic violence, swearing, blood, alcohol, references to catastrophic sci-fi events Masterlist

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡°✩˖°.🪐°. ⋆ °. ⋆ ･: ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡

Goeun had spent the night at your apartment. While she didn’t live so far from the club, you lived closer enough for her to stay once a week at your place. You two had been friends since high school, so you loved the familiar company and she loved not having to take a subway to work.

“Those shoes are so cute,” Goeun gushed as she watched you jam your feet into a pair of platform sneakers. The platform sneakers were a good compromise between sneakers and heels. The patrons tipped just as well when you had them on as if you had on heels, and your feet weren’t swollen at the end of the night. 

“Thanks! I don’t know how Irene can get through an entire shift in heels,” you admitted. You stood up tall now by your front door, watching as Goeun rushed to finish her makeup and pack everything neatly into her backpack. As she did, she glanced above your head and stifled a laugh. You didn’t have to turn around to know that she was laughing at your diploma- she did it every time.

“Who would think that someone with a degree in accounting from the best school on Mars, would be a waitress?”

You frowned, “you know damn well I make more money at this job than I ever did as an accountant. I could even get accentors if I wanted to.”

Your job catered to the richest and strangest of Nuevo Seoul, so you had seen it all. From grotesque additions like tiger canines, to fierce additions- like Irene’s cat claws. You personally could never justify the expensive, painful procedure. People may be rich, but even they couldn’t avoid the pain that comes with requiring your nerves to attach themselves to a body part not meant for humans.

“All right, let’s get to work!” Goeun spoke in a sing-song voice as you opened your door to start the walk to The Garden. 

Your apartment was what your grandfather left for you when he died. It was in the only apartment complex on the block that wasn’t hundreds of floors high.

It was at the heart of Nuevo Seoul, Mars, and the sidewalk bustled with people. Most importantly for you though, it was a five minute walk to your job. The alleyway that held the club’s employee entrance was full of street vendors, and as per usual you handed the woman making coffee a five dollar bill.

“The usual for both of you?” Taeyeon asked, her silver face chain contrasting with the dirty wall her booth stood in front of.

“Please,” you and Goeun hummed, nodding at the other vendors and patrons that passed you.

“Irene just arrived a few minutes ago for her shift,” Taeyeon hummed, pouring your coffee slowly. “The new kid is here too.”

“New kid?”

Taeyeon nodded, “tall kid with little mouse ears,” her nail tapped the crown of her head as she sharply placed the lid on the coffee cup. “Try not to break him,” she teased, handing you and Goeun your coffees.

“If it were up to her, she wouldn’t even breathe near him. Thanks,” Goeun taunted before you both to Taeyeon. Walking further through the alleyway, you greeted the guard that stood at the back entrance of the club and where the waitstaff’s dressing room was set. Considering the sheer skimpyness of some of the waitstaffs outfits, most elected to arrive to work in comfortable clothes, only changing upon arrival into the dressing room.

“They’re here!” Chaein immediately cheered upon your entrance, looking away from her dressing mirror for a moment to fully see you two. 

The Garden was owned by the Dragon Syndicate. This you had never been outright told but was extremely obvious- from the Dragon tattoos on different men in the club, to the incredibly obvious illegal business dealings you would see, the Dragons had their mark all over the place. It was everything you didn’t want to directly work with, but they paid your bills, so you kept your head down, and worked as a waitress.

“Hello!” Goeun cheered as you quietly greeted your coworkers, moving past Irene and Seulgi as you went to your own tiny workstation. While you didn’t necessarily have to dress up for work, you all would be fools to not notice that you got better tips when you did. Sliding out of your sweatpants, the jean shorts you had on underneath came out in full force.

“Those shorts again?” Seulgi sighed, her own black bodysuit fully exposed.

“I need to do laundry,” you pouted. Seulgi was always encouraging you to try and dress as skimpy as she did, but you couldn’t ever do so. Looking past Seulgi, the beaded curtain that stood between you all and the club saw a clipboard attached to a familiar arm slide through it. The beads of the curtains clinked as the arms owners tried to gain everyone’s attention, earning chuckles from you all.

“Come in Shotaro!” Irene called as you quickly touched up your lipstick after chugging your coffee.

The beaded curtain parted and in walked the bar’s supervisor and the only member of the syndicate you actively spoke with. Despite him being in charge of the syndicate’s primary flow of barely legal money and having to help control the occasional unruly patrons, Shotaro always carried a boyish grin on his face.

“We open our doors in ten minutes! So, really quick- Seulgi and Irene, you’ll be bartending tonight,” the pair gave each other a high five, “Chaein, and Goeun will be managing the high tops and poker tables,” Shotaro marked something on his clipboard quickly, his eyes glancing up to you.

“Shit,” you muttered. There were only three areas in the tiny club to be maintained, and with only you left, you knew exactly where you were stuck.

“You, y/n, will be managing the Dragon’s Den tonight but also,” Shotaro lifted his free hand, and through the beaded wall a lanky young man was dragged into the room. You often tried to ignore the dragon tattoo on Shotaro’s wrist, but you couldn’t look past the one on this boy- it was fresh still, wrapped in shiny plastic and seared red. “Jisung will be training with you today. The boss wants him to learn all of the ropes so I want him working at the Dragon’s Den with you.”

“He looks like he could be in elementary school,” Irene snarled, her cat claws perfectly juxtaposing Jisung’s tiny mouse-like ears. 

 “I’m 21,” the young man countered, earning a laugh from everyone in the room.

The Garden Club and Lounge was an uncomfortable, tight space, although Shotaro insisted it was ‘intimate.’ It held two levels- the dimly lit balconies that housed the several illegal gambling games. They all were framed by open curtains that could quickly be shut if any cops swung by. The first level contained the bar that Irene and Seulgi were setting up behind with Shotaro making sure the pair had all they needed.

“Um… where is the Dragon’s Den?” Jisung snapped you out of your thoughts, and he watched Goeun and Chaein organize the high tops that sat around the bar. You sighed and looked at the small, curtained off hallway next to the bar, the stupid velvet curtain waiting to ensnare you.

“We’ll be going in and out of here,” you guided the mouse into the Dragon’s Den, opening the curtain and watching his eyes widen. This was where the members of the syndicate and other thick walleted businessmen were seated usually- with the extremely intimate three booth layout, large television screen, fireplace, and gold lining the walls and high (tinted) windows, Jisung’s starry eyes reminded you just how obscene the place was. 

“Will the boss be here?” Jisung asked you, watching as some staff finished fluffing the pillows in the room. 

You shrugged. “Shotaro’s my boss.”

“Oh, the boss of this place is-,” you shot Jisung a glare and he stopped speaking.

“I didn’t ask,” you silenced the young man.

The first hour of the night was as normal as it could be- you welcomed the VIPs, watched Jisung constantly trip over his feet, and kept the patrons smiling despite the pit of anxiety you felt. Speaking with more members of the syndicate meant that they knew you- and you feared sinking deeper and deeper into the syndicate’s clutches.

“How’s the kid?” Seulgi asked you as she expertly poured the drinks you needed. You shrugged.

“Because of him they’re talking to me even more.” Your customers had taken to asking you how Jisung was doing, if you liked working there, and you had done your best to politely answer each question- being rude wasn’t something you ever liked, especially when your money was on the line. “Jisung’s in the bathroom now.”

“Last time a new kid from the syndicate was shown the ropes he became our manager,” Irene interjected, reaching over Seulgi to pass a drink to another patron. “He runs this place well but dammit- Shotaro’s just too nice.”

“As far as we know he’s nice,” Seulgi corrected, handing you a serving tray filled with glasses. “Keep your tits out if you want tips,” she lightly scolded before you went on your way, catching Jisung’s eye as he waited for you by the velvet curtain.

“They were asking for you,” he noted as you entered, forcing a smile as you did.

“There she is!” your third booth cheered as you arrived with their second round for the night. Due to Jisung’s presence, you knew a few of their names already- the loud one reaching out for you now being Johnny (who was also the only one without any accentors). The one next to him had his cheeks flushed pink from the alcohol, his wolf ears twitching as he giggled- you heard someone call him Jaemin.

Moving away, your second booth hardly acknowledged you as you took their empty glasses and moved towards the first table. It was this first table that gave you pause. 

Jisung shot you a nervous look as you smiled at Shotaro and the man he was seated across from. You had seen the man with the fox ears and fox tail several times, but never did you speak directly with him. He simply hovered around the club as other syndicate members seemed to do on occasion.

“Hi Shotaro! Do you guys need anything?” you smiled, earning a surprised look from your boss. The other man looked up at you and your blood ran cold. Your eyes had never set on a face quite as handsome as his- his features perfectly complemented each other and his bleached blonde hair framed his face in an oddly angelic halo. 

“… water.”

“I’m sorry?” you brought yourself back down to Mars, hoping the dimmed lighting would hide the embarrassment you felt at missing his words.

“Just water,” he was curt and turned his attention back to Shotaro. Before you could turn back around, Jisung had appeared with a full glass in his shaky hands. He slid the glass over to the fox-man, earning a small smirk. “Looks like you’re teaching him well.”

You blinked. “This was the first time he hasn’t spilled something all night.” You widen your eyes in surprise. Did I just say that? You internally scolded yourself. At yours and Shotaro’s shock, the fox-eared man chuckled, his smile seeming to put you under a spell as you stared at him.

“You’re funny,” he patted the empty spot next to him, “take a seat.”

“Uhh… I should get back to work,” you looked with pleading eyes at Shotaro, hoping your boss would protest. Instead, Shotaro looked out of the tinted window next to him. 

“I insist,” the foxman smiled again, revealing a set of canines instead of molars. “Have Jisung manage on his own for a few minutes.”

You clenched your jaw, and quietly handed the young mouse the tray in your hands. Five minutes. You glanced at the clock above the mantel. Five minutes. 

“So, how long have you been working here for?” his finger traced the rim of his previously untouched glass. You avoided his gaze and looked at Shotaro who was still staring out at the window.

“Two years,” your voice hardly above a whisper, and with the loud tables behind you it was a wonder the fox could even hear you. A part of you- a part that you were ashamed of- wanted to know his name rather than just call him by his accentors. He was obviously high up in the syndicate if he managed to afford ears, a tail, and a set of canines on top of his already lavish clothes.

“Shotaro,” the fox called your boss’s attention, his eyes snapping back quickly. “What’s her name?”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “I’m right here.”

At this the fox man turned fully towards you and lifted an eyebrow, “would you have told me the truth if I asked?” He had a point, and you turned your gaze away as Shotaro told him your name.

“I’m Yuta,” he introduced himself, and you suppressed the cringe you felt within yourself. Tonight alone you had learned the identities of four more syndicate members- too many.

“Nice to meet you,” you were polite. You knew your safest option was to be polite despite how desperately you wanted to run out of that booth.

“Hmm, you’re a bad liar,” he hummed, and you couldn’t help the glare you shot up at him. He was intrigued, this was obvious by the way he had his gaze fixated on you.

“I feel like I interrupted something important,” you tried, looking towards Shotaro again.

“You didn’t,” your boss seemed to sigh as if he was defeated already, and you widened your eyes at this. You turned your wide eyes into a glare, and were so focused on mentally popping Shotaro’s head you almost didn’t notice the stack of bills placed on the table in front of you.

“I think this should cover my tab,” Yuta sounded content as he watched you lift the hundreds to count.

“You only got a shot of whiskey and glass of water,” you noted, already moving to remove the unnecessary bills and planning how you would get change out of the register. Yuta’s hand moved and covered both of yours.

“Keep it,” he watched your shocked face, and you could tell that he seemed to relish this. You noted the dragon tattoo wrapped around his wrist, its mouth turned towards you as his hand held both of yours.

“… Thank you sir,” you settled on a polite smile as you scooted out of the booth with the cash now tucked inside your small waist apron. 

The rest of the night was fine for the most part. A few other patrons with their accentors tried chatting you up, Jisung continuously tripped over his feet, and Seulgi would chastise you, but nothing you considered out of the ordinary. After work that night, you started your walk to your apartment with the rest of the wait staff. 

“I can’t believe you’ve been here for two years and you just met Yuta,” Irene was the most shocked when you spoke about your big tipper.

You shrugged. “I usually avoid working the booths.”

“I don’t know why, they usually tip the best,” Goeun noted, tightening her winter coat as they stopped outside of your apartment complex. Along with being at the heart of the city, you also had your apartment right by a train station which the rest of the team took to go home. You waved goodbye and entered your apartment complex, making your way up the short two flights of stairs and into your humble abode. 

The apartment probably was beautiful in 2060, but now, the wallpaper was peiling, your ceiling fan worked only if you tugged the cord just right, and the creaking of the wooden floorboards were loud enough to be heard through the walls. You quickly shut your three locks before you moved to the bathroom.

You lifted the lid from the back of your toilet and exposed the ziploc bag filled with cash you had there. Here, you shoved a good chunk of your tips for the night in, and smiled as you did so. Thanks to Yuta’s contribution, you were that much closer to your goal. 

It was nearing four in the morning and you sighed, placing the lid back where it belongs. Saturdays and Fridays were the clubs biggest money nights, and you were excited to have the day off tomorrow. After you showered and tucked yourself in, you found yourself that night dreaming of the same place your dreams usually took you to. 

Earth was declared uninhabitable decades before you were born, but every school in the solar system made sure to discuss the planet fully. The beauty of the vast oceans and a planet actually meant for humans was incredible to you. While Mars was often noted to be the next best thing, you wondered what it must be like to go to a park not filled with red dust. So every night, your dreams took you to earth.

You were in a field of sunflowers, staring up at the blue sky. It was a cloudless day, and you wandered the field with a smile on your face as your hands caressed the flowers.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

You stopped moving, your head jerking around in an attempt to locate the sound. For miles as far as the eye could see- it was just you in the field surrounded by sunflowers.

Tick-tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.

Trembling, you forced your gaze downward, eyes wide as you saw the large clock that was now at your feet. You clumsily bent down, picking up the clock and dusting off the dirt that somehow got on it. The arms of the clock were composed of two sets of golden keys, the face being a solid black. You stared at your reflection on the cover of the clock.

“What is this doing here?” you muttered. You glanced up at the sky, distraught to see the once cloudless sky was now filled with an endless gray, thunder broiling in the distance.

“How many times?” a voice asked. Panicked, you looked back at the clock, seeing a new reflection behind you.

“Yuta?” you cried out, turning around to see the fox man now covered in blood. “Oh my god, what happened?” Angrily, he grabbed your face, the blood soaking your cheeks.

“How many times do we all have to die before this suffering ends?” he shouted, his eyes wet with tears like the ones you were now crying.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” you shouted back, trying to break free from the man’s grasp. Yuta looked up, forcing your head to do the same.

“Sungchan! We’re here!” Yuta shouted, a maniacal laugh booming from him. That was the lightning struck, and you awoke in a cold sweat.

The red light of the sun was bleeding through the small window of your bedroom and you groaned, flipping onto your side in an attempt to fall back asleep. You may not have to work today, but you knew you had a plethora of errands you had been avoiding- and the thought of the ever growing list made it nearly impossible for you to fall back asleep.

“God dammit,” you huffed. Begrudgingly, you slinked out of bed. You slowly made your way to the bathroom, slogging through your standard morning routine. You weren’t much of a morning person, and knowing that your day would primarily be filled with errands didn’t make you want to get ready any faster. Luckily, you had your best friend to run them with today.

Goeun stood outside your apartment complex, her outfit relaxed despite still being incredibly fashionable.

“What’s first on the agenda?” she asked.

“Did you bring your goggles? There’s supposed to be a dust storm today,” you pointed out, showing her the plastic goggles you had in your own purse. Mars’ dust storms were more of a nuisance than anything to those like you who were born on the planet, but most citizens wouldn’t be caught outside without at least some form of eye protection.

“Of course,” Goeun soothed, showing her own pair. You two started towards the grocery store that sat a few blocks between your place and her own.

“Oh, do you remember Mark from high school?” Goeun asked. 

“The one in the baseball team?”

“Yeah, well he just got drafted for the Solar Major League.”

“Wow, good for him,” you whistled. “Two waitresses aren’t a topic that will be covered at our high school reunion, that’s for sure.”

“Oh please, we weren’t gonna go anyways,” she laughed. The bell to the grocery store chimed as you entered. Like most grocery stores you went to, it was just for normal citizens of Mars- no accentors or excessive displays of wealth to be seen. You and Goeun were the only ones in the waitstaff to not have any form for accentors, even Chaein recently got a set of cat claws. So, you both felt wonderfully average for once.

“It’s not like I liked my old job anyways,” you admitted.

“I knew you would hate accounting.”

“I was hoping to get a job in forensic accounting, though. That’s what my Masters’ is in,” you defended. You enjoyed a good puzzle, and forensic accounting, despite you hating accounting itself, acted as a fascinating puzzle for you. But, no police departments were hiring, you were miserable as an accountant, and Goeun kept reminding you that her job was hiring. It was a no-brainer for you to work at the Garden, at least at that point.

