#the glare on joo won's part . . .

[tiffanylamps]

one line any fic! rules: pick ten of your fics, scroll to somewhere midpoint, pick a line chunk and share it, and then tag ten people.

Tagged by @b1uetrees!! Thanks so much for the tag, it's taken a wee while to get around to doing it but we are here!! I actually only have 14 "proper" fics published, so this wasn't too difficult to do haha. I'm going to post the lines in chronological order (of when the fics were published) and perhaps, we might see a progression of some sort 😊

Also, if I tag you and you have less than 10 fics, I would love to see wips/orginal work 👀👀 maybe?? 👀 either way, no pressure tags: @l-tyrell @foolishmortal @citrinekay @fire-burning-brighter

Indoctrination line taken from the mid-point of chapter 2. The men in front of him frown as he switched to speaking in English without realising. Joo Won’s eyes flicker to Dong Sik, there was that warm look again, stirring Joo Won to conclude his point. “This isn’t a classroom- it’s a police station. A functioning filing system is paramount. Detailed and factually correct reports without spelling mistakes are paramount! I shouldn’t be spending hours of my time correcting your mistakes.” 

“Aish, Lee Dong Sik, is he like this all the time?” 

Joo Won felt a bark of unbridled laughter pass his lips, causing the men around him to still. Gil Goo and Gwang Young eye the younger man with suspicion, whereas Dong Sik has turned his face away; his lips twisting into something filthy. 

Drone Bomb Me Suddenly, his arm is being snatched and his body spun. He goes with it, knowing where his destination will be but it still hurts when this cheekbone is planted harshly against the table. He hopes it bruises. His arm is restrained against his back while Joo Won’s other hand is splayed between his shoulder blades. “What the fuck are you doing?” Joo Won pants against his ear and god, it ignites a fire in Dong Sik’s belly.

take my name Instead, he scoffs and takes Dong Sik's glass from his hand, and sips on his wine. As he swallows, his body throbs under the gaze of Dong Sik's ever-eager, ever-tantalising eyes, watching Joo Won's throat bob as if he intends on ruining it. That's most certainly not helping matters. Blushing, Joo Won grumbles quietly: “You read too many novels.”

Dong Sik chuckles and pokes his cheek, “and you don’t read enough.”

your blessed hands “Ah, that’s a shame. Suppose it worked out for the best now, means you can finally-”

“Stop. Don’t do that,” he softens his voice to the sincere hum of a heart that aches for forgiveness. “You know I asked to be transferred more than once. But we also agreed to put it off until we knew what was happening with the house-”

“Ah, so it’s still my fault.” Dong Sik laughs that awful fake laugh, it bounces high and unnatural against the bathroom tiles, breaking Joo Won apart.  In Another Moment With an exasperated sigh and feeling more turned on than ever before, Joo Won snatches this difficult man by the wrist. He keeps eye contact as he works his mouth to produce enough of an offering to impress. Dong Sik doesn’t seem to be breathing. Joo Won stares as he spits long and slow - dribbling and drooling - in the other man’s hand. It’s all complete nonsense… but Dong Sik still bites his lip, wholly enthralled by Joo Won’s borderline licentious display.

Oh, Dong Sik might just kill him. courage to make love known With a huff and a resentful glare, Joo Won decides to give in. The speakers fizzle alive and the room seems to darken as the sound of a mid-tempo piano melody plays through. A part of Jae Yi prickles as she recognises the song but cannot place where from. It sounds dated as if it were from a different decade and definitely not Korean. Perhaps, it's something her dad used to listen to. The shrill power ballad consists of an electric guitar ringing out as it compliments the overall melody of the piece. Which swells and intensifies, building almost like a grand reveal; the drums heighten the anticipation until-

Han Joo Won sings. to a nightingale Dong Sik even lets Joo Won adjust his aching legs, biting his lip hard as they’re lifted to the safety of broad shoulders. His hips scream in protest as his knees are pushed to his chest. But that doesn’t stop him from allowing his hunter to clutch at his neck with eager fingers, either trying to check his pulse or take his last breath. He’s not sure which it is but he moans with pleasure as his young lover squeezes down. “I won’t let anyone else have you,” Joo Won grits out through clenched teeth; his eyes blazed with something feral that might suffocate them both. 

There are worse ways to die. 

Snippets [scrapped wips. "chapter 1": pining joo won] The cool air hits his tired body with an unsatisfactory hollowness that he doesn't want to dissect. He rises slowly, never having it within him to yank the metaphorical plaster off in one clean swipe. As of late, he’s always the first to breach the day, even though Dong Sik awakes before him. He silently collects his things and doesn't mention that he knows the older man watches him. Without so much of a glance, he'll go to the bathroom, clean up, and get dressed before saying his goodbyes. In that time, Dong Sik would have gotten up and changed into something temporary before he strips the sheets.  the threshold of the year "Joo Won-ah," Dong Sik's voice trembles. Joo Won pauses in the doorway and is kind enough not to make it too obvious that he can see just how much Dong Sik is struggling.

He can't lose him, he can't- not Joo Won. He can't. "I love you too." 

Now, a sneak peak of the next chapter of: not truly one, but truly two

Right now seems like the wrong time to garner into his comprehension, the amber-like qualities within this creature’s eyes. There’s a spark and a hint of intelligence within their autumn day haze. They search Joo Won’s own polished tourmaline irises, which are so dark that in the hotel room’s low lighting, it is almost impossible to detect the pupil. But the vampire’s heavy gaze suddenly alters from searching to a plethora of mockery: utterly deviant and overcome with a self-serving mischievousness.

There you go! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed this 💛💛

[katierosefun]

you would think that after watching this show 13 times, that a deranged gal like me would stop feeling a rush whenever she gets to this scene, but no! we are on watch number 14 of this goddamn show and i am still giggling twirling my hair kicking my feet at one (1) flustered, frustrated prince going up against one (1) deranged, depressed dilf!

[idv-sunsxin3]

Sun & Moon Behind the Scenes HCs (ft. Make-up Artist! S/O)

Header’s art via FNAF Security Breach Official Game

{Headcanons/Scenarios}

Note// Some AU that has taking place during the making of the game- where all the game plot and endings are all directed like a film. Also- GUESS WHO’S BACK FROM THE FNAF FANDOM HOLE- It’s been a while,,,- ;u;

I most likely will write more about these two,,, qwq

___

In this AU, Sun & Moon are not in the same body.

Yes, some might not like the idea but imagine-

They both act like stunt performers, as they switch roles in certain parts of the plot behind the scenes.

When scenes are fluffy and happy, Sun would take in charge of it.

But when scenes get scary, dark, or very violent- Moon knows how to handle that.

While recording cutscenes, there has been a couple of bloopers during the recording.

There was a time Monty accidentally put his tail in the corner of the camera’s sight-

There was also a time where Gregory got stuck in the ballpit after going in the slide, that the film staff (and a concerned papa bear who also got stuck in it somehow-) had to get the poor child out of it-

There was another blooper clip where Sun was screeching and fell out of the desk

but Moon didn’t appear.

The director says cut as the lights turned back on to see what’s going on-

Turns out that Moon was eating stolen ice cream while playing “Fly Me to The Moon” by Joo Won in a corner of the daycare-

The camera moved to his direction.

Moon just stares at it.

Crap.

———

Gregory once recorded a random short video for fun, which looks like Moon walking on fours while glaring at a spider as if he’s demanding for a fight-

The director scold them afterwards for childish, reckless behavior in the break room.

And for terrifying the poor Sun with a spider that appeared in the kitchen when he was trying to fetch for your coffee-

———

With the delayed release of the game, Sun and Moon took advantage to stretch themselves more and the staff gave them implements that allow them to twist, twirl, and jump higher and smoother.

Sun originally had to get tied in a string to be able to ‘fly’ like moon, but the director had other plans for him,,,, (which means he have to hop in the solid floor for the entire plot as Moon is experiencing the moment of his life up there. 😩)

Sun// They took my flying powers! D:

Moon// Nerf is a bish.

