lionhearted

dhwjunhee​:

     quite frankly, junhee welcomes ahri’s accusatory glare when she declares that she knows what she’s doing. if she’s occupied with that, then it means that it’s less time she’s spending trying to embarrass him. even if there’s no truth in her words, junhee always finds himself easily flustered by ahri. it’s partially because she’s, well, her — and she knows him better than most people. and the other part? well, ahri does specifically seek to make his life harder (in the most loving way she can manage, but still).

     “you don’t sound very convincing, you know.” he replies with more confidence now that he’s no longer the centre of attention. junhee, despite being a princess, has never been one who has been completely comfortable in the spotlight. he’d much prefer to be on the side, letting other people shine, while he slips through life unbothered by drama and, well, following fate. “hyunsu hates me,” he says quietly, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. “or at least, he doesn’t like me much. we didn’t ever really make up, not like you and kihyun hyung. it’s different.” and we’re both boys, he adds in his head, although that thought wavers. he isn’t really sure anymore what the truth is. he’d been raised to believe that relationships and love were between males and females, but the longer he lives, the more he questions whether that’s really all there is to the world. 

     it’s all too clear to him that there’s a lot more going on between them, but if neither of them are willing to acknowledge it, then junhee isn’t sure what else he can do. the thing is, he wants them both to be happy. sure, it had been a big blow in his plans for the future when he’d realized that not only did ahri not believe in their destiny, but that she was in love with kihyun. it had seemed like all his dreams had crumbled to dust. he knows that she keeps promising him that if he really wants to, they can get married. 

     but it brings junhee no comfort to think that perhaps, even if they do follow destiny, he’ll be making ahri miserable. he doesn’t want that. he would never want that. 

     “i just think there’s more,” he murmurs softly, and he sighs a bit. “i only want you two to be happy, you know?” he says with wide eyes full of earnest appeal, glancing up at her before he directs his gaze back down to the menu. “anyways, what do you want to drink? and eat?”

ahri’s eyes do get a little soft when junhee points out that hyunsu hates him, despite her displeasure early from him trying to get sneaky and change topics from his love issues to her love issues, even if those words are brought up just briefly, just to illustrate something to her, it’s hard to shrug off the urge to tell him that hyunsu doesn’t hate him, because hate is too much of a strong word to be used between them, because she knows how junhee is affected by that and it’s just her second, if not first, nature to try to comfort the other, to just protect him in general, something she definitely tributes to the person that she once was who was so deeply connected with the person that junhee once was. 

“but i still think you’re on the right track.” and for once her tone isn’t teasing or trying to make junhee embarrassed. “to build your friendship again, it might be a little slow but you’ll get there. if kihyun and i managed to patch things up even if that silly butt disappeared on me for four years, then you two can do it too.” ahri has absolutely no idea why hyunsu is so adamant in not getting along with junhee, but she’s sure that it can’t be anything worse than what kihyun pulled on her when they were younger, just shutting himself down without a single warning and for something so— ahri doesn’t want to call it stupid nor ridiculous, because she admits that it’s important that kihyun learns how to control his powers to some extend, she knows that. but she can’t help it but call it stupid and ridiculous anyway because kihyun acted like he’d hurt someone when ahri knows better than anyone else that he never would do that even on accident. or maybe she’s still bitter and upset that he shut her out like they weren’t friends, like he didn’t care enough to let her know, like he didn’t trust her to be around him when he possibly needed people the most.

it hurts even now when she stops to think about it so she just doesn’t. she and kihyun already had enough fights over it at this point and she likes the peaceful moment of their friendship of the moment— or as peaceful as it can considering that he’s acting weird since she got a (fake) boyfriend (another thing she doesn’t really dwell too much on). 