“Remember when you said you’d only work there for two months?” Goeun teased.

You rolled your eyes. “Excuse me for not wanting to be stared at like an object forever.”

“Hey, it pays your bills,” Goeun reminded you.

“True,” you muttered, packing up the dandelion you grabbed from the produce isle. When humans first colonized Mars, dandelions were the first crop that could not only grow, but grow in large droves. Your grandpa swore the weed was magic since not only could it feed the people of Mars, but every part of it was edible. You just liked that it was cheap, and didn’t taste like shit. “You know, the price of water went up again in my block.”

“Mine too,” Goeun sighed. The two of you lamented on your bills as you finished collecting your groceries, walking out of the store with wrists wrapped in bags filled with food.

******

Taeyeon noticed a drag in your step as you maneuvered through the back alley towards her stand. 

“What’s got you down?”

“Are any of us ever really up?”

“I’m sure you have many folks that are,” she teased as she handed you your coffee. You took a small sip and furrowed your eyebrows. “There’s another coffee bean shortage honey. The Neptune moons are still struggling with some of their greenhouse cities so the rest of the solar system is paying for it.”

“Did you at least add caffeine to the dandelion tea?” your voice was whiny. You could hardly get yourself to go to work. Tonight was a themed night, and you were dreading putting on your stupid costume. All you had to look forward to was Taeyeon’s coffee and even that the universe seemed to want to take away from you.

“Of course,” she smiled.

You took out the cash from your back pocket and handed it over to her, “thanks, Taeyeon.”

Entering the dressing room, you noted how you were the first one in. Quickly, you changed from your sweatpants into your costume for the night.

Shotaro swore that maid night was adorable, and with how he behaved, you knew he was sincere- especially since he too would dress in a colorful butler outfit to compliment you all. Yet, every few months when you’d have to slide on the stupid, short, frilly costume, you could feel the embarrassment rise in your cheeks. 

Tips will be great tonight. Tips will be great tonight… You repeated this mantra until every bit of the constricting costume was on.

You began to touch up your makeup, listening as the beaded curtain rustled. You didn’t move, thinking for a moment that it was Shotaro.

“I used to think these themed nights were silly,” your head spun quickly towards the man at the beaded curtain. Your mind reeled. This was a man you had never seen at the club before, yet he entered the backroom as if he owned the place. You glanced quickly at his wrist, seeing the red dragon tattoo. “But oh my, you are utterly enchanting.”

“Sir, the sign says employees only,” you stayed calm, your hand moving slowly to behind the mirror where you stash your emergency knife. You all had one behind your mirror or under the counters, just in case something were to ever go awry.

“Hm, I would say being the owner of this club makes me an employee, no?”

You froze. “Owner?”

His tattoo. His dark wings that shimmered in the dim lighting. The deer antlers that stood like a crown on his head. The fact that the security guards seemed to just let him in with no questions asked.

There was a scuffle outside the door that was beyond the normal sound of the street vendors- it was the rest of the waitstaff arguing with the security guard. You could hear Seulgi threatening to kick his ass, and in most other circumstances, you’d chuckle. You looked back at the man a few feet in front of you, a chill racing up your spine as he surveyed you.

“I already told Shotaro- you’ll be assigned to my booth tonight,” he turned on his heel to leave.

“I am not working the dragon’s den tonight,” your fists were clenched as you spoke. You felt anger at your core. You refused to be dragged around like a doll by these men no matter their status, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to pretend to be polite this time.

He smiled, and you ignored the way his eyes beamed at you. It was as if he was proud that you spoke out against him. “You aren’t working the dragon’s den. You’re only working my booth that happens to be in the dragon’s den.”

You were dumbfounded, and watched as he knocked on the back door before exiting through the beaded curtain.

“Ugh! Finally!” Irene shouted as the door finally opened. Light spilled in along with the rest of the waitstaff, all now rushing to finish their makeup and costumes for the night.

“How come you were able to be here?” Goeun shuffled quickly in front of the mirror next to you.

“I… who’s the owner of the club? He was here.” Despite you keeping your voice low, a hush fell over the group. 

“Sungchan? Sungchan was here?” Seulgi hissed, her bunny tail twitching as she seemed to be too scared to turn back to look at you. You breathed in deeply, fighting the tightness of the dress and the panic welling inside you now.

“Yeah, he was here,” you confirmed. There was a jostle at the beaded curtain again, and there you all saw Shotaro’s clipboard.

“Ladies!” he cheered, walking in despite not getting a response. He paused upon seeing the silence that befell his team. “Geez, did someone die?”

“Sungchan swung by,” Irene snapped. This caught Shotaro’s attention as he flipped through his clipboard, muttering an obscenity as he yanked up a sticky note.

“Shit, okay. Irene, I’ll be working the bar with you tonight. Seulgi, you’re managing the second level with Chaein, and Goeun you’ll be with Jisung working the booths,” he spoke quickly, scrambling as he rearranged whatever plan he originally had. 

“Where’s y/n?” Goeun asked, her hand instinctively reaching back to grasp yours.

“She’ll be working only one of the VIP booths tonight, but I think she already knew this,” Shotaro shot you a knowing look. “Fifteen until opening, let’s get set up.”

You had a horrible feeling of dread. You stood by the velvet curtains, staring at the watch on your wrist slowly tick by. Irene moved from the counter towards you as the bar was set to open in five minutes, her hand moving to your shoulder.

“If he tries anything, leave. If you need help afterwards, I am here for you,” her eyes plead with you. Despite her sharp cat claws and her hard exterior, you knew her heart was made of gold- she wanted the best for those around her, and this moment you were never more grateful to her.

“Thank you,” you smiled, meaning it. She nodded, gliding back to her station as her small skirt bounced gracefully.

You smoothed your clammy hands over your skirt and pulled back the curtain. Goeun had two full booths, leaving Jisung to balance the less rowdy one as she easily handled the group of men you dealt with the other night. The third table sat Sungchan by himself, his fingers tracing over the menu he held.

“Good evening sir and welcome to the Garden,” you forced that same smile you always used on your customers. You were stuck serving this one table until he left, and your ziploc bag wasn’t going to be full enough for anything unless you got tipped well.

“I’m sure you know my name, no need to call me sir,” he set the menu down. You tightened your jaw.

“I’ll say yours if you say mine,” you knew he knew your name, but you didn’t know how beyond the fact that he seemed to sign off on your paycheck. He smiled, his eyes beaming again as he seemed to adore the almost taunting way you addressed him. It was strange- for the way people seemed to react to him, you did not anticipate the smile and doting way he watched you.

“You are quite funny,” he slid the menu towards you. “Whatever Irene feels like making is fine with me. Feel free to order anything you want, of course.” You paused on your writing of his tab.

“Sorry?”

“Your drink. You do drink, right?”

“Not while I’m working, sir.”

“Ah, responsible,” he chuckled. There was a small tumble beside you as Jisung appeared with a bottle of wine in his shaky hands, his elbows brushing up against yours.

“From the boys over there, sir,” Jisung kept his voice steady as he set the bottle and wine glass down. Sungchan didn’t turn to look at the men who were standing up in their seats to gain his thanks. Rather, Sungchan shot the young mouse a glaring look.

“One step to your right,” Sungchan’s voice was commanding. It was a complete shift from the tone he used with you. The nervous Jisung clumsily moved over, his elbow no longer brushing yours. “Good, that’s your only warning. Tell the boys thank you and please bring me another glass.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, but moved quickly away from the booth and into the club space, painfully aware of the brush of air your thighs were meeting thanks to your achingly short skirt. The club was alive with rich patrons flaunting their wealth and throwing money to their servers while others in the upper floors snuck money to each other in exchange for vials or small baggies.

“Get me a rum and coke plus a Shirley Martian, Shotaro,” you handed your boss the tab and leaned against the now busy bar top.

“Sungchan hates rum and coke,” Shotaro froze as he eyed the paper. “Just grab a bottle of Soju from the back and I’ll make that mocktail now.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” you shouted as you slid behind the bar top to the fridge, quickly snatching up a bottle of soju and a shot glass. After you collected the second drink, you maneuvered your way past the velvet curtain, only to be stunned by the sight in front of you.

The man on the floor was easily twice the muscle mass of Sungchan, but the deer held the buff man steadfast with simply the bottom of his dress shoe.

“Ah, there she is now. What is it you have to say for yourself?” Sungchan’s eyes were wild, his hands shoved into his pockets as if holding this man down was an easy feat.

“I… I’m sorry!” the man sobbed, and you noted the small pool of blood forming on the ground near his swollen lips. Your eyes were wide, horrified at not only the brutal display of aggression but the fact that the other patrons were turning their heads in fear, keeping quiet as to not meet the same fate.

Sungchan dug his heel deeper into the man’s neck, earning a grunt of pain. “For what? What are you fucking sorry for?” It was eerie to you just how volatile and angry Sungchan sounded, when moments ago he seemed to be doting on you.

“For calling her a slut for having her ass hanging out of that skirt!” The man was sobbing at this point, and you were too stunned still by the way Sungchan kept him pinned. You almost ignored the blatant assholery the man displayed. 

“What do you say? Should I let him go?” Sungchan’s eyes were wild still, his wide eyes turning up towards you as if you were more interesting than the groveling man under his heel. 

The velvet curtain behind you was pulled and a figure appeared next to you. “Boss, you said you weren’t going to beat any guests today.” Yuta sounded tired, his fox ears twitching as he looked sadly at the scene before him.

Sungchan frowned, glaring at the seemingly insubordinate fox. With another strong bout of pressure, Sungchan removed his foot from the sobbing patron. “Get him out of here, Yuta.”

“Of course, sir,” Yuta confirmed, and without sparing you another glance he whispered, “you look adorable.”

You moved to the side as Yuta yanked the man onto his feet, escorting him outside of the back lounge area. Sungchan did a number on him- both of his eyes were bruised and swollen, his nose was clearly broken, and it hurt to even spare a glance at his bleeding lip. Despite this, the man shot you a glare as he was forced past you.

The rest of the lounge began speaking again as if this was a normal occurrence, not at all bothered by the pool of blood you had to step over to set the drinks down. You squeezed the soju bottle as you attempted to hide your shaking hands.

“I hope the soju is fine. If not, here’s a Shirley Martian,” you set the glass down, avoiding his gaze and staring intently at the drinks. “Can I get you anything else, sir?”

He tsked, and you felt your anxiety rising with every breath you took. 

“Sorry I’m late, boss,” Yuta brushed past you, and you didn’t miss the glare that flashed across Sungchan’s eyes. Yuta sat in the booth across Sungchan and smiled your way. “Could you grab me some napkins?” 

You nodded, ignoring the blood he had on his hands as you handed him the napkins you kept in your waist apron.

Without turning his gaze from Yuta, Sungchan snapped, “sit.”

There was an awkward pause, and Yuta looked over at you with an expression that mirrored your confused one. Sungchan too turned to look at you, his gaze softening immediately. 

“Sit, please,” he repeated, visibly straining to be polite. You tightened your lips and looked at the pair sitting opposite each other, both seemingly fixated on where you were going to sit.

Reminding yourself of the fact that this was Sungchan’s club and he was the one who requested your assistance tonight, you sat on the same side as him, albeit as far away from him as you possibly could. Despite this, you didn’t miss the twinkle in Sungchan’s eyes as you did so.

“What’s up, boss?” Yuta turned his attention back to Sungchan. It was strange to you. Sungchan was visibly younger than the fox, yet Yuta observed and listened to Sungchan with an incredible amount of respect.

“You know how Kun requested to focus on our… legal areas rather than our financial area?” Sungchan leaned back in the booth, opening the bottle of wine and pouring a glass slowly. He slid the glass to Yuta who nodded. “That means we have quite a large gap in our accounting and finances department.”

Shit. You maintain your composure, having looked away from the pair and towards the ceiling as if the small golden details were the most interesting thing on the planet.

Yuta, however, didn’t seem to understand what the deer was getting at. “I thought you were considering Shotaro for the job? He has a finance background afterall.”

You didn’t see Sungchan, but you could imagine that he rolled his eyes judging by what his follow up was, “it’s in business. We need someone with a vast pool of knowledge in accounting.”

There was a lull in conversation again, and you could feel two sets of eyes on you. You gulped and looked back at the pair who were both focusing on you intently.

“Do you need more drinks?” you asked, failing to hide the bite in your tone.

“When you ran a background check, what is it you saw under her file?” Sungchan leaned his elbows on the table, fully turning so he could watch you squirm in your seat.

“The lady here has a Masters in Forensic Accounting,” Yuta chirped.

“I don’t know anything about accounting,” it was a bold move to lie especially when they knew better, but you didn’t care. “And why are you running background checks on me?”

“We need to be sure our employees don’t come from unsavory backgrounds,” Sungchan defended. “Your salary would double, of course.”

“Most of my income isn’t reliant on my salary. I work off of tips,” you clarified, annoyed by his arrogance. “Plus… I hate accounting,” you hissed. You excelled in your classes, but it didn’t mean you had any passion for it. You disliked your current job, but it paid you enough to not care about the fact that it was part of the body of the syndicate. Working as an accountant directly for the syndicate would become the embodiment of everything you detest.

“Fine, three times your salary,” Sungchan spoke nonchalantly, and even Yuta didn’t blink at the sudden increase. “And if you want you can work as a waitress here whenever you want extra cash.”

“Wow, I’d be allowed to do more work. How kind,” your voice was dripping with sarcasm, and you fully faced Sungchan with your arms crossed.

“She’s got a point,” Yuta chuckled before a small thud sound followed. Yuta’s face contorted in pain and he reached down to his leg, making Sungchan smirk. You almost couldn’t believe how childish they were. Sungchan was irritated and decided the best course of action was to just… kick Yuta under the table. Like a toddler. 

“Four times your base salary, and you only need to work 30 hours a week,” Sungchan offered. You pressed your lips tightly together. Now this was an enticing offer. You’d be making much more than you did even with tips, and you would have to work far less.

But, you still couldn’t stomach the thought of working for the syndicate. Especially handling their finances, you would be too entrenched to not be implicated should shit go south. As a waitress, you made sure to know as little as possible- you never asked for names, you left as soon as your shift was over and you stayed in your lane. You could easily cut ties. As their accountant though, you didn’t have that luxury. 

You were silent before you shook your head. “I don’t think that would be wise, sir.”

There was a silence that had fallen between the two of you, Yuta casually sipping his wine as he seemed to enjoy the scene before him. “He’s not used to people saying no to him.”

“I don’t want to be in this town forever, and I don’t want to be so tied to the syndicate,” you didn’t know why you felt so compelled to defend yourself. Maybe it was the fact that both of these men could easily kill you and get away with it, or just the way Sungchan was observing you.

“Interesting. Well, the offer will still stand and sooner or later,” Sungchan smiled, “you’ll take it.”

******

Taeyeon was fuming. She burst into the garden, ignoring the guards as she shoved her way through the crowd and into the dragon’s den. Taeyeon knew you had this particular day off. It was empty tonight sans for three members of the syndicate- the exact members Taeyeon needed to give an earful to. There wouldn’t be another day that Taeyeon would be able to chastise them that you wouldn’t be around, albeit as far as her brother could see.

The members however, stared back at her with a blank, confused expression. Johnny had traveled from Mercury to have a night out with Hendery, and Jaemin before the rest of their friends returned from their business trips and before they were to all meet with their boss.

“Who the fuck are you?” Jaemin asked, raising an eyebrow as he tried to study Taeyeon. Jaemin served as the syndicate’s medic and emergency surgeon.

“Don’t you sell coffee in the alley? Who let you in here?” Johnny was getting up from the booth, ready to scold the staff since Yuta wasn’t there that night to do it himself. Johnny ran the brothels on Mars as well as managed the syndicate’s bar on Mercury- him being able to recognize Taeyeon at all would be impressive if she was not so irritated.

“You will all always be idiots,” Taeyeon chided, rushing forward and raising her hands. She usually didn’t like having to cheat and return their memories- it is, after all, a part of the curse- but this was dire. The three men froze, their eyes rolling back as their memories from the past thousands of years returned in an instant. “She should be dead!” Taeyeon wasn’t necessarily angry about you not being dead, she was more confused above all else. Taeyeon was only able to see the past and its effect on the present- but at this point, you would typically have been killed. This was different.

“… you cursed us and you’re mad that your curse isn’t working perfectly?” Hendery glared at Taeyeon, his full memories now restored.

“I didn’t curse you- you assholes know it was my brother,” she snapped. 

“You’re all the fates, so it’s your fault too,” Johnny had lifted the spoon on the table, taking to combing his hair and admiring himself. Jaemin was silent, staring down at the table as he mulled through his shifting reality, his wolf-ears twitching.

“You are all imbeciles,” she moved closer to the table slowly, hissing as she did so, “if she doesn’t die soon, that leaves you with two options-.”

