Til Death Do Us Part ♜ Pt. 1
➟ Pairing: Namjoon x Reader
➟ Genre: Angst, Fluff, Eventual Smut
↳ (3.7k), Arranged Marriage AU
➟ Summary: If someone told you that you’d be marrying the Kim Namjoon, you would think you were being lied to, or worse, that you were hallucinating. However, fate seems to have it’s own ways of making the impossible possible and before you even know it, the title of Mrs. Kim is bestowed onto you. There’s just one problem: you’re not sure if Kim Namjoon is the person he says he is and the truth of your own identity is dangling by the strength of a mere thread.
➟ Warnings: This series will involve themes of graphic violence, depictions of blood, major character death and hints of trauma. 18+ rating. Reader discretion is highly advised.
gif credit.
➟ Next Update: Tuesday, December 22
Love is a strange thing.
It pulls individuals together, sparking fireworks and blissful rays of euphoria within seconds. It renders people affectionate, words dripped with honey and caresses full of tenderness transcending without a means of stopping. To be frank, it’s majestic through the eyes of the beholder.
But love is indeed a strange thing.
It’s history has been plagued with moments of weakness and hesitation, moments that rip away layers to reveal raw, vulnerable selves from every individual. It’s inability to forget and move on clutches onto the minds of those that chose to associate with it, invading their memories and never granting them a single second to run free. Love is a strange thing, but it’s most putrid use has always been the necessity to use it like a tool.
A deep breath escapes your tinted red lips, cold hands clutching onto the delicate bouquet that’s been thrust into them. The petal pink and lilac purple flowers rest against the chaste white of your dress, the awaited arrival of yours long passed as you raise your head and sneak a peek at the person standing in front of you behind your veil.
Clad in a special tailored suit for the occasion, his dark brown hair has been brushed back and neatly tucked into the corners of his hair. He stands tall and confident, seemingly captivated by the words the priest mumbles through as he drags on through every dull phase written in his book. As if he can tell your eyes are on him, he suddenly looks in your direction and you return your gaze back to the ground, clutching onto the array of petals in your hands.
The priest goes on to dutifully declare the responsibilities you must carry, including the very ones that tie you to each other.
For better, for worse. Rich, poor. Sickness, health.
Love. Cherish.
“Until death do you part?” The priest peers up with fatigued eyes, glancing in between you. You suck in a shaky breath, eyes fixating on everything except for the man standing on the opposing side.
“I-I do.” You hastily mutter, swallowing the lump stuck in your throat. Patiently waiting for his answer, you try not to focus on the collection of eyes gawking at you from the altar.
“I do.” He states, firm and resolute with his answer. It shakes you to your core, eyes immediately flickering up to meet his warm ones.
You’re perplexed for a moment, but you’re not given time to dwell any longer once the priest shuts his book, content with your answers. Relief floods you in an instant, yet it’s short-lived and has your stomach churning instead.
“You may kiss the bride.” The priest steps back as if you needed room for the grandiose gesture, eagerly awaiting the showcase with the rest of the people seated in front of the altar. Nevertheless, your hands begin to quiver despite your best wishes and you remain planted in place.
Before you even know it, the delicate veil resting against your forehead is being pulled up and tucked away, projecting your dolled up features on full display. You can only fidget when he draws near, preparing for the worse until he pauses.
Glancing up in surprise, you’re caught off guard from the lines crossing his forehead and the dismay clouding his eyes. For a second, you could have sworn that you were gazing into a mirror, an image of your combined concerns being painted right in front of you.
You’re caught in between a daze and bewilderment when he advances again, however all you feel is a soft peck against your skin before your veil is placed back into place. Your audience seems to be at loss with the action, but once he turns around to face them in the midst of holding your hand, loud cheers and roars flood the room as congratulatory confetti bursts into the room.
Unconsciously, your hand drifts over to your cheek with furrowed brows and you steal another glance at the man you will be bound to for eternity.
***
The L/N Family.
Tactical and resourceful, known for their skillful strategies and trade explorations, a business they would go on to proudly pronounce in the arms industry. Others would look to them for support and reassurance, and they would in return cohesively make protective deals that would ensure no harm. Yonghwa, their head, would go on to make a legacy out of his family name.