but then the whole point of this is that hyunsu and junhee don’t hate each other, perhaps there is still some hostility and discomfort between them but not hate. at least not anymore. but then the whole point is that junhee is trying to make this about her and kihyun, but either way ahri can’t be mad at the other when he pulls such a cute speech like that, telling her he just wants them to be happy like he means it. ahri knows he does and that’s probably what makes her heart the warmest, what makes her think that for him, she’d follow whatever she needed to make him happy too. “we— i mean, i am happy.” because in the end she can’t say it for kihyun anyway. “so you shouldn’t worry too much, that’s my job. yours is just to be pretty and let everyone spoil and coddle you.” she goes back to teasing, to get the mood between them a little playful again.

surprisingly there’s something calm about fencing, ahri thinks. it’s one of the few things that her body knows so well that it clears her head, sharpens it and it does help that she’s good at it, that it lets the taste of victory linger on her mind.

but there’s also the thing that ahri doesn’t like to think that all her qualities, that everything she’s good or bad at depends on what she was in another life — could it even be considered another life if it was put on hold, if she feels like she needs to do this thing to come back to it? —, of what prince phillip liked to do or what he was good at. she doesn’t like to think that everything that she has now, from her parents to their way of living, to what she likes and doesn’t, depends on what he had back then. hates that part of her personality could be the way it is because of him. ahri prefers to think that they’re two different people, perhaps connected by a misfortune, but not— she’s not him, instead of just being somewhat a revamp version of someone she has only memories of. 

junhee !!

     junhee is a little bit disappointed in himself. usually, he’s better at controlling his own reactions, better at holding out on the impulse to behave a certain way, but for some reason, ahri always knows how to push his buttons exactly. it seems painfully easy for the older girl, and he wrinkles his nose at her in a way of expressing his distaste. honestly, he just thinks that ahri likes to tease him — the topic only happens to be hyunsu because his ruptured friendship with hyunsu has bothered him ever since childhood. 

     they had been so close. what in the world had happened to turn hyunsu so fully against him? he still doesn’t understand and it baffles him — it still hurts him, every time he sees the other shoot a glare at him. there’s nothing going on between them like ahri seems to imply, after all, they’re both guys. but he admits that maybe he’s a little bit pathetic about how much he wants them to be friends again. 

     “it means nothing,” he huffs in response. he’s so blind to even his own situation, too blind to see the truth that sits in front of him. he’s swallowed up by the vision of his destiny, tunnel vision and blinkers on to only see the narrow path in front of him. there’s not much room for him to deviate here. “i just wish we were friends again, that’s all.” his lips turn down in a small pout, obviously (more than) a little sulky about the spoilt friendship. “it’s been years and i still don’t know what i did wrong.” he can just ignore anything she says that isn’t conducive to their conversation, he thinks — 

     “anyways, nuna. what about kihyun hyung?” he nudges her gently under the table with his foot. “you haven’t told me about what’s happening with you two yet. it’s getting kind of confusing, you know?” to junhee, it’s painfully obvious that they like each other, but for some reason, the other two can’t seem to see it. ahri might be his destined, but if she’s in love with someone else, junhee isn’t going to step in the way. 

     even if it throws a wrench in his own destiny.

ahri would definitely like to argue when junhee says that it means nothing, that he’s only sulking this much over a ruined friendship. well, it might seem like that to others, but ahri would like to assume that she knows the person she considers her little brother a little better than this. at first she thought what bothered him was that he didn’t know exactly what he did wrong to suddenly deserve hyunsu’s hostility like that — and to be honest, even ahri is a little confused to why the other suddenly turned his back to junhee — and he couldn’t even apologize for it, try to fix it or make up for it since he doesn’t know what is wrong in the first place. but then the more she watched this whole thing go on, the more she was sure that there was something there that wasn’t a simple friendship. 

but of course that she’d never force it on junhee even if she might seem to know where this is going, or at least where junhee’s feelings are going. she won’t guide him there since it just feels wrong that she steals the process from him. the younger boy will have his moment to realize his feelings himself and then decide what he’s going to do with them, so ahri just lets it go, resigns herself with the small pleasure of poking junhee a little bit, nudging him into the right direction at least, after all, they’re still friends and she can’t let him in this oblivious situation forever. besides, it’s always fun to see him blush even while trying to glare at her — and only confirms her own suspicions.

the design student is ready to nudge junhee a little more, to comment about how if it meant nothing then junhee wouldn’t be this worked up about it, or to point out how ridiculous the whole situation is. they’re both young adults now, they should be mature enough to sit do and talk about it, but then the tables turn with the mention of a simple name and it’s ahri’s turn to have a light shade of pink painting her cheeks, eyes narrowing at junhee because— “i know exactly what you’re doing changing topics like this.” 