Sun// Moon, watch your language in this studio! >:0

———

In the game, Moon & Sun would get along well with Freddy,,,, sometimes-

As they both think of him as a cool person, but they don’t like how the bear helps the troublemaker escape-

But behind the scenes, they think of their relationship as a playing tag friendship- A competition.

To improve their acting performance in chase scenes with fellow actors, they make a little game that makes the chasing scene look more real. (Since they often get heated and very competitive with the game which gets a little too far lol-)

Once the other animatronics learned the technique when the little group shared it, they started to use it as well in the recordings.

It gets very interesting when more people join the game.

———

Do you know the screen close-up which makes it look like Sun is holding Gregory?

Turns out he was actually holding the camera-

Why?

Gregory doesn’t let anyone but Glamrock Freddy carry him by the armpits-

Sun & Moon are the last people Gregory wants to be carried by.

Because it reminds him of the “Simba being hold up towards the sun” reference-

(Cues Lion King music)

Moon// SHUT UP, BACKGROUND MUSIC-

Yet, I still imagine Glamrock Freddy carrying Gregory like that while Sun’s smiley face is in the air as the typical sun,,,,-

Someone draw this please- (CRAP, I’M CHANGING THE SUBJECT TOO QUICKLY-)

Gregory often holds a camera so the recording stays in one point of view as always.

It’s hard to hold the camera while running, so he had to wear a headband that has the camera stick to it. (So the only issue is that he can’t look down unless it’s necessary.

Gregory simply lets Sun grab the camera from his head and would try his best to stop himself from laughing since he had to see Sun talking to the camera like an idiot-

No Gregory, he’s not an idiot and he knows what he’s doing hdjsnwnwn- X’DD

———

{S/O related below]

As a make-up artist, you rarely don’t do much with the animatronics besides getting their costumes ready for the film as they don’t need makeup.

You mostly have to put some makeup on Gregory which can be quite a challenge… (he just can’t moving by how ticklish he is- 😅) Vanessa wasn’t much of a problem though!

Luckily, you’re not the only make-up artist in the studio, since you also have to paint a lot of service robots’ faces to make a scary effect. (Like those robots that look like they have creepy, wide smiles and black dripping eyes).

Besides that, you don’t get very busy, so it gives an advantage to the sun and moon animatronics to spend time with you during their breaks.

As an excuse to be with you, Sun would intentionally dirties his face with glitter glue and crayons and state that his orange, pointy parts of his head(I think they’re called the “corona”) are needed to be polished.

Sun likes to give you surprise hugs after filming, and offers to spend lunch time with him. (He may not be able to eat, but insists to offer you snacks and provide you great company,,,, 🥺)

Moon wouldn’t do a lot of excuses, but he would often try to sneak out of his resting space and spook you from behind-

Or watching you work from the ceiling….-

When Moon feels nice enough, he’ll bring your favorite drink from the studio’s cafe for staff,,,

[dylanxmin]

A Little Serendipity

Part.17

before / next

•masterlist•

———————

After drinking thousands and thousands beer and soju, we literally lost our minds because alcohol was taking control over us. Joo-won totally were waisted on the ground, just watching us, clearly had no idea about what’s going on as I could see his blank stares were focused on us, but it was funny. I was totally drunk, as much as Soo-bin, she was laying on Chang-min’s lap, giggling something I couldn’t understand, but I giggled at her. While dealing with my drunkenness, trying to having a decent sight and maybe get little sober, I heard a voice by my side. “So, you return here being a beautiful girl Y/N” I hardly take over my head’s control to look at my right, and met with one pair of black, shining eyes of Jun-su. His boned face looked darker under this gloomy lightning, and he seem more good looking by it. He was the most handsome boy in high school, at least he was for me, because I had a very big crush on him when I was younger, and while looking his face by this close, i have to admit that he is still handsome, as back then. His face was getting more closer to mine, so I had to take myself a little back, but with a quick move, he covered the pace between us. “Yeah, thank you, I guess?” I replied to him, with annoyed attitude, while not looking his face, because he was very close to me. He replied my attitude with holding a pinch of my hear, putting it to back of my ear, and smiled with bright glare. I gasped with his move, and got little anxious because I didn’t know what to do, as I always get anxious when I couldn’t decide what to do next, and right now it was really hard for me. “You are a funny girl to be around.” he bend to me a little, getting closer to me, which I couldn’t take myself to not look into his eyes. “I want to be around you, from now on.”

The things that really irritates me were his smile, confidence and his dared looking eyes, they really getting on my nerves at this moment. “Did you even considered to ask my permission for being around me?” with an irony, I said, because he should be behaving, but his smile grow bigger. The music was now beating in my body, making me all hyped up about being outspoken, but I like to tease people with my attitudes, even though I was kind of a timid person, sometimes I could be outspoken, and these times were my favorites. His smile turns into a laugh, so I scowled my brow, bet this made him more excited about hanging around me, or making me more uncomfortable, which I couldn’t choose it, at the moment. “You became more interesting in time.” I nodded him, even though he was implying that I was ‘not interesting’ back then in the high school, but he was right at something that I changed in time, not with many thing but my confidence grow bigger than not being exist, and yes this is my bigger confidence. As soon as I opened my mouth to respond to him, I heard a voice that shakes me inside, even in my bones, I heard my name behind me, my back was numb because of the stare that I couldn’t see. “Oh! Hoseok, Yoongi!” Soo-bin’s exclaimed the names, which I was so sure about the owner of the voice, the voice that could make me feel numb, loose myself by just hearing it, and could make me loose my breath. His voice was something else for me to deal, because his voice attained to my ear, both so soft that I could cry over, and the most demanding voice that I ever heard. I turned my body towards them, to see their expressions, which I wasn’t totally happy to see their faces because they were looking anxious and angry, but mostly Yoongi were the one who was looking angry. Under his looks, wanted to melt and maybe I could get whipped away from this moment. “Are you guys okay?” Hoseok came to me right away, while asking us. He came to me and looked me and my body for something but I couldn’t what he was searching for. “We are okay?” I replied him with confused look, because his voice sounds very worried, and still I couldn’t understand why they were here, but now he was looking bit on the edge, and before I could continue Jun-su talked. “They are with us. Why they wouldn’t be okay?” after Jun-su talked with cocky implies on his voice, Hoseok’s expression changed in a minute from soft to furious, and his eyes openly mirrored it. “Because, my friend send me a text with a need of help.” I look at him with curious look, but then it hit me. That I was the friend who sends him a text, in a need of help, but questionably I couldn’t remember the text he was talking about, however I couldn’t dare to speak, because Hoseok was looking angry, which I never seen him like that before. Of course I knew him nearly two month but still, it was surprising to see him like this, as he was always a shining star, around me. I looked at Yoongi, which he was holding Soo-bin, with a furious sight was placed on his face. We were drunk, but still I wasn’t sure about being that drunk to text Hoseok and not remembering it. “So as you see, they are okay. You came here for nothing.” Jun-su replied Hoseok, with annoyed voice, which it passed to me, the annoyance but mostly caused by him. Hoseok looked at me, waiting for an answer but I was still confused about the text, and this moment was too tense for me so my laugh just slipped away by my lips, which I deeply know that I shouldn’t, and so sure that I was going to regret this, but I did it anyway with unwillingly. Hoseok’s looks changed on me with graved stares, which I could understand his uneasiness by his looks, but still didn’t know what to do about it. Now, my hand were burning inside of his grabs, because he was annoyed by me, as I could sense it. “Okay, we are leaving Y/N. You can stay if you want.” I heard his croaky, deep voice behind me, which it made me dizzy and meaning his words hurt a little, but didn’t surprised as it was his attitudes towards me.