“Either the curse gets lifted or she just gets killed by him later and we stay trapped,” Jaemin finished. 

Taeyeon smirked at the wolf-eared man, “good to know that Mars still has his wits about him.”

CHAPTER TWO: DO YOU HAVE A COMRADE?

⋆☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡°✩🪐°. ⋆ ･: ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆☾ ﾟ｡⋆⋆｡°✩⋆ ･:

Taglist! @nini0620 @maleegayuh @projectxdemons @deakyspuff

[sierrawr]

Summary: You've been thinking about the fact that the victim was Jay's sister. And you went home only to received a sudden call from your stepmother that you're awkward with, and a call from your father the next day for something that you wish you're prepared for.

TEASER | TEASER 2 | CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5

Pairing: Attorney! reader × Undercover Police! Jay

Genre: Thriller, mystery, slow-burn, Kdrama spin-off

Triggered Warning!: None

Word count: 2512 words

Inspired by: Kdrama "Why Her?" and "Siren" by Taeyeon

Song Recommendations: "Changes" by G-Idle

It's been 2 hours since Jay dropped you off at your penthouse suite since it's a bit late to go to the Yang's mansion and you are not in the mood to talk to your step mother. Things have always been awkward between you and your step mother, Eugene, ever since the day you over heard that she is not your biological mother a few years ago. 

"I want the best for my child and I have the right as his mom to choose what is the best for him. Let me send Jungwon to Seattle."

You vaguely heard those words from the outside of your father's office room at the mansion. Luck was on your side because the door was not completely closed which gave you an opportunity to go closer and eavesdrop a bit more.

"He would ask about Serena if she doesn't go to Seattle with him. You know how close he is with Serena."

Your stepmother took a step closer to your father.

"If you have forgotten, Chairman Yang, Serena is your daughter, not mine. All I care about is my own son, Jungwon."

Your eyes widened in shock. You didn't even realize that you were inside the office room standing right in between your father and your stepmother. 

"Is that true?"

Silence. Everything suddenly became quiet and the tension grew even more. Desperate for the truth, the lack of response sparks your anger and rage.

"I ASKED BOTH OF YOU IS THAT TRUE, FATHER?!" 

Your father only looks somewhere else but you, avoiding your eyes. Meanwhile, your stepmother comes closer to you before she kneels down to your eye level.

"Your father won't give you the truth so I'll be the one to reveal it to you. It's true. I am not your biological mother. Your father divorced her to marry me and she left you to your father."

She paused for a moment and you saw tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Serena, Jungwon is your stepbrother and not your biological brother. Both of you are not biologically related to each other."

Betrayal was what you feel and despite your stepmother treating you as usual, you found it hard to talk to her like before. You would have your meal a bit early or late depending on the presence of your parents. You learned that Jungwon doesnt know this fact so you keep it from him and put distance between you and him. You know that it would hurt him and it did. But you had no other choice because it hurts you too knowing that both of you are not related by blood.

A week before Jungwon's flight, You got into a heated argument with Jungwon about your change of behavior and attitude towards him.

"누나, did I do something wrong? Why can't you tell me what's happening? Why are you being cold to me? What did I do?

You got frustrated by his presence let alone his questions. So you just decided to ignore him.

"Are you really going to treat me like this? I'm about to be send off to another fucking country and you don't even care about that! What has gotten into you?!"

You got alarmed when Jungwon cursed because he's not the type to swear or use foul language mindlessly. But you were determined to let your ego win.

"Alright. I guess this is it. I hope you will always remember that you were the one that ruined our bonds. Don't try to blame me if I give you a cold shoulder and attitude that's much more worse than you gave me."

With that, Jungwon walked away intentionally colliding his shoulder with yours. He didn't even care to spare a glance at you and just left you heartlessly in front of your bedroom's door.

Those painful memories start playing inside your head and you decide to take a long hot shower to ease the tension and your stress. Because you know well that sooner or later, you'll still have to face your stepmother. 

You get out of the bathroom and the clock on your phone reads 2:05 am. You could care less about going to work tomorrow because you don't know how to approach Jay knowing that you might know something crucial about his sister's death.

Suddenly, your phone lights up as a message pops out. It's from your stepmother which kind of caught you off guard. You take a moment to have a deep breath before you open up the message to read it.

Meet me at Dalkomm Cafe in the afternoon tomorrow if you're not busy. I have something to tell you.

You left it  on read for a while pondering whether you should meet your stepmother or not. You don’t even realize that your eyes begin to feel heavy and heavier as minutes pass by. And just like that, you slowly lost your consciousness with your phone on your chest at the bed.

You wake up in the next morning as the sunshine lights up your penthouse suite through the glass windows. Not long after that, the sound of the blaring alarm that you set on your phone is heard. You planned to meet Jay today to discuss something that is related to his sister’s case. But you decided to meet your stepmother first at the cafe that she mentioned.

As soon as you arrive at the cafe, your eyes are immediately fixed on a figure who is sitting elegantly while sipping on a tea or coffee that she ordered. When the two of you meet each other’s eyes, you know that there’s no turning back so you just go ahead and take a seat in front of your stepmother who has been waiting for your presence.

“It’s been a while isn’t it, Serena?” 

She greets you with a smile and you find it awkward.

“I’m quite busy today so please cut to the chase, 어머니 (mother).”

You make sure to avoid her eyes at all costs.

“Don’t you think you’re being mean to your mother, Serena?”

As if something triggered you, you scoff and somehow find the strength to look at her eyes.

“Didn’t you mean stepmother? After all, apparently, I am not your child, right?”

Her expression becomes softer as she tries to hold your hand on the table.

“I’m sorry. I really am sorry. I know that you are hurting but so am I. It hurts me that I had to separate Jungwon from you while hoping that you would know the truth someday. Your father not only keeps his secret from you but me too.”

You try to search for lies in her eyes but you couldn’t. Her eyes tell you that she is saying the truth just like at that time. Because her eyes look the same as that moment when she hit you with the truth about not being your biological mother.

“If I ask you for the truth.. Would you still give it to me just like on that day when I learned that you are not my biological mom?”

Your hands get warm when she gently holds it with a firm grip while her eyes looking straight at yours.

“Of course, dear. You deserve to know how your father is such a piece of trash.”

Then she started to explain about how your father married your biological mother and why they divorced. 

“Your mother’s name is Seo Gina. She was my deskmate and my best friend during our high school days. I was happy when she got married to your father because his family took care of her when she lost her parents. They were happily married for 4 years until she couldn’t stand his obsession about wanting a male heir for the Young Group legacy.”

Your heart clenched so hard when you heard your mother's real name. It's as if that name has always been close to you despite you never heard of it and barely have memories of your biological mother.

"Was my mom unhappy with her marriage?"

Mrs Yang slowly nodded her head as her reply to your question

"She was very unhappy. She was tortured mentally and emotionally by the intense pressure from the Yang family. So she filed for a divorce and ran away after she left you to the Yang family."

You purse your lips trying to suppress the feeling of sadness and sorrow that you feel..

"So that's why father doesn't really care about me.. He only wanted a male heir and couldn't care less about his own daughter. His own flesh and blood."

Mrs Yang couldn't take it and ran to your side to give you a hug. The hug feels so distant yet so close. Your cold heart feels as if it's melted after a long time yearning for it.

"Listen, here. Your father is a dangerous person. He doesn't control the laws, he is the law itself. I've known you since forever, you are nothing less than my own child. So, I will do anything to protect you and Jungwon. I know it's not easy for you but I need you to trust me on this."

Your stepmother left the cafe after you said that would think about trusting her regarding your past and the information about your biological mother. You begin to pondered a lot about the times when she took care of you and Jungwon. You even remember how she would watch over you from afar when you're playing with Jungwon because Jungwon was too playful and stubborn when he was a toddler.

“I almost passed by this cafe until I saw a familiar Range Rover nearby. I’m glad I come to this cafe.”

You got startled when someone who turned out to be Jay, suddenly popped up in front of you out of no where. and took a sit in front of you which is the seat that was taken by your stepmother earlier.

“You surprised me! When did you arrived here? Aren’t you supposed to be meeting Inspector Kim today? ”

Jay quietly stares at the tea cup that is almost empty which is left by your step mother for a few second before he take a seat in front of you which is the same seat that was taken by your stepmother earlier.

“I guess I won’t have to prepare a surprise for you when my existence itself is a suprise to you. It feels really great though. Is this how it feels like if I’m dating you someday?”

He leaned his body closer to you with both of his elbow on the table as his hands are supporting his tilted head that looks full of dream as he look at your face. You rolled your eyes hearing his sweet nothing words and he chuckled feeling amuse of himself and his confidence to say those words to you.

That’s literally an unofficial love confession and you’re not dumb to not noticed that. But considering the fact that you have something that you hide from his regarding his sister’s death, you’d rather think about yourself first. And it is at this moment that you realised something. Jay is indeed have a feeling towards you and there’s no doubt about that.

“I was just around the corner and I saw a lady exit this cafe. Then, I noticed your car and figured that you could be inside here so now here I am.”

Jay sheepishly smiled before a waiter come to the table and take his iced americano with a croffle order.

“I’m meeting him later around 2:30 pm. So I have about an hour an half of free time right now.”

You nodded your head and stir your half finished iced tea with the straw.. 

“Who is the lady earlier? She seemed like she’s walking off from your table.”

You abruptly stop drinking the iced tea as you thinking of telling him the truth or make up a lie. But to gained his trust, you know that it’s best if you tell him the truth.

“That is my stepmother. We just had a mother-daughter conversation in here since it’s been a while since we last saw each other.”

Well, half truth half lie sounds not that bad ain’t it? Thankfully, Jay seemed to believe you and you are also saved by the waiter who serve Jay’s order right at that moment, which made him momentarily forgot about what he was going to ask you.

While Jay is having his quick brunch, you just patiently wait for him while getting lost in your thoughts, until the moment both of you exit the cafe.

“Jay.. Can I… Go along with you to meet Inspector Kim?”

Jay turned to look at you who is fiddling with your thumbs.

“Sure! I wouldn’t mind that. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind too, so it’s cool.. but why though? Aren’t you busy today?”

I’m sorry for what I’m doing from now on, Jay.

“No, I’m taking a day off today.”

Jay nodded his head realising that no wonder Soobin isn’t here. He was about to ask you if you would like to go by his car or yours until you got a call from your father. And that successfully make you freeze on the spot while looking at your phone screen that displays the dialer contact that reads 아버지 (father).

“You should answer that call. It’s your dad after all.”

You take a deep breath before deciding to pick up at the last minute.

“You do remember what date and day is tomorrow, right?”

Without any greetings or foreword, your father just went straight to the point. What a loving father you have, right? You put the phone away before you got a reminder note that reads

Tuesday, 25 September 2023

Jungwon’s coming home

“Yes. Of course, I remember.”

You replied with a stoic expression on your face.

“Good. You’re going to pick up Jungwon at the airport tomorrow. Your mother-”

Your father cleared his voice to cover up his little slip on his word.

“Stepmother and I are going to Busan for a business meeting. Don’t be late to to pick him up. I just sent you his contact number in case you have deleted his contact number.”

Without any other word, he ended the call leaving you feeling numb.

What do I expect? I’m not going to be the successor of Young Group. I should’ve known where my place is in the family.

“Jay.. I think I won’t be able to join you to meet Inspector Kim. Call me if there’s any information about the case. Let me know about your discussion with Inspector Kim later.”

You just left him to process about what’s happening as you go straight to your Range Rover and drive off to your penthouse suite.

You’re gonna need a warm tea, a long hot shower and a deep sleep to prepare yourself mentally, before meeting Jungwon for the first time, after the whole cold war that have been going on between the two of you.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Mental breakdown strikes again this week that I didn't realise how short chapter 4 is, until I proofread again the whole series from Teaser to this current chapter. I hope the 2k word counts update would make up for the lack of word counts and the late update. 🫶🏻

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☁︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

© 2023; sierrawr on Tumblr.

[nightscapepersona]

Fly V to the Moon - Ch. 25

“The one where they are texting, like, a lot”

Hello again! Small chapter here. Can you tell this was written during the Bad Decisions release? :) Sorry for the awful puns. That’s the vibe, yes. Leave a like if you enjoy it... it genuinely means a lot! :)

Pairing: Taehyung x OFC

Genre: Fluff, Idol AU, Coffee Shop AU, Café Singer OFC, Slow Burn

Warnings: Light swearing, but it’s all for banter. Again, this is fluff.

Word count: 990 (We’re back to super short chapters!)

Recommended Songs: Bad Decisions — BTS & Benny Blanco; Left and Right — Jungkook & Charlie Puth

Summary: She’s a foreign elementary school teacher by day, a charming singer by night. Taehyung and company discover her at a small garden jazz café where she had a gig one night, only to find out from Jin that she was an arts teacher at a local school in Seoul — Jin's nephew and niece’s teacher, in fact. Taehyung finds himself on a surprise adventure to the moon.

Masterlist

✻  ✻  ✻

Fly V to the Moon — by Nightscape Persona

Chapter 25: The one where they are texting, like, a lot

Her phone buzzed. Again.

           tvh: that’s… an interesting choice?

Interesting? The passion fruit and blueberry ménage? It was not just interesting.

           lia.jpg: I promise it’s heaven

Send.

           tvh: and where can I get such

                  jams for such toasts?

Time to put her marmalade expertise to good use.

           lia.jpg: at the café, of course

           lia.jpg: on their special breakfast toast

Where else?

           tvh: ah, how could I forget?

She giggled.

           tvh: I would probably not forget

                  if I visited you more often,

                  would I not?

She giggled. Again.

“Aheeem.”

Jihyo cleared her throat. She raised an eyebrow at Lia.

“What?”

“I’ve never seen a more idiotic face.”

Lia’s grin dropped at the comment of the guitarist.

“Shhh. Mind your own business.”

“Honey,” Jihyo said. “I love seeing you like that, but you look quite, well, idiotic. Mind to share what has you smiling like that?”

What has Lia smiling like that?

“Nothing.”

Taehyung.

After their second little date they had started texting. A lot. No more insta DM’s. It was proper texting, on kakao, with their numbers, the whole thing. Not like they could help texting a lot, seeing that Taehyung would soon go out of the country, and they could not really do much else for the following four weeks. But. . . you can say it was a bad decision. Bad meaning good.

Lia had not told Jihyo yet, nor anyone else, about the rest of their date. Just a hint at it being perfect, period. She wanted to keep that bliss for herself. For the moment. Nobody else knew a water-lily-wrapped present waited for her back home, nor how anxiously she waited for the sign to open it. So now here she was, on a Monday in March, back from the winter and spring holidays, giggling like a dumbass to some texts from her secret boyfriend.

“Nothing my as—aspirator,” started Junhae as a bunch of kids passed them by.

“Aspirator? That’s one of your best diversions yet,” said Lia.

“Thank you, thank you. All for the innocence of the children. Speaking of which…,” Junhae pointed across the hall and looked at Jihyo. “One such creature is coming to you in tears.”

Jihyo rolled her eyes.

“For the love of bangtan, there’s no peace.”

She turned around.

“What happened, sweetie?”

“Seonsengnim, Yoona and Taeyeon are fighting over girl groups again.”

“Ah, here we go.”

The table was suddenly surrounded by girls. Lia took that as a cue to return to her phone.

She had another message.

           tvh: and if I visited you more often,

                  I would be able to kiss you

                  more too, would I not?

Lia caught her gasp before it came out.

She peeked around.

Jehyun was busy pretending he wasn’t listening to the girl’s dramatic retelling of the feud. Jihyo was, well, solving feuds.

Both busy.

She looked back at the text.

If I visited you more often, I would be able to kiss you more too, would I not?

He’d texted her a number of things that were bad for her sanity and her physical health, cardiacally speaking. Like the clichéd, “how did you sleep?”. There was also the infamous, “I’m looking at dusk and it reminded me of you”. Like, how dare he? But this. This? The “I would be able to kiss you more too” is by far the worst. Going down the history books of texting that is fatal for the heart.

“Then visit me more often,” she wanted to write. “So you can kiss me all you want.” She settled for something more staid.

           lia.jpg: as soon as you come back

                       you can visit me all you want

That’d be four weeks. Or more. Except it wasn’t…

          tvh: but that’s too long

          tvh: that’s in March!

A pang.

          lia.jpg: :(

Actually…

          lia.jpg: we may livestream the next show

          lia.jpg: the winter farewell show

          lia.jpg: you may get to catch it

He sent a sticker of that odd heart-shaped animal creature running around in chaos as confetti exploded all around. Forgive Lia, she knew the Tata face, though not Tata.

She sent back some laughing emojis.

Her insides felt giddy, like a fizzy drink, like a shooting star, like a buzzing hive.

She probably looked stupid.

She peeked up at Jihyo. Still solving feuds. Junhae was checking his phone.

All good.

What if—Should she?

