Aster

Some of you asked if I could create a list regarding my 2 fanfics to make it easier to navigate all content.

Before we dive in, just know that all comics and illustrations are already included and explained in their respective order in the fanfics.

----------

One Bad End is Enough

Regarding this fanfic, I initially shared about 40 chapters before I hid it. I'm now rewriting it and sharing it from the start.

The old version will remain hidden until I decide later whether to delete it from AO3 or share it separately, which is unlikely, so please don't get your hopes up. The rewritten version isn't much different, just with more details and some little changes with better explanations.

Random scenario requests:

Some characters here have appeared in the old version but not yet in the rewritten one.

Cale & Roksoo argument (Cale's pov)

Cale & Roksoo argument (Roksoo's pov)

Cale & Roksoo argument (ft. Tristan)

Cale & Roksoo argument (Roksoo's fault)

Roksoo falling sick

Smoll Roksoo

Cale's favorite flower

*******************************************************

Can't an Old Man Die in Peace?

Random scenario requests:

Okay, so here's the request lol, but it includes some spoilers.

It's set in the future of my One Bad End Is Enough fanfic, so it's a bit confusing about some characters who haven't yet appeared and their roles and whatnot. One of them is Olenth, a dragon OC who appeared in the previous version but hasn't shown up in the rewritten version yet.

In short, spoilers ahead. You've been warned lol,,

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

“Y-Your Grace!”

“Ah, hey…!”

Cale paused amid the lively crowd of bright faces and looked back, resting one foot on the carriage’s step.

A young girl, just over 7 years old, ran toward him with the guards following, their arms hesitant, aware of the Duke’s soft spot for children.

“Your Grace, I…!”

“Careful.”

The child slowed her pace when the Duke turned fully to face her, gently gesturing with his hand to prevent her from stumbling.

“T-This… Your Grace, this!”

“Hm?”

The crowd hushed instantly as the Duke leaned in slightly to hear the girl better, who moved until she was standing too close.

The Duke curiously looked at what the girl held out to him.

“I, um, this is the first flower I planted in Mama’s garden!”

The girl spoke loudly with a lisp, looking down at the flower as she explained, but she frowned halfway through. She pouted, glancing at her tiny hands, then wiped them along her overall dress, one by one, before offering the tiny flower to the Duke again with expectant, trusting eyes.

Usually, people would be appalled by the act of offering a dirty flower directly from a muddy garden, held sweaty by a child, to a noble family member. In this case, it was the Duke of the Henituse family, the youngest sworn brother of the King and the King’s chosen successor to the throne.

However, the crowd’s faces lit up with anticipation at the scene, knowing with certainty what would happen soon.

“You grew your first flower for me?”

The Duke asked, a hint of amusement in his voice, as he brushed the delicate petals. He carefully took the red gerbera in one hand, brought it close to his face to inhale, smiling. He hummed loudly enough for the girl to hear, then playfully tapped her cheek with his gloved finger.

“I’ll take good care of it. Where do you live, love?”

“Live…? Ha! His Grace will visit Mama and me?!”

The girl, filled with innocent joy, asked excitedly with wide eyes, forgetting her manners. She quickly pointed out where the flower shop was in Rain City before the Duke could respond, earning a chuckle rather than a frown of disapproval.

With a playful gesture, the Duke tapped the girl’s cheek with the flower as a light kiss, then finally got into the carriage after promising to visit her house.

The carriage headed toward Henituse Castle without further interruption, leaving the local people with their usual warm smiles after the Duke’s monthly visit to check on them.

Meanwhile, in the carriage, Olenth sat across from Cale, no longer invisible.

“Will you pay her a visit?”

“Why would I lie about it?”

Cale huffed out a laugh at the ancient Dragon who sat before him in the form of a teenage human. He admired the light seeping through the window, catching the red gerbera flower, as he calmly brushed the lingering soil from its stem while explaining.

“I’ll have to see her mother at some point anyway.”

