#son haeun

[yangnaseon]

fuck marry kill

unpopular opinions

opinions on characters, fandoms or ships

share your favourite things with me

tell me all about your crush(es)

(tópico livre quero ouvir sobre tudo)

━ eu meio que sou um homem comprometido agora sabe... mas também... não tem uma aliança no meu dedo né? ━ deu de ombros ainda que a joia em si não fosse realmente o fato de ele não estar mais flertando com outras pessoas e sim uma escolha e desejo próprio. ━ tá bom então vamos começar com fuck, com quem eu iria pra cama com gosto? bem com... @kohamaru porque ela é bem fofa e toda patricinha, seria legal provocar uma versão diferente dela... @minvji e @haeunhoney porque elas tem cara daqueles tipos de mulher destruidoras de coração e que acabariam comigo fácil sabe... e por incrivel que pareça o @nxkyvm porque seria muito bom ocupar aquela boca com alguma coisa pra ele não falar merda... @jeansui e acho que eu não preciso me justificar porque tipo é o jean... e por ultimo... e que provavelmente eu não deveria dizer... mas não posso negar que foi um dos melhores sexos que já tive então mesmo que tenha terminado como terminou eu preciso colocar o @gaevl na lista. ━ então olhou o segundo tópico, marry e aquela era bem fácil. ━ @fluffybunnyz porque eu imagino a gente facilmente velhinhos fazendo tricô e soa adorável não? diria que a @heavenstarr também porque ela me entende como ninguém e eu adoro conversar horas com ela então acho que a gente se daria muito bem se nós casássemos. ━ assentiu animado como se imaginasse a possibilidade. ━ com todo respeito tá? sei que ela tá namorando e não quero roubar a mulher de ninguém, é só uma suposição, tipo uma fanfic ok? ━ se pôs a se explicar só porque vai que o universo resolvia revirar e roubasse o seus homens, se sentia quase desesperado com a ideia. ━ kill, coloco o @nxkyvm também... quer dizer eu não odeio ele a esse ponto... mas as vezes... sei lá... ele me tira do serio... não sei como ainda não soquei aquele rostinho bonito ainda mas qualquer dia desse eu posso parar na cadeia se ele não controlar aquela língua.

unpopular opinions naseon ficou em silêncio por alguns segundos só pra reunir os pensamentos e decidir qual era o mais interessante de ser falado. ━ triangulo amoroso é extremamente sem graça porque geralmente é formado por um casal e um personagem secundário usado só pra atrapalhar o casal a ficar juntos e causar um drama totalmente desnecessário na historia porque todo mundo sabe com quem a mocinha vai ficar, até porque sempre fica óbvio que ela nem gosta do secundário realmente e ninguém consegue gostar ou shippar a mocinha com o personagem secundário porque ele geralmente só tem uma característica de personalidade... lemony snicket foi genial com desventuras em série e merece mais reconhecimento... olivia rodrigo não é tudo isso e eu podia citar pelo menos duas paginas de nomes de cantores que mereciam mais o grammy que ela... wandinha é uma ofensa a quem gosta de família addams e família addams é uma tremenda critica social em forma de humor ácido mas que aparentemente ninguém entende... café gelado é tão bom quanto café quente... ...

━ favourite things? ━ acabou inconscientemente fazendo aquele biquinho com os labios, uma mania quando ficava muito concentrado em alguma coisa, enquanto pensava sobre porque estava levando bem a serio aquela questionário. ━ fumar olhando as estrelas... gosto de como meus problemas parecem pequenos quando faço isso... qualquer suco com leite ou leite condensado mas não muito, não gosto de coisas muito doces... cozinhar com o @danilcc... mas não conta pra minha mãe, ela pode ficar com ciúmes... ou inveja, anyway, é engraçado porque sou horrível mas é divertido quando cozinho com ele... também escutar ele cantar... ficar assistindo filmes até tarde com o hangyu... até mesmo se for um que já vimos umas quinhentas vezes já... e escutar ele contar algo que aprendeu na escola... ficar conversando até tarde com o @zihcn... só jogar papo fora e perder o horário... e quando ele deita no meu colo pra pedir cafune... conversar sobre moda com @fluffybunnyz... ela fica muito feliz quando tá me contando das criações dela e eu acabo ficando feliz também... quando o @haejeans vem me visitar... quando ele insiste em me abraçar... ou quando ele manda mensagem... quando meus gatos ficam se esfregando no meu pé... eu sei super estranho mas eu acho tão fofo eles rolando sobre só pra sentir a textura da meia, é adorável... beber e entrar em uma conversa filosófica com @heavenstarr... sentir a brisa de manhã cedo enquanto caminho... pilotar minha moto... comer qualquer coisa que minha mãe faça... escutar meu pai falando sobre fatos científicos aleatórios que ele sabe... ━ acabou se dando conta que provavelmente a coisa favorita dele era só escutar quem ele gostava falando sobre qualquer coisa que fosse.

naseon se sentiu quente antes mesmo de falar só com as lembranças que vinha na cabeça daqueles que ele poderia denominar my crushes. ━ eles são pessoas bem diferentes, diferentes de mim também, é engraçado porque de alguma forma eu sinto que combinamos bem... e eu... ━ ele eventualmente acabou suspirando e fazendo um careta em seguida ao constatar aquilo, não em algum tipo de reprovação mas puro divertimento de sua parte por notar o quanto estava cadinho. ━ sabe eu nunca almejei essas coisas... romance e tudo mais... eu tinha certeza que não era pra mim... eu realmente tava convencido em ser o tio dos gatos... ━ era um apelido que recebeu um pouco depois de se mudar pro complexo e não era uma total mentira. ━ e deveria ser assustador como eu não tenho medo dessas mudanças sobre como eu vejo meu futuro agora sabe? mas eles fazem ser tão natural que é como se... como se eu sempre tivesse desejado... como se só fosse pra ser? ━ negou com a cabeça entre um riso porque naseon sempre foi muito cético sobre destino, sorte ou qualquer outra coisa mas não havia outra explicação pra o que tinham. ━ as vezes eu acho que não mereço eles... ou que eles merecem alguém melhor... mas por alguma razão eles me quererem mesmo assim... e eu só quero estar com eles seja como for... e é, acho que nunca quis tanto algo em toda minha vida... então no final eu só posso ser grato, né? tô tentando dar o meu melhor... tentar ser o que eles merecem... fazer eles felizes... eu quero muito poder fazer eles felizes... é... porque... bom... sabe... por um longo tempo foi muito difícil pra mim me sentir feliz... ou só... ━ querer estar vivo. mas naseon não conseguia dizer em voz alta, ele não queria que a relação deles carregasse um peso tão grande que não fossem capazes de suportar. ━ sempre é fácil com eles... tudo é mais fácil com eles... eu gosto mais da minha vida quando estou com eles... i like me better when i'm with you them.

[sailorjisunq]

3ye

[edenesth]

TWTHH Spinoff: Stitched Hearts [1]

Pairing: dressmaker!Hongjoong x noblewoman!reader

AU: historical au (Joseon era)

Word Count: 6.5k

Summary: Throughout his entire career, Hongjoong has received nothing but praise for his work. Never once had anyone suggested his dresses were anything short of perfection. That is, until he met the youngest daughter of the Baek household—the family's black sheep, an enigmatic spinster whom he found utterly confounding.

A/N: As stated in the title, this is a spinoff. If you have yet to check out the main story, it's probably better to read that before starting this.

Main Story | Spinoff Masterlist | Part 2

"Father, mother, we're back!" called out Haeun, your eldest sister who had been married for years now, returning home with her husband and children to celebrate the birth of your middle brother's first child.

"You're home, our dear daughter!" Your parents enthusiastically rose from their seats to greet her, showering her with praise for leading such a successful life, whatever that meant; it was a concept you still struggled to comprehend to this day.

After exchanging pleasantries with your parents, she made a beeline for your brother, completely disregarding your timid presence in the corner of the room, "Hajoon-ah, congratulations, my brother! It's high time you joined the parent club!"

Your brother-in-law, displaying a touch more consideration than his wife, offered you a warm smile before joining 'the adults' in conversation, leaving you to quietly observe your nieces and nephews playing joyfully in the courtyard. At times, you were envious of the simplicity of children's lives—so carefree, with no expectations weighing them down. Unlike them, you felt constantly burdened by the expectations placed upon you.

This had been the pattern for as long as you could recall—living in the shadows of your successful sister and brother, both excelling in nearly every aspect of life. Haeun, intelligent and outgoing, had swiftly found a suitable match upon reaching marriageable age, becoming the epitome of a perfect daughter in your parents' eyes. Hajoon wasn't far behind, securing a position in the local government and dutifully marrying the girl your parents had chosen for him.

And then there was you.

The black sheep of the Baek household, the peculiar one, always kept to yourself, showing little interest in feminine pursuits such as cooking, gardening, embroidering, or any similar activities. Your days were spent predominantly at home, frequenting your father's extensive library and immersing yourself in the countless storybooks it housed, often seeking solace in the realms of fantasy they offered. Your lack of enthusiasm for conventional interests rendered you an enigma even to your parents.

You maintained scant friendships, lacking any love interests or potential marriage prospects. Unlike other young women, you harboured no desire to adorn yourself or enhance your appearance; you appeared strangely content in your plain white hanboks and minimal hair accessories. Your demeanour led most people to forget the existence of a third daughter in the Baek family altogether. Those who did recall you were hesitant to consider you as a potential match for their sons, and the young men themselves showed no interest.

While your parents had initially held onto hope that you would eventually find your own path to settling down, their concerns began to mount as you surpassed the ideal age for marriage. Beyond mere age considerations, most young women your age were already married with children, leaving you perpetually single.

Though you concealed it well, you weren't oblivious to the whispers and rumours circulating about you already being labelled a spinster. The servants of your family estate often used you as a topic for gossip and entertainment, speculating whether you would ever find a spouse and placing bets on your marital prospects.

Finally deciding to acknowledge your presence, Haeun heaved a sigh before addressing you, "And how have you been, maknae? Will I be hearing news of you getting hitched any time soon?"

Glancing at her, you simply shrugged and shook your head, "Same old, unnie. And no, I don't think you will."

Hajoon frowned in resignation at your customary bluntness, "With that attitude, definitely not. Do you even have any intention of settling down? What are your plans for the future, hm? Are you going to keep causing our parents to worry like this?"

Your mother shook her head, silently urging him to be gentler with you, a twinge of sympathy stirring within her. In your younger years, her favouritism was evident in the way she showered attention primarily to your sister and brother, especially since your father was often away for work. While your siblings made efforts to bond with him during his brief returns, you showed little interest. Consequently, your relationship with your parents wasn't as close-knit as theirs.

It wasn't until Haeun had married and left home that your mother attempted to show you some affection, though by then, it seemed too late to truly connect with you. Despite her earnest efforts, she struggled to understand you. The rest of the family faced similar difficulties. You remained a mystery to everyone, always lost in your own world.

For once, instead of reacting with anger or responding passive-aggressively out of frustration, your sister nodded slowly, as if making a concerted effort to remain patient with you. Despite her occasional harshness towards you, she hadn't always been unkind. As your only elder sister, she had tried to foster a bond with you throughout your childhood, but your reserved nature made it difficult, and your straightforwardness often unintentionally wounded her.

Deep down, she harboured a hope that her harshness might somehow elicit some sort of response from you. But by now, she had come to realise its futility, as you consistently maintained an unbothered demeanour, regardless of what others would say or do to you. Ultimately, she grew tired of attempting to decipher your mind and heart. The same goes for your brother.

However, despite their frustrations, you were still their youngest sibling, and they sincerely hoped that you would one day settle down, have someone care for you, and perhaps start a family of your own.

"I think I know what might help," Haeun began, capturing everyone's attention before continuing, "I've heard about a renowned dressmaker in town who has worked wonders for countless women. If I'm not mistaken, his craftsmanship has even garnered recognition from the King and Queen. I was just thinking... maybe all our youngest needs is just a little makeover?"

Your father's eyes widened in astonishment, "His work is recognised even by His and Her Majesty, you say?"

Haeun nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, father! I couldn't believe it myself, but it's true. He's the mastermind behind Lady Park's stunning white and gold wedding hanbok!"

"He must be truly exceptional! Well, then, it seems worth a try. Perhaps this is just what our youngest needs to catch the eye of a potential suitor," your mother chimed in, her gaze hopeful as she turned to you, "Are you on board with the idea, dear?"

All eyes swivelled to you, and you once again felt yourself shrinking under their scrutiny—this familiar sensation of never being enough for them. The truth was evident: they were all tired of you. You had been a disappointment your entire life. If all they desired was for you to marry and depart from the household, perhaps it would be best to acquiesce to their wishes. It wouldn't hurt to entertain their request.

With another indifferent shrug, you replied, "Sure, if that's what everyone wants. After all, I don't have much to lose."

For the first time in forever, your family's faces lit up with smiles because of you, cheered by your response. As you retreated to your quarters that night, your sister eagerly taking charge of contacting the renowned dressmaker they had discussed, you pondered whether their enthusiasm stemmed from a desire to see you gone.

In truth, your parents' neglect and blatant favouritism toward your siblings over you during your childhood had moulded you into someone who wore indifference as armour, a coping mechanism to shield yourself from the constant sadness you felt. The weight of constantly letting everyone down had driven you to suppress your emotions, opting instead to feign apathy. Eventually, this façade became your reality; it felt safer to shut yourself off from feeling anything at all.

As you attempted to drift off to sleep that night, thoughts of the acclaimed dressmaker they had been praising occupied your mind. You couldn't help but entertain the idea that, like everyone else, he too would eventually grow weary of you. Surely, upon seeing you, he would deem you a lost cause.

Heh, at least he'll be paid to deal with me.

"Thanks a bunch, hyung. I promise I'll treat you to the finest meal once this is over!" Wooyoung exclaimed, hugging the disguise crafted by the dressmaker at the eleventh hour for his latest case—more like a mission to play knight in shining armour, one that might finally win him the affections of a girl, unlike the silly crush he harboured for Lady Park, leading absolutely nowhere.

With a shake of his head, Hongjoong gave the younger man's shoulder a reassuring pat, "Yeah, you better. Off you go then, you don't want to keep her waiting a moment longer now, do you?"

"Yes, sir!" The private investigator saluted playfully before setting off in pursuit of his new dream girl.

Once he was out of sight, the dressmaker returned to his shop, settling comfortably back into his seat, ready to resume work on his latest batch of orders. His fingers moved with practised ease, guided by the rough design sketch before him. A faint smile lingered on his lips as he worked, a swell of pride warming his chest at his friend's development. It wasn't just Wooyoung; everyone had left the general's estate weeks ago, returning to their own lives. While part of him missed the chaos of their shared moments, he was content to give the newlyweds their well-deserved privacy.

Still chuckling to himself, he reflected on the fact that the once-intimidating Park Seonghwa was now but a lovesick fool. He had once worried about the general's prospects for finding love, but now he realised it had been a needless concern. Who would have thought that General Park would find love before him, or even before the ever-charming Jung Yunho?

As he put the final touches on one of his dresses, he couldn't help but wonder how the couple was doing. It had been weeks since he last saw them, and he shook his head when he recalled how 'excited' his friend had been, even when he was injured. Now that they had all the time in the world together, he imagined Seonghwa would struggle to keep his hands off his wife. He pondered whether he would soon hear news of a new addition to their family.

Before he could become further engrossed in his thoughts, his sharp senses alerted him to the presence of a man and a woman entering his shop. Without hesitation, he plastered on his best business smile—a façade rarely seen by his friends, perhaps except for Lady Park. It was part of his practised persona, an outwardly amiable demeanour he employed to win over customers and potential clients, doing whatever was necessary to secure their business. This isn't to say he wasn't genuinely pleased, but his true passion lay in designing and dressmaking rather than customer service. Unfortunately, the latter was an essential aspect of his job.

Hongjoong had never been naturally a people person, but as he had previously made it clear to the general, he was reluctant to hire assistance for such a simple task. So here he was, stuck with doing his least favourite part of the job: greeting customers.

"Good day, sir and ma'am! Welcome to Kim's Dress Shop. May I inquire what you are searching for today? A hanbok for a special occasion, perhaps? That happens to be one of my specialities. However, if you're seeking an upgrade in everyday attire, I also offer a selection of simpler yet elegant designs," he recited, sticking to his customary script upon each patron's arrival.

The couple glanced around in amazement before eagerly beaming at him. The woman spoke, "Um, are you the renowned dressmaker Kim who crafted Lady Park's famous wedding gown?"

Grinning proudly, the dressmaker was pleased to once again be acknowledged for his recent accomplishments, "Indeed, that would be me," he confirmed. He couldn't deny that his orders had doubled since news of the iconic hanbok he had designed for his friend's wedding had spread. Perhaps he owed Seonghwa a debt of gratitude for hiring him. Without him, Hongjoong might not have achieved the level of success he enjoys today.

Stepping forward, the woman bowed respectfully, "It's truly an honour to meet you, Mr. Kim! You see, we are interested in engaging your services, but it's not for myself—it's for my younger sister."

"Oh? Will she be coming by soon for me to take her measurements and discuss her design preferences?" he inquired, surprised that the intended recipient of his hanboks was not present.

Shaking her head sheepishly, she clarified, "Unfortunately not. Forgive me for not starting with a self-introduction. Good day, Mr. Kim. I am the eldest daughter of the Baek household, and I'm here on behalf of our youngest."

Upon hearing this, Hongjoong immediately grasped the situation. Having worked extensively with noblewomen, he was well-versed in local gossip about nearby noble families. He had heard of the mysterious third daughter of Official Baek from the local Civilian Office, who rarely ventured outside her home—a well-known wallflower who, if he wasn't mistaken, remained unmarried despite being well past the ideal marriageable age.

With a nod, he smiled warmly, "Ah, Miss Baek! Or should I say, Mrs. Heo," the dressmaker corrected with a grin directed at the man beside her, presumably her husband, "It would be my pleasure to create hanboks for the youngest miss of such a prominent family. I assume that means I will need to visit the Baek estate to meet her."

The couple nodded with a slight grimace, "Yes, I'm sure you're aware of her reputation. Whatever rumours you may have heard are true. She remains single, and our entire family is deeply concerned for her. We've heard of the wonderful work you've done for others, and we were hopeful you could work your magic on her. My sister has always been a unique individual. I apologise for the inconvenience of asking you to leave your shop just for her. However, I assure you we will compensate you for any inconvenience."

As he listened to her plea, the dressmaker's mind raced with excitement. That was because no challenge was too daunting for him; he thrived on the opportunity to showcase his talent. The woman was right in what she said; he had indeed helped numerous single young women find matches after they had worn his designs.

This time would be no different.

What truly fueled his enthusiasm was the knowledge that the youngest Miss Baek was known to repel potential suitors, making her a particularly challenging case. If he could help her in finding a match, it would undoubtedly bolster his reputation, adding another significant achievement to his already impressive portfolio.

Moreover, the Baeks were one of the wealthiest noble families in the area. It would be foolish not to accept this job, even if it meant temporarily closing his shop more frequently to visit their estate. He was certain that the compensation he would receive for his services would more than make up for any inconvenience.

With a feigned understanding expression, he nodded, "Oh, please don't worry about it, Mrs. Heo. Nothing brings me greater joy than helping young women gain confidence and find love. Miss Baek clearly needs my assistance. If it means I can help one more woman escape singledom, any inconvenience will be worth it."

The couple cooed at his kindness, profusely thanking him for his selflessness, while he celebrated internally, eager for the opportunity to make that buck. Reassuringly, he welcomed them into his shop, offering them seats and some tea as they made the necessary arrangements for the special job: determining which days he would need to close his shop and visit the Baek estate as well as negotiating the payment. Fortunately for him, they had even provided a down payment to demonstrate their sincerity.

After a lengthy discussion that may or may not have interfered with his current orders, Hongjoong happily bid the couple goodbye. He couldn't care less about any disruptions; his pockets were full, and he was content. With the success of the business that Seonghwa had brought him, he was sure that this would be his next most satisfying endeavour. As he watched the couple leave, a sense of anticipation washed over him, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Thank you, Miss Baek, for this wonderful opportunity. I'm certain we'll get along just fine, you and I. Gosh, I just love it when rich people are gullible, and money is easy to make," he muttered to himself, brimming with excitement for what lay ahead.

Oh, I'm going to have the time of my life.

Perhaps the dressmaker might have spoken too soon, been a tad overconfident in his abilities, and underestimated the true enigmatic nature of the youngest Miss Baek. He would soon discover this the hard way during his very first visit to the family's estate, which was nearly as large as the general's, albeit slightly smaller.

He remained confident and pleased as he was warmly welcomed, not only by the couple he had met at his shop the other day, but also by Official Baek and his wife, Lady Baek, along with their middle son and his new wife—everyone except for the one he was hired to make clothes for. The youngest Miss Baek was nowhere to be seen.

Nevertheless, he refused to let it dampen his spirits. If anything, it only heightened his curiosity about you. He was eager to finally lay eyes on the girl whom so many noble families and men tried to avoid.

The more your family emphasised how hopeless you were and expressed their concern about you remaining a spinster, the more determined he became. His fingers were itching to work another miracle. No ugly duckling could remain ugly forever, especially not if he could help it.

"We're terribly sorry our youngest is not here to greet you, Mr. Kim! We specifically informed her that you would be arriving by this time. She must still be holed up in her father's library. We'll fetch her immediately!" Lady Baek exclaimed, her urgency and embarrassment evident in her tone.

Hongjoong shook his head, waving his hands to signal that it was fine, despite feeling a slight disbelief at your apparent disregard for his presence. He tried his best to play the role of a considerate man, reminding himself that it was your family who wanted him here, not you. He tried to be understanding of how you might be feeling, "It's quite alright. Perhaps I could go meet her in the library if she doesn't want to come outside."

"Oh, is that really alright? You've come all this way, Mr. Kim. The least she could do now is come to you and make your job easier," Official Baek remarked with a slight wince.

"I assure you, it's perfectly fine. My task today is simply to take Miss Baek's measurements and discuss her design preferences. For that to happen smoothly, it's important she feels comfortable. Conducting it in her own space might be the best approach for all of us," he responded.

Your brother nodded, "If you insist, Mr. Kim. We'll have the maids escort you there. Let us know if there's anything you need."

Hongjoong bowed, "Thank you, sir. I will."

"We entrust her to you, Mr. Kim," said your sister, her hands clasped together to show her gratitude and hopefulness.

"Please do not worry, Mrs. Heo. I have a feeling Miss Baek will find love in no time."

"We're counting on it."

As a few maids escorted him towards the library as instructed, the dressmaker's mind buzzed with speculative thoughts. Considering all the talk about Miss Baek's perpetual singleness, he couldn't help but imagine you to be hideous. If that were indeed the case, he surmised it might stem from low self-esteem.

Throughout his career, he has developed a knack for identifying his customers' underlying issues. Just as he had done with Seonghwa's wife, he could often discern precisely what they needed, whether it be a boost in confidence or a transformation in appearance. He was almost certain he'd be able to figure you out in an instant.

Upon arriving at the destination, one of the maids spoke up, "We're here, Mr. Kim. You should be able to find the young miss somewhere inside. Just call out to any of us if you require anything at all."

Hongjoong nodded, expressing his gratitude, "Of course, thank you," he replied before heading inside. His heart quickened for some reason as he stepped into the room, uncertain of what to expect.

Taking a cautious step after gently closing the door behind him, he called out softly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquil atmosphere of the silent and peaceful library, "Miss Baek...? Sorry for the intrusion, but this is Kim Hongjoong, the dressmaker your family hired to provide you with a new wardrobe. If you would be so kind as to come out, we could proceed with the initial stages of the dressmaking process for you."

Releasing a small sigh at the continued silence, he called out again, "Miss Baek...? If you won't respond, I'll have to enter."

While he understood your potential shyness, he struggled to contain his displeasure at what felt like disrespect towards him. After all, he had made the effort to come all this way and even prioritised your comfort. Yet here you were, still playing hard to get.

"Very well, don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, he began to make his way down the aisle, scanning the spacious room from left to right in search of you. It was only when he was about to pass by a hunched figure between the rows of tall bookshelves that he halted, doing a double take before fixing his gaze squarely on your form. There you were, seated on the ground, completely absorbed in the book you held in your hands.