Yes, should she. She should.

          lia.jpg: you still owe me a third date

          lia.jpg: maybe we can meet for

breakfast one day

          lia.jpg: if you’d like

          lia.jpg: to do something about

                     those marmalades

          lia.jpg: and those kisses

There, done. Worst case scenario, he didn’t reply. And they’d already gotten this far, so.

           tvh: you’re not good for my health

           tvh: I’d love to.

It was stupid, how she wanted to squeal like a schoolgirl.

One would think the squealing stage would have subdued by now. But no.

Breathe in, Lia.

“Uhhh. Earth to dumba—,” Junhae started.

Lia looked up just as Jihyo elbowed Junhae.

“Dumbo. Earth to Dumbo!”

Lia glared at Junhae. She turned to Jihyo. The girl group drama kids were now gone. For how long had they been gone? Why were they staring? She pretended her face was not red.

“Problem solved? What group was the source of the havoc this time?”

Jihyo looked at Lia funny, and she was going to say something. However, the bell rang and Lia flew off the bench before anyone could say anything. She ignored the questioning look on their faces and shot them an apologetic smile.

“It’s arts o’clock.”

A lie. She had a free period.

She dashed across the corridor and checked the last incoming message.

           tvh: I will be there soon

           tvh sent a voice message

“TEACHER, LOOK OUT!”

Lia bumped into the wall.

A bad decision, you could say.

“I’m good, I’m good!”

Good as new. Good as a goat. Good as hell.

She zoomed through the halls and crowds of kids faster than the beating of her heart. Her mouth was dry, as if she had eaten a sunflower.

She ran to the teacher restroom and played the voice note, phone pressed against her ear.

“Hi,” his deep voice uttered, “Just wanted to say that I can’t wait to see you. Wait for me, sunflower.”

Wait for me, sunflower.

What was this?

Was it real?

✻  ✻  ✻

Masterlist

✻  ✻  ✻

All chapters: Chapter 1 — Chapter 2 — Chapter 3 — Chapter 4 — Chapter 5  — Chapter 6  — Chapter 7 — Chapter 8 — Chapter 9  — Chapter 10 — Chapter 11 — Chapter 12 — Chapter 13 — Chapter 14 — Chapter 15 — Chapter 16 — Chapter 17 — Chapter 18 — Chapter 19  — Chapter 20 — Chapter 21 — Chapter 22 — Chapter 23 — Chapter 24 — Chapter 25 — Chapter 26 — Chapter 27 — Update on Part 2 — Part 2 Preview

[baejl]

lipstick

exo 10th member au

the girls from snsd helping somi on her first award cerimony 

masterlist 🌻 requests are open feedback is always important to me!

If someone asked Somi what was the worse thing about debuting, she would always answer the same thing: leave anonymity to be an open book, that people knew everything. She often found herself thinking if she'd ever get used to that exaggerated attention because all the boys seemed to find it normal.

Maybe because they didn't have the feeling of hiding every time someone called their names or every time one of the seniors got closer, because that was exactly how Somi felt. Normal things like drinking water was a challenge for her with all those cameras turning at her with any small movement she made, and at the MAMA awards that wouldn't be different.

Sighing with her thoughts, Suho looked at her and got closer, trying to talk over the loud sound in the arena. Fans were trying to get their artists' attention as they were in a quick commercial break.

"What's wrong?" he asked and leaned over so she could reply.

"I'm bored... and worried." she answered in the same tone.

Giggling at her, he caressed her back, trying to motivate her a bit. It didn't take fans too long to noticed and start to scream for them and not all of what Somi could hear were good things.

"I'm going to the bathroom." she said, getting up and placing the blanket that was on her tights on her chair.

"Our category is the next one. Be quick." he warned her.

Not that that made any difference, after all, they were competing for the 'boys' category, and according to the organization, she was not allowed to receive the awards with them because 'she was not a boy'.

Just nodding, Somi followed her way to the bathroom waving at a few fans that were holding some posters of her. It was good to see that some people still liked her even with half of the country rejecting her.

"Somi-yah!" she heard someone calling her. When she turned around, she saw her manager running in her direction. "Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom?" Somi said, stopping halfway. "I told Junmyeon I was coming."

"He's your member, not your manager." the man harshly answered her. "I'll wait for you here. Go before I change my mind."

Humming, Somi walked back to the bathroom, bowing at some people in the way.

"Unnie!" she heard someone saying from the door. "You're the only one looking pretty. Let's take another one."

When she got in the place, she recognised that voice. 

Seohyun, Yoona and Jessica were leaning on the sink, taking some pictures. Sooyoung, Hyeyon, Sunny and Tiffany were fixing their makeup and Yuri, Hannah and Taeyeon were talking about something on their dresses. They all turned their attention to Somi, making the girl blush.

Unlike her, they were all really fancy. With their hair down, their dresses shining and high heels, they made Somi look even more lost with her black dress and sneakers.

"Somi!" Sunny was the first one to react, going next to her to hug her. "You're looking so pretty."

Bowing at them, Somi tried hiding her red cheeks with her hand.

"T-Thank you, sunbaenim." she said.

"I loved your outfit!" Jessica suddenly said, turning at Somi. "I loved the whole concept of dress and sneakers."

"I love the whole Avril Lagvine thingy they’re doing with you!" Hannah agreed with Jessica. "I wish I could look this good."

"Guys, I think you’re scaring her." Taeyong giggled and got next to Somi. "How are you? Are you nervous?" 

"We saw you rehearsing earlier. It was sooo cool." Hyeyon told her.

"Thank you!" Somi answered, bowing again. "But yeah, I'm a bit nervous. It’s my first award ceremony."

"Oh, don't be." Yuri pouted and walking around Somi, hugging her. "We'll be screaming and cheering for you. We swear."

"Why don't we take a picture?" Yoona suggested.

"Sure. Somi-ssi, do you want some lipstick?" Tiffany said, pointing her lipstick at the girl, who slightly flinched.

Somi looked at her reflection and, compared to the other girls, she almost had no makeup and her gloss had already faded away. But, if the makeup artist didn't use a stronger lipstick, it might have a reason... or at least Somi thought.

"I don't think they'll like it..." Somi mumbled and looked down. The girls didn't even have to ask her who she was talking about.

"Your managers can't be mad at you because of a lipstick." Taeyeon said, trying to comfort her.

"If they say anything for you, you can tell me and I'll tell Sooman myself." Sunny said, making a grumpy face.

"Please, please, please!" Tiffany begged Somi. "This colour will look so good on you, I promise."

Somi made a quick examination of all the ways she could say 'no' to her sunbaenims, but none of them was polite enough and her manager was just around the corner, which made her remember she didn't have much time.

Looking at the girls, she smiled and nodded, making them jump and praise Somi's decision. Tiffany instructed Somi as she was applying her red lipstick, making sure to make it perfect.

"Now, throw your hair a bit to the side..." Jessica said, doing it for Somi. Seeing the result, she clapped. "Oh my God, you're so pretty."

"Gather around, girls!" Seohyun told them, around holding her phone in the selfie mode.

They got divided between staying behind Somi, next to her and crouching so that all of them could appear on the frame. Counting to three together, they smiled and made finger hearts to the camera. Once Seohyun pressed the button, taking a sequence of pictures, Somi decided it was time to go. 

Waving a quick goodbye and thanking them, Somi got out of the bathroom, finding her manager looking at her with a not so happy face and crossed arms. 

"I thought you'd stay there all night long." he cursed when she was closer. "We have to go, the show is already on again." 

Running after him, trying to keep her hair and dress in place, she got back in the artist zone buffing. When the boys saw her, they let out a sigh together. 

"Why did you take so long?" Suho complained. "We were starting to think something happened." 

"Sorry!" she whistled as she sat back. Now, Tao was sitting next to her. 

"Did you do something different today?" he asked after looking at her. 

Somi arched her lips down and shook her head. 

"No, nothing." she answered. 

"Hm..." he observed her. "You're looking pretty." 

"Thanks!" she said, elbowing him and trying to hide someone had noticed her change. "You're good too." 

From over his shoulder, she saw the girls getting on their places. Hannah looked at her and winked, showing her a thumbs up. Somi giggled and shook her head, turning her attention back to the ceremony and pretending nothing happened.

[1eos]

for the kibum thing tomorrow, its weird 2 me cause i feel like SM is promoting taeyeons ft on the one song than key and the entire album like sure she is TAEYEON and beloved by most (not all im so-so on her) but key is powerful enough too stand on his own like he doesnt need a ft artist so too me it seems like SM is using this too promote taeyeon cause there are rumors of a SNSD all members reunion album and they want ppl 2 be excited 4 that. idk it just feels rude 2 key like i havent seen any promo photos without her in them, if not front and center, and i havent seen them promote how good the album will be just that taeyeon is on the tt like thats cool we get it but this isnt really about her. SM sees that younger and newer kpop fans are into shinee and are using their interest in shinee too promote older groups newer fans wont take time 2 look into cause they want their old groups too be part of the 2nd-early 3rd gen renaissance going on now. like how they promoted seulgi being in yunhos mv more than yunho having 2 new mvs. idk thats my take is they dont want the new SNSD album 2 flop and have 2 disband them so theyre promoting the most famous one over top of key on keys own album.

the way i forgot i said we needed to talk abt it. thank u anon. but v interesting i could see that angle..... its #confusing me tho bc exactly like u said shinee has had this major revival nd have all these new fans but kibum still can't be allowed to stand on his own? nd imo snsd doesn't NEED help to have a successful group album like oh!gg did numbersssssss sm hadnt seen on yt in a lil bit! like theyre legends they don't need help 💀 just let them on a good song???? nd i swear every time i open twitter to look for something kibum is trending just bc he looked good on that lil show he on so like? if y'all relying sooooooooo hard on shinee nd shinee is such a reliable seller then why kibum gotta be in the background of his own teasers? so odd it's like sm thinks all the older groups are irrelevant nd no one likes them so they have to include random ppl in to drum up hype which just makes fans more annoyed cuz they it feels like theyre not getting what they were promised. im convinced nobody at sm know what they doing bc the bad ideas keep coming

[soshiharin]

wine and makeup wipes

summary: in which harin deals with the aftermath of her breakup

set: late june 2017

word count: 3.0k

warnings: swearing, mention of periods, food, throwinf up and alcohol, crying

an: it’s not fun and games here. words in bold and italics are italian and words in bold are english. feedback and reblogs are much appreciated 💐

harin’s masterlist

“Knock, knock,” Seohyun said as she leaned against the door.

Harin looked up from the book she was reading, smiling as she saw her youngest member. “Dearest, you’re here?” She asked, shifting against the headboard.

Seohyun fully entered the room, pulling a suitcase behind her. “For the next two weeks. I think the other unnies are going to come tomorrow since we’re having a lot of dance practices for the comeback and fanmeet.”

Harin sighed. “There goes my peace,” she joked. Since the only members that lived in the dorm full time were her, Tiffany, Sunny and Taeyeon, she had gotten used to peace and quiet. “It’s a good thing I got a king bed, isn’t it?” She asked as Seohyun plopped herself on the bed.

“It is,” Seohyun agreed. “The other bed was queen, right?” Harin nodded. “This one will be big enough for the three of us. We’ll be able to roll around however we feel like.”

“Yeah. Hyoyeon can do her thing, you can do your thing and I can do my thing.”

Seohyun stretched her limbs out, touching Harin’s foot with her fingers. “It’s so soft,” she mumbled. “I could fall asleep right now.”

Smiling at her member, Harin nudged her with her foot. “Don’t fall asleep. You’re going to mess with your sleep schedule.”

“Okay, okay.” She wiggled a little bit, putting her head on a pillow Harin offered her. She watched as Harin focused again on her book, noticing something. “Unnie, you have to move your eyes when you read.”

Harin grinned. “Yeah… Thanks for the reminder.”

Seohyun studied her a little longer. “Are you okay, unnie?”

Harin’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by Seohyun’s question. She scoffed lightly. “Of course I am. Why’d you ask?”

Seohyun sat up, turning to face Harin. “I don’t know–” she shrugged– “, but lately you’ve been acting a bit weird. Like you leave every twenty minutes when we have dance practices, you’re more quiet than usual, and you don’t even break into song anymore. Plus, you’re bending the pages of your book.”

Harin’s fingers stopped fiddling with the edge of the page of the book she was reading. Closing the book and putting it down next to her, she sighed. “You know me really well.”

“Of course! I’ve been your roommate for a long time. Hyoyeon unnie would also know that something’s off.”

“Well, everything’s… Everything’s fine,” she reassured Seohyun, playing with the material of her pants as she looked at her member, “I’m just… dealing with heartbreak.”

She watched as Seohyun realised what she was saying. The younger girl’s eyes widened slightly as she made a soft ‘Ah’ sound. Her eyes flicked around Harin’s face, trying to gauge how Harin felt from her facial expressions. Seohyun had always been intentional with her words.

“...How? I mean, why– What happened?” Seohyun asked, moving to sit next to Harin.

“Um, he broke up with me.” Harin shrugged. “Now I’m dealing with the aftermath.”

“Are you okay?”

“Well, I’m heartbroken… so, no.”

Seohyun leant her head on Harin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, unnie.”

“It’s okay, darling. I just need to ride it out.”

“Why did he break up with you, though? Everything seemed so well between you two. I thought you’d be like Sooyoung unnie and Kyungho oppa.”

“Me too, but… Whatever. It’s over, it happened, it ended. That’s that.”

Seohyun nodded and wordlessly took hold of Harin’s hand. “You want me to read your book? It can be like an audiobook,” she volunteered, reaching over Harin to take the book. “I’m a good reader, you know?” She bragged, opening the book as she sat up straight with a confident smile on her face.

Harin bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. “You’re one of the best readers I know.”

“That’s right!” Seohyun finished shifting, settling comfortably against the headboard. Since she was done moving, she focused on the book, her smile falling from her face immediately. “Unnie, I can’t read this.”

“Why not?”

“This is in Italian!”

The members took a break from going over the choreography for Genie. Since it had been a while since they last performed the song, they had to relearn the dance for their upcoming fanmeet.

“I’m coming back,” Harin announced as she rushed out of the practice room, not waiting to hear if anyone would stop her.

“Where does she keep going?” Hyoyeon asked, lying on the ground. “It’s the third time she’s left.”

Yoona walked to sit on the couch in the back of the room. “Maybe she’s on her period.”

“She’s been doing this for more than two weeks, though,” Taeyeon noted before taking a sip of her water. “And her period doesn’t last two weeks.”

“Yuri-yah, did she mention anything to you?” Tiffany asked, nudging Yuri in the ribcage as they plopped themselves on the couch. She knew how Harin would usually go to Yuri with her concerns.

Yuri shook her head. “She didn’t mention anything to me.”

Seohyun’s eyes shifted uneasily as the members kept trying to figure out why Harin kept on leaving the practice room so often. She noticed that their dance teacher had just left the room to get coffee, leaving only the members in the room. “Unnies!” She whisper-shouted, causing them to quiet down. She motioned for them to go to where she was sitting in front of the mirror, the seven women immediately going to their maknae.

“I don’t even know if Harin unnie would be okay with me telling you this,” Seohyun started, “but I think you deserve to know. Even though it has nothing to do with you,” she added as an afterthought.

“What is it?” Sunny asked, retying her ponytail.

“Dongwook oppa broke up with unnie,” Seohyun told them.

Sooyoung gasped. “What? When?”

Seohyun shrugged. “I don’t know, she told me a few days ago, but didn’t say when it happened.”

“Did she say why they broke up?”

“Nope. Just said she was heartbroken.”

Tiffany sat down next to Seohyun. “So, do you think she’s been leaving practice to cry?”

“It can’t be–” Yuri shook her head– “her eyes aren’t watery or anything like that.

“Whatever it is she’s doing,” Yoona started, “let’s not treat unnie differently.”

“We’ll just wait for her to tell us,” Sunny agreed. “Until she’s ready.”

They all agreed before dispersing around the room again. Harin returned just before their dance teacher. She put her hands in the pocket of her sweatpants to hide how they were shaking slightly, not noticing how her members kept sneaking glances at her.

She did, however, notice how the mood in the room had dropped slightly.

It had been a tough couple of weeks.

Harin had practice for Girls’ Generations’ comeback almost everyday, finished her latest show dates for Maybe Happy Ending and had to mull over her contract renewal. Also, she got dumped. So, when the members suggested having a drink one night, she immediately agreed.

She wasn’t one to drink often — there was a history of alcoholism in her family —, but as she sat against the front of the couch, she found herself reaching for her fourth can of beer. Her members exchanged worried looks over her head, Hyoyeon reaching to stop Harin.

“Let me drink,” Harin whined, dodging Hyoyeon’s hand.

“At least eat some of the chicken before you make yourself sick,” Hyoyeon argued as Sunny handed Harin a fried chicken wing.

Harin rolled her eyes, putting the can back on the table, accepting the chicken Sunny was holding out to her. She took a bite, exaggerating it to please her members. “Are you happy?”