“The lady is one of those you helped drive a spirit off, right?”

“Ah, you recall her. As expected of my son.”

“Are you visiting them soon?”

Cale laughed lightly at his secretly timid son, who maintained the composure of a mature adult yet deflected Cale’s praise with questions each time.

“Soon, yes.”

They talked casually throughout the trip home, easily drifting into topics about the work awaiting them at Cale’s office and his packed schedule.

Cale first went to the greenhouse upon arrival, tucked the gerbera into a corner with care, then joined the family for dinner.

“Gentle Human, you’re back!”

“Missed me?”

“Don’t be silly, Gentle Human. We saw you this morning!”

“Aww, you forgot me in less than a day?”

“Uncle, don’t joke like that!”

Cale greeted Rok Soo’s kids on his way to the dining room, entertaining them as they gathered around him. Raon and Hong chattered about everything while Ohn sighed.

Neither he nor Olenth commented, even though they noticed the kids secretly trailing after them on their short trip to Rain City at some point.

.

.

A week later…

After two knocks, the door to Cale’s office opened.

“Uncle…”

“Ohn? Is it time for lunch already?”

Cale looked up from the reports in his hands and met the girl in her human form with a smile.

“No…”

“No?”

He checked the time after two blinks.

“I mean, yes, but…”

“Hm?”

Leaning back in his seat with his legs crossed, Cale tilted his head, patiently waiting, lowering the reports in his hands. His eyes caught sight of two heads peeking through the open window a little away from him, but he kept looking at Ohn, who approached him rather awkwardly.

Just as she rounded the table to stand beside him, she pulled out the thing she had kept behind her since she opened the door.

“…For you.”

Blinking at the bouquet, Cale’s smile broadened.

“Oh…”

He let the reports rest on his lap and reached for the elegantly wrapped bouquet with his other hand. One look at the wrapping told him it was done by a professional.

“Is this what you three have been busy with in the Forest of Darkness for the past week?”

Ohn finally met his eyes, her gaze no longer awkward.

“Rok Soo told you?”

“What?!”

“Human did?!”

Hong and Raon rushed through the open window, and Cale’s head tipped back as he burst out laughing.

“Why would hyung ruin your surprise?”

“Then…”

“I see three colors, and I sense Raon’s magic.”

“Ah, t-that…”

Cale laughed again at their faces, as if they had been caught cheating by using magic to speed up the roses’ growth after a week of waiting.

“No matter, it’s a thoughtful gift you’ve put effort into. Thank you, kiddos.”

Cale gently handled the roses, their fragrance delightfully filling his nostrils. After a brief moment, as the kids observed his smile and gaze, a hint of mischief played at his lips.

“Let me guess.”

He brought his other hand up to point at the roses.

“Purple is Raon’s, red is Hong’s, and yellow is Ohn’s.”

Gasp…!

“Rok Soo told you!”

“I knew it!!”

“Admit it, Gentle Human!”

“Come on,”

Cale chuckled as he explained.

“Raon’s attention is usually drawn to my spirit-wielding power. Hong admires hyung’s and my hair color and often compares his hair to ours. Ohn often observes the gold in my eyes and veins.”

“You… What?”

Cale met their stunned gazes with a raised eyebrow.

“Still insist on accusing poor hyung? What did he do to deserve your suspicion?”

And that’s how Cale found himself listening to the three kids’ complaints about how often Rok Soo had teased them for learning gardening instead of helping them over the past week.

Later that day, Cale went to his greenhouse and neatly arranged the roses in the corner, along with the fully bloomed red gerbera he had received from the little girl a week ago.

He smiled at the collection and thought that would be the end of it.

However, a month passed…

“Did you say anything to the kids by any chance?”

Rok Soo turned from the sofa to stare at him, meeting his gaze with a deadpan look.

“What, are you accusing your hyung of something suspicious now?”

Cale’s lips curled into a smile, quietly amused by the offended tone.

“Why suspicious? It’s just that I’ve been receiving gifts from the kids nearly every day for the past month, including today.”

