#qr code thing on it and he asked me if I threw it away and I said “no it’s not empty right now it’s infront of the microwave” and right

[random0lover]

I hate men and their need to act like any emotional reactions you have while you’re on your period is just you being “hormonal” and “not yourself”

(Rant in tags)

[remimibanana]

Supernova 2023 Day 1 Report!

I had the opportunity to go to Supernova 2023 at Adelaide where I cosplayed on Day 1! It was a big convention filled with so many people and cosplayers from all sorts of media!

I went with my good friend Pie (@piedivide) who you will see throughout the report! Thank you for the fun weekend!

I had to split up the report because I hit the image limit, here is Day 2!

The report is below the cut!

My Cosplay

I cosplayed as Sucrose in her OnePlus collaboration outfit! It’s a pretty simple but cute outfit! This was the first time I ever styled a wig, which turned out much better than I thought it would in all honesty lol

Day 1

I had to catch the train since the con is in the city, and the one I was on was fully packed since there was also the Christmas Pageant running (in November strangely…it’s not even December!).

Of course, I was the only one in cosplay on the whole train, so I had to sit in the corner with all these people staring at me.

I was surprised to see no cosplayers on the train, because last time there were a few people who were in cosplay so I felt less embarrassed sitting there in full cosplay.

One train ride later, and I arrived in the city!

I met up with Pie, who was dressed up as Casual Kazuha! I was heading to the usual bench that I sit and wait at, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was Pie! His cosplay was so cool! I especially loved the wig styling!

We had some Hungry Jacks (or Burger King as it’s called everywhere else but Australia) before going to the con! You know, for the meme. And because we skipped breakfast for it.

I ordered some chicken nuggets and large fries, while Pie ordered a kids meal lol

He got this Rubble spinning toy from Paw Patrol that I couldn’t recognize right away. It was really derpy and poor Rubble’s body wasn’t painted so it was just yellow.

See? Poor thing. Pie threw it in the bin rather heartlessly.

I took too long to eat the nuggets so my fries got cold ;;

Once we ate, we headed to the convention! It was at the showgrounds, so we caught the train there. It was my first time going to the showgrounds by train, so it was a cool experience!

Never been on that line before.

We didn’t know where we were going, so we followed the sea of people and hoped we were going in the right direction lol

There’s me in front of it all! This was the first time I was at the showgrounds since like…2016? Crazy.

Entering the convention was pretty simple once we found our way! We ordered tickets online so we just had to get the QR Code for them scanned. We received a wristband that apparently we couldn’t take off since it was meant to last for both days.

Not sure how great of an idea that is tbh, but I do get it. At least they told us we could always come back and get a new one if something happens to it.

This time I didn’t break the wristband! Are you proud of me?

Pie put on mine a bit loose, so it kept trying to fall off. It actually did fall off at one point, but at least I could take it off after.

So it was all good!

Inside the convention, as you can see above, was so cool! So big! You could get lost within all the stalls and places. I remember the first moment I walked in, I was in awe.

Pie and I walked around, taking in all the sights and seeing what the convention had to offer. We saw so many cosplayers as we walked, I took the time to admire them all and freak out.

Someone actually asked for photos of us right away, and it was so cool! I didn't think we would get asked for photos that quickly!

Speaking of cosplayers, we got so many photos with them! Last convention, we didn't get many so I'm glad this time we did! Well, it was Pie asking for me and me just being there haha (thank you Pieeeeee).

Let me go through each of the pictures and write a whole bunch of praise because everyone looked amazing!!!

FURINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

We didn't think we would see any Fontainian Cosplays at all, but there they were! We saw Furina during our walk through the Artist Alley, and knew we had to get a photo!

They seemed to be busy though every time we saw them, and we didn’t want to bother them so we sort of just kept walking and waiting until they were sort of free.

It seemed like we would never get an opportunity to.

Until Pie literally went over and asked for a photo once we saw they weren’t too busy lol

They were so kind! And pretty!

LYNEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Okay, so Pie and I talked about what Genshin Cosplayers would make us freak out before the con if we saw them walking around. Pie chose Neuvillette (based) and I chose Lyney because I love Lyney.

But I really didn't think we would see a Lyney cosplayer. I kept an eye out, of course.

Until we did.

Pie was the one who pointed them out and of course I freaked out immediately. It was Lyney! In the flesh!

And we beelined to them, waiting until they weren't busy so Pie could ask for a photo lol

They were at a stall looking around at all the products there, and so we decided to look around too so we weren't standing there awkwardly waiting.

To our surprise, the Lyney cosplayer was the one who came up to US and complemented us on our cosplay!

They were so niceeeeeee

Pie took this opportunity to ask for a photo.

We got our photos and I of course freaked the heck out after.

That’s all I wanted in life. Lyney photo. \(//∇//)\

MEW ICHIGO AND MEW BERRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I saw them walking around and I was freaking out because I love Tokyo Mew Mew! It was my first anime before I even knew it was an anime! I watched the Serbian dub growing up, so it has a special place in my heart.

I really didn’t think I’d see both Mew Ichigo and Mew Berry here! Especially Mew Berry, it was my first time seeing a cosplay for her!

They looked so good!

I was staring at them from afar as we walked, until I mentioned how I’d like a photo with them and Pie asked for me (thank you Pieeeee).

They were so nice! They did such cute poses too, just like the ones in the manga!

Mew Ichigo complemented my cosplay and I was over the moon.

MAID XIAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

For context, at AnimeGO, Pie and I kept seeing a Maid Xiao literally everywhere we went. We joked that if we called them, they would come to us lol

We didn’t take any pictures since we didn’t feel as comfortable I suppose asking for photos without being in cosplay.

And to our surprise, we saw Maid Xiao again here at Supernova! They seem to be following us everywhere lol

Pie went to ask to take a photo, since we were in cosplay and it was our chance! We did all together!

The Ameno team! Maybe we’ll see them again next year lol

NAHIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I spotted Nahida from afar and knew I needed a photo!

Nahida is one of my absolute favorites, ever since I played Act II in Sumeru. My love for her only solidified in Act V, she’s an absolute badass!

The Nahida cosplayer was so cute and nice!!

They were with their parent or guardian (at least I assume) and they were very nice as well!

I was looking the wrong way for Pie’s photo of us because I was staring at their parent or guardian’s phone lmao

But I did finally stare into Pie’s phone aha (sorryyyy)

They asked for a photo with all three of us together and we did! I hope they liked the photo!

They talked about how much they loved our outfits and the fact we did a “casual spin” on them, aaaaaaaaaaaaa

Makes me so happy when I think about it hehe

IL DOTTORE AND COLLEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Fun fact, this is the elusive Il Dottore that kept evading me back at AnimeGO! It was awesome to see them again here as well!

Their friend was cosplaying Collei from the manga, which I thought so but I wasn’t completely sure until I saw them properly lol

So we all got a photo!

And that’s all the photos we got (at least on my end, Pie got some more, like with another Kazuha and 9S! I’d show them but image limit arghhhh).

I’m so happy we got loads of them! We mentioned we wanted to take more photos so I’m glad we did that successfully!

Food!

There were food stalls there! Such as a coffee/crepe stand, an Indian food stand, a Boost Juice stand, a hot chips stand, and a pretzel stand Pie and I went to!

Pie looked at me as soon as we walked past the Boost Juice stand and started going on about how much I love Boost Juice and I literally turned to look at him all deadpan and went "no" LMAO.

I don't really like smoothies, why is there pieces in my drink I'm trying to drink?! I'm more of a juice person that has nothing in it lol

We never tried a real Pretzel before (we only get those small baked ones prepacked here in Australia), and took this as our opportunity to have some! We both got the standard salted one, and it was really good!

So soft and warm, I loved it!

Games!

There were many games! All multiplayer and all were pretty fun!

We first played Melty Blood: Type Lumina (apparently, I'm taking Pie's word for this lol). I only recognized Mash from Fate/Stay Night, so that's who I chose!

I managed to beat Pie by spamming the circle button the whole time lmao

Then we played Sonic Origins, where Pie was absolutely amazing at it. And then there was me lol

We played Smash Brothers Ultimate where I managed to beat Pie's butt multiple times somehow. But Pie did win too at times! It was fun playing with all the DLC characters I never had the chance to play with before!

I got to play as Pyra and Mythra, Sora and even Steve!

I love fighting games, they're so much fun. It takes the right inputs to unleash combos and win.

For example, my favourite Street Fighter game is Street Fighter III: Third Strike. It's so good!

Chun Li is my main. Love her.

Anyway, fighting game supremacy.

Just Dance 2023!

I LOVE Just Dance. My favorites are Just Dance 3, 4 and 2014, being the ones I played the most growing up.

I don’t usually brag about it, but I’m pretty good at it. I can get 5 stars in many songs (at least on the Wii versions). I told Pie that one day I would show off my skills.

To my surprise, Supernova were going to have a Just Dance Area!

After telling Pie all about it before the con since he didn’t notice it before I told him, we decided we had to do some songs! It was a must!

I would dance.

I was glad to see it was the Switch version of the game, it’s pretty similar to the Wii (you use a joycon instead of the Wii remote). So, I knew I would be alright…probably.

Pie let me choose all the songs very kindly (even though I did ask if he wanted to choose a song because I felt like I was sort of hogging it all haha).

I was excited, you can't blame me!

The first song we did was ievan polkka, a classic Hatsune Miku song! My name is Miku, so obviously doing a Miku song is a must.

I already knew this dance pretty well, so of course I got a Megastar! Pie did really well too!

These are the new rankings in the later games, the older ones only went to 5 stars so I find them really strange lol

The second song we did was Livin' a Vida Loca by Ricky Martin! I love this song. This is one of the songs that I can get 5 stars every single time I play it.

No joke. One day I need to prove it somehow lol

Of course I got a Superstar, and Pie did too! Very impressive!

Now the last song I did was Rasputin.

We were meant to do it together, but uh…there were some complications lol

This was going to be our last song, since there were people waiting and I didn’t want to be a bother by dancing any more songs (although I really did want to! There were so many more I wanted to do!).

These two people came up to us and asked if they could join us since four people could dance at once. Of course, we agreed!

That’s when the trouble started.

You would think connecting four joycons would be easy.

For some reason, only three of them would connect at one time. We tried to many times to connect and reconnect them, even we went into the controller settings and tried reconnecting there!

Then the switch feed died randomly. The screens were fully black, and we didn’t even do anything! Things weren't going well at all _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

Pie surrendered his joycon to one of the people very kindly, so he was off to the side watching us trying to fix the Switch. I remember looking back at him multiple times and shrugging in disbelief.

At the end, the screens were back up but we could only connect two joycons for some reason. At that point, we gave up and decided to just dance the song because clearly it wasn’t going to work any better than it was now.

I was one of the ones who had their joycon connected, so I was able to see I got the highest Megastar hehe

It was a lot of fun dancing! I absolutely had a blast, and I was tired by the end of it.