Jun-su, take my hand from Hoseok, and hold it with a hard holding, while he was about the speak, but I cut his words with mine’s. “I want to come,” my voice was nearly audible but it was okay for them to hear, so I didn’t mind it. The only thing I was thinking right now, that his attitudes and his words, like can he really leave me right here, all alone? Yes, I wasn’t completely alone in here but if he leaves me here then I would feel like that. “But first, we are going to drop out the guys, at their places.” after I spoke, Jun-su let go of my hand, which it was a relief for me, as I didn’t want anyone to hold my hand in front of Yoongi.

•••

After unwillingly (mostly it was them) drop of the guys, now we were on the street, walking with Soo-bin’s questions. She was hold by Hoseok, and make him laugh, which it was making me happy, to hear his laughs again. And there was Yoongi beside me, giving me a one hand distance and walking in silence, but I was bored so I looked at him. His eyes were locked at the ground, giving blank looks, and making me real numb with his quietness, as I need his eyes on me, voice on my ear, hands on me, which it was nearly killing me to see his hands on his pocket, because they could placed on mines. “Why did you came here?” My question took him from his thoughts and gave me confused look, which I wasn’t expecting this question from myself, either, but I couldn’t hold myself from asking it anyway, because it was enough for me to feel this desperate right beside him. “What do you mean?” he answered me while taking his looks from me but it irritated me so much that I stopped and got closer to him, causing him to stop, either. “You are hating me, so why are you here?” I exclaimed more openly this time, as sickness got over me, I needed an answer right here, right now. His careless looks, his unwillingness towards me drives me crazy at that moment so I have to stop it. His looks were surprised but not the way I wanted to be, because he was still not interested in me the way I wanted to. Normally, I’m not a person with selfish will, but the thing is I want his attention towards me, and he wasn’t interested in me and eventually it drove me crazy. I was just sick of his attitudes towards me, so I couldn’t stopped myself from doing this. “I’m not hating you, Y/N. So you don’t need to yell at me for nothing.” his careless words and attitudes, bring tears to my eyes, but I hold them, at least tried to hold them, because his harshness touched very deep inside of me, and made my heart shake.

He was heading for walking but I stopped him by holding his arm, with touch, electricity followed through my body. We both were surprised because of my attitude but I couldn’t care less, which he was hating me already, so I had nothing to lose anyway. “You are not hating me but you don’t love me, either!” My voice started with high intentions but end up cracked and it followed by one tear, pouring from my eye, which I cleared it right away. My knees couldn’t hold me anymore so I leaned myself to him, take a deep breathe to hear his smell, feeling it inside my lungs, which it was literally suffocating me, and now my words nothing but a whisper. “Stop having numb feelings for me,” I stopped for a minute, needed to take breathe for using my last energy flack, then I could manage to say just one word, one word that make me look desperate and needy for him, but it wasn’t important at that moment. “Please.”

————

hii everyone!! xx i hope you enjoyed while reading this part:) let’s chat a little!! let me know if you want to be in the taglist:) thank you for reading again xx :)

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taglist : [ @mochiloverbts ]

[vannahfanfics]

Dawn and Dusk

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff, Friendship Fluff

Fandom: Yona of the Dawn

Characters: Yona, Lily, Soo-Won

Requested By: YonaWon (Ao3)

Lily awoke with a frightened start as the shriek of a snapping twig pierced the forest air, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. Fear was all she knew these days, since she and Yona had been captured and imprisoned in Sei, and since she had escaped with the red-haired princess into the wilderness. Her sea-blue eyes frantically searched the dank forest for the source of the disturbance. She huddled further amongst the sturdy roots of the tree she had been resting against, meagerly hoping it would swallow her up and hide her from what were likely prison guards coming to retrieve her renegade self. Yona was nowhere to be seen, either; where was her friend? Had she already been taken, leaving Lily defenseless? She tried to control her shallow, rapid breathing as she trembled against the forest floor, a rabbit caught in a hunter’s trap.

“Lily, relax; it’s just me.” At the sound of Yona’s faint whisper, Lily instantly melted into a puddle of relief against the tree. The princess emerged from the greenery with a mildly serious expression. She then scurried quickly over to her to kneel beside her. She must have run off to retrieve water while Lily slipped into unconsciousness. The thought made her eyes water, and she dropped her gaze to the loamy earth; Yona was so strong and capable, while she was just dead weight. It was frustrating.

“Lily, we have to go. There are Sei soldiers nearby. They may already know we’re here,” Yona told her and grabbed her by the wrist, already pulling her to her feet. Lily gasped, probably much too loudly, as she was pulled up and dragged further into the forest by the rushed princess. In some fragile, cowardly part of her, Lily wanted just to collapse right there and have Yone run off by herself. Though she had been asleep for at least an hour, her feet and calves were already screaming in protest each time they slapped against the cold, thick layer of forest debris, and the numerous cuts across her legs and arms stung horribly as the air whipped over them. Lily’s mouth and throat burned like fire as she breathed, parched from thirst, and within minutes that burning flame spread to her lungs, which were begging for relief. As much as she wanted to give up though, she didn’t; she couldn’t, not with Yona there.

I have to be strong like Yona. I can’t be dead weight! She told herself as she squeezed her eyes shut, pouring all of her strength into continuing the feverish pace. It wasn’t to be, though; the Sei soldiers were indeed aware of their presence.

Lily looked over her shoulder with a fearful gasp as the forest behind them exploded with energy; the birds were startled from their nests, calling out to the night in warning as the bushes violently shook as the armored soldiers tromped and hacked through them. Their angry shouts echoed behind the two girls, and Lily could see the flash of their blades in the moonlight. The thwang! of bowstrings soon joined them, and Lily shrieked in alarm as an arrowhead nicked the soft flesh of her ear and embedded itself into the thick bark of a tree as she dashed past. Yona tried to throw them off, weaving through the trees as the arrows whistled by around them. To Lily’s amazement and relief, however, the sounds were rapidly retreating as the comparably lighter and smaller girls placed increasing distance between them. A strange euphoria, probably from the mixture of terror and adrenaline, filled Lily’s blood as she considered that they might actually escape.

Then Yona screamed in agony as blood exploded from the back of her heel. Her hand was ripped from Lily’s when she lost her footing and landed roughly on the ground. Lily’s feet slipped in the loose dead leaves as she scrambled to a halt and scrambled back to Yona. The redhead was whining loudly and tenderly holding her foot, which had an arrow sticking out of the back of it.  The arrowhead pierced deep into her flesh. Lily fell on her hands and knees beside her injured friend, looking wildly into the dark woods. She could not hear their shouts anymore, or maybe they weren’t shouting at all; like beasts, they were surrounding and enclosing their prey.

The air all around Lily and Yona echoed with trembling leaves and resounding footsteps; in her panic, she wasn’t even sure where they were coming from. It was like they were everywhere. Gulping, Lily looked back to Yona and grabbed her by the arm to drag her across the ground into a bushy thicket. The girl did not protest even as the pokey branches pricked her skin. The copse was not as sure a shield as Lily would like; Yona’s bright red hair stuck out brightly against the muted smudges of brown and green, and a trail of equally red blood glowed ethereally in the patches of moonlight, leading right to their location. “Lily,” Yona groaned and looked up at her with eyes scrunched up in pain. “Go on without me. You can still get away.”

“No! I won’t leave you!” she insisted hotly before looking down at the arrow, her eyebrows knit as she struggled with what to do. It was bleeding profusely, puddling around Yona’s foot, and there was no way she would able to walk with such an injury, let alone run. Lily’s hands fluttered about the shaft of the arrow, but never gripped it because she was afraid of hurting the already distraught girl.