Cale didn’t look up from the letter he was writing to an affiliate, but he noticed Rok Soo’s hands holding the novel lowered slightly at the mention of gifts.

“If you’re growing tired of flowers, just tell them to stop. You’re a good diplomat when you choose to be.”

“You know that’s not it.”

Cale shot a look at Rok Soo before returning his gaze to the letter, his hand not pausing as he explained.

“At first, I received a bouquet from all of them together. Since that day, I’ve been getting individual bouquets from each of them. I quickly noticed that each bouquet is unique, never the same flowers twice, even though they continue to gift me separately.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“My intuition tells me you know something.”

“You and that intuition of yours…”

“See? I’m right.”

With a slight scoff, Rok Soo went back to reading the random novel he had picked from Cale’s collection and spoke.

“They got curious. Your appreciation and happiness are genuine, but something about your reaction each time tells them you aren’t quite pleased.”

“So… they’re trying to figure out which flower I truly like?”

“They asked Ron and Olenth whether you secretly don’t like flowers much and are only being kind. Knowing that isn’t the case, they’re determined to find out who among them gets the right answer.”

“And they didn’t consider asking you?”

“You sound like you know that question is ridiculous, so why ask?”

“……”

Cale’s hand paused. After a moment, he looked up, but Rok Soo kept reading.

“…You know which flower I’m most interested in.”

“Mhm.”

Rok Soo flipped the page as he explained, appearing indifferent, though his quiet voice revealed his caution about the topic.

“I’ve seen your past, Cale.”

Did you think I wouldn’t figure out what you hadn’t said out loud? The question went unspoken.

“Hmm…”

After a moment, Cale took a breath and returned to writing.

“…Curntil flower.”

Cale felt Rok Soo’s eyes on him as he set the pen down and began folding the letter.

“Since you’ve seen my past, you probably guessed how I knew the flower.”

“It’s not hard to guess when a brilliant kid picks up all kinds of books out of said ‘boredom.’”

Rok Soo watched Cale seal the letter, merely smiling at the remark.

“You told Hans a different name back then, however.”

“Mhm, Charcoal Heart.”

Cale set aside the sealed letter and picked up another blank sheet of paper to write a response.

“The few who knew its benefits called it Charcoal Heart, but most feared it and named it after a plague-stricken village. The flower first bloomed there after the village was burned to stop the plague’s spread. Curntil was the village’s name. It was small to begin with and was never mentioned or put on a map after the incident.”

“Curntil village…”

Rok Soo paused in contemplation for a moment before speaking again.

“Speaking of which, where’s the book mentioning the flower? You moved it somewhere else, didn’t you?”

“Someone is unusually curious.”

“Tsk, wouldn’t it be easier to let the kids read about it rather than tell them the answer and explain unnecessary details?”

Cale paused, then laughed lightly.

“So they’ve been pestering you.”

“Now that you’re aware, help out this poor hyung.”

“Sure, sure.”

Cale pointed with a glance toward the bookshelves in the corner across the office.

“Push the white book with red and black stripes in, and the hidden books will appear.”

A sigh came from Rok Soo.

“This brat and his secret measures…”

Despite grumbling, the hyung closed the novel and left his comfortable seat.

“Just so you know, I won’t be responsible for what they do once they know the answer.”

“What a funny joke from you.”

“Who said it’s a joke?”

Neither of them looked at the other as Rok Soo quickly located the white book with red and black stripes, while Cale kept his gaze on the third letter he was working on.

“Of course you will. You’re technically their parent.”

“Aren’t you their uncle?”

“Shouldn’t the parent come first?”

“Uncles are parents, too.”

“Hyung, you stayed quiet about the flower on my behalf, so you know the grim conditions for it to grow. You aren’t going to let the kids bury recent corpses and burn the grounds to bring me one, are you?”

“Mhm.”

Cale lifted his gaze at the suspicious response.

“Hyung… Rok Soo, seriously?”