The Kim Family.
Discreet and powerful, known for their relentless determination and invokable hunger, characteristics that would eventually seep into their weapon manufacturing business. They know how and with whom to pick their fights, vigorously acquiring a steady position in the industry within a flash before everyone’s eyes. Namjung, their head, carved the Kim name into a status no one would have ever imagined.
Trade and manufacturing, two able sides of the same coin. They seeked to forge an union that would unite their two sectors, to create a harmonious flow of success within their collective industries.
But not all deals, go as planned.
On the fateful day, Yonghwa was found on the ground in a pool of his own blood while Namjung was left visibly shaken. Catastrophe seemed to only follow the event there on after, with both families seeking revenge on the other. Their union seemed to be the last thing on either mind, but after the years passed and stained relations had been fully dragged out, there only seemed to be one solution that could bring peace to the two of them.
***
The wheels of the large suitcase hit the polished ground.
It’s lavish and grand, crystals littering the high held ceiling and lilies spread over the handles of the spiraling staircase. It ends right at the large chandelier, with more crystals dangling down opposite the shining marble that your slippers find purchase in.
You remain in place, staring with wide eyes and an agape jaw the scenery before you.
“Please,” A girl bows before you, dressed in a simple pale blouse and skirt that’s paired with an apron. There’s a small twinkle in her pleasant eyes paired with natural pouting lips; the delicate features drawing out the sheer youth the girl embodies. “Follow me.”
You snap out of your daze once she advances forward, her hands careful weaving through yours to clutch onto your packed luggage. At first, you’re a bit unsure as to if you should let her carry the heavy load up the stairs, but you’re pleasantly surprised when she manages to hall it all the way up.
She roughly pushes herself against a large wooden door, revealing the grand room behind it. It’s decorated similarly to the main portion of the house, however the sheer size of it has your jaw dropping again, eyebrows furrowed as its appearance.
Your suspicions are confirmed right away, “This will be your room, Miss Y/N.”
“I-I…” You can’t help but hesitate, “Are you sure?”
She nods, placing your luggage now. “Of course, Master Kim asked us to prepare it for you.”
You instinctively flinch at the sudden mention of your husband, but the girl tilts her head to the side, curiosity peeking through her.
“Don’t they have such rooms in the L/N residence?” Her eyes suddenly widen, and she slaps a hand against her mouth, “Oh no, I-I didn’t mean it that way!”
A smile curls on the corners of your lips, “What’s your name?”
She gazes at you with surprise, like she had been expecting a scolding fit for her lifetime. Nonetheless, she hastily answers your question with a bow.
“I am Eunjoo, one of Master Kim’s most faithful servants.”
“Little flower.” You decipher, “Sounds like a fitting name.”
“It could have been summer’s grace.” Eunjoo offers with a shrug, “Though I don’t really like summer, so I’ve tried my best to ignore that meaning.”
You let out a genuine chuckle from that, something that has Eunjoo instantly beam. The news of her own Master getting married to someone from the L/N family was initially difficult for her to digest, but it appears that she was too early to judge.
A lopped smile etching onto your features, “And to answer your previous question, unfortunately the L/N’s don’t have such a residence. We’ve lost much of our wealth after‒…” You pause, biting back your words, “...after, you know.”
You wave your hand away in the air and Eunjoo understandably nods, no need to delve into the long-lived history of your families that is known to all. She hurriedly aids in you in unpacking much to your reassured protests, following and assisting you around like a little fairy. Her company ends up being both interesting and comfortable, especially since the two of you discovered the other wasn’t well in adapting the titles you carry.
A knock resounds against the door, drawing out your attention. Immediately Eunjoo drops the clothes in her hands, right before she straightens up and takes a graceful bow.
Her reaction is telling of who's at the door, so with pinched lips and a creased forehead, you turn around.
He remains glued to the door frame, still adorned in his tailored black suit. Aside from the similarity in his put together appearance though, his shoulders are no longer hiked up in a noble stance, nor is there any remaining amount of warmth spreading through his eyes. Instead, he appears akin to how he was in the split-second before your ultimate union was official, the memory causing the skin of your cheek to slightly burn.