“Lily-“

“No!” she snapped again and glared down at Yona. “I won’t leave you, Yona. Either way, we are going together!” Really, there was no “either”; their outcome was inevitable. Lily’s breath hitched in her throat as the air rang with snapping twigs again, frighteningly close. Speaking would undoubtedly alert the enemy to their location, so neither of them said anymore. Desperate to protect the girl who had done so much to protect her, Lily did her best to cover Yona’s body with her own, hoping her dark hair and clothes wound blend in better with the earthy tones of the forest thicket. Below her, she could feel Yona shuddering in pain, and so she tried not to place too much weight on her to avoid causing her more discomfort.

Lily’s eyes trained on the thin spaces between the interwoven branches of the thicket, and for a while, all she could see was the moonlight splashing across the empty ground. The forest air was now alive with the sound of leaves and twigs crunching underfoot. Then, to her acute alarm, a pair of dark boots appeared in her line of sight. Lily held her breath, but her heart did not obey despite how much she willed it to; it pounded thunderously against her ribcage, and she thought for sure that the perpetrator could hear its constant drumming. Lily watched with eyes as wide as saucers as the boots milled about only a few feet away, sliding in the leaves as their owner searched for signs of the girls. Lily prayed with everything she had that they would escape unnoticed, but they seemed unfounded.

It took everything within her not to jump violently when the stranger knelt, and she watched as his hands ruffled through the strewn leaves, picking one up. Lily saw with dismay Yona’s blood glittering on its dull surface. A second passed as the man no doubt traced the path of the blood droplets with his eyes, and a sickening feeling grew in her stomach as he stood up and came marching up to the thicket. Trembling, Lily threw herself over Yona, thinking that maybe she would just be killed on sight and her body left there, and Yona could go unnoticed hidden beneath her. Large hands ripped apart the branches of the thicket and allowed the harsh light of the moon to spill over her.

“Finally, I found you. Are you hurt, Miss Lily?” Lily’s eyes snapped open in shock at the voice who greeted her, and her head whipped upwards.

“General Geun-Tae?” Her voice was like a parrot’s squawk, high-pitched and squeaky with the sheer amount of disbelief in it. The long-haired man smirked down at her before standing up straight and cupping a hand to his mouth to shout into the dark of the forest.

“Hey! I found her!”

Lily exhaled deeply, momentarily relieved, but then just as quickly, a fresh wave of horror crashed over her. If the general was here, then surely King Soo-Won was with him, and Lily absolutely could not allow Yona to be discovered. That was just as much of a death sentence as being caught by the Sei soldiers. Resolutely, Lily remained hunkered down over the princess and warily looked up at the general. “What’s the ma- wait, who are you hiding?” he accused, and though Lily tried her best to resist, his brute strength was too much for her; with frustrating ease, he grabbed her by the shoulder and firmly but delicately straightened her up into a sitting position, and Yona came into plain view. To the princess’ credit, though her face was smudged with dirt and her hair tangled with leaves and her skin shining with a thin sheen of sweat, her expression was as fiery as her hair as she glared up at the startled general. “What-? But you’re-“

“Good job, General. We should get Miss Lily out of here as soon as possible.” The dreadful pit that had formed in Lily’s stomach grew three times bigger as Soo-Won’s voice came fluttering into the clearing. She peered nervously around Geun-Tae as he came casually strolling onto the scene with General Joo-Doh walking stiffly behind him. Geun-Tae whipped around with a complicated expression, his eyes flicking from the injured Yona to the king and back. Soo-Won’s face morphed from a small smile to a bewildered one. “What is it?”

“Er-“ Before the general could explain, Soo-Won came walking over to the destroyed thicket to investigate himself. As he did so, Yona was just dragging herself into a sitting position with one slim hand curled around her still-bleeding ankle. She tossed her sunset hair to glance blankly up at him the king’s eyes grew incredibly wide. A tense moment of silence passed. Before any of the men could decide to put Yona to an untimely end, Lily threw herself between them, throwing out her arms on either side as if it would make herself a wider shield.

“Don’t hurt Yona! She helped me escape from the Sei prison, and is my friend. If you do anything to her, I won’t forgive you!” She tried to pour malice and intensity into her voice like Yona would, but to her irritation, her throat would not obey. Her voice cracked and trembled, her arms matching the tremor, and her glare was as unsteady as the branches trembling in the wind above. Despite that, her voice seemed to rouse something inside of Soo-Won. He nodded before looking at Geun-Tae.

“General, look after Miss Lily here. Yona is hurt and needs medical attention,” he ordered. Lily could not read the expression on his face, and that frightened her.