He watched Rok Soo uncover the magic as instructed, eyeing the secret books with silent intrigue.

“…I made a mistake, didn’t I?”

No answer came from Rok Soo.

“Rok Soo…”

“……”

“Hey…”

“……”

“Yah…”

“……”

“Ah, seriously…”

He sighed in resignation as the man flipped through several books one by one, clearly activating Record and didn’t bother to scold him for speaking rudely.

After a couple of minutes, the sound of a book closing for the last time broke the silence.

“Mm, found it.”

“You certainly found it at a glance without having to read all the hidden books. What are you saying?”

“The information I receive from spirits is limited.”

“Limited, you say? And where are you going now?”

“Didn’t we agree on showing the kids the book?”

Cale stared blankly at that hyung of his casually heading to the door, several books in his hands.

“Rok Soo…”

“This hyung will return your books soon, Cale. Don’t worry.”

“Hey, that’s not…”

And the door closed before he could finish, leaving him alone and blinking repeatedly in the silence.

‘…Did I just get scammed?’

No matter how he looked at it, he had just been robbed by his hyung.

He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

“Tomorrow is an eventful day, huh?”

He was confident he'd get several concerning reports by the morning, and he believed his room would be unusually quiet without kids and a certain hyung if he went to rest now.

Eventually, he let his hand drop and finished responding to all the letters.

Cale left the office two hours later, with his table neat and spotless.

.

.

“Y-Your Grace! Huge fires have been spotted in the Forest of Darkness!”

“Your Grace! The town’s people felt tremors coming from the Forest of Darkness all night long!”

“Your Grace…!”

Amid the incoming reports and the rush of people into his office, Cale simply nodded as he sipped his morning tea, having just arrived.

“I’ll head to the Forest of Darkness in a moment. Reassure everyone that all is well.”

“Ah… Y-Yes, sir.”

Once alone, a teenage boy with red hair appeared, standing next to him and leaning on the table. Both looked out the open window. The thick, dark smoke was clearly visible even from where they stood.

“So, what happened since last night?”

“They’re testing the information in the old books. Uncle… Rok Soo is planning to bring the ancient discoveries back to life.”

Cale’s fingers holding the teacup twitched. Reviving what was once considered a curse and banned?

“…What’s the situation?”

“You said you’d go see for yourself.”

“……”

With a sigh, Cale finished his tea in less than a minute and teleported with Olenth.

They arrived at the destination instantly, hovering above the Forest of Darkness.

“Who’s…! Ah…”

Choi Han, Raon and Eruhaben, initially sensing a presence nearby, quickly identified who was hovering above them.

“Cale?”

“G-Gentle Human!”

Unlike Choi Han and Raon, who looked troubled as they frantically looked around, Rok Soo looked up and smirked.

“Aigoo, I told you to wait for your hyung.”

“……”

“Did you think I’d lose your books?”

“You know that isn’t the issue, Rok Soo.”

Rok Soo had the nerve to laugh while Cale clicked his tongue.

A large part of the Forest of Darkness was now covered in smoke, with the ground recently burned and full of ash.

Beyond the smoke, several round things were quickly sprouting, black and larger than a grown man’s palm. The speed at which they bloomed, revealing their glowing golden innermost parts, was enough for Cale to know that magic had been used to hasten the process.

“You didn’t say monster corpses wouldn’t work, dongsaeng.”

Rok Soo spoke as he looked around, eyes sharp and delighted by the Charcoal Heart flowers blooming quickly and soon forming a field.

“His Majesty is most interested in their healing and vitality effects. Ah, Eruhaben-nim appears a bit upset after learning that his apprentice had been withholding such important information all this time.”

Rok Soo smirked up at his silent Cale again.

“Be sure to treat your mentor well later, dongsaeng.”

“……”

“That’s not important now, Human! Gentle Human found out about our surprise!”

“That’s right!”

“Haa, I knew we shouldn’t have asked for your help…”

“Oh, Young Master Cale is here!”