Swaying from side to side, he hesitates to step into the room.
“I see you’ve met Eunjoo.” He mentions. On cue, the servant straightens up, a huge smile on her lips.
“I was just helping Miss Y/N unpack!”
“Oh that’s nice, perhaps I can assist to‒” He isn’t able to finish his sentence, because the next thing you know you jolt at the sound of a loud crash that echoes through the room.
“Master Kim!” Eunjoo immediately rushes forward, scurrying to help the fallen man. He instantly rises up to his feet and dusts off his suit jacket, but remains of glass are scattered all over the ground.
He lets out a groan and Eunjoo sighs, “Master, you know you have to be careful.” She begins to quickly pluck up the shards of the vase, raising one up to eye level with a pout, “I especially picked this one out for your newly wedded wife.”
At the mention of you, Namjoon instantly glances up, pupils shaking. “I-I can get you a new one soon, it might take around a week but if I put in a request now‒” He scrambles around for a moment, before checking the inner pockets of his jacket for something to write on in a haste.
Unconsciously, a small smile cracks through the seam of your lips, increasing as he tries to intervene with Eunjoo to pick the shards, and she protests that he shouldn’t get his hands soiled with her errands. He eventually has to sheepishly stand to the side, staring at her defeated like a child that had just gotten scolded for misbehaving.
Eunjoo eventually collects all the pieces and ushers herself out, reminding you of the pending family dinner you’ll need to attend in the evening. She leaves the room and you decide to resume unpacking, until you come across the realization that you’re not alone.
“Do you need help?” He peers at your suitcase behind you, “I’m usually more capable with things that aren’t easy to break.”
The abrupt proximity catches you by surprise, but you merely shake your head at his kind offer, “I should be fine, thank you.”
He nods and you assume he’ll excuse himself after a moment, but he lingers and that’s when you crane your head over at him.
Appearing to be in between a deep ponder, he snaps back into reality once your questioning eyes fall onto him. “Uh I‒” A lengthy sigh leaves his lips, “I know this is strange.”
You wonder what he's referring to until you notice him gesturing to the gap between you, “It’s strange for me, and it’s strange for you. We didn’t really have a choice in the matter.”
He sheepishly scratches the back of his neck, a deep crease forming between his brows. You’re frozen in place, at a complete loss for words.
He suddenly sucks in a breath, looking up to gaze into your eyes, “But I’d like to get to know you better….a-as my future wife.”
Your eyes round and his declaration only receives dead silence in its awake. Flabbergasted, he attempts to correct himself amidst your prolonged response.
“T-That doesn’t mean right away! We can take our time and I’m not expecting anything from you, so you don’t need to worry and‒”
“I’d like that.”
He freezes, “Wait, really?”
You hum, a corner of your mouth lifting, “You’re right, it’s strange. But I’d like to get to know my husband better as well.”
His eyes immediately sparkle, like you’ve said the very words he’s been aching to hear, “That’s great!” A breathtaking smile overtakes his features, “I guess I’ll see you at dinner then?”
You nod with a smile, and he departs, the euphoria never once leaving his lips.
***
Evening draws near and long gone is the dilatory white piece of garment that’s forever confined you to your fate. Instead, it’s replaced with a delicate fabric of rose gold, perhaps to represent the luxury you have of being present in such a place or in the new beginnings that will soon follow you.
Regardless, you prepare yourself. Although you’re simply arriving to dinner, there’s a family waiting at the table that you don’t know of yet.
Eunjoo brings you down with her after putting your hair up and presenting a pair of matching heels your way. You’re wary as you walk down the spiraling staircase, barely balancing yourself on the elevated shoes. Luckily, Eunjoo notices and helps you down, but the split moment of relief is met with a jolt of surprise when you notice someone waiting at the bottom.
“I’ll take it from here, Eunjoo.” The women amiably bids. Eunjoo swiftly bows, mumbling something along the lines of Mistress Kim, before heading into the dinner room.
You immediately whirl around, eyes on alert like a deer in headlights. She mirthfully smiles at you, carrying a warm tone in her eyes that feels familiar.
“You don’t have to look so worried,” She reprimands, “I’m not going to bite your head off.”