“So happy,” Sooyoung replied, sitting on the other side of the couch.

Tiffany nodded from beside Sooyoung. “Finish that chicken wing and you can drink half of that beer.”

Yoona suddenly groaned, covering her nose. “Who farted?”

“Was it you?” Yuri asked from behind Harin on the couch. She poked Harin’s head.

“Why do you always think it’s me?” Harin muttered, taking a bite of her chicken.

“Because you fart and then don’t say anything,” Taeyeon answered from her position on the floor in the middle of the U-shaped couch. “You keep forgetting it has a scent.”

“Well, it wasn’t me. It was probably the one on my left that keeps scrunching her face.” She pointed at Hyoyeon, who immediately relaxed her facial muscles.

Sooyoung yelled, “Yah!”

“I didn’t think it would smell bad!” Hyoyeon defended herself.

“Harrinie’s the only one that can use that excuse,” Sunny argued from the other side of Harin.

Yoona agreed, “She’s the only one that can’t smell.”

“You should’ve been born without the ability to smell if you were going to give such excuses,” Harin said, reaching for her beer as she unknowingly started speaking Italian.

Seohyun sighed. “Unnie, English or Korean please.”

“Whatever,” she muttered, sipping her beer.

Tiffany sighed. “It’s been so long since we just, like, sat and talked with each other. Because lately, we’ve been practising, practising, practising and when we get to the dorm, we just immediately go to bed.”

“Right,” Yuri agreed.

“How’s everyone doing?”

Sunny snorted. “Sooyoung’s busy filming her drama, Tiffany’s as enthusiastic as ever, Yoona recently finished filming her drama, Taeyeon finished her tour, Seohyun is doing her drama, Yuri is living a happy life, I’m doing variety shows, Hyoyeon just released a single and Harin’s hu– Um, she– She’s, um, en– enjoying her life,” she summarised, sniffling out of embarrassment when she was done.

Harin squinted her eyes, noticing how Sunny stumbled over her words when she got to her. She looked at her members, all of them pretending to not be looking at her. She put her can on the coffee table in front of her, thinking back to earlier that evening, how all of the members seemed to have their radars focused on her.

When she had plopped herself on the floor, Hyoyeon, Sunny and Taeyeon followed her lead wordlessly. Yuri had positioned herself behind her and played with Harin’s hair; brushing and brushing it out. Tiffany would glance her way when the characters in the movie they had been watching would do anything romantic, Yoona immediately complaining about how many kissing scenes there were. Sooyoung had ordered chicken from the restaurant Harin liked for them all to share. Seohyun bought the beer brand that Harin liked so they could drink.

She sighed, frowning slightly. “Judging by your behaviour, I’m gonna assume you know I’m single.”

Yuri gasped. “What? No!”

“What are you talking about?” Hyoyeon asked, feigning ignorance.

“Sunny unnie, I told you not to make it obvious!” Seohyun whined. “We said we’d wait for unnie to tell us all.”

“I’m sorry,” Sunny apologised. “It almost flew out–” she made a gesture of words escaping her mouth– “, I tried to make it seem natural.”

Harin nodded endearingly. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m single, everyone.” She did jazzhands. “Let’s not ma–”

“Ah, Harin-ah!” Tiffany whined, feeling empathy for her friend. “How are you holding up?”

“Horribly,” Harin deadpanned. “But I feel like I’m at the end of it and I’m going to move on soon and get over it.”

“You must be getting tipsy,” Yuri commented as she played with Harin’s hair. Whenever Harin was on her way to getting drunk, she would lose control of her ability to control the language she was speaking in.

Harin rolled her eyes. “Whatever. But don’t, like, worry about me because I’m fine.”

“Unnie, you said you were heartbroken,” Seohyun reminded her.

“I don’t remember that. Don’t gaslight me.”

“Harin, you’re drinking. Heavily,” Taeyeon said, her voice taking a serious edge. “You’re not fine.”

“You just said that you were horrible,” Hyoyeon added.

“Yeah, but–” She sighed before inhaling shakily, feeling herself get emotional. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just watch another movie.” She gestured at the TV as she reached for her beer.

A silence took over the room, everyone watching as Harin’s breathing got heavier with frustration. They wanted to help her, but knew that she wouldn’t accept their help as long as she didn’t want to.

“Unnie, you’re allowed to be sad about it,” Sooyoung softly reminded her.

Harin swallowed a lump in her throat, nodding softly. “I know. I’m just tired of crying all the time.”

Sunny put her arm around Harin’s shoulders, feeling the younger girl melt into her body. “Then maybe instead of crying, you can talk to us about it,” she suggested. “Just to see if it works.”

Harin was silent for a few minutes as she tried to regain her composure. “He said we had gone too long without seeing each other. And that he likes spending time with people when he dates them. He first suggested a break, just until after I’m done with Mean Girls, but I didn’t want one. I didn’t see the need, I mean… It wouldn’t be impossible to rearrange our schedules a bit.”

Harin’s voice had been stripped of all its energy, leaving behind a dull, grating sound. “I argued that his schedule was less busy than mine and he could just come to one of the shows for Maybe Happy Ending and he didn’t think that was enough. I, being the person I am, got angry and said there was no reason for us to ever get back together. So, I guess I broke up with him. But, he… accepted it pretty easily, so… Two weeks later and here I am.” She flashed them a forced smile.

“I’m sorry, unnie,” Yoona apologised, genuine care in her voice.

“You deserved better than that!” Tiffany said, suddenly angry. Her loudness caused Harin to raise her head and look at her member.

“She’s right,” Taeyeon agreed, placing a hand on Tiffany’s knee to calm her down. “That was a shit thing of him to do.”

Harin furrowed her eyebrows, feeling a confusing assortment of emotions in her chest. “What?”

Seohyun nodded. “What would make him do that?”

Harin shrugged. “Maybe he… had good intentions,” she mumbled.

“You can’t believe that,” Hyoyeon argued. “You’re devastated right now. There’s no way he did that with good intentions.”

“I–”

“What do you keep leaving practice for?” Sooyoung asked.

Harin’s mouth opened and closed as she hesitated to speak. “... Sometimes, I… I have panic attacks. Other times, I throw up whatever… I ate.”

“Any possible, but unlikely, good intentions he had mean nothing compared to what you’re going through.”

Blinking quickly to deter the tears welling in her eyes, Harin took a deep breath. “I think you’re being a bit harsh on hi–”

“He broke your heart!” Tiffany exploded, standing up with passion. “And you said he didn’t try to stop you when you ended your relationship for good, you’re having panic attacks and you can’t eat without throwing up because of him. He’s… He’s a fucking asshole.”

“He is an asshole,” Sunny agreed. “How could he do that to you?”

“He’s not an asshole,” Harin whispered, struggling to speak because of how emotional she was.

“Harin, he broke your heart,” Yuri argued, “for no reason. If that doesn’t make him an asshole, I don’t know what does.”

“He’s not. He isn’t a bad person. Don’t say that about him. Please,” she pleaded, using her hand to cover her eyes as she broke into tears and sobbed.

Her cries filled the room, her body shaking because of the force of her tears. Sunny tightened her hold on her member, shooting the other women a shocked expression. Tiffany sat down slowly, feeling guilty about her outburst. Seohyun rushed to get some tissues for Harin as Taeyeon spoke up.

“We’re sorry, Harin-ah,” she apologised, a gentleness to her tone as if she were speaking to a child. “It’s just that whenever we’d be sad about a breakup, you’d sit with us and, if we wanted, trash talk the guy with us.” She stopped momentarily as Seohyun handed Harin the tissues she retrieved. “We just wanted to help you feel better.”

Seohyun made an agreeing sound. “We were so… angry because of how hurt you were. We weren’t trying to add to your pain. We’re really sorry, unnie.”

Harin sniffled, trying to calm herself down so she could respond. “I– I love him,” she blubbered. Her members’ hearts broke as they watched Seohyun try to wipe her tears.

Hyoyeon put a reassuring hand on Harin’s shoulder. “Cry as much as you need to, okay? We’ll be here for you until you start to feel better.”

Harin didn’t remember leaving the room, but by the time her crying had quieted down, she was in bed. Seohyun was spooning her from behind, rubbing her back in soothing circles as the other members cleaned up the living room.

“I didn’t know she was that upset,” Yoona said, collecting all the empty cans and bottles.

Sooyoung sighed. “She must’ve been in work mode.”

Tiffany fluffed up the pillows before placing them on the couch again. “I’m so angry at him.”

“We all are,” Sunny told her, groaning as she spoke, “but Harin’s more upset than we thought and isn’t ready to be angry yet.”

“Let’s all ignore our anger,” Yuri suggested as she walked back into the living room after putting the chicken in the fridge. “And if you get too angry, just curse him in your minds.”

“Or out loud,” Tiffany added. “Like, he’s a fucking asshole and I’m going to fight him.”

Taeyeon scoffed. “You don’t know how to fight.”

“But Yuri unnie’s right,” Yoona said. “Let’s keep our anger to ourselves.”

The other members agreed almost immediately. With that new resolve, they continued cleaning the living room before going to their respective rooms.

”Is she asleep?” Hyoyeon whispered as she entered the room, shining her phone torch to cast a light.

Seohyun nodded, whispering back, “She fell asleep a few minutes ago. Cried herself to sleep.”

Hyoyeon sighed as she moved to change into her pyjamas, placing her phone on the dresser. “There’s nothing we can do but be there for her.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go to sleep Seo Jutaeng,” she said, getting into bed.

Seohyun chuckled softly. “Okay, Hyoraengbanggu.” She shifted in bed so that she was lying down comfortably. “Goodnight, Hareongdeongi,” she whispered in Harin’s ear as Hyoyeon got into bed.

Although Harin had hoped to get some rest as she slept, she spent the whole night dreaming about him — as she did most nights. She dreamed about her time with him and time they could have spent together. The ache she would feel in the morning was worth the momentary euphoria she felt.

tagging: @moongrlz

©️ jang harin

[nctseren]

FRIENDSHIPS WITHIN SM

— RED VELVET

Everyone in the industry knows that they are best friends, almost sisters. And everyone within SM knows that it has always been this way. They have always been the ones who support her, they have always been the ones who dry her tears and, at the end of the day, they are the ones who, after a bad day or a scandal, are there for her.

It's a beautiful friendship, no one can deny it. (But 127 sometimes get "mad" because they keep her secrets, including guys she is meeting.)

Her friendship with Yerim is different, they're best friends: both being 99 line and with almost the same personality that made them close. Honestly no one is stopping them from saying that they are soulmates. (reminder: were known as "sm twins") They're usually like Tom and Jerry, they fight over small things, but an hour later they are proclaiming their love.

— SHINee's Key and Taemin

Seren has a lot of respect for her seniors and adores them. But no matter how much love she has for them, it is Kibum who has been there for her, he is the one who supports her and with whom she has a strong bond. But it was not always like that, although they were close everything was based on jokes between them and a funny relationship — everything changed in 2017, various reasons made them even closer and now both fandoms know that they have a very beautiful friendship — he still "annoys" her.

(It really is Key and 99 lines against the world; this is how Yeri describes the friendship the three of them have.)

Of course, in 2019 she also became close with Taemin (Lee Taemin!!). With the difference that he swears he is her father (if he could, he would fight with NCT members and Suho for that role) and sometimes treats her like a very cute baby (the compilations of Taemin calling Seren cute are endless).

— EXO's Xiumin, Suho, Baekhyun and Kai

Suho swears that she is his baby (she's not!) And always gets excited when she raps. He gives her a lot of advice and sometimes invites her to eat for a "father-daughter" time, she always accepts of course (free food!). Even though it's not her kind of humor, Seren always laughs at his dad jokes —recently Baekhyun "scolded" her because yah! it's your fault he kept making them—. She plays his songs all the time and on Vlives she always reminds czennies to go listen to them and "Oh, I'm sure Exo-l miss Suho-oppa as much as I do, but we'll be okay!"

Seren is crazy about Xiumin and his fake maknae personality. In every interaction between them she always has a big smile. I'm not going to lie, she got a little jealous when he had the station with Mark and not with her (with her!) But then she got over it when he brought her ice cream. The most iconic moment of this friendship is when he came back from military service and she send a 10 second audio on Bubble, where she just yelled "Oppa is back! Xiumin! Minkseo! He's back!"

Her friendship with Kai and Baekhyun only started until 2019, previously they only greet each other and recognize their talent (she was/is crazy about Baek's vocals but don't tell him).

— TAEYEON

She always reached out to Seren: to take care of her and guide her, especially with her being part of a new concept with only boys around her — Taeyeon was sure she needed more girls by her side. So yes, her senior always reached out to support her and give her advice.

However, their relationship did not go further. But since Krystal (who has been like Sohee's older sister) left the company, their friendship has grown stronger. Well, she's the only one she has left, apart from Red Velvet.

— AESPA

She adores them, they are her babies and she is always talking about them and listening to Black Mamba. She always sends them small messages to brighten their day: "have a nice day!" "winter you look so pretty today!" "fighting!", etc. They're still not a great friendship because the girls are just gaining the confidence to treat her as a friend, but fans don't doubt that they will soon be like family.

[sombreboy]

Dining out⇢kth x jjk

⇢18+ ⇢pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook (brief ft.Namjoon & Jisoo) ⇢genre: Smut, fluff, mxm, married couple ⇢word count: 8k ⇢warnings: Profanity, dumb humor, lil secret touching under the dinner table, bratty sub tae, dom daddy jk, I swear the daddy kink is heavy for these boys sometimes and this is one of those times, puppy petname; CHECK, blowjob, finger sucking, fingering, filming their shenanigans with their phone, tae fucks himself on jk's big doink then gets fucked good, meme ending because i am too lazy but at least you got a good fucking in. xo

A/N: Serves as a oneshot within the Love Maze series AU, however can also be read on it’s own. Co-written with my lovely @velvetwicebang​​ <3

“Okay, remember to feed her every two to three hours.” Jimin nodded; blonde hair bobbing as he did so. The man carefully bounced the babbling baby on his hip, suppressing the need to roll his eyes at Taehyung’s constant reminders. 

They’d only be gone for a few hours; but Taeyeon’s fathers were treating this like a five-month vacation. 

“Her formula is in the bag, and so is her apple sauce! Sometimes she gets fussy right after she eats, so rub her tummy and give her a few pats on the back. Also, there’s diapers—“

“Guys, we know. We’ve looked after her before, remember?” Jimin reached out to place a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder; unknowing of Taeyeon’s infatuation with his boyfriend’s tattoos. 

He didn’t have as many as her daddy Koo, but her shiny, doe eyes curiously scanned over the new piece of art. She found his eyes cool..

“No, I know.” Taehyung sighed, knowing he needed to calm the fuck down— but, Taeyeon.. but their date night.. “Normally we would’ve left her with Namjoon and Jisoo, but obviously that isn’t an option.”

“Cool, we’re the second choice. Nice.” Jimin wasn’t truly hurt by his friend’s careless reveal, only chuckling as he reassured them of the best.

“Shit, Jimin, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just she knows them bet—“

“Tae, be quiet before I throw this apple sauce at you.”

Taehyung’s mouth was glued shut.

“Just go out and have fun, alright? We’ll look after Taeyeon, she’s in good hands. You seem stressed out as hell, I dunno, maybe even fuck it out while you’re at it.”

Tae simply sighed, detaching himself from Jungkook’s arm to press a soft kiss onto Taeyeon’s head, bidding his temporary goodbyes.

“Okay, well.. we’re leaving. We should be back soon. Thanks, again.”

"Thanks guys, don't hesitate to call us if you need to!" Jungkook chirped, a bit less worried than his husband. Surprisingly, Taehyung seemed to be the one who was always extra, extra protective and worried about separating from their little daughter. Now, Kook was a worrier himself, but he never thought he'd be the one tugging at the elder to finally be able to let go of being a father for just one second.

Kook's eyes met with the little doe eyes their daughter mirrored, his toothy grin growing as she quickly resumed her attention towards the tall man. He might've looked a bit intimidating at first, but everyone quickly learned that he was probably the softest one of them all.

Jungkook pulled Taehyung with him quickly, closing the door behind them before heading towards their car. They haven't been able to get this kind of time to be a couple for quite a while, and both of them were excited-- and anxious. It was routine by now with their child, and breaking it was harder than it seemed. BUT, fuck, did they need it. Stress was no joke with these men. Work, eat, sleep, clean, shit... Take care of the baby, make time for each other?

It wasn't easy, but they were a team. And did they make a damn good one.

"You look good." Jungkook grasped for Tae's hand to hold it cutely by the car. "We should take a picture of this rare occasion of both of us being properly put together at the same time for once."

“You’re right. This is rare as fuck..” Taehyung’s shoulders dropped to a less unnatural position, deep-set brows resuming to their place, ripening his facial muscles. He hooked an arm around Jungkook’s delicate waist, pulling him in until their sides touched. “Let the photographer do the honors, ey?” Cocky as ever, the elder’s hand uninvitingly reached inside of Koo’s back pocket, searching for the younger’s phone whilst he hummed into their short-lived kiss. Tae pulled away with a dorky smile, angling the high-tech device towards the starry sky, a wash of light shining down on them as if the cluster of stars themselves were on their side; working towards getting them the perfect picture.