“Puppy, have you had your lemonade yet?”

“Cale, come down since you’re here. Regarding these flowers you kept a secret from me…”

“Your Grace! It’s been a while!”

“It’s His Grace!”

“His Grace is here?”

“Ah, right. Everyone, dongsaeng has finally left his office and will be spending a few days here.”

“What? Really?!”

“Perfect! This means I get to do lots of research with my junior, correct?”

“Human, what the hell?! Why didn’t you mention this sooner, Human?!”

“Rok Soo… you just made that up, didn’t you?”

“What is this cat talking about? Ron even prepared that much lemonade this early.”

“Hohoh~”

Olenth blinked and looked away from Rok Soo and the others to glance at Cale, fighting back a smile.

“Are you taking a break from work now, Cale?”

“……”

Cale stared long at the mess of a group below, with Rok Soo smirking up at him in the middle.

‘…How is he getting more crafty at dragging me out of my office every single time?’

Been a while since I drew anything so I planned to take my sweet, sweet time in every step...

So, you know how I'm taking ages to fix up all 49 long chapters in my fanfic? And since AO3 won't let me hide just some chapters, think it'd be better if I start posting the edited ones in a new fic with the same name, One Bad End is Enough? I could update like, a chapter every week or two if I'm not working on my other fic.

Sometimes, characters just won't go the way authors want lol. Roksoo and Cale both refuse to stick to the current script, and I refuse to let them write a new path due to my arts.

Like, excuse me, I can't let the long hours I spent hunched over the tablet go to waste lmao. Yet, forcing anything on the characters is almost pointless since nothing feels right except the one they chose.

I personally hate it if characters go OOC, it's why I decided to try and edit the fic, mainly the first 10 or 20 chapters. I don't expect me to write characters that belong to someone else perfectly, but at least I had to fix parts that never cease in making me grimace to be able to continue the story.

However, when I finally started editing, I found lots of things that just don't seem right, more than I initially thought. Me glaring at the OOC parts is the problem. I sadly can't overlook it and just have fun lol.

I hope you and your family are doing fine and safe away from any danger.

Ah yes, my family is back and safe now. Thank you :D

Glad you're enjoying the story so far 🌸

As for arts, well, so far the only art I recently added in a previous chapter on ao3 I guess was ogCale's disguise in Eunwu's body lol. It was a request from a friend.

I'll try to draw some more ^ ^

Here's Cale's disguise in that one chapter he went to investigate an orphanage lol

I hope you're doing well!

Thank you ^ ^🌸

Sorry for the wait. I'm still working on it. I'm currently going through a tough situation tbh since the region here is in a state of war and my family is trapped in another country close to danger and so, but I'm still distracting/calming myself with writing lol. Hopefully it'll get better for everyone.

Thank you again for loving my fic and arts 🌸

First off, I love your works!

I love your art, your fics, everything!

But I haven't been online for so long, and yesterday I wanted to re-read "One Bad End Isn't Enough", but I couldn't find it. Can I ask what happened to the fic? I don't mean to offend, and I'll respect your choices of what you choose to do about this fic.

Thank you <3

Good day and welcome back online 🌸

Yes, well, first of all, I apologize for not announcing anything about it and some got confused because of this 👉🏻👈🏻

I briefly explained in the latest update in my other fic "Can't an Old Man Die in Peace," though yes not everyone read that fic obviously so thank you for bringing it up here lol,

"One Bad End is Enough" is currently hidden, not gone. I'll reveal it once I'm done editing all chapters. I'll try to reconstruct it fast so you won't have to wait long.

Here is the information: https://www.tumblr.com/ein-keiser/781327347687227392/i-have-to-call-out-this-fanfiction-thive-a-friend?source=share

Ah, here we go again...

I kinda don't care cuz there always are people out there who just won't bother and steal anyway regardless the consequences, sometimes just for fun or attention. It does bother me however to see others' works get stolen easily without care smh.