2002

 holding  the  puppy  up  a  little  higher,  as  if  presenting  undeniable  proof  of  his  innocence.  ❛  i  rescued  him.  ❜  he  totally  stole  it,  trying  to  pretend  he  never  did  steal  anything.  his  lips  twitch  when  she  starts  petting  the  tiny  thing,  though,  and  he  sighs  dramatically.  ❛  but  no,  no  tag.  no  owner  in  sight  either.  so  technically,  this  little  guy  was  begging  me  to  take  him  in.  ❜  he  grins,  nudging  the  puppy's  nose  with  his  own.  ❛  and,  well  ..  who  am  i  to  say  no  to  a  face  like  this  ?  ❜  then,  without  missing  a  beat,  he  smirks.  ❛  you  were  looking  at  me  when  you  said  really  cute,  by  the  way.  just  saying.  ❜

 his  grin  stretched  wide,  pure  satisfaction  written  all  over  his  face.  ❛  see  ?  that's  what  i  like  to  hear.  ❜  he  wrapped  his  arms  around  her  waist,  pulling  her  in  just  a  little  closer,  just  because  he  could.  ❛  but  you  gotta  admit,  you  missing  me  this  much  ?  kinda  cute.  ❜  he  wiggled  his  brows  playfully,  clearly  enjoying  himself.  leaning  in  slightly,  he  lowered  his  voice  like  he  was  about  to  share  some  big  secret.  ❛  you  know,  if  you  ever  get  tired  of  missing  me,  there's  an  easy  solution.  just  stick  around.  ❜

And there it is. Her first eye - roll of the day and an amused smile tugging onto her lips. "It's true. You are handsome." Now, why wouldn't she agree with him? He is not wrong in saying he is handsome. It just shows he acknowledges his good looks and he should be proud of them. And if she agrees, there's a chance to see him flustered. She squints, not moving her face away from his. "What if I am?" The female inquires while a smile continues to play on her lips. But all is ruined when she sees his gaze falling down, and she is the one who gets flustered, ending up pushing him from his shoulders.

 he  barely  moved  from  the  push,  only  laughing  as  he  rocked  back  slightly  before  leaning  right  back  in.  ❛  what  if  you  are  ?  ❜  he  echoed,  a  smirk  curling  at  the  edge  of  his  lips.  ❛  then  i  guess  that  means  you  have  got  impeccable  taste.  ❜  he  shot  her  a  grin,  absolutely  reveling  in  the  way  she  was  now  the  flustered  one.  tilting  his  head,  he  grinned.  ❛  what's  wrong  ?  thought  you  were  gonna  make  me  embarrassed  ?  ❜  he  tapped  his  chin,  pretending  to  think.  ❛  you  know,  if  you  wanna  keep  staring,  just  say  so.  i  won't  stop  you.  ❜

Ari's head tilted down seeing his features soften on her like that. So much was unsaid between them, but if there was one thing she knew, was that she'd go to the ends of the earth to protect him. She'd already killed someone in front of him, that memory still fresh despite it being months ago with so much happening since then, it felt like a lifetime. Her gaze fell on the open photobook of her childhood. "...why don't we have any pictures of the two of us together?" she asked, free hand of her uninjured arm pressed in the book. Also a way to change the subject, unwilling to think of Hyunwoo fighting and potentially hurting himself. "We're together all the time. You're the closest friend I have...and there's nothing to show for it. Why is that?"

 his  gaze  lingered  on  the  photobook,  his  expression  unreadable  for  a  moment  before  a  quiet  chuckle  left  him.  ❛  guess  we  were  too  busy  actually  living  to  stop  and  take  pictures,  huh  ?  ❜  his  fingers  played  with  the  edge  of  the  page,  but  his  eyes  stayed  on  hers,  something  almost  knowing  in  them,  like  he  saw  right  through  the  deflection  but  let  it  slide  anyway.  his  voice  was  softer  when  he  spoke  again.  ❛  or  maybe  ..  we  just  never  thought  we  needed  proof.  ❜  he  smirked  slightly,  a  little  lopsided  but  warm.  ❛  but  if  it  bothers  you  that  much,  we  can  start  now.  ❜  he  pulled  his  phone  out  of  his  pocket,  holding  it  up  like  he  was  about  to  take  a  picture,  waiting  for  her  reaction.  ❛  come  on,  say  cheese  or  ..  you  know,  something  cooler.  ❜