Your eyes widen even more, “I-I’m sorry?”
She bursts out into laughter, concealing her ruby red lips with a hand that is glittering in assorted jewels.
“Nothing, dear. I’m just teasing you.” You nervously laugh at that, and she places a hand against your back, guiding you forward. “Come, I’m eager to know what my son’s wife is like.”
Politely nodding, you follow behind her and nearly freeze. If you had expected your bedroom to be astonishing, then you weren’t prepared for the enormous buffet that waits for you ahead.
Pieces of food are scattered all over the decorated table, ranging from freshly cooked to foods you would have never imagined yourself eating. It reminds you of times your family could barely manage to have a decent meal for one night, lost scavenging for food that wouldn’t make your empty pockets hurt.
You’re so lost in the thought that you don’t feel someone brush by you. There’s suddenly a warm hand planting onto your shoulder, drawing your attention with a smile full of dimples.
“Do you want to sit down first?” He gestures to the table, where his mother sits next to his father and opposite to his sister. Embarrassed that you’ve been just gawking at the table, you hurriedly take a seat and so does Namjoon.
Even though you’re only just sitting at the table, it seems like all eyes are on you, burning into your skin and tracing every move. The impending silence eventually does crack though, and it’s done by a person you would have least expected.
“Is that chicken?” Namjoon’s father blurts out, his eyes following a tray one of the servants brings by. His wife immediately interjects, dismayed by his reaction.
“Indeed,” She points a demanding finger at him, “But none for you, there’s a reason why your health hasn’t been the greatest as of lately.”
He pouts at her response, longley staring at the dish once it arrives. The childlike display catches you a bit off guard, eyebrows raised.
“That’s unreasonable though.” He suddenly looks in your direction, “What do you think, Y/N? Isn’t she being unreasonable?”
The abrupt inquiry leaves you speechless, no coherent words manifesting at the tip of your tongue. His wife whirls around, cocking up a brow in his direction.
“Why are you dragging her into this?” She faces you with a smile, “Y/N is the newest addition to our family so we should make her feel welcome, not bring her into such trivial matters.”
The pleasant response astonishes you, but more so the mention of your inclusion. He lets out a sigh, acknowledging his wife’s sentiments.
“You’re right.” He turns to you, “Y/N, why don’t you tell us about yourself?”
His mother hums, “I’d like to hear about where you grew up, Y/N.”
“Oh, it’s nothing really special,” You grow bashful, “I was raised in the outskirts of the country by my parents.”
The two of them nod, intently listening to you, “Before coming here, I studied in the imperial academy for a while.”
“Ah, involved in the industry I see.” He praises, “You must know a lot about how our businesses are conducted, right?”
“Not quite.” There’s a strained smile on your lips, “I didn’t want to actively participate in it.”
Although your answer seems to have taken both of them by surprise, his wife hums in approval. “So I’m assuming that was your personal choice?”
When you nod, a giant smile stretches onto her lips, and she elbows her husband, “A gutsy one, don’t you think?”
He smiles in retaliation, “Just like you.”
She blushes at his sudden compliment, but a voice from afar breaks the two out of their daze.
“Gross - we’re eating here.”
Appalled at the feminine voice, you notice the young girl seated across from Namjoon, a deep frown etched onto her stern features.
“Leave them be, Geongmin.” Namjoon coaxes his sister, but she lets out a grunt of disapproval in the midst of eating soup.
The corners of his mother’s lips turn up and his father faces you again, looking as if he had a million questions up his sleeve lined up just for you.
Much to your surprise, the rest of the evening is spent exchanging pleasantries with them and keeping conversation light. There even comes a moment when both you and Namjoon end up reaching out for the bread basket, only to pull away once you discover your hands had ended up meeting halfway. As you grow bashful, you notice his mother smiling tenderly and his father chuckling at the abrupt affiliation.
Once the evening begins to come to an end, you excuse yourself through the use of your own fatigue and request to head to bed first. They waste no time in understanding, with Namjoon’s father even wrapping a hand around his son and expressing that he needed to discuss some things with him anyway.
You leave the room as he heads off with his family, granting you with some much-needed time and space.