It was cheesy— every second of it— but, Taehyung found his anxiety crumbling the longer they spent taking silly photos, so he said: ‘fuck it’.

“I like this one, you look like a full course meal.” Tae nudged his husband’s side, believable as he mercilessly teased. “Ah, okay. We should get going before Joon thinks we’ve bailed or something, you know he always thinks of the worst.” The elder climbed onto the passenger seat, twisting his body to reach for the seatbelt. “How much do you wanna bet Jisoo is holding him back from making a phone call right now?”

Jungkook's bunny-like grin grew at the compliment, the apple of his cheeks tinted with a rosy hue. He grabbed his cell phone back from his husband before sitting down in the driver's seat, deciding to post their selfie on his Instagram.

"I bet she took his phone away already. If not, they'll see our pretty picture." Kook scrunched his nose before placing his phone down in his front pocket. He starts the car and backs out on the driveway, giving their home one last glance before driving off.

"I'm excited, honestly. We haven't had a second for ourselves lately." The younger sighed, eyes flickering to keep his attention on the traffic. With one hand on the steering wheel, the other reached over to smooth over Taehyung's thigh as if to soothe him.. Koo could easily tell the elder was still having a bit of separation anxiety for leaving their daughter with their friends... "Let's enjoy this to the fullest, don't think too much. You know what would be nice? A few drinks to loosen up a bit."

“Yeah, I need that.” Taehyung knew Koo could see right through him. It was no secret that the elder’s mind lingered somewhere else; Taeyeon, to be exact. Tae knew he was extremely overprotective, it was never something he’d felt ashamed of in the past. What could you expect from someone who grew up in a hostile environment when they were younger?— it pained him to think this way, but.. If his own father could raise a hand at him, what would a stranger be capable of doing? Of course Tae didn’t think any of their friends would obtain such malice, nor were they strangers to Taeyeon. The opposite, in fact. Each and every one of their hyungs held a special place in the girl’s heart. The elder guessed that his past’s trauma arose now that he was a father himself. Taehyung wanted to do better.

Jungkook's smile didn't falter from his face the entire ride, the faint tugging of his lips in excitement a constant reminder of how relieved he actually is to be able to get some time alone to focus on his friends-- and especially his husband for the night. He pulled up into the restaurant parking lot, the scent coming off the building already hitting their noses even as they sat outside in their car. Kook inhaled with a content sigh, leg almost jumping in excitement. He was a foodie after all-- and since he finally has a stable income along with Taehyung, he's never had to worry whether or not there'd be food on the table. Cheesy one might say, but once in a while the younger still enjoyed to microwave some noodles on occasion either way.

"We're here." He cooed joyfully as he clicked the seatbelt off to lean over to the passenger seat, placing a haste kiss on Taehyung's cheek. He lingered, letting his lips hover over the elders skin. Taking a moment, he drank in the view. Taehyung has always been the most handsome man that Jungkook had ever laid eyes on, and as the years passed by quickly, that still never changed. One would say Taehyung only became hotter, aging like a fine wine.

"You look so good tonight... I won't be able to keep my eyes off you." Kook smiled, cupping Taehyung's cheek to draw him in for a proper kiss.

Taehyung giggled in the midst of their kiss, the sound so small and indistinct, but in the calming stillness of a parked vehicle it was impossible for its vibrations to go over one’s head. It definitely went noticed by the culprit himself, who blushed at the abrupt realization that even after many years spent by Koo’s side, the latter always knew how to make him feel beautiful..

“Thanks. You look really good too, baby..” Tae licked over his lips, able to still taste Jungkook despite the younger having pulled away. “Fuck, okay. Let’s go in; I’m hungry and Joon’s probably losing it by now.”

“Where the hell were you guys? We’ve been waiting for what—“ Namjoon’s eyes flickered down to his watch, “���fifteen minutes?”

Taehyung snorted, “What do you want us to do? Get down on the ground and bow at your feet?”

“You know what? Hell yea—“

Jisoo stepped in, speaking on behalf of her husband, “No need for any major bows here.. Ah, please sit down. Joon’s extra dramatic when he’s hungry.”

"You're not you when you're hungry." Jungkook recited the old commercial with a giggle, shaking his head at how bad it was-- but so funny to his young mind. He sat down in the booth across from Jisoo, with Taehyung sliding down next to him to sit across from Joon.

"Fifteen minutes is precious cooking time at a place like this, Kook. Don't joke--"

"Won't happen again hyung!" Jungkook saluted clearly, his toothy grin too effective towards Joon-- whether he wanted to admit it or not. His bunny-like smile would never cease to work as a secret weapon...

"Whatever." Namjoon grumbled as he picked up the digital device on the table used to order their food. 

"How have you guys been?" Jisoo chirped as she glanced over at the little tablet, clicking occasionally to help navigate Joon's confused behavior towards the device.

"Stressed." Jungkook sighed, leaning his head against Taehyung's shoulder. "Having a child is no joke, there's never a dull day. But I love it, though." Kook mused, waiting for their turn with the tablet, reaching out for it when Jisoo had completely taken over to order for her and her husband. He stares at the contents for a moment, showing Tae the various choices of alcohol, hovering with his finger over the stronger drinks with a coy eyebrow.

“You know me too well.” Taehyung returned the favor, imitating Koo’s raised brow before pointing at the drink of his choice; Tae was aware he needed to chillax. And alcohol never disappoints.

Once they were finished ordering their starting drinks, the elder dismissed the tablet to the side. He scooted closer to Jungkook until they were practically squished together in spite of the extra space; playing with his husband’s fingers from under the table.

“Yeah, Taeyeon’s a handful.” The corner of Taehyung’s lips twitched upwards as he amusingly breathed out through his nose, mind tracing back to their daughter. “But she’s cute though, so it makes up for it.” The elder turned his head to look at Kook, “Also, this guy right here is pretty good with babies.”

Jisoo voiced out her agreement, reminded of the older days when Jungkook would help her with Yuna once he was done with school. Now her friend was married, and caring after a baby of his own.. Proud was an understatement in Jisoo’s mind. Every time she looked at Koo her heart swelled; the boy she once knew had grown into a man. But then again, Jungkook had always been really mature. In a sense, it’s the same guy Jisoo’s always considered her close friend— and fed on the daily.. “Joon could learn a few things..”

The mumbling under the older woman’s breath didn’t go unnoticed by Namjoon, who came to his own defense as quickly as lightning strikes the ground, “I showed up to the wrong preschool once!”

Taehyung butted in, confused but amused, “You forgot where your son goes to school?” Tae’s shoulders vibrated as he laughed, suddenly feeling much better about his own mishaps as a parent.

“The drinks can come out anytime now..” Namjoon tried to swerve away from the topic; his failed attempt at being sly earned himself a couple rounds of laughter.

Yeah, maybe Taehyung needed this..

As the tray of drinks finally arrived, they were left to sip on whatever they've ordered while waiting for their dinner. Jisoo and Namjoon both opted for the simple choice; beer. While Jungkook was an avid enthusiast of alcohol, whether it be beer, tequila, wine... He did settle for a large glass of wine, perfect for the occasion on his end-- and perfect as it always got him pleasantly warmed up.

"Ah, I'm so hungry...." Jungkook groaned, waiting for that big, fat juicy steak he'd seen on the screen. Meat was his one true love-- if you'd disregard the fact that his husband existed. He worked out just as avidly as he did in their younger days.. Well, tried to, and therefore his appetite was comparable to that of a horse.

"You're always hungry!" Jisoo joked, slapping Joon's shoulder as she laughed.

"Yah! Why'd you hit me?!" Namjoon nudged her shoulder back with his dimpled smile.

"Ah, food!" Jungkook's big, doe eyes sparkled with a childlike joy when the food finally arrived, jaw hanging open in pure admiration.

Taehyung chimed out loud along with Koo, ignoring Jisoo’s and Namjoon’s playful banter in the background. All that was on his mind at the moment was, ‘must eat’. Taeyeon snuck in there once in a while, but Tae trusted Jimin and his boyfriend. They’ve always returned his baby back in one piece, so that’s that. Maybe the alcohol was helping; he wasn’t as restless.

“Fuuck,” Taehyung knocked his head back, resting it against the backrest of the booth whilst he chewed on the piece of meat, savoring the burst of flavor that’d just popped in his mouth. “Koo, here.” It didn’t matter that they ordered the same meal, Tae still cut out a small piece for his husband to try. He blew on it before guiding it into Jungkook’s mouth, “Fucking delicious, right?”

Jungkook chomped the piece of meat off the fork with his bunny teeth, chewing it happily. His eyes widened as he nodded, humming in content. Food did taste better when it was from your husband's plate, confirmed. "So fucking good, oh my god.. " Koo agreed. Both men were just feeding off of each other's plates at this point, letting out all their curses and groans occasionally. Being censored on the daily was harder than they thought, and finally letting it all out--- somewhat satisfying.

Namjoon eyed the couple with a mix of disgust for their cheesiness, yet the dimples proved that he couldn't hold his smile for the two. They were grown ass men, and yet they acted like dorky the teens they’ve always been the moment they are together like this. It was endearing.

"What? You want me to feed you too?" Jisoo nudged Joon with a coy smile on her lips, immediately laughing when he shook his head.

"Definitely not." He joked back. He hated to share his food-- but so did Jisoo, so it was okay.

The evening went on for a bit, everyone talking-- rather, Namjoon rambling about everything and nothing while the rest ate, drank, and drank....

Jungkook couldn't help but continuously look over at his husband. He was just so fucking hot, when was the last time he was able to truly admire him like this? Forever ago.. A few drinks in and Koo's cheeks were hot, hazy eyes only half listening to the rambling from the other side of the table, nodding absentmindedly. His hand, however, decided to snake over to the elder's lap, gently rubbing up and down the soft fabrics, feeling the firm muscle underneath.

Taehyung was just as buzzed; their conversations only stuck with him for a couple of seconds before he reached for his glass of wine, downing the remainder of the scarlet drink. He was loosening up, or so he thought.. The meat of the elder’s thigh clenched, and his dimmed eyes averted downwards towards the source of the unexpected caress on his leg. With barely any space between the two, Tae awkwardly shifted around in his seat— however, he didn’t bother on pushing Jungkook’s hand away.

He liked it..

It’s been a hot minute since his husband put this much attention on him. The touch was small, but even such delicacy had Taehyung’s hormones in a twist..

“What are you doing?” He leaned in to whisper into Koo’s ear, resting his own hand on the younger’s thigh. Tae told himself that it was for balance, but even he knew that wasn’t exactly the truth. “Fuck, you’re hard,” his hand had slithered upwards to Jungkook’s crotch, groping his husband’s cock through the fabric of Kook’s pants.

"What are you doing? ah.." Jungkook's thighs quivered, gently bucking up into Tae's hand as he desperately tried to act unaffected. Not that the other couple would notice-- they were just as buzzed, just rambling, occasionally bantering... Koo barely noticed their presence at this point.

All he could think about was Taehyung, Taehyung, Taehyung...

"You just look so hot, babe, how could I not be hard?.." He huffed quietly, the hand on Tae's thigh mirroring the elders movements by palming his husband's cock right back, able to feel the shape and girth of it through the fabrics. "Shit, what I'd do to have you on your knees below this table instead..."

Taehyung’s shrunken pupils vigilantly switched between his husband and the other couple in front of them, until he realized there was no need..

Joon and Jisoo weren’t quite at their level, but it was obvious the beer had gotten to their systems if the cheesy mumbles and sudden display of affection were anything to go by. They were never cheesy— in front of them, at least.

“Don’t tempt me, we’ll probably get banned from this place or something..” Tae’s drunken smile beamed in the dimmed lighting before his lips abruptly took the shape of an ‘o’. Embarrassed, he nuzzled his nose in the dip of Jungkook’s neck, continuing to rub and squeeze Koo’s prominent bulge at a fixed pace despite crumbling underneath the younger’s teasing himself. “It’s been so long since I really got to feel you like this, and it’s been too long since you’ve felt me; really felt me..” 

“Let us in on the secrets! Don’t be so secretiveee, it’s not nice, y’know.” Jisoo loudly sipped on her water’s straw, lips closing in on the frail plastic after her third try— her aim when drunk was amusing.

“This feels like all the way back to, uh, second grade was it? When all my buds talked shit behind my back ‘n crap.”

The woman pouted, “Awe, babe, fuck those kids. Look at you now, with mee! They wish they had me.”

Namjoon understood in spite of her strong slurring, “They’ll never have you, mine.”

Taehyung turned to look back at Jungkook, face reading; ‘what the fuck’. “Wanna get out of here? Kinda want some.. privacy.”

Jungkook couldn't even play it cool at this point, his eager nodding proving just how badly he wanted to get out of there as well-- if his throbbing erection wasn't enough to go by. "Yeah, please." Kook’s ragged breath whispered back, withdrawing his hand from Taehyung's crotch to inhale deeply. "Follow me... I have a fun idea." Since they couldn't go home, nor did they have a hotel room for the night-- there was only one option the younger could think of. A fun one, in his own mind. It's been a long fucking time since they did something a little risky... Jungkook was gonna try to say something to the other couple, but it was easier than he expected to have them accept their disappearance, so he simply got up, leaning down to whisper once again into Tae's ear.

"I'll be waiting in the bathroom... You have two minutes. No more, no less." He cooed, a mischievous grin on his lips as he placed a gentle kiss on the elders cheek before strolling off towards the bathroom area, closing the door behind him. The anticipation-- the small amount of waiting was enough to rile him up even further. And surely he hoped it did the same to Taehyung.

Fuck the bathroom, I’ll willingly get down on my knees right at this second— Is what Taehyung wanted to say, but he was far too stunned to even respond with a dumb nod of his head. Jungkook had strutted away without waiting for an answer, and for that Tae was glad.. Every time the younger asserted his natural dominance, Taehyung was left a flustered, unable-to-form-coherent-sentences mess. The elder was convinced the alluring words that slipped past Koo’s lips tasted like honey; they were sweet and sticky, making it awfully hard for Taehyung to forget them.

“I’ll be waiting in the bathroom.. You have two minutes. No more, no less.”

The man didn’t realize he’d been stalling until Jisoo asked him where Jungkook had gone off to.

“He’s.. somewhere. I’m going to the restroom, I’ll be back.” He kept it short ‘n sweet, knowing that whatever was going to happen in the secluded space would be anything but. Jungkook liked taking his time, and Taehyung enjoyed taking all his husband had to offer. The elder loved drowning himself in the moment, which is why he’d grown keen of using his beloved camera for other reasons.. Taehyung looked back on the films a lot— it was hot, and it gave him an excuse to miss Jungkook whilst he was away at work. More often than not Tae couldn’t act on his sexual desires; only settling for giving Koo a messy hand job before they called it a night. But today? It was going to be different.

Taehyung’s eager hand slowly turned on the doorknob, brows arched in anticipation when he’d met Jungkook’s gaze on the other side. It was a family restroom, meaning it was quite small. There were no stalls, only space meant for one. Or two..

Tae’s back was pressed up against the door as he pushed it shut, making sure to lock it. He stayed still in his place, arms shyly tucked from behind him. “I think I went over two minutes, daddy.”

"You did, puppy." The corner of Jungkook's lip curved into a smirk as he moved forward, barely a few steps before he was already towering over his husband. Internally, he was eager.. Impatient in every sense of the word. But tonight was a once in a while occasion, and it didn't occur often enough for him to waste it on a quick fuck. He'd been longing for this opportunity to truly feel Taehyung again, and boy.. was his body itching to feel everything.

"Can't even follow one simple instruction.." Jungkook tsk'd playfully, pressing up his body against Tae's, deliberately brushing their crotches together to make sure the elder felt just how hard he was for him already. "What do I do with a boy that misbehaves..." Now, Taehyung was anything but a boy-- but making the elder feel smaller was one of his favorite things to do, belittling him until he was nothing but a whiny, pleading sweetheart. Kook grasped Tae's chin in his long, tattooed grasp to demand eye contact, tilting his head lightly to the side like a curious pup would. "Do you need a reminder of why you call me daddy?"

“Hmm... I think I do..” Taehyung’s tongue peeked out from the small, surprised opening of his flushed lips, brushing over the moisturized skin and wetting it with its saliva. A hitched gasp followed suit, emphasizing the gloss-like effect he’d made for himself; Taehyung knew Koo was a sucker for the posh look. Slowly, his lips relaxed, and Taehyung’s intense gaze clashed with his husband’s. He allowed the latter to feel superior by standing tall before him, while Tae cowered in his place. The delicate, firm hold on his chin was beginning to make itself known, but the elder didn’t dare move out of Jungkook’s clutch. “Remind me, Koo.. why do I call you daddy?” Taehyung’s hands gripped at the younger’s hips, stifling his faint moans as their crotches pressed against one another.