Next time I want to Just Dance again!

After our fun time with Just Dance, we took to the Artist Alley!

It was filled with so many different artists with so many different styles! It was so cool walking through them all and admiring all of the pretty art!

There was this one particular artist that such stunning prints from so many different media like Star Rail, Genshin, Disney and more! They were the same artist I got my Silver Wolf Print from actually! Absolutely incredible art.

We were tempted to buy them and there, but we told ourselves that Day 2 would be the day to go all out in terms of spending.

And then there was me buying prints from another stall lmao

I bought a Hu Tao, Wanderer and Nene and Aoi in their pretty Kannagi outfits from TBHK! I couldn’t resist as soon as I saw them.

I really like the Wanderer one—

We also bought some books! Pie and I both got the Ask Iwata book! I bought Volume 3 of Spy x Family, while Pie picked up Assassination Classroom Volume 14!

The bookstore chain were having a “buy one, get one half price” promotion. Got to capitalize on it.

Manga is my life.

We walked past two stands with swords, and one of them let us hold a sword! I never held a real sword before until that point, so I was excited to try!

Here's us with a Lion's Roar above, where Pie looked very epic and I just looked stupid lmao

Why was I holding it like that?

It was way heavier than I thought it would be, Pie passed it to me while I was holding my phone and I took it with one hand, where my arm literally dropped down at the sudden weight lol

Swords are epic.

Pie wasn’t able to go home right away after the convention since he had an inspection going on that wouldn’t finish by then.

And he asked me if I could stay back and hang out.

I, of course said yes. I had no objections.

I never told my mum when I was leaving anyway. She told me to send a message when I’m on the train sooooooo....yes.

And so, about halfway through the convention, I asked the faithful question: "so what are we doing after the con?"

That’s when we realised we had no idea what we were doing after the con lol

We thought about it for a while, giving out suggestions between us but it was hard since it was a Saturday and everything was practically closed after 5pm (the con ended at 6pm).

Library? Closed. The gardens in the city? Closed.

That's when I suggested Karaoke! Rather, I asked if the Karaoke place was even open on Saturday.

We found out it was, and there was the thing we could do!

We have always wanted to do Karaoke but it never seemed to align. It would always be dark by the time the place opened. We were in cosplay as well, so it was the perfect opportunity to!

I could only stay for an hour or so since I didn't want to stay too long after dark. I don't live in the city and the city gets sketchy at night, which was one of the reasons why we couldn’t do it earlier.

But it would still be really fun!

With that decided rather spontaneously, we spent the rest of the time on our phones mostly. Scrolling through social media, you know the drill.

We played these Instagram pause games of HSR and Genshin where you would get a scenario such as being in high school and then you would pause to see who is your best friend and the such. It was a lot of fun!

We got some crazy combinations, as expected from a game such as this.

Dan Heng wanted to kidnap me and I was okay with that lol

Mika was one that stalked Pie a bit too much during these games, so Pie developed a hatred for the dude lol

Once the con ended, we headed to the train station!

My eyes decided to kill themselves like usual as soon as we walked out because it was really windy, and we also went the wrong way for a bit aha

But we found our way to the train station! Don't worry!

Out of the train, we walked straight to the building where it resided! It's near the train station luckily, so I didn't have to walk too far in the dark once we finished our singing.

The building was kind of ugly and pretty sketchy in all honesty. There were these stairs we had to climb and the whole time I was like..."are we sure this is the place?"

But it looked much better on the inside! I was surprised.

There was a nice person behind the desk that had lots of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) behind them. It’s not like we wanted any but it’s cool to see them.

We were easily able to book a room, and they gave us two microphones!

The room we were in was a bit small but it had disco lights and a screen with large speakers! It was so cool, I felt so pumped to sing from the moment we walked in!

All you had to do was connect to the internet at the place and cast your phone to the screen with Youtube and boom! You could sing any song you want (as long as there is a Karaoke/Instrumental version of the song you want).

I won't write all the songs we did, since we did a whole bunch but:

Pie did Writing on The Wall by Will Stetson and Reach For The Stars from Sonic Colours, which was so cool!! I did アイドル by YOASOBI while being barely able to keep up aha and Super Sonic Racing from Sonic R!

By the time the hour was over, all we wanted to do sing for another hour! It felt too short in all honesty. It was such an experience singing and watching someone else sing too!

I was quite nervous to sing, but I did get more confident as the hour went on!

I also need to learn more Japanese songs because I don’t know enough Japanese songs fully lol

I did know one at least pretty well, being 光るなら by Goose House. I really like that song.

Since it was a duet song (well it has more than one person singing it), Pie and I decided to sing it together!

We were in the middle of duetting 光るなら but then the lights and music shut off instantly in the middle of the song Σ（・□・；）

It was so sudden! I was so confused, we were left in total darkness for a bit wondering what happened. The lights switched back on and the person from the desk came into view.

That's when we learnt our hour was up and we packed up and headed our way to the train station. I wanted to sing more…

We would redeem ourselves next time! We would do Karaoke again, there’s no way we wouldn’t!

I had to wait for a bit for the train to come, so we talked about our plans for Day 2...which you can find out what we did in my Day 2 report!

Thank you for reading my Day 1 report! I hope it was fun reading though my experience! *\(^o^)/*

[maknaesdancersrappers]

Devoted 2

part 9

Overall warning/s: kinkier smut (eg. voyeurism, exhibition, etc.) character death, dark themes

Just how devoted is Jaehyun to you?

prev: part 8

wc: 8.2k

You could hear voices outside. You peek out of one eye, blinded by the light after being shut for so long and automatically forced them open when you realized it was the sunlight coming from the window that blinded you. You whipped your head towards the little alarm clock on your nightstand, blinking at the red numbers that read 10:54 AM. 

Shit.

You sat up, cussing at yourself when your head began to spin. Pausing for a moment, you realized you didn’t have anything planned today aside from getting groceries for tonight’s get together. Still, you scold yourself, you shouldn’t be oversleeping; not after last night’s events. 

Then you heard voices outside your room again. It sounded like Jaehyun, but why was he still home? The other voice took you a moment to register, but eventually recognized it as Yuta’s. Why were they here at this hour? You swung your legs over the bed and trudged to the bathroom to freshen up. When you were done, you threw on some decent clothing and peeked out of the door.

You froze when you met eyes with a complete stranger, heart dropping to the floor as you assumed the worse. He doesn’t seem to notice your distress at his presence, respectfully bowing his head and quietly greeting you a good morning. It throws you off for a moment until Jaehyun appears behind him and smiles at you.

“Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?”

“I,” You looked down the hall and spotted a couple more men, dressed in the same shirt as the first one, talking to Yuta, “Yeah… aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Not today. I’m having the security cameras installed. Get your phone, by the way, so you can download their app.”

You got your phone and followed him out into the living room, where Yuta smiles at you.

“Good morning! I hope we didn’t wake you up.” He gestures to his employees.

“Not at all! If anything, I should be thanking you for doing so since I overslept.”

He motions for you to come closer, pointing to a dark gray box by the television, “Here, the QR code for the app is on the camera’s router. It saves every footage from each camera and only you two have access to it; or a third party of your choice in case of emergencies, which I recommend you doing. Jaehyun is already designated as the admin, unless you have any qualms on that.”

You playfully hum, jutting your bottom lip out and crossing your arms, “I do, actually.”

Jaehyun chuckles, “You can be the admin to it, dear.” 

“I’m kidding, does it really matter which one of us is the admin?” You opened up your phone’s camera and placed it over the QR code. It sends you to a website, titled Nakamoto Technologies, that has a small text greeting Jaehyun, and a unique download button for the app. You tapped on the button and waited for it to download.

“Sir,” One of Yuta’s employees came forward, “We’re done with installing the cameras.”

“Ah, good. Please set it up as well.” He nods, turning to you and Jaehyun, “Come watch so you’ll know what to do in case there’s a system error or reboot.”

You gather at the kitchen table where the man opens up their company laptop and begins to go through the steps one by one.

As his employee demonstrates, your phone vibrates to notify you that the download has finished and you launch the app. You’re taken to a feed of the hallway outside your apartment, where one of the employees is checking the camera and gives a thumbs up.

“Door cam is live.” The man in front of you announced.

You swiped right and the feed changed; you saw yourself along with the others and you looked over to where the camera was at. It was a small dark dome in the corner of the ceiling, barely noticeable at first glance and could even pass off as a light fixture.

“Living room cam is live. So is the hallway camera and kitchen camera. Waiting for the balcony and bedroom camera feeds.”

A part of you still didn’t feel safe as you watched the other camera feeds connect. If the person does get in, the only thing these cameras can do is alert Jaehyun and be a witness to the possible crime done onto you. The thought sends a shiver down your spine. You’re still praying to every higher being that this is all some prank and whoever Kun was trying to tell you about is just a thing of the past.

You feel a hand come over your shoulders and Jaehyun squeezes you lightly, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” You dismissed, “Just need some coffee. Would any of you like anything?”

After they assured you they were fine, you ambled over to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of coffee. You glanced at the kitchen camera; it didn’t look noticeable either. Choosing the hazelino muffin flavor and popping the bronzy pod into the Nespresso machine, you leaned against the counter and waited for it to brew. Did Jaehyun take a day off today just to have the cameras installed? Or is he coming into work when they’re finished?

Today, Ten was coming in from Thailand to visit and everyone was adamant to get together. Fortunately, you and Jaehyun already volunteered to host the gathering. You had to go to the grocery to pick up some ingredients for the food you had planned on serving. Would Jaehyun accompany you? You glanced over your shoulder just as your coffee was ready and saw Jaehyun and Yuta talking seriously. 

Her personal camera.

That’s what you could read from your fiance’s lips. Personal camera? For what?

Images from that time in his office and the lewd video saved on his computer flashed in your head, bringing a wave of heat over your cheeks.

Oh.

You picked up your coffee mug and softly blew at it, wondering if Jaehyun had ever watched that video back.

A cell phone rang behind you and Jaehyun’s voice took over the abrupt halt of the ringtone.

“What? She hasn’t been home for 3 days?”

The concern in his voice makes you spin around. Who was he talking about?

“How about our cameras? Nothing?” He puts a hand over his forehead and uses his thumb and ring finger to rub circles on his temples, “Okay. Yeah, no, she—she’s fine. They’re done installing here. I’ll let her know. You take care, too, hyung.”

That must have been Yunho, then. You let out a little gasp; were they talking about Mina? Dread and worry began to bubble in your stomach. Could the person who sent the note be the reason why Mina is missing? Was she kidnapped? You put your mug down and paced towards Jaehyun, “Was that about Mina?”

He frowns, “Y-yeah, it was. Yunho said her family requested for a welfare check after she didn’t contact them like she usually does when she gets home. The police have been contacted already.”

“I hope she’s okay.” You bit down on your lip, “Nothing seemed strange when she left for work the day she was last seen?”