“No! I’m staying with Yona!” she snapped hotly as the general shrugged and promptly leaned down to very rudely grab Lily by the waist and haul her out of the thicket to throw her over his shoulder like a mere sack of potatoes. “Hey! Do you hear me? Unhand me now! This is no way to treat a lady!” she screeched in anger as she beat on his broad back to no effect. As the general whirled around to begin walking towards his horse, it gave Lily a clear view of Soo-Won kneeling in the remains of the thicket behind the bedraggled, regal exiled princess. Lily’s heart jumped in her throat as she began more panicked for her friend’s welfare than irritated at her own treatment. “Let me go! I’m not going anywhere without Yona! Yona! Yoooooonaaaaaaa!” she wailed as she continuously struggled in the general’s grip with frightened tears streaming down her cheeks, washing the dirt away with them before falling into the air, glittering like diamonds in the streaming moonlight.

~~~~~~~~~~

Yona kept her expression as rigid as stone as the man who killed her father knelt in the crumpled branches and crushed leaves to bring his face down to the level of hers. As the moonlight shone down from the breaks in the canopy above, it washed over his golden hair to turn it a shining silver. His pale skin seemed to glow, making him look like an angel sent from above to deliver Yona from this fresh Hell. Yona knew much better than that, though; pretty-faced and elegant as he was, Soo-Won was no angel, but a devil to the core. His expression was as unreadable as hers as he lifted a hand to hold it out to her in offering.

“Yona, you must trust me. I will take both you and Lily to a safe place.” Lily had stopped screaming and was just sniffling miserably on the other side of the clearing, perched in front of the broad general on his destrier. The stoic Joo-Doh was watching with apparent interest from beside his own, and Yona was quite aware that his hand was resting on the hilt of his sword. Her mouth twitched as she straightened herself up, though it sent pain shooting through every nerve in her body, and made a show of resting her hands primly in her lap rather than taking the one held out in front of her.

“Trust you? I think not. For all I know, this is all a show for Lily’s sake. You’ve never cared about me, Soo-Won,” she said bitterly. Hearing the words spit like acid out of her mouth made her sad. Even now, after all, that had happened, she desperately wanted for them to be untrue. She wanted the man that she loved once to feel something for her so she could fall into his arms and be safe and wanted. That would never be, though; if Soo-Won had cared, he wouldn’t have murdered her father in cold blood. But what about that time? chimed the annoying voice in her head. He had shielded her from prying eyes once, and had allowed her to escape back to her party unharried. If he had truly wanted to be rid of her, he surely would have done so by now. Already, Yona’s resolve and stubbornness was waning, but she still refused to allow the quiver to come to her bottom lip or the tears to flood into her eyes. Her eyes burned like the dawn as she waited for his response.

“Yona,” he exhaled deeply, and with the way he tilted his head and closed his eyes, she could tell that his patience with her was already wearing thin. “I haven’t the time to explain it all to you right now. Please, if not for your own sake, then for Lily’s. You both direly need medical attention.” At the mention of her friend, another piece of Yona’s shield went splintering off. Lily was of much weaker constitution than Yona, having been sheltered in a palace and not subject to the hardships Yona had of late. Yona knew that the girl had reached her limit already. Still, she had too much pride to rise to the king’s bait.

“Don’t try to use her as leverage, Soo-Won. That still doesn’t change anything. Face it- you can’t give me a legitimate reason for me to-“

“Fine!” he barked at her suddenly, cutting her off. Despite herself, she jumped slightly at the ferocity in his voice and the intensity of his gaze when he snapped his eyes open to gaze ferociously at her. With a flushing rising into his cheeks, he spat, “How about because I love you, Yona? Is that good enough for you?” Yona was immensely struck, having expected any other reason but that. Her knee-jerk reaction was to claim it as a lie immediately. However, Soo-Won anticipated such a response and thus acted appropriately to quell her continuous rebellion.  

With his face now as red as Yona’s fiery hair, he stiffly wrapped a hand around the back of her head to jerk her forward. Every cell in her body pulsed as his lips crashed against hers, fiercely but passionately. One part of her was screaming to pull back and slap him. The other part of her strongly overpowered it, the part of her that she had tried to quash ever since that night at the castle watching Soo-Won draw the bloody blade out of the corpse of her beloved father- the part that loved Soo-Won deeply, wholly, with everything she had. Enslaved by her emotions, Yona slumped against Soo-Won, her slightly shaking hands curling into the fabric of his high-quality, kingly robes as her eyes drifted shut. “I care about you, Yona… Really, I do,” he whispered against her lips, and that sent a trembling shudder throughout her entire body unlike anything she had ever felt. No, I can’t let him get to me! she thought with gritted teeth and jerked back stiffly for a second.

“You’re a liar! You don’t care about me!” she insisted, and she hated how weak and feeble her voice sounded. That part of her tugged fiercely, drawing her body further against him though her mind tried to resist. He doesn’t… He can’t love me…

“You’re like a stubborn child,” he grunted. At once, he swept her up in his kiss again, even more fiercely than before. Her senses became dominated by the feeling of his lips moving against her own, hungry and full of desire, and his slim fingers sliding through the tangled strands of her dawn-colored hair. As he kissed her intensely, Yona could not deny it this time; there was no lie. Soo-Won loved her, despite all the twisted things that he had done. That made her sadder than anything yet. The tears began to stream silently down her cheeks.

Though she loved him, though she trusted him, she could not forgive him. Thus they could never be no matter how much either of them wanted it.

“Lord Soo-Won, the Sei soldiers will be here soon,” Joo-Doh coughed awkwardly from his spot across the clearing, and Soo-Won jerked slightly. Yona’s let out a small sigh as he pulled back from her, very hesitantly, and her eyelashes fluttered open to look up at him with faintly peek cheeks. He sniffed as he tried to resume some kind of kingly manner, sitting stiffly upright as he uncomfortably teased his fingers through his long, blonde hair. His eyes twitched slightly as he muttered, “Will you come with me now?” Yona silently nodded, wiping at her eyes with backs of her hands while she stared mutely down at her lap.

Her mind was still descended in fog. She struggled with the realization that her feelings were reciprocated and the uncertainty of her future. How was she going to keep moving forward, knowing this? She couldn’t abandon Hak, Yoon, and the others, and she just simply couldn’t forget the fact that Soo-Won killed her father. Yet, he had softened something inside of her. Now she just didn’t know what she was going to do anymore. Slightly frustrated with it, she decided that she didn’t have to conclude that now, and she was just going to face the moment.

She rested her head against Soo-Won’s shoulder as he slipped his arms around her, effortlessly lifting her from the thicket and turning around with her nestled in his arms like a groom would his bride. It was not preferred of Yona, but she was severely dehydrated and unable to walk with her injury, so she just obediently remained in his gentle hold. Both of them flushed simultaneously when they realized that Geun-Tae and Lily were gawking shamelessly, their mouths wide open. Joo-Doh, he was too serious for that, but he definitely looked floored and uncomfortable.

“But- I thought- Lily?” General Geun-Tae stammered and looked in bewilderment at the other princess. “You-? I’m so confused,” he exhaled deeply and slumped his shoulders with a tired expression. Lily had gone pale and was looking at her in deep concern, and so the princess just smiled wearily and waved a hand to indicate that she was just fine (well, fine enough) with the development. Lily frowned deeply but nodded in understanding, probably just content with knowing that Yona would be okay in the hands of the king. Yona looked up at Soo-Won, who twitched his nose with an expression halfway between a glare and a smile as he regarded Geun-Tae.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s go,” Soo-Won huffed as he promptly carried Yona over to his horse and set her into the saddle before climbing up himself. She swallowed slightly as he put one arm around her middle and held him securely against him, her head pressed right in the middle of his chest. As he turned the horse around with a whip of the reins, she resigned herself and flopped wearily back against him.

“This doesn’t change anything, you know,” she murmured to him while keeping her gaze on the shifting landscape of the forest.

“You sure have gotten stubborn, Yona,” he sniffed at her, doing the same. He knew it didn’t change anything, either. They were going to be at odds, for the foreseeable future, at least; their paths definitely intertwined, but would they ever be joined?

Yona didn’t know, and it hurt her wearied mind to contemplate it. Instead, she pondered fantasies that had been lost to her- the dawn of a romance between herself and the king. She closed her eyes, savoring the way he held her tightly, securely, like he never wanted to let her go, and for the briefest of moments pretended that he wouldn’t have to.

If Yona was the dawn, Soo-Won was the dusk, two very similar things that could never meet, and were destined to oppose each other for the rest of time…

Enjoy this story? Here’s Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V! Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents! 

[mikmikisnotcrack]