Whatever he had anticipated, you were none of that. The girl in front of him was nothing like what he had imagined. Bathed in the sunlight streaming through the open window, your delicate and refined features were illuminated, accentuating your natural beauty. In that moment, you appeared almost ethereal. With such looks, finding a match shouldn't be a challenge at all.

Huh, guess I was wrong about her looks.

Yet, it wasn't your appearance that posed the issue. He had expected as much, considering the attractiveness of your family members. However, he could understand why you were often overlooked. The problem lay not in your physical attributes, but rather in that god-awful attire you chose to wear – a plain, white hanbok devoid of any embellishments. Furthermore, you seemed to lack hair accessories and makeup. He dared say that even some of the maids had put more effort into their appearance than you had.

Goodness gracious, you looked like a prisoner in that outfit. In his opinion, you ought to be arrested for donning such a monstrosity. Perhaps you weren't aware yet, but today you would be encountering the fashion police, and he was not pleased with what he saw. It was evident to him that you were in dire need of his assistance.

Kim Hongjoong was here now, and he intended to effect swift change. By the end of his makeover, he was confident you would be fit to enter even a beauty pageant.

"Hello, Miss Baek," he greeted, finally drawing your attention as you glanced up to see him approaching.

"Oh, you're here. Mr. Kim, right?" you responded, acknowledging him with a nod. Folding the edge of the page as a makeshift bookmark, you carefully slid the book back into its place on the shelf before rising from your spot on the ground.

The dressmaker's grip tightened around his bag of tools, a hint of displeasure flickering behind his façade of a smile, "Yes, that's correct, my lady. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard much about you," he attempted to charm you, a tactic that typically worked wonders with his clientele, eliciting blushes and smiles. However, his heart sank as you remained unfazed.

"Did you really? I can't imagine it's anything favourable," you murmured, turning to face him squarely, "And there's no need for pretence. I highly doubt there's anything pleasurable about meeting me. I prefer unvarnished truths to false pleasantries."

What in the world.

Taken aback by your bluntness, he paused briefly to compose himself before clearing his throat, "Ah, I see... If you insist, Miss Baek, I won't sugarcoat my thoughts on your choice of attire. Your family has expressed concerns about your ability to attract suitors, and I can see why. It's pretty clear to me that you struggle with dressing in a way that appeals to others but fear not. I'm here now, and I'll help you enhance your style."

Just when he thought you couldn't possibly surprise him any further, you shrugged in disagreement, "I don't believe I'm struggling at all. I know exactly what I like, and this is it," you gestured to your hanbok, "It's not my fault nobody shares the same opinion."

Baffled by your words, he finally grasped the true extent of your problem. Yes, your fashion style was the main issue, but more crucially, it was your entire character. Throughout his life, the dressmaker had encountered his fair share of eccentric individuals, but you seemed to easily surpass them all in peculiarity.

Your blunt honesty was one thing, but it was your overall lack of emotion or ability to read social cues that truly puzzled him. Perhaps it was simply your indifference. Regardless, one thing became abundantly clear to him: he did not like you. Despite having only just met you, he eagerly anticipated the moment he could leave your presence.

Lord help me, I cannot stand her already.

Blinking rapidly, he struggled to maintain the smile on his face as he responded stiffly, "I... I understand, Miss Baek. Perhaps that's your belief for now. However, I'm confident you'll change your mind once you see my designs. They never disappoint. I've never had a dissatisfied customer, and I fully intend to keep it that way."

Not wanting to dwell on your comments, he quickly clapped his hands together and continued, "Now, without further ado, let's proceed with taking your measurements."

Forget discussing your preferences, you had made your stance clear. But Hongjoong remained determined to impress you with his work. He was eager to unveil his best design, he couldn't wait to see the look on your face when you would realise how stupid you were to prefer prison clothes over his hanboks.

Retrieving his measuring tape and notebook from his bag, he turned to you, making an effort to conceal any hint of displeasure on his face as he approached, "Stay still, my lady. This will only take a moment," he instructed, beginning with your shoulders before proceeding to measure your height, sleeve length, and neck size. His breath caught and his hands trembled as he reached the final step, assessing your waist and chest measurements.

While he typically performed these tasks with ease, it was usually in the familiar surroundings of his shop, with others present. Now, it was just the two of you in the expansive, quiet library. For some reason, the atmosphere felt almost... intimate.

Focus, Kim Hongjoong!

Suppressing the sudden spike of his heartbeat, he maintained a composed expression and directed, "Please raise your arms, my lady. I'll need to measure your chest and waist next."

Flustered, he attributed the fluttering of his heart to the persistent, unabashed curiosity in your gaze throughout the measurement process. That must be it, he reasoned. You didn't possess goddess-like beauty, nor were you sweet as an angel. There was no other reason for him to react that way than sheer embarrassment under your scrutiny.

Little did he know, you experienced similar, if not more intense, emotions than he did. But who could blame you, really? It was the first time a man had ever been in such close proximity to you. The only difference between you was your adeptness at concealing your feelings, contrasting with the subtle shifts in his demeanour and the slight tremor in his hands, which did not evade your perceptive gaze.

He was merely a man, after all. You supposed it was only natural for him to exhibit such reactions in the presence of a woman.

But that didn't mean much.

You could tell he disliked you, a sentiment you had grown used to. Like everyone else you met, it seemed no one genuinely liked you. Your family's acceptance stemmed from obligation, your servants' compliance from their employment, and Hongjoong's engagement from his professional duty. Once that was done, you were certain you would never see him again. Armed with this notion, you maintained your stoic façade.

"Very well, Miss Baek. Thank you for your cooperation. I'll return when the first batch of your hanboks is ready," the dressmaker stated, swiftly gathering his belongings and offering one final bow before hurrying out of the library, pink tinting his cheeks.

"Goodbye, Mr. Kim."

Back at his shop that evening, he struggled to focus on his work. His thoughts kept wandering back to the moment your faces were inches apart, when he had to briefly encircle his arms around your waist to take measurements. Despite the unattractive hanbok you wore, he couldn't deny that you smelled quite pleasant. At the very least, you had good hygiene, he had to give you that.

Get a grip, you fool!

Giving himself a sharp slap on the cheek, he shook off the distraction. He reminded himself of the sheer frustration of being around you. From your perplexing bluntness to your questionable taste in fashion, it was enough to raise his blood pressure. How could someone like you even exist? He realised now that he had vastly underestimated your peculiar nature. Once confident he could see through anyone, he was beginning to have second thoughts.

Nevertheless, one thing remained certain: you would surely admire the designs he had in store for you. His work had always been his stronghold, never failing to impress. If even royalty had been impressed, why wouldn't a mere noblewoman like yourself? You claimed to dislike fashion, but that was only because you hadn't seen his masterpieces, he was sure of it.

No one, no one could ever resist his work.

Determined to swiftly overcome this minor obstacle, he reassured himself that you were just a small hurdle on the path to another remarkable achievement. In the end, when you were basking in the glory of the century's most sensational makeover, all the effort would be worthwhile. He could not wait for you to shed tears of gratitude, thanking him for opening your eyes to the true essence of beauty. With that conviction, he delved into his work, flipping through his sketchbook until he reached the section reserved for his finest designs, carefully curated for an occasion like this.

Pausing at one of his personal favorites, a masterpiece he had been saving for a worthy client, he decided that now was the perfect opportunity to bring it to life.

Oh, you were sure to adore it.

You had to.

But he should have known better than to actually believe that. He was, once again, in for a surprise a few days later when he arrived at the Baek estate with the first hanbok done. Only once he had your green light would he be able to proceed with making more for you. As the maids escorted him to your quarters, they noted his bright demeanour; you had risen late today and were still having breakfast in solitude, "You seem quite cheerful today, Mr. Kim," one remarked, arching an eyebrow.

He smirked confidently, "Indeed, I am. Your young miss will be very impressed with what she is about to see today. With this makeover, she'll surely catch the eye of potential suitors in no time."

The maid hesitated, cautioning, "I'm not sure you should be so certain. The young miss isn't like any other girl you've worked with."

"Ah, I know, but my work speaks for itself," he retorted, "She'd be silly not to like it."

"If you say so, sir," the maid replied, her tone conceding defeat. She knew better than to doubt his skill, but she also understood that you were unlike any other. He would soon discover that firsthand, and she was almost certain he wouldn't leave the estate with the same confidence he arrived with.

"Well, what do you think?" inquired the dressmaker, proudly unveiling his newest masterpiece to his latest customer.

Eyeing the elegantly colourful hanbok, which was a departure from your usual plain white ones, your gaze remained impassive. After what seemed like an eternity, you responded with a slight furrow of your brows, "It uhh... it looks nice, I suppose."

As you watched Hongjoong's reaction falter momentarily, it appeared as though he was experiencing a million emotions per second before settling on a deeply offended expression. With an audible scoff, he clenched his jaw, "Nice, you say? Just... nice? You suppose? Miss Baek, that is utterly outrageous! Throughout my career, I've only ever been praised for delivering perfection."

You stayed silent as he continued to extol his successes, boasting about being the best dressmaker in all of Joseon and citing his most illustrious achievements, such as the wedding dress he crafted for Lady Park, which even impressed Their Majesties. It dawned on you that your simple response had deeply wounded him.

"I-I mean... it's not bad," you interjected, hoping to fix the damage, but your heart sank as he only glared at you, "Not bad...? I'm sorry, was that supposed to console me?" he chuckled incredulously, "You know what? Now I understand why you're still single. At this rate, you'll never find a husband."

Ouch.

The awkward silence that followed was deafening, causing the maids who were waiting in your room to quickly shuffle closer to you, noticing you had finished your meal, "Young miss, we'll just be clearing this up and excusing ourselves."

"Thank you." You nodded curtly, watching emotionlessly as they hastily picked up the table containing the empty plates and bowls and left with a deep bow. Meanwhile, the dressmaker remained in his spot, visibly heaving deep breaths as if trying to calm himself from the outburst, before carefully setting the hanbok down.

After you were left alone, he took a deep breath before apologising, "Gosh, I— I'm so sorry, Miss Baek. That was uncalled for, I—"

Shaking your head, you cut him off, "No, please don't be. You were merely telling the truth. As I've said, I prefer unvarnished truth to false pleasantries. In fact, I believe you are right about that. You are not the first to say that, and you certainly won't be the last."

As he absorbed your words, a wave of discomfort washed over Hongjoong. For some reason, he would have preferred if you had yelled at him or thrown a tantrum rather than accepting his insults like that. Surely, it couldn't feel pleasant to hear such remarks, no matter how unaffected you made yourself appear. It made him feel terrible, and he hated it — hated the guilt that filled him for uttering such words.

Clearing his throat, he sighed, "I... my lady, please don't say that. It's just that... I really need your approval before I make more of these for you. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to wear them." His voice softened, an attempt to make up for his earlier harshness.

You detected the familiar pity in his tone, and you despised it. Raising a brow, you shrugged, "Why does my approval matter? It's my family who's paying you, not me. You owe it to them to make me look perfect, whatever that means. I've made it clear what I like, and if it's not to yours or anyone's taste, so be it. I see no point in consulting me on your designs, Mr. Kim. Just do what you're hired for; it doesn't matter what I like."

It never has.

While that should have brought relief to the dressmaker, knowing he had the freedom to pursue his vision without worrying about your approval, something about your words left him feeling... melancholic. It struck a chord within him, reminding him of his own struggles when he initially embarked on his fashion career. At that time, it was met with disapproval from society, which deemed it an unfitting profession for a man. Despite the opposition, he chose to be himself.

However, seeing you succumb to societal expectations, suppressing your true self to please others, including him, stirred a sense of empathy within him. It mirrored his own past battles with conformity. Unlike him, you were forced to adhere to societal norms, sacrificing your individuality for the sake of others' expectations.

And he didn't like that.

But what he hated even more was how you managed to evoke emotions he hadn't signed up for. Despite his efforts to push thoughts of you aside and concentrate solely on his goal—to craft the finest hanboks in all of Joseon and transform you into a vision of beauty, one you did not desire—the memory of your somewhat disheartening expression, as you dismissed the importance of your preferences, lingered in his mind. It unsettled him, he hated the way it was causing an uncomfortable tightening in his chest.

« Preview of Part 2 »

"I'm telling you, Yunho, she's infuriating!"

The physician, busy tidying his clinic counter, rolled his eyes, "How could I not know, hyung? You've been talking about her since my lunch break. We're almost at closing time; are you finished?"

Hongjoong crossed his arms, scoffing, "What, do you have somewhere else to be? Don't think I haven't noticed you've been going to that apothecary more often lately."

Yunho stilled, a faint pink dusting across his cheeks as he cleared his throat, "What do you mean? I've always gone there for herbs."

"Yes, but not as frequently as you do now. Ever since you met a certain herbalist," Hongjoong teased, wiggling his brows.

"If you have nothing important to say, please leave," the physician grumbled, tired of the older man's rambling.

Uncrossing his arms, the dressmaker said, "W-wait! Look, you're the most rational one among us. I just... wanted to know your thoughts on the matter."

Sighing, Yunho softened, "You know, she's right. You're hired by her family, your job is simple, and you know what you have to do. The only reason you're so affected by this is probably because you care."

"I do not care about her—"

"Sure, if you say so. Then go on ahead and complete your job. You'll receive your payment and all the benefits that come with it anyway. So, what's really bothering you?"

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for 1.6k followers! Same as Wooyoung's spinoff, the next part will be the second and final part. I've decided to standardise the format, so all the spinoffs will be two-shots.

As always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts! <3

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[animeniacss]

Parents!Jeonghan x Reader - The Ornament Fiasco (One-shot)

Synopsis: This is what you and your husband get for daring to take a family picture before your daughter was born. (Inspired by a tiktok I saw)

Genre: One-shot, nonidol!au, parental!au, Domestic, Christmas time, Fluff,

Length: approx. 850 words

The Ornament Fiasco

“Daddy.”

“Yes?” Jeonghan looked down as his daughter padded up to him. He could see something gripped tightly in her hands. She looked up at him. Immediately, she stuck her hands up in his direction. 

Jeonghan knelt to better understand what his daughter was holding so tightly. She offered him a little Christmas ornament, one she had gotten from the recently retrieved box. 

“Aaah.” He gently took the ornament from her, turning it to her view as he held her close. “We got this when Jeonghui was born.” He pointed to each of the little snowmen inside the snowglobe ornament. “See? Mommy, Daddy, Jeonghui.” He pointed to the little photos of each of you placed in each respective snowman. “Uncle Seungcheol gave it to us when Jeonghui was born.” 

Jeonghan expects many things, being the father of a three and eight-year-old. However, he did not expect said three-year-old to look absolutely distraught. “What’s with that face, Haeun?” He asked amusement in his voice.

“Where’s Haeun?” She asked softly. Okay, guess we’re doing this.

Jeonghan smiled a bit. “We got this one before Haeun was born.” Haeun did not seem convinced. How could she not be in a family ornament? Jeonghan went to put the ornament on the tree, but Haeun quickly grabbed it back. 

“Haeun…..” When the girl’s eyes began to water, Jeonghan knew the one day he agreed to set aside to decorate for Christmas with his family might now turn into two. “Where’s Haeun, Daddy?”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Haeun. We got this one before you were born. We didn’t know you were going to be born, yet.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his older son, Jeonghui, making his way to the wall. His hands were filled with stockings and little knick-knacks from another box. You were close behind, holding the tools needed to hang them onto the fireplace. 

Haeun’s little whimpers alerted your attention. Whimpers turned to sniffles. Before they could turn to cries, Jeonghan motioned to the ornament box. “Where’s the other one?” He mumbled to himself. Haeun held the ornament tightly as she watched her father rummaging through the box. “Here. Look, Haeun.” He pulled his daughter close to him. He held up an ornament with the four of them, once again customized with name and year. It was taken at Lotte World the previous year. “Here. Mommy, Daddy, Jeonghui, Haeun.” 

That didn’t help. Haeun continued to sob and sniffle as she gripped the snowman ornament. “But Haeun isn’t on it.” She held up the snowman. Jeonghan chuckled as he pressed a kiss to the sobbing toddler's temple.

“Awww Haeun. I know. It’s ok. We have this one.” Once again, attempts to offer her the ornament with her name proved useless. She was so focused on this one in particular. Jeonghan glanced up at you for support but only received a side glance and a smile.

“Wait until she sees our wedding pictures.” You mumbled. Jeonghan snorted a bit. He motioned Haeun to the tree, helping her put the family photo ornament on. When he scooped her into his arms, he guided her hand to an available branch, slipping the loop through the leaves. “There. Okay.” 

Haeun still whimpered as she held the ornament without her name. She pressed on the plastic. Maybe if she opened it they could put her inside. “Haeun, how could we have known you would be born yet?” Jeonghan asked, continuing to hold her in your hands. “We couldn’t guess you’d be a little girl until you were born.”

“But I wanna…” Haeun continued to sob in distress. You looked down at Jeonghui, who held back a little snicker as he hid behind your leg, watching the scene unfold. He, like Jeonghan, was a bit of a mischievous soul behind a gentle face.

“I know you do. I’m sorry.” Jeonghan smiled. “We can get another one for you.” 

You watched as Jeonghui hurried over to the ornament box, rummaging through it for a moment. You watched him, stockings laid across your arm as you waited for your helper. Finally, he pulled one ornament out. 

“Haeun.” He called. Jeonghan watched his son hand an ornament up to his crying sister. “This one only has you! Look!” Jeonghan took the ornament, showing his daughter. It was taken during her first Christmas by your friend, Hao, along with many others that were displayed around the house, some with Jeonghui inside.

“See? Look. That’s baby Haeun.” Jeonghan said. Haeun reached for the little picture, laminated, and punched through with ribbon. She stared at it for a second, her sniffled and sobs finally subsiding.

Jeonghui, like his father, doted on the youngest member of your family.

Jeonghan pressed a kiss to Haeun’s head, ruffling Jeonghui’s hair in the process. However, Haeun immediately began sobbing again.

“Jeonhui-Oppa. Where’s Big Brother Jeonghuiiiiiii?” She continued to sob.

You snorted. When you saw Jeonghan staring you down for support, you simply motioned to the stockings still draped on your arm.

“You can do it, Dad.” You grinned playfully. Jeonghan sighed, diving into another long attempt to calm down your sobbing daughter.

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[mikachacha]

𝚂𝙿𝙴𝙰𝙺 𝙽𝙾𝚆 (𝙱𝙰𝙳𝙰 𝙻𝙴𝙴 𝚇 𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂! 𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙴𝚁) 𝙲𝙷. 2

Synopsis: Bada is slowly falling for you but you're still confused about your own feelings.

Warnings: cursing, a bit of angst

(A/N: they're so cute wtf 😭😭 anywaysssss thank u so much for supporting this series and my other stories 🥺🥺 u guys are the best and i love y'all 🫶🫶)

Series Master List

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Chapter Two

╚══ஓ๑♡๑��══╝

The day of your mom's event came. Bada, Haeun, and Hyeji were able to come and you're having a blast until one of your mom's friends came up to you, with her son in tow.

"Oh my.. You look so pretty, Y/N! This is Hyeok Jae, my son. I hope you guys can be friends." the lady says and you had to fight the urge to not show a disgusted look because the guy looked like he totally made his mom do this whole fiasco to be close to you.

"Ah.. Sure.. Thanks Mrs. Lee.." you said politely as the lady excused herself to go talk with the other adults, leaving the Hyeok Jae with you.

"So.. I see you're looking pretty lonely, want to be my date for this event?" Hyeok Jae offered with a smug smirk and you looked around, desperately looking for Bada or your other friends to get away from this situation.

"I actually have a date. They're just getting me some drinks.. Now if you'll excuse me." you lied and tried to leave but he grabbed you by the wrist, preventing you from leaving and began being really mean to you, calling you a liar and playing hard to get for not accepting to be his date. You struggled to free yourself until Bada came to your rescue, slapping the guy's hand away from your wrist.

"You better stop that if I were you.." Bada threatened and you can see Hyeji and Haeun standing behind the guy, ready to beat his ass if he doesn't stop being an ass.

"Oh come on, Bada.. It's not like she's a lesbian like you so stop being all protective." Hyeok Jae chuckles and you look at Bada, she really looks like she's about to punch this guy's face until it's completely unrecognizable.

"Actually, I am and she's the date I was talking about. So if you would just leave before I call the security, that would be amazing. Thanks." you stepped in before things could escalate because you don't want to cause a scene, especially that your dad's around. You're scared that he might throw you somewhere far away to study if you cause any trouble that'll ruin his and your mom's reputation.

"Move it, asshat." Hyeji says as Hyeok Jae began to leave. You sighed and looked at your friends, giving them a small smile while they pulled you in for a hug.

"You okay bub? You weren't hurt right?" Haeun asked while inspecting your wrist. Sure enough, there were marks that'll leave some bruises which made Bada even angrier.

"That little shit.." she said through gritted teeth and you just rubbed her shoulder, an attempt to calm her down. She looks at you before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

The night went on without any problems, you forgot about Hyeok Jae as you're having lots of fun with your friends. They even got to meet your dad which was really nice though one thing is really bothering you and you wanted to talk to Bada about it so you dragged to the garden outside so you can talk in private.

"Bada, can I ask you some things?" you asked and Bada looked rather nervous but nodded nonetheless. She has a feeling that you're gonna ask if what Hyeok Jae said was true.

"Is it about what Hyeok Jae said about me? That I'm lesbian? Look, I'm not but it also doesn't mean that I don't like girls. I'm bisexual, I like both male and female.. If you're gonna be disgusted by what I am, then that's completely fine. I respect that.." Bada confessed and you stood there, trying to process everything in your head.

You looked at her then just pulled her in a hug. You couldn't find the right words to say at the moment and you hope that she realizes that despite her sexual orientation, you accept and that you're still best friends. She wrapped her arms around you, soft sobs escaping her lips as both of you just stayed in each other's embrace. No words were spoken yet you completely understood each other's feelings.

Bada thought that after that night, you would distance yourself from her or ignore her completely but you didn't. Things are still the same between you and her and she's very grateful about it.

"You know what, why don't we make a pact? "If you're not married by the time we reach the age of 28, then we will marry each other. Deal?" you held out your hand in front of Bada and the taller girl just laughed and shook your hand firmly. It was just a crazy thought but you felt rather sure about it. If you'd have to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you're sure that you want to spend it with Bada. You only knew each other for almost a year by now but it felt like you've known her your entire life. You completely get each other, completely feel safe with each other and trust each other.

"Deal. Well if we're not dating anyone during holidays each year, we get to take each other out on a date until we find the right people who'll love us and take care of us." Bada grins and you nodded happily. You're confused about your own feelings. You feel like you like Bada more than a friend but you also felt like it's just because you're always together.

"What? You look like you're already about to break off our pact. You good?" Bada asks, noticing you suddenly grew quiet and had a serious look on your face. You just playfully roll your eyes at her before grabbing her cap, laughing as you run to your next class with Bada chasing after you.

"Ha! You fell for it!" you laughed at her face and Hyeji only laughed seeing Bada running after you while Haeun took some pictures.

"Why don't you guys date already? Gosh.. It feels like I'm watching a school drama on tv.." Jong-in playfully says while your other classmates agreed. It's a common thing in your class since you and Bada are very close and sometimes you both act like an old married couple which you totally deny but your classmates says otherwise.

"Chill, guys. We'll get to that soon enough." you say in a playful manner, even winking at Bada who just rolled your eyes and gave you the middle finger which made you and the others laugh. Bada wanted it to be real. Knowing you for months now made her realize that she is slowly falling for you but she knows that you're still confused about your own feelings so she'll patiently wait until you're ready to take your friendship on a next level. But if not, she'll remain loving you until you find the person who you'll love and spend the rest of your life with.

Tag list———;; (still open btw)

@xiakiyama , @mightymyo , @moonsvrse , @itstrashjustrash , @prilux , @mikaleialt , @azhel, @lil-elliesgf , @1luvkarina , @jhopes-whoopee-cushion, @zhivaxo , @boombadabby, @avocifera, @rhickah

[lily-blue]

13 reasons why | reason no.13: the coffee shop is kid-friendly

☆ characters: potter!joshua & single-mom!you (Seori - ‘94 liner) ☆ genre: coffee shop au, single parent au, slice of life, angst, fluff ☆ warnings: distorted views on single parenthood, mental health issues ☆ summary: after you become a single mom, you think relationships are off the table; too bad your daughter doesn’t agree with you ☆ words: 21k ☆ taglist: @dat-town​​

➼ chapter index

When you had been younger - a tad too wild and carefree for someone who had been in her high school senior year in South Korea -, you had thought that being told that your partner had cheated on you was the worst way a relationship could end. However, in your early twenties, you had come to realise that your ideas and beliefs had been unrealistic and sheltered because of your late grandmother’s efforts to give you the same childhood she had failed to give to your father, and that real life was more unfair than you could have ever comprehended. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been forced to leave a loving relationship five months pregnant.