It’s been too fucking long.

“What makes you worthy of that title?” He kept on pushing, wishing Kook would drop the foreplay and fuck him numb once and for all.. The elder was less patient, but he was just as needy.

Jungkook's lips curled into a smirk to serve as a response to Taehyung's daring words, knowing just how needy his husband was to just be stuffed with his cock already. But what the younger loved even more, was the buildup-- to make Tae so flushed and desperate that when he finally gets what he desires, it'll be more than worth the wait.

"Ah, my baby has already forgotten...." He huffs through heavy breaths, leaning forward to kiss his husband. As his tongue claimed the elder's mouth as his own to explore as he wishes, his hands hungrily roamed down his body, feeling and groping at every curve before they began to unbutton Tae's shirt, exposing his flushed skin. Without wasting another second, Jungkook's hands smoothed up Tae's stomach, his thumbs swiping over the elder's nipples softly-- at first. He groaned into the hot kiss, not stopping his hungry ministrations all while continuously teasing Tae's perky nipples, lightly pinching them between the calloused pads of his fingers.

Taehyung’s frail body squirmed in delight, the skin of his chest buried in small goosebumps whilst Jungkook spared him no mercy on one of his most responsive areas. The filthy noises of mild fulfillment scratched at the back of the elder’s throat, calling out for vocal release only to get pushed back down by Kook’s tongue. 

“Mmhm..” Tae vaguely hummed into the heated kiss, hot puffs of air slipping past his nose, warming Jungkook’s already sultry skin. Everything about the younger was hot; like a predictable summer’s day.. Just one kiss and Taehyung began melting against him, his smaller body frame molding against the barely-noticeable dip from Jungkook’s chest to his pelvis. Eager, Tae never stopped rubbing their crotches together, driving his husband’s hips towards his own.

“Fuck, babe...” Tae whimpered once he pulled away from the kiss, chest rising while his lungs worked to retrieve back air. Taehyung’s head tipped backwards, bottom lip caught in between his teeth as he nonverbally encouraged Koo to continue playing with his sensitive nipples.

“Daddy.. please film me.” Tae might not have his camera at hand, but something about the quality of a phone turned him on. The elder wants to be able to look back on this moment.. He wants to be able to see his reflection in the mirror while Jungkook fucks him— phone held tightly in his hand. Tae wants Koo to focus on the way his cock sinks deep into him, catching Taehyung’s loud, hiccupy moans on video. They’ve filmed themselves a few times in the past, but Tae’s camera was set up on a tripod. Now, they had the opportunity to pilot a phone how they pleased. Jungkook could pan in on whatever he wanted, get a close-up of the goodies.. “Please, daddy. I’ll be a good boy... I’ll squeeze around you so tight. I’ll be so warm.. fuck— I’ll be your little bitch until you stuff me full of your cum. Then I’ll be nothing but your cum dumpster..”

Jungkook's cock twitched heavily beneath the fabrics, the thought alone of filming his husband in such a scenario bringing him more excitement than he expected. Tae’s cameras were fun, the quality superb... but using his phone seemed so much more intimate, it had the younger heated in excitement.

"Fuck yes... I'll stuff you so well. But first..." Kook placed his hands on the elders shoulders, using his strength to force him down on his knees. With a swift motion, he unbuckled his pants and tugged them down, too eager to wait for his cock to be engulfed by Tae’s plushy lips. His cock bobbed when set free, letting it freely taunt Taehyung as he dug for his cellphone in his back pocket. "Suck on it, puppy." His low, raspy tone was laced with lust, eyes staring at Taehyung's lips through the camera screen on his phone when he pointed it down from his view. "When it's nice and wet, I'll fuck your tight ass until you can barely walk out of here."

“Whatever you say, daddy..” His warm hands skimmed upwards from Jungkook’s beautifully muscular thighs to the latter’s base, where Taehyung took his time feeling the younger’s cock. He began by lazily flicking his wrist, multitasking while the other hand kneaded his husband’s balls. Taehyung played innocent, staring up at the camera whilst his tongue circled around the head; his long eyelashes fluttering in a coy manner. 

“Daddy.. daddy, you’re so fucking hot when you’re in control.” Closing his eyes, Tae leaned back in, slowly taking all of Jungkook into the warmth of his mouth. He’s had plenty of practice, his gag reflex was practically nonexistent at this point in their relationship. Taehyung guessed all of those times he’d sucked Jungkook off under the covers when their friends were around— or when he got too impatient and gave Koo the suck of his life in the middle of the grocery store’s parking lot. Not to mention, the birthdays when he’d woken Jungkook up with his limp cock throat-deep in Taehyung’s mouth. They all paid off when it came to unplanned moments such as this one.

Tae hollowed out his cheeks, bobbing his head as he dragged his tongue from Kook’s base to the tip, leaving a trail of saliva along the hardened girth. He’d gotten so consumed in the moment, that Taehyung had forgotten all about the camera.

"Whoa, so pretty when you take my cock like that..." Jungkook's voice was shaky, already feeling the muscles in his thighs tense up. Taehyung knew exactly how to suck him off properly, every drag and movement done with the utmost purpose, hitting every sensitive nerve that riles up Kook to the max.

"I can tell you love it, fuck..." He stated as if it was a fact, and it was. Kook kept one hand gently combing through Tae's dark curls, brushing his fringe away to be able to get a proper visual of the elder through his phone screen, focusing on how his husbands plush lips stretch with the younger's girth, the slick saliva on his silky skin glistening even in his digital eye. "Okay, baby, that's enough... Spit on it and get up, pull down your pants and bend over the sink. Need a good view of your pretty ass."

Taehyung might be a natural-born brat in other aspects, but he never disobeyed Kook’s orders inside of the bedroom. Or a public restroom.. No matter how much Tae wanted to keep going, he did as his husband told, leisurely withdrawing from Jungkook’s cock as if it was the last thing he wanted to do. The elder stalled at the tip, glistening eyes peeling open to meet the phone’s unwavering perspective from above him, keeping a digital memory of Taehyung’s lightly damped, crimson cheeks. His swollen lips pulled off with a loud pop, eyes dimmed as they switched downwards to his husband’s cock. He gathered saliva, swishing the warm, thick substance around his tongue before allowing it to drip down on Jungkook’s already-drenched head.

“It’s so wet..” Tae’s thumb rubbed deep circles on the small slit, moaning to himself at the sly muscle spasms in Jungkook’s clenched thighs. Once Taehyung was satisfied, he followed through with the second order. Shimmying out of the tight jeans that hugged around his thick ass, Tae let them drop to his ankles along with his boxers.

He really was one impatient boy.. He couldn’t wait to get utterly fucked; Taehyung was always horny for cock.

With each hand gripping onto the side of the sink until his knuckles turned white, the elder stood before Koo, back slightly arched whilst his soft stomach pressed up against the cold surface.

“You like what you’re seeing, daddy?” He spoke, looking at Jungkook through the mirror, feeling more cocky now that he wasn’t kneeling down in front of his husband.

"Mhm." Jungkook hummed in approval, his eyes dilated with lust as he dumbfoundedly stared at Taehyung's full cheeks. He's seen his husband naked more times than he could ever count, but every single time it turned him on just as much-- He was insatiable when it came to Kim Taehyung. He angled the camera down as he approached Tae from behind, using his free hand to grab a handful of the flesh, squeezing hard just to see the skin redden underneath his fingers, watching the fat protrude in between his digits. "I love what I'm seeing... Fuck, I've been thinking about doing this to you all day--work was dreadful."

Jungkook's blunt nails dragged across the tanned skin, leaving faint pink marks in it's rake. He spread his cheek with one hand, just enough for him to see his unused entrance. By now the elder had gotten used to Jungkook's sizable stretch without much preparation, although some would still be needed... It had been a while after all. Kook switched the angle to the reflection, making a show out of the way he sucks his finger until it's nice and slick, however wasting no time in massaging Taehyung's delicate rim, and then finally sliding his middle finger inside of his heated flesh. He films Tae's expressions through the mirror before switching back to filming the way he drags his finger in and out of him. A low groan slips past Kook's lips, his cock throbbing as it rests against Taehyung's ass, still wet and impatiently waiting for it's turn to feel the warmth it craves.

"Stretched so easily tonight-- you're that cockhungry, huh." Kook digs his finger deeper past his knuckle, glancing back at the reflection to watch the blissful expressions on his lover's face.

The elder wasn’t given the chance to come up with a vague answer, only mewling softly as he felt his insides grip around Jungkook’s finger; the squeeze so tight while it clenched and unclenched that it almost forced Kook’s single digit out. Still, Taehyung worked on regaining his breaths, relaxing his muscles for a deeper stretch. Jungkook’s cock must’ve plunged deep into him over a million times, but that never meant Tae would lose his tightness. Every time felt just like the first.

“Oh my g-god.. move your finger— please.” Taehyung deliberately squeezed harder, squirming in delight when he felt the pad of Jungkook’s digit brush against his prostate.

Jungkook's lips tugged into a light smirk, a hot breath huffing through them at the beautiful sound of his husband pleading for more. Everything his man did turned him on, but the begging.. It was next level music to his ears. He kept the camera close enough to be able to see the skin of his finger coated in Tae's juices as he pulled out, only to shove in a second along with the first when he pushed it back inside, effortlessly with the sheer amount of force he used to refill the elders tight heat. Kook curled his fingers ever so slightly, just enough to reach that sweet spot better as he began to curl and uncurl his fingers a few times, relishing in the visible contractions around his digits.

"Your ass is squeezing me so tight... Ahh, the camera loves you.." He groaned, now fucking his fingers in and out of Taehyung, his stable hold on the phone capturing every single drag, clench and wet squelch. "You think you could take me already? It's gonna be a tight fit, but fuck... I want to feel your ass crush my cock."

As if the rest of his body was beginning to give out, Taehyung’s head dipped forward, panting heavily until he could make out the hot puffs of air grazing against his own chest. 

“D-daddy— fuuck..” His hips rocked into the younger’s nimble fingers, relishing in the toe-curling way Jungkook teased his prostate. “Y-yeah, ‘m ready. First— a-ahh..” Taehyung hissed, raising his head once more to look at his husband through the mirror, long fringe reaching his pleading eyes. “Can I have a taste? Wanna suck on your fingers.” Taehyung didn’t shift eye-contact; eager to swirl his hot tongue around the same fingers that’d been deep inside of him.

Jungkook's small dimples grew more prominent along with his smile, crooking a coy eyebrow as he slowly popped his fingers out of Tae's stretched hole, leaning forward to press his chest against his lover's back, his wet cock pressed between Taehyung's cheeks. He brought his slick digits to Taehyung's hungry mouth, filming the reflection to get a proper view of both men.

"Here you go baby. Daddy's fingers are coated in your lovely juices... Have a taste, give me a good show."

The hand closest to Jungkook’s let go of its numbed grasp on the sink, instead reaching for his husband’s wrist as Taehyung enveloped the two fingers whole. The elder moaned; one that advanced from deep in his chest and rang throughout the otherwise quiet restroom.

He tasted sweet. Tae fucking bet he’s the sweetest Jungkook’s ever had..

He grinded his ass against Kook’s pelvis, staring at his man through the mirror with an intensified gaze, tongue lapping around and between the delicious digits, lips puckered whilst Taehyung bobbed his head. Thick drool dripped from the corner of his mouth, running down his slobbered chin; but he didn’t mind. Having yet to avert his strong eye-contact, Tae arched his back further to really press against his husband, having fun teasing the hell out of him. 

“Mmm~..” Taehyung’s lips were past Jungkook’s tattooed knuckles, sucking roughly on the latter’s fingers as if it was the younger’s cock tucked in between his cheeks.

Jungkook's normally strong facade of stoism struggled to remain intact right at this moment. Too many things went on, from Tae's ever so piercing gaze, the way his tongue lapped at the younger's fingers, and last but definitely not fucking least; his plump ass grinding against Kook's aching cock. It was too much, and it had been way too long. Jungkook didn't care anymore, his expression morphing into that of pure admiration and lust for his husband, gawking like a dumbass at the show he did so kindly ask for.

"Fuck, that's hot... you're so fucking hot, puppy." He growled lowly, almost frustrated at how Taehyung was allowed to be this gorgeous. It should be illegal. Kook watched the elder work his fingers for a short moment before he had enough, withdrawing his hand to harshly smack his husband's ass. "You're too sexy, it drives me fucking crazy.." Another smack, this time keeping his palm on his ass before squeezing it hard between his fingers, spreading the cheek to grant himself better access to grind his tip against the lightly gaped hole. "Shit, look at this... All mine." Kook huffs under heavy breaths, panning camera down Taehyung's prominent cleavage of his spine runs down his back, until the lens settled on where the head of Jungkook's length prodded at Tae's entrance.

"Move backwards baby, fuck yourself on my cock." Jungkook commands, loud enough to clearly capture his voice in the recording-- knowing Taehyung will love looking back and hearing these specific words.

Taehyung’s body jolted forward with every firm, jaw-clenching slap to his ass; his cheek grew tender the more Jungkook’s palm came in contact with the agitated skin, leaving behind a noticeable outline of his hand to linger for days on end. If the video didn’t serve as enough of a reminder, the sting sure as hell will. The elder was on the brink of crying out loud, having to bite down on his lip to prevent himself from screaming Jungkook’s name.

“Feels so good..” Taehyung sank back until the slick head of Jungkook’s cock popped through the gateway to his familiar insides, instantly clenching down on his husband’s skin as a warm greeting. “Fuck, fuck... so big, daddy.” Moving backwards until he nudged Kook’s pelvis, Tae took a minute to adjust to the length, muttering filthy curses under his heated breath. “Is that tight enough for you, hm? You’re so hard inside of me, ahh..” Once he deemed himself ready, Taehyung slowly began fucking himself on Jungkook’s cock, stopping at the tip before he plopped back in with more force, wiggling his hips against Kook before repeating the action. “So hard, I can feel you twitching, Koo..”

"Ah, fuck-- Taehyung..." Jungkook doesn't hold back letting his husband know how good his ass feels. He runs his flat palm down the prominent line on Tae's back where his spine hides, keeping his hips still for a moment to allow the elder to fuck himself on his cock. Kook keeps the camera focused on the way his slick length disappears inside the stretched hole, in awe of the view through the screen. "So tight, you're so fucking tight-- good god... How could I ever get enough of this?" He hisses through his ragged breath. When satisfied with the good work Taehyung put into getting himself used to Kook's size, the younger decides that it's time to reward his lover.

With a rough snap of his hips, Jungkook thrusts forward to meet Tae's ass as it moved back against him, the loud echo of their skin slapping together drawing a guttural moan from the tattooed male.

"You're such a good boy for me." He redirects the camera back towards the reflection to capture Taehyung's jolting body as he began to build a momentum to the way he fucked into him, slow but rhythmical, forceful but precise. "Aren't you? My little good boy?"

A loud, unavoidable gasp left past Taehyung’s loose lips as he hunched over the sink, toes tightly curled in his shoes as one of his many reactions to Jungkook’s quickened thrust. His hands were balled up into fists; forearms resting on each side of the sink whilst he arched his ass further back. “Y-your good boy, yes,” the elder rasped out, voice as thin as ice, and tone as unstable as his legs while Jungkook fucked him. “Hngh.. I love you, fuck me harder.”

If harder was what Taehyung wanted, Jungkook was in no position to deny his wishes. He knows just how whipped the elder was for his muscles, and the endless hours spent building and maintaining them surely didn't go unnoticed by his husband. Rather the opposite, Kook loved the attention-- ever since they were younger, the elder seemed to have a special fascination towards the strength Jungkook possessed. He allows his body to serve as a response to Taehyung's request, the hand on his hip digging harder into his tanned skin, holding him in place as the younger increases the force of his thrusts, at first dragging his entire length in and out to ensure that every single inch of Tae's insides feels the friction of being filled to the brim.

"Oh my god.." Jungkook huffs out, throwing his head back, screwing his eyes shut in rapture as he pounds mindlessly, focusing only on how good it feels right at this moment to just fuck his husband dumb. The phone in his hand became less of a priority at this point, shaky and blurred, however it captured every wet sound of their bodies joining, every breathy grunt, and every single squeak of the sink as Kook's powerful hips jerked Taehyung's body forward roughly.

The gnawing weight of a hundred curse-words on Taehyung’s tongue never subsided. Every invasive jerk of his husband’s quick hips made him want to scream out in rapture; to sob from the overwhelming feeling of Jungkook’s rigid cock entering him over and over again until he was so fucked out that his eyes no longer saw the faded blue-wash of the tiles on the spinning bathroom wall.

Taehyung fuckin’ loved that. He felt as if he was floating on cloud nine; as if he was reliving his brief encounter with drugs when he was a young teen. His husband’s fucking was a heavy drug, there was never a time where Taehyung didn’t enjoy the high it gave him.