“No, she went home with one of the secretaries, Sera. But Sera says they separated at the train station because Mina said she was going to meet someone and that was the last of their interaction. Mina never mentioned who she was meeting or where exactly she was going.”

“Then police should search up any surveillance cameras around the area to determine where she went off to.” Yuta interjected, “There’s bound to be establishments that have their own CCTVs that caught her.”

You put a hand on Jaehyun’s arm, “Please update me about her situation, okay?”

“Okay.” He pulled you forward and kissed your forehead, “I’m sure she’s fine. Let’s not think the worst has befallen her.”

“Even so, she looks like someone who would put up a good fight before going down.” Yuta curtly chuckles before he clears his throat. “Looks like the setup is done and everything is working fine. If they’re are any problems, I’m a call away.”

“Thank you, Yuta. Are you sure you don’t want me to pay for this?”

“Let’s call it an engagement gift.” He grins brightly, “And if you want the same setup for your house, we’ll call that a housewarming gift.”

Yuta and his workers left shortly afterwards, leaving you to return to your coffee and Jaehyun insisting he’ll cook lunch for the two of you.

“What time does Ten arrive?” He asks, washing his hands at the sink.

“Two, I think. He’ll have a few hours to rest up a bit at his hotel.” You take a lengthy gulp of your coffee, softly moaning at the warmth coating your throat. “Oh, I have to go to the grocery!”

Jaehyun hums, “Okay, let’s go around three?”

You smile to yourself; of course he wouldn’t let you go alone. You definitely did not mind. It’s been a while since the two of you went grocery shopping together. “Sounds good. I’m sure they’ll be here at 9 so there’s plenty of time to cook and dilly dally.”

“Dilly dally?” He repeats, clearly amused as he spares you a glance before fetching ingredients in the refrigerator. “What exactly do you mean by dilly dally?”

“Whatever you want it to mean as, baby.” You shot back with a wink, “But it feels so tense lately, a bubble bath sounds good right now.”

“You deserve one, baby.”

You pout, “I think you deserve one, too. Even a massage.”

Jaehyun shakes his head, unable to contain his smile. “Should I call for a masseuse later?”

“Like I’d let any other woman touch you for too long.” You huffed, jutting your bottom lip out at the thought.

“I’d still like a massage though. If I do the dishes, can I get a happy ending?”

“Of cou— have you ever received a happy ending massage?!”

He bursts out laughing, “No, I haven’t. Don’t worry. Are those even still a thing? Like there are still salons that offer that?”

“I don’t know and we never will because we can handle it ourselves, okay?”

“Baby, calm down, do you honestly think I’d avail that from anyone else aside from you? Besides, I only found out about those when I was in high school.”

Your ears perked up at this, “High school?”

“Yeah, I told you how my friends back then were basically scum, right? Every week, especially after training, they’d get massages. I went once and the girl offered the happy ending service — which I didn’t really understand until she tried reaching for my dick and I declined it.” He practically shuddered at the memory, pausing from chopping onions. “I never went with them again.”

This was the first time he openly talked about something from when he was in high school. It’s not a happy memory, but he’s still opening up.

“Do you really hate them? Your friends from high school, I mean.”

Jaehyun doesn’t respond at first and you patiently wait for him to set aside the vegetables he’s cut before he looks at you. “I still had fun with them, I guess. If it weren’t for the vices, I would have liked to stay friends with most of them.”

You’re finished with your coffee, bringing it over to the sink to wash and put it away on the rack. Afterwards, you walked over to Jaehyun and kissed his cheek as a silent thank you for opening up.

He glances at you with an unsure smile, knowing you kissed him for something but wasn’t sure on the cause, so you took the chance to kiss his lips.

“I’ll set the table.” You quietly murmured after he pulled away.

Instead of the actual dining table, you only laid out the kitchenware on the breakfast counter. Jaehyun finished cooking just as you got two bowls full of rice and sat yourself down on the barstool. He brings over the food after plating and plays a song on his phone after quickly hooking up the bluetooth speakers from the living room.

You both start eating, appreciatively moaning at the burst of flavor dancing on your tongue. What you’d do to have Jaehyun cook for the two of you permanently if he wasn’t so busy with work. 

“Oh, right. My mom called this morning. She found two possible wedding venues for us already.” Jaehyun informs you after swallowing. “One is a high end resort and the other is a private property; a friend of hers. I think it’s Yebin’s aunt.”

“Doesn’t the resort sound better? We can reserve rooms for the guests.”

“If we choose the resort, we’ll be reserving the whole place.”

You almost choked on your food, “We barely have 50 guests, Jaehyun. I don’t think we have to reserve the entire place. There are people who could have been waiting to book that place for a vacation.”

He purses his lips, “Then let’s go with my mom’s friend. It’s a villa they own for their family’s vacation homes and they have cherry blossom trees that fit the color scheme you want. We could have the entire place for ourselves. We wouldn’t need that much security either.”

Pushing the rice around your bowl with your chopsticks, you silently reminded yourself how prominent of a family Jaehyun belonged to. It would make headlines, of course, and there’s bound to be press trying to sneak a few shots of the wedding. Privacy is top priority among the Jungs.

“Okay. But can we do an ocular?” 

“Oh, uhm…” Jaehyun trails off, “I might have an overseas trip this weekend. Is it okay if only you and mom go? Her friend is only available this week, too, before she heads back to Europe.”

You’re a little disappointed, but you’re not going to tell him you want him there because you’re certain he’ll do everything in his power to cancel the trip for a petty request. You nod your head, “I don’t mind! In fact, maybe I’ll ask my mom to tag along and we can have a nice girl’s weekend.”

“That sounds great.” He grins, “Ask Minkyung and Yebin as well, maybe they’re free.”

“If we want cherry blossoms to bloom on our wedding day, that would give us six months from today.” It’s the middle of September and Spring starts in April. “Isn’t that too quick? Doesn’t wedding planning take at least a year?”

He reaches over the table and puts his hands over yours, “Would you rather have me preserve cherry blossom trees for our wedding?”

You feel your eyes almost bugging out at the suggestion, “That… sounds expensive… preserve a tree?”

“No, love, a couple of trees. We can’t just have one, maybe six? And you know I wouldn’t mind spending millions for our wedding.”

“Well I mind!” You groaned, “But honestly, a spring wedding is the most ideal for me, if not a winter one.”

Jaehyun chuckles, “I don’t mind having a wedding for each season, baby. If you’re worried about the cost and the possible annoyance of our friends and families at having four weddings, then we could always just dress up for the occasion and do it ourselves.”

This makes you laugh while shaking your head in disbelief, “Just say our vows, kiss, and dance for a night?”

“Who knows, maybe for the winter ‘wedding’, we’ll be three.”

It didn’t click in your head at first what he had meant at first because as cheesy as it sounds, the way he looked at you with soft, gleaming eyes had you distracted for a moment, but his thumb moves across your knuckles and you have visions of his hand running over your swollen belly.

“That soon?” You lightheartedly teased, moving your hand so your fingers intertwined.

“I said ‘maybe.’” He squeezes your hand, “We’ll have a baby whenever you’re ready.”

“Well then,” You retract your hand away from his when you see both your plates are empty, “I can promise you that you don’t have to wait a year.”

You stand up and start to reach for his plates but he lightly swats your hands away.

“Nuh uh, not today. I’ll do the dishes.”

“But you already cooked for us.”

“And I’ll clean up for us, too.” He drags your plate away from you and stands up as well. “For a price, of course.”

The coy smile on his face makes you narrow your gaze at him. Putting a hand on your hip, you cocked a brow, “And that price is?”

He winks at you, “It involves your mouth.”

“That’s it?” You scoffed, sashaying over to his side of the table, “Easy.”

The smug look on his face is instantly wiped away when you grab his crotch and he winces in shock.

“I—I meant later—” 

“Oh, I know. Just warming it up.”

Jaehyun tries to move away, but ends up bucking his hips into your touch when you flex your hands. The pained expression on his face makes you giggle, seeing the conflict of trying to be sane enough to do his chores or just giving into your temptation. 

You pull away and cross your arms, “I’ll go run us a bath now.”

“God damn it.” He grumbles, but sucks in a breath and forces out a smile, “Okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Take your time.”

“No the fuck I won’t.”

You burst out laughing, spying the annoyance in his features as he walks past you after gathering the plates in his hands. You make your way down the hall, glancing at the newly installed camera without much thought, and head inside the bathroom. As you run the bath, you peruse through your small collection of bath bombs and pick out a pink and grayish-purple one with a rose design. Giving it a quick whiff, you sigh at the scent of jasmine and ylang-ylang invading your senses. Any other day, Jaehyun would have probably preferred the green tea and peppermint one (although you’re convinced he’s only amused that it’s shaped like a dinosaur) but you’re certain he’s going to love this one just as much.

You gently lower it into the warm water, the instant fizzing of the bath bomb as it disintegrates in your hand tickles you. You let it float on its own to turn the tap off and decide to get it before Jaehyun comes. However, as you were halfway through tugging off your shirt above your head, a pair of hands slithered over your bare waist from behind to your chest. You toss your shirt to the side and strained your neck to look at Jaehyun, who merely smiles.

“Oh, don’t mind me, I’m just warming it up.”

“Enough warming up, the water will get cold.” You pushed against him using your butt as you peeled down your shorts and underwear. 

He steps back and you think it’s so he could take off his clothes, but then you feel his hands on your ass, spreading your cheeks apart so he could access your pussy with his tongue. You fall forward, grabbing onto the edge of the tub with a loud gasp.

“Jae—”

He moans and the vibrations affect you as well. You weren’t very keen on this position, not when his nose is just poking at your anus, but he obviously doesn’t mind. 

“Jaehyun,” You whimpered when his tongue reached your clit, “The water.”

He relents, standing up after delivering a soft smack on your pussy, but doesn’t let go of your body. “I know, I know.”

You straighten yourself up, only to flinch when he snakes his hand between your legs. “If you keep doing that, I’ll feel bad about wasting this bath I ran.”

He chuckles, kissing your shoulder, “Which one is this one?”

“It’s jasmine-scented.” You push his hand away and spin around, grabbing hold onto the edge of his shirt. “It’s called Sex Bomb.”

His eyebrows shoot up ever so slightly, “Is that so? Well, let’s get my clothes off and hop in.”

“If you could have just kept your hands to yourself for just a second, we could have breezed through that step ages ago.” You pulled his shirt up and he shrugs it off completely, tossing it to where you discarded your shirt. You then push his sweats down and he kicks it off to the side.

Getting into the tub first, you wait for him to make himself comfortable before sitting between his legs and leaning back on his chest. The water’s temperature was just right, not too hot for the two of you to be bothered or too cold for either of you to get sick.

“Can we please make joined bath times a weekly thing?” You sighed, hugging onto one of his arms that slung around you.

“Baby, you read my mind.” Jaehyun kisses the back of your head. “Now, about that payment for earlier.”