It had been a little over seven years since your break-up with Inwoo, and you did a fabulous job at keeping your daughter’s biological father’s identity a secret. The only people who knew about Haeun’s connection to the prestigious In family were your ex-boyfriend, his mother and your best friend, Seola, who was bound by an NDA just like you in order to ensure neither of you got greedy and tried to harm the chaebols’ reputation. As if you had ever done anything to hurt the man who had made you believe you could have had your own Cinderella story. As if money and power could have ever been more important to you than emotional security and happiness.

But then again, Inwoo’s mother might have thought differently of you. After all, you had agreed to receive monthly child support from a bank account that couldn’t have been linked to her and her son in exchange for your silence. You might have been naive back then, but you had already known that just you and your grandmother wouldn’t have been able to provide the best life for your child.

As you looked at your adorable, six-and-a-half-year-old daughter who was shifting her body weight from one leg to the other in front of you, you tried not to think of your conversation with her homeroom teacher, Haeun’s endless questions about your family’s weird structure since they had learned about family and friends in school or how much she resembled her father. You might not have had childish delusions anymore about Inwoo finding his way back to you, but you also couldn’t have just forgotten the gentleness in his eyes and the happiness he had radiated each and every time he had been talking about marrying you and your growing family. He would have been an amazing father, and you could only hope that you were a good enough mother as well. It surely couldn’t have made you a horrible mom that you couldn’t find a babysitter for your little one last minute. What mattered was that you were trying your best.

Goodness, you sure hoped these inconvenient occasions and your lack of resources wouldn’t cause your daughter a childhood trauma. People these days were talking about those a lot and as a single parent who cared too much, the possibility made you unhealthily self-conscious. If only you had been more hard-working, more ambitious when you had been younger. You should have listened to your teachers and your grandmother and applied for university like everyone else in your high school.

You shook your head and took a step closer to the counter as the person in front of the barista got her order. One more couple to go and it would be finally your turn to purchase your usual cinnamon roll frappuccino.

‘Mom! See! See! See!’ Your daughter exclaimed when her eyes fell on the delicious cakes behind the glass display, her height only allowing her to marvel at the products on the lowest metal shelf. 

Initially, your plan had been to leave her with your neighbour for those six long hours you would be away from home, but Min was still a university student and he had exams to study for, which would have been significantly more difficult with a six-and-a-half-year-old whose curiosity was seemingly endless. Your conscience hadn’t allowed you to ask for such a huge favour, as you didn’t want to undermine his studies. With your tiring part-time jobs, you knew exactly how important that piece of paper was in your society. And he would have had a hard time saying no if you had insisted.

It was the light tug on your pants that pulled you back to the present; your daughter was quick to address the barista behind the counter even though she could barely reach it on her tiptoes. Her swinging pigtails were flying back and forth as she tried to keep her balance and ask for a frog-shaped cookie.

‘That’s a pretty big cookie. Are you sure you can eat the whole thing?’ The barista played along while you were trying to figure out which dessert had caught Haeun’s attention, since you couldn’t see any cookies on the lowest shelf. Hm, maybe she was talking about the extra large cupcake cake that consisted of six individual cupcakes and formed a cartoon-style frog. According to the card in front of it, it was for two people and could be ordered for special occasions in advance in various shapes and sizes. 

You made a mental note to ask the barista about this offer the next time you came to Coffee Carat, because you thought Haeun would have enjoyed a cake like this for her birthday in August, which was in a bit over three months.

‘I’m a big girl,’ she insisted, some of her words slurred together due to the emphasis she tried to put on just how old she was. It made your lips curl upwards; you ruffled her bangs before you looked at the barista. Luckily, he seemed more amused than annoyed by your daughter’s behaviour.

‘Come here, big girl,’ you crouched down to pick the little girl up, so she could see the other dessert options as well. Then, you pointed at the single cupcake on the uppest shelf, the one that depicted a similarly styled cartoon frog’s face. ‘What about this one? This looks just as cute, doesn’t it?’ You negotiated, unbothered by other people’s opinion of your relationship with your daughter. Deep in your heart you knew you weren’t spoiling her just because you cared and constantly encouraged her to communicate about her likes and dislikes openly.

Was what you were doing controversial in your country? More or less, especially amongst the older generation. However, Haeun was your daughter (and your daughter alone) and you tried to raise her in a way you believed was the best for her in the long run. 

‘I think…’ the little girl started, then stopped abruptly like she always did when there was a big decision waiting for her to make. You watched her as she jutted her lower lip out with the most serious facial expression a six-and-a-half-year-old could make. ‘Yes, I like this one,’ Haeun said before she asked you to put her down.

Not wasting a second more - just because you disregarded the judgemental mumbles and soft snorts didn’t mean you didn’t know some of the customers behind you were rather inpatient -, you gave your order to the smiley barista and fished your wallet out of your backpack so you could pay. You actually had a separate bank card in it with all the child support money on for expenses related to Haeun, but you always used your hard-earned salary when it came to such tiny treats. Her grandmother’s fortune was only for emergencies and bigger investments, not to mention that university tuitions got more and more expensive these days. You should have stayed mindful of her savings even if your best friend liked to remind you of Inwoo’s wealth. You couldn’t guarantee and you shouldn’t have expected your daughter to snatch one of those fancy scholarships that covered students’ rent and living expenses as well.

‘Miss,’ the barista called out for you between two forced coughs, indicating that it wasn’t the first or second time he had tried to gain your attention. A bit sheepish, you looked him in the eye, silently asking him to repeat his words again. ‘Here is your change.’

‘Oh! Thank you,’ you mumbled under your nose, cursing yourself mentally for letting your thoughts wander in front of so many people. However, you simply couldn’t have helped it. Ever since Haeun’s homeroom teacher had mentioned to you the English summer camp for the kids, you were constantly thinking about money. What you should have prioritised, where you should have drawn the line when it came to your daughter’s wishes, whether you should have touched the money you were saving for her future or just cut into your own savings.

‘Of course. Here is the little one’s cupcake. The frappuccino will be ready in a minute,’ the barista informed you with a kind smile and gave you a small paper bag with the shop’s logo on it. 

You stepped aside to give room for the next customer.

To kill some time, you fixed your daughter’s messy clothes and pigtails, then let her distract you with her endless tales about her elementary school days because she was only in first grade when most kids were still very excited to learn new things about the world.

Haeun was in the middle of an unnecessarily detailed story about a classmate who always sat on the benches during PE class and never spoke to anyone when your phone started to ring and the voices in your head reminded you that you couldn’t afford to not take it. You hadn’t sent in your application for tens of thousands of jobs in the past eight months to ignore a call - a potential first or second round interview.

‘One cinnamon roll frappuccino to go,’ the barista recited your order the very next second, both delaying your response to the caller and giving you a chance to ask for a tiny favour. So you quickly stepped closer to the counter and reached out for your drink.

‘Thank you. Could you please keep an eye on my daughter for a couple of minutes. She is a smart kid and knows not to go anywhere without me. It’s really just making sure people don’t try to give her anything they shouldn’t or talk her into going anywhere with them,’ you asked under one breath, hoping that your lengthy ramble didn’t annoy the guy too much. You might have been a customer, but he wasn’t obligated to cater to your wishes to this extent.

Still, he took one quick look at your buzzing phone, then at your daughter and nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world.

‘Don’t worry about her. I will keep her company while you take that call,’ someone on your left said and you couldn’t have snapped your head in her direction quicker.

The woman who was speaking to you couldn’t have been that much older than you if she had been older in the first place. Her dark brown hair grazed her shoulders in soft waves while her clothes were on the more messy side: an oversized tee and a khaki overall. At first glance, she looked approachable and kind; however, you didn’t know her and you were wary of leaving Haeun in her care (even though, technically, you didn’t know the barista, either).

‘I’m sorry. That must have sounded so creepy, let me rephrase it,’ the woman spoke up again, and by this time your grip on your phone was so tight as if a part of you believed you could hold onto the person on the other side by crashing the device.

You gulped, visibly impatient, but gave her a chance to explain herself. 

‘My name is Hoyeon and I’m the wife of the owner. I was just about to go over to Freefall for some biscuits, but then I overheard your conversation and couldn’t not think that I have more time to spear than Seungkwan,’ she said, her smile more understanding than anything despite the way you sneaked a glance at the barista to double-check her claim.

As soon as the boy nodded, you bit into your lower lip and crouched down next to Haeun, to check whether she would have been comfortable with staying with Hoyeon.

‘I need to take this call, sugar. Can you be a good girl for me and stay with Hoyeon-ssi?’ You asked her, waiting for a nod or any sign that could have indicated that she wanted to stay with you instead, in which case she should have stayed super still and quiet until the end of your conversation unlike last time when you had accidentally written down the wrong time for an interview because she had been excited to show you the rainbow on the wall.

‘Long call?’ Your daughter asked with a tiny little pout on her lips, giving you the motherly urge to pinch her baby face; you did not resist.

‘Yes, a long call,’ you said; your voice was apologetic and so were your eyes, although your phone stopped ringing a moment later, the possibility of another missed opportunity stressing you out.

‘Okay,’ Haeun agreed to stay behind, sneakily eyeing your backpack where you had shoved the paper bag and with that, the frog cupcake into right after you had paid. Her request made you smile even before she opened her mouth. ‘Can I eat the cake now?’ She asked, tilting her head to the right like her aunt Seola always did when she wanted to get or do something you disapproved of. These two were spending too much time together it seemed.

‘You can,’ you gave in easily, the backpack already halfway off your shoulder. ‘But you need to promise me to not leave the coffee shop, okay? Not even with Hoyeon-ssi,’ you made her promise, using the unbreakable seal: your pinkies.

‘Promise,’ Haeun gave you her word, too, which eased your worries somewhat, reassuring you that you weren’t making the wrong decision despite how ridiculous that was. If someone wanted to harm a six-and-a-half-year-old, it hardly mattered whether the little one was cooperative.

Letting out a sigh, you quickly walked out of the shop and pulled up your call history to open the last caller’s details. You counted to three, five, ten to calm yourself a little, then tapped on the green icon. The person on the other side picked it up for the third ring.

‘Good morning. My name is Jin Jaehyuk from Wrap It Up,’ the man introduced himself in a pleasant voice, asking you whether he was talking to one of the candidates for their driver position, which you eagerly confirmed.

Before seeing their ad on Seola’s windshield a week ago, you had never considered applying for a driver job; however, the salary was almost twice as much as you were currently making and that alone made up for the possible shortcomings that company could have. The cleaner job you currently had pushed those bars really low if you wanted to be honest. At this point, you would have taken anything that didn’t drain you dry by the end of every damn shift.

The conversation with the HR representative was overall pleasant. He asked you about your work experience, how frequently you drove, whether you had your own car and if so, what type so he could find the most suitable company car for you in case you got hired. And lastly, of course, he wanted to know the reason why you had considered their position. Before you realised, you were already talking for twenty minutes, completely disregarding the buzzing of the street and the customers leaving and entering the coffee shop.

Hopeful about a second round interview, you slid your phone into your pocket, then went back to Coffee Carat, just for your soft smile to be stolen by the most terrifying sight that could have greeted you: your daughter sitting on the lap of a man you had never met before. You didn’t think, not really, when you ran up to them and tore the little girl out of his hands.

‘Who are you? And who gave you the permission to touc—’

‘Mooooom,’ Haeun put her tiny hands in your mouth, successfully blocking your accusations with her fingers. Confused and frustrated, you furrowed your brows and looked down at your daughter, visibly asking for an explanation, which she delivered after a huff. ‘Jisoo oppa is Hoyeon unnie’s friend. We were watching Encanto and you ruined the best part,’ she whined like you were the real bad guy in her story instead of the stranger who was caging her with his arms mere seconds prior.

You adjusted your position - shifted her weight in your arms so you could hold her with only one arm - and took her hands out of your mouth. 

‘Kim Haeun, I told you not to be friendly with strangers,’ you scolded her a tad too loudly - something you would have definitely regretted later at night when you were on your own in your bed, thinking back on the day’s happenings, but at that moment, with your heart pounding in your chest, you simply couldn’t. Seeing her with a man your age had scared you, especially because it had been you who had left her alone, so if someone had happened to her, you would have had no one else to blame but yourself.

‘But he is not,’ your daughter insisted. ‘He is Hoyeon unnie’s friend. He’s also Seungkwan oppa’s friend. And he knows the oppa who made the frog cake, the bake,’ she counted all the people she was talking about on her tiny fingers, shoving her three fingers into your face at the end of her monologue.

You pressed your lips together to avoid an accidental scream and took a deep breath through your nose instead. This was when the stranger walked up to you and cleared his throat to gain your attention.

‘I’m sorry for scaring you. My name is Hong Jisoo and I’m close friends with the employees and the shop owner, so when Hoyeon had to go to the toilet, I offered to entertain the little lady since I’m still waiting for my coffee,’ he explained, shooting a reassuring smile towards your daughter that made you feel weird. Not necessarily because he looked like a creep, but because Haeun was suddenly on her best behaviour, beaming at the guy. ‘I can assure you that we were introduced to each other before she sat on my lap. She didn’t break any rules, right, princess?’

‘Haeun is a good girl,’ she puffed her chest out proudly while she tilted her head towards the stranger, Jisoo, who rewarded her with a pat on the head.

As you were watching the scene, you wondered whether this was your female lead moment in real life: a single mom whose daughter basically claimed a random handsome stranger as her oppa in the middle of a lovely coffee shop. You swore, one of the more talented screenplay writers could have built a very nice drama around it.

Except, Hong Jisoo was undeniably taken if the blonde girl who kissed his lips in front of Haeun was anything to go by.

‘Baby, can we go now? You know I need a new bikini for our vacation with the guys,’ she said, pulling on the guy’s arm like even a moment more in your company would have been a waste of her time.

You almost failed to swallow down your chuckle when you heard your daughter scoff at the newcomer. Almost.

‘It’s time for us to go, too,’ you exclaimed politely to draw the girlfriend’s attention away from Haeun and pulled the little girl more into your embrace to block her line of vision. You hadn’t been born yesterday. You knew that Haeun would have given this young woman the stinky eye for clinging onto her new friend if you had let her. She definitely spent too much time with her auntie. ‘I apologise for my reaction. Thank you for looking after her.’

‘It was my pleasure, no worries,’ Jisoo reassured you before one of the baristas called for his name and he walked up to the counter with his girlfriend hot on his heels.

Soon after getting his hands on his order, he was dragged out of the building. And you tried not to think too much into how it was only May, which was way too early for a vacation in your dictionary. It only made you feel poor because it just meant you had never been to any countries before where the weather was warm enough for a bikini so early into the year.

Since Haeun insisted on saying goodbye to all of her new friends, it took you a bit longer to leave the shop, but you did so with a bunch of free cupcakes (the baker assistant had messed up the frosting on a full tray of desserts in the morning and the baker, whose name you learned was Mingyu, was unwilling to put them behind the class display anyway) and a ‘See you later, princess!’ that you didn’t know what to do with. 

Had your daughter just been adopted by all the employees of Coffee Carat? It felt surreal, but then again, Haeun spent an awful lot of time with Seola these days, so you shouldn’t have been too surprised. That woman was a minx. Of course, she had taught your daughter how to wrap the whole world around her fingers.

You made a mental note to pay more attention to whom she interacted with in the future. She was still too young to pick up on malicious intentions. And while that day the two of you were lucky, there wasn’t any guarantee that next time you would be too.

You weren’t a homewrecker. The concept alone made you feel disgust and fury because even though you had never been cheated on, you could resonate with the grief one felt when their significant other was taken away from them. Still, when your daughter kept nagging you that she wanted to go back to Coffee Carat to visit her Jisoo oppa and Hoyeon unnie, you could only stand your ground for about a week.

You wished you had been half as stubborn as your little one. Then, maybe you wouldn’t have sounded like a broken record when you asked about Jisoo from the baristas for the nth time in such a short period of time like a sasaeng.

‘Oppa!’ You heard your daughter scream from the top of her lungs the moment the man set foot in the coffee shop, and you had half a mind to hit your forehead against the table or run, yet you stayed seated. At least, Haeun didn’t run to him without asking for your permission. She was just waving at him furiously with her pink crayon still in her hand.

In that nanosecond when it felt like everyone was looking at you and Jisoo’s eyes were yet to find the source of the scream, you came up with a semi-well-thought-out masterplan to put an end to your daughter delusions, but all the excuses and explanation were thrown out the window when the man smiled at the two of you. He said something to the grumpy barista behind the counter, then walked up to you like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Yeah, you definitely had to have a conversation with him and Haeun about this situation before your daughter got too attached to him or rumours got back to his girlfriend about you looking for Jisoo at every chance you got.

‘In that an elephant?’ The man asked your little one, who immediately sensed the green light and started to talk about her drawing in much more detail than it would have been necessary. She even took her time to mention the baby elephant’s family and how she was attending the elephant school with her friends. She had a natural talent for storytelling and she lived off of the undivided attention Jisoo was giving her with his random questions.

The moment your brain aided you with the mental image of Haeun doing the same with her real dad, you knew it was time for you to put an end to their fun. It was too much, the way their casual conversation was messing with your head, making you see things that had never happened. (And would have never happened despite Inwoo’s love for his unborn child.)

You pinched your lower arm hard under the table and reached out for Haeun’s hand to remind her of your presence. Her big doe eyes, when she snapped her head in your direction, were adorable. She looked almost surprised that you were also listening to her story.

‘Sugar, can mom speak with oppa, too, for a second?’ You asked, inwardly cringing at the title, because the man was not your brother, your close friend or your lover. However, Haeun liked to refer to him as her oppa, so it made things easier. You would apologise for your rude behaviour later, right after you apologised for your daughter’s obsession with him.

‘Okay,’ Haeun agreed with a small nod as she turned back to her drawing and returned her focus to the elephant school. She hummed along with the radio like she knew the song they were playing even though you rarely let her listen to this type of music and poked her tongue out in concentration. These were clear signs that she wasn’t interested in whatever you had to say to her new friend.

‘Would you mind if I picked up your order with you? I could also use some more caffeine,’ you asked, hoping that he could read between the lines and realise that you wanted to be out of earshot from your daughter while you were talking. You wanted both of you to be able to speak your mind about how you thought you should have handled the issue with Haeun. You didn’t wish to hear his fake words regarding his bond with your daughter, but you also hated the idea of breaking the little girl’s heart when she had been so excited about meeting this man again.

‘Sure, you can even use my discount card,’ he offered with a small laugh while you stood up and pushed your now-empty chair closer to the table, so it wouldn’t be in the way for other customers in your absence.

It would have been a lie to say that the offer wasn’t tempting. You liked coupons and things in general that helped you save money, but it felt like a boundary you shouldn’t have crossed. He had already put up with a lot when it came to you and your tiny family and you barely knew more than a handful of things about him: his name, his relationship status, the fact that he and his girlfriend would go on a vacation in the near future and that he had a lot of friends who worked in this particular coffee shop.

Jisoo must have come to the same conclusion during your short walk, too, because as soon as you stood in the line, he turned towards you and said: 

‘Now that I think about it, I don’t think I caught your name last time.’

The bluntness of his statement made you laugh without meaning to, so you needed a couple of seconds to get back in your more serious mood, the one that you hadn’t possessed before you had turned into a mother. Six years in, and you still struggled to change between these two personas naturally. If anything, your effort must have looked comically forced because of how quickly your facial expression turned from carefree to firm.

Cursing yourself inwardly and simultaneously acting like you hadn’t noticed the surprise on Jisoo’s face, you straightened your back and told him your name. Your introduction was curt; you didn’t share any unnecessary information with the smiley man, which made you sound like you would have rather jumped in front of a bus than befriend him. Obviously, it wasn’t true, but you assumed you had sounded like that even though you would have never risked leaving your baby girl behind. You were her only family.

‘It’s very nice to meet you,’ Jisoo reached his hand out for a handshake that - because of your obvious confusion - served as a nice conversation starter: something that your introduction had clearly failed to be.

Impressed by how effortlessly he connected seemingly unrelated topics to each other, you let him tell you about his upbringing (apparently, he had been born in the United States), when he had come to South Korea and how he had met the guys (he had been minding his own business at a club in his second year in uni when Jeonghan had splashed ice-cold water at his face for allegedly stealing the barstool on his right from a cute girl who had been totally into him) and many other things you wouldn’t have considered sharing with a stranger. Anyhow, he clearly wasn’t of the same opinion, and you didn’t know how to make him stop without coming off as an ungrateful jackass.

‘And now Seungcheol is already married, and I’m pretty sure Jeonghan will ask Yoohyeon to marry him this year…’ he trailed off by the end of his monologue with something akin to longing in his voice, although you couldn’t have been a hundred percent sure. It also wasn’t your place to be curious. Whether he had wanted the same commitment with his girlfriend or not, whether it had ever caused fights between the two of them…

No, it wasn’t your business, you absolutely, utterly, wholly refused to make it yours.

However, Jisoo didn’t give you much of a choice; there were two more customers between you and the counter.

‘I’m happy for them. Actually, I’m happy for everyone. Would you believe it if I told you that two and a half years ago all thirteen of us were singles?’ He asked with a low chuckle before he dove into yet another story you had never asked about: how it had all started with Cheol, Hoyeon and this coffee shop.

‘Actually, what I wanted to talk about is related to Hoyeon-ssi,’ you cut him off at the first chance you got even though your daughter’s fascination with him wasn’t as related to the woman as you made it sound. It was a rather desperate attempt at taking control over the conversation without wasting the time you had in relative private. ‘You see, Haeun-ah has this misconception that everyone in this coffee shop - but especially you - is her new best friend, and I think we should find a way to break it down to her that it’s not how life works.’

‘Why not?’ Jisoo asked without a moment of hesitation, confusing you enough to make you stumble over your own words.

You furrowed your brows and pursed your lips as you were looking at him.

‘What do you mean why not?’ You asked once you found your voice again, letting him pull you towards the counter by your elbow gently in the meantime. Too fixed on waiting for his answer, you barely registered the movement.

‘Why doesn’t life work like that? I’m pretty sure everyone’s best friend was a stranger at one point,’ the man said and you furrowed your brows even more. Sure, what he was saying was on point, but that wasn’t what you had meant at all. What you had wanted to say was that your daughter should have been told that grown men and women didn’t form meaningful friendships with random children who weren’t related to them.

‘Yeah, I mean, it’s not like I can argue with that or want to argue with that to begin with, but the possibility of any of you staying in my daughter’s life is pretty unlikely, and I also don’t want her to want to come here too frequently to play with you when it’s your workplace,’ you said, proud of how coherent your reasons fell from your lips.

There was no way Jisoo could have misunderstood you again. At least, that was what you had thought until he opened his mouth and pointed it out that:

‘This shop isn’t my workplace.’

‘O-okay. It’s still not the point,’ you retorted, a bit more irritated than you would have liked to be, since you were not only in public but only a few metres from your daughter whom you didn’t want to show a bad example. Still, your urge to shake some sense into this man was growing exponentially. ‘Haeun-ah was trying to convince me for a week to bring her back here so she could play with you guys and I have a hard time saying no to her when she is so determined. I need your help to make her understand she is making you guys uncomfortable.’

‘Well, I can only speak for myself, but she doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. Mingyu was also happy to meet her and Seungkwan’s girlfriend was complaining the other day that she couldn’t meet her…’ he trailed off by the end of his sentence as though he wasn’t sure he should have kept going. You couldn’t put your fingers on the hesitation in his eyes until he took a breath and continued. ‘Isn’t it that she makes you feel uncomfortable?’

You didn’t know what to say to that. Because the possibility hadn’t even occurred to you until the accusation more or less intentionally hit you in the face. Was your daughter’s behaviour affecting you more negatively than anyone else? Could it have been that you made everything a bigger deal than it was because you were embarrassed by how freely she showed her affection for others while you were constantly trying to close yourself off from new people to not get hurt again?