BTS as your Overprotective Brothers

Hyung Line || Maknae Line

Pairing: Brother! BTS

Warnings: None

▪▪▪

Kim Namjoon

Namjoon was a very strict brother. He has a designated curfew for every time you went out, he has a list on the fridge and in your room reminding you what you shouldn't do, he prohibits your outings and has to be updated on you 24/7. When he became an idol, you thought that you'd be a little more free since you now have your own apartment and he won't be there to keep an eye on you. You thought wrong. If anything, he got even more strict with you. Every time he's on tour he'd be messaging you non stop. However, you knew Namjoon was only doing his best so that his little sister wouldn't get harmed in any way.

You were currently getting ready to go to a party your college peers had every month. You were dressed in a black see through crop top with rose patches, black high waist shorts, fishnet stockings, high heeled boots and a leather jacket, you know, in case it was cold. Quickly finishing off your makeup with a dark plum lipstick, you grabbed your purse, car keys and headed out to meet your best friend outside your apartment building. However, as soon as you opened your door, your brother was right outside. 'Shit' you thought.

"Oppa! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Bangkok" You asked nervously as he eyed you down "We just got back, and I thought I would check on you in case you were scheming something. By the way you look, I'm guessing that you're going to that party at Min Hyuk's frat house?" He replies.

"Uhhh--" You start "You can't lie to me, (y/n)" He says, cutting you off. "Oppa, please let me go" You beg "This is a one time thing, I promise!"

"Mhm, say that to Nan Hee's instagram story a month ago" He says, showing you his phone where a highlight thread from last month's party was playing. You saw that Nan Hee decided to film the whole thing on her instagram story. Unfortunately, a bunch of those included you playing drinking games with some other girls in the party. 'Im going to kill you Nan Hee!' You thought.

You looked down, your hands fiddling together. You were sure that you'll be dead. Namjoon didn't like you going around partying, especially Min Hyuk's party. "You've been sneaking around while I was on tour, weren't you?" He says sternly, entering your apartment. You placed your purse on the coffee table as you sat down, suddenly finding the floor more interesting than your brother's face.

"Oppa... You wouldn't even let me out to go to the cafe without asking Jimin or Jungkook to go with me." You say, finding it extremely difficult to state your reason for sneaking out. "If I told you that I was invited to Min Hyuk's party, you wouldn't let me.."

You heard him sigh as he kneeled down. "I would've allowed you if you just asked." He says. You met his eyes, surprise written all over your face. "I've done more crazy shit than you ever would, believe me. You have no idea how much dad scolded me as a kid" He says with a little chuckle. "Now stand up, you got all tarted up just to go to that party, I'll drive you. But get home by 10:30, okay?"

You smiled as you both stood up. On the way to the elevator, you realized something "Wait, what does tarted up mean?" You ask. His eyes widened a little bit, disbelief written on his face "You play beer pong and do body shots and you don't know what that means?!"

"Uhhh maybe?"

"It means slutty. Dressed slut- you know what, nevermind."

Kim Seokjin

Your female friends always complained on how they wanted an older brother rather than an older sister. Apparently older sisters were sinister, bossy and more. You, however, think they're fucking insane for wanting a brother over a sister. If having one brother was annoying enough, you best believe having two would be worse. Seokjin constantly bossed you around, and since he was closer to your age, he was the one that monitored your outings and such. Seok Jung was the one that you had to ask for permission every time you do such outings. You can succeed in bribing Seokjin, but you're gonna have a hard time with Seok Jung.

"JIIIINNNN!!!!" You whined, clinging onto your brother's back. Your friends were planning a trip to Palawan for a week and invited you to join them. You managed to convince your eldest brother, so now you just had to convince Seokjin to allow you. Which is why you decided to barge into their dorm during their rest week.

"Excuse me? Jin? Do you have any respect for your oppa" he says, trying to walk back to the living room, but he couldn't due to his annoying little sister clinging onto his back. "What do you want (y/n)?"

"(Y/N)'S HERE?" You hear the distinct voices of the maknaes coming from different parts of the house "NO SHE ISN'T!" Seokjin shouted back as he finally got back to the living room where Yoongi, Namjoon and Hoseok were sitting. "Hong Joo invited me-" "No" He says, cutting you off.

"BUT OPPAAA" You whine, tightening your grip on his torso, making him wheeze a little. "(y/n) you are twenty five years old, stop acting like a child!" He scolds, trying to shake you off. "Yah, Hyung quiet down, I can't concentrate" Yoongi says, button mashing on a controller.

"Then stop treating me like a child!" You say, getting back on the ground. Seokjin sighed, turning around "Fine, what do you want?" He asks. "Hong Joo asked me to go with her and our friends to Palawan. I already asked Seok Jung oppa and he said sure, ask Seokjin" You explain.

"Palawan?! Isn't that a little too far? And who are you going with?" He asks

"Yeah, Busan is also too far away" He glares at your sarcasm, making you laugh nervously "Anyways, the people who're going are Hong Joo, Woo Tak, Hee Min, Seung Won, So Yoon, Cho Hee, Dae Gu and Jaechan"

"JAE CHAN?!" He exclaims "Nope, you aren't coming and that's confirmed. Why are there so many guys?!"

"Oppa, chill, I'm staying in a room with Cho Hee! And hello, he's happily dating Hong Joo for crying out loud!"

"Alright, fine. You can go. But if I hear any funny business happening, you are never getting out of Hyung and I's sight okay?"

Min Yoongi

"Oppa, can you answer the door please?" You yell from your room, making Yoongi sigh as he got up from his comfortable position on the couch. He recently went home to Daegu so he can spend time witj his family, so here he was. According to his mom, there was a visitor coming. He constantly asked around the household on who was coming, but no one answered him. For christ sake he even phoned Jun Ki but he didn't give any reasonable answer on who was this guest and why was his family making a big deal about it. They were all fussing around the house... what for?

Yoongi opened the door and came face to face with a boy he knew all too well "Jaeyoung" He says bitterly. Jung Jaeyoung was a trainee at the company, and in all honesty, he hated his guts. Yoongi could practically smell the fuckboy on him. And not only that, he was that trainee that bossed around his younger trainees and messed around eith the stylists. God knows how the hell he still gets away with his shit. "Hyung! Hi! Uhh... Why are you here?" He asks "I could say the same thing for you" Yoongi replies.

"Um... I'm here for my girlf--" "Byee~" Yoongi says, cutting him off. He already knew what this kid was going to say and immediately slammed the door in his face. "Who was at the door oppa?" You asked, scaring him a little as he failed to notice that you had gone down "Oh, just some people asking for donations for the church" He says. The doorbell rang again and before he could stop you, you had already yanked the door open.

"Jaeyoung!" You exclaimas you hugged him. Yoongi looked at the two of you, disgust evident in his face as he stepped back inside. "Eomma, Appa, my boyfriend is here!" You exclaimed, your parents immediately running out of the kitchen to meet the boy you keep talking about. Yoongi stiffled a laugh as he noticed his mom's smile drop for a split second. She can sense the fuckboy in him too.

Dinner soon started, everyone was dressed nicely, except Yoongi who was in a hoodie and sweats as they ate. Jaeyoung kept talking about himself and you just stared at him with those heart eyes, completely neglecting the fact that he was only talking about him. Yoongi glared daggers at him as he ate, but was soon snapped out when he recieved a text message. At the corner of his eyes, Yoongi saw his mom put down her phone and shot him that stare. He unlocked his phone and almost laughed at his mom's message for him.

'Please shut him up, I can't stand the sound of his voice.'

The night progressed and his words were tiring almost everyone, and at this point the whole family except you was trash talking Jaeyoung in the 'Min Family (minus maknae) GC'. Hell, even Jun Ki was bashing on him. What the hell did you even see in him?! Enough was enough when he slowly started complaining about how you were as a girlfriend, and Yoongi could tell that you were slowly getting affected by it. "Okay, Jaeyoung, Im gonna be straight forward right now, please shut the fuck up." Yoongi says, cutting off the boy and surprising you.

"Excuse me?" Jaeyoung says, obviously offended "Yeah, you heard me. Shut the fuck up." Yoongi replies "O-Oppa!" You stutter. You were not gonna deal with a fight right now. "Not right now (y/n), we'll talk later, okay?" He says, flashing you his gummy smile then turning back to your shit boyfriend with the most intense glare you've seen him do.

"No offense, but please get your head out of your ass, it's not a hat. You are in our household and all you did was talk about yourself as if you were some God, in which you are not. We have tolerated your shit for about two hours now, despite your voice is like nails on a chalkboard." Yoongi starts as he stood up from his chair and started walking towards Jaeyoung

"If your attitude wasn't enough, you decided to shit talk my sister right in front if her and her family. Have you got no shame? Oh right, you don't because everything about you is already shameful." Yoongi grabs the back of his chair, yanks it out and pulls him by the collar towards the door "My sister is an amazing person and she doesn't need you in her life you walking piece of trash. I am breaking you two up. Please never come back to her and get your stuff from Big Hit because you are also no longer a trainee. Goodbyee~" And with that as a finishing statement, Yoongi opened the door and shoved him outside, dusting off his hands before closing the door and locking it.