You rolled your shoulders back, exaggerating your movements, “Ooh, my body still feels a bit stiff though.”

Jaehyun scoffs behind you, bringing his hands over your chest, “That’s it?” Mocking your tone from earlier, “Easy.”

“A new house!” Ten exclaims, pounding his fist on the table, shaking the cocktails in their glasses. “Tell me when and where so I can clear my schedule for the housewarming!”

“Knowing Jung, it’s not just a house.” Yebin makes a remark as she narrows her eyes at you for confirmation, to which you move your head around in a nonchalant manner, and she scoffs, “Of course.”

“Heard the Kangs bought new land down south.” Jaehyun snides, laid back on his chair with his arm draped on the back of yours. “Is it another private property or are you commercializing it?”

She snorts, rolling her eyes, “Of course we’re commercializing it. A resort we’ll have the honor of staying at before it even opens.”

Doyoung makes a face at her, “So, we’re the guinea pigs?”

Everyone laughs when Yebin unabashedly shrugs her shoulders and crinkles her nose.

“Oh!” You exclaimed, perking up in your seat. “Speaking of private property, Yebin, Minkyung, are you guys free this weekend? I’ll be doing an ocular for the wedding venue and it would be a great girl’s weekend—”

Minkyung gasps with visible excitement in her eyes, “Bachelorette party?!”

“Do you want strippers—ow!” Yebin yelps, jerking up and hitting her knee on the table. She glares at Jaehyun, “What are you, 12?”

“Our mothers are coming along.” He grits through his teeth before taking a sip of his whiskey. “I suggested having the two of you tag along since I’ll be out of the country this weekend.”

“Well then, I’m in! We can plan the actual bachelorette party there.” Minkyung gleefully chirps, smiling at you.

“No—ow!” It was Jaehyun’s turn to cry, hitting the underside of the table so hard that the forks clattered.

“Johnny, plan this man a bachelor’s party!” Yebin elbows the man beside her, who’s brows shoot up as he glances at Jaehyun.

“Okay. Leave it to me.”

Jaehyun grimaces and you laugh at his expression, knowing he can’t stop Johnny now if he says those four words.

“Enough about us!” You wave your hand around, feeling warm from your fourth glass of wine. “How about you guys? Dons? Are you still hooking up with that divorce attorney?”

Doyoung almost spat out his whiskey, quickly grabbing a napkin to dab his lips. Everyone begins to jeer as he coughs loudly, “Uhm, yeah, every other week. Just to destress, you know?”

“Nice.” Yebin raises her wine glass at him, but he just makes a face at her. “Oh my god, imagine if you accidentally knock that chick up. You’d have a kid before these two.”

“Not a chance. She’s both on pills and film.” Doyoung vehemently shuts the idea down, shaking his head in denial. “I’m not fit to be a dad either.”

“Aw, Dons,” You coo, “You don’t know that. Didn’t you have a name planned for a son back in high school?”

He sucks his teeth, looking up as he tries to remember, eyes growing wide along with a smile, “Oh, right! I think I said Jeno or something. I don’t know; that was for that project on genetics.”

“Oh my god,” Minkyung props her elbow up on the table and rests her chin on her palm, “Could you guys imagine all our kids being friends? That would be so cute. Please! We need to make them best friends, too!”

“Honey, that’s only happening if we all manage to get pregnant or impregnate someone in a specific timeline.” Yebin points out, taking another swig of her drink.

Minkyung pouts for a brief moment, using her free hand to meticulously tap her manicured nails rhythmically on the table before slapping the surface and leaning towards you. “When are you two having kids?”

You almost regurgitate your drink back into the glass, surprised that she was really contemplating the idea.

“[Y/N] promised we don’t have to wait a year after the wedding.” Jaehyun casually answers, swirling his whiskey around, “So maybe by the end of the next year?”

“Okay, I can do that.” Minkyung tells herself.

Yebin stares at her, “Min, you’re not actually thinking about having a baby just to make sure they’ll be besties with theirs. Think about your job.”

Minkyung worked as a model that was highly sought after by high end fashion brands and this barely gave her time to socialize since she flew to Europe and America for fashion weeks and photoshoots, let alone date someone.

“So I’ll be on hiatus for a few years, so what?” She waves her hand, “If these two are having kids, I am going to give them the best present: a best friend.”

“You don’t have a boyfriend.” Ten points out, “Gosh, do you even get laid?”

“You don’t know two shits, Ten.” Minkyung retorts in a sweet voice and an innocent smile. “Anyways, there’s something I am very curious about and I’m tipsy enough to ask it without regrets: what happened between you and Johnny?”

The table went silent for a moment before the two men in question burst out laughing.

“John, didn’t you tell them?”

“I was hoping I didn’t have to... with what’s going on and all but…” Johnny scratches his nape, letting out a heavy sigh, “Our relationship was just for shits and giggles. We established that from the get go especially since my parents arranged a marriage for me between a business partner.”

“I thought you got out of that?” Jaehyun asks, moving the hand behind to your shoulder and giving you a lazy massage. “The Bae conglomerate, right?”

Johnny nods his head, releasing another drawn out sigh before taking a sip, “Yeah, the one that hates men.”

“Irene?” Yebin’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head, “Her parents are arranging her marriage… with you?!”

“I’m sorry, is there something wrong with marrying me?” He says in faux offense, putting a hand over his chest and jutting his bottom lip out at her. “But, yeah, Irene. You know her?”

Jaehyun mumbles something into his glass about not being surprised about that, although those across the table — including Yebin — hears him, prompting Yebin to give him a pointed glare.

“Yeah, we were classmates. Kyeonggi Girls’.”

You licked your lips; “Kyeonggi…?”

“The elite all girls’ academy.” She flips her hair and bats her eyelashes at you, “Everyone was fake.”

“Why does that school sound familiar?”

“Because I went to Kyeonggi Boys’? Their brother school? Did you forget?” Jaehyun pinched your waist and you jerked towards him, backhanding his stomach for doing so. “But I agree, our school is a breeding ground for fakes.”

“I bet your schools had mandatory boy-girl interactions.” Johnny chuckled, “Did you two meet back then?”

“No. Thank god.” They said in unison, making everyone burst out into laughter while they share annoyed looks at one another.

“But, [Y/N],” Jaehyun clears his throat to cut the noise, “You mentioned before that we could have met back then.”

You frowned, not recalling what he was saying, “I did?”

“That interschool sports festival? You told me you won first place in swimming and my team won in basketball.”

“Oh!” You remembered now; during one of your first dates while you talked about competitive swimming, you mentioned winning an interschool competition and that was the time Jaehyun told you where he studied in high school after recognizing the said festival. You cupped his face, “I watched all the basketball games, though, I can’t believe I missed your face.”

“That’s because his visuals are just so-so back in high school. Kyeonggi Boys’ are assholes, but they’re hot. Jung must have blended right in, especially if he’s on varsity basketball.” 

“I don’t know if I should be offended you clustered me with them as being assholes or flattered you called us hot.”

“Don’t let it get to your ego, Jung, your fiancee is right there. Besides,” Yebin leaned back, “Almost every girl in Kyeonggi’s wanted your dick. They loved the ice prince vibes; they didn’t even care that someone spread rumors that you were gay… I suppose it’s better that you two didn’t get together in high school because I’m sure my bitch ass classmates would tear your reputation apart.”

Jaehyun makes an indignant sound in retort, “I would have protected her if that had happened.”

Yebin makes a snide comment and sparks another little bicker between her and Jaehyun with Minkyung trying to calm both (mostly Yebin) down. You glance around the table, eyes a little heavy already; Ten and Johnny are talking to themselves about business, while Doyoung was on his phone. Sneaking a peek, you let out a scandalized gasp when you caught sight of the text he had just received.

“You? Sexting?” You put a hand over your mouth to further prove your shock at what you had witnessed. “Dons, just date the woman!”

His face goes bright red, eyes avoiding every gaze turned to him as everyone starts to tease him. “It’s nothing serious! I’m still not attracted to her, I just like the sex!”

“It always starts out that way.” Ten nudged him with his shoulder, “Just let yourself fall when it happens.”

“Anyways!” He exclaims, ready to change the topic, “Jaehyun’s bachelor party, yeah?”

“I don’t want one.” Jaehyun shakes his head, but the three other men have launched themselves into planning it.

“Invite Sicheng!” You butt into their conversation, “Oh, and Yuta, too!”

“Yuta?” Johnny repeats, “Nakamoto? Sure, why not. He’s a cool guy.”

“Ah, of Nakamoto Technologies?”

You knew Johnny knew Yuta, but you didn’t expect Doyoung to know him as well. “You know him, Dons?”

He shrugs, “Not really, but remember that emergency regarding a hack in our system? It was resolved, but the CEO wants to change suppliers. Nakamoto Tech was suggested to us and they seem efficient and trustworthy.”

“They handle our security systems, too. Both at work and here.” Jaehyun mentions, putting his hand back over your shoulder.

“He was here this morning.”

“But you’re moving, why do you need to install a security system here?” Doyoung asks, turning his gaze to where you gestured: the barely noticeable CCTV camera dome in the kitchen ceiling corner.

You open your mouth, ready to answer, but you hesitate, turning to Jaehyun instead, who seemed reluctant to give a reason as well. “Well,”

“Oh my god! Is it your stalker from college? He found you again, didn’t he?” Minkyung lets out a concerned gasp, putting her wine glass down.

You were ready to deny her allegations, but Jaehyun’s voice overpowers yours as he responds, “I’m afraid so. We’re tightening security up to catch him and put him in his place. That’s why I’m a little reluctant to go away for that business trip.”

You stayed quiet, confused as to why Jaehyun would say it was your college stalker, but then again it would be harder to explain why the two of you know that it’s not the guy from college. His hand finds yours under the table and he squeezes tightly with you returning the motion.

“Then hire a damn bodyguard for her!” Yebin yells, “You know you can’t be with her every waking hour and you can’t just lock her up, too!”

“I know that.” Jaehyun grits, “I’m already on top of it. I just haven’t run the idea by [Y/N] yet but I’ve already chosen two bodyguards for her.”

“Isn’t that too much?” You chewed on your bottom lip, glancing between Yebin and Jaehyun. “Do I really need two?”

“Yes.” They, along with Johnny, said. Jaehyun quickly follows up with, “It’s so that they can take turns. Think of it like morning and night shifts. If it were up to me, I would recommend two at a time.”

You shake your head, “I don’t need four bodyguards. But okay, if you think I really need them, then I’d like to meet the two you’ve chosen.”

“There’s a whole company worth of them if you don’t like the two I’ve picked out for you.”

“Oh, are these from Moon Security Services?” Johnny inquires, “Then you’ll be in good hands. Taeil has the best bodyguards and security personnel in the business. Don’t let his looks represent his employees, they’re all army trained.”