‘Hey…’ Jisoo’s unexpectedly soft voice pulled you out of your head, and he offered you an apologetic smile as soon as your eyes refocused on him. ‘I didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s just that… you worry too much. Your daughter is adorable and she didn’t do anything wrong. She is free to come hang out with us in the shop on less busy days. To hang out with me,’ he reassured you while he also took you by the elbow again, leading you up to the counter. Oh! He was surprisingly good at keeping tabs on his surroundings. You hadn’t even realised that it was finally your turn to order, too stunned by his opinion about the issue you had clearly blown out of proportion.

‘Hi guys! What can I get for you?’ One of the female baristas asked at the same time Jisoo tried to ease the kinks in your shoulders with a light-hearted comment.

‘Who knows? She might get bored of us in a month or two. Adults aren’t as exciting as they should be with all that money and freedom they have,’ he joked, bumping his upper hand into yours with an easy-going smile.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

‘I…’

He was right. It might have taken your daughter two years to grow out of her Cinnamonroll and Kuromi obsession, it might have taken her half a year to not request chocolate cake for dessert every time she had had the chance, but she had indeed moved on with time. If you were lucky, she would get over this place sooner than her lost teddy bear she had cried over for three weeks last year.

‘It’s just the usual for me, Yeseo. And some…’ Jisoo turned towards you. ‘What would you like to drink?’ 

‘Me? I…’ The shock on your face shouldn’t have been as visible as it was, but you couldn’t help it. You just hoped neither Jisoo nor the girl behind the counter had enough nunchi to read you like an open book and question your sanity. Like seriously, why were you so damn speechless just because he wanted to order for you and seemingly didn’t mind hanging out with your daughter to protect her childlike innocence.

The bar was seriously low with you, wasn’t it?

You quickly cleared your throat and straightened your already straight back.

‘I’ll have a caramel frappuccino, thank you,’ you chose, one hundred percent intending to pay for your own drink when your phone started to ring in your pocket out of the blue. Sure, you had a couple of ongoing applications still, but they were either too old to hear back from or too new.

Afraid that it might have been your best friend who was, for some reason once again, in trouble, you fished the device out of your jeans and looked at the screen with a throbbing knot in your throat. It was a number you had never seen before.

You looked at Jisoo then the barista, not sure how much you owned for the frappuccino and when you should have told the girl that you wanted a sandwich and an animal-themed cupcake, too.

‘I think you should take it. Might be important,’ Jisoo pointed at your phone, his smile soft just like his eyes. If your head hadn’t been full of to-dos, worries and usual single mom stuff already, you might have had to actively remind yourself that he was taken.

Why was he so nice to you?

‘I’ll be back in a second,’ you promised at the end because you soon came to the conclusion that asking him to order for Haeun and you some food, too, would have been too complicated with that little time you had before the other person gave up on contacting you. You would just buy them after the call. ‘Thanks.’

Taking a few steps towards the double doors, you remained inside the coffee shop this time; however, you made sure you weren’t in the way to any of the staff members and customers and that the buzzing of the business wasn’t too loud around you, so you wouldn’t misheard any important piece of information.

The call barely took two minutes; the man on the other side of the line got down to business as soon as you introduced yourself and he double-checked your identity. It turned out, there were three group job interviews happening in an hour at their company building, and two people had cancelled on them at the last minute. HR had decided to contact those candidates who had almost made it into the second round and give them a chance to charm them in person. You were one of the lucky ones in case you could make it in time.

Their location was thirty minutes plus minus five from Coffee Carat. There was no way you would have turned down such an opportunity even if you believed you were at a disadvantage compared to the majority of the interviewees.

It was when you put your phone away and turned around that you suddenly remembered that you should have calculated a detour into your route when you had agreed to the interview. After all, Haeun was sitting by your table, colouring with Jisoo while munching on a piece of cake that shouldn’t have been in front of her to begin with.

You rushed up to the duo like a madwoman.

‘Haeun-ah. We need to go,’ you rushed her, crouching down next to her chair to be more at eye level with her. It usually helped with convincing her to do something she might not have liked because she felt like you were taking her seriously. Like she was a big girl who could understand certain things babies couldn’t.

This time; however, this trick didn’t seem to work. The cheesecake in front of her was too distracting, and so was Jisoo’s presence who had gotten a blank paper and some crayons in the meantime.

‘No! We can stay until dinner. Mom, you promised,’ she objected, holding onto the light pink crayon so firmly, her tiny little knuckles turned white.

You bit into your cheek from the inside to not scold her for making it hard for you when you didn’t have that much time to spare. It was your own decision to raise her the way you were raising her: allowing her to have an opinion and when safe, the freedom of choice. Still, it would have been nice if she had just gone along with your wish without the need to give her an explanation why you wanted to have a new job. She obviously wasn’t ready for any topic at that maturity level - even if you hadn’t gone into too much detail.

You wished you had more people to rely on when it came to these matters. Sure, you would have never regretted becoming a single mom, but for the love of God, you did miss Inwoo on days like this one.

‘I can stay with her for an hour or two. And I’m pretty sure the guys could also keep an eye on her in case something came up, which is highly unlikely,’ Jisoo offered. He lifted his hand to his mouth and lowered his voice as he whispered-shouted as if he was sharing a big secret with both you and your daughter. ‘I’m my own boss.’

‘Thank you, but I really shoul—,’

‘Yey! Please, mom, please! I want to stay with Jisoo oppa,’ Haeun exclaimed, totally hyped due to the idea as she was jumping up and down on the chair with her upper body. One glance at her happy smile was enough for you to realise that forbidding her to stay and taking her to your best friend after the man had already agreed to play with her would have been disastrous. In the best case scenario, she would have cried her eyes out while you carried her in your arms.

In the worst, you would have been the bad guy for at least an entire week and received the attitude a little longer. You wished Jisoo had discussed this with you in advance now that he made it clear that he didn’t intend to pop the little girl’s pink bubble as you had suggested slash requested a few minutes prior.  

It was hard to be grateful when you were also rightfully frustrated.

But dealing with these two was future-you’s problem. Present-you had an interview to attend to.

So you took the nth deep breath in less than five minutes and stood up from the ground. Then, you leaned down to kiss the top of your daughter’s head as a goodbye while making her promise to be on her best behaviour. 

‘Here!’ Jisoo pushed a paper cup into your free hand when you were about to walk up to your laptop and turn it off so it wouldn’t have unnecessarily died on you while you were away. ‘I heard you double checking the time for the interview and asked Yeseo to put your frappuccino in a paper cup instead,’ he explained, pointing at the side of the container with a pleased smile on his face. ‘I also wrote down my kakao ID, so you could add me and check on Haeun in case you’re worried or something.’

It was the most thoughtful thing a stranger had ever done for you; it was something none of your family members had done for you since your grandmother’s passing and that alone… It blew out the flickering flames of your anger.

Your voice was quiet but genuinely grateful when you thanked him. You packed your bag and left.

You didn’t contact Jisoo until you got to the location, but his reassurance and those photos he sent you with your daughter, both of them cheering on you with their fists raised for a lively “hwaiting”, took tons off your chest as you were sitting in the waiting room with ten other people.

You might not have been the most talkative or most well-dressed person at the interview, but you really believed that you did an amazing job at charming the HR representatives. And it was all thanks to Jisoo and his willingness to act as your temporary safety-net.

Walking out of the company building, you knew you couldn’t refer to him as a stranger any longer. He also deserved some compensation for his help. You just had to figure out what to do for him to pay off some of the imaginary debt.

Although the thought to buy Jisoo a cake for basically babysitting your daughter for free had crossed your mind, you had quickly come to the conclusion on your way back to the coffee shop that paying for sweets at his friend’s business might have been a better option. This way the money would have gone to someone he knew. Literal perfection.

Your almost childlike excitement was apparent in the way you entered Coffee Carat around two and a half hours after leaving your daughter with Jisoo. Your steps were lighter and your smile a tad wider than they usually were until your gaze fell on the empty table Haeun should have sat by and you recognised her pitched voice coming from a different one.

‘Take back! Take back! Take back!’ She screamed at a man you had never met before while both Jisoo and another unfamiliar person watched her hit the blond man’s upper hand once, twice, three times in less than ten seconds.

Your eyes grew wide in horror as you rushed up to the table, pulling the little girl away from the understandably annoyed stranger.

‘Kim Haeun!’ You raised your voice on purpose, to make her realise that she was in trouble for screaming and fighting someone so aggressively when you had raised her better. If this man had done anything wrong, she should have stayed away from him and asked for help from someone she knew she could trust.

Which reminded you of…

‘I’m so sorry for my daughter’s behaviour…’ you bowed your head at the blond man first and foremost, then turned towards Jisoo who was sitting across from him, undoubtedly enjoying himself. At least, he had been clearly doing so until your eyes met and the smile fell from his lips. ‘Can you tell me what’s going on?’

‘The bad man said bad things about Jisoo oppa,’ your daughter claimed, her pitched voice making it obvious that she felt upset about whatever this man had told her about her new best friend.

‘Sugar, please let them explain themselves first,’ you asked her, hoping that the nickname you always used to make her feel special helped soothe her nerves a little and if not, at least she realised you weren’t as angry with her as you had been when you had arrived. You still didn’t support violence, but you could also acknowledge that sometimes it was hard to contain one’s feelings, especially when it came to standing up for people they liked.

‘Sawry,’ she mumbled into the crook of your neck, suddenly a bit shy even though you could feel her head moving a little as though she was trying to steal glances at the three people at the table without you noticing.

She was definitely spending too much time with her aunt.

‘Hello. I’m Haeun’s mother. Can I ask who you are and what you said that upset my daughter so much? You see, she isn’t usually a violent child, so I’m a little surprised, that’s all,’ you tried to be as polite as possible while also demanding an explanation. If you did, you did not intend to sound like one of those entitled parents who believed their children could do no wrong, but on the other hand, you had this inner urge to take Haeun-ah’s side until she was proven guilty.

‘I’m Jeonghan, Joshua’s best friend. I was just asking him about his relationship since Cheol is already out and I want a free vacation. Nothing upsetting, really,’ the blond man informed you, his smug smile making him sound that much less sincere. If you wanted to be honest, you had a hard time believing that he was telling the truth, but it was also true that you didn’t understand everything that had left his mouth.

‘Who is Joshua?’ You asked, although what you really wanted to know was: why would his relationship have upset your daughter?

‘Your babysitter?’ The man threw the question at you instead of answering before he snapped his head in Jisoo’s direction like he wanted the other to come forward and confess.

You also wished he had spoken up without further nagging and explained what was going on. Was this man his friend? If so, how were the two of them related to the quiet, blonde woman and how his relationship could have given this man a free vacation?

No answer should have come with as many more questions as Jeonghan’s explanation did.

‘Yeah… That’s me. Jisoo is my Korean name, but most people call me Joshua actually. It’s my American name, I’m sorry,’ he cleared up the misunderstanding before he introduced his friends to you, bringing up stories he had already shared with you, so you could link their faces to their names and personalities more easily.

It didn’t help a lot, but you didn’t bother to enlighten him, because you were afraid to break his flow. At least, he was willing to answer all of your questions, which was a moderately good sign.

‘The bad man said oppa’s a ship acid, but it’s a lie! He has to take it and say sorry!’ Haeun chirped in in the middle of Jisoo - or Joshua, as most people apparently knew him around here - introducing Yoohyeon-ssi to you. The woman who was his friend’s girlfriend; the very same woman who would soon be asked to marry the blonde man if you had recalled the most recent story you had heard about these two.

Turning your head towards your daughter, you furrowed your brows. She looked so upset, like genuinely upset about Jeonghan’s comment on Jisoo that you didn’t have the heart to ask her to repeat what she had heard nor could you inquire whether she knew what acid meant in the first place.

‘Wrong,’ Jeonghan tsked, narrowing his eyes at your little girl like he was seriously trying to challenge her to call him a liar one more time. ‘I said he’s a relationship addict, because he is. This girl - whose name I didn’t even bother to memorise anymore - is his third girlfriend this year,’ he claimed, and when your eyes met and you showed no judgement or bewilderment, he used one of his hands to give emphasis to his reasoning. ‘We aren’t even halfway through this year!’

As you were shifting your gaze from Jeonghan to Jisoo, then to the blonde woman who was hovering over her laptop, fingers quick as lightning on the keyboard, the only thing you could think about was: well, that made a lot more sense than “ship acid”, didn’t it?

‘Jeonghan, please,’ Jisoo’s firm scolding fell from his lips the same moment Haeun started to yell from the top of her lungs:

‘Take it! Take it! You big liar!’

You had never wished more that the ground would split in two and swallow you at whole. Because while you understood that what your daughter wanted to say was “take it back”, you were pretty sure the majority of those who were giving you the judgemental stare and stinky eyes thought that Haeun-ah was already unhinged, at the tender age of six.

You hated only a few things less than misunderstandings.

‘Sugar, please stop picking fights,’ you warned the little lady, slowly putting her down on the floor so the unexpected change in height could calm her down a little. ‘Screaming at people and hitting them are also bad,’ you reminded her as soon as you crouched down at her level, simultaneously squeezing her little hand to make sure she knew you weren’t angry at her. She had every right to be upset. You would have never invalidated her feelings.

(Your parents had talked down to you while you had been still living with them too many times to even consider giving the same treatment to your own child.)

‘He says sorry, too,’ she demanded with a pout, having enough shame in her to stare at her feet instead of looking up at you, which made you a tad conflicted, because you would have liked to see her eyes. It always made it easier to read her - a skill quite handy when one had to raise a child.

You took a deep breath through your nose and tilted her head upwards with your index finger under her chin.

‘Okay. Let’s act like we are big girls and apologise first, hm?’ You said, phrasing it like a question to let her make the right decision consciously, so the next time anything like this happened, she would remember what to do. Guiding her through these experiences always worked better than forcing her to do the right thing.

It took her a few seconds, but eventually, Haeun nodded and turned towards the blond man with her entire body. Her tiny arms were pressed against her sides as she bent her back in a 90-degree angle, over-emphasising her politeness. You bit into your lower lip to not scold her for overdoing it on purpose.

‘Haeun is sorry,’ she said, then straightened her back and looked up at Jeonghan expectantly. 

It made Jisoo crack up and even the quiet lady let out a muffled chuckle while she kept her eyes on the screen. 

You weren’t exactly counting the seconds, but you knew the silence had stretched too long when your daughter started to get fidgety and one of the baristas, whose name you hadn’t learnt yet, came up to your table with some snacks and five glasses of cold beverages: orange juice for your daughter and coffees for all four of you.

‘Jeonghan,’ the blonde girl said with a tired sigh. ‘Apologise to Haeun.’

‘Why? Everyone knows I’m right,’ the man huffed, mumbling something under his nose about Jisoo’s new girlfriend and how it was a waste of money to buy her a new bikini because there was no way they would have lasted that long. ‘Also, I’m not sorry at all. It would only teach her the wrong lessons,’ he claimed, his smug smirk ridiculously potent as he let his gaze fall on your daughter, then looked up at you to add: ‘We wouldn’t want that, would we now?’

Too shocked to even part your lips or let out a scoff, it didn’t surprise you that you weren’t the first one to react. What did take you aback, though, was the elegance the blonde woman handled the situation with. You would have never been able to keep your facial expressions that neutral or your voice so stable while you told your significant other that they were less mature than a six-and-a-half-year-old child.

‘If you’re so keen on teaching the right life lessons to people, I have one for you, too,’ the woman said before she put her hand on the top of her laptop’s screen and turned her head in her boyfriend’s direction, completely unbothered. If it could have, your jaw would have fallen on the ground because of how badass she sounded; like she knew she had the upper hand and wasn’t afraid to make it clear to everyone. ‘Making bets on your best friends’ relationships is seriously messed up. I’ve already told you this, haven’t I?’

‘Yeah, but…’

‘But it’s a tradition and everybody does it anyway,’ she cut Jeonghan off by finishing the sentence for him in the same manner like she was talking about their next grocery shopping. You crouched down behind Haeun-ah and pulled her small body against your chest, not sure if you were allowed to leave. It was a very weird situation; it made you feel out of place and as a mom, that was something you really hated.  

Your eyes were pleading when you looked up at Jisoo; however, he was busy with the drama that was unfolding in front of you, so he clearly didn’t get the memo. You held onto your little girl more firmly and leaned close to her ear so you could tell her that you were about to leave.

Except…

Yoohyeon turned off her laptop and reached out to your daughter to ruffle her hair with a soft smile. She looked beautiful. So calm and approachable, you had this silly urge to go to her for advice even though she was practically a stranger.

‘Hey, big girl! I’m sorry this rude ahjussi upset you, but don’t worry. I’ll make sure he will sit long enough in the corner to learn his lesson,’ she reassured Haeun that Jeonghan would be punished, which seemed to satisfy the little lady considering the firm nod she gave to the woman.

‘What do you mean by that?’ Jeonghan asked in a slightly pitched voice, but his girlfriend wasn’t having it anymore. She just put her laptop into her laptop bag in a leisurely way.

‘I’ll take the subway to my publisher’s office,’ she stated, nodding towards Jisoo at first, then in your direction. What Jeonghan got was a pat on the shoulder and a cold yet somehow still affectionate: ‘Call me when you’ve grown up. I’m ordering chicken for dinner.’

With that, she was out the door like she had never been there.

‘I think it’s time for us to go, too,’ you jumped on the opportunity before any of the men could have broken out of their stupor and taken their anger out on you. Well… more like Jeonghan, since you seriously doubted Jisoo had any reason to be angry with you, but who knew? Bro codex and such things did exist and they were close friends.

You were acquaintances at best and the most fun people to spend time with according to your daughter. 

‘But mom… my juice!’ Haeun pouted; however, this time you decided to put your feet down and use your physical advantage as it should have been in tough situations: you lifted her off the ground and looked around in search of her papers and crayons.

‘Where are your drawings, sugar?’ You whisper-asked while scanning the area around where your previous table had been to no avail. Which was both comforting because it meant your stuff hadn’t been left behind unsupervised, but also frustrating because those pieces of papers clearly weren’t on the new table, either.

‘In my princess folder,’ she informed you like there was no other place those drawings could have been and you sighed, because as far as you were concerned, you hadn’t brought any folders with you that morning and even if you had done, she didn’t own a princess one to begin with. ‘It’s behind Jisoo oppa,’ Haeun gave you another direction, most likely sensing just how lost you were still.

You furrowed your brows and shifted your gaze to Jisoo, who was already looking at you like a deer caught in the headlights.

‘I’m sorry, but could you give me her stuff? We’re going home,’ the words fell from your lips kindly, secretly hoping that if you spoke quietly enough, you could have stayed under his best friend’s radar. You genuinely didn’t want to fight - not in public, not with a grown ass man who was acting like a child and especially not with the friend of someone you were already indebted to. If you had done that, you would have set yourself up for a disaster for sure, and only stupid people did that.

With Haeun in your arms, you couldn’t have afforded to be stupid anymore.

‘Oh? Yeah, sure. Sorry, it’s no problem,’ Jisoo exclaimed a bit clumsily, quickly turning his back to you so he could fish the folder and all the crayons out of his own bag.

You snatched them both out of his hands with a quick ‘Thank you.’

On your way towards the front door, you could feel your daughter peeking out from behind your shoulder, watching the two men, but you didn’t care. You marched towards the street with all your might and didn’t stop until the nearest subway station.

You just knew Seola would have laughed at you if she had seen you bolting from the scene.

It was Jisoo who sent the first personal message to you via kakao, and you were so taken aback by how unrelated it was to anything you had ever talked about, you had half a mind to ask your daughter whether she had said anything funny about you to the man. After all, why else would he have sent you a One Piece meme in the middle of a boring Wednesday. A Zoro one on top of everything. Were you too basic?

Maybe. But even so, he shouldn’t have known. So you asked him whether he had messaged the wrong person and from there, the rest was history.

You didn’t text daily, but he asked you about your job hunting frequently (even went as far as sending you job advertisements that didn’t require more than a high school diploma), how Haeun-ah was doing at school and your opinion on cute date ideas that he found nice and also doable but his male friends made fun of. Overall, it didn’t take longer than three weeks and you started to refer to him as a friend in your head.

Still, how you had ended up at a pub with a very drunk Jisoo at 11PM on a Friday night when your daughter was having a sleepover at her aunt’s place was beyond you. On the other hand, when you gave it a serious thought, you had indeed seen his best friend making fun of his relationship a few weeks prior, so was it really that surprising that he had reached out to you when his girlfriend had dumped him? You didn’t think so.

‘Yes, she looked sexy in the red one, but is it really worth breaking up over?’ He threw the first ridiculous question at you as soon as you arrived and took a seat next to him at the main bar.

You called over the bartender and asked for a juice and a glass of iced water.

‘Jisoo…’ you called out to him, peeling his fingers off his half-finished beer. ‘It might sound like I’m taking Jeonghan’s side, but I really don’t think she broke up with you because of the bikini,’ you tried to comfort him, although you were unsure whether your words were doing the job or only upsetted him more.

So far, he looked more confused and lost than anything. 

‘But she said so! She got mad at me when I gave her the black one. She said I’m a possessive pig and she can’t take my conservative ideas anymore,’ he croaked, making a weak attempt at getting his beer back, but you were faster.

The tears in his eyes and on his cheeks made your heart hurt. Especially because it had been you who had insisted that his ex-girlfriend would be happy to get either of the bikinis he had chosen for her as the thought mattered more than the gift itself. You still didn’t believe that the girl’s reason for dumping Jisoo was more than a cheap excuse, but you did feel partly responsible and that sucked.

‘If she thought that way of you, that just means she wasn’t the right one for you,’ you said, the words one hundred percent true and yet… You weren’t sure they were as comforting as you had intended them to be. Even to your ears, they sounded a tad too cliche to convey just how worried you were about him.

The bitter chuckle that left Jisoo’s throat only proved it further that he didn’t believe you. And why would he have? One and a half months ago you hadn’t known about each other’s existence.

So you were grateful when the bartender served you your drinks. It gave you an opportunity to divert the topic without sounding too insensitive.

‘Here,’ you put the glass of water into Jisoo’s hand, slowly brushing a few strands out of his forehead without realising how intimate it could have seemed to people who didn’t know you and the way you comforted people ever since you had become a mom. ‘Do you think you can finish the whole glass for me?’

The moment your eyes met, the unintended implication behind your words hit you like a bullet train, and your cheeks decided to throw you under the bus: both sides dressed in a dark shade of ruby red. Naturally, it was you who broke eye contact first.

‘I must have messed up pretty bad,’ Jisoo came to the conclusion a couple of heartbeats later, drawing your attention back to him, both of your eyes fixed on the glass in his hands he was playing with. You wished you had known what to say, but it was difficult, because you didn’t know what made him say that. The dates he had organised (at least, the ones he had told you about) had sounded both cute and fun. You would have loved going on any of them if you had wanted to be honest. Not to mention that he had taken his girlfriend on a date around three or four times a week, which was more frequent than the average as far as you could tell. ‘She couldn’t even stay with me until the group vacation and we’ll leave in two days.’

You frowned, genuinely bewildered that Jisoo would have preferred getting dumped after the vacation like that wouldn’t have meant he was being used.

You took a sip from your juice and reached out to his hand to lift his own glass in front of his lips. He needed to sober up real quick before his intoxicated brain could have convinced him that he should have contacted the girl to ask her to join them for the trip or something. Nah, not under your watch.

‘Why would you want to be with someone who clearly isn’t in love with you?’ You inquired, slowly turning towards him with your entire body.

You let your eyes loiter over his bent figure, his puffy eyes and the dried snot above his lips and on the back of his hand. He looked worn down and his wrinkled clothes didn’t help much with his overall appearance. Should you have called one of his friends to pick him up? Was it really okay for you to see him like this?

‘Is this why you’re not with your baby daddy anymore?’ His question came out of nowhere, hitting you in the guts without any kind of warning. His bluntness rendered you speechless while your knuckles turned white around your drink.

The indirect mention of Inwoo made you wish you had ordered something stronger, because this wasn’t a topic you were ready to share with Jisoo or anyone who hadn’t known about your history already, especially when the other party wasn’t a hundred percent conscious. It might have been easier if you could have said that you had stopped loving each other at one point, but that hadn’t been the case. For the two of you, love had simply not been enough.

You stalled, taking another sip from your drink, contemplating whether you should have stayed silent, called for the bill and left or answered his question honestly. 