“i haven’t said anything because there’s nothing to tell, nothing is happening. just nothing is confusing because there’s nothing to be confused about.” she replies almost as defensive as junhee was moments ago, definitely repeats herself a little too much for it to be completely natural. “like what’s between you and hyunsu.” which is true in more ways than one. even if ahri herself won’t admit to her feelings. at some degree, she’s very much aware of them but she always push them down, ignores and denies them with everything that she has because her and kihyun are friends, have been since even before junhee came into the picture, because kihyun deserves someone better than her, someone nicer and that is genuinely sweet. he deserves a sincerely good person. 

junhee​ !!

(...)

     so when their parents insist that they go on dates, both of them go, junhee always thinking. he doesn’t really know what ahri is thinking every time they go on their “dates,” but if she has doubts, she does a good job at hiding them. 

     and apparently has enough in her to tease him. his cheeks flush a faint pink at the mention of the other’s name, though he narrows his eyes at her instead. “what’s that supposed to mean?” he demands huffily. “there’s nothing going with him, nuna, and you know that perfectly well. we’re just — well, we’re not even friends, i don’t think, but at least we’re talking…” 

ahri thinks that junhee is a little too easy when it’s about teasing him. she has barely said anything and he’s already blushing. or maybe it’s because she has known him for so long, knows exactly what kind of things make the other embarrassed, get him a little flustered. it also helps that she has always been attentive, attuned to other people, so she can read people well, especially when she has lived most with her life with said people. that’s why she can see that maybe there’s something there between her little brother and hyunsu, how the other always finds a way to mention hyunsu in their conversation, how he always has something to say about him. 

see, this is just ahri being a kind a soul and bringing him up before junhee had to find a way to do so.

she just shrugs. “it means what it means, junnie.” ahri tries to keep this casual, like she’s genuinely just curious but it’s hard when she has barely done said anything and junhee is already blushing even if just faintly, already narrowing his eyes at her like he knows he’s walking into a trap or at least he’s expecting ahri to mention something more, maybe sing softly hyunsu and junhee under a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g— the thought makes her scoff a little on her mind, like ahri would be that obvious when they’re in public like that. but she’d definitely do it at some point, maybe later, when wherever they’re going is a little more clear, when she has more evidence for her claims. “you actually might know it more than me if that pink on your cheeks are anything to go by.” ahri points out, calls junhee out on it.

kihyun​ !!

(...)

he’s always struggled with sleep, even when he was younger, though back then it had been more of an issue of too much energy. now it’s an issue of to much thinking. to many worries that swim around his head and keep him up into the wee hours of the night. he’d long since given up the tossing and turning technique, and instead found himself picking up hobbies in the dead of night when his brain can’t settle.

and sometimes he just doesn’t want to be alone. sometimes he finds himself craving some kind of human interaction. though he feels bad ever waking his sister, and maybe it’s also because he doesn’t want to burden her with this. it’s why he finds himself throwing on a coat, his faithful black gloves already pulled on ( not that he ever takes them off ) and he’s heading out the door without hesitation. his phone is in his hand as he walks down the sidewalk in the cold winter night. a text sent out to ahri [ fancy a walk? ] who he figures would be a sleep. 

he would walk until his mind was exhausted and then maybe he would be able to sleep finally. 