As you listened to their conversation, you picked a muscat grape from the platter in front of you and popped it into your mouth. Jaehyun, Johnny, Yebin, and Ten all come from rich families; it would be no surprise that they know who and what the best of best are. Minkyung, despite sharing the same last name as Yebin, isn’t from the Kang Conglomerate, and she proclaims herself as the pauper of the group, yet she studied all her school life under a scholarship and now earns at least 5-digits in dollars as a model. You and Doyoung come from well-off families and work well-paying jobs as well, although yours depended on your clients which made you the one in the group that earned the least. It wasn’t something that bothered you, but moments like these reminded you of it. Without Jaehyun, you wouldn’t be sipping on Schiava or munching on expensive grapes every week. Without him, you wouldn’t be living comfortably in a penthouse and soon, in a mansion that could house four families.  You’d like to think you would still do well even if you weren’t with Jaehyun, but the thought of not being with him isn’t something you let your mind dwell on.

You feel a kiss on your temple; you closed your eyes and let yourself smile. When Jaehyun pulls away, you peer up at him and he asks, “Are you okay?”

“Just drowning in my thoughts. Thanks for pulling me out.”

“Is it the stalker?” Minkyung asks, “Karma will bite his ass eventually, [Y/N].”

“I just… What would he want from me anyways? Why me?”

Jaehyun kisses your hair, “If it’s you he wants, then honestly, I don’t blame him.”

“And if it’s not that guy from college,” Yebin crosses her arms over the table, “Let’s say this guy is actually after you, Jung, and they’re going to use [Y/N] against you.”

“If that’s the case,” He grabs a grape and twiddles it between his fingers. “then I’ll deal with it accordingly.”

You silently watch in shock as Jaehyun slowly digs his thumbnail into the little fruit’s flesh, drawing out the sweet juice.

“If someone has a problem with me, then take it out on me. I’m not going to forgive anyone who lays a hand on [Y/N].” He cuts the grape all the way through, popping one half into his mouth. “It’s petty to drag people who aren’t involved into situations they’re not a part of or don’t even belong to.”

It was five in the morning when you woke up with a horrible headache. Last night — well, a couple hours ago — you made the horrible decision to drink 3 bottles of wine with the girls and switch to whiskey when neither of you could stand up to grab a new bottle of Schiava in the fridge. You begrudgingly rolled off the bed, noting Jaehyun wasn’t beside you. You’re not even sure if he got into bed… you don’t even know how you got to bed.

Your mouth was dry like sandpaper, just begging for some water so you trudged your way out to the kitchen. You peered into the guest room, spying Minkyung and Yebin on each of the twin beds, recalling how they claimed each one and banished the boys on the couch. Walking out of the hallway, you silently laugh at Johnny draped across one of the armchairs while Ten and Doyoung comfortably laid themselves on the L-shaped couch, all of them snoring in disharmony. The kitchen cub lights were on and you vaguely heard the sound of running water. Reaching your destination, you find Jaehyun putting away the last whiskey glass into the dishwasher before shutting it and wiping his hands on a towel. On the kitchen island, there were two glasses filled with water and two painkillers.

“Oh, you’re up.” Jaehyun turns around and looks surprised to see you.

“You did the dishes?”

“Well, I only meant to grab us some water and painkillers, but I thought I’d do them anyway.” He gestures to the glasses you’ve already spotted. He cheekily grins at you, a little lopsided that told you he was still drunk, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask for compensation.”

You giggled, almost like a schoolgirl, when his dimples appeared. You drink one of the glasses, gulping down half of it before letting out a satisfied sigh when your thirst is finally quenched. “Are we getting too old to get drunk like this?”

“Absolutely not.” Jaehyun tears one of the painkillers and tosses it into his mouth, “We’re in our mid-20’s, what are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, maybe I’m still drunk.” You swallowed down the other pill and chased it with water, “If that thing Minkyung wants — if we all had children and they become best friends — we gotta let them drink when they want, alright? Not like, at 14 when they’re curious, but at like, barely legal age. That’s fine, right? As long as they’re at someone’s house — no clubs and whatnots. We’re gonna be cool parents.”

“Okay, [Y/N].” He pulled you into a hug and kissed your cheek, “Let them drink at a barely legal age; got it.”

“It’s better they learn from us than some strangers. Give them enough freedom so they wouldn’t become rebellious or estranged. Promise me you’ll take our children out on daddy dates.”

“I promise to take our children out to daddy dates.” He repeats, “So mommy can have a spa day to herself.”

“We’re going to spoil them just enough so they wouldn’t turn into entitled brats.” You mumbled into his chest, “Promise me you’re not going to force them into inheriting the family business, especially if they want to become something else.”

“I promise, baby.” He kisses your cheek again, “Little [Y/N] can be anything she wants to be.”

“Hey,” You tilt your head back to see his face, “What if we have a son first?”

“Then what would you name him?”

You moved your hands to cup his cheeks, “Well, I don’t want him to be Jaehyun Jr. or Jaehyun the second… but I still want to name him after you. So maybe something with Jae?”

“Jaebeom? Jaeho? Jaegyu?” He pauses, “Uh… Jaemin?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll decide on it when I’m actually pregnant.”

Jaehyun ducks his head down and presses his lips against yours, “Okay.”

He leans forward again for another kiss, but you lightly push him away.

“Don’t be offended,” You swallowed, “But I want to throw up.”

“What? Then go to the bathroom!” He scolds in a playful manner before quickly escorting you to the toilet and holding your hair up for you.

“I should hire you once I save enough to move.” Minkyung states, moving her sunglasses up as a makeshift headband to inspect the little succulents on display, “You would know how I’d like my home. Something along the lines of light gray, green accents, and—”

“—a splash of pink.” You finished for her, throwing her a smirk over your shoulder as you checked the price of the snake plant.

“See! You know me so well.” Her face drops, “Unless I’m that readable.”

“No, it’s because I lived with you for 4 years.” You laughed, moving over to compare the plants side by side, “Also, you didn’t have to come with me.”

You and Minkyung met up for brunch earlier that day. It was Friday, a week after everyone met up, the day Jaehyun leaves for Hong Kong, and the day before you were scheduled to go check out the possible wedding venues with her, Yebin, and your moms. When you mentioned you had to run an errand for work, she invited herself with you.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Not after what you and Jaehyun told us last week, as if I’d let you be alone in public places. I’ll be with you as long as I can.”

“I have bodyguards, Min.” You peer out the large window to see two men outside, dressed in casual clothes, but had ear pieces and shades on. You met the pair first thing on Monday morning and learned they were cousins. Hyunwoo was older than you by five years while Jooheon was older by two years. They were big and intimidating upon first impression, but they spoke softly and humbly towards you whenever you talked to them. They initially wore suits as their uniform, but after they accompanied you to visit Kyungwon at your old office and accumulated pointed stares, you asked for them to wear casual clothes instead and wait outside or in the car. They drove you around, opened doors for you, and either one would always survey the area before you even arrived. It felt a little too excessive, but in the end all of this was for your safety and Jaehyun’s peace of mind.

Minkyung follows your gaze and pouts, “Well, they’re outside as per your request, but who knows what could happen in here with you.”

“Hyunwoo already checked the place out before we arrived, otherwise Jooheon wouldn’t have let us step foot in here.” You returned your attention to the task at hand; choosing some indoor plants for Yuta’s apartment. Personally, you wanted the peace lilies, but the yellow streaks of the snake plant complemented Yuta’s apartment as a whole. You also had to choose the perfect pot to go with it. “I think it’s too tacky to go with a yellow pot, even if it’s muted. Which is better, black or white?”

“See? You would be standing here all day if I didn’t come with you.” Minkyung rolls her eyes, “I like the white one!”

“If I were to design your new apartment, I’d fill it with plants and call it a day.” You joked, calling for one of the sales attendants.

“And you know what? I wouldn’t be mad about it.” She picked up a small succulent in a lightbulb shaped glass container, “You should try gardening in your new house, [Y/N]! It could be your pregnancy hobby.”

“My what?”

“Like, the hobby you pick up because you’re pregnant. Some people try knitting, some paint, you can try gardening!”

You don’t get to answer back as the sales attendant you flagged down finally came to you and you pointed out which plants you wanted to buy. After it’s settled you and Minkyung follow her to the counter where you fill up some forms to have it delivered to Yuta’s apartment when it’s ready. When you finish, you look back at Minkyung who still had the succulent in her hands, “Are you going to buy that?”

“Yes!” She grins, “I’ve already named it as well!”

“You… name your plants?”

“This is Cadbury.”

“...after chocolates?”

She sighs, “If it dies, then I’ll never eat that brand ever again.”

You stare at her for a good minute, trying to figure out if she was joking or not as she steps forward to the cashier and asks for the succulent to be wrapped. “Have you lost one yet?”

While she fishes out her card from her purse, she offers you a sad pout, “Nutella.”

“Miss [L/N] [Y/N]?” You turn your head to a polite voice over the counter and return the smile, “Hello ma’am! We received an order for flowers to be picked up by you today.”

“Aw!” Minkyung coos, “Jaehyun got you flowers?”

“I…” You paused, releasing a sigh instead and looked back at the sales attendant, “Okay, then, thank you.”

The lady excuses herself to retrieve the flowers at the back of the store and Minkyung leans her head on yours.

“Oh, [Y/N], I wish I’d find someone as sweet as Jaehyun. Did he know you were going here today?”

“Yeah, I texted him before we went here. It’s just weird though, he’ll usually pick it up himself and surprise me back home.”

“Maybe he’s too busy? His flight is tonight, right?” Just then, her eyes practically sparkled as an idea popped in her head, “Let me and Yebs sleepover! I’ll come once he’s gone and it’ll be more efficient for us the next day since we’re leaving before lunch.”

“Sure, I’ll ask Yebin right now.” You take out your phone just as the lady returns with a small, brown clay pot with reddish flowers. It wasn’t what you were expecting; he usually gave you roses or peonies, occasionally sunflowers, in bouquets, but never potted plants. Nonetheless, it’s still from Jaehyun and you readily accept it from the lady. “Oh, thank you. What are these?”

“Begonias, ma’am. If I may, it’s quite peculiar your partner would give you these flowers.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, ma’am, they symbolize caution.”

“Caution?” You and Minkyung said in unison.

The lady waves her hands, “But don’t take it too literally, ma’am. Since they are from your partner, it could mean gratitude and giving thanks.”

Jaehyun is romantic, but you don’t think he’s sensible enough to search up flowers and their symbolisms before giving them to you. With the current situation of him leaving, it could mean he just wants you to be careful and be alert while he’s gone.

After checking out the plants for Yuta’s apartment and Minkyung’s little succulent, you tucked the flower pot in your arms and made your way outside where Jooheon opened the door for the two of you. You dropped Minkyung off at her apartment and Hyunwoo drove you back to yours, where you set the flowers on the living room table and proceeded to pack your weekend bag and Jaehyun’s weekend luggage.