“  it  really  wasn't,  but  now  i'm  getting  ideas..  ”  she  trails  off  teasingly,  returning  the  squeeze  with  a  little  smile.  “  pizza  would  be  good—  ”  lunara  freezes  to  the  spot,  head  turning  to  look  at  him  incredulously.  “  steak?!  really,  he  thinks  i'm  rich..  is  this  some  kind  of  special  occasion?  ”  reaches  up  high  to  let  her  hand  ruffle  through  his  hair  before  it  wraps  back  around  him,  sighing  softly.  “  my  job  doesn't  pay  me  that  well  —  we  can  share  one.  ”  she  huffs,  “  and  now  you  owe  me  the  biggest  icee  possible.  ”

 letting  out  a  dramatic  gasp,  hand  on  his  chest  like  she  just  gravely  insulted  him.  ❛  share  a  steak  ?  lunara,  please,  have  some  respect.  ❜  he  shakes  his  head,  clicking  his  tongue.  ❛  what  if  i  want  to  pretend  i'm  a  king  for  one  night,  huh  ?  you  are  really  gonna  take  that  from  me  ?  ❜  still,  the  warmth  of  her  hand  in  his  hair  softens  any  real  protest  he  might  have  had.  he  huffs,  tilting  his  head  slightly  like  a  spoiled  cat  before  flashing  her  a  grin.  ❛  fine,  fine.  we  will  split  it.  but  if  i  catch  you  eyeing  my  half,  i  will  challenge  you  to  a  duel.  ❜  he  pauses,  then  nods.  ❛  also,  deal.  i  will  get  you  the  biggest  icee  they  have.  if  they  don't  have  a  big  enough  size,  i'm  making  them  dump  two  into  a  bucket.  ❜

            hyunwoo  had  always  been  the  best  at  comforting  her,  making  bomi  feel  seen  and  understood.  leaning  in,  she  rests  her  head  against  his  lips,  exhaling  softly  as  if  trying  to  release  the  weight  of  her  worries.  "  i  hope  so.  "  with  a  small  but  determined  nod,  she  follows  his  lead,  sliding  out  of  the  car  while  keeping  a  firm  hold  on  his  hand  for  emotional  support,  staying  close  to  his  side.  even  from  outside,  she  could  already  tell  this  wasn't  the  kind  of  atmosphere  she  was  used  to.  the  pounding  bass  of  the  music,  the  flashes  of  strobe  lights  spilling  out  from  inside  the  mansion  making  her  anxious,  but  she  pushes  through,  "  let's  go  find  the  birthday  boy  !  "  

 giving  her  hand  a  squeeze,  feeling  the  slight  tension  in  her  grip,  but  he  doesn't  comment  on  it  and  instead  he  flashes  her  a  small  smile.  ❛  that's  the  spirit.  ❜  he  nudges  her  playfully  with  his  elbow  before  guiding  her  toward  the  entrance.  when  they  step  inside,  the  music  booms  through  his  chest,  and  the  mix  of  neon  lights  and  alcohol  infused  air  hits  him.  he  leans  down  slightly,  voice  just  loud  enough  over  the  noise.  ❛  okay  we  locate  the  birthday  boy,  say  hi,  and  if  this  turns  out  to  be  a  nightmare,  we  sneak  out  and  grab  food  instead.  no  one  will  even  notice.  just  let  me  know  if  this  is  too  much.  ❜  he  plants  a  kiss  on  her  cheek.  ❛  unless,  of  course,  you  decide  to  become  the  life  of  the  party.  i  won't  stop  you  ..  are  you  ready  to  meet  my  friends  ?  ❜

༊⋆｡˚                       whoa whoa whoa , he really thought they were gonna get caught ?! ❛ —- pfft , please . ye of little faith ! ❜ as soon as she said it though , she noticed movement and she quickly gasped before pulling him backwards into a tight corner . pushed up against one another as she wiggled her eyebrows , ❛ still gonna cry , pretty boy ? ❜

 ❛  cry  ?  hmm  ..  maybe,  will  that  give  me  all  your  attention  then  ?  will  that  make  you  wipe  away  my  tears  ?  well  ..  i  could  do  that  if  that  is  the  aftermath.  ❜  he  laughs  and  looks  down  at  her  while  they  were  hidden.  ❛  i  didn't  know  we  have  gotten  this  close,  so  fast  too.  ❜  a  little  joke  from  his  end,  suddenly  shutting  up  as  he  heard  foot  steps.  ❛  do  you  that's  a  ghost  or  something  else  ?  ❜

brow raised at him, " you just touched something? " dasom cannot help but to repeat those words with a look of disbelief coloring countenance. eyes flicker to when he pulled free the broken item, jaw going slack in surprise. dasom can't help but to laugh, head shaking at the entire scenario. " a crow in a past life for sure. " she reached forward to gently take the item, looking it over to see if there was anything she could at least do to fix it. " so how exactly did you touch it? "