He turned around and was engulfed in a hug by his little sister, making him smile as he patted you on the back "Thanks oppa" You say "Hey, don't sweat it, oppa always has your back."

Jung Hoseok

Hoseok stared at you from the car. Jiwoo had told him to pick you up since she was busy, so he borrowed her car and went to pick you up at your school. His eyes narrowed as he saw a boy walk up to you with a box and a bouquet of flowers. He watched as you smiled, bowed and took the gifts. He rolled his eyes as he drove over to the parking lot and honked the horn, making your eyes snap from the guy's face and to the car. You bid your goodbyes, thanked him for the flowers and gift and entered the car. "Hey un-- oh! Oppa, I thought you were on tour with the others" You say, not expecting Hoseok to be the one picking you up

"Nice to see you too (y/n), Noona's busy so she told me to pick you up instead" He says,making you hum in response. He looked at you from the mirror and saw that you had opened the box and inside was a compliment jar. He silently scoffed as he stopped at a stoplight. "So, who was that boy earlier?" He asks, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Your eyes widened, realizing that your brother had seen the exchange between you and Tae Kwon, a guy who has been courting you for the past three months.

"Um.. A guy from our class, why?" You ask, smiling nervously at your brother. "Mhm, and why'd he give you those? Seems cliche" He replies

"He's been courting me for the past three months..." You say, knowing that you can't even attempt to lie to your brother.

He stepped on the gas pedal as the light turned green. "Does noona know about him?" He asks.

"Well, yeah. He's been sending flowers and food at home. And when unnie doesn't pick me up he's the one who accompanies me so..."

"I see. Well, either way please kindly reject him. He seems like a nice guy and all, but you're still too young to get into the dating game, ok?" He says with a smile as he looked at you from the rear view mirror "It's not that I don't like him, It's more of I don't want you getting your heart broken at an early age. Take it from someone who's been dumped for a better man. I promise you, you don't need love to be happy in your life. Sure, it's reassuring to know that someone loves you, but sometimes It doesn't go well. Prioritize your studies first instead of love, okay? But even then, if you choose to get in the dating game I won't stop you. It's your life and I, as well as mom, dad and Jiwoo noona, is only here to guide and ensure that you won't end up in regretful situations."

You smiled at your brother as you leaned forward "Thanks oppa" You say as you kissed his cheek and laid back down at the back.

"Yah! Put your legs down, people outside could probably see your underwear!"

▪▪▪

Requests are open guys!! Also to the youngins out there, pls take Hoseok's word of advice seriously 👌

[gwynne-fics]

Becoming Royals

The Execution of General Yang

Young-Do took Go Nam-Il with him, along with a warrant, and fifty soldiers to the neighboring province to arrest General Yang. They surrounded the estate where Ye-Sol’s information claimed he was hiding and within fifteen minutes had every member of the general’s family kneeling in the courtyard.

This including General Yang’s first wife, his teenage son, and a set of infant twins. “Where is the general?”

The noble family did not answer him. Young-Do did not like this tactic but he turned on the house steward and brought his blade to his throat. “Where is the general.”

“The pavilion.” Young-Do immediately withdrew his sword. He might be lying right now but he would not the next time he asked a question. Besides, he’d already discussed an alternate plan with Go Nam-Il.

“Nam-Il. Quietly arrest him there. Apologize to the Madam and compensate her.”

“Yes, my prince.” He took ten men with him and Young-Do stared at the twins. They were quiet, bundled tightly, and he knew it would be a mistake to let them live. Myung-Soo’s intelligence indicated that these might be Won’s children.

Fuck. He did not want to execute babies.

“Kim Won married your daughter. Where is she?”

No one answered. Young-Do kept his patience. He could feel something desperate on the wind. General Yang was known for always keeping a small group of men in hiding to protect his house. Young-Do warned his men to be prepared for an ambush. He kept the most capable guarding Lady Yang and the boy. 

General Yang was here. He could smell it on the air. Yang Da-Kyung was here. She had trained young, like Bo-Na, and while she never trained with him, Won, or Hyo-Shin, her reputation was solid and her father’s pride, loud. Her children were at least three months old. She might be slow but she would be part of this ambush and he knew better than to underestimate a new mother.

At the very least, Young-Do knew how military families worked.

Movement flickered out of the corner of his eye but Young-Do didn’t move. Nam-Il flitted out of his vision and there were several strangled choking noises before a shadow leaped from the courtyard’s tree to attack him.

Young-Do parried the first two strikes before getting close and sweeping his opponent’s feet. She landed hard and tried to scissor kick his knees but he shuffled back and kicked her hard in the ribs before bringing the flat of his sword against her throat.

“Yang Da-Kyung. Where is your father?” He let her get to her feet as she glared fiercely at him. Young-Do did not look away from her until Nam-Il’s trusted lieutenant tied her hands behind her.

“Gone,” she lied as Nam-Il came out of the estate.

“I have him, my prince.” There was blood on Nam-Il’s face in the setting sun but Young-Do saw how securely General Yang was tied in the red rope. He kicked the general to his knees. “We have a writ of execution signed by the king with his official seal. It includes his two wives, his son, his daughter, and any other members of his household as the magistrate sees fit.”

Young-Do swallowed. He thought a lot about how to handle the execution on his journey here. They barely made it before sunset so there was enough light to carry out their raid quietly. A general who betrayed his king was to be wiped from the earth immediately.

In this moment, Young-Do held the power of the magistrate. This execution was his responsibility, even if it upset his father, because this was his first real act as a man who would be king. How he handled this would set the tone for his time on the throne. Was he a tyrant or was he merciful? He didn’t ask Rachel’s advice, not because she was bloodthirsty but simply because he knew she couldn’t decide this for him.

“Execute the general, his wives, and his son. Arrest Yang Da-Kyung and the babies. Handle them gently. I want no mistakes.”

“He doesn’t love me,” Yang Da-Kyung said calmly. “I am not a good hostage. He’s never met his children. He doesn’t consider himself their father.”

“Won is not a great man,” Young-Do said to her. “But he is not a man to ignore his responsibility to his wife and children. You are not bait. You are a mercy I will absolutely regret, either tomorrow or a decade from now. I have all the bait I need, Da-Kyung. I have Hyun-Joo.”

Her eyes narrowed and she paled just enough that he knew that the gambit with the cipher worked enough for her to personally witness Won’s anger and obsession. “He’s not stupid enough to come for her without a plan.”

It worried him that she could be right. Won with a plan, calm and reasonable, would end with more blood than if he was wild and unthinking. “It will be awkward when she refuses him. Where is the general’s second wife?”

Again, it was the steward that answered. “Attending Kim Nam-Yoon.” That was inconvenient. Myung-Soo’s intelligence put Kim Nam-Yoon far away from the capital and close to the front.

“Search the house again. Prince Myung-Soo will want to examine all of the paper in this house. Get it all before we destroy it. Lieutenant, escort Lady Da-Kyung to the prison wagon with her children. I won’t force her to witness this.”

There was no crying, no begging, and no fear. Not when Young-Do beheaded the general, not when he beheaded the teenage boy, and not while Lady Yang drank her poison. Young-Do had the bodies laid inside the estate, fire breaks were carefully placed around the walls, and the property set on fire. The fire breaks held and no other part of the city was in danger.

He stayed and watched it until only ash remained.

[blackbeerandcoffeemovies]

Parasite

This movie was an experience. Good movies always linger in your head long after you’ve gone out of the theater and this one certainly did. I always try to look out for films with something fresh in it and not from the usual Hollywood production line stock. Oddly enough, it’s equal parts funny, smart and engaging, but was strangely held-up in a platform of stunning tragedy.    

Let’s get some things out of the way first: as with most movies winning the “Palme d'Or Award” at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, this certainly got my attention. Since my collar has a deep shade of blue, I don’t allow myself any sort of pretense to announce how “cultured” I am to always follow movies winning said accolade. I do nevertheless pay attention. Basically, this movie has many heads turning and it also won the lesser-known Sydney Film Festival. Second, it’s directed by Bong Joo Han. He’s Korean (the Southern part). He’s offbeat (the good kind). He’s also absolutely worth looking out for (yes, really). Why? I’ll give 2013’s “Snow Piercer” as an example of his work. It’s a brilliant, marrow-piercing metaphor wrapped in dystopian sci-fi, wrapped in apocalyptic introspection. He’s also been able to bring out a somewhat decent acting performance from Chris Evans (of “Captain America” fame) as lead. Did I say he was offbeat? Let’s go back further into 2006’s Korean monster flick “The Host”. It’s certainly not trying to be the Korean version of “Godzilla” but it is entertaining enough to make you relate with the characters and smart enough to thrill you in all the right places. He also intersperses moments of quirky humor in just the right amounts so as not to take away from their themes. 