Jaehyun came home earlier than usual as he had a flight at 9PM and you greeted him at the hallway opening with a kiss.

“Minkyung and Yebin are coming over after you leave. They’ll sleepover as well so we don’t have to wait for each other tomorrow morning when we have to leave.” You informed him, watching him loosen his tie. “Are you hungry? I was about to make dinner.”

“I’m starving.” He sheepishly admits, prompting you to glare at him since it meant he had skipped lunch once more. “Work is piling up, baby.”

“That’s not an excuse.” You reprimanded, tiptoeing to kiss him once more, “But I understand. I’ll go get dinner ready. Go freshen up for your flight.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He chases after your lips for a longer kiss before pulling away.

As you moved around him to get to the kitchen, you quickly spun on your heels to face him again, “Oh, and thank you for the flowers. The lady said it was an odd choice.”

You gesture to the begonias on the coffee table and Jaehyun stops untying his tie.

“Oh.” He says after a pregnant pause, “Are they?”

“Yeah and I get it, you want me to be careful. Don’t worry, I will be.”

“Is that what they meant?” He stares at the flowers and moves his attention back to you as you nodded, “They must have mixed up my order then… I’ll replace them.”

“No, you don’t have to. They’re pretty, don’t you think? You don’t have to replace them, besides, the lady said they could also mean gratitude.”

He licks his lips in contemplation, “Alright then.”

You smile at him, giving him another kiss, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Jaehyun whispers back, watching you disappear into the kitchen.

He moves towards the coffee table, scrutinizing the potted red flowers under an intense glare. He wants to cancel his flight and stay with you; but this meeting had the whole Jung’s reputation on the line. There’s a horrible sick feeling in his gut and he could practically feel the familiar rush of anger in his veins. He would never give you flowers with such meanings — no, that’s not the problem — he never even ordered flowers for you today to begin with.

a/n: yay new update 🎉 i’m aiming to update with part 10 in a week or two, meaning the old schedule of uploading on Fridays will be back (hopefully) 🤞🏻 please let me know what you think of this chapter here 🥰

next: part 10

~ buy me a peach?  but why?

[fishylife]

Back to Field S5 Ep 10

- Poor Yixing got exiled to the sitting room again. For what reason? We shall find out.

- Na Ying and Liang Jing heard that Pengpeng and Huang Laoshi went for a run in the morning and they were like wow, they’re so awesome.....should we go for a run too? I said this last episode, but I enjoy Liang Jing and Na Ying as guests because they’re actually excited to try new things.

- Huang Lei, He Jiong, and Pengpeng were interrogating Yixing on whose snoring it was that forced him out of their dorm.

- Pengpeng being like “was it me? was it me??”

- The siblings chillin uwu (God I love how relaxed Yixing is. This show was really so good for him.)

- Yixing describing the snores of the other guys. He said that at some point, someone was almost singing in their sleep lmao.

- They also talked about the dancing from the night before. Yixing was like Pengpeng dances like he hasn’t a care in the world. He also asked Meimei when she was gong to join their dancing but she’s shy lol.

- At one point, Yixing said that the name Pengpeng sounded very friendly, and I think he said it was because of the Timon and Pumba cartoons (I guess Pumba’s name was translated into Pengpeng in Mandarin).

- Yixing was so relaxed, he said he felt like he was in a Miyazaki Hayao film :3 Look at the show animators trying to get away with as much as possible without getting sued for copyright infringement.

- He Jiong called all his friends to come to the house because if they managed to plant 51 trees on plot #3, they would have the whole store.

- The friends that He Jiong recruited are on their way! :3 Li Jiawei was one of the guests and he suggested the team name Treehouse/樹屋, a combination of tree and Mushroom house lol.

- Xixi as his show’s villain is actually kind of hilarious. When the Treehouse crew came to the island, he confiscated their snacks, and then later he had to help with starting one of the weeders. But it was only this episode that I found out that Xixi is actually the DIRECTOR XD (His full name is Zhang Hangxi)

- But later we see that Pengpeng has trouble starting every weeder when others have no problem starting it, so I guess it’s Pengpeng’s problem XD Li Jiawei said the problem was that he was pulling the starter at the wrong angle.

- Lmao so apparently Zhang Zifeng and Liang Jingkang played a couple on a movie and Huang Lei was like they WHAT I am going to BREAK this boy’s LEGS. Pengzai was the tattletale.

- The relationship chart between Liang Jingkang, Zhang Zifeng, and Peng Yuchang.

- They successfully planted >51 trees in plot #3 so now they have the keys to the store.

- On the way back Yixing and Pengpeng were honking their bikes and Yali was like “...is this a code? what does it mean?” and Pengpeng was like no lol we’re just being dumb.

- Pengpeng and Yixing just drove into the store because they literally own it now lol.

- They threw literally everything they wanted into the back. Yixing was obviously eyeing the chips.

- Singing the Mushroom house theme song lol. 吹牛皮 means bragging btw.

- Yixing got the moon madness. (He’s carrying a speaker in his hand) Also sorry the version I have on hand has that QR code on the bottom right that’s in the way. Am downloading another version as we speak lol.

- Pengpeng’s expressionless face when he dances.

- Yixing got moon drunk.

- Huang Lei’s not sure why Yixing is so moon drunk.

- Oh my god Yixing absolutely LOVES this dance move that he learned from Na Ying and Liang Jing XD And he was like Shifu Shifu look at me!!!!!!!

- Once again pointing out Pengpeng’s expressionless dancing.

- Yixing successfully infected Pengpeng and then the others with the moon madness.

- New choreo dropped by Exo Lay, called 賞月舞 “admiring the moon dance.”

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Chaos Theory

Part Six

(Even after the disaster of the last part, there are more puzzles to solve. The three boys better hurry on this one, or else there will be consequences.)

They stopped only a few blocks away from the building, sitting on a street corner. Jackie made them stop, despite the fact that they all wanted to get farther away. He remembered the gamemaster’s warning about taking too long, and nerves started eating away at his stomach.

“Here, give me the laptop,” Jackie said. JJ handed him the box with the computer inside.

Chase watched as Jackie booted it up. “I...you know, I’m still not entirely sure what’s going on.” He sounded almost apologetic.

“We’re in Saw,” Jackie said, not taking his eyes away from the screen. “Some psycho decided to kidnap the group and threatened me with your deaths if I didn’t play his fucked-up game and solve his puzzles.”

Chase whistled. “Well, shit.”

“Yeah.” Jackie opened his email, finding another message from the same user as before. This one had a zip folder titled ‘Set 3′ attached. He quickly unzipped it, finding a few files inside: an image called 3.png, a folder called ‘3′, and a text file titled ‘open me first.’ Jackie did so, and inside was a single url. He opened the browser and copy-pasted the url into the search bar.

At first, the three of them found it hard to tell what they were looking at. The website was mostly black, with some white text, and a square that showed a dark video. Until they realized something was moving in the video. Jackie ran his hand through the box until he found the earbuds, plugging them into the laptop and putting them on. Suddenly, when he clicked the little sound icon on the video, he could hear the sound of rushing water and splashing, along with muffled cries and whimpers. His heart sank. “I’m gonna...” He turned up the brightness on the laptop.

Chase gasped. Jameson covered his mouth with his hand, eyes wide. Jackie leaned back. Marvin was in the video, bound and gagged. He was stuck inside a box with glass walls, small enough that he couldn’t straighten his legs. There was water slowly flowing into the box from a connected pipe. There was also a timer in the corner of the video, counting down: 55:12, 55:11, 55:10...

The time on the laptop’s clock read 3:03am.

“Is...is this live?” Chase asked.

“I think it is,” Jackie muttered.

“You can livestream shit like this?!” Chase shook his head. “Why haven’t the police—or whoever—why hasn’t someone stopped this?!”

“Well, firstly, because this video has probably only been active since tonight. And secondly, because you’d be surprised what goes up online.” Jackie leaned closer to the screen, looking around the website. “The Dark Web, you know? There are several sites that are like Twitch for sadists.” Unconsciously, he rubbed his left arm. “I don’t recognize this one, though.”

JJ snapped his fingers, drawing the other two’s attention. There is a timer in this video! he signed in obvious distress. And it’s counting down. I don’t think we want to find out what will happen when it reaches zero.

Jackie shoot his head. “You’re right. We need to hurry. My guess is that timer is how long it’ll take for that box to fill up with water, and then...” He shuddered, immediately closing the web page. “We have to find out where that is. And it’s going to be in the puzzles, just like before.”

He clicked on the 3.png image. It opened to a picture with a dark red background and black text reading: “SEEK THROUGH THE CATALOG, FIND WHAT’S BELOW.” The text was followed by that symbol of a skull inside a hollow circle, divided in four. Below the text were three black-and-white photographs with captions beneath them: a black wand with white ends labeled “Magic Wand,” a spread-out deck of cards labelled “Card Game,” and a white fluffy cat labeled “Norwegian Forest Cat.”

Jackie frowned. “Okay, I don’t know what this means other than some sort of instructions, so I’m just going to plug this image into the editing program and see if anything shows up when I play with sliders.”

It sounds like we’re meant to find those images in some sort of catalog, JJ figured. But what catalog?

“I dunno. Maybe it’s in that other folder. You know, that came with this?” Chase wondered.

Jackie paused. “Maybe. I haven’t found anything in this image yet, so we can look what’s in there.” He went back into the files and opened the folder labeled 3.

What was inside were countless black-and-white photos, all with names written in numbers and a few letters. “What the...?” Jackie scrolled down...and down...and down...until he grabbed the scroll bar with his mouse and pulled it all the way to the bottom. “There must be hundreds of images in here!”

“Jesus,” Chase muttered. “Uh, I think this is the catalog.”

“How are we supposed to find three pictures out of all these?!” Jackie threw his hands in the air. “That could take hours! W-we don’t have that much time!” Jackie clasped his hand over his mouth, trying and failing to keep his eyes from watering. “It was rigged. This whole thing was rigged, we were never going to win it.” He blinked, and tears started falling down his face. He’d been scrambling, frantically trying to complete puzzles and reach the locations quickly, only for this? For two of his friends to die without him being able to do anything about it? What a sick game this was.

“No no no no, there has to be a way,” Chase took the laptop, using the mousepad to scroll through the photos, eyes scanning in rows. “Maybe they’re really early on, and this is meant to discourage us.”

“Chase, I don’t think that’s the case.” Jackie buried his hands in his folded arms. He was shaking.

“No, listen, there has to be a way.” Chase didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “This guy’s a sick fuck, but he also has another set of puzzles after this, he’s not gonna rig it so you fail before getting to that last set. There has to be a way to find—” He stopped, eyes suddenly widening. “We can use the find feature.”

Jackie looked up with red-rimmed eyes. “The what?”

“The find feature, the search bar, it’s built in to your files.” Chase circled the mouse around the search bar in the upper right corner of the window. “We just need to know what the images are called.”