 making  a  face  at  her  question,  he  really  needed  to  not  touch  anything,  anywhere  or  it  would  break.  rather  clumsy,  if  you  asked  him.  he  gives  the  item  to  her,  shrugging  his  shoulders  as  he  does  the  movement  with  his  hands,  clearly  trying  to  bend  the  thing  before  it  broke.  ❛  that  one,  i  tried  if  it  was  kinda  ..  bendy,  you  know  ..  flexible,  but  then  it  was  too  late  and  boom.  ❜  he  tries  to  laugh  it  out.  ❛  and  something  fell  outside.  ❜  he  points  on  the  floor,  something  black  and  dusty  on  it.  ❛  so  i  think  i'm  cursed  now.  ❜

Has Miyoung been staring? Yes, yes she has, but she didn't think he would catch her. "Huh?" And she's quick to look away when he notices her, her gaze dropping to the book that's on the table, only for her gaze to return to him. "I was just surprised how there aren't any dark circles under your eyes. Or are you wearing concealer?" She brings her face closer, squinting while looking directly into his eyes.

 ❛  it's  called  handsome.  ❜  he  says,  being  annoying  as  he  was  touching  his  face,  laughing  after.  ❛  it's  a  really  expensive  and  good  eye  cream,  i'm  using  and  sleeping  a  lot.  ❜  his  mother  always  made  sure  to  use  the  right  things  for  his  face.  his  eyes  do  widen  suddenly  as  she  was  up  so  close.  ❛  why  are  you  so  close  ?  are  you  gonna  study  everything  on  my  face  ?  ❜  his  eyes  drop  down  to  look  at  her  lips  and  then  back  into  her  eyes.

"The operation has plenty of guards to pick from. I had Hansol at my side for six years..." The mention of her deceased bodyguard made her drink again, though it didn't help numb any of the pain. Hyunwoo's light touch pulled Ari out of her sorrowful thoughts. She instinctively leaned in to it, dropping her chin against the shoulder of his outreached arm as she tried not to linger on her most loyal guard of the gang. "You don't have to worry about me, Hyunwoo. One flesh wound in twenty six years in this business? I'm invincible, no one can touch me. If they did, I can't imagine whose wrath they'd have to face. My father's, my brothers, or yours." Ari cracked a smile, tilting her head to meet his gaze with a knowing one.

 ❛  you  are  invincible,  noona.  that's  what  i'm  sure  of.  ❜  he  says,  nodding  his  head  with  a  tight  lipped  smile  on  features.  ❛  just  gotta  still  worry  about  you,  who  else  is  gonna  do  that  ..  leave  the  worry  for  me.  ❜  as  if  he  was  ready  to  carry  whatever  she  was  holding  on  her  heart.  he  would  do  that  for  ari.  ❛  if  they  face  my  wrath,  they  are  screwed  ..  or  i'm  screwed,  i  could  always  pay  my  way  out,  right  ?  hah.  ❜  he  laughs  a  little,  he  wasn't  much  of  a  fighter.  his  eyes  met  hers,  which  causes  his  features  to  soften,  actually  smiling.

༊⋆｡˚                       hating that they were in public , she suddenly felt even more self conscious than before . gesturing for him to follow , she led him to a slightly quieter spot at the han river . didn’t want to be everybody’s source of entertainment that evening . couldn’t help it , the words cut deep in her chest & before she could even stop herself , she’d blurted them out . ❛ —- so , is this just some kind of social experiment ? ❜ her confidence at an all time low , her anxiety building and the fox poisoning her mindset .. hypocritical .

 brows  were  tightly  knitted  together,  but  he  follows  her.  wondering  what  was  such  a  big  deal  about  this.  he  was  rich  at  the  end  of  the  day,  he  had  money  to  buy  houses  for  multiple  people,  he  could  get  and  go  where  he  wanted  without  even  thinking  if  he  had  the  money.  he  just  wanted  to  be  normal  for  once  and  aeri  gave  him  that  treatment.  she  was  the  first  person  who  liked  him  for  who  he  was  but  now  they  were  in  this  moment  and  god,  how  scared  he  was.  ❛  social  experiment,  what  do  you  take  me  for  ?  do  you  think  i'm  playing  some  games  here  ?  ❜  he  spit  out  his  words,  clicking  his  tongue,  hurt  written  on  his  face.  ❛  so  you  are  just  gonna  throw  me  to  the  side  and  push  me  away,  just  because  i  own  a  black  card,  yes  aeri  ..  i'm  filthy  rich.  ❜