In the end, you decided to lead by example and be the bigger person (like how you raised your kid).

‘No. We were still in love when we parted ways.’

Jisoo snapped his head in your direction at a speed that should have made his head dizzy and gave you a look that you couldn’t quite decipher. Though, his eyes did make you feel like you were from a different planet.

‘Then why would you do that? You have a child together!’ He exclaimed, obviously upset about the part of the truth you had revealed. ‘Haeun alone should have been enough to stay together, but you’re saying you were still in love?’

Listening to his accusation - because it felt like an accusation to you - you clenched and unclenched your jaw, trying your best to keep your cool; however, it was difficult. Because he not only acted like you had failed your daughter, like you were selfish for not fighting for your relationship harder, but he was calling you out on all of these at a public place, raising his voice in frustration as though he had any business getting upset.

‘Stop that,’ you retorted, spatting each word into Jisoo’s pale face. ‘You don’t get to judge us when you know nothing about our situation,’ you started, taking a drawn out breath before you kept going: ‘Do you really believe Haeun wasn’t enough for us? Inwoo couldn’t wait to see her. He wanted to give us the best life, and he would have if the circumstances allowed it, so think twice before you say anything like that ever again,’ you warned him, lifting your left hand in front of his face to cut him off before he could have thought of adding anything else to your conversation.

For the first time in a while, the silence was suffocating in Jisoo’s company, but you did your best to shut it out and concentrate on the cold drink in your hands. He was drunk, and while it shouldn’t have been a passable excuse, it helped you not hold grudges against him for being so insensitive. Love and relationships were clearly sensitive topics for the both of you.

‘I’m sorry. I crossed a line,’ the man spoke up once he emptied his glass as if he had been afraid to draw your attention at himself before he had at least done this much for you. Which was ridiculous, but also a tad bit cute.

‘Yeah, you did,’ you agreed in a heartbeat, refusing to downplay just how wrong he had been when he had judged you and your ex. ‘But now you know better, so I forgive you,’ you added, sending a small albeit genuine smile in his direction, which he reciprocated with only a couple of seconds of delay.

You made Jisoo drink a second glass of water after that, and you spent the following half an hour in relative silence before he sobered up enough to be able to walk in a straight line with minor assistance from your side. You used his card to pay for his bill, then led him outside where your taxi was already waiting for you, not letting go of his elbow until you were both sitting comfortably in the backseat.

It didn’t take a minute and his head fell on your shoulder. His snoring was quiet but audible due to how close he was to you. You also couldn’t ignore the shiver his warm breath sent down your spine whenever it fanned over your neck.

‘Miss, we have arrived,’ the old taxi driver informed you, politely asking you if you needed any additional help with your company, but you declined the help for two reasons. 1) It was Jisoo’s place, not yours, so you weren’t sure you were allowed to make that decision. 2) He had been sober enough to get in the car without much trouble, so you hoped he wouldn’t have collapsed on you on your way to his flat.

‘Thank you. I’ll pay by card,’ you said and used your own card to pay for the ride after you shook Jisoo awake. You got out of the vehicle first, but you held the door for him and even helped him with his balance when his feet touched the pavement.

The thought that you should have asked the old man to wait for you crossed your mind only after you got inside the building, so it was clearly too late to rush out and make him stay an extra ten minutes or so. Agrr. You would need to call for another car once you made sure Jisoo got in bed just fine (and had some painkillers and a glass of water on his bedside table for the following morning).

‘I’m heavy,’ the words were mumbled against your shoulder when in the elevator, Jisoo lost his balance for a sheer moment and bumped his forehead into the crook of your neck.

He was such a mess, but you still decided to take a small part of his body weight on you for the remaining distance as you helped him straighten up and let him swing his arm over your shoulder. He was heavy, but lucky for him, you were used to carrying a stubborn and sleepy six-and-a-half-year-old in your arms on a daily basis, so you could manage.

‘Jisoo…’ you tried to gain his flickering attention when you stopped in front of his unit. ‘We need your keys or your code,’ you reminded him and turned your head deliberately when he reached out to the panel, because even though it wouldn’t have hurt anyone if you had known his code, you didn’t want to disrespect him by taking advantage of him when he was clearly in a vulnerable state. 

Once inside, you made him sit on the cushion attached to the shoe rack, a built-in mirror and the hanger with his jackets, then helped him untie his shoes that he had previously tried to get rid of with his heels and toes. So lazy.

‘Where is your bedroom?’ You asked after a deep breath, looking around in the flat with your hands on your hips. It had a really neat interior, which genuinely surprised you, because Jisoo didn’t always come off as someone organised to you, but if you wanted to be honest, you weren’t even sure whether he lived alone, so what did you know?

‘There,’ he pointed towards the hallway on your right, and you deemed his direction helpful enough to wrap your hands around one of his arms and pull him after you.

As it soon became obvious, the flat was a lot bigger than you had initially assumed - now it made more sense why there were only three front doors on the floor when your apartment complex had twice as many -, but you still managed to find his room on second try, right after you peeked into a room full of boxes and unpainted ceramic.

‘You know…’ Jisoo started as soon as you helped him sit on the edge of his king sized bed and modestly turned your back to him so he could get out of his worn clothes. You let out a soft hum to indicate that you were listening. ‘You and Haeun should come to the group trip with us,’ he said, turning your entire body tense and hot with his claim.

The fact was, you knew Haeun would have liked to go on a vacation with her new besties and would have also loved to see the sea, since she rarely got the opportunity. On the other hand, you couldn’t stop thinking about Jeonghan’s claim which started to sound more and more true to you: Jisoo was a relationship addict. And while you weren’t so self-assured to believe he suddenly wanted you, he had been just dumped.

What was the guarantee that you and your daughter wouldn’t have been the replacement.

‘I don’t think it’s a good idea,’ you answered honestly, trying not to empathise with the man’s disappointment when a small hum was torn from his throat. Obviously, you didn’t mean to hurt his feelings even more, especially that day, but you were a mom, and you had to put your daughter’s emotional wellbeing first.

You didn’t want her to realise at one point during the trip, or later in life, that she wasn’t the first choice, especially to someone she clearly held dear to her little heart.

‘I’m grateful for the thought, though,’ you made an attempt at lessening the blow, but it could have easily been too late considering how quiet Jisoo became.

To ease some of the tension, you decided to leave his room and look for the kitchen, so you could bring him some cold water and painkillers before you left.

At the end, neither your consideration, nor his gratitude made your goodbyes less awkward. Even though you tried. You both honestly tried.

It might not have been the most healthy way of dealing with the issue, but the two of you never brought up the vacation after that - you didn’t ask him to send slash show you pics of the trip with his friends and he didn’t elaborate on how he had felt or how much fun he had had while being surrounded by a bunch of couples. Would you have liked to know if Jisoo was mentally alright? Yes. You cared about him more than you let him in on. However, you were determined to not bring it up even though the number of texts you sent to each other sky-rocketed after you had taken care of his drunk ass.

If you wanted to be honest, you were surprised that despite the outrageous comments he had made and the discomfort here and there throughout that night hadn’t gotten in the way of your slowly forming friendship. But then again… You weren’t the only one who had gotten closer to the man. Your daughter was very much the same if not worse. After all, unlike you, Haeun formed bonds with many of Jisoo’s friends, including the blond man with whom she picked a fight every damn time they met.

Were the two of you invited to taste-test the new recipes Mingyu had come up with? Jeonghan made a comment on your daughter’s pigtails and how she would become a pig if she ate a piece more, which ended up in a screaming contest. Were you spending your free Saturday in the coffee shop with Jisoo and Haeun who were exchanging their drawings every ten minutes to create something pretty together while having fun? Jeonghan criticised Jisoo’s drawing skills and your daughter just couldn’t let it slide. It was insane, and you didn’t blame Yoohyeon for sitting at a separate table in the corner with her laptop whenever it got out of control. You wished you could have done that, too. 

Anyhow, apart from these extreme interactions, you couldn’t deny how much you enjoyed spending time with some of the guys and their girlfriends. You even went on a girls night out with Hoyeon, Seola, Sooryeon, Eunseo, Miri and Zhixiao two weeks after their holiday since they wanted to get to know you, “the girl who let Joshua down gently before he could have talked her into getting together with her” to quote from word to word, and your best friend. You thought it was a little rude of them, but Hoyeon was also part of the gang that made bets on their friends’ relationships, so it could have been worse.

‘You don’t want to come anymore?’ Jisoo’s unsure question dragged you back to reality, your unfocused gaze falling on him before you brushed aside the memories that were occupying your mind. ‘We could take a rain check on the studio tour if you rather went home. It was a long day.’

‘Hm?’ Your eyes widened a tad as you were trying to comprehend what he was referring to. A long day… You did have an unusually productive day that Saturday, but nothing you couldn’t handle with two or three cups of green tea or coffee and some sugary goods. ‘No, it’s fine. I already promised Haeun-ah and I’m not that tired anyway.’

Jisoo gave you a onceover, but refrained from making another comment. Instead, he lifted his left hand with your daughter’s princess backpack in it and his right hand, too, that the little girl was holding onto while sipping on her orange juice.

‘We’re good to go then,’ he exclaimed, shaking his hips left and right with a big smile when your daughter did the same, making your heart do a silly little flip due to the adorable sight.

You scolded yourself mentally.

‘Okay, just give me a sec,’ you asked, quickly looking around, then checking your bag to be sure you had everything on you: your id card, phone, charger, powerbank, house keys and of course, your wallet, too. ‘Let’s go!’

On your way to the front doors, you bid your goodbye to everyone who had a shift that day, then followed Jisoo to his car. Since he didn’t have a car seat especially for Haeun, you told him that you would sit in the back with her in your lap, and thanked him when he took your stuff out of your hand, so he could put it along with your daughter’s princess backpack on the passenger’s seat, where they were easier to access.

‘Vroom, vroom,’ Haeun exclaimed happily, mimicking Jisoo turning the steering wheel from the middle of the backseat since it was rare she had the chance to ride a car. You didn’t have one; you used public transportation whenever you weren’t in a rush, which you tried not to be in. You weren’t a big fan of spending extra money on cabs when it wasn’t an emergency.

‘Are you excited, princess?’ At the first red light, Jisoo started a conversation, making you wonder whether he was this good with kids in general or it was only Haeun whom he treated so well. You also wondered whether he was an only child. Did he have any relatives close to your daughter’s age? Would it have been weird to ask so out of the blue?

You pressed your lips together and decided to file it for another time. You didn’t want to cut their conversation about pottery short with your sudden interest in Jisoo’s personal life.

‘I want to make a dinosaur. And a helicopter,’ Haeun exclaimed zealously, her exaggerated hand gestures coming alarmingly close to your face, although you didn’t budge. You simply squeezed her sides gently with your hands, to remind her where she was, pressing your lips to the top of her head to show affection.

‘You can make a dinosaur mug, hm? Helicopter figures are too fragile, sugar,’ you informed her in a small voice as you brushed a stray mop of hair behind her ear, fixing her messy hair a little without redoing her braids.

‘Fridge-aisle? What is that?’ Haeun asked with big, curious eyes. To show you that she really wanted to learn something new that day, she shifted in your lap and turned towards you as much as she could, tilting her head just a tad to the left. ‘Is it like ice-cream?’

Her guess made you smile widely. She might have been pretty far from the truth this time, but it wasn’t the most hilarious one she had ever made. That title went to her drawing of flaming mangos (flamingos) when her class had to illustrate a story that their kindergarten teacher had read them in school. You had it framed in your living room, next to her four-year-old birthday picture.

‘No, it’s not. Fragile means it’s easy to break,’ you corrected her, which made her pout for a couple of seconds like she was trying to picture a fragile helicopter figure in her head.

When she succeeded, she acknowledged your explanation with a nod and a loud: ‘Okay!’

During the rest of the ride, you joined in on their discussion about the best dinosaurs, but let them decide which art styles and eating utensils they preferred and whether they wanted to make matching sets or individual items. It was a surprisingly adult conversation, and you were grateful to Jisoo for not only taking your daughter seriously, but also taking her opinion into account.

A tiny, insignificant voice in your head reminded you that he was treating her the way you wanted to raise her from the get-go, but you quickly shook your head to get the idea out of it just how compatible your approaches were.

‘Get ready for the last turn, princess. We’re about to park the car,’ Jisoo informed the little girl, and you could see him checking on her through the mirror to make sure her arms were in position for the manoeuvre. The whole scene tugged on your heartstrings.

As soon as you got the green light from Jisoo, the two of you got out of the car: you went to grab your bags and your daughter sprinted to the man, who was waiting for her close to the entrance with his hand held out.

‘So… this is my potter studio,’ he let both of you inside the building with his name on it, the keys dingling in his hand as he pointed at one part of the interior after the other.

It was a nice shop, not at all overwhelming despite the professional equipment, pre-made, unpainted ceramic designs, number of paints and brushes one could have chosen from and all that jazz. In fact, at first glance, this place was a lot more organised than the room you had seen at his home.

‘You can both make the plates and mugs yourself or just pick them out from those selves and paint them,’ he explained kindly at the end of the VIP tour that apparently included places regular customers couldn’t see for themselves, such as the room where he baked the clay and his own office with a mini fridge full of fruit juices, soda and snacks.

‘Make, make! I want to make mugs and plates,’ your daughter insisted, jumping up and down excitedly while holding onto Jisoo’s hand. If it had been any other person, except for Seola, you would have felt uncomfortable watching her acting so loud and borderline obnoxious, but at some point, it seemed, you subconsciously accepted the fact that the man didn’t mind her overly-friendly behaviour.

You didn’t notice that a soft smile had made an appearance on your face while you had been watching their adorable duo until Jisoo looked at you from above his shoulder and caught you red handed. You gulped, resisting the urge to bite into your cheek from the inside out of embarrassment.

‘It might take a while,’ he mouthed the words, and it took you a couple of seconds to realise he was talking about the plates and mugs Haeun-ah was insistent on making from scratch. You furrowed your brows, not sure what he meant by it until he specified: ‘Days.’

“Days” meant multiple sessions, which you had to at least try to avoid to ease your heart a little, even though you were aware: now that Haeun knew she had the opportunity to design everything herself, it was almost impossible to talk her out of it.

‘Sugar…’ you walked next to her, tapping her shoulder to gain her attention before you sat on your heels by her side. ‘Making plates and mugs takes a lot of time. You won’t be able to paint on them tonight,’ you started, giving her time to process small parts of the information first instead of overwhelming her with too many details at once.

You pressed your lips together lightly when Jisoo crouched down to her level as well as if he was a part of the conversation despite remaining sile—

‘You will need to wait two or three days, because the plates need to dry first,’ he explained with a patient smile on his face, caressing your daughter’s chubby cheek like she was his or something. What took you aback the most in the unusual sight was Haeun-ah enjoying the gesture so much from someone other than you or your best friend when you had seen her swat away the hand of her aunt Seola’s parents, her warm-hearted homeroom teacher and the neighbourhood ahjumma, too, although the old lady had even offered her some sour candies - her then favourites. ‘Do you think you can wait that much?’

Haeun did that thing when she puckered her lips deep in thought for a couple of seconds, then she nodded firmly, visibly determined to act like how she thought big girls would.

‘I can,’ she exclaimed, and you pressed your lips together, swallowing back objections that you knew rooted in your own insecurities. You didn’t want to impose on Jisoo’s kindness, you didn’t want to rely on someone too much. You didn’t want to get too comfortable around him - or anyone, really - just to realise later in time that he was only a temporary part of your life.

You didn’t notice you lost focus for a second until your daughter pulled on your arm to get your attention.

‘Mom! Can I? Can I? I can,’ she pleaded, making you steal a quick glance at Jisoo who was watching your interaction with twinkles in his eyes. He looked so soft at that moment, just watching your daughter trying to persuade you to bring her back to the studio multiple times, so she could have plates she made from scratch (or well… of clay, but that wasn’t the point).

‘Is it really okay? I can only bring her here after school or on weekends when I’m off work,’ you reminded him, because while you had already submitted your resignation letter, you had to keep working for the cleaning company a month longer.

‘You are always welcomed here after opening hours. Don’t worry about that,’ he reassured you, and a part of you wanted to tell him to take it back: that he shouldn’t have thrown these kinds of promises around like confetti, but wouldn’t that have been weird? If you had gotten so offensive when he was nothing but kind to you and Haeun-ah?

‘Thanks,’ you ended up saying like any normal person without abandonment issues would have done so, then gave in to his nagging and chose a mug for yourself, one from the shelves that was already pre-made and was waiting for someone to paint on it.

Your anxiety didn’t disappear immediately; however, every time you took a glance at your daughter happily swinging her legs back and forth on the chair Jisoo had made her sit, giggling at the weird shapes her mugs and plates took because of her inexperience with clay and pottery eased your nerves a little. At the end, you felt you made the best decision for the little one, and that was all that mattered.

It had been a while since you had let yourself get immersed in something fun and relaxing; as a single mother, your focus had to be on Haeun-ah 24/7 even though the older she grew, the less time she spent with you due to her studies and her slowly growing friend groups and responsibilities. She might have only been six, but your society was obsessed with grades and special talents, thus you encouraged her to hone her skills and pursue her interests regardless of how silly they appeared to be from an adult’s point of view - no matter how worried you were that you put too much on her plate whenever you agreed to sign her up for extra classes.

So the fact that you didn’t notice three hours going by while you were decorating your mug was both shocking and understandable. You had used to draw sketches of people and random interior designs when you had been in high school, hovering over your notebook for hours without a care for the world. You could hyperfixate on the smallest, most insignificant details when you had time. It was just… usually you didn’t have that luxury, at least, not anymore.

‘Woah! I didn’t know you were so good at painting!’ Jisoo’s surprisingly quiet voice pulled you back to the present, the warm drinks in his hands filling the air with the unmistakably sweet scent of chocolate and cinnamon. ‘I made us some hot cocoa and spiced it up with a little bit of rum to fit the occasion,’ he informed you before he nudged you with his feet and urged you to take one of the mugs out of his hands.

‘Oh? So you were serious about the celebration?’ You asked a bit taken aback, but very much touched by the sentiment. Seola had already brought you a cake the day before when she had heard about the job offer you had been more than eager to accept, but Jisoo’s hot cocoa was just as appreciated if not more. After all, he didn’t have any best friend obligations to fulfil - if not some made-up bestie duties to your daughter who still hadn’t given up on claiming the man.

For some reason, the possibility of the latter made you laugh for the first time Jisoo had come into your life. Just putting him in the same group as Haeun’s playmates made you crack up. How absurd it was, really.

‘What’s so funny?’ Jisoo asked with a small smile in the corner of his mouth, his lips painted in a light shade of glossy brown from the hot cocoa. You took a sip from your own drink, then let it warm your numb fingers as you kept the porcelain mug in your hands on your lap.

‘I’m just happy, that’s all,’ you opted for a half-truth, slowly looking around in the interior of the studio. ‘Where is Haeun?’

‘There.’

You snapped your head in Jisoo’s way just to follow the direction his finger was pointing at. Immediately, your eyes landed on a pile of blankets in one corner of the couch near the counter where Jisoo kept the cash register and some documents that helped him identify which half-finished or finished product belonged to which customer.

‘She fell asleep while I put away her mugs. She wanted to make some matching plates, too, but by the time I prepared everything for her, she was out on the chair,’ he explained, your brain easily filling in the holes: him carrying her to the couch, which was undoubtedly the most comfortable-looking furniture in his studio, covering her with blankets and cleaning up after her at the professional table with the pedals and all.

You turned back towards him and shot a grateful smile at him, completely at loss of words. He hadn’t had to, but he had taken care of your daughter on your behalf anyway just so you could have painted in peace. That was something… something Inwoo would have done for you in many of your dreams when you had still held onto the picture of your happy family. Something that a significant other would have done, cherishing Haeun and you equally as if you had always been his.

‘Do you think she would feel left out if we celebrated without her? I made some hot cocoa for her, too - without the rum, of course -, but I didn’t have the heart to wake her,’ Jisoo inquired, and you just shook your head.

‘We can always celebrate with her another time. Let her sleep,’ you decided and lifted your mug for a toast despite how ridiculous it looked. ‘I will buy us samgyeopsal from my first salary. How about that?’ You asked, clinking your mug to his like you had just made a vow, then took a big sip from the drink.

The hot cocoa tasted sweet on your tongue, the rum burning your throat briefly yet pleasantly once the lingering mix of chocolate and cinnamon started to fade. It was perfectly made, and you couldn’t have helped but tease him whether he had taken a bartender course in the past to charm girls.

‘So what if I did?’ He asked back, playful. ‘Is it working?’

‘Isn’t that something you should know better?’ Your chuckle filled the room, the mug slowly yet steadily getting empty in your hand. It wasn’t that hot anymore, but it still brought warmth to you as you clung onto the porcelain.

‘It’s a secret, but…’ he leaned closer to you as though he was really about to spill the beans about something no one knew about. Instinctively, you leaned closer to him as well to meet him halfway, eager to hear the juicy details. ‘I’m not that good at reading the signs.’

You furrowed your brows and pulled away, so you could take a better look at Jisoo’s face. You weren’t sure just how serious he could be until your eyes finally met; then, staring at him with your lips partially ajar, you failed to contain your amusement.

He was serious.

‘Silly,’ you said as you got rid of the tears brimming in the corners of your eyes with the back of your hand. ‘That’s not a secret. Everyone knows that,’ you corrected him and acting on the sudden urge, you reached out with your empty hand and took his jaw between your fingers. The way you fondled his chin with your thumb was gentle, like you were trying to make up for your straightforward words with affection.

Unconsciously, a part of you might have wanted to do just that. Gentle touches, encouraging words, warm smiles, mutual vulnerability out in the open. Throughout the rest of the night, you shared stories with Jisoo that helped him feel less like a failure just because the rest of his friend group was more forward in life (from a conservative point of view), even the youngest ones like Chan and Seungkwan. At a weak moment, you even told him about Inwoo and his wife who had an adorable little boy together as far as you were concerned. You were happy for him, and for some odd reason, Jisoo called you strong for sounding so sincere.

‘I always feel bitter when I see my exes with other people. Especially when they are happy,’ Jisoo confessed and you hugged him to show your support, to show him that you didn’t think he was a bad person for being hurt and acting on those bitter feelings from time to time.

‘It’s okay to be hurt,’ you mumbled against his chest, patting his shoulder blade rhythmically to emphasise how much you meant every word.

The two of you stayed like that for a while, in each other’s embrace, then finished your fifth or sixth mugs of hot cocoa while sharing less emotionally loaded and more lighthearted stories with each other. It was a celebration after all.

A night that you knew would be hard to forget or ignore in the near future yet couldn’t regret anyway.

Days started to feel longer towards the second part of your notice period, although you knew that scientifically nothing had changed; each one of them consisted of twenty-four hours out of which you usually slept six or seven thanks to your daughter having an early curfew. Thus, you shouldn’t have felt as drained as you were when you showed up at Coffee Carat with Haeun on your next free Saturday. On the contrary, your body should have been overflowing with energy since your daughter had been nice enough to let you sleep in instead of asking you to prepare her breakfast first thing in the morning or demanding your attention simply because she had no one to play with.

So why were you dragging your feet one after the other like even something as mundane as walking took a lot out of you?

Maybe because your current manager was a real pain in the ass who took it upon himself to teach you one last lesson before your departure.

‘Mom! There, there!’ Haeun pointed at a random table close to the huge coffee bean sticker, where Jisoo and his friends were munching on sweet treats and talking about something that clearly divided the group. Unlike most of the time when Jeonghan was present, his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.

‘Calm down, sugar. Let’s order something first, okay?’ You squeezed her hand gently to help her focus on you, giving time for the guys to notice your arrival and also for your daughter to take a few breathers. The last thing you wanted was Haeun to pounce at them when they were clearly having a heated conversation. That would have done nothing good.

‘Oh…’ The pout that appeared on your daughter’s face was momentarily because as soon as her eyes landed on the chocolate balls dragon behind the glass display her chin quite literally dropped on the floor, her excited squeal filling the interior. ‘Mingyu oppa did it! He really did it! See?’ She pointed at the fun-looking dessert, rambling about how she had drawn a whole magical zoo for the baker during one of your last minute job interviews and how this dessert’s name was Yong-yong.