“Parasite” is the story is of two families each at the polar end of the societal spectrum:  the Kims living in poverty basically at the edge of squalor, and the Parks enjoying staid opulence bordering on elite. As you can imagine, the Kims need to be “creative” in their source of income for daily survival, while the Parks go about in mundane, almost “numbed” comfort.  The whole intersection begins when the eldest son, Ki-woo (actor Woo-sik Choi) gets employed to be the English tutor for the daughter of the Park’s, Da-hye (actress Ji-so Jung). Motivated by equal parts hunger, ambition and tenacity, it is there that the stark opposition of these two families begins to unfold slowly, revealing their motivations and inner dynamics. This opposition becomes so glaring and as the story progresses, it will lead to a darker turn forced upon by a third party within the sphere of the Park’s. This is the part where the audience gets to know why the movie is named as such. 

However, this isn’t just a simple story of the “haves” vs. the “have nots”. Bong’s work wouldn’t stand out from the crowd if it was this predictable or ineffective. Complications upon complications ensue, until a bloody breaking point happens. Hard truths unravel and lives become so bitterly altered. Bong’s execution of the narrative is so “light” in that it carries you on despite the crash you know is going to eventually happen.  A BIG, bad crash.  In the movie’s resolution, you find yourself utterly divided whether to root for the flawed characters or to stoically dismiss them to accept their comeuppance.    

As I said before in the beginning, this movie was in the fullest sense of the word, an “experience”. It challenges you to see the fuller context of characters in an imperfect world, doing imperfect things. You come out of the movie house asking yourself “Huh?” but certainly not in an empty way. It’s a kind of muted shock to your system. Bong’s handiwork thus hits the mark.    

[ohyangchon]

Compromise (2)

A pile of shit is dumped outside Seungchan’s mansion. 

After getting off the phone, Seungchan went outside to grab himself a can of coffee- to see Heesung parked in front of the window, silently taking in the sights outside. Being used to it, Seungchan barely questioned this (Heesung often stared out of the window for extended periods, feebly trying to reconnect with the outside world) before the tablet Heesung used crackled and came to life once more. There was a police car that stopped while you were calling, the voice wafted with interest, Doesn’t seem to be the one that checks in on us, so I do wonder if someone got burgled or something else happened. 

“Burgled, huh? That’s kinda weird for a quiet neighbourhood,” Seungchan mused, making his way outside to see if he could offer any assistance. To his surprise (and Heesung’s), it was Myungha who jumped out of the car, giving her friend a fond hug before waving to Heesung, the other man immediately averting his gaze guiltily. From his perch, Heesung watched them chat before sipping and puffing to move towards the door, tilting his head with curiosity. “-so I was wondering if you guys would take in a third person,” ended Myungha, and Seungchan looked like someone had just gouged a lump of flesh from his very body with Myungha’s words. At Heesung’s entrance, Myungha met him at the door and began explaining it to him, and at the end of the conversation, Heesung gave a minor scoff before rigidly shaking his head. 

Can’t you all find another safe house for him? Or move him to another prison? snapped the voice impatiently, a scowl etched upon his face as he glared at Myungha. “Well, for starters, he’s been assaulted in every prison we’ve moved him to- four different prisons, same attacks. Everyone fucking hates him, more than they hated the Pied Piper, and the last attack left him...y’know,” Myungha eked out in a small voice, wringing her hands, “I didn’t know people would be so angry over an identity thief, but he did kill six people in the process, and once it all exploded, everyone basically went on Prosecutor Park’s side.” To be fair, he had young and impressionable men do his dirty work, then murdered one in prison so all the outrage internally is expected, sighed Heesung, before laying his head on his headrest and letting his eyes drift towards Seungchan. 

“My house isn’t some charity shelter, Myungha-ah,” added Seungchan, his voice both parts exasperated and pleading, “I keep Heesung-sshi because I’m the only person who can control him. This Minho dude is just some random psycho with daddy issues. He needs that sorted out first before anything.” Myungha considered this, trying to be rational and weighing her thoughts, before she continued with, “That’s the problem, Seungchan-sshi. Nobody would take Heesung-sshi because he’s dangerous, but he’d never actually continue with the Pied Piper work now that he’s like this. Right?” she explained quickly, flashing Heesung a cheerful smile as the other pretended to be occupied on his tablet, “And he’s working with police now- but we’re in a bind because Minho-sshi won’t cooperate with us unless it’s you, me or Heesung-sshi, and no prison wants him cuz they fear his presence would start riots.” 

Heesung blinked to open the documents, leafing through the statements of various wardens while Myungha tried to convince Seungchan- it was true that even when Minho was moved to a solitary cell, prisoners continued to heckle and harass him, making the man’s delusions even worse. He did need a stable environment to recollect his bearings, and since he only seemed to trust the 3 of them...he chewed his lip, unwilling to entertain the thought further. When he looked up, Seungchan and Myungha both looked exhausted, but from Myungha’s grin, he could easily tell who won the argument. “We’ll see each other in a few days!” she ended cheerily, “Buy something nice for him, he’s been through a hard time.” 

“I’m going to have a terrible time-” shot back Seungchan, but by then Myungha had drove off in her car to her next assignment. Seungchan smacked his face so hard Heesung swore his hand nearly passed through his head, and they both retreated indoors to consolidate things. Seungchan grumbled as he cleared up another room, complaining that Myungha always had a way with them. Heesung merely followed with detached amusement, wondering what he could help with as well as methods to torment their new tenant. 

----- 

The police car pulled up again at the same time a few days later, and Seungchan and Heesung watched the rumpled man get pulled off before being basically dragged to their doorstep. They turned to each other with knowing glances and Heesung rolled to the door, putting a bit of distance between himself and the raised step to enter while Minho grumbled outside, scarcely bothering to even ring the doorbell. Seungchan opened the window, watching Minho jump with amusement before giving a shout of “so do you want to come in or not?” Minho grumbled again that the door was closed and he couldn’t enter, giving the door a nice rap with his white cane as Seungchan plainly asked if he knew what knocking was. 

Heesung tittered with laughter as he rolled to the window with Seungchan, watching with interest as Minho finally gave a knock before turning to the direction of Seungchan’s voice to ask if this was enough. Seungchan opened the door for Minho, before reminding Minho to ‘watch his step’. “Watch what?” scoffed Minho, annoyed at already getting bossed around, before he tripped over said raised step and fell hard upon his face. Heesung’s titters only intensified when Minho peeled himself off the ground, wagging an accusatory finger at basically nothing while he adjusted his sunglasses with his free hand. “You all just want to see me suffer,” he concluded darkly, shuffling across the house while bumping into things, letting out a few grunts of pain. 

Seungchan shook his head, grabbing Minho’s hand and placing it on his shoulder, before leading the other man to his room and sitting him down on the bed. Minho grumbled, but bounced a few times out of curiosity when he was set down, turning around from curiosity. “It’s just a regular room,” grunted Seungchan, bringing a few jabs on the table as he briefed the other, “I’m sorry it’s not chaebol levels of luxurious. There’s a cupboard to your left, and a dresser right beside you where you can put stuff. I’ll hang up your clothes for you, but it’s up to you to get familiar with the house.” As he began to hang up the man’s clothes with hangers (surprisingly and almost pathetically minimal), Seungchan noticed Minho continue to feel the contours of his bed, before lying down in it and staring up at the ceiling, not even bothering to take his sunglasses off. It seemed as though there was a lot on his mind. 

Meanwhile, Heesung was blinking and typing on his tablet once again, but this time, he was not accessing his voice software, instead texting someone else. She seemed interested to know how Minho had settled in, agreeing to the terms she had laid out before Heesung couldn’t hide his curiosity any further. 

[text -> client] You do know the risks of leaving a deathrow convict rampant, right? I understand personal investment, but this is still a risky gesture. 

He blinked, watching the next message form with interest. 

[text] He needs help. And if mister Joo could help you, I can’t see why he can’t help him. You know how mental illness is so stigmatised in the country- I know I can’t explain away all he did but please-- 

Giving a sigh, he glanced at Seungchan exiting the room and vaguely wondered why it was so silent in Minho’s all of a sudden. He had heard of the other’s ungodly fits, rage often overwhelming the other so much that he hadn’t been above murder. With a few sips and puffs of his chair, he moved close to the entrance, seeing the other man huddled beside his dresser and shaking. Heesung averted his gaze and turned away, knowing this all too well. 

He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of the text, however. He’d have to show it to Seungchan when he had the opportunity.