“Well, uh...I think he gave us the image names. In the other picture, with the instructions.” Jackie gently took back the computer, switching to the other image. “See? Magic Wand, Card Game, and Norwegian Forest Cat.” Jackie typed the first phrase, Magic Wand, into the search bar. Nothing came up.

JJ tapped Jackie’s shoulder for attention. All the photo titles are in that same code from before, he pointed out. Perhaps we simply need to encode the titles of the images we’re looking for?

Jackie suddenly threw his arms around JJ. “Jameson Jackson, you’re a genius.” He let go, then turned to his other side and hugged Chase too. “And you also, Chase! I don’t know if I’d have thought of the search.”

“Aw, it’s nothing,” Chase muttered, smiling a bit.

Really no problem at all, JJ signed.

“Well, I would’ve been stuck for a while. And time is of the essence.” Jackie opened up the same online code converter from before. He typed in the first phrase again, and then copied the result—4d 61 67 69 63 20 57 61 6e 64—and pasted it into the file search bar. Immediately, the image they’d been looking for popped up. “Yes!” Jackie shouted, punching the air.

“Wait, something’s up.” Chase leaned over and opened the image. There was a strange bit at the bottom, taken up with a white and black boxy symbol. “That looks like...I dunno, part of a QR code.”

“How much do you want to bet the rest of the code is in the other two images?” Jackie muttered.

After encoding the other titles and finding the images, it was clear that the QR code was split up between the three images. Jackie plugged all three into the photo editor, and arranged them next to each other so the code was complete. He patted his suit. “Fuck, do either of you have your phone?”

Chase checked his pockets. “No. I last remember setting it down on my desk, but then I passed out and woke up in that...place.”

JJ waggled his mustache, and pulled out his phone with a grin.

“Jays, I love you so much,” Jackie laughed. “Oh, the old-fashioned man is the one with the smartphone, how ironic.”

JJ passed it to Jackie. It’s very helpful. I’m trying to make a habit of keeping it on my person.

“That’s a good idea.” Jackie leaned back a bit as he tried to get the entire code in view of the camera. Then he snapped a picture, and a notification immediately popped up, saying the code had been understood and explaining what it would do. “This’ll take us to a website...” Jackie said, clicking on the notification to activate the code. The browser on the phone opened up, 

Chase leaned over. “What’s that?”

“It’s a crossword puzzle.” Jackie groaned. He’d hoped the QR code would just give them the location to find Marvin, but no such luck. “Alright. Some of the squares are colored red, and at the bottom there’s this thing...” He scrolled down, and read out loud. “‘The address is 68′ and then a blank space. I bet we have to solve the crossword puzzle and then plug the letters from the red squares into this space to find the street address.”

Then what are we waiting for? JJ asked. What is the puzzle asking for?

Jackie looked through the hints. “Looks like a bunch of trivia...oh! I know the answer to number one! It’s Undertale.” Jackie smiled a bit. That was Marvin’s favorite game...thinking of Marvin, the smile faded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

By the time they finished, the clock read 3:25am. Piecing together the letters from the red squares, they came up with the address of 68 Aspen St. “That’s on the other side of town!” Jackie cried, distressed. “Okay. Okay, I can probably run there quickly, you guys will have to catch—”

“We can drive,” Chase suggested.

JJ frowned. Chase, I know you can drive, but you don’t have your car.

“There’s a car right there, in that parking lot.” Chase pointed diagonally across the street. There was indeed a single car in an empty lot. “Jackie, do you still know how to hotwire things?”

“Ah—I mean, yeah, but are we really about to steal a car?” Jackie asked tentatively.

It’s either that or let Marvin die! JJ signed furiously. We can return it after!

Jackie jumped at JJ’s sudden motion, but then nodded. “Yeah, guess it’s the lesser of two evils, huh?” He shut the laptop. “Alright. We have to hurry. If my math’s correct, we only have about half an hour before that timer counts down. Let’s go.”

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

why doesn’t the current employment system work?

easy, it’s a half-assed one-solution-fits-all approach made by rich people who have NEVER used the employment search system.

-

How does it work?

You want centrelink? You get assigned a job-search centre, there’s always 4-5 in even small towns now. It’s a lucrative business.

You’re told ‘search for 20-40 jobs per month’ based on your area. They have to be jobs you could reasonably do (one or two assholes made sure the whole system was tightened bc they’d apply for things they had no qualifications for). 

These are entered online, on a special governmental site. Failure to locate the right amount gets you a strike, or more than one.

Which is hard because there are only so many jobs in smaller towns, right?

So let’s say you have no luck, you hand in the 20 for that fortnight, and ‘report’ online to centrelink that you are following the rules.

They also make you do mandatory courses such as the 2-day ‘Resume Writing Course’ that you can do up to twice in 6 months. It’s as stupid as it sounds, and you learn nothing but that you hate the place.

Also, 3-day mandatory ‘Communication with People’. How to talk to people. Literally. 3 days of your life gone. Gee, wish I’d done some sort of degree around literally talking to people and using analysis... hmmm... 

They do not Recognise Prior Learning, at all. Because each person they make attend gets them more and more money.

-

New rules allow for them to identify a job you HAVE to apply for -even if you must write a new resume and cover letter. Which, in some cases, is a little fair.  Maybe you’re using one from years ago.

New rules can make them demand you call the HR of a certain place in front of them, to prove your resume went in, and to ask about the position. Of course, this will slap you on the Hell No list, but at least they’re satisfied.

New rules allow them to make you change your existing resume -e.g. they can demand you remove your degree/qualifications to make you more attractive to retail employers (always wary of taking on someone who might move on quickly).

That only works for 6 months these days.

- - - 

After 6 months, they send you on a Work-for-the-Dole assignment to a local charity.

They’re supposed to do risk assessments, and follow up on allegations of groping weirdoes and pedophilia (looking at you, Salvation Army*). But they don’t. [ *that person who did it was literally the Community Member of the Year until the truth of what the local SA was covering up came to light. Fucking creep of a man, so many flags that Jesus absolved him of.]

That nonsense injured two members of my family directly, as well as others; at the same place, at different times, and both were deemed ‘our fault’. Despite that the first incident involved an unqualified asshole making a teenage boy hold a fridge, then deliberately dropping the truck tray fast so it yanked the ligaments in the kid’s shoulder so badly it took 6-12 months to heal with physiotherapy.

And the second time, a bookshelf held up with STICKY-tape was broken by a customer, and fell off slamming into my knees and feet, causing untold agony... resulting in a fractured patella in one knee and severe bruising/clicking/weird shit that persists even a year and a half later... but that was my fault.

-----------------------

In short, each person is assigned up to 55 hours per fortnight that they have to undertake with a charity of some formation. OR ROADWORK - they can also make you do roadwork. Like they tried to do to the just-healed teenage boy the minute his medical exemption period was up, even though he couldn’t raise his arm all the way yet. It’s Making Money, not Helping People Find Jobs.

They also made an app, that the person attending MUST download (even if you have to delete just about every single other thing on the cheap phone to make room for it).

It’s called Jobapp or some shit. Basically, when you get there the manager or head volunteer (often tech illiterate) HAS to print a QR code for you, and only you.

You sign into the app, this takes a while bc it’s not well designed and cuts out often. Finally, you find the hard-to-locate-and-ambiguously-named part where you can ‘sign in’ as being at your ‘activity’.

If you’re there all day, and you will be, there are Two Codes.

You scan them to separate locations in the app. And boom, you’re registered as there. It only takes one missed QR code or app failure to land you in shit, though.

And then you spend all day cleaning, on the till, arguing with people over op shop items bc they feel certain prices are too high even if it’s less than a third the real price. And you’re not allowed to sit or chill or anything... unless you’re a volunteer. They can get away with murder.

So that goes on for six months, slowly draining the will to live from your bones.

All the while, you still have to do the 20-40 jobs things and find time for their Training Modules that you already did but hey, you’re a moneymaker. Sometimes they will NOT count the training days towards your Total 55hours per fortnight, so you lose the one free day a week you had...

---------------

It sucks... but I think the other thing we should mention is that this doesn’t really exclude any jobseekers.

Disabled? Elderly? Medical Issues? Can’t speak english very well? Other issue?

Get in there. We get paid to supervise your activity!

Like, there are a lot of people doing job seeking activities who are unfit for the position they are forced into. For many reasons.

-----------------

The thing I found laughable was that they could apply for you, without your knowledge, and if that resulted in an interview you HAD to go. If they feel you tanked the interview, they can penalise you...

There are ways to tank an interview, though. Trust me.  Especially for telemarketer interviews, just have an awkward phone manner, like you’re trying but it’s Weird. And boom, no. [Not that there’s anything wrong with that job, but they signed me up for it without my permission and some dangerous clients worked there, I would not have been safe, they didn’t care tho].

Also, you can’t apply for certain positions for someone with a degree. Our ability is measured in the way we respond to the questions and assessment requests... you can force us to apply to them, but trying to write in for us is just ridiculous. 

They might also call and call and call anyone on your applied-for list that they directed you to apply for... which of course, can tank your chances. Very annoying.

And if you get a job, on your own merit, they take credit for it immediately. I assume there’s a bonus or something.

- - - - - 

The agency I was sent to, MaxEmployment, was actually THROWN OUT OF ANOTHER STATE FOR COMMITTING FRAUD AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT.

So naturally, QLD said ‘yeah, let’s have that one’.

M.E. allegedly used to claim they had held mass training events with 80+ people every few weeks, doing those awful little courses listed above.  Except, on inspection by confused governmental officials..,. they discovered the room would barely hold 5-6 people including a trainer. Therefore, fraud.

Also, M.E. has failed to catch fake-ads (resulting in free 2-hour work ‘trials’ for a certain cafe that went over a year, fraud) and even sent an unaccompanied 15 year old girl to a fucking BROTHEL after identifying a clearly-not-for-an-admin ad for ‘an admin’ at that location.

IT’s always MONEY.

--------------------

If you are in charge of the poor, the ill, the desperate... then it should not be for money incentives. You should get a flat wage and that’s it.

Why? Because then people who are actually able to do the job, and willing to help people, will do it. Not just people who see dollar signs when they look at the tired, the unemployed and the ill.

And they need to actually fire bad people.

Let me tell you about this woman I had to deal with in a 6 month break from my fucking uni degree due to illness. Automatically, they threw me into job seeking.  I didn’t have a voice for like 2 months, but that didn’t matter.

This huge, hulking, rotund potato of a woman, balding ranga and a face as mean as a bulldog’s arsehole... was my caseworker person. She was a nightmare.

I would find 20 jobs, and hand in the sheet, she would yell at me, that I was being smart and she wouldn’t accept that. I once applied for nearly 65 jobs in one fortnight out of desperation, because she kept having my centrelink cut off without warning if I refused to complete another sheet.

The other caseworkers never stopped her. The manager would not hear my complaints or concerns. She could do what she wanted.