it isn’t like ahri has problem sleeping per say. it’s just that it takes her a lot to be comfortable enough to fall asleep, either because she’s not in a familiar space with unfamiliar people or because whatever surface or the position that she is isn’t comfortable enough, sometimes even when she’s wearing can be a little of a problem if she wants to take something as simple as nap. she also always refuses to sleep wearing make up, the rumor about how it damages one’s skin enough to scare her from ever being able to. it also definitely doesn’t help that she has a light sleep, even if she usually tries to fall right back to sleep. but then again, none of that is really a problem when she’s in her apartment, already finished her routine of skincare and is warmly cuddled on her bed. 

until of course her phones rings signalizing a text and ahri doesn’t think twice about getting it.

people would argue, including her parents, that if she has such a light sleep she shouldn’t keep her notifications on during the night, take away one more thing that could potentially keep waking her up while she’s trying to sleep and the thing that ahri does turn off mostly of her notifications, from her social medias and any other apps, but she can’t really bring herself to keep her phone on mute and she has a friend that has trouble sleeping sometimes, that would often reach out to her so they could spend time together either just texting or calling, or in this case taking a walk together. and really, it’s late, if it were anyone else, ahri would mute her phone and ignore them, use the excuse that she was sleeping — which she sort of was anyway so it isn’t a lie —, but kihyun is different in a way that ahri doesn’t like to think about for too long because it’d be admitting feelings that won’t do her any good. 

kihyun is different because her heart flusters a little with the fact that even if he has a sister who she’s sure would gladly keep him company, he still asks for her instead. kihyun is different because he has ahri getting out of bed to dress up for a very late night walk without her thinking twice about it. he’s different because he makes her type a message, then blush before deleting it and going with a safer reply.

〈 sms › › › mr. snowman ❄️〉 ⤏ depends, is this a date? [DELETED] ⤏ sure, give me about ten minutes ⤏ where do you wanna meet?

@dhwjunhee

ahri doesn’t really blame her parents when they still believe that somehow junhee and her are still going to end up together, doesn’t quite have in her heart to tell that the only way she’d love the reincarnated princess was as a little brother, that the fates got it wrong this time and there’s no chance ahri’s true love kiss is going to work on junhee if that love means a romantic one. and believe, that ahri tried, she really tried to keep her destiny in mind whenever she hang out with the younger boy, tried her hardest to see him as more than the baby she needed to look after and protect (and tease him a bit while she’s at it), but it didn’t work, any and all affection she feels towards junhee is the same as she’d feel for a family member. at least not now, not when she knows that they’ll only get hurt for it. 

(she does not think of the possibility that maybe the reason why she never fell for junhee was because her heart already belonged to someone else. nope, she won’t go there)

and that’s why she also doesn’t blame them when they insist, along with junhee’s own parents, that they go into those “dates” sometimes, that they pick somewhere a little fancier, to dress up a little better than where they usually spend time together. they say it’s good for their bonding, that they look good together, they get along well enough anyway — or more than that since junhee is one of ahri’s best friends along with his label of her unofficial baby brother —, so it isn’t like going out to get dinner together is a sacrifice for any of them. and it really isn’t, ahri agrees, she just feels a tiny bit bad because her parents are putting expectations on them that they’ll never meet, are imagining connotations in this dinner that are most surely not there. 

but she supposes that what they don’t know won’t hurt them. 

hello, everyone~! i’m bringing you this jewel called han ahri, the reincarnation of prince phillip who is here to follow her own destiny and get away with it — or so she thinks. the only one who can boss han ahri is han ahri herself, she’ll fight. either way! here is her profile and here is her bio, unfortunately i don’t have a plots page yet but i might put one up eventually and besides!! i’m sure we can come up with some very lovely plots by brainstorming! i promise ahri is someone fun to be around and she doesn’t really bite. she’ll just make holes in you with a big needle  🥰🥰 as usual, please do leave a ♡ in this post if you’d like to plot and i’ll come to your ims asap! or even better!! don’t be shy and slide in my ims if you have anything in mind or just to say hi, i’ll love you regardless ♡♡♡♡

also as routine, under the cut a quick rundown of ahri so you can all know her a little better.