‘Hello there, little one. What can I get for you today?’ Seokmin asked with his trademark smile that did not waver, not even a little bit, when Haeun-ah started to tell him about her drawings and excitement to taste the most delicious-looking dragon princess she had ever seen. Was her statement a little alarming? Absolutely. But you supposed, she was old enough to tell non-existing animals from an actual cake, so it wasn’t like she wanted to eat a pet or a good old friend from her fairytale books.

‘I’ll have an iced cappuccino and please, some apple juice for Haeun,’ you added, immensely grateful that instead of jumping on the opportunity to turn his back on the two of you, the barista entertained your daughter with questions like which fantasy animal she would have liked to see in the coffee shop next time and whether princess Yong-yong was big enough in her opinion.

It took some time and some overly detailed answers from your overhyped chipmunk, but eventually you got your tray with your orders and were able to look for empty chairs in the customer area. Since you couldn’t be sure that the boys had come to an agreement or were still talking about something passionately, you would have preferred to have your own table near them, but of course, as soon as Haeun’s eyes landed on Jisoo’s open arms, she couldn’t stay still. She ran to him like he was her world.

You followed her slowly with slightly burning cheeks and greeted the others with a small smile, not sure whether it was okay if you took one of the empty chairs or you should have found a table to put your tray on.

‘Why are you just standing there? If you wanted to sit next to Joshua, you should have been faster, like the little gremlin,’ Jeonghan said with that shiteating grin on his face he somehow didn’t seem to know how to contain unless his girlfriend was giving him the silent treatment. Then, he was quick to be on his best behaviour. ‘Come on! Sit,’ he pulled an empty chair out for you across from Jisoo and your daughter at the same moment the little one pointed her tiny finger at the blond man and screamed:

‘Bad word!’ 

From the top of her lungs.

‘Sugar, we’ve already talked about screaming at people,’ you reminded her, not scolding her for what she had said, but rather for how she had said it.

‘You don’t even know what gremlin means,’ Jeonghan challenged Haeun, once again making you want to contact Yoohyeon to collect her man, although that would have been childish and you seriously should have been able to handle their bickering. It wasn’t that much different from fights on the playground.

‘You said so it’s bad. I’m Haeun. Kim Haeun,’ she explained her logic, making everyone else around the table chuckle and laugh at her reasoning.

‘Jeonghan. I’ve already told you, stop bullying her,’ Jisoo warned his best friend, earning a big smile from your daughter who sneakily darted her tongue out at Jeonghan when she thought no one was watching. Well, you obviously had your eyes on her and so had the blond man who mimicked the gesture without any hesitation.

Children.

‘Oppa!’ Haeun spoke up a moment after the momentary peace had settled as she pulled a chocolate ball off the almond-and-chocolate-coated pepero stick that served as the dragon’s spine. Jisoo let out a hum to make her aware that he was listening. ‘There will be a car day in school next Friday. Everyone’s mom and dad will come and tell stories about their job,’ she chatted, swinging her legs back and forth while sitting on Jisoo’s lap.

‘A Career Day? Sounds fun. Are you excited?’ Their conversation kept going on like none of you others had been sitting by the same table, but you didn’t mind it that much anymore, not since the night Jisoo had shown you his pottery studio (Haeun’s mugs and plates were already painted, so you were one meet-up from taking everything home). 

‘Yeah, so fun. But mom’s not coming,’ she said flatly, chewing on a chocolate ball in one minute and offering another one to Jisoo in another.

Your cheeks were burning, for a different reason this time: guilt. It wasn’t like you didn’t care about the Career Day at her school. In fact, you had been just as excited about it as she had been when she had first mentioned it to you, but unfortunately, your manager had refused to let you take off that day as part of the lesson he tried to teach you. You swallowed back a disappointed sigh and took a sip from your drink. It couldn’t have been helped.

‘Mom must be really sorry that she can’t make it, princess,’ Jisoo brushed a mop of hair out of Haeun’s face, then accepted a second chocolate ball from your daughter before he pointed at you and nudged the little girl’s shoulder.

Apparently this was the encouragement your daughter needed to share her snack with you, too. You accepted the dessert with a grateful smile that was dedicated more to Jisoo than her even if you would have never said that out loud. Especially not while you were sitting at the same table with Yoon Jeonghan.

You could already hear the guys whispering about how none of them would have thought that Joshua was such a dad(dy) material until you two had come into their lives. You had never been so grateful that Haeun still had a limited vocabulary and was as innocent as one could be at her age. Why would any of them have thought it was a good idea to joke about daddies around a little girl with no father figure in her life was seriously beyond you.

‘Oppa!’ Haeun exclaimed between two bites, letting Jisoo make her drink some of her apple juice as well before she blurted out with the biggest doe eyes: ‘Will you come to the car day like other dads do?’ 

The tension that followed could have been cut with a butter knife.

You didn’t realise you were sweating or that you started to breath heavily after her question; you honestly didn’t even notice the worried looks everyone at the table was giving you until Jeonghan put his hand on your shoulder and you snapped. You got up from the chair like it was burning you and excused yourself hastily before you rushed towards the double doors. There was no way your daughter was asking Jisoo to show up at the school Career Day like other fathers did. Your brain was making things up.

You needed some fresh air.

Later, when you would think back at this incident, you might have thought you were a little bit of a drama queen and unreasonable - since you stormed out of the building, leaving your daughter behind albeit in good hands -, but at that moment your focus was solely on getting as far away from the situation as possible. You had to think and you couldn’t do that in front of so many of Jisoo’s friends and your daughter who was literally beaming at Jisoo, hoping for an affirmative answer. When had you given her the impression that he was her father? When the hell had you made her believe that Jisoo could…

Why did she feel the need to have a second parent? And why hadn’t you realised that she had started to think more into her “friendship” with Jisoo than what it was? Did she want to have a dad so much? Had anyone made her feel like she had to have a dad to fit into your society?

You groaned, stressed. You had to go back and explain to her that she couldn’t have just claimed someone as her dad just because other children in her class had both a mother and a father. Maybe, it was time for you to tell her about her biological dad. God. You were so not ready for THE talk. It was decades too soon.

Centuries.

Okay, most likely just a couple of years, but still. You were a little out of it.

You flinched when someone touched your shoulder out of the blue. No warning. No soothing words. Nada.

Or maybe you just weren’t listening.

‘Hey, are you okay? What happened?’ Jisoo’s worried voice reached you through the fog, his caring attitude overwhelming all of a sudden. He shouldn’t have come after you, it wasn’t like it was his duty to check on you. The only person he might have had some responsibilities towards was your daughter and even that was a stretch in your mind on your darkest days.

You took a step further from him to distance yourself from his… him. However, Jisoo either didn’t catch on to your distress or genuinely believed that his closeness was that one thing you needed to get back to normal because the next thing you knew he was caressing your back with gentle strokes: up and down, up and down.

‘Talk to me,’ he coaxed you, which would have made your heart flutter in any other situation, but only added to your anxiety at that moment. He was doing it again: acting like Haeun and you were a package deal, like you were supposed to matter to him the same way Haeun did just because he had let your daughter claim him as her best friend. And the worst thing was that you just knew your ever so curious daughter could have been watching.

Jisoo was playing into her fantasy of a complete family, and you wanted to scream. 

‘You can tell me. We can work it out,’ Jisoo tried to reassure you when all you had got was your heavy breathing and even heavier silence.

You looked up at him with angry tears in your eyes and brushed his hand off you.

‘Give me a fucking minute,’ you snapped at him.

The shocked look in his chocolate brown eyes that slowly morphed into hurt filled you with guilt. You shouldn’t have said it like that. You should have had more patience with both him and this whole career day topic. It couldn’t have been healthy: the way you reacted to Haeun asking him to show up in school for her like other fathers did.

‘She… she wants you to be her dad,’ you croaked out eventually, when you mustered up the courage to look up at Jisoo and he was still there, waiting for you to come around patiently like you hadn’t just screamed his head off for caring about you.

You crouched down, too unstable to stand even a moment longer. You wished the street had been a little wider, so Jisoo’s friend could have placed some smaller tables in front of the shop, too, not just inside. You also wished that there were less people giving you the side eye when you leaned your back against Coffee Carat’s wall. Their judging didn’t help at all. 

Albeit with a visible distance between the two of you, Jisoo sat on the dirty street at an arm’s length from you and leaned against the shop in a similar way you did. You swallowed down the knot in your throat.

‘She just wants someone to be there for her, too. She didn’t say she wants me to be her dad,’ he corrected you, and before you could have opened your mouth and object, he let out a soft huff and cut you off by adding. ‘Look. I know you think I’m a relationship addict who can’t go a day without being with someone, but… I’m not playing with your daughter’s feelings, or with yours for that matter. It felt nice when she asked me to come since you can’t make it, but I will say no if that’s where your boundaries lie.’

You sucked in your lower lip and observed his face. He looked sincere; he sounded sincere. And a part of you was tempted to ask him to prove to you how much his words were really worth by rejecting your daughter. However, the thought of deliberately sabotaging your baby tugged on your insides in an awful way. You were awful - a selfish mother who was about to steal some of the wonders from her own child’s life because of her fears and insecurities. 

But weren’t you allowed to feel how you were feeling? Did you have to put Haeun-ah first all the time to be perceived as a good parent?

‘I just…’ you tapped the sensitive skin under your eyes with your thenar and looked upwards to prevent the unwanted tears from falling. You were a mess in public already, the idea of sinking even lower wasn’t a pleasant one. ‘I don’t want her to think that our family isn’t a good family without a dad.’

There it was, out in the open. Goodness, you could already hear the lecturing in your head how every good family, every healthy family needed both a father and a mother. How it was natural that your daughter was seeking a second parental figure, because that was how things should have been from the get-go. Your parents had made sure these words had been burnt into your very existence before you mutually cut ties with each other. Sometimes you wished, wishing hard enough could have made this universal truth untrue.

You pressed your palms against your ears and let your chin fall on your pulled up kneecaps. Just because you knew it was coming didn’t mean you had to like the scolding.

‘I don’t think you have to worry about that,’ Jisoo started, his voice having a tentative edge to it with a good reason. It was a sensitive topic, and you appreciated that he handled it like one. ‘On the other hand, I wouldn’t call your family small though. Sure, you’re a single mom, but whenever Haeun talks about her family, she talks about her aunt Seola, too. Three people is pretty normal sized to me,’ he shot an encouraging smile in your way, and those unsaid words he might have been too afraid to say out loud after your breakdown were obvious. Haeun had him, too, now, whether you labelled him as a dad, an uncle or an oppa - whether you liked it or not.

You looked up to the sky and took a deep breath. You couldn’t decide whether it would have been appropriate to laugh aloud at that moment, but you did it anyway. Your reality started to resemble a 50-episode-long tv drama and you just couldn’t keep up with the daily updates. 

‘God. How is this real? We’re practically strangers,’ you groaned, unsure if you really had the right to put so much responsibility on Jisoo’s shoulders when he had no obligations towards you and your daughter.

He had shown up in your life so out of the blue, so randomly, what had made him so different from anybody else in Seoul?

‘In that… I will take full offence. I thought we were closer than that. After all, I know about the baby daddy despite the NDA,’ he leaned a little closer to you, so he was able to push you gently by your upper arm. That, once again, made you giggle. He was right, you didn’t share so much about your past with just anyone, but still. A part of you couldn’t let go of the idea that he didn’t have any ties to you - not like how your parents had had before they had given up on you. Not like how Inwoo had had before he had had to walk out of your life.

What was the guarantee that someone who wasn’t bound to your family by blood and didn’t share a decade of friendship with you would stick with your duo through thick and thin when none of the aforementioned people had done? People who should have stood by your side in spite of the obstacles life threw your way.

‘I’m sorry, I…’ you closed your eyes and shook your head before you buried your face in your hands. You felt so many things in that moment it couldn’t have been healthy. ‘My thoughts aren’t making too much sense right now. I’m just…’

‘You’re afraid Haeun will lose another father figure if I cross that line and show up at the Career Day in her school,’ he finished the sentence on your behalf when words failed you. Your lips trembled when you sneaked a glance at him.

Jisoo wasn’t looking at you. He was looking at his hands on his lap.

‘I’m so sorry,’ you choked on your apology, feeling those unshed tears - you had tried to hold back so desperately - running down your rose-tinted cheeks.

‘It’s okay,’ he said, but you shook your head. ‘No, it really is. You don’t have to apologise for wanting to protect her from future disappointments. Nor should you feel sorry for shielding yourself from potential heartbreak. I understand,’ he reached out, searching for any kind of rejection in your eyes before he touched your head and ruffled your hair.

The sudden change in your conversation reminded you of the night when you had picked him up at that bar, right after he had been dumped by his then girlfriend. Looking in Jisoo’s eyes, you didn’t doubt, not even for a second, that he truly understood a part of your biggest fears and insecurities.

You might have been two sides of the same coin, but that didn’t take away from how, in your core, you were the same: people with an unhealthy perception of relationships.

Funny how it took you almost seven years and a man who had willingly become your little girl’s friend to realise it for the first time in your life: albeit loving your baby girl with your whole heart, you weren’t exactly fine.

You weren’t okay. You weren’t mentally fine.

You might not have seeked professional help for your mental health issues immediately as it was hard to convince yourself that you had the spare money for such expenses, but you started to pay more attention to your emotional needs after a long and heavy conversation with your best friend while Haeun was at school. It wasn’t easy. Some days you felt extremely selfish for wanting to have any kind of relationship with Jisoo without including your daughter. Some days you got anxious as soon as Haeun found other people to talk to and let the two of you be. Regardless, you didn’t try to shut him out anymore. Instead, you let yourself feel - both the good and the bad.

You believed that it was a baby step in the right direction when after a long afternoon out with your daughter’s closest friends from school, you allowed Haeun-ah to invite her aunt Seola and Jisoo oppa over for a movie night on her birthday. The three of you easily agreed to let the birthday girl choose what you would watch - even if she had the tendency to re-watch the same two movies for months when she liked them - and in exchange, she let you order the food like you would have gone for anything else but her favourite that day. No one was too surprised when you ended up watching Encanto, during which you weren’t supposed to fall asleep - yet you did.

And that was how your innocent movie night turned into an impromptu sleepover without you noticing. Not that the second part should have shocked you that much. You had been so drained from all the excitement of the afternoon that you failed to wake up for Jisoo carrying you from the couch to your own bed despite the struggles he must have gone through. You weren’t overweight per se, but you wouldn’t have called sixty kilograms light, either.

After all, personally, you couldn’t carry six kilos of groceries home from the neighbourhood market without risking muscle pain.

In the morning, you woke up with a start for a loud crash that reminded you of part-time jobs at 3AM and sleep-deprived kitchen shenanigans with a newborn baby. Your heart was beating like crazy, and your body got tense on automatic as you sat up in your bed, self-destructively uncoordinated. It was a miracle you hadn’t fallen off the furniture, considering how close you were to its edge.

‘What th…’ you mumbled under your nose, trying to decipher your surroundings and rubbing the remnants of sleep out of your eyes. Once the fog cleared up in your mind, you were able to recall Mirabel’s first encounter with her uncle, Bruno; you could remember your daughter singing along with her favourite characters; you could feel the phantom weight of your best friend’s head on your shoulder, but none made you wiser about the rest of the night.

Or the noises that were coming from the kitchen.

To get your answers for the latter, you needed to get out of bed.

Suppressing a yawn solely because you were too used to concealing your tiredness at home, you stretched your body and grabbed your cosy, light-brown cardigan from your chair, so you would have felt more comfortable in your skin so early into the day. If you had had the time, you would have preferred to wash your face, brush your hair and teeth, too, before presenting yourself to whoever was making a mess in your kitchen; however, as soon as you recognised your daughter’s panicky voice, you knew you couldn’t let yourself be vain. Haeun-ah clearly needed you, whether you were freshly washed or not.

‘It’s okay, princess. Nothing bad happened, we can clean it up and redo it. We still have so much time,’ Jisoo’s gentle voice reached your ears before you reached the kitchen, your steps slowly coming to a halt before you could have made yourself visible. You didn’t have to be a genius to realise they were making something for breakfast for you, hence your presence would have ruined their surprise.

‘He’s good with her. Aaand, he is handsome,’ your best friend whispered into your ear, her light-hearted giggles managing to relax your tense shoulders despite how eye roll-worthy and unnecessary her observation was. You knew Jisoo was amazing with Haeun; you should also have been blind to not see how appealing he looked.

You let out a resigned sigh.

‘Neither of us is ready for a relationship, and you know it.’ You were pretty sure that you had complained about Jisoo’s unhealthy need to be in a relationship and your own fears of losing him frequently enough during your girly chit-chats for Seola to not forget it. But last night had been the first time she had met him, so you could understand her reaction. If you hadn’t been a single mother with responsibilities, you would have also been tempted to turn a blind eye to your mental health problems in order to pursue a relationship with him.

However, a relationship with you didn’t mean only two people anymore. It would have been the three of you for the rest of your lives, and you had to protect Haeun-ah from developing abandonment issues. You couldn’t jump into a relationship until you weren’t ready.

‘Well, it doesn’t have to happen now. Duh,’ Seola argued, successfully shutting you up before she nudged you with her elbow, encouraging you to eavesdrop on the conversation that was playing out in the kitchen.

And so you leaned your forehead against the wall and listened to Jisoo as he was drying up your daughter’s crocodile tears, promising her to help her re-decorate your pancakes once he cleaned up the broken pieces on the floor. It was lovely: the man’s endless patience with the little girl and seemingly endless energy when it came to matching her vibe.

You got so immersed in their interaction that you had almost forgotten to sneak back into your bedroom where you fake-slept, so Haeun and Seola could wake you up. Luckily, you had a best friend who not only reminded you of their surprise, but also teased the hell out of you because of that wide smile that had formed on your lips without meaning to.

You were happy. You might have been still afraid to admit it out loud, but one look at your face told it all - at least, according to Seola. You could picture a life in which you woke up to these two making a mess in your kitchen with the best intention in their hearts, and not only that. You wanted to live that life so desperately it was unreal.

Except, with enough determination and constant effort on all three of your parts, you might have been able to become a family one day. If Jisoo had still wanted to give it a try then: to family vacations, to movie nights, to you and him, to the long run. You would have said yes.

A thousand times yes.

➼ extra topping

EXTRA TOPPING: WHIPPED (FOR YOU) CREAM

characters: baker!mingyu & food critic!you (Sooyoung - ‘97 liner) genre: coffee shop au, pregnancy au, fluff requested by: this lovely anon date of release: second half of May or early June

[lgcmanager]

SIDE EVENT 020 (REWARDS)

thank you all for your participation in love month this year again ! this year, legacy trainees have been tasked to send appreciation letters to a coach/staff member, an idol and a fellow trainee. as you all know, having a likeable personality can open many doors in this industry, thus, WON YEONWOO and LAI WENJUN, as, respectively, the idol and the trainee with the most letters received are rewarded +3 NOTORIETY. congratulations the both of you! for points reference, please link this post to your points sheet.

APPRECIATION (TRAINEES)

additionally, all the trainees who have participated are rewarded a total of 9 SKILL POINTS distributed as follows: +3 (discipline of the coach/staff picked), +3 (highest skill of the idol picked), +3 (lowest skill of the trainee pick, skill must have a minimum of 5 points in it).

a tally of what has been received follows right under. for points reference, please link this post to your points sheet.

baek byeongkwan: + 3 lyric composition, + 3 singing, +3 hosting

carter jaejin: +6 singing, +3 lyric composition

cha sori: +3 rapping, +6 music composition

chen maylin: +6 dancing, +3 chor. (pop/hiphop/street)

cho iseul: 3 dancing, 3 rapping, 3 variety

choi hailey: +3 acting, 3 performance, 3 lyric composition

han noeul: +6 singing, +3 modeling

han rowon: +3 modeling, +3 dancing, +3 hosting

hirawa emi: +3 acting, 3 performance, 3 chor. (pop/hiphop/street)

jo eunwoo: 3 dancing, +3 rapping, +3 variety

kang yoojoon: +6 singing, +3 rapping

kim gaeun: +3 rapping, +3 performance, +3 variety

kim seyoon: +3 dancing, +3 performance, +3 japanese

kuramoto misaki: +3 variety, +3 performance, +3 hosting

kwon hyuntae: +6 singing, +3 hosting

lai wenjun: +3 notoriety

mae jasper: +3 korean, +3 performance, +3 hosting

min hanbin: +3 singing, +6 rapping

moon jiah: +6 singing, +3 rapping

noh areum: +3 acting, +3 singing,        +3 hosting

park chaekyung: +3 dancing, +3 music composition, +3 variety

park jaekyung: +3 japanese, +3 rapping, +3 acting

park seojin: +3 singing, +3 rapping, +3 music composition

park taeha: +3 japanese, +3 singing, +3 hosting

seo nina: +3 dancing, +3 performance, +3 japanese

son haeun: +6 singing, +3 english

sung haneul: +3 dancing, +3 singing, +3 japanese

takanashi asami: +3 lyric composition, +3 variety, +3 hosting

won yeonwoo: +3 notoriety

xu lili: +3 singing, +3 performance, +3 chor. (pop/hiphop/street)

[moonleeai]

🎄 A Christmas Favor ▻ pairing:  Seokjin x f reader x Taehyung ▻ genre/au: Cabin Getaway au, holiday traditions, Smut with a side of Christmas ▻ Rating: MA 🔞 ▻ WC: 3,395 ▻ Summary: You and Jin were in a pickle with your son but Uncle Tae came to the rescue. Jin wants to repay him with a big favor. ▻ an: thank you to @queentiti72 and @downbad4yoongi​ for betaing

▻ Tags: Hot chocolate, snowball fight, kissing, oral, biting, hint of dom/sub, puns!

Part of the @bangtanwritershq 2022  Bangsmas - A “banging” Holiday Writing Event.

It’s the last day of school before Christmas break and you’re waiting in the pickup line for your five year old son, Uju, to be brought to your car. You take a quick look at the to-do list for this week’s events, quadruple checking that you’re not missing anything. In just a few hours, your family will be headed to the cabin to spend Christmas with Seokjin’s best friends. You look up from your completed checklist and see Uju and his teacher coming your way. The teacher opens the back door and Uju climbs in, wishing his teacher a Happy Christmas and buckling himself into the seat. As you pull out of the school parking lot, he begins to chat away.

“And you know what else mama? Haeun said Santa isn’t real.”

You knew this would eventually happen but you were hoping Uju would at least have a few more years before breaking the sad news to him. Both him and his father love Christmas and all the festivities that come with it. You already knew how you would tell him; Christmas is about the spirit of making others feel good and bringing joy to all. You just didn’t think it’d happen at five years old.

“Oh, nae adeul, I’m sure she meant the mall Santas. You know the ones who are elves in disguise that get your message to the North Pole Santa.” 

“Maybe…” Uju hastily replies. He’s smart— too smart— and luckily before more questions arise he spots the donut shop and asks for a treat. You happily oblige. While sitting at the donut shop table, you send a quick message to Seokjin.

You: Problem. One of the kids in Uju’s class told them Santa isn’t real. I told him she was probably talking about the mall Santas. I’m not ready for the innocence to fade away.

Hubby💋: I have an idea. I know someone who can pull something off while we’re at the cabin. I’ll ask for a favor. See you at home.

Seokjin always has a solution for every problem and handles it in the calmest way possible. Admirable at the least.  When you walk into your home, all the suitcases and bags are by the door, ready to be loaded into the family van. After a few quick trips between the house and van, your little family is ready for the week away to begin Christmas traditions, this year with one bonus surprise for Uju.

🎄

Your family arrives at the cabin second, behind Taehyung and Yoongi, who come out and immediately steal Uju away, leaving all the bags for you and Seokjin.

As you're placing the last bag into the room, you feel hands grip the sides of your waist. Seokjin walks you to the bed and bends your hips over the edge, pressing your body into the mattress and his firmly against your backside.

“Jin! The door is open!” He pushes himself off and smacks your ass.

“This is mine…all night.” He winks at you and walks out the door, leaving you a hot, bothered mess. That man’s desire for you always feels good and never leaves you guessing. 

All the other guys trickle in over the next few hours, and over dinner you go over the activities for the week. Tonight will simply be Christmas movies so everyone can settle in and unpack. Everyday there is also a scheduled naptime with Uncle Yoongi and a bedtime story by Uncle Namjoon. Being the first nephew of a big family, with uncles of very different personalities, sure has its perks.