“I love it when you put me in my place, hmph!” Tae’s voice was sultry— breathy. Still as deep, but far more hitched. Every menacing smack of Jungkook’s pelvis against his rosy skin stole his breath away, gasps getting caught in the man’s throat before they were reduced to soft mewls. “F-fuck, daddy’s fat cock never disappoints..” The elder straightened his spine, caramel shoulder blades flexed as he depended on his weak arms to keep him in place. Taehyung stared at Kook’s diverse expressions through the mirror; internally praising himself. Moaning, one of his arms blindly reached backwards until his hand groped Jungkook’s ass, feeling the muscles twitch with every thrust. He tipped his head back against Kook’s shoulder, turning his head until Taehyung could smell the odor of built-up sweat on the small dip of Jungkook’s pale skin.

His back remained lightly arched, driven forward from every slam to his wet insides. “Ah, fuck.. yes, daddy!” The elder’s nose was burrowed in the crook of Kook’s neck, brows twitching slightly as a sudden warmth approached his lower stomach.

"Love when you call me daddy." Jungkook breathes out his words in a haste, grunts following with every thrust, smacking his pelvis against Taehyung's plump ass to feel it jiggle against him. He snakes one strong arm around his husband's torso, the one holding the cellphone to angle it back to film the reflection, as the other keeps a tight grip on his hip to ensure his lover doesn't fly forward from the rough effort he puts into every sloppy thrust.

"You're so fucking gorgeous, baby. Look at your pretty, big cock--fuck.." Kook couldn't look away from the view in the mirror, the elder's body was erotic in this position, skin glistening with sweat, cock swollen and red, looking as if it was about to burst at any second with how well Kook fucked into him.

"A-are you close? God, I'm gonna cum... fill your ass up so well, I want you to hold it in until we get home, okay?" Jungkook nudges the elder's cheek with his nose to bring them face to face. "Kiss me, wanna taste your pretty moans as you cum."

Taehyung enthusiastically attached his touch-starved lips to Jungkook’s smaller, sweeter ones. His warm hand extended upwards to eagerly cup his husband’s face, the pad of his thumb swiping across the younger’s scar whilst he deepened their messy kiss, low hums of approval ringing from profound in his rising chest. His squirming body jolted forward with more force, the ability to withstand Jungkook’s irregular thrusts slowly drained out of him, leaving Taehyung frail to every insignificant nudge.

“G-Gonna cum.. gonna cum so much..!” The elder leaned in once more, unable to take the empty feeling in his mouth. He generously sucked on Jungkook’s tongue, their drool running past his chin and slowly cascading down Taehyung’s neck, illuminating the way his Adam’s apple would bob with every forceful swallow. His husband’s spit was so warm. It was like medicine to his drained throat.. There came a time where Tae’s breathing was getting scarce; he pulled away with a soft gasp. His curtained eyes were glazed with fresh tears, vision blurry as he looked down at his swollen dick and the way it hit against the sink’s cooling edge.

So close..

“F-fuuck! Oh.. hngh, daddy, I’m gonna— A-aahh— ah.. hmm!” His high-pitched moans were muffled against Jungkook’s slick lips, mouth unmoving as Taehyung focused on giving his husband every drop of his filthy sounds.

He stayed still for a few seconds, twitching against Jungkook’s larger body, whining whilst his eyes fluttered shut.

“Fuck... I’m hungry.”

© sombreboy 2020. Do not repost, edit or translate.

[flooffybits]

Have You

Idol: Red Velvet

Request: Yes

Anon: hello!! i was reading your dreamcatcher scenario, and i was wondering (if it’s okay) if you could write something similar with red velvet, where you’re the 6th member and get dragged off by a ‘fan’ during a performance and after you get saved, they just baby you and it’s all fluff?? i hope that makes sense but tysm 🥺

Author’s note: I wasn’t sure if anon meant poly or not, so this is kept platonic-ish? One or few of the members have a crush if you squint. ALSO with the request, the situation is similar with what happened to Taeyeon during their RDR performance.

Joohyun counted the people in the room, making sure that all the members were present and weren’t goofing around somewhere right before a performance. It wouldn’t be the first time she would be stressing about her members’ presence.

Sooyoung and Yerim always did like to get in trouble, and being the person that you were, they always managed to drag you with them just by flashing a few pouts and puppy eyes.

Sometimes Seungwan worried with how you could never say no to those two, or any of them in general.

You just loved these girls too much for your own good.

“Joy is getting her makeup done and Yeri is fixing her clothes. Relax.” Seulgi walked up to the leader with an amused smile, patting her shoulder when she walked over and the older girl let out a breath. “Those two are going to drive me insane, one day.” She commented and Seungwan laughed as she turned in her seat. “At least while they’re occupied, Y/n isn’t getting mixed into their pranks.” She gestured to you, sleeping peacefully on the couch while waiting for your turn.

The three smiled, thankful that you were able to get some rest. They were initially worried that you weren’t getting much rest since this comeback. You had always insisted on staying late to practice that Seulgi took it upon herself to watch over you when you stayed in the company for too long.

“Did she sleep at all last night?” Joohyun shook her head, arms crossed with a worried frown. “I fell asleep, near one in the morning, and she was still awake. I kept telling her to rest since we’re performing today, but I don’t think she could.”

“Well, after this, at least she can relax a bit.” Seulgi said, trying to cheer the pair up and stop them from worrying. She understands their concerns, but mulling over it would not be helping any of you.

Finally, it was your turn to get your makeup done so Sooyoung woke you up, carefully due to Joohyun’s warning. “Unnie, you’re up.”

Seeing the pouting girl made you smile before shaking your head as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes. “What’s that look for?” You ask her while she crosses her arms. “Irene unnie thought I was going to scare you to wake up.” She huffed, her pout growing as you laughed and then headed to the stylist. “You can’t blame her, Joy.” You say, leaving the girl whining behind you.

..

After getting your in-ears checked, you walked behind Seungwan, bouncing slightly as your nerves wouldn’t die down. The Canadian probably noticed your nervousness, because she was suddenly looking at you and lacing her fingers with yours to calm you. “It’s okay. You’ll do fine.” She said with a smile and you grin back while holding her hand tighter.

“I don’t know why I still get so nervous like this.” You tell her and she smiles softly while fixing your hair a bit so it didn’t stray to your face. “It’s okay. I never really get used to it, either.” She admits as you let out a breath. “But you always look so calm.” You mutter quietly and she laughs while cupping your cheek. “I might look like it, but it’s only so you can feel comfortable enough to confide in me about your worries.”

With that, she finally leads you to the stage and you squeeze each others hand before getting into position. Joohyun cast you a glance over her shoulder, and you give her a smile before she looks back to the front, a smile on her own face.

The whole exchange with your members had everyone screaming as they watched. The beginning of the song only amplified the yelling until Joohyun started singing and you all fell into step.

When you passed by Yerim during the chorus, she playfully made a face at you, making you bite back a laugh as you spun around to sing your part. And instead of the usual individual pose, Sooyoung had insisted to make a heart with you, which you happily complied and fans loved it.

But during the bridge, you noticed a man coming from the side of the stage. And before you even understood what was going on, he was pulling you off the stage and you blink in surprise before trying to take your hand back.

A ruckus came from the fans and the rest of the girls were surprised by the sudden intrusion. Seulgi and Sooyoung, however, were quick to break from the formation and went after you, Seulgi wrapping her arms around your waist whilst Sooyoung pulled the man away from you and blocking you from the man’s view while staff and security went to take him away.

Turning around, Sooyoung checked your hand while Seulgi examined you from head to toe, asking if you were alright. “I’m okay.” You said shakily, shoulders tense and Sooyoung frowned as she caressed your wrist with her thumb, an outlined of a hand already forming and they know that it’s going to bruise.

Joohyun was already next to Seulgi and firing questions while the other two looked just as worried and Yerim asked the staff to get some ice for your wrist. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Seungwan asked softly as she caressed your head and you nod at them, smiling weakly. “I’m okay. I can finish the performance.” You had told them and they reluctantly agreed after a while of reassuring them.

You didn’t want to disappoint fans by canceling the show, so you were thankful to the adrenaline with numbing the pain on your wrist. It helped you do the entire performance without a problem, but it was obvious that your members were worried about you.

Once you were back in the dressing room, Yerim had the ice pack wrapped around your wrist while Joohyun was taking your in-ears off for you. “I’m okay, really.” You told them, but your words fell upon deaf ears as Joohyun started to take your accessories off, too.

“Where’s Wannie unnie?” You ask instead, seeing as they weren’t going to leave you be. “She went to talk with the staff with Joy. They’re asking about how that guy got through security and on the stage.” Seulgi replied with her lips pursed, a hidden anger in her voice with the lack of security and with what could have happened to you.

Yerim was being careful with your hand, cradling it before lifting the pack and looking up at you. “How does it feel?” She asked with a frown before you offer her a small smile. “It’s okay, not hurting as much.” You blame it on the adrenaline, but it’s slowly leaving your body as you slump in your seat and Joohyun runs her fingers through your hair with a sigh.

“That was useless.” Sooyoung muttered with a scowl when she and Seungwan finally came back, making your head perk up. “They just kept apologizing. They said that they thought he was part of the staff, which was why he was able to get to the stage without anyone stopping him.” Seungwan said with a bit of irritation on her face until it melted into one of concern as her eyes found yours.

You could already tell that they were not going to let this one go so easily, so you decided that putting up a fight was not going to help you and just allowed them to do everything as they insisted. Though Yerim never left your side, still holding your hand delicately, as if it would break if not handled properly, then pressing a few light kisses on the bruised area in hopes of making it feel better.

When you got to the van, Seulgi was next to you while you were between her and Joohyun. Both girls were cuddled up to you, though the former was trying to be less obvious, her hand resting on your leg while the dancer had her arms around you and her head on your shoulder. You could feel yourself relaxing, finally, as you melted into the two older girls. Your eyes fell shut and without even realizing, you had fallen asleep.

The next time your eyes open, you’re already back in the dorm and you’re surprised when you notice that you’re in bed. “Joy carried you, don’t worry.” Yerim just came in with a few items in her hand as she smiled at you. “Wendy unnie made sure that your hand isn’t too painful so she said to keep the ice on it.” She gestured to the cloth wrapped around your hand before carefully pulling it off, checking on your wrist. “Does it still hurt?” She asked carefully as her finger ran along your skin and you try to move it around before shaking your head.

“Only a little bit, but only when I move it.” You answer, making the younger girl nod. “Okay. We have some painkillers in case you need them.” She nodded more to herself before standing up. “Dinner is almost done, so you should rest some more, unnie.” She pressed a quick kiss to your cheek before exiting the room.

But instead of staying in your room, you decided to check on the others. You’ve caused them a lot of worries so you wanted to make sure that they weren’t exactly stressed out about what happened. They were all visibly upset by the sudden events so you wanted to relieve them in a way.

“Y/n! You’re awake.” Sooyoung is the first to spot you, dropping the snacks she was carrying and then walking to you. “Are you feeling better?” She asks, her eyes falling to your wrist briefly before she’s pouting and then hugging you. “I swear, I’m going to hunt that guy down for hurting you.” She muttered into your hair when she buried her nose to it and you smile lightly before rubbing her back. “I’m fine, Joy. You don’t have to do that.”

“But he hurt you!” She protests but you shake your head. “I’m okay. You and Seulgi unnie rescued me, so I’m fine.” You say with a smile but it doesn’t completely wipe away her concern as she holds you, still. “I know, but still.” She pouted once she pulled away and you giggle before cupping her face. “Stop pouting. I thought you were sexy dynamite?” You teased, and she rolled her eyes before pulling you to the couch.

“I still am. But when my Y/n unnie is hurt, she needs all the affection.” She proclaims, making you laugh when she cuddled you. “And I thought you were still in your room.” The leader’s voice suddenly reached your ears when she came into the living room.

You wave with your uninjured hand before she’s sitting next to you, the opposite side of Sooyoung and asking to check on your wrist. You carefully bring it out and she examines it closely, her fingertips, light against the tender flesh and then she’s sighing. “I’m going to put some ointment on it, later.”

“Unnie, that isn’t necessary.” But she gives you a look before you could say more and you end up groaning as she kisses your forehead when she stands up. “You’re hurt. Of course I’m taking care of you.” She stated and Sooyoung giggled while she continued nuzzling into your side.

“Lighten up. It’s not every day we get the chance of looking after you like this.” Yerim says when she joins the two of you, taking Joohyun’s place before she’s laying her head on your lap then taking your hand to rest over her chest as she laced your fingers together.

You huff at her claim but don’t argue. Of course you knew because you always refused to burden your members. They already had their own things to deal with, so you didn’t want to add to their troubles by having to look after you, but they have told you countless times that it was okay to tell them when you needed help.

“You’re always taking care of us, so at least give us this time to do the same for you.” Sooyoung says softly when she runs her fingers through your hair and you sigh while nodding your head.

The food is done moments after and you’re being ushered to the table after cuddling with the two younger girls. Seulgi had gone to call you, hugging you when she saw you and then pecking your cheek a few times while you made your way to the table. She pulled the chair for you before you sat down and then smiled as she patted your hair.

Seungwan pressed a kiss to your forehead after setting the food in front of you before you found yourself seated between the 94 liners. Just when you thought they would let up a bit, they took turns in feeding you, much to your embarrassment.

A bright blush appeared on your cheeks as you tried to pull back, but they insisted. “I-I can eat by myself, though.” You argue and Seungwan sighs. “Y/n, you said that it hurts to move, so we’re not going to let you use your hand until it stops hurting.” She said firmly. “Now, eat.”

You couldn’t really refuse, not when all of them are looking at you with the same pleading look in their eyes and you could only sigh, though with a smile on your face as you shook your head.

Though the day may not have gone as you had hoped, these girls would always be there for you when you needed them. Even when it looked a bit too much, you knew that everything they did, they did with the best intentions.

As different as the five of them were, they were all the same when it came to you and you loved them with all your heart. These girls would do everything for you and vice versa, which was why you were willing to endure the embarrassment so long as it made them happy.

So when you were all done and ready to sleep, you were surprised to see the little fort they made in the living room. Both Sooyoung and Yerim got the pillows from all of your rooms when Joohyun was treating your hand and the four of them worked on fixing the whole thing. By the time you were heading back to your room, you were brought there instead and were in the middle of the entire thing.

Laughing as they threw their arms and legs over you, you looked at the girls fondly while squeezing Seungwan’s hand and nuzzling Joohyun’s head. “I love you guys.”

[13elieve]

My INVU review (not counting weekend in the mix) :

1) set myself on fire : out of all the songs in the album, i think this one slaps the hardest and the lyrics are just..." I know ur not happy, ur having a hard time but you're trying to show ur not, how can i make it better, i want to make you feel better, i want to warm ur heart so i'll set myself on fire if i have too" and that's just 😭😭😭

2) toddler : i love the retro feel to it and the message of the song is also very relatable, "im an adult only bc my age says it is, but im not an adult not really", how jaded we become after being an adult and how it contrasts with our child self

3) cant control myself : i wish taengoo will promote this song with INVU, it'll be just like seeing Fine being performed n i can still remember the feeling of how breathtaking and heartbreaking it was seeing her perform that song bc she's that good, this song gives a similar feel to it

4) INVU : it has a very lady gaga feel to it i dont know why n the dance looks very unique from the small glimpse of her MV, i dont think taengoo has ever tried that kind of dance before, cant wait to see it in full 🥰🥰🥰

5) cold as hell : taengoo would totally rock this in her concert i swear, out of all the songs in her album i want to see this live the most, i know i'll fall in love more watching her sing this live

6) no love again : another retro feel like song that slaps, i especially like the part that she says "you're a shorter trip than i thought so it makes it easier to forget you" Iconic really 💅💅💅

7) you better not : it's upbeat but (maybe its the lyrics that make me feel like this but anyway...) She sang it in a very raw, gentle, sincere and vulnerable voice, like she's had enough of her SO, and she's resigned to the fact that she has to let go of that person and distance herself, she's still raw from of it but she's saying it to herself in her quiet n determined voice that she wont let that person affect her anymore...or maybe im projecting, who knows

8) timeless : i dont know why but this song reminds me of gravity, another song that would be so awesome to see her sing live

9) siren : the singing rap in this is what makes it shine really

10) heart : the beat in the chorus reminds me so much of "like im gonna lose you" by meghan trainor i was kind of taken aback for a bit 😅 but the lyrics are really nice

11) some nights : the high notes in this one is on fire yo, i think this is another time lapse in the making, im gonna be addicted to this once i see her sing this live, you mark my words

12) ending credits : weirdly, i never seem to like the last songs in her album, is it bc it marks the end of her latest masterpiece? Who knows, definitely not me 🤷 but even so, its still a good song, king taengoo always ALWAYS delivers 😌

So go listen to her new album guys, you'll regret it if you dont 💖💖💖💖