And she knew I could not stop her. The one thing about the situation that kept me apart form others there was that, if I absolutely couldn’t take it, my parental unit said we would ‘manage’ until I went back to uni the next year. Others were unable to do that, and so, this absolute cunt of a woman... held sway.

She had no class, no charm and no people skills. She screamed at the top of her lungs at a tiny asian lady who a) didn’t have a great grasp on english at the time, and b) did not understand all the big words this self-important ranga was using just to sound intelligent.

Apparently the solution to ‘I do not understand’ is raise your voice, to screaming, and get angry. NONE of her colleagues even looked up at her.  Jesus, if one of my colleagues was yelling like that I’d have dragged them out of the room by their fucking hair, like what the HELL was that about.

Was she stopped or fired? No. Was she transferred to some unsuspecting town? Yeah.

I don’t trust organisations who will not admit they hired the wrong person, and fire them. It means they’re hiding shit.

--------------

TL;DR - The whole system is a disaster.

They claim more people are employed, but they also count people on those mandatory work-for-the-dole things, which skews the unemployment number to less than it is.

It is exhausting to deal with and its no wonder so many fucking people are so depressed death seems like the only solution.

And it was all thanks to a handful of people rorting the system; the idiots up top went into red-alert levels of panic and upended the system to punish people.

AND THAT’S NOT EVEN FUCKING TALKING ABOUT THE NEW BASICS CARD SYSTEM

which is nonsense

sure, limit what people can get to groceries and certain stores, including op shops or whatevs. can’t get smokes or alcohol on the cards...

have to have ID for the cards...

but like, you think people won’t find ways to get the smokes, drugs and alcohol they want? you’ve just ensured that they either pawn their things, or do degrading acts to get those things...

so give yourselves a moralistic high-five, people who decided this system was a great idea (primarily bc they and their family/social circle will never need to use it), because you’ve cause d so many more problems than you solved...

[ramblinganthropologist]

Inktober Day 28 - Gift

Summary: Ayame has a gift to help Ray and Vaughan do proper idol activities. It’s hard to get your own Aikatsu pass when you’re indy.

---

Monday; even in Japan, it was the worst day of the week.

“Stand! Bow!”

From her seat in the back of the room, Ray's back threatened to crack in two. She still wasn't too sure about this whole bowing thing – it seemed dumb to her. But it was Japan, and she wasn't a total asshole. When the class rep barked orders at the end of class, even she listened.

Class was over for the day inside the general education wing of Star Harmony Academy. Girls in green dresses with blue collars filtered out of their classrooms, heading to club activities or other obligations. Class 1-3 was no different. Once they were free to go, out they went.

Ray was the last among them. She took her time gathering up her books, grimacing at the day's attempt. Between her awkward hiragana – kanji was beyond her still – and doodles when she had lost focus, not a whole lot was going on there.

“Guess I might need to look at Mei's notes again.” The girl in front of her was no doubt being polite to the dumb ass foreigner, but her notes were a godsend. It wasn't as if she wanted to rely on them, but it was just so damn hard to pay attention in class, especially in her heavy uniform as spring warmed up around them. It be a miracle if she stayed awake at all come summer.

Really, though, she was stalling. The last thing Ray wanted right then was to go out into the hallway and expose herself to the girls of the general track. After what had happened on Saturday... she winced at the thought. No thanks.

That had been beyond a shit show.

Sighing, she eventually threw her backpack over her shoulders and left the classroom, entering the corridor that would lead her outside the school gates. Maybe it was just her imagination, but a few of the students whispered as she passed.

If it wasn't them, it was her goddamn teacher asking if she was going to transfer. No.

“Ray.”

It wasn't the voice that drew her attention. Rather, the person speaking hadn't tacked anything onto it. That was rare, especially at school. So, Ray broke out of her mini pity party and looked in the direction it was coming from.

Ok, clearly the whispers weren't for her at all. Good to know.

“I think you're on the wrong side of school, Ayame.”

Her stepsister's school shoes and the bright pink bow made that more than obvious. She stuck out like a sore thumb on this side of the campus. Among her idol classmates no one would have batted an eye but this was an entirely different country practically. One with more practical shoes, for that matter.

Then again what did Ray know about that, her street shoes were combat boots.

Ayame had been standing by the classroom door, no doubt creating quite a scene. Really, it was a wonder Ray hadn't noticed her. Maybe it was the warm weather. Either way, her stepsister wasn't in the practice room, and that was weird.

She normally didn't leave that on school days til practically 7 unless she had a job in town. What gives?

“I needed to talk to you about something. Could you come with me?”

Oh... shit.

If this was about transferring, Ray didn't want to hear it. Still, she fell in line behind Ayame as the older girl started walking. Together, the pair went from the general education side of the school towards where the idols had their classes. There was no official line in the sand to mark them off, but even so. It felt different.

It kind of felt like she was invading as she crossed over.

“How was class today?” Ayame's tone was polite as they walked through the corridors of the idol section. As Ray looked in the door, she saw girls in track suits practicing their moves or going through other lessons in the practice areas. There was nothing like that on her side of the school – they didn't really need it. “Is it getting easier to write in hiragana?”

“Yeah... kanji's still kind of hard though. I don't get stroke order for shit.” She looked around frowning. “Ayame, if this is about transferring classes, I already said I wasn't interested. Besides, I'd break my neck in those shoes.”

Seriously, who made heels part of a school uniform? It had to be idol hazing – everyone else got nice, normal shoes that slid on easy. Those looked like torture devices, especially since the idols had to wear them all day. Forget about it.

Her stepsister didn't break stride as they kept walking. “First off, you'd be surprised how quickly you can adapt to them if you wear them all the time.”

She would rather not.

Ayame wasn't finished though. “Wait here, I'll be right out.”

They stopped not at some administrator's office, but at a small room that Ayame entered after briefly making herself known. It was hard to hear what she was talking about through the thick wood, but the glass gave a pretty good view. She was talking with some adult who was at a whiteboard covered in multicolored writing. Something about Sakura Sensation maybe?

“Guess that's her manager.” Ray had never met the woman, though she had heard about her over dinner. She was pretty sure that was Suzuki, but it wasn't like she was being introduced to her or anything. “Wonder what's up?”

She froze briefly when the woman looked straight at her through the glass, back snapping ramrod straight with such a ferocity she swore they'd be able to hear it crack all the way back in Amarillo. Luckily, nothing was broken – just her pride was a bit bruised.

Ayame came out a few moments after that, closing the door behind her. From the looks of things, they weren't stopping to chat. That was fine by Ray as she fell in step behind her stepsister – introductions could lead to other things, like pink bows and heeled school shoes. Besides, she had once been told she had a problem with authority.

No idea where they got that from.

“Something up?” Ray asked when they got away from the production room. They had stopped at the small outside area where the fountain could be accessed by both classes. There was a free bench, so that's where they wound up. Much to her surprise, she swore she could feel a tension in the air.

Her stepsister didn't answer at first – she was too busy sorting through small cards, dividing them up into two neat piles to her right. Whatever she was working with, it was like she handling some holy book. There was love in her touch, almost outright devotion.

… Well, shit. What the fuck had she done now?

Ray had never been good at waiting for things. Twitchy, her grade school teacher had said when they were being polite. Outright asshole was what the less polite ones had gone for. She wasn't a patient person, and it was showing now. It took everything in her not to get up and look, and even as she remained seated the urge was there. But somewhere a teacher got its wings as she stayed in her seat and for once in her goddamn life, didn't open her mouth.

Wouldn't her mother be proud?

When Ayame had finished, she scooped up one of the piles and sorted it again. Then she turned to face Ray. Finally, she handed the small stack over, a smile flitting across her face. The second pile she kept in her hands, probably for safe keeping against the wind.

“What's this?” Ray glanced down and blinked in surprise. At the top of the pile was a shiny pink card with a diamond to the left and her name in katakana to the right. It was held in a little pink carrier, much like the one Ayame kept on her schoolbag. “Wait, this looks like your-”

Aikatsu Pass. It was an Aikatsu Pass – hers.

Wordlessly, Ray put the pass and holder aside. Underneath were four cards, each of them depicting an article of clothing. Unlike Ayame's, they weren't branded with anything other than a spade for the cool type, but she didn't need that. After all, she had worn the exact same outfit on stage, give or take a few modifications by whoever had seen fit to make it.

Seeing her stepsister's face, Ayame filled in the details. “Suzuki-san helped me make the coord cards and fill out the information for your pass. Vaughan's stuff is over here. I hope he doesn't mind his pass is pink – we only have that kind here.”

She kept on, still smiling. “You have the Aikatsu app on your phone, right? If you scan the QR code you can put your coord in there so you can keep your cards in a binder.”

“Uh... yeah.” Ray swallowed hard, suddenly finding it a little hard to do so. Allergies, maybe? “I mean... thanks. You didn't have to do this.”

With her own pass and cards, she technically had all she needed to be an official idol. Unlike the last time, now she and her partner could access the Aikatsu system and the illusion stage. There would be no more standing in front of a blank screen in front of an audience used to that sort of thing. If they chose to, they could work the system the same as any other idol.

Because... well... they were technically idols now, weren't they?

Ayame shook her head at the gratitude. “I did, really. You two didn't stand half a chance against Pure Palette without passes or coords. It's amazing you scored as well as you did.”

She handed Ray Vaughan's pass and cards and the two shared a gaze. For the first time, Ayame didn't look annoyed with her. Rather, there was something almost like pride. Was she proud of her? That wasn't exactly something the younger girl was used to, and she quickly averted her eyes as her face heated up. So much for being a tough guy.

“Yeah, I know it was a shit show. You don't have to bring it up.”

Her stepsister giggled at the reaction. “Sorry, didn't mean to bring up any bad feelings. You'll get them next time.”

She stood, looking towards the practice room. “I have to get back to my lessons, but I'll see you tonight at home. Tomorrow I'll show you and Vaughan how to use the system.”

Great, because it made no fucking sense to Ray – bunch of buttons and weird light shit that popped up out of nowhere. If someone who understood it was willing to show them the ropes, they'd take it. Besides, they had practice at her school tomorrow anyway.

Before she left, Ayame ha one last remark. “Put them away before you lose them.”

“Yes, mom.” Ray's voice was thick was sarcasm as she slid both the cards and one of the passes into the front pocket of her schoolbag, zipping it tight. “They're in my front pocket.”

Well, that fuzzy moment was over – her sister disappeared, leaving her alone with her thoughts and pass. In her hands, it looked so small. Yet as it reflected the light and showed her name spelled out so neatly in katakana  -neater than she could ever write it – a funny feeling took her over.

Instead of shoving it into the pocket of her backpack, Ray threaded it through the zipper. Then it was on her back as she headed not for home, but for her partner's school. They had practice planned for that afternoon, though it was scheduled to be more of a performance overview.

Maybe the cards would brighten their moods. After all, it wasn't every day you got a gift like that.