On day two, some will get groceries and everyone will make their annual ornaments and decorate the tree. Day three is for making gingerbread houses with Uncle Hoseok, a campfire, and s’mores. Day four is the snow day where Uncle Jimin and Jeongguk will take Uju out to tube, sleigh, and anything else that keeps him busy so mom and dad can wrap his presents. Day five, everyone will explore the town and see all the decorations, then you and Jin will drive Uju around at night to see all the lights. On day six, Christmas Eve, you will bake cookies for Santa and Uju will get a surprise from Uncle Taehyung. 

The first night comes to an end and you and Seokjin tuck Uju in bed while Namjoon reads him a story. Seokjin closes your bedroom door and locks it behind him. You turn and see the smirk on his face as he walks toward you. You haven’t had alone time in weeks but you can’t help but make him work for it.

“I’m ready for bed, it’s been such a long day.”

“Oh no, no, no. November was hell. We hardly saw each other and now we finally have time to release all the pent up stress.” Jin’s hands wrap around you loosely and you wiggle away from him. 

“Isn’t it good sometimes not to release? I thought it helped with raising energy levels and better stamina. I don’t think one more week will hurt you.” You can tell he’s not sure if he should keep pressing the obvious or let it go. “I just need to shower, then I can sleep really well.”

“That’s it? Just a shower?” he pouts.

“Did you have something else in mind?”

“I have a lot of things in mind…”

“Hmm…well you know what you have to do,” you taunt. 

Seokjin’s eyes widen as he watches you turn on the shower and take all of your clothes off. He quickly does the same and joins you in the bathroom. He grabs your arms sliding them up to his shoulders and picks you up, placing your bare ass on the counter. His teeth nip at the skin on your clavicle then his tongue draws faint squiggles up to your throat. You lean your head away, allowing more room for him to work. He gently bites the side of your neck and brings his lips to your ear. 

“Please let me at this pussy. I want to fill you up until my cum is leaking down your legs.”

You smile at his eagerness and nod your head toward the shower. Seokjin lifts you off the counter and the two of you step into the steamy shower. He slides an arm around your waist and the other to the side of your neck, bringing you in for a kiss. You quietly whimper against his lips and pull him closer. He pushes you gently back, trapping you between the wall and himself and slips his thigh between your legs. You breakaway from the kiss to catch your breath and he finds your nipple to take the place of your lips. As he sucks your nipple into his mouth your hands fly to his hair, pulling just a little while you moan low in your throat so as not to be too loud. Your hips gently rock against his thigh creating friction against your clit. He looks up at you coming undone then pulls his thigh away before plunging two fingers inside you. Your grip on his hair gets tighter and he grins against your chest. 

“Mmm you just wanted me to beg huh?” He pulls his fingers out and pushes back in, curling them. Your head thumps back onto the tile wall as expletives leave your mouth. You clench around his fingers with every movement and Seokjin is desperate to make you fall apart all over him. He pulls his fingers out causing you to whimper. He kisses you hard and bites your bottom lip before saying, “Turn around for me.” 

You want to obey, but before he can dive in you grab his cock and give it a little squeeze, eliciting a hiss from him. “Hmm, did someone forget their manners?” you tease. 

“Please…please YN I–I need to feel you right now,” he whimpers in your ear while thrusting in your hand. You continue pumping him and biting at the skin on his shoulder followed by soothing kisses. He shutters and nibbles your earlobe, “Please, Jagi. I need to coat your walls. All this cum has been waiting to be released.”

You turn around, jut your ass toward his hips, and place your hands on the wall. He slowly guides his tip in and then deeply buries himself inside you. You gasp in pleasure as he stills, allowing you to adjust. Your walls throb around him and now he’s the one cursing under his breath. He slowly begins to roll his hips, feeling your walls swallow him whole. He brings one hand to your clit and rubs generously to match his thrusts, his other hand wrapping carefully around your throat, bringing you into him. The constant pressure on your nub and the drags against your walls send you into an orgasm so good, your legs nearly buckle. Seokjin bends you forward and continues pistoning in and out of you until he succumbs to his own pleasure. You feel the warm spurts filling you and his hips stutter until he halts his movements. He reluctantly pulls out and watches the cum slowly run down your leg before mixing with the water.

“Fuck that’s hot. You’re definitely pregnant with all that cum.”

You roll your eyes and bring him in for a deep kiss before getting on with your initial plans of showering and sleep. 

🎄

So far, all the traditional activities have been a hit. The tree is decorated with past and present homemade ornaments and the gingerbread houses are on full display in the bay window. 

It’s the fourth day and Uju is ready to play with his uncles in the snow. The others are following their own agenda as the only request for today was for you and Seokjin to get a few hours alone to wrap presents. Before you begin, you look out the window to watch your son and his child-like uncles play. You notice Jeongguk making snowballs lightning fast and sneaking them to Uju to pelt at Jimin who is trying to build a snowman. All of them have bright smiles on their faces.

You sit on the floor surrounded by toys, clothes, and enough wrapping supplies to have your own store. There’s a system; Seokjin hands you a gift, you wrap it then he tags it, repeat. As you're finishing the last gift, Seokjin realizes you’re both way ahead of schedule.  He helps you clean up and hide the gifts, then disappears into the closet. He comes out wearing a different outfit then earlier, gray sweats and t-shirt with mistletoe on it. There are obnoxiously large letters spelling out ‘I didn’t make the rules” with an arrow pointing down.

“Jin, your humor really is–”

“Top tier?” You push air out through your nose and shake your head, getting up to stretch.

“Let’s go play with Uju in the snow.”

“So is that a ‘no’ or ‘maybe later’?”

“Jin.”

“I haven’t had your pretty lips wrapped around my cock for months, back when you wore that sexy black lingerie for me. Fuck, just thinking about that–” he grunts while using one hand to tighten the fabric at his groin, showing off his bulge. Your lips part and eyes fixate on his fingers tracing his dick-print which seems to be getting longer by the second. You draw your bottom lip into your mouth to stop the drool from seeping out. 

You come back to your senses as you hear commotion downstairs. Seokjin sprints to the closet to change his shirt when the sound of little feet and giggles are heard running up the stairs. You open the door, ready to embrace Uju and take him back downstairs for some hot chocolate and to give Seokjin some… time. 

🎄

It’s finally Christmas eve and the cookies are ready. Seokjin grabs the carrots and a glass of milk while you help Uju put cookies on a plate. You all walk over to the small side table by the Christmas tree and leave everything for Santa and his reindeer. You tell Uju it’s time for his bedtime story so he could get to sleep for Santa to come when suddenly, there's a loud thump outside and the sound of bells. Then the front door opens and there stands Santa, well Taehyung, in a Santa suit using his best acting skills for his nephew. 

This was the favor Seokjin had asked from Taehyung. He hadn’t told you either, knowing you’d trust whatever it was he had in mind. He knew getting a suit would be easy and Taehyung was a great actor and a great uncle. He also wanted Uju to get just a little more time to believe in everything magical that surrounds Santa and Christmas.

Uju’s eyes are wide as he runs toward Santa, speechless. He reaches his tiny hand up and grabs Santa’s, pulling him to the plate of cookies. Taehyung sits in a chair and pulls Uju into his lap where they eat the cookies and drink the milk together. He tells Uju how when children get older, Santa becomes more about love and less about actually seeing him in person. Anyone can keep the magic of Santa alive and be a kind, generous, good human being. He points to Uju’s heart and says everyone has a little Santa magic that lives in their heart, ready to help and give to others around them. Taehyung comes up with some other clever fib about the reindeer and stuffs the carrots into his pocket for later. He tells Uju to get ready for bed because he can’t see how Santa gets the presents inside and he needs to go visit other children too. 

Uju dashes for the stairs, telling everyone to hurry and get ready for bed. Namjoon and Seokjin follow behind, while the others giggle from the couch at his cuteness. When Uju is out of sight, you thank Taehyung and promise to return the favor in the future for him. Taehyung simply says he’d do anything for his hyung’s family. 

The rest of the house is fast asleep as you and Seokjin tiptoe quietly down the steps with the presents. You perfectly place them around the tree and step back to make sure it’s to your liking. Seokjin back hugs you as you both bask in the lights reflecting off the shiny packages. Everything about this cabin and time spent with Seokjin’s brothers is magical in itself; adding Christmas makes it a thousand times more special. 

Back in the bedroom, you collapse onto the bed on your back, your lower half still hanging off. Seokjin grabs your legs and puts them on his shoulders. He pushes your pants up, exposing your calves, then kisses each one.

“Say your left leg was Thanksgiving and your right leg was Christmas…Can I visit between the holidays?” You throw your hand onto your forehead with a loud smack which is drowned out by his wiper blade laugh. 

“You gotta stop reading dad jokes, Jin.” 

“But they’re the best,” he whines.

“Only to you.” You sit up on the edge of the bed with him standing between your legs. 

“Sooo…you know how Tae did us that favor.” He places the palm of his hand on the side of your face and rubs his thumb along your cheekbone. 

“Mmhhmm,” you respond, leaning into his touch.

“Well I was kind of thinking we should do him a favor too…” 

“We absolutely should. What do you want to do for him?”

“I was hoping you’d be into having him as a guest tonight.” You search his eyes for a more detailed answer when you notice they have gone darker. The left corner of your mouth raises and you nod your head. Seokjin grabs his phone, within seconds there’s a faint knock on the door and Seokjin is welcoming Taehyung.

“Jagi, I know usually you like to be in charge, but tonight– tonight I want you to take care of Tae. I want to watch you blow him. There’s a position I think we all would love. Can we try it?” 

You raise an eyebrow to which he quickly responds ‘please’ with a smirk on his lips. You nod ‘yes’ and he positions you lying horizontally on the bed with your back against the mattress. 

“Trust us, okay?”  

You barely get a sound out before Taehyung pulls you from under your arms, resting your neck against the edge of the bed. Seokjin removes your clothes, exposing your bare body to both of them. Then he follow suit with his own clothes.

Taehyung grabs your wrist and places your hand against his rock hard cock, pushing against your hand. His other hand grazes your neck, his thumb pushing through your lips onto your tongue. 

“Hyung told me how sinful your mouth is. I’m leaking just thinking about it.” Taehyung pulls his pants off, his crotch just above your head. You run your tongue along the inside of your cheek, reaching up. All three of you watch your fingers loosely wrap around his shaft and your thumb swipe over his slit, spreading the cum over the thick protruding vein. He drops his head back and sucks in a deep breath.

“Do you want me to suck it or do you want to fuck my mouth?” you ask, already guessing what he will choose.

His eyes grow wide and he looks at Seokjin, “Whatever you want, Jagi, whatever you allow him.” 

“Mmm, you want my tongue on that big cock of yours, huh?”

“Yes, so bad,” Taehyung says with shaky breath.

He jerks into your hand as you bring his cock to your mouth, gliding the head over your lips, the sticky precum spreading like lip gloss. You run your tongue over the sticky mess left on your lips and let out a moan, sending his body into a shiver.

“Fuck, you tease so fucking good.”

“Do as you please, handsome.” Both of their cocks twitch as you open your mouth and push your tongue out. Taehyung steps forward and you wrap your lips around him. The sound he releases seems like he is almost done; he is already coming undone at your hollowed cheeks as he moves down steadily. You moan and force down more until you gag just a little and spit drips from the corners of your mouth. 

Taehyung groans and Seokjin moves between your legs, grabbing your thighs and throwing them over his shoulders. “He can’t have all the fun, Jagi.” He spreads your lower lips and admires the glisten before his tongue draws sloppy shapes around your clit. 

Your back arches as you let out a muffled cry, one hand grips the back of Taehyung’s thigh while the other grabs Seokjin’s hair.  Taehyung slowly moves in your mouth as you dig your nails into his skin and moan more. He can’t hold back, moving faster and harder, hitting the back of your throat. 

“Noona, I’m–” You press your tongue flat along the underside of his cock, he pushes in and stills while his cum paints your throat. As he pulls out, your body trembles uncontrollably. Seokjin stills your hips and as you reach your climax, he feasts making sure to swallow every last drop.

Too tired to possibly think anymore, the guys move you to the middle of the bed. Facing Seokjin, he kisses your forehead and the tip of your nose, while Taehyung grazes his teeth against your shoulder. 

“One more, Jagi?” Your body trembles and they grins. Seokjin tilts your chin up with his finger and crashes his lips into yours. While your tongues slide over one another, Taehyung’s hand slips down your thighs between your legs. Both men’s fingers alternate from rubbing your bundle of nerves and pushing inside you. 

“Is your name Jingle Bells?” Seokjin quips.

“Please don’t,” you moan while Taehyung nibbles your earlobe, sending electricity through your bones.

“Cause you feel ready to go all the way.”

“I can’t believe she married you,” Taehyung sasses.

Seokjin chuckles as he pushes himself slowly into you. Taehyung lifts your leg slightly and pushes himself in as well. The fullness of them both dragging against your walls has you mewling between them.

You decide to take a page from Seokjin’s pun book, pulling his lips toward yours and cradling Taehyung’s nape.

“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.”

[d1ss0lv3]

D1SS0LV3   —    :   tldr + connection ideas for son haeun, nakamura kenji, ford washington &&. nishijima megumi.

SON HAEUN, twenty8, SOLDIER 1ST CLASS, codename: ALATUS, ICHIBANGASE / EISHER CORPORATION samurai-vi test subject ( I.D. #9634 ), lawful good, HUMAN, disciplined &&. aloof.

IRON AGAINST IRON, A TRAIL OF BLOOD ON DARK METALS. A HOODED FIGURE IN THE DISTANCE. THE SHEEP IN SHEPHERD ROBES, THE BRAINWASHED POPULACE; THE HERO IN THE STORIES, GLORIOUS &&. STRONG, SAT ON A THRONE OF BODYBAGS.

insp; sephiroth ( ffvii ), hayakawa aki ( csm ), uchiha sasuke ( naruto ), &&. bucky barnes ( mcu ).

tw: mentions of human experimentation &&. trauma.

SOLDIER   1ST   CLASS   Alatus,   The   Winged   One,   is   the   face   of   the  SOLDIERS,   their   black   and   silver   armor   shining   a   stark   light   against   the   corrupt   evils   of   the   shadows.   They   are   lauded   as   a   hero,   The   Winged   Hero   Alatus,   by   the   commonfolk,   and   advertised   as   such   in   the   SOLDIER   recruitment   banners.   Alatus   is   as   much   of   a   public   figure   as   a   SOLDIER   can   be,   with   fan   letters   pilling   up   in   the   B   tower   of   the   Black   Towers,   and   countless   fan   pages   dedicated   to   them   on   the   internet.   Much   to   the   disappointment   of   their   fans,   or   perhaps   what   makes   Alatus   all   the   more   enigmatic,   is   that   the   Winged   Hero   isn’t   one   to   entertain   their   lofty   status;   they’re   a   known   shut-in,   disappearing   like   the   wind   when   the   mission’s   over. 

Son   Haeun   is   the   face   inside   the   helmet.   A   twenty-eight-year-old   woman   raised   in   a   lab   and   experimented   on   throughout   childhood,   she’s   one   of   the   first   real   successes   of   the   SAMURAI-VI   program,   and   it’s   all   thanks   to   Gao   Chun-Ling,   the   creator   of   the   program,   and   the   woman   who   nurtured   Haeun   into   what   she   is   today.   Instead   of   being   selected   like   most   subjects,   Haeun   was   bred   into   it;   from   the   moment   of   her   birth,   her   life   was   dedicated   to   the   program.   Thus,   she   has   loadsa   personal   problems   one   can   only   imagine,   from   being   emotionally   stunted   (needless   to   say)   to   having   next   to   no   friends.   Even   among   the   SOLDIER   ranks,   she’s   an   enigma,   commanding   so   much   respect   from   her   peers   that   most   are   afraid   to   approach   her.   Hence,   they   note   her   presence   at   a   distance;   seeing   her   struggle   to   peel   the   plastic   film   from   convenience   store   riceballs   and   watching   on   in   awe   as   she   accidentally   ingests   it,   thinking   all   the   while   that   she’s   the   ceiling   of   absolute   strength   and   lawful   ideals.   In   truth,   Haeun   is   tortured   by   the   ugly   reality   of   being   the   Winged   Hero,   of   having   a   chip   implanted   in   her   that   keeps   her   thoughts   of   defecting   and   slaughtering   the   SAMURAI-VI   researchers   suppressed.   She   deals   with   her   trauma   through   ruthless   self-discipline,   bordering   on   self-harm.   When   she’s   not   on   missions,   she   spends   her   days   training,   fighting   in   the   underground   battles   of   the   Level   Four   Gym,   and   being   a   dark   good-looking   brooding   figure   at   a   bar;   all   filler   to   avoid   succumbing   to   severe   bloodthirsty   spirals.

CONNECTION IDEAS:

would   love   to   plot   with   other   soldiers,   active   duty   or   defective   ♡

likewise,   anyone   who   was   a   test   subject   in   the   samurai-vi   program. 

@   the   folks   who   frequent   level   four   gym,   be   it   underground   fighters   or   staff,   you   see   haeun   in   person   the   most.   would   love   to   plot   out   some   connections   and   dynamics! 

someone   who   idolizes   alatus.   yeet.   might’ve   been   saved   by   alatus   in   the   past.

on   the   contrary,   someone   who   despises   alatus.   might’ve   been   caught   by   alatus   during   one   of   their   missions. 

romantic   connections   are   more   likely   than   you   think.   specifically   looking   for   a   tortured,   slow   burn,   will   they   won’t   they   dynamic.   chances   are   that   haeun   is   completely   in   love   but   refuses   to   give   in   to   her   feelings,   believing   herself   dangerous   and   unstable.   and   besides   her   goal   is   to   slaughter   a   lab   of   people.   idk.   not   good   for   a   long-term   partnership.   she   dreams   about   them   all   the   time   tho.

NAKAMURA KENJI, thirty, sowakatsu-kai KYODAI, professional poker player at INFERNO CASINO, chaotic neutral, HUMAN, charismatic &&. hedonistic.

A WALK DOWN A DARK ALLEY, THE FOOTSTEPS BEHIND YOU, THE MAN IN A SUIT WITH BLOODY KNUCKLES. THE REFLECTION OF A SHATTERED MIRROR; THE BLEEDING HAIRLINE, THE BROKEN NOSE, &&. THE SLANTED GRIN UNDER THE WHITE LIGHT.

insp; aventurine ( hsr ), sylvain jose gautier ( fe:3h ), dennis reynolds ( it's always sunny in philadephia ), &&. loki laufeyson ( mcu ).

tw: mentions of child abandonment &&. some violence.

Abandoned   by   his   parents   at   an   early   age,   Kenji   was   raised   in   a   countryside   orphanage   where   his   childhood   memories   take   root.   He   was   a   wild   thing,   and   as   with   all   wild   things,   no   one   could   tame   the   young   boy.   Kenji   had   ways   about   him   that   children   rarely   take   up,   and   he   put   everyone   past   their   patience   fifty   times   in   one   day;   from   the   hour   he   woke   up   until   the   hour   he   went   to   bed,   no   one   had   a   moment’s   security   that   he   wouldn’t   be   up   to   mischief.   He   was   pugnacious   and   wicked,   his   tongue   always   going   to   fill   the   silence–   singing,   laughing,   and   punishing   anyone   who   would   not   do   the   same.   He   met   his   first   friend,   Sian,   when   Kenji   encountered   the   sullen   girl   being   prosecuted   by   rowdy   boys,   who   bullied   her   about   her   odd   affliction,   something   the   resigned   girl   could   not   help.   Furious   at   her   endurance,   he   began   to   put   in   a   word   on   her   behalf   when   he   saw   her   wronged,   and   the   two   were   quick   to   grow   thick.

Henceforth,   they   took   to   play   and   punishment   as   an   inseparable   pair.   Inseparable,   of   course,   until   Sian   was   formally   adopted   and   Kenji–   well,   who   had   any   hope   for   Kenji?   Even   the   caretakers   advised   adoptees   to   be   wary   of   him.   While   the   passage   of   time   saw   them   separated,   Kenji   grew   into   a   lawless   young   man.   He   left   the   orphanage   for   the   streets   of   Tokyo,   where   he   fell   into   a   wretched   mixup   of   street   gangs,   for   his   soul   was   wayward,   and   corrupt   things   always   called   to   him.   He   joined   the   Sowakatsu-Kai,   swearing   allegiance   to   the   boss,   and   later   took   Sian   into   the   family   when   he   rediscovered   his   long-lost   friend,   scrapping   by   to   survive   after   she   was   discarded   and   left   for   the   streets,   no   longer   the   girl   he   once   knew,   but   his   beloved   family   all   the   same. 

Kenji   is   a   young   man   of   cons   and   games,   for   never   has   he   stooped   to   murder,   and   never   should   he   wish   to;   his   use   as   a   kyodai   comes   from   his   tongue,   kissed   by   Hermes,   where   all   his   machinations   fall   from.   At   present,   he   spends   his   days   letting   his   mouth   frolic   in   pretenses   that   earn   him   money   and   love,   often   found   at   Inferno,   partaking   in   a   handful   of   illegal   and   unsavory   activities   on   any   of   the   given   floors.

CONNECTION IDEAS:

members   of   the   sowakatsu-kai!   lets   plot   family   ♡

anyone   who   frequents   or   works   at   inferno…   kenji   spends   so   much   time   there   its   ridiculous.   he   has   a   gambling   problem   and   gets   up   to   many   hijinks   there. 

romantic   connections?   way   more   likely   than   you   think   im   afraid.   kenji   likes   to   have   fun   and   doesn’t   really   tie   himself   down   to   anyone.   i   imagine   he   has   a   handful   of   exes   and   a   handful   of   current   hookups–   whether   they’re   regular   or   just   a   one-time   thing.   or   just   people   he   pursues   relentlessly.   he   spends   a   lot   of   money   at   clubs   that   offer   company   if   u   know   what   i   mean. 

it’s   hard   to   come   up   with   connections   for   kenji   in   the   sense   that   he   can   be   anywhere   at   any   time.   he   is   extremely   social   and   he’ll   find   himself   in   any   number   of   Situations   and   Occasions.   with   him,   it’s   usually   easier   for   me   to   look   through   other’s   wanted   connections   and   figure   out   where   he’d   fit   in   ♡

FORD WASHINGTON, thirty, COWBOY: bounty hunter, chaotic good, HUMAN, free-spirited &&. impulsive.

THE MIDNIGHT BREEZE, SOLACE FOUND ON A ROOFTOP, THE STATIC TELEVISION GLOWING OVER THE SLEEPING FORM. A SIGH AND A FORSAKEN CREDIT SCORE. THE CHAOS OF A CHASE; A MISSED GUNSHOT, A TURNED-OVER STALL, A CRYING MERCHANT, &&. ONE MESS OF APOLOGIES.

insp; spike spiegel ( cowboy bebop ), sakata gintoki ( gintama ), han solo ( star wars ), &&. roy mustang ( fma:b ).

tw: mentions of an explosion &&. some violence.

Before   becoming   a   Cowboy,   Ford   was   part   of   a   small   company   known   for   odd   jobs   in   America.   Their   job   descriptions   weren’t   clear   and   no   one   knew   precisely   what   they   could   be   hired   for–   in   fact,   word   of   mouth   brought   them   more   business   than   any   ad   they   attempted   to   put   out.   “Need   help?   Call   this   number.”   “Odd   Job   Nuts,   call   us.”   “We’ll   do   anything   if   you   call   this   number.”   Ford   would   look   at   their   flyers   and   stick   them   on   the   windows   of   legitimate   businesses   with   a   sigh.   If   someone   walked   up   to   him   and   asked   him   what   Odd   Job   Nuts   was,   he’d   shrug,   “We   take   care   of   anything   you   need.”

“Anything?”   “Yes.”   “What   if   I   need   a   lawyer?”   “We   have   someone   who   can   do   that.”   “What   if   I   have   a   stalker?”   “We   offer   private   security.”   “...   What   if   I   need   to   get   rid   of   a   stalker?”   “Come   on,   man,”   Ford   would   sigh   again,   handing   out   a   flyer,   “come   to   our   office.” 