***
Treading back, you pause at the large wooden door that leads into your room. Your eyes briefly skim over the fine carvings on the wood, instead choosing to scrutinize the direction of your right and left side. A shadow casts over your pupils and your hand presses against the door, letting it slowly creak wide open.
Step by step, you stroll inside and let the light fade out, replacing itself with only darkness.
The moment the source of luminescence disappears, you move within a flash. The handle is locked, tugged at for a confirmation. There’s a speck of radiance coming from the small lamp you’ve turned on, enough to see the large suitcase you’ve brought get yanked out.
Zippers are flying and the cover is ripped off. Clothes are frantically thrown astray, dumped into a careless heep without much of a second look. Your hands are weaving through the material and running rampant, eyes flickering with something akin to desire and alloyed with increasing unease.
Once your hands meet with metal, a twinkle emerges within your orbs. The spindle of ore is unwound; detangling the material in a quickened manner. It looks distinctly similar to what one would use for electrical purposes, set with the intention of providing light in grim areas.
Right. The intention.
Unraveled, you cautiously drift over to the large window by the bedside and crank it open. Peering outside, there’s no glimmer or streak of luminescence meeting your eyes, only a dark, simple gray sky.
Unconsciously a breath of relief leaves your lips and you reach out, reclining your body just enough to reach above and then below the window’s hilt. The instrument effortlessly blends in, appearing like a simple cable that’s been tightly strung around.
You lean back and rummage through the luggage on the ground, pulling out a small plastic box that doesn’t appear to be much, but more or less, is the sole thing you couldn’t have departed without. With a small hinged click, it connects to the thin barbed string you just unraveled and right when a quiet buzz resonates through, does a smile tugs on the corner of your lips.
A knock resonates through the box. Followed by another, and then another. It’s succeeded with a prolonged silence on your part, your entire body remaining in a frozen state.
Static echoes and you let out the air you didn’t realize you were holding from your lungs.
Within seconds, you are nimbly knocking against the box in repetitive notions. Your actions range from different types of knocks; heavy, light, twice the sound.
More static echoes and your eyes immediately widen, hands balling up into tighter fists.
A heavier one.
“I have….”
Lighter.
“...successfully infiltrated….”
One last firm knock.
“....the enemy household.”
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Love Me Now
➵ NCT Yuta x idol! neutral reader, soulmate au.
➵requested. Thank you so much for requesting! As always I appreciate your patience uwu.
➵ word count: 1.3k
➵warnings: I hope this turned out well, I’m a little (a lot) rusted.
Most people found the thought of meeting their soulmate as something exciting, you thought it was something that would only add more stress to your already hectic life. Plus, your soulmate seemed a little bit like trouble, given the fact that you’d always find new bruises on yourself or feel the soreness of the hits that they took. It made you jealous of people like Minju, who barely even complained about the pain-sharing trait every person had with their soulmate, it also made you quite worried about what your soulmate could possibly do that was physically demanding like that, even if the answer was right in front of your eyes.
More often than not, you’d find yourself searching for any clue that would let you know the person in front of you was in fact, your soulmate. In fansigns, staring at the place in the other person’s body where you knew you had some sort of bruise or scratch, or even in the street when you accidentally tripped over something, you couldn’t help but look around to check if someone else had had a reaction, deep down you knew you wanted to find your soulmate, no matter how much you dreaded it at the same time but, what would you do when you found them? Being an idol was already hard by itself, not that you hated it, it was a dream job for more than one person but it also made you overthink about what your soulmate would think about it, plus the fans and the company, who forced you to seem available to everyone and anyone, it made you scared.
“Are you alright?” Yonghwa asked, waving their hand in front of your face, “You seem a little distracted”
“Oh, I’m fine” you assured “Maybe just a little nervous”
“It’ll be fine, y/n! I’m positive we’ll do a good job!” they cheered, leaning back against the seat of the van.
You were on your way to SM Entertainment, where your practice would take place that day since you were going to start working on a collab for a special stage with some artists from the company. All of them were your sunbaes, and it made you nervous that you weren’t at their level to actually have a succesful performance. It was only Yonghwa and you, and you knew they were extremely excited about it, so you didn’t want to kill the spirit by speaking about your fear outloud.