Due   to   this   vague   business   venture,   problems   arose   in   Ford’s   life.   Taxes   were   a   nightmare   and   the   company   was   small–   five   people,   including   him–   hence   they’d   sometimes   split   five   hundred   bucks   between   them   because   that’s   all   the   jobs   they’d   done   in   a   week.   To   top   it   all   off,   people   started   going   to   them   with   unsavory   commissions.   They’d   take   them,   of   course,   they   were   scrapping   the   bottom   of   the   barrel.   Odd   Jobs   Nuts   managed   to   stay   in   business   for   ten   years   against   all   odds,   but   it   took   one   job   to   burn   everything   they’d   built   to   the   ground.   To   this   day,   Ford   avoids   open   fires;   he   stopped   smoking,   too.   In   essence: 

They   were   hired   for   larceny,   old   money   mansion,   high-tech   security–   someone   slipped   up,   they   traced   them   back   to   Odd   Jobs   Nuts.   The   next   day,   a   package   was   left   at   their   office.   It   blew   up   when   they   tried   to   open   it.   Only   two   survived.   Ford   was   late   to   work   that   day,   he   often   was–   the   other   because   they   weren’t   close   enough   to   the   explosion.   With   three   dead   friends   and   one   in   the   hospital,   Ford   stood   in   the   ashes   of   the   small   office   and   felt   the   embers   burn   into   his   soul;   he’d   been   the   one   to   accept   the   job.   His   grief   shackled   him   to   an   aimless,   wandering   life,   adrift   in   the   world   with   nothing   but   regret.   That’s   what   eventually   led   him   to   the   life   of   a   Cowboy–   a   lonesome   creature   that   works   alone,   pleases   only   himself,   and   profits   when   he   bests   the   idle   beast.

It’s   been   five   years   since   Ford   arrived   in   Japan,   five   years   of   the   lifestyle,   five   years   of   living   with   his   ghosts.   Typically,   he   can   be   found   in   bars   and   clubs   avoiding   debt   collectors,   his   landlord,   and   anyone   else   he   managed   to   piss   off   during   a   bounty   run.

CONNECTION IDEAS:

psssppspps   fellow   cowboys.   would   love   some   rival   dynamics   >:]

bounties!   would   love   love   love   love   to   plot   with   the   bounties   >:] 

work   connections.   y’know,   arms   dealers,   mechanics,   information   brokers,   etc!   people   who   ford   goes   to   get   help   &   info   from   when   he’s   hunting   down   bounties. 

oldest   friend,   the   one   who   survived   the   explosion.   they   have   an   extremely   complicated   relationship–   up   to   you   if   your   muse   blames   ford   at   all   for   what   happened,   though   ford   blames   himself   thus   their   dynamic   would   be   riddled   with   love,   guilt,   and   grief. 

romance?   yeah   more   likely   than   you   think.   ford   isn’t   the   committed   type   but   i’d   love   a   dynamic   where   he   says   he   isn’t   committed,   swears   he   isn't…   but   they   keep   going   back   to   each   other   and   it’s   been   going   on   for   too   long.   but   he   swears   he   isn’t   in   love   or   anything! 

on   this   topic,   hookups.   several…

NISHIJIMA MEGUMI, twenty4, SOLO IDOL at yoshimoto kyogo entertainment, stage name: MEGUMI, GESTALT BUREAU host, lawful good, HOST, captivating &&. solitary

THE TANGLE OF HANDS FIXING HAIR, MAKE-UP, A LONG TULLE DRESS; A RIGID SMILE, A STRAIGHT BACK, A FANTASY UNDER THE AUREATE SPOTLIGHT. THE CACOPHONY OF APPLAUSE, A CROWD MADE OF STARLIGHT; THE MARIONETTE STRINGS PULLING &&. TUGGING.

insp; belle ( belle ), kageyama tobio ( haikyuu!! ), robin ( hsr ), &&. iki hyori ( noragami ).

tw: mentions of murder &&. a car accident.

Nishijima   Megumi,   known   by   her   first   name   “Megumi”,   became   a   trainee   at   Yoshimoto   Kyogo   Ent.   at   age   fourteen,   and   debuted   as   a   solo   artist   three   years   later   with   her   debut   single   “Raspberry”,   a   song   that   soared   to   the   top   of   the   charts   and   skyrocketed   Megumi   into   the   spotlight.   Realizing   they   had   a   mega-hit   on   their   hands,   Yoshimoto   Kyogo   took   advantage   of   this   opportunity   and   released   Megumi’s   first   EP,   “Spring   Flavors”,   helping   solidify   her   presence   among   Japan’s   top   idols   as   a   newcomer.   After   that,   there   was   no   dip   in   Megumi’s   popularity;   her   appearances   in   variety   shows   made   people   fall   in   love   with   her   humble,   polite,   and   charming   personality,   praising   her   for   the   witty   remarks   she’d   surprise   everyone   with,   and   just   like   that,   Megumi   endeared   herself   to   Japan   as   the   nations   sweetheart. 

At   age   twenty,   she   landed   her   first   acting   role   as   the   lead   in   the   critically   acclaimed   drama   “Anxious   Hearts”,   as   well   as   writing   and   composing   two   songs   for   the   television   hit,   showing   the   entertainment   industry   an   impressive   facet   of   her   many   talents,   and   securing   her   image   as   a   powerhouse   in   the   idol   sphere.   Despite   her   massive   popularity,   Megumi   was   known   to   lead   a   simple   personal   life,   keeping   her   lyrics   relatable   and   building   a   deeper   bond   with   her   fanbase.   Perhaps   Nishijima   Megumi   was   destined   for   greatness,   the   idol   that   only   comes   around   once   in   a   generation–   perhaps   so,   if   she   hadn’t   signed   under   Yoshimoto   Kyogo   Ent.   At   any   rate,   “Megumi”   was   destined   for   the   spotlight,   no   matter   what. 

Nishijima   planned   to   terminate   her   contract   with   Yoshimoto   Kyogo   Ent.   earlier   this   year,   following   a   scandal   in   which   a   troubling   photograph   was   leaked   of   her   with   an   unknown   partner.   Nishijma   intended   to   file   a   lawsuit   against   Yoshimoto   Kyogo   Ent.   for   leaking   the   image   to   the   press,   and   another   for   unlawful   working   conditions   that   caused   her   mental   and   physical   health   to   decline   at   a   steep   rate.   With   proof   that   she   was   sent   to   parties   with   explicit   orders   to   spy   on   the   high   business   executives   throwing   them,   she   could   crumble   the   company   from   within   and   have   the   full   support   of   the   Japanese   public. 

Three   months   ago,   Nishijima   got   into   a   car   accident   days   before   she   went   to   the   press   and   took   a   two-month   hiatus   to   recover.   As   far   as   the   public   knows,   that’s   all   that   happened. 

But   very   few   people   know   that   it   wasn’t   an   accident;   even   fewer   know   that   Nishijima   Megumi   died,   and   only   one   person   knows   where   her   body   was   buried.   Yoshimoto   Kyogo   Ent.   had   a   mega-idol   in   their   hands,   and   they   weren’t   letting   her   go   so   easily.   “Megumi”   is   a   host   commissioned   to   replace   Nishijima–   a   host   that   doesn’t   need   to   rest,   doesn’t   question   schedules,   or   ever   plans   to   terminate   her   contract.

CONNECTION IDEAS:

not   to   be   dramatic,   but…   the   person   hired   to   kill   megumi.   i   think   it’d   be   interesting   to   have   her   haunt   them,   in   a   way…   as   a   host   n   all. 

other   idols   &   staff   at   the   entertainment   company,   come   2   me! 

romantic   connections?   likey!   the   unknown   partner   from   the   leaked   photo.   megumi   had   a   secret   relationship   with   this   person!   still   does–   they   have   no   idea   she’s   been   replaced   by   a   host…   but   they’re   slowly   growing   suspicious   that   megumi   is…   different. 

fans!   specifically   looking   for   someone   who’s,   like,   an   unexpected   fan.   someone   you’d   never   assume   was   into   idols. 

a   lawyer   or   legal   consultant   that   was   working   with   megumi   while   she   was   gathering   everything   to   file   her   lawsuits.   megumi   is   going   to   them   with   a   sudden   change   of   heart   about   suing   the   company. 

folks   who   are   directly   involved   with   hosts   at   the   gestalt   bureau.   megumi   doesn’t   know   she’s   a   host,   but   occasionally   doubts   her   existence   and   begins   Questioning   Things.   she’s   taken in   for   routine   check-ups   and   troubleshooting   at   the   bureau.

[iyeojinz]

ਏਓ ⦂ GROUP NAME. FLORA

ਏਓ ⦂ NAME MEANING. meaning flower, relating to its survival shows name "into the garden"

ਏਓ ⦂ MEMBERS:

*  YU SUA ('03) : leader, vocal, dance

*  SON JUYEON ('01) : vocal

*  KWON SEULKI ('01) : vocal, dance

*  OGINO KOKORO ('02) : rap, dance

*  KIM HYERIM ('03) : vocal

*  TAMENGA SION ('03) : vocal, dance

*  KIM HAEUN ('04) : vocal, visual

*  SHIN HYEJI ('05) : vocal, rap, dance

* CHA YEJU ('06) : vocal, rap

ਏਓ ⦂ GROUP REPUTATION. flora's reputation is pretty good, especially for a girl group. their generally well liked by the public for their sweet personality's and lively performances, but they've been the target of anti-feminist groups because of several members being "confirmed feminists."

ਏਓ ⦂ TITLES. 4th gen leaders, nations new girl group

ਏਓ ⦂ KNOWN FOR. their second gen sound, being formed from into the garden, snsd / twices juniors, live vocals, endorsing several brands, their visuals, their close relationship with each other

ਏਓ ⦂ SCANDALS. rumored rigging in their final line up, haeun "bullying" dabin, seulki's dating scandal with [redacted], being feminists

ਏਓ ⦂ FANDOM NAME. petal

ਏਓ ⦂ NAME MEANING. the fans are a part of flora like petals are a part of a flower

ਏਓ ⦂ DEMOGRAPHIC. 56% females, 40% male, 4% other

ਏਓ ⦂ LIGHT STICK. flo-bong

ਏਓ ⦂ FANDOM FRIENDS. dive (ive's fandom), kep1ian (kep1er's fandom), wizone (izone's fandom), fearnot (lesserafim's fandom), sone's (snsd's fandom)

ਏਓ ⦂ MOST POPULAR SONGS. gee, into the new world, the boys, red flavor

ਏਓ ⦂ FAN FAVORITES. i got a boy, hot summer, step

ਏਓ ⦂ FIRST WIN. into the new world on inkigayo (2020)

ਏਓ ⦂ COMMON BIASES. haeun, seulki, hyerim

ਏਓ ⦂ COMMON SHIPS. hyerim + sion (best friends), kokoro + hyeji (cat and dog), seulki + juyeon (best friends), sua + yeju (leader and maknae)

[lgcxhaeun]

category is...

life isn't easy @lgcyoojoon

haeun knew of yoojoon's mother. one could say everyone in legacy did. but haeun only knew of yoojoon's mother because of her own. her mother constantly raves about what a wonderful actress hwang jungha is. that, if given the chance, she was the only celebrity she'd want to meet.

it took haeun weeks to figure out that yoojoon was indeed her son. but it didn't change how she would treat him.

her mother had begged haeun to ask yoojoon for an autograph from his mother but haeun found it too strange. she wasn't friends with yoojoon for the sake of his mother. asking him to do such a thing would give yoojoon the wrong impression of their friendship and haeun wasn't about to jeopardise that.

"i think this year i'm going to focus on creating choreographies," haeun tells him from the floor of the dance room. she was laying on her stomach, scrolling through 1million dance studio videos. it was truly amazing how people can create something so satisfying as a dance. especially with large groups. "it'll be my first time so i hope i do well. i have more time to focus on that since i'm not in school anymore. are you doing anything different this year?"

[lgcrp]

↬ PENDING DEADLINES ( all deadlines are due at 11:59 PM EST )

ACTING MISSION 017 is due 23 MARCH 2024

CRYSTALLIS MISSION 009 ( YOUTUBE SHOWS ) are due 23 MARCH 2024

LGC STUDIOS ( Q1 2024 ) are due 23 MARCH 2024

MODELING MISSION 017 is due 23 MARCH 2024

PERSONAL CHANNELS ( Q1 2024 ) are due 23 MARCH 2024

NOTORIETY TIERS 013 ( POSTS ) are due 23 MARCH 2024

AGITO MISSION 004 is due 30 MARCH 2024

BACK TO SCHOOL PODCAST is due 30 MARCH 2024

CRYSTALLIS MISSION 009 is due 30 MARCH 2024

LGC GIRLS JAPAN MISSION 005 is due 30 MARCH 2024

NOVA MISSION 004 is 30 MARCH 2024

TRAINEE MISSION 16 is due 30 MARCH 2024

TYPE ZERO MISSION 013 is due 30 MARCH 2024

VERSUS MISSION 004 is due 30 MARCH 2024

WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY 001 is due 30 MARCH 2024

WRITING CHALLENGE 003 is due 30 MARCH 2024

NEWKIDS NEWDREAMS 001 is due 6 APRIL 2024

OPEN EVENT 002 ( MONTHLY SNS ) is due 6 APRIL 2024

OPEN EVENT 006 ( FANSITES ) are due 6 APRIL 2024

PROJECT S is due 6 APRIL 2024

↬ CLEARED LIST FOR 17 MARCH 2024

kang taehyun ( txt )

kim hongjoong ( ateez )

↬ WARNING LIST FOR 17 MARCH 2024

cho yoomi ( @lgcyoomi )

choi hailey ( @lgcxhailey )

jirayungyurn davika ( @lgcdavika )

son haeun ( @lgcxhaeun )

[jongnorp]

UNTIL 20240314 AT 11:59PM

HOORNE, MAI DAVIKA ◦ ACTOR ◦ 0216

LUNA, DIEGO ◦ ACTOR ◦ SH11 ◦ 0614 ◦ EXT

SHIN JUNGHWAN (SHINYU) ◦ IDOL ◦ NW4 ◦ 0707 ◦ EXT

UNTIL 20240317 AT 11:59PM

MINATOZAKI SANA ◦ IDOL ◦ 0125

LEE SEOYEON [FROMIS_9] ◦ IDOL ◦ 1711

NAOI REI ◦ IDOL ◦ 8198

SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS

R = REVIEWING. ✓ = ACCEPTED. M = MESSAGED.

AHN DOHYUN (LEE JENO) ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

AHN KIHA (CHOI YEONJUN) ◦ NW1 ◦ 4556 ◦ R.

AMATAYAKUL, BABY AALEYAH (YONTARARAK, MINNIE NICHA) ◦ BG3 ◦ 0125 ◦ ✓

BAE, KATRINA (MARSH, DANIELLE) ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

BAE SEUNGHO (JUNG SUNGCHAN) ◦ 0500 ◦ ✓

BAILEY, BARBARA (HUENING BAHIYYIH) ◦ HF5 ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

BAILEY, TYSON (HUENING KAI) ◦ SH2 ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

CARTER-KIM, TASHA (HARRIER, LAURA) ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

CHOI HANSE (LEE SOHEE) ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

CHOI JIHO (KANG DONGHO/BAEKHO) ◦ 1209 ◦ ✓

GELLER-CHO, AVI (LERMAN, LOGAN) ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

GELLER-CHO, BEODEUL (JUNG JINYOUNG) ◦ 0614 ◦ ✓

HAN, ROBERT (YANG JUNGWON) ◦ NW6 ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

HAN SAEM (PARK SUNGHOON) ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

HUYNH, CHLOE (PHAM, HANNI) ◦ HF1 ◦ 0125 ◦ R.

HWANG, DYLAN (CHO SEUNGYOUN/WOODZ) ◦ 1225 ◦ ✓

HWANG MIDEUM (CHOI BEOMGYU) ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

ITŌ TAKUMI (SHIGETA HARUA) ◦ LG3 ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

KIM AEJEONG (BAE JOOHYUN/IRENE) ◦ 1209 ◦ ✓

KIM DAEHWAN (PARK SEONGHWA) ◦ 0702 ◦ ✓

KIM HYEOKJIN (OK TAECYEON) ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

KIM SEOHAN (CHA EUNWOO) ◦ 0707 ◦ ✓

KWAK HAEOREUM (KIM HYOJIN) ◦ 0614 ◦ ✓

KWON YOOSU (HAN JISUNG/HAN) ◦ NW5 ◦ 0614 ◦ ✓

LAWSON, KAIA (DESTINY, RYAN) ◦ 6266 ◦ ✓

LEE DUBIN (YANG JEONGIN/I.N) ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

LEE HYEON (HWANG INTAK) ◦ 1225 ◦ NW2 ◦ ✓

LEE HYO (HWANG HYUNJIN) ◦ 0707 ◦ ✓

LEE HYOSEOP (SONG EUNSEOK) ◦ 2002 ◦ ✓

LEE WOOSOL (CHOI SOOBIN) ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

LEE YOOGEUN (LEE CHANYOUNG/ANTON) ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

MOON TAEHO (JEON JUNGKOOK) ◦ 4556 ◦ ✓

PALACIO, SELENA (CHAPARRO, ANDREA) ◦ 1225 ◦ ✓

PARK, EZRA (KIM SUNOO) ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

PARK HAEUN (YU JIMIN) ◦ 7879 ◦ ✓

PARK JUNGHA (SUNG HANBIN) ◦ 2002 ◦ ✓

SEO JUNHO (KIM SUNWOO) ◦ 1111 ◦ ✓

SEOL MINJU (JANG WONYOUNG) ◦ 3393 ◦ ✓

SON HYEJI (KIM JENNIE) ◦ BG2 ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

SONG JAEBEOM (JUNG WOOSEOK) ◦ 1209 ◦ ✓

SONG, THEODORE (KIM, MATTHEW) ◦ SH1 ◦ 6266 ◦ ✓

SONG YEONGSU (PARK WONBIN) ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

THISTLETHWAITE, DOTTIE (COWEN, ABIGAIL) ◦ 1209 ◦ ✓

WANG, WILLIAM (ZHANG HAO) ◦ 3393 ◦ R.

YUN YEBAI (HUANG RENJUN) ◦ 0315 ◦ ✓

[haeunhoney]

⠀ ⠀kakao message to @minvji​

←⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀Minchkin ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⋮

[ 곽 haeun ] "Pspspsps, pspspsps." 23:33

[ 곽 haeun ] "É assim que chama a gatinha?" 23:33

[ 곽 haeun ] "Hey, Son, soube por ai de uma viagem sabe... " 22:33

[ 곽 haeun ] "A gatinha vai ou tem medo de água?" 22:34

[ 곽 haeun ] "Estava me perguntando se toparia pegar umas ondas comigo." 22:33

[mountphoenixrp]

We have a new citizen in Mount Phoenix:

          Elias Callum, a 25 year old son of Aengus.           He is a priest.

FC NAME/GROUP: cha eunwoo, astro CHARACTER NAME:  Elias Callum (Haeun Lee) AGE/DATE OF BIRTH: 25, 6th November 1997 PLACE OF BIRTH: Sicily, Italy  OCCUPATION: priest (cult leader)   HEIGHT: 183cm WEIGHT: 70kg DEFINING FEATURES: a scar on his right cheek

PERSONALITY: A cold and calculative person, observant of others. he acts more on logic than emotions--to the point of throwing them away. it’s hard for him to convey his true feelings, often hiding his emotions from others and himself. additionally, he has difficulty empathizing with others due to the environment he was raised in. due to his being exploited during childhood, he can’t really comprehend love and always mistakes it for lust like it’s his fatal flaw.

He’s a man of conviction, selfless towards what he thinks is right; defending the weak and showing compassion to those in need. although his methods might be astray, however, the road to hell was paved with good intentions. 

HISTORY: [tw: religious themes, cult worship, grooming, emotional abuse/manipulation, murder, cannibalism, gore] 

Isolated from playing the children around his age, he spent most of his childhood with adults and dedicating himself to the church. The adults constantly tell him that he is special, a child sent from the gods and a messenger of love. At first, Elias did not understand any of the words they said, he just did as he was told like the obedient boy that he is. As Elias is growing up, his curiosity starts to grow better than him. He hates the daily devotions and choir, he doesn’t like the way the church members look at him when he sings. Thus the first spark of rebellion, was when he sneaked out of the church’s compound and met a boy of his age in which, he instantly fell in love–specifically, puppy love. 

His first puppy love ends up as a reminder that he is different. The adults quickly caught on and brought him back to the house, lecturing and locking him up in his room. “A child of love shouldn’t act this way, he has to be pure and innocent,” his teacher scolded him. Through his tears, he accepted that he was different. 

Elias is starting to become aware of his situation at eighteen. It’s when he’s able to talk to certain species of birds, they wail and cry for him, which makes him realize that he’s a caged bird. 

He devoted himself to the church, just like how the adults wanted him to. He travelled across Sicily, spreading the word of ‘god’, through the gospels and the promise of love from omnipotent beings. Soon, the church has become more popular and attracted new members. The masses were brought easily by empty promises and white lies, all he did was take a page from the way adults have taught him. 

Soon enough, he has everyone wrapped around his fingers. 

The adults believe that he has ascended to the omnipotent being they believed that he is, discarding all mortal woes that were deemed to be “impure.” As a celebration of his ascension, Elias invited them to a bouquet with food and wine. When the clock struck twelve, everyone was unconscious and when the sun rose, they were no more than pieces of meat. 

To the masses, he is seen as a god and just like any god, he abandons his people. 

Free from his abuser and from his shackles, Elias set to see the world for the first time. However, he finds himself unable to connect with them. Joy, anger, sadness, love, grief, hate and other normal emotions, he’s unable to feel them. 

Fortunately, a real god appears to his aid. Guiding him to the place where he’s supposed to be, though he wonders if he could find someone equal to him. 

After all, the top is a lonely place. 

PANTHEON: Celtic CHILD OF: Aengus, God of Love and Youth POWERS: Possess an angelic singing voice which can cause others to become infatuated with them for short periods of time. Can communicate with birds associated with love (doves, lovebirds, etc.) STRENGTHS: observant, manipulative, unpredictable WEAKNESSES: sore throat, tend to underestimate how powerful emotions are, still unable to fully recover from years of emotional manipulation and abuse

[memcires]

POSTED ON JUL. 29 2023

while délavé have yet to debut their first group, the company is well known for their myriad of talented trainees, most of which who have been seen on survival shows such as produce 48, girl’s planet 999 and idol school to name a few. they are also the company which manages and promotes popular soloist idyll.

as of july 20th, however, it had been announced that the company is working on the debut of their first group through the project ‘our mémoire’. this news sent fans into a frenzy, and everyone seems to be patiently anticipating the group’s debut. below we’ll be discussing the estimated debut date, possible faces we might in the lineup, and the team behind the dream.

DEBUT DATE DISCUSSIONS

a lot of things about this group remains a mystery, including the date of their debut. délavé, however, has given fans a rough pre - debut promotion schedule. this includes a series of photoshoots, covers, original songs and lives from the future members, known as memorabilia. given that the lineup will consist of six, fans assume the group will debut by the end of august, or early september at the latest.

THE POSSIBLE LINEUP

while the current lineup is unknown, the speculated lineup consists of nam haeun, jung minyoung, ishioka aimi, danielle rojas, son nayoung and jeup iseul.

nam haeun was a former member of pristin, who left pledis alongside former fromis_9 member nayoung. it was reported at some point in early 2021 that they had signed under délavé, but this was never confirmed nor denied. neither of the two have been public since their departures in 2020.

meanwhile, aimi and iseul were both competitors on produce 48, with aimi making into the lineup for iz*one. danielle also featured in the first produce 101, and then competed in girl’s planet 999 after that.

minyoung, however, has no history as an idol. she did modelling for a bit, and then worked as a producer, but as her mother is the ceo, fans have an inkling that she would definitely be one of the girls to debut in the company’s first group.

this is all, however, speculation, and nothing has been confirmed nor denied.

THE DREAM TEAM

despite the fact that the lineup hasn’t even been announced, délavé has announced the creative team behind the our mémoire project.

idyll – real name park yosung – is the executive creative director for the group, and is in charge of all things conceptual. he was the brains behind the memorabilia concept, and also hand chose the lineup himself. popular director and screenwriter myriam yeo is also a member of the team behind the group as the creative producer, and alongside yosung she brings his concepts to fruition.

head stylist and makeup artist indiana doyle posted a photo to her instagram of a dressing room with the caption ‘big things brewing’. two days later délavé confirmed that she was also working alongside myriam and yosung.

while not much has been revealed yet, fans patiently await any new updates on the group and their debut.

how does this article make you feel?