There was a slight awkwardness during the introduction, although both Taeyong and Yuta were very nice to your groupmate and you, something was a little off, but it soon slid off as the choreographer got you all to work in learning the dance moves perfectly. The anxiety you felt vanished little by little and you felt a lot more energized during the practice, even getting to the point of enjoying yourself.
“I’m pretty certain at this point that your soulmate is a moron” Yonghwa chuckled as you pointed to the bruises you had on your knees, which of course weren’t there the day before.
“Yes, me too” you sighed “This is also a bit embarrassing, and we have practice today”
Yonghwa shrugged “I don’t think anyone will notice, these things happen to dancers”
They were wrong. The moment you crossed the door to the dance studio, two sets of eyes settled on the marks on your skin, making you uncomfortable.
“What happened to you?” Yuta questioned first, his gaze going from your face to your legs, it had been a stupid decision not to wear sweatpants.
“Just.. I fell down”
It was awkward talking about the whole soulmate issue, despite the fact that these stuff happened to everyone, plus you didn’t want to explain the fact that you actually thought your soulmate was an idiot.
Yuta frowned but nodded at your answer, suggesting to go back to practice. A couple times after that, you caught him whispering with Taeyong and looking over at you, making you even more certain that something was not completely fine.
“Oh, stop overthinking” Yonghwa advised once you were back inside the van on your way to the dorms. “Maybe they just think we need to get better, you know how SM Entertainment is”
“What does that mean?” you shook your head “It doesn’t matter, I’m sure it’s something else”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, Yonghwa, but I’m not sure I like it”
“Give it a rest, you’ve got enough stress already”
───── ◈ ─────
Yonghwa was right and you had to stop thinking about the constant whispering that went around almost every rehearsal you had with the two boys from NCT, but it was getting harder every time, until you finally got enough of it.
“Sorry we’re late” both boys bowed, entering the dance studio “We had a meeting about our comeback”
“That’s alright” Yonghwa replied, they were still between warming up and scrolling through their phone, while you had already started on your part of the choreography.
“Yes, that’s okay” you called, not looking away from your reflection in the mirror. You were wearing shorts once again, which only lead to the same whispering than before, did these boys have a problem with your outfit or was it something else? Though during these last days you hadn’t gotten a lot of marks, as apparently your soulmate had finally started being more careful, there were a couple things you’d given to yourself and that you couldn’t be bothered to cover up.
Being caught up in your thoughts while dancing was something you’d always been warned not to do, but still you couldn’t help it as your attention wandered everywhere but where it was supposed to be, only coming back when your feet tripped over each other and your body hit the ground, the red spot of where you’d taken the hit showed on your skin immediately, but your heart almost stopped when you didn’t feel any pain.
You’d heard about it before, the whole point of the pain-sharing thing was that when you were with your soulmate you wouldn’t feel any pain at all, but this couldn’t be it.
“Are you alright, y/n?” Yonghwa asked kneeling next to you. You nodded, your eyes shifting from them to Taeyong, to Yuta who seemed as disturbed as you.
“I’m fine” you assured, smiling and getting up, surprised at the lack of pain but a little more anxious about what it meant.
“How long have you known?” you blurted out as soon as your practice finished, making Yuta jump as he picked his stuff up. Yonghwa was chatting with Taeyong about how close the actual performance was.
“A while, I guess?” Yuta replied, instead of asking what you meant “We always have the same bruises, I noticed after the first couple– Ouch! What was that for?” he rubbed the spot where you’d hit him with your fist closed, although it was obvious it hadn’t hurt at all.
“Couldn’t you have been more careful? I am always bruised, or hurting or both!”
“I live with 20 other men, what were you expecting?” Yuta laughed “And I’m a dancer so...”
“So nothing” you pretended to be pissed, “Also, if you knew, why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t know what to say” he shrugged “You don’t walk up to someone and introduce yourself as their soulmate, do you?”
“Well, I guess you have a point”
“But if that’s what you want, I’m Yuta and I’m your soulmate” he smirked, offering his hand to you.
“You’re turning out to be really lucky,” you pushed his hand away “That you can’t feel any pain when we’re together”
“Isn’t that the best part?” he winked, taking your hand